Wofford Terriers
Southern
With a double-overtime victory over Chattanooga on November 10, the Terriers clinched a share of the Southern Conference championship for the third time in five seasons. Because of league tiebreakers, however, Wofford didn’t have a chance to receive the conference’s automatic bid to the playoffs — it could only go in as an at-large entry. This season marks the fifth time in six seasons that the Terriers have advanced to the playoffs. They lost in the second round last year to Northern Iowa 28-21. A crucial play in that contest occurred when, after a Northern Iowa kickoff, a Wofford player failed to take a knee in the end zone, keeping the play live. Northern Iowa defenders stripped the ball from him in the end zone and scored a key touchdown.
2012 Record: 8-3, 6-2
Coach: Mike Ayers
Big Wins: 10/20 at Appalachian State (38-28), 11/10 Chattanooga (16-13)
Bad Losses: 10/13 at Georgia Southern (9-17), 11/3 at Samford (17-24)
Strengths:
Another of the powerful ground attacks found in the Southern Conference, Wofford is led by all-America fullback (5-11, 225) Eric Breitenstein. Ironically, Breitenstein hails from Boone, N.C., home of Appalachian State, but he found his niche at Wofford. Breitenstein, the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2011, has a league-leading 1,653 yards with 16 touchdowns. The Terriers are averaging 35.8 points a game and rush for 372.9 yards a contest. But the team’s real strength might be its defense. It leads the conference in scoring defense and is No. 10 nationally, yielding only 17.1 points a game. The Terriers are allowing only 122.4 rushing yards per game. Wofford’s impressive run defense statistics included games against Georgia Southern and The Citadel. It held Georgia Southern to 136 yards below its rushing average.
Weaknesses:
With a strong running game and stellar defense, Wofford likes to control the pace and tempo of the game. The Terriers don’t want to get in a shootout-type contest as witnessed by the fact that they average less than 70 passing yards per game. In fact, quarterback Brian Kass has only attempted 43 passes all season. Kass suffered a hip-pointer recently and missed most of two games. One concern for Wofford has been its lack of scoring in the second half of recent games. It was blanked in the second half against The Citadel and scored only once in the third and fourth quarters of their final three league games. The Terriers have only seven interceptions, but that might be due to the amount of running teams they face.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Eric Breitenstein, RB, 1,653 yards
Passing: Brian Kass, QB, 345 yards
Receiving: Jeff Ashley, WR, 264 yards
Tackles: Mike McCrimon, LB, 60; James Zotto, S, 60
Sacks: Alvin Scioneaux, LB, 5.0
Interceptions: Mike McCrimon, LB, 2; Blake Wylie, CB, 2
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 357.10 (2nd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 50.30 (121, 9)
Total Offense: 407.40 (36, 3)
Scoring Offense: 33.80 (21, 2)
Rushing Defense: 122.90 (21, 1)
Pass Defense: 197.00 (41, 7)
Total Defense: 319.90 (22, 3)
Scoring Defense: 17.10 (10, 1)
Turnover Margin: 0.80 (13, 1)
Sacks: 1.60 (80, 7)
Sacks Allowed: 1.10 (14, 3)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2011 Second Round Lost to Northern Iowa
2010 Second Round Defeated Jacksonville State
2010 Quarterfinals Lost to Georgia Southern
2008 First Round Lost to James Madison
2007 First Round Defeated Montana
2007 Quarterfinals Lost to Richmond
2003 First Round Defeated North Carolina A&T
2003 Quarterfinals Defeated Western Kentucky
2003 Semifinals Lost to Delaware
*all team stats through 11/10
