Turner’s historic day carries Football to win over Anderson in OT thriller

Salisbury, N.C. — Catawba junior running back LJ Turner broke a 34-year old Catawba program rushing record on Sunday afternoon in the Catawba Indians' 44-41 overtime SAC win over Anderson, rushing for 329 yards. Turner also matched a program record with five rushing touchdowns.

TEAM STATISTICS

- Catawba racked up 27 first downs compared to Anderson's 16

- The Catawba Indians were 6-for-12 (50 percent) on third downs, while holding the Trojans to 4-for-12 (33 percent) on third down

- Both teams were 2-for-2 on fourth down attempts

- Catawba totaled 502 yards of total offense, while Anderson recorded 430 yards of offense

- The Trojans passed for 354 yards while holding the Catawba Indians to 94 yards passing

- Catawba ran for a season-best 408 yards, while holding AU to 76 yards on the ground

- Both teams were flagged three times and recorded a sack

- Anderson had an interception for the lone turnover of the game

- Catawba dominated time of possession, leading 35:26 to 24:34

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Turner recorded 35 carries for a school-record 329 rushing yards and five touchdowns

- Kevon Rivera took 17 carries for 83 yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime

- Hunter Shepperd was 9-for-16 for 94 yards and interception

- Deuce Linder hauled in two passes for a team-high 58 receiving yards

- Khalil Stimpson recorded a team-best nine tackles with two tackles for loss

- Deno Wardlow added seven stops with a TFL; Jaylen Hinton and Jacoby Wall combined on a sack

- Bryson Sims nailed a 48-yard field goal along with all five PATs

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST QUARTER

- Catawba deferred and immediately forced a three and out

- Turner's 13-yard run on 4th & 1 extended the Catawba drive; Turner finished the opening drive off with a 19-yard touchdown run

- The Catawba Indians forced Anderson into another three and out and two plays into Catawba's ensuing drive, Turner broke through for a 31-yard touchdown run

- Catawba forced Anderson to its third straight three and out, keeping the Trojans from converting a first down in three first-quarter drives

SECOND QUARTER

- Catawba opened the second quarter with a 3rd & 11, but Linder hauled in a short pass and took it 38 yards inside the Anderson five

- Turner punched it in from two yards out for his third touchdown of the first 17 minutes, as Catawba led 21-0

- Anderson opened its ensuing drive with a 33-yard completion to Jalon Warthen-Carr; Wesley Beckett's 28-yard catch on 4th & 11 extended the drive, where the Trojans went right back to Beckett for a five-yard touchdown grab

- The Trojans forced a Catawba three and out before embarking on an 11-play, 78-yard drive capped by Tyler Wesley's 14-yard strike to Warthen-Carr on 3rd & 7, trimming their deficit to 21-14

- Back-to-back rushes of 20-plus yards for Turner moved the ball into Anderson territory, but three straight incompletions forced the Catawba Indians to settle for the 48-yard Sims field goal, leading 24-14 at the half

THIRD QUARTER

- Anderson forced Catawba to punt on the opening drive of the second half and hit a 77-yard touchdown pass on the first play of their drive to cut the lead to 24-21 at the 10:47 mark

- Catawba answered with two Turner runs, the second going for 61 yards to the house to restore the 10-point lead

- The Catawba Indians forced an Anderson punt and drove the ball into Trojan territory, but threw an interception to get the ball back

FOURTH QUARTER

- A 25-yard Warten-Carr reception set up Wesley's four-yard touchdown run to draw back within three points

- A 20-yard Linder reception on 3rd & 5 and a fourth-down conversion helped extend Catawba's drive to 17 plays over 91 yards; Turner punched it in from a yard out for his record-tying fifth touchdown run to take the 38-28 lead with 2:54 left in the fourth

- AU struck quickly with Aiden Dixon's 20-yard toe-tap touchdown to get back within a single possession with 1:09 left

- The Trojans recovered the onside kick and completed a 17-yard pass on 3rd & 5; Ross Burnett's 44-yard field goal tied the game with seven seconds left to force overtime

OVERTIME

- Anderson got the ball down inside the 10-yard line on their possession in the first overtime; Catawba's defense held strong and forced the Trojans to the 25-yard field goal

- Catawba ran the ball five times, as Rivera's one-yard touchdown plunge walked off the Catawba win

GAME NOTES

- Turner's 329 rushing yards is the most by Catawba player since Todd Scott ran for 298 yards in a win over Lenoir-Rhyne in 1990

- His 329 rush yards are the second most by a player in a single game in all of Division II this season

- The 12th time in South Atlantic Conference history a rusher has gained over 300 yards on the ground

- Turner's 667 rush yards this season are most in the SAC; third most in the country in Division II

- Catawba's first overtime game since defeating UNC Pembroke in the 2018 season finale

UP NEXT

- Catawba continues its four-game homestand this Saturday, facing SAC leader Limestone at Shuford Stadium at 6 p.m.