Salisbury, N.C.----The Catawba College Indians prevailed 35-24 over visiting Wingate University Saturday night in South Atlantic Conference football action. The Indians improve to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in league play.
KEY STATS
- Catawba had 216 passing yards and 167 rushing yards for 383 yards of offense
- Wingate had 169 passing yards and 167 rushing yards, good for 336 total yards
- The Indians held a 23-15 advantage in first downs
- The Bulldogs had three of the four turnovers
- Catawba possessed the ball for nearly 39 minutes on the night
- The Indians went eight-for-12 on third down; the 'Dogs were four-for-11
KEY BULLDOGS
-
Ethan Wallace had six carries for 63 yards and a touchdown
-
Jayshawn Appling added 23 rushing yards and a TD
-
Brooks Brien threw for 169 yards
-
Kelson Tate had two receptions for 62 yards
-
Xavier Jackson added three grabs for 49 yards
-
Aaron Griffin contributed 26 yards on a pair of receptions
- Griffin also had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown
-
Gunnar Hilsinger made all three PATs and a 40-yard field goal
-
Elijah Manning had nine tackles to lead the defensive effort
-
Tory Kelly and
Chris Harris each had seven tackles with a TFL and pass break-up
-
J'Von Mack had six tackles with a TFL
-
Paul Thompson added four stops with a tackle for loss
-
Jayden Rubbo had an interception
FIRST QUARTER
- A Wingate interception on the opening drive set Catawba up at the WU 36
- Mason Fortune connected with Coen Sutton for a five-yard TD to give Catawba an early 7-0 lead
- The 'Dogs ended the quarter with Brien's 12-yard run to get to the WU 35
SECOND QUARTER
- Wallace broke free for a 53-yard touchdown just over a minute into the second quarter to tie it at seven
- Kevon Rivera's two-yard TD run capped Catawba's 61-yard scoring drive to make it 14-7
- Wingate answered with a 68-yard scoring drive
- Brien connected with Tate for 53 yards on third-and-15 to get it to the Catawba 20
- Appling scored from 20 yards out to tie it at 14 with seven minutes left
- The Indians regained the lead with just under two minutes left in the half
- Saeed St. Fleur scored from 17 yards out to give Catawba a 21-14 advantage
- A 55-yard run from Willis on third and 17 got the Bulldogs back in the red zone
- Wingate got it inside the five, but an interception halted the drive
THIRD QUARTER
- Rivera's two-yard TD run with 7:06 left in the third gave the Indians a 28-14 lead
- Griffin had the immediate response, taking the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to the house
- Rubbo halted the next drive with an interception, setting the 'Dogs up at the Catawba 39
- Hilsinger drilled a 40-yard field goal to make it 28-24 at the 1:39 mark
FOURTH QUARTER
- Fortune connected with Nicholas Venezia for a six-yard touchdown to give the Indians a 35-24 lead with eight minutes remaining
- The teams traded punts, with the 'Dogs getting it back with 1:52 remaining
- Jackson had 14 and 17 yard receptions to get to the Catawba 35
- Brien tossed one towards the end zone, but an interception gave it back to Catawba with 1:16 left
UP NEXT
- Wingate is back in action Saturday, hosting Tusculum at 3 p.m.
