Wofford Terriers
Southern Conference
Wofford coach Mike Ayers entered his 24th season with the Terriers with high expectations. This squad has not disappointed. Wofford nearly beat Clemson back in September and have been able to score a ton of points on just about everybody. Stopping the opposition has been a little more difficult, but you can bet that most Wofford games will be high scoring. The Terriers ended the 2011 campaign behind Georgia Southern in the Southern Conference standings, but this is still a dangerous team heading into the playoffs.
2011 Record: 8-3, 6-2
Last Playoff Appearance: 2010
Coach: Mike Ayers (162-110-1 at Wofford, 173-131-2 overall)
Big Wins: 10/1 Appalachian State (28-14), 11/19 at Chattanooga (28-27)
Bad Losses: 10/22 at Furman (21-26), 11/12 Georgia Southern (10-31)
Strengths:
This is not a high flying Wofford offense. They rarely pass the ball and nearly all of their production comes on the ground. Led by Eric Breitenstein, few teams have had any success stopping the ground game. Fellow back Donovan Johnson and quarterback Mitch Allen are all great rushers. In fact, Wofford rushed for 500 yards and six touchdowns this season against Western Carolina. That is a lot of yardage. The offense can occasionally mix things up and throw the ball, but Allen is a much, much better runner and leader than he is a passer. That is how this team works, but Allen has to avoid interceptions in the playoffs. When Wofford fell behind to Furman in an October matchup, they were forced to throw. Allen threw two interceptions in that game as the Terriers lost 26-21. But this is not a team that falls behind very often. The ground attack is so efficient and effective that Wofford will be in every game they play. Forced to throw late in the game to get a game winning touchdown may not always work for the Terriers, but this is a team that can avoid that situation by sticking to their game plan.
Weaknesses:
However, the defense does not always help the offense avoid those tough situations. The defensive numbers are not bad at all, in part due to the fact Wofford eats up so much clock running the ball, but there is an underlying problem. The Terriers allow way too many points for the amount of yardage they give up. Some of that is due to turnovers on the offensive end, forcing the defense onto a short field and some of it is due an inconsistency in the punting game. The 3-4 defense is good and linebackers Alvin Scioneaux and Mike Niam are tackling machines. Scioneaux is a rush linebacker who, along with defensive end Alex Goltry, provide a ton of pressure on the opposing quarterback. But that pressure does not lead to many turnovers and that may come back to haunt the Terriers. The turnover battle often goes against Wofford and that is how this team can get behind, which leads to passing, which leads to more turnovers. That may be the only way to beat Wofford.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Eric Breitenstein, RB, 1,343 yards
Passing: Mitch Allen, QB, 707 yards
Receiving: Brenton Bersin, WR, 424 yards
Tackles: Alvin Scioneaux, LB, 78
Sacks: Alvin Scioneaux, LB, 7.5
Interceptions: Blake Wylie, CB, 3
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 356.18 (1st in nation, 1st in conference)
Passing Offense: 85.45 (119, 8)
Total Offense: 441.64 (9, 1)
Scoring Offense: 33.36 (23, 2)
Rushing Defense: 132.64 (32, 1)
Pass Defense: 185.91 (24, 6)
Total Defense: 318.55 (19, 2)
Scoring Defense: 24.00 (45, 5)
Turnover Margin: .09 (51, 6)
Sacks: 2.55 (23, 1)
Sacks Allowed:.64 (T-5, 2)
