Kelvin Atkins
Senior Kelvin Atkins finished with a strip sack and a fumble recovery and the Limestone defense matched a season-high with five sacks.
3
Limestone LC 2-4 , 1-2
34
Winner Wingate WU 6-0 , 4-0
Limestone LC
2-4 , 1-2
3
Final
34
Wingate WU
6-0 , 4-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
LC Limestone 3 0 0 0 3
WU Wingate 7 3 21 3 34

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

Limestone Struggles Offensively on the Road at No. 14 Wingate

WINGATE, N.C. – A week after putting up a program-record 600 yards of total offense, the Limestone College football team was limited to a season-low 193 yards as nationally 14th-ranked Wingate University took advantage of short fields to pull away in the second half for a 34-3 win on Saturday, October 12.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 14 Wingate 34, Limestone 3
Records: No. 14 Wingate (6-0, 4-0), Limestone (2-4, 1-2)
Location: Irwin Belk Stadium
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 
  • Junior QB DJ Phillips (Fayetteville, N.C.) went 13-of-23 for 93 yards
  • Sophomore WR Juwan Scott (North Charleston, S.C.) pulled in three catches for 32 yards
  • Junior WR Cedric Smith (Columbia, S.C.) collected two catches for 31 yards
  • Junior RB Jerko'ya Patton (Charlotte, N.C.) was held to 40 yards on nine carries
  • The Limestone defense registered five sacks and limited Wingate to 315 yards of offense
  • Senior LB Wesley Robinson (Spartanburg, S.C.) collected seven tackles and a half a sack
  • Senior DE Kelvin Atkins (Columbia, S.C.) finished with a sack and a tackle for loss
  • He also forced a fumble and recovered the ball to set up Limestone's only score
  • Freshman LB Chandler Corley (Columbia, S.C.) recorded four tackles, a sack, and a breakup
  • Freshmen Dylan Reeves (Raleigh, N.C.) and Zane Boozer (Liberty, S.C.) both registered their first career sacks – senior Christian Shupe (Hull, Ga.) added an half sack
  • Sophomore DB Ken'Darius Frederick (Rock Hill, S.C.) chipped in six tackles and two breakups
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Limestone was flagged for a kick out of bounds to start the evening, and the Bulldogs promptly capitalized with a 6-play, 65-yard drive to grab an early 7-0 lead a few moments into the game. Following a punt by the Saints at midfield, the defense came up with a big play to allow the visitors to get on the scoreboard.
 
Atkins recorded a strip sack and then picked up the loose ball as Limestone set up shop at the Wingate 35-yard line. The Blue and Gold then moved into the redzone on a 22-yard reception by Smith on 3rd-and-6 before junior Thomas Cook (Moore, S.C.) split the uprights from 28-yards out, cutting the margin to 7-3.  
 
Second Quarter
 
Limestone and Wingate combined for 58 yards over the first 12 minutes of the second before a reverse netted the Bulldogs 34 yards to the visitor's 30-yard line late in the period. However, the Saints held up on defense – highlighted by a seven-yard sack from Boozer – but Wingate moved in front 10-3 at the break.
 
The Blue and Gold was limited to 92 yards on 28 plays in the first half, including just 37 yards on the ground, with 15 of those yards coming on the final play of the quarter. On the flip side, the Saints limited the Bulldogs to just 166 total yards while registering three sacks over the first 30 minutes of play.
 
Third Quarter
 
The momentum of the game shifted on the very first play of the second half as Patton fumbled trying to fight for extra yards. Four plays later, the Bulldogs extended the margin to 17-3 with 12:48 left before a long punt return following a Limestone three-and-out gave Wingate another short field to work with.
 
The home-standing Bulldogs moved 37 yards on five plays, making it a 24-3 game when Shaw Crocker completed a five-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1. With the offense being held in check all night, Limestone turned the ball over on downs deep in its own territory and Wingate quickly pushed the lead to 31-3.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Limestone's third turnover of the night would again put the defense on the field with their backs to against the wall. However, the unit did its job by limiting the Bulldogs to a 27-yard field goal, making it a 34-3 contest, but the Saints were held without a touchdown for the first time since the end of the 2016 season.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Trailing by just a touchdown at the halftime break, things quickly spiraled out of control in the third quarter as Wingate scored on three short fields. A turnover on the first play of the second half sparked the 21-0 spurt and another short field in the fourth quarter would put the game well out of reach, 34-3.
 
NOTABLES
 
  • The Limestone defense matched a season-high with five sacks
  • The defense also posted a season-low 315 yards of offense allowed
  • Wingate has outscored opponents 66-3 in third quarters this year
  • The Saints were kept out of the endzone for the time since a 37-0 loss to North Greenville in 2016
  • The Blue and Gold falls to 0-6 all-time against Wingate and 0-8 all-time against ranked teams
 
UP NEXT
 
The Saints will look to rebound when they travel to face Mars Hill University in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday, October 19 at 1:30 p.m.
 
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