CLINTON, S.C. (AP) – Daniel Smith ran for three first half scores, helping Campbell secure its first Big South Conference football win, downing Presbyterian on the road 34-6 Saturday at Bailey Memorial Stadium.
Campbell (6-4, 1-3 Big South) notched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in its modern history with the victory. In the program’s 11th season and first as a Big South member, the Camels earned their first win in the league, spending the program’s first 10 seasons in the Pioneer Football League.
PC (2-7, 0-5 Big South) was limited to just 12 passing yards in the loss, a Campbell single-game record, and only 176 yards of total offense. The Blue Hose completed 4-of-20 passes with an interception through the air, while running for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Campbell, meanwhile, piled up 446 total yards, including 337 rushing, led by Smith’s 129 on 11 tries. The redshirt sophomore posted touchdown runs of four, 51 and 45 yards, also completing 14-of-22 passes for 109 yards and another TD.
It was Smith’s ninth career 100-plus rushing game, with four this season. He had 118 rushing yards in the first half.
Smith found the end zone on Campbell’s first two possessions, including a four-yard dive to the pylon to cap a seven-play march, and a 51-yard sprint to make it 13-0 after a blocked extra point.
Aaron Blackmon Blockmon added an 88-yard kickoff return for the Camels. It was his second career kick return score and his since his freshman season in 2015.
Rocky Reid posted 76 yards rushing on 13 carries, while Darius Barnes added 72 yards on 12 tries. Snead tallied 55 yards receiving with a TD on five catches for the Camels.
NC A&T 28, Savannah State 12
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Marquell Cartwright, Kylil Carter and Jeremiah Martin combined to rush for 280 yards and three touchdowns, carrying North Carolina A&T to a 28-12 victory over Savannah State on Saturday.
Cartwright finished with 117 yards on 11 carries, including a 14-yard TD run in the second quarter, for the Aggies (8-2, 5-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference).
Carter rushed 14 times for 93 yards and that included a 27-yard TD run to cap the scoring in the fourth quarter after the Tigers (2-7, 1-5) pulled within 21-12 on D’Vonn Gibbons 4-yard TD toss to tight end Steven Hagan with 6:14 left to play.
Martin tallied 70 yards on 11 rushes with an 11-yard scoring run in the first quarter. Carter added a 10-yard TD toss to Zachary Leslie with 39 seconds left in the second quarter for a 21-0 halftime lead.
Both teams struggled on third downs. The Aggies converted just 3 of 11 tries, while Savannah State was 2 of 14. The two teams combined for just 198 passing yards.
The Tigers’ first score was the only score of the third quarter. Gibbons hooked up with Paris Baker for a 10-yard TD to pull Savannah State within 21-6.
Towson 41, Elon 10
ELON (AP) — Tom Flacco threw three touchdown passes, Aidan O’Neill set a single-season field goal record and Towson dominated Elson 41-10 on Saturday in a key Colonial Athletic Association game.
Flacco, who was 26 of 43 for 326 yards, connected with Chris Clark and Shane Leatherbury to give the Tigers (7-3, 5-2) at 14-3 lead at the half.
Flacco found Leatherbury early in the third for his 25th touchdown pass of the season, second most in Towson history. Flacco is three scoring passes behind school hall of famer Dan Crowley (1994). Jabari Allen had nine catches for 143 yards.
After Jalen Greene’s rushing touchdown for the Phoenix (6-3, 4-2), O’Neill made history. His 45-yard field goal on the final play of the third quarter was his 19th of the season, one more than the Tigers’ career leader Dan Crowley had in 2016. O’Neill added another 45-yarder in the fourth.
Towson, ranked 20th in the FCS coaches’ poll, piled up 486 yards and held Elon, ranked fifth, to 238 on the way to the Tigers’ largest win of the season. Robert Heyward had 13 tackles for Towson. The loss knocked the Phoenix out of a three-way tie for the CAA lead.
Charleston Southern 16, Gardner-Webb 0
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Terrence Wilson ran for 137 yards and scored two touchdowns and Charleston Southern beat Gardner-Webb 16-0 on Saturday.
Wilson ran for scores of 1 and 3 yards in the decisive second quarter and Charleston Southern (4-5, 2-2 Big South Conference) closed it out on defense the rest of the way.
Gardner-Webb (3-7, 1-2) suffered its second shutout of the season. Last month, East Tennessee State shut out the Bulldogs 45-0. Gardner-Webb has been shutout at least once in five out of the last six seasons.
On Saturday, Charleston Southern outgained Gardner-Webb in total yardage 295-198 and limited the Bulldogs to 72 yards rushing on 41 carries.
