With the Bobcat offense stalling during the first half, a blind-sided sack was exactly what Boo Jackson needed.
Wofford defensive end Ameet Pall nailed the Bobcat quarterback for a seven-yard loss and jolted Jackson into action. After struggling for most of the first half, the quarterback knew the offense needed to step up.
That hit definitely changed the way I was thinking about the game
Jackson said. I just woke up and realized that these guys are really coming to play.
Once the play happened, the Bobcats wore down the Terriers with a steady dose from rushers Vince Davidson and Ryan Boykin, along with timely passes from Jackson, en route to a 33-10 win.
The Bobcats' statement drive came with 10:44 left in the fourth quarter, when Jackson led a 15-play, 83-yard drive. Boykin sealed the series with a 16-yard touchdown run as he powered through the Terrier defense.
We had to kind of find our feet at the beginning Boykin said. Towards the end of the game we finally were able to wear them down.
Quarterback Phil Bates started instead of Jackson. Coach Frank Solich planned on rotating the two quarterbacks throughout the contest, but a hand injury forced Bates out early.
Both quarterbacks had trouble finding their collective rhythm and finished the first half with one completion each at the end of the first half.
The extent of Bates' injury was unknown following the game, and he is scheduled for an MRI Tuesday, Solich said.
While the offense took a while to get going, the defense contained the Terriers' triple option attack.
Besides Wofford's lone touchdown drive, the Bobcats held the Terriers in check, allowing 220 total yards in the contest.
The way they run their offense can make you impatient
Solich said. I thought our players kept their composure though and did a better job as the game wore on.
Wofford's option offense marked the third time in three years the Bobcats have faced a triple option team in their out-of-conference schedule. With so many different weapons for the Terriers to use, the Bobcats had to be on their toes, cornerback Julian Posey said.
Any time you go against an option of that sort
it's tricky on the eyes
Posey said. They shift more than a lot of teams do
and it was harder for us adjust with our checks.
Once we found a rhythm of what they wanted to do, we definitely stopped the run.
Posey put the Bobcats on the board six minutes into the game when he picked up a Brenton Bersin on a punt fumble and ran 38 yards for the score. After finishing last season with 37 turnovers
the Bobcats forced three to start the season.
It's important for us to get at least three (turnovers), Posey said. We have a goal for each game, and that goal is for us to get multiple turnovers.
Any time we do that
we definitely accomplish our goal.
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