Mars Hill Rallies for 42-35 SAC Victory over Wingate
Watch postgame interviews: Clifton, Holmes, Richt
MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill College football team scored 28 consecutive points to end the game Saturday, rallying for a 42-35 victory over Wingate University at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium on the MHC campus. The Lions compiled 508 yards of total offense en route to the come-from-behind victory in their annual Homecoming contest.
Watch postgame interviews with head coach Tim Clifton, Dimitri Holmes and Jon Richt...
The Lions (5-1 overall, 3-0 SAC) and the Bulldogs (3-3 overall, 2-1 SAC) entered the game tied for first place in the SAC standings. Mars Hill redshirt junior quarterback Jon Richt completed 28-of-38 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns. Wingate redshirt senior signal-caller Cody Haffly was 24-of-45 passing, accumulating 301 yards and three TD connections.
Wingate led 35-14 when Haffly hit junior wide receiver Chris Bowden with a 46-yard touchdown pass with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter. On the afternoon, Bowden caught nine passes for 156 yards and two scores.
The MHC Lions put on their rally helmets, scoring four touchdowns on their next four possessions to take the victory. Richt completed each drive with a TD pass to four different receivers. The shortest drive was 68 yards, while the longest march was 83 yards. The four drives consumed only 12:08 from the game clock. A gutsy call in the third quarter played a crucial part in the win. On fourth and 12 on their own 24 yardline with less than four minutes left in the period, the Lions' coaches called in a fake punt. B.J. Richmond pulled the punt attempt back and threw a strike to Cassidy Topa for a 35-yard gain that kept their drive alive. MHC went on to score on that possession and cut the deficit to 35-21. Topa plays defensive end when not helping out on special teams.
Richt took his troops 75 yards on eight plays to score the winning touchdown. The drive concluded when the Clemson transfer found redshirt senior fullback Patrick Park with a 14-yard scoring strike. Lion senior place kicker Michael Pinkerton hit his sixth PAT of the game with 61 ticks remaining on the game clock.
Haffly moved the Bulldogs to the Wingate 40-yard line, thanks to completions to Bowden and junior running back Andrew Nallenweg, but the visitors could not convert on fourth-and-four from the 40. The Lions ran out the final seconds to claim the homecoming victory.
Wingate bolted to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Bulldog redshirt freshman running back Josh Covington scored two rushing touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Wingate redshirt junior place kicker Matthew Sierk added both PATs to put the Bulldogs up 14-0 with 5:52 remaining in the opening frame.
Mars Hill's first three drives ended with a fumble and two punts. Wingate concluded the 21-0 flurry with a seven-play, 68-yard drive in 2:11, finding pay dirt when Haffly connected with sophomore tight end Brandon Ellington on a 12-yard scoring play.
Park ended a nine-play, 91-yard MHC march with a two-yard TD plunge at the 9:57 mark of the second stanza. The two teams traded touchdowns in the final 85 seconds to complete the first half scoring. Haffly took advantage of a short field, using only three plays to move the ball 40 yards. Bowden was the beneficiary, collecting a 35-yard TD pass from the Capital One Academic All-America® candidate.
Richt needed only 47 seconds to take his team to its second score of the day. He called his own number for a 38-yard gain. Mars Hill senior running back Jonas Randolph sealed the deal with a 14-yard touchdown run. Pinkerton's extra point concluded the first half scoring with 28 seconds to go.
Wingate started four of its five scoring drives in Mars Hill territory. The Bulldogs began their final scoring jaunt at the Lion 48-yard line. Three plays later, Haffly and Bowden connected on a 46-yard scoring play. Sierk nailed the PAT, making the margin 35-14 Wingate with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter.
Mars Hill has allowed only seven points in the fourth quarter this season (six games). Prior to Saturday, the Bulldogs had outscored their opponents 58-35 in the pivotal fourth quarter.
Richt set new Mars Hill single-game records for completions (28) and total offense (380 yards: 339 passing, 41 rushing). He also tied the school's career passing touchdown mark (39).
Lion freshman wide receiver Dimitri Holmes caught 11 passes for 106 yards and one TD. Holmes tied a school-record with his 11 grabs. MHC junior Joshua Young had nine receptions for 136 yards and one score.
Randolph moved into third place on the SAC all-time rushing list following Saturday's contest. The pre-season All-American had 24 carries for 86 yards and one TD. In two previous appearances against Wingate, Randolph ran 53 times for 326 yards and five touchdowns. This was the first game this season an opponent has held the nation's leading rusher under 100 yards rushing in a game.
The Bulldogs had 369 yards total offense. Wingate redshirt senior wide receiver Marquise Allen and junior wide receiver Josh Clawson caught four passes each. True freshman running back Nestor Lantigua returned four kick-offs for 69 yards. Redshirt freshman punter Austin Anthony averaged 41 yards on six punts.
Wingate sophomore defensive back Timmy Rogers had 12 tackles to lead the visiting Bulldogs. Mars Hill junior linebacker Rudy Cabral had 13 tackles for the Lions. He posted 2.5 tackles for loss and shared a quarterback sack. MHC freshman defensive back Trey Clark recorded an interception the Lions turned into their first touchdown of the afternoon.
Wingate returns home Saturday, Oct. 15, hosting Newberry College. Mars Hill hits the road the same afternoon, visiting Catawba College. Both SAC games are scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. kick-off.
