SPARTANBURG, S.C. – With 1:46 to play, Wofford kicker Sam Spence sent the Terriers sideline into a celebration when he nailed a 53-yard field goal for what appeared to be a huge conference win.
However, Tennessee Tech’s Jax Leatherwood found Eric Weatherly 40 seconds later for a 15-yard touchdown pass as the 10th-ranked Golden Eagles rallied to stun the Terriers for a 42-38 victory at Gibbs Stadium.
“I am very proud of the way the kids played,” Wofford head coach Shawn Watson said. “They played a really good game. There were explosive plays on offense, and the defense did a nice job.
“We obviously let them back in that ball game. We have got some things to shore up and things to address as a staff. I’ll continue to push all sides of the ball because we’ve got a good group of kids.”
The Terriers (2-3, 1-2 SoCon) were led by quarterback Ethan Drumm, who threw for 304 yards and four TDs. All four of his TDs went to a different receiver, while running back Gerald Modest Jr., had 17 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Leatherwood finished the afternoon 38-for-48 for 427 yards and five touchdowns, as Tennessee Tech improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.
Wofford opened the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Drumm to Colby Alexander with 12:35 on the clock. After Leatherwood threw his first touchdown to tie the game, the Terriers put together a six-play drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown reception by Isaiah Scott to make it a 14-7 game with 9:29 on the clock in the second.
The Terriers wasted little time extending their lead, as Drumm found Jack Ewell, who went 76 yards down the far sideline for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead at the 5:01 mark of the second quarter.
Tennessee Tech had a 59-yard completion to move the ball to the 10-yard line. On second down, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Leatherwood cut the lead to 21-14 with 3:17 left in the half.
Wofford had three first downs, including a 42-yard reception to Alexander. The drive was capped by an 11-yard TD reception by Terrence Honeywood for a 28-14 lead with 48 seconds left in the half.
Tennessee Tech opened the second half with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to make it a 28-21 game. Wofford answered with a drive that covered 75 yards and ended with a 14-yard touchdown run by Modest to extend the lead to 35-21 with 10:42 left in the third quarter.
Leatherwood threw a 24-yard touchdown pass with 12:46 left in the fourth quarter and then tied the game with an eight-yard touchdown pass with 3:23 remaining.
Wofford had two first downs to setup Spence’s 53-yard field goal for a 38-35 lead with 1:46 remaining.
The Terriers had a season-high 380 total yards of offense, including 304 passing yards. Tennessee Tech had 501 total yards.
Wofford vs. Tennessee Tech Post-Game Notes
- This was the fifth meeting between the teams, with Wofford holding a 4-1 lead in the series. This is the first season that Tennessee Tech is a member of the Southern Conference.
- Ewell’s 76-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was the first of his career and is tied for the ninth-longest in school history.
- Drumm had 304 passing yards, the sixth-most in school history. The four passing touchdowns in a game are tied for the second-most in school history.
- The 53-yard field goal by Spence in the fourth quarter was a career-long and the fourth-longest in school history.
- The Wofford defense was led by Wyatt Ward with eleven tackles. Jacobi Hatter had his first career interception in the second quarter.
- The last time an opponent returned a kickoff for a touchdown was on October 31, 2015, by VMI.
UP NEXT
Wofford will be on the road for the next two games before returning home on Oct. 17 to host VMI as part of Homecoming weekend activities.
–photo courtesy of Wofford Athletics
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | TTU | WOF |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 501 | 380 |
| Pass Yards | 427 | 304 |
| Rushing Yards | 74 | 76 |
| Penalty Yards | 12-136 | 2-15 |
| 1st Downs | 27 | 20 |
| 3rd Downs | 7-14 | 5-11 |
| 4th Downs | 4-5 | 0-2 |
| TOP | 39:22 | 20:38 |
| Scoring Play | Visiting Team Score | Home Team Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
 12:35 – WOF – Alexander,Colby 40 yd pass from Drumm,Ethan (Spence,Sam kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:25 | 0 | 7 | |
 01:51 – TTU – Ashley,Qua 4 yd pass from Leatherwood,Jax (Brown,Carter kick) 5 plays, 52 yards, TOP 02:38 | 7 | 7 | |
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| 09:29 – WOF – Scott,Isaiah 10 yd pass from Drumm,Ethan (Spence,Sam kick) 6 plays, 40 yards, TOP 02:22 | 7 | 14 | |
| 05:01 – WOF – Ewell,Jack 76 yd pass from Drumm,Ethan (Spence,Sam kick) 1 plays, 76 yards, TOP 00:11 | 7 | 21 | |
| 03:17 – TTU – Hoyt,Ivan 10 yd pass from Leatherwood,Jax (Brown,Carter kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:40 | 14 | 21 | |
| 00:48 – WOF – Honeywood,Terrence 11 yd pass from Drumm,Ethan (Spence,Sam kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:29 | 14 | 28 | |
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| 14:48 – TTU – Ashley,Qua 100 yd kickoff return (Brown,Carter kick) | 21 | 28 | |
| 10:42 – WOF – Modest Jr.,Gerald 14 yd run (Spence,Sam kick), 9 plays, 65 yards, TOP 04:06 | 21 | 35 | |
| 4th Quarter | |||
| 12:46 – TTU – Weatherly,Eric 24 yd pass from Leatherwood,Jax (Brown,Carter kick) 7 plays, 43 yards, TOP 02:08 | 28 | 35 | |
| 03:23 – TTU – Flowers,MJ 8 yd pass from Leatherwood,Jax (Brown,Carter kick) 14 plays, 69 yards, TOP 07:19 | 35 | 35 | |
| 01:46 – WOF – Spence,Sam 53 yd field goal 6 plays, 42 yards, TOP 01:32 | 35 | 38 | |
| 01:06 – TTU – Weatherly,Eric 15 yd pass from Leatherwood,Jax (Brown,Carter kick) 3 plays, 30 yards, TOP 00:30 | 42 | 38 | |