SIXTH RANKED FURMAN DOWNS WESTERN CAROLINA 38-14

GREENVILLE -- Junior tailback Louis Ivory rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns to lead the NCAA I-AA nationally sixth-ranked Furman Paladins to a 38-14 win over Western Carolina Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.

Ivory, who topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the eighth straight game, scored on runs of 65, 25, and 14 yards to highlight a Paladin attack that generated 518 yards in total offense. Ivory, the Southern Conferenceıs leading rusher, now has 907 yards and nine touchdowns through five games.

In posting its fifth straight win, Furman (5-0, 2-0) posted its best start since 1991 and recorded its fifth win in the last six meetings with Western Carolina (2-3, 1-2).

³I was very pleased with our performance,² said Furman head coach Bobby Johnson. ³I thought we executed extremely well on both sides of the football, and our offensive line did a really nice job of controlling things up front. We played well in the first quarter, and came out strong in the third quarter after they had closed it to 17-7 at halftime, and thatıs when we took control.²

³I thought we didnıt take advantage on both sides of the football,² said Western Carolina head coach Bill Bleil. ³We moved it offensively but didnıt put it in the end zone. Defensively, we gave up some big plays that we havenıt given up in previous games. Those quick scores put us behind the eight ball. Furman is a good team, and they are tough to stop.²

Furman wasted little time in grabbing the lead. After stopping Western Carolina on its first possession, Louis Ivory, on the Paladinsı third play from scrimmage, took an option pitch from quarterback Justin Hill and raced 65 yards for a touchdown to give Furman a 7-0 advantage at the 11:54 mark of the first quarter.

Ivory, who topped the 100-yard mark on his third run of the game with a 39-yard burst up the middle midway through the first quarter, finished off Furmanıs second possession of the game with a 25-yard touchdown run to cap a five-play, 80-yard drive that put Furman ahead 14-0 with 4:55 left in the first period.

Furman extended its margin to 17-0 with a 24-yard Danny Marshall field goal before Western Carolina closed the margin to 17-7 on a 14-yard Fred Boateng touchdown run with 2:25 left in the half.

Furman effectively put the game out of reach in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns, the first on a 14-yard reverse run by flanker Bear Rinehart and the second on Ivoryıs third score of the game, also from 14 yards to give the Paladins a 31-7 advantage.

An 11-yard scoring by backup tailback Toreico OıNeal extended the lead to 38-7 early in the fourth quarter.

The Paladins chewed up Western Carolinaıs defense with 400 rushing yards. In addition to Ivory, who exited the game after three quarters, quarterback Justin Hill ran for 80 yards and threw for 79 yards, completing 6-of-9 passes.

Furman linebacker Will Bouton paced the Paladin defensive with eight tackles and a hit-for-loss.

The Paladins return to action next Saturday when they take on Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. Western Carolina, meanwhile, hosts defending NCAA I-AA national champion Georgia Southern in Cullowhee.

Game Statistics