Jerko'ya Patton
Freshman Jerko'ya Patton rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's SAC opener.
24
Tusculum TC 1-2 , 0-1
30
Winner Limestone LC 2-1 , 1-0
Tusculum TC
1-2 , 0-1
24
Final
30
Limestone LC
2-1 , 1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT F
TC Tusculum 0 7 10 7 0 24
LC Limestone 0 3 14 7 6 30

Game Recap: Football | | Ernest Meyers, Assistant A.D. for Media Relations

Limestone Rallies for 30-24 Overtime Win in SAC Opener

GAFFNEY, S.C. – Playing it the program's first South Atlantic Conference game in front of a national audience, freshman running back Jerko'ya Patton (Charlotte, N.C.) rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns, including a 40-yard game-winner in overtime, as the Limestone College football team rallied to knock off Tusculum College by a final of 30-24 on Saturday, September 16 at The Reservation.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Limestone 30, Tusculum 24
Records: Limestone (2-1, 1-0), Tusculum (1-2, 0-1)
Location: The Reservation at Gaffney High School
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 
  • Limestone scored the tying touchdown with 33 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and the game-winner on a 40-yard touchdown run by Patton in overtime
  • The Saints overcame six turnovers and a 17-3 second-half deficit
  • Patton posted his first career 100-yard game
  • Sophomore QB Ivan Corbin, Jr. (Warner Robins, Ga.) went 13-of-24 for 129 yards and a TD
  • Redshirt-senior Jumill Hornsby (North Charleston, S.C.) added a touchdown reception
  • Redshirt-senior Titus Williams (Greenwood, S.C.) finished with a team-leading nine tackles
  • Redshirt-senior Evan Patrick (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in seven tackles
  • Junior Kelvin Atkins (Columbia, S.C.) recorded six tackles and two sacks
  • Redshirt-senior CJ Blackmon (Lancaster, S.C.) posted an interception
  • Senior Nick Smith (Plain City, Ohio) booted a 51-yard field goal
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
The Pioneers picked up a first down on its opening drive, but the Limestone defense would set the tone for the remainder of the quarter by forcing a punt. The Saints would also get a first down on its first series, highlighted by a 22-yard catch-and-run from Smith, but the score remained deadlocked at zero after one.
 
Second Quarter
 
Fittingly, a defensive touchdown would open the scoring as Tusculum returned a 20-yard fumble to grab a 7-0 lead with 7:13 remaining in the second. Fighting for yardage, Corbin was stripped of the ball before Matt Simon picked up the loose ball and returned it 20 yards down the home sideline.
 
The Saints would also use a turnover to get on the board as Blackmon returned an interception 43 yards to set the Blue and Gold up at the TC 30-yard line. Following a three-and-out, Smith then booted the longest field goal in program history with a 51-yard kick to trim the margin to 7-3 at the break.  
 
Third Quarter
 
Another defensive play, an interception by Tusculum's Martez Thompkins at the Limestone 35, allowed the Pioneers to pull ahead 14-3 early in the third. Starting deep in LC territory, the visitors punched the ball into the end zone five plays later on a 2-yard plunge by Maxwell Joseph.
 
The Saints then responded with an eight-play, 27-yard drive on their next possession, but the drive would come to a halt after Limestone committed its fourth turnover of the game. Following a 47-yard completion on first-and-10, Tusculum extended the margin to 17-3 on an 18-yard field goal.  
 
The Blue and Gold refused to go away quietly, however, as it responded with a 12-play, 70-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Corbin to make it a 17-10 game. The Saints got the ball right back as the Pioneers fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving the home team the rock on the Tusculum 35-yard line.
 
Following a pass interference call, Corbin found Hornsby on an 18-yard touchdown connection in the corner of the end zone on 3rd-and-8 as Limestone rallied to tie the game at 17-all with 21 ticks remaining.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Limestone avoided trouble after a turnover early in the fourth quarter, but the Saints gift-wrapped the go-ahead score as Simon notched his second defensive touchdown of the night with a 25-yard interception return to give Tusculum a 24-17 lead.
 
Again, the Blue and Gold found a way to rally as it put together an 11-play, 80-play drive to pull even at 24-all. Freshman Shanard Bain (Spartanburg, S.C.) kept the drive alive with a 21-yard run on 3rd-and-7 before Patton scored his first career touchdown on a three-yard run with 33 seconds left.  
 
Overtime
 
The Pioneers got the ball first in overtime, but the Limestone defense would force the visitors to attempt a field goal after limiting them to just a yard. Tusculum's Isaac Gallegos, the reigning South Atlantic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, would miss the 41-yard try to keep the contest tied.
 
Following an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Blue and Gold, Patton ended the game as he burst through a massive hole and sprinted untouched for the game-winning, 40-yard touchdown.  
 
TURNING POINT
 
Trailing 17-3 midway through the third quarter, Limestone scored a pair of touchdowns within 60 seconds of each other to turn the momentum. The Saints would outscore the Pioneers 28-7 the rest of the way.
 
NOTABLES
 
  • Limestone rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit for a second straight week
  • The Saints improve to 3-0 all-time in overtime games
  • For the second time in as many games, the Blue and Gold limited its opponent to less than 200 yards of total offense
  • Limestone rushed for 169 yards and finished with 298 yards of total offense
  • Smith's 51-yard field goal was 11 yards longer than the previous program record
  • Tonight's game was played on ESPN3 as part of the NCAA Division II Football Showcase
 
UP NEXT
 
After posting a pair of thrilling overtime wins at home, the Saints are on the road the next two weeks starting with a non-conference matchup at North Greenville University on Saturday, September 23.
 
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