The stat sheet from Gardner-Webb’s thrilling 31-28 win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday lit up like a Christmas tree.
Both teams put up plenty of performances worthy of our Week 11 North Carolina college football “Stat Champions” recap. A few highlights:
- The Gardner-Webb defense collected 11 sacks of quarterback Pierce Holley, including four from defensive lineman Antonio O’Berry – tied for most sacks in a single game by a North Carolina collegiate player this season. The Runnin’ Bulldogs also picked off Holley once.
- O’Berry’s sacks resulted in 40 yards (!) of losses for the Panthers.
- The GWU defense wrangled 14 tackles-for-loss in all, for 83 negative yards.
- On the other side of the ball, GWU quarterback Tyler Ridell threw for 337 yards – third-best in the state this week – and one touchdown.
- Gardner-Webb kicker Jay Billingsley kicked a 54-yard field goal, a new school record and tied for longest in our state in a college game in 2024 (Stephen Rusnak of Charlotte).
- As for Eastern Illinois QB Pierce Holley, he still managed to sling it for 458 yards (2o-of-26) and four touchdowns despite being harassed all day. His favorite target, Cooper Willman hauled in 11 passes for 291 yards and 3 TDs – both among the best statistical showings by an opposing QB-WR combo against an in-state team this season.
Gardner-Webb led 31-14 but had to sweat out the ending. The Bulldogs’ one interception, courtesy of Miles Richardson, came in the final minute with the Panthers threatening inside GWU territory. The win was the Bulldogs’ second in a row against Big South/OVC competition.
Stat highlights proved plentiful again this week across all of our divisions. St. Andrews (NAIA) had three tacklers around the ball all day against Bluefield.
Mars Hill quarterback JR Martin (D2) had another banner day throwing and running. UNC Pembroke (D2) once again put up eye-catching offensive numbers, including this week’s “high score” among NC’s collegiate teams.
Here is the complete list of Week 11 Stat Champions, team and individual:
Team Scoring | Most Points
- 58 – UNC Pembroke (58-17 vs. Frostburg State)
- 49 – East Carolina (49-14 vs. Florida Atlantic)
- 40 – Elon (40-36 at William & Mary)
Team Scoring | Fewest Points Allowed
- 0 – Wingate (38-0 vs. Newberry)
- 3 – Chowan (21-3 vs. Erskine)
- 10 – Livingstone (15-10 vs. Johnson C. Smith)
Most Passing Yards
- 345 – JR Martin (Mars Hill): 18-of-28, 2 TDs, 0 INT at Anderson
- 343 – Katin Houser (East Carolina): 17-of-22, 5 TD, 0 INT vs. Florida Atlantics
- 337 – Tyler Ridell (Gardner-Webb): 26-of-34, 1 TD, 0 INT vs. Eastern Illinois
Passing Touchdowns | 4+
- 5 – Katin Houser (East Carolina): vs. Florida Atlantic
- 4 – Matthew Downing (Elon): at William & Mary
- 4 – Colin Johnson (UNC Pembroke): vs. Frostburg State
Most Rushing Yards
- 180 – Jon Gullette (Mars Hill): 21 carries, 1 TD, long rush of 42 yards, 8.6 yards per carry at Anderson
- 171 – Zechariah Adams-Duckson (Elizabeth City State): 27 carries, 0 TD, long rush of 34 yards, 6.3 yards per carry at Bluefield State
- 167 – Rushawn Baker (Elon): 22 carries, 0 TD, long rush of 24 yards, 7.6 yards per carry at William & Mary
- NOTABLE: Ten players from North Carolina college teams rushed for 100+ yards this week.
Most Receiving Yards
- 157 – Josiah Hayes (UNC Pembroke): 7 catches, 2 TD, long reception of 58 yards, 22.4 yards per catch vs. Frostburg State
- 120 – Anthony Smith (East Carolina): 3 catches, 1 TD, long reception of 64 yards, 40.0 yards per reception vs. Florida Atlantic
- 110 – Taylor Morin (Wake Forest): 9 catches, 0 TD, long reception of 23 yards, 12.2 yards per reception vs. California
Most Total Tackles
- 15 – Lavarius Heath-Lewis (St. Andrews): 9 solos, 6 assists, 3 fumble recoveries (26 return yards) vs. Bluefield (VA)
- 14 – Nick Henderson (St. Andrews): 5 solos, 9 assists, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (1 negative yard) vs. Bluefield (VA)
- 12 – Jaylen Hinton (Catawba): 8 solos, 4 assists, 2.0 tackles-for-loss (2 negative yards) vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
- 12 – Benari Black (Johnson C. Smith): 5 solos, 7 assists, 2.0 tackles-of-loss (9 negative yards), 1.0 sacks (7 negative yards) at Livingstone
- 12 – Rodney Melton (St. Andrews): 5 solos, 7 assists vs. Bluefield (VA)
Most Tackles-For-Loss | 3+
- 4.0 – Antonio O’Berry (Gardner-Webb): 40 negative yards vs. Eastern Illinois
- 3.0 – Carlo Thompson (UNC Pembroke): 8 negative yards vs. Frostburg State
QB Sacks | 3+
- 4.0 – Antonio O’Berry (Gardner-Webb): 40 negative yards vs. Eastern Illinois
Kicker Points | 10+
- 13 – Kanoah Vinesett (NC State): 4-of-5 FG, 1-1 PAT, long FG of 37 yards vs. Duke
- 12 – Braxtyn Green (North Carolina Wesleyan): 3-of-3 FG, 3-of-3 PAT, long FG of 43 yards vs. Brevard
- 10 – Jackson Hills (UNC Pembroke): 1-of-1 FG, 7-8 PATs, long FG of 25 yards vs. Frostburg State
- 10 – Luke Barnes (Elon): 2-of-2 FG, 4-of-4 PATs, long FG of 41 yards at William & Mary
Punter Yards | Best Average
- 52.1 – Kade Renoldson (Duke): 7 punts, 365 yards, long punt of 63 yards, 2 inside-20, 1 touchback, 5 punts of 50+ at NC State
- 50.0 – Christian Teeter (Wingate): 3 punts, 150 yards, long punt of 55 yards, 2 inside-20, 0 touchbacks, 2 punts of 50+ vs. Newberry
- 49.5 – Jeff Yurk (Elon): 2 punts, 99 yards, long punt of 52 yards, 1 inside-20, 0 touchbacks, 1 punt of 50+ at William & Mary
Longest Offensive Scoring Plays | 60+ Yards
- 88 – Julian Milligan (Fayetteville State): 88-yard TD pass from Joe Owens Jr. at Winston-Salem State
- 66 – Juwan Lyons (St. Andrews): 66-yard TD pass from Kedrick Patterson vs. Bluefield (VA)
- 64 – Calvin Scott (Livingstone): 64-yard TD pass from Brenton Hilton vs. Johnson C. Smith
Longest Defensive Touchdowns
- 70 – James Ussery (Lenoir-Rhyne): 70-yard interception return vs. Catawba
- 50 – Jamae Blank (UNC Pembroke): 50-yard interception return vs. Frostburg State
- 30 – Damien Savage (Lenoir-Rhyne): 30-yard interception return vs. Catawba
Longest Special Teams Touchdowns
- 92 – Jakobe Lane (Chowan): 92-yard kickoff return TD vs. Erskine
- 90 – Randall King (Campbell): 90-yard kickoff return TD vs. Richmond
Longest Field Goal
- 54 – Jay Billingsley (Gardner-Webb) vs. Eastern Illinois
- 50 – Todd Pelino (Duke) at NC State
- 49 – Todd Pelino (Duke) at NC State
Longest Punt | 60+ Yards
- 70 – DJ Page (North Carolina A&T): vs. Villanova
- 65 – Stephen Brantley (Western Carolina): at East Tennessee State
- 63 – Kade Reynoldson (Duke): at NC State
Team Rushing | 250+ Yards
- 315 – Davidson – 68 carries, 2 TDs, 4.6 yards-per-carry vs. Morehead State
- 273 – Campbell – 40 carries, 1 TD, 6.8 yards per carry vs. Richmond
Team Passing | 300+ Yards
- 345 – Mars Hill – 18-of-28, 2 TDs, 0 INT at Anderson
- 343 – East Carolina – 17-of-22, 5 TDs, 0 INT vs. Florida Atlantic
- 337 – Gardner-Webb – 26-of-34, 1 TD, 0 INT vs. Eastern Illinois
Total Yards | 500+ Yards
- 581 – East Carolina – 238 rush, 343 pass, 56 plays, 10.4 yards per play vs. Florida Atlantic
- 568 – Mars Hill – 223 rush, 345 pass, 63 plays, 9.0 yards per play at Anderson
- 541 – UNC Pembroke – 232 rush, 309 pass, 76 plays, 7.1 yards per play vs. Frostburg State
Rushing Defense | Fewest Yards Allowed
- -13 – Davidson – 14 carries, -0.9 yards per carry, 1 TD allowed vs. Morehead State
- 7 – Gardner-Webb – 29 carries, 0.2 yards per carry, 0 TDs allowed vs. Eastern Illinois
- 30 – UNC Pembroke – 22 carries, 1.4 yards per carry, 0 TDs allowed vs. Frostburg State
Passing Defense | Fewest Yards Allowed
- 44 – Wingate – 3-of-17, 0 TDs allowed, 1 INT vs. Newberry
- 94 – Guilford – 7-of-18, 1 TD allowed, 3 INTs at Averett
- 95 – UNC Pembroke – 15-of-31, 1 TD allowed, 3 INTs vs. Frostburg State
Total Defense | Fewest Yards Allowed
- 125 – UNC Pembroke – 30 rush, 95 pass, 53 plays, 2.4 yards per play vs. Frostburg State
- 181 – Chowan – 61 rush, 120 pass, 58 plays, 3.1 yards per play vs. Erskine
- 225 – Elizabeth City State – 95 rush, 130 pass, 72 plays, 3.1 yards per play at Bluefield State
Attendance Leaders
- FBS: NC State – 56,919
- FCS: Campbell – 3,371
- D2: Winston-Salem State – 12,000
- D3: North Carolina Wesleyan – 793
Other Notable Players/Teams
- In addition to earning 12 kicker points, Braxtyn Green (North Carolina Wesleyan) averaged 47.5 yards on two punts vs. Brevard
- Ryan Coe, former UNC kicker, booted two 54-yard field goals for California in a Friday night win at Wake Forest
- Wingate earned its third shutout of the season, beating Newberry 38-0
- Western Carolina’s defense picked off four East Tennessee State passes
- Morehead State defenders Matthew McClelland (18 tackles) and Dillon Schobourgh (16 tackles) spent a lot of time around the ball against Davidson, who rushed 68 times
