Salisbury, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore running back Vince Jordan (Mt. Gilead, N.C.) posted 160 yards rushing to help the Bulldogs record 518 yards total offense in a 42-17 South Atlantic Conference victory over host Catawba College Saturday afternoon at Shuford Stadium. Jordan has 824 rushing yards this season.

With the victory, Wingate improves to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the SAC. The Catawba Indians fall to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the SAC. Wingate’s 21-member senior class sets a school record with its 29th career victory. Two previous classes posted 28 victories each.

Catawba scored first, getting a 37-yard field goal by Thomas Trexler (Wilmington, N.C.) on the game’s first possession. Wingate answered when Nelson Woods (Charlotte, N.C.) scored from two yards out midway through the first quarter. Woods rushed 19 times for 88 yards and two scores Saturday.

The Bulldogs scored on their next possession, thanks to a 75-yard pass from Cody Haffly (Locust Grove, Ga.) to Antonio Cotton (Tampa, Fla.) with 2:53 left in the first quarter. Cotton’s pivotal grab is his first career touchdown reception. The PAT by RP Lopez (Lakeland, Fla.) gave Wingate a 14-3 advantage.

The Indians cut the lead to 14-10 early in the second quarter as Patrick Dennis (Durham, N.C.) connected with Brandon Bunn (Virginia Beach, Va.) for a 30-yard score on a fourth-down play. Jordan set up the next Wingate score with a 52-yard run. The West Montgomery High School product capped the drive, scoring from two yards out for a 21-10 Bulldog lead with 7:22 to go in the half.

Wingate stretched its lead to 28-10 on Haffly’s 28-yard pass to Philip Thomas (Saint Pauls, N.C.) with 6:20 left in the third quarter. Catawba got its last score with 1:55 left in the third as Dennis and Bunn hooked up again, this time from 41 yards out. Bunn has a league-leading 11 touchdown catches this season.

A 29-yard run by Jordan early in the fourth quarter set up Woods for another two-yard score and a 35-17 lead. Jordan got his second score with 3:25 left, running in from 22 yards out on fourth down.

The Bulldogs ran for 284 yards. Jordan carried 17 times to accumulate his game-high 160 yards rushing. Both Jordan and Woods had two scores each. Haffly completed 16-of-24 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Cotton totaled 96 yards on three catches.

Wingate did not commit a turnover on the afternoon and converted on half of its 16 third-down attempts. The Bulldogs are tied for third in the nation (with fellow super region member Albany State University) in turnover margin.

The Bulldogs won the field position battle, thanks to the efforts of wide receiver/return specialist/place kicker Bobby Seidof (Sarasota, Fla.). In his first-ever collegiate kicking appearance, Seidof handled six of Wingate’s seven kick-offs Saturday. He boomed the six kicks for an average of 63.3 yards, giving the visiting Bulldogs a plus-six-yard advantage in the all-important field position battle (Wingate 33 to Catawba 27). Seidof also returned two kick-offs for 54 yards.

Linebacker Aaron Plyler (Monroe, N.C.) led the balanced Wingate defense with seven total tackles and his first career pass interception. Nine Bulldogs had three or more total stops Saturday. Safety Robert Fletcher (Lancaster, S.C.), defensive lineman Cody Cole (Venice, Fla.) and cornerback Terrence Stephens (Queen Creek, Ariz.) had five stops each. Fletcher had two pass break-ups, while Cole posted two tackles for loss.

Dennis led Catawba with 211 yards passing, completing 15-of-34 passes with two touchdowns and one interception. Eric Morman (Rockingham, N.C.) had a game-high six catches for 59 yards. Levon Curtis (Elon, N.C.) led Catawba on the ground, gaining 69 yards on nine carries. Lakeem Perry (Louisburg, N.C.) led all defenders, posting 10 total tackles for the host Indians.

Wingate returns home Saturday, entertaining number 20 Carson-Newman College for a 1:30 p.m. SAC contest. The Bulldogs will celebrate Senior Day and Sports Hall of Fame Weekend. Catawba hits the road Saturday, venturing up the mountain for a 1 p.m. SAC game at Brevard College. 

NCAA Division II Box Score (Final)

Wingate vs Catawba (Oct 24, 2009 at Salisbury, N.C.)

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4   Score

-----------------    -- -- -- --   -----

Wingate............. 14  7  7 14  - 42       Record: (6-2 overall, 4-1 SAC)

Catawba.............  3  7  7  0  - 17       Record: (4-4 overall, 1-4 SAC)

Scoring Summary:

1st 10:54 CAT – Thomas Trexler 37 FG

    07:25 WU - Nelson Woods 2 run (RP Lopez kick)

    02:53 WU - Antonio Cotton 75 pass from Cody Haffly (RP Lopez kick)

2nd 13:23 CAT – Brandon Bunn 30 pass from Patrick Dennis (Thomas Trexler kick)

    07:22 WU - Vince Jordan 2 run (RP Lopez kick)

3rd 06:20 WU - Philip Thomas 28 pass from Cody Haffly (RP Lopez kick)

    01:55 CAT – Brandon Bunn 41 pass from Patrick Dennis (Thomas Trexler kick)  4th 13:24 WU - Nelson Woods 2 run (RP Lopez kick)

    03:25 WU - Vince Jordan 22 run (RP Lopez kick)

                                     WU      CAT

FIRST DOWNS...................       20       19

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............   46-284    24-60

PASSING YDS (NET).............      234      235

Passes Att-Comp-Int...........  28-18-0  38-17-1

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....   74-518   62-295

Fumble Returns-Yards..........      0-0      0-0

Punt Returns-Yards............      1-9     3-30

Kickoff Returns-Yards.........    4-100     6-96

Interception Returns-Yards....      1-0      0-0

Punts (Number-Avg)............   3-33.7   6-32.0

Fumbles-Lost..................      0-0      1-0

Penalties-Yards...............     6-65     4-30

Possession Time...............    31:07    28:53

Third-Down Conversions........  8 of 16  3 of 12

Fourth-Down Conversions.......   3 of 4   1 of 2

Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      3-4      0-0

Sacks By: Number-Yards........     4-36     3-22

RUSHING: Wingate-Vince Jordan 17-160; Nelson Woods 19-88; Cody Haffly 6-27; James Hall 2-10; TEAM 2-minus 1. Catawba-Levon Curtis 9-69; Josh Wright 1-12; Antonio Hall 6-8; Brian Terwilliger 1-0; Daniel Griffith 2-minus 4; Patrick Dennis 5-minus 25.

PASSING: Wingate-Cody Haffly 16-24-0-220; James Hall 2-4-0-14. Catawba-Patrick Dennis 15-34-1-211; Daniel Griffith 2-4-0-24.

RECEIVING: Wingate-Delric Ellington 4-31; Antonio Cotton 3-96; Ryan Webber 3-17; Josh Clawson 3-16; Philip Thomas 2-34; Chris Bowden 2-18; Andrew Nallenweg 1-22.

Catawba-Eric Morman 6-59; Brandon Bunn 2-71; Travis Landrum 2-27; Grayson Downs 2-16; Gerron Bryant 1-19; Brian Terwilliger 1-17; Josh Wright 1-11; Antonio Hall 1-8; Casey Hall 1-7.