Ayers' gutsy OT call pays off for Wofford

Citadel football coach Kevin Higgins called it one of the gutsiest calls he's ever seen.

Higgins was referring to the move made by Wofford coach Mike Ayers in overtime of the Terriers' 38-37 win over Georgia Southern last week.

With the ball first in OT, Wofford faced a fourth-and-8 situation, and Ayers faced a choice — try a 40-yard field goal, or go for the first down.

A successful field goal means the Terriers force GSU to score a TD to win; if they don't get the first down, the Terriers almost certainly lose.

Ayers sent the field-goal unit onto the field, but then called a timeout and changed his mind, deciding to go for it. Wide receiver Andy Strickland made a next-to-impossible catch on the goal line (a GSU defender was called for pass interference), and Wofford scored a TD on the next play.

GSU answered with a TD before Eagles coach Chris Hatcher's own gutsy call blew up in his face — he went for a 2-point conversion and the win instead of tying the game with an extra point kick, and failed.

The sequence illustrated the risks and rewards of a coach going with his gut.

"I've never been a percentages guy," said Ayers, long known for his penchant for going for it on fourth down. "And quite frankly, Georgia Southern was on a roll and we couldn't stop them.

"The field goal was a pretty long one, and even if we kick it, the momentum is with Georgia Southern. I felt the thing to do was to try to score the touchdown, even though it was fourth down. If it doesn't work, I'm an idiot. And if it does, it's a great call, yada, yada."

Ayers has been on both sides of that dynamic. In last year's 38-35 loss to Georgia Southern, a decision to go for it on fourth down backfired.

"One way it's a Carnival Cruise, the other way it's the Titanic," he said. "But you make those calls and you have to live with them. The problem with a lot of those calls is you have 25 seconds to get it in and not a lot of time to make a decision. But our kids were playing well and had confidence in what they were doing, and it was one of those situations where you just go with it."

Off this week, Wofford will be favored in its next two games with Chattanooga and Western Carolina and should be 3-0 in the SoCon when it faces Elon on Oct. 25.

Defense, anyone?

Furman coach Bobby Lamb is hoping for just a tad more defense when the Paladins go to Elon on Saturday for a big SoCon showdown. Last year, Furman led Elon 24-7 at halftime before holding on for a 52-49 victory.

Elon scored six touchdowns in the second half of that game on scoring drives ranging from 26 to 129 seconds.

"It became a contest of how fast they could score and how slow we could score," Lamb said. "An unbelievable game, and you sure hate to be on the losing side of those."

Lamb is counting on the Paladins' new 4-2-5 defense to hold down Elon's offense, which is averaging 30.2 points and 295 passing yards per game behind QB Scott Riddle.

"We've done a nice job so far of not giving up big plays like we did last year," Lamb said. "We've got kind of a no-name defense, not a lot of stars over there, and they are taking hold of that and running with it."

Linebacker Brandon Williams has 42 tackles to lead a Furman defense that leads the SoCon in scoring defense (18 ppg) and total defense (298 ypg).

Local guys watch

We keep an eye on Lowcountry players on state teams:

--Newberry receiver David Brown (Goose Creek High School) has 16 catches for 144 yards and a TD. He's a 6-3, 195-pound junior ... Running back Tharry Salley, a sophomore from Blackville who transferred from Furman, is Newberry's top rusher with 216 yards in four games ... Linebacker Devon Smalls (Baptist Hill HS) has 22 tackles, third on the team.

--Coastal Carolina defensive end Ron Washington (Timberland HS) had three tackles and a sack in a 20-7 win over North Carolina A&T last week ... Quarterback Jamie Childers (Wando HS) saw some action in that game for the Chants, running four times for 17 yards and going 0 for 3 passing ... Running back Jamie Fordham (Goose Creek HS) had 69 yards on eight carries.

--Furman cornerback Ryan Steed (Pinewood Prep) has two interceptions this season, second on the team ... South Carolina State receiver Oliver Young (Burke HS) had two catches for 45 yards in last week's 43-17 win over Winston-Salem State.

Ranking the state's FCS and Division II football teams;

Team (Record) This week Comment

1. Furman (4-1) at Elon SoCon Showdown

2. Wofford (3-1) idle Ayers wins OT gamble

3. The Citadel (3-1) at App State Another SoCon Showdown

4. C. Carolina (3-2) Liberty Opens Big South vs. top team

5. S.C. State (3-2) at Florida A&M. MEAC opener

6. Newberry (2-2) Catawba Homecoming for Newberry

7. Chas. Southern (1-3) Gardner-Webb Big South opener

8. Presbyterian (1-4) North Greenville Strong first half vs. App State

9. Benedict (3-2) at Miles Has won two straight

10. N. Greenville (1-4) at Presbyterian Tough slate for Crusaders

Reach Jeff Hartsell at jhartsell@postandcourier.com