BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Newberry College Wolves played up a division on Thursday night to take on Samford University of the Southern Conference and gave the homestanding Bulldogs all they could handle, as Samford came away with a wild 38-35 win at Seibert Stadium.
Newberry falls to 1-2 with the loss going into an extended break before hosting Lenoir-Rhyne for Homecoming and the South Atlantic Conference opener on October 2. Samford moves to 2-1 and hosts No. 1 Appalachian State next weekend.
Sophomore quarterback Bryan Ehrlich (San Antonio, Texas) completed 24-of-42 passes for 355 yards and four touchdowns. The 355 yards is the eighth-most in a game in Newberry history and Ehrlich recorded his second four touchdown game in just his third collegiate start.
Senior receiver David Pressley (Anderson, S.C.) caught six passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, eclipsing the 1,000-yard career mark in the fourth quarter. He is just the 18th Newberry receiver to ever achieve that mark.
Newberry jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter to put a shock into the Bulldog faithful. The first score came on a 13-yard Ehrlich-to-Pressley connection and the second on a 60-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Brandon Bostick (Florence, S.C.).
The Bulldogs answered with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Dustin Taliaferro (Roswell, Ga.) to Quin Roberson (Moultrie, Ga.), but the Wolves took a 21-7 lead into the halftime break after a 33-yard Ehrlich-to-Pressley scoring strike.
Newberry received the opening kickoff of the second half, but Thomas Broussard (Birmingham, Ala.) picked off a tipped pass on the second play of the half to start a Bulldog rally. A 40-yard field goal by Cameron Yaw (Trussville, Ala.), a 46-yard touchdown pass from Taliaferro to Chris Cephus (East Dublin, Ga.) and a 4-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Sillers (Birmingham, Ala.) gave Samford 17 straight points in the third quarter and the Bulldogs' first lead of the game at 24-21.
Darien Crawford (Aiken, S.C.) was on the receiving end of a 31-yard touchdown pass over the top of the defense on a long third down on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Newberry a 28-24 lead, but the big play would help the Bulldogs take a two score lead.
After holding Newberry to a three-and-out, Darion Sutton (Columbiana, Ala.) returned a blocked punt 24 yards for a touchdown and Taliaferro connected on a 40-yard touchdown pass with Bill Kottas (Nashville, Tenn.) after the Bulldogs intercepted Ehrlich deep in their own territory on a tipped pass.
But the Wolves would not go away quietly despite the 10-point deficit. Ehrlich engineered an 8-play, 73-yard touchdown drive capped by his 1-yard scoring plunge. A 39-yard pass from Ehrlich to Jacob Brown (Dacula, Ga.) was the key play in the drive.
True freshman Ruben Perez (Fountain Inn, S.C.) and cornerback James Bostick (Scotia, S.C.) were the heroes on the next play, as Bostick recovered Perez' onside kick to give the Wolves a chance to drive and win or tie.
The Wolves got down to the Bulldog 33-yardline, but consecutive holding penalties forced Newberry into a third-and-30 situation. Samford defender Corey White (Dunwoody, Ga.) picked off an Ehrlich pass to snuff out the chances of a spectacular ending.
Newberry outgained Samford by a margin of 453 yards to 395 yards and converted 8-of-17 third down opportunities. R.J. Reeder (Spartanburg, S.C.) was the Wolves' leading tackler with nine stops, while Apollo Stretch (Columbia, S.C.) had seven and Josh Williams (Duncan, S.C.) had six. Eli Charles (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) and Channing Schofield (Wagener, S.C.) each snagged interceptions, while Derrell Kinard (Boiling Springs, S.C.) and offensive lineman Mike Crawford (Bryceville, Fla.) each forced fumbles.
Samford's Bryce Smith (Lawrenceville, Ga.) made 15 tackles, while the Bulldogs' all-time leading rusher Chris Evans (Alexandria, Ala.) had 114 yards on 22 carries.
Newberry kicker Britt Blackmon (Kershaw, S.C.) was perfect for the third straight game, making all five PAT attempts.
