NINTH RANKED FURMAN DUMPS THE CITADEL 33-7
GREENVILLE -- Backup quarterback Billy Napier passed for 170 yards and a touchdown to lead the ninth-ranked Furman Paladins (6-1, 3-1 SoCon) to a 33-7 win over arch-rival The Citadel (2-5, 1-3 SoCon) in front of 13,326 fans at Paladin Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Napier a sophomore from Chatsworth, Ga., replaced injured starting quarterback Justin Hill on Furmanıs second series, and completed 11-of-16 passes in the contest, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Trent Sansbury in the third quarter to give the Paladins a 10-7 lead.
Furman tailback Louis Ivory ran for 214 yards and scored on a 58-yard run in the third quarter to post his second straight 1,000-yard season. Ivory now has 1,179 yards through seven games. The win was Furmanıs fifth in its last six games against The Citadel and fifth straight home victory.
³We didnıt panic when we were down 7-3,² said Furman head coach Bobby Johnson. ³We made some minor adjustments defensively at halftime and came out and played a little harder and a bit better in the second half. Our execution in the second half was much better, and Billy Napier stepped up for us. Heıs been ready to play all year. He pays attention to the game and knows what to do, and I was really pleased with the way he came in there and made some plays for us.²
³I was proud of the way we played in the first half against a very good Furman team,² said Citadel head coach Don Powers. ³We let the momentum change and young teams like ours have a hard time doing something about that.²
The Citadel grabbed an early 7-0 lead when Nate Mahoney scored on a 1-yard plunge to cap an 8-play, 70-yard drive on the Bulldogsı first possession.
With Napier taking over for Hill on Furmanıs second possession, the Paladins moved 62 yards to the Citadel 3 but failed to score when the Bulldogsı Jay Ingram pounced on a fumble by Ivory in the end zone on the first play of the second quarter.
A 39-yard Danny Marshall field goal with 9:34 left in the first half cut The Citadelıs lead to 7-3.
Furman wasted little time in assuming command in the third quarter. Taking the kickoff the Paladins moved 70 yards in six plays to grab a 10-7 advantage when Napier split two Bulldog defenders with a 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Trent Sansbury at the 12:04 juncture.
After a fumble at the Citadel 18 halted Furmanıs next scoring threat, the Paladins bounced back quickly when Ivory bounced off a pair of Bulldog defenders and raced 58 yards for a touchdown to stretch the Paladin lead to 17-7 with 2:42 left in the third quarter.
A 39-yard punt by Furmanıs Lee Willis that was downed at The Citadel 1 led to Furmanıs next score, which came on a safety when linebacker Will Bouton tackled the Bulldogsı Nate Mahoney in the end zone to make it 19-7 early in the fourth quarter.
Furmanıs defense, which surrendered 162 yards in the first half, limited Citadel to only 91 total yards in the second half and set up the Paladinsı last two scores. Free safety Josh Cooperıs 35-yard interception return for a score made it 26-7, and Cooperıs school record tying third interception of the contest set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Derek Russell with just over two minutes left in the game.
Held to only 147 total yards in the first half, Furman finished with 430 yards in total offense. Making the first career starter, Citadel quarterback Alvin Johnson ran for 60 yards on 16 carries but completed only 2-of-7 passes with two interceptions.
Furman returns to action next Saturday when it takes on East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn. in a 7:00 p.m. game. The Citadel hosts defending national champion Georgia Southern in Charleston next Saturday at 3:00 p.m.