McCollum's buzzer-beating field goal lifts #24 Wingate to 27-24 SAC victory at Catawba

Salisbury, N.C.----Wingate University redshirt senior placekicker Freddy McCollum hit a 27-yard field goal at the buzzer, boosting the number 24 Bulldogs to a come-from-behind 27-24 South Atlantic Conference football triumph over Catawba College at Shuford Stadium and Kirkland Field Saturday afternoon. Bulldog junior wide receiver Malik Bledsoe made a 29-yard, one-handed catch on the previous play to put the visitors in position for the victory.

GAME INFORMATION

Score: #24 Wingate 27, Catawba 24

Records: #24 Wingate (6-0 overall, 3-0 overall), Catawba (5-2 overall, 1-2 SAC)

Location: Shuford Stadium and Kirkland Field, Salisbury, N.C.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

-The two teams combined for 851 yards total offense (Wingate 414, Catawba 437) Saturday.

-Wingate senior running back Lawrence Pittman rushed 25 times for 155 yards, while classmate and backfield mate Blake Hayes ran 17 times for 98 yards.

-Catawba graduate student quarterback Patrick O'Brien completed 25-of-33 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns. Four of his receivers caught five or more passes.

-Pittman had a team-best 169 all-purpose yards, while redshirt sophomore return specialist BJ Muckelvene compiled 113 all-purpose yards.

-Wingate redshirt senior linebacker Zack Singleton and redshirt sophomore linebacker Robbie Wallace had 11 tackles each. Singleton notched a crucial fourth-quarter fumble recovery as well.

-Catawba senior linebacker Trey Evans had a team-best 12 tackles and a 34-yard rumble on a fake punt.

-Unfortunately for the Indians, Evans was his team's leading rusher as the Bulldogs held four Catawba offensive players to 47 rushing yards on 28 carries.

-Wingate (12 for 115) and Catawba (10 for 90) combined for 205 penalty yards on 22 infractions.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter

Wingate bolted to a 10-0 lead, thanks to two 70-plus yard drives. Lawrence Pittman concluded a six-play, 71-yard march with a six-yard TD run with 12:30 to go in the first frame. Placekicker Freddy McCollum nailed a 31-yard field goal to finish up a 13-play, 75-yard movement (5:23 elapsed on the clock) and make the score 10-0 Bulldogs with 4:15 left.

Bulldog defensive end Cardell Rawlings posted his team-best third forced fumble of the season to give the visitors good field position late in the quarter, but Catawba defensive back Caleb Allen recorded an interception three plays later to give the Indians the ball. Wingate ended the quarter with a 163-52 advantage in total yards of offense.

Second Quarter

Catawba converted the Wingate turnover into points, thanks in large part to a 34-yard gain on a fake punt by Trey Evans. Seven plays later, Eamon Smart found the end zone on a one-yard plunge. The TD was the exclamation point on an 11-play, 88-yard drive which consumed 4:20 from the game clock. The half ended with Wingate up 10-7.

Third Quarter

The hosts wasted little time tying the score, as placekicker Lee Brackman hit a 22-yard field goal at the 10:54 mark. Late in the frame, O'Brien found Catawba wide receiver Sam Mobley for a 38-yard scoring connection with 2:40 left to make the score 17-10 Indians. The Bulldogs would answer the call with 17 fourth-quarter points.

Fourth Quarter

Wingate posted back-to-back scores to take a 24-17 lead. Wide receiver JT Stokes scored his first career rushing touchdown with nine minutes left. After the Bulldog defense stopped Catawba on fourth-and-one on the Wingate 38-yard line, running back Blake Hayes scored on a 14-yard run to put the visitors up 24-17 with 4:30 remaining in regulation.

O'Brien networked with wide receiver Kenyatta Greene on a 48-yard scoring connection to tie the game less than two minutes later. The Bulldogs went three-and-out and the Indians got the ball back at their own 39-yard line with 1:15 left. Two plays later, Wingate defensive back Joe Kelly forced a Catawba fumble to give the 'Dogs the ball at their own 36-yard line.

Wingate went backwards on the next play (a 15-yard offensive pass interference penalty), but the Bulldogs righted the ship and moved the ball 69 yards (on seven plays) to set up the winning field goal by McCollum.

TURNING POINTS

Senior team captain Joe Kelly's forced fumble and junior wide receiver Malik Bledsoe's acrobatic catch set the stage for McCollum to work his magic at the buzzer.

NOTABLES

-The Bulldogs have won six of the last seven games (and 10 of the last 14 contests) in the Wingate-Catawba series.

-The paying fans always see a high-scoring affair when Wingate and Catawba meet; the winning team in the series has averaged 33.3 points per victory (999 points in 30 games).

QUOTABLES

Wingate head coach Joe Reich: "We came up big at the right times. Catawba is a very good football team…very well-coached by head coach Curtis Walker and his staff. This was a quality win for us…I am very excited for Freddy McCollum and the entire team."

"We made a decision to ride our two best guys (Lawrence Pittman and Blake Hayes) as far as we could. We knew we would have to complete a few passes…and James Whitaker connected on four of his last five attempts. I am so proud of these guys…they never gave up."

UP NEXT

Wingate will visit Mars Hill for a 1:30 p.m. SAC contest on Saturday, Oct. 21. Catawba hits the road as well, traveling to Tusculum for a 2:30 p.m. league encounter the same day.