Associated Press
The college football roundup …
BOONE ó Appalachian State relied on its defense in a 14-12 win over Chattanooga on Saturday in the Southern Conference opener for both teams.
Rodger Walker of Appalachian State erased a 6-0 deficit by returning a fumble 74 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter. Then Jeremy Kimbrough intercepted a pass and returned it 46 yards for a score with 13:38 to play, giving the Mountaineers a 14-6 lead.
The Mocs (2-2) pulled to within 14-12 on a 20-yard touchdown pass from B.J. Coleman to Sloan Allison with 9:51 to play, but Colemanís pass on the two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete. Doug Middleton sealed the win for the Mountaineers by intercepting Coleman at the Mocsí 40-yard-line with 11 seconds remaining.
Appalachian State (3-1) has won seven in a row, 24 of the past 27 and 14 in a row at home in the series.
East Carolina 28, UAB 23
GREENVILLE ó Dominique Davis threw three touchdowns and three interceptions as East Carolina survived a school-record seven turnovers and held on for a 28-23 win over UAB on Saturday to win its first game of the season.
The Blazers (0-3, 0-2 Conference USA) remained winless and suffered a loss at quarterback with 1:09 left in the third quarter when Bryan Ellis was injured in his upper body. Ellis had to be taken off the field on a backboard.
East Carolina running back Reggie Bullock rushed for 169 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown. Davis was 35 for 42 for 361 yards for the Pirates (1-2, 1-0).
Georgia So. 52, Western Carolina 20
STATESBORO, Ga. ó Georgia Southern used its triple-option offense to dominate Western Carolina, rushing for 634 yards in a 52-20 win on Saturday night.
The Eagles (3-0, 2-0 Southern Conference) had three players that each gained more than 100 yards rushing. J.J. Wilcox led the rushing attack with 155 yards, Jerick McKinnon had 114 yards and freshman quarterback Ezayi Youyoute added 119 yards on four carries in the fourth quarter, one of which was an 83-yard touchdown run.
Davidson 35, Johnson C. Smith 7
DAVIDSON ó Jonathan Carkhuff threw five touchdowns as Davidson scored 35 unanswered to come back to beat Johnson C. Smith 35-7 on Saturday night.
After an early Johnson C. Smith (2-2) touchdown, Carkhuff rallied Davidson and led five consecutive touchdown drives.
Savannah State 33, NCCU 30
DURHAM ó An interception return for a touchdown by Byron Leggett sealed Savannah Stateís 33-30 win over North Carolina Central on Saturday night in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Coastal Carolina 31, UNC-Greensboro 14
GREENSBORO ó Aramis Hillary passed for 255 yards and three touchdowns, leading Coastal Carolina to 31-14 road victory over North Carolina A&T on Saturday.
The Chanticleers (3-1) dominated throughout, scoring the first 24 points of the game.
Grant Clayton kicked a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter, Hillary connected with Matt Hazel on a 10-yard touchdown and Travis Small added a 3-yard touchdown run for a 17-0 halftime advantage.
The Aggies (1-2), however, made the game interesting.
Lewis Kindle hit Wallace Miles on a 6-yard pass to make it 24-7, and then scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to cut the lead to 24-14.
But the Chanticleers quickly responded.
Deep in Aggiesí territory, Hillary threw a 54-yard pass to Adrian Sullivan, and then threw a 33-yarder to Hazel for another touchdown to put the game out of reach.