FURMAN DOWNS WOFFORD 27-18,
MOVES CLOSER TO NCAA I-AA PLAYOFFS
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Quarterback Justin Hill threw for 163 yards and a touchdown and tailback Louis Ivory, the nation's leading rusher, ran for 165 yards to lead nationally fourth-ranked Furman to a 27-18 Southern Conference victory over No. 25 Wofford Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium.
With the win, Furman (8-2, 5-2 SoCon) dramatically improves its bid for a spot in the NCAA I-AA playoffs, which get underway Nov. 25. The Paladins host league rival Chattanooga next Saturday in Greenville in the regular season finale. Wofford (6-3, 5-3) had its playoffs hopes dashed with the loss, the Terriers' fifth in the last six clashes with Furman.
"I was proud of our guys, especially the defense," Furman head coach Bobby Johnson said. "They battled all game against a very good Wofford team, and it took that kind of effort to get a win here in Spartanburg.
"They did a very good job of attacking us, but we responded when we had to. Louis Ivory made some big plays for us and we needed that long run on our last possession to run out the clock and win the game. I think this game turned my hair gray."
"The bottom line is that we didnšt get it done," Wofford head coach Mike Ayers said. "I canšt fault the effort from our kids. They kept scrapping, battling hard, and didnšt give up.
"We didnšt capitalize when we had opportunities and gave up some cheap plays on busted coverages. We just shot ourselves in the foot in the second half. Furman is a heck of a football team. Theyšre two turnovers away from being undefeated. You canšt make mistakes against a team like that. Wešre disappointed but wešre also making progress with our football team. A loss is a loss, but we gained some respect out there with the way we battled."
In rushing for 165 yards in the contest, Ivory, a candidate for this year's Walter Payton Award, upped his season rushing total to 1,872 yards. Ivory needs 61 yards in the Paladins' regular season finale to set a new Southern Conference regular season rushing standard and 128 yards to become the first 2,000-yard regular season rusher in league history.
Wofford took the opening kickoff and used 11 plays to cover 86 yards for the game's first score, which came on a 3-yard touchdown run by Melvin Jones with 11:08 left in the first quarter. Darren Brown's PAT attempt missed, however, leaving the Terriers with a 6-0 lead.
A fumble recovery by Furman's Brandon Poole on the Terriers' next possession gave the Paladins the football at the Wofford 35. After moving to the 18, Danny Marshall put the Paladins on the board with a 35-yard field goal at the 4:32 juncture of the first period.
A little over two minutes later, a short Wofford punt led to Furman's next score when Justin Hill found Bryant Huguley open behind the Terrier secondary for a 38-yard touchdown strike to give the Paladins a 10-6 advantage.
Midway through the second quarter the Paladins took advantage of another Wofford turnover for a score. Shelvis Smith's interception and 22-yard return put Furman's offense in business at its own 48. From there the Paladins covered 52 yards in 12 plays before Derek Russell bulled over from 1 yard out to make it a 17-6 game with 7:07 left in the first half.
After a Terrier field goal closed the gap to 17-9 with a little over two minutes left before intermission, Furman's offense put together its best drive of the game. A 55-yard play action pass from Hill to sophomore wide receiver Bean Rinehart on the drive's first play gave the Paladins the ball at the Wofford 25. Six plays later, on a third and three play from the 8, Rinehart took a reverse handoff from Ivory around right end untouched for the score and a 24-9 Furman lead.
Furman's momentum didn't last long in the second half, however, as Wofford's Will Thomas blocked a Lee Willis punt that was returned by Jeremy Dula to the Paladin 7-yard line. Three plays later, Tony Hudson scored from a yard out to cut the margin to 24-15. The two-point rush attempt failed.
On the ensuing kickoff, a Chris Lowery fumble was recovered by Wofford's Josh Brizendine at the Paladin 20. The Terriers, however, were unable to generate a first down, and Darren Brown missed on a 35-yard field goal.
Brown converted a 22-yard field goal on the next series to pull Wofford within 24-18 with 2:18 left in the third quarter.
From that point both team's defenses stiffened, but Furman's special teams came through with one of the game's biggest plays when junior punter Lee Willis boomed a career best 64-yard punt to the Wofford 11.
Three plays later the Terriers were forced to punt, but another short Wofford kick gave Furman the ball at its own 47. A 19-yard pass from Hill to Huguley on the drive's first play moved the ball to the Wofford 34. Later, after pushing to the Terrier 7, Danny Marshall delivered a crucial 24-yard field goal with 6:18 left in the contest, giving the Paladins a 27-18 lead.
Wofford saw its chances dashed on its next possession when, after a strong run up the middle, Terrier quarterback Travis Wilson was stripped of the football by Paladin linebacker Keito Whetstone, whose forced fumble was recovered by teammate Richie Jackson at the Furman 26 with 4:01 remaining in the game.
From there, Furman turned to Ivory for seven straight runs, including a game clinching 37-yard burst down to the Wofford 33-yard line on a third-and-six play.
All-Southern Conference and Buck Buchanan Award candidate linebacker Will Bouton headlined Furman's solid defensive effort with a game high 16 tackles and a tackle-for-loss.