THIRD-RANKED FURMAN TRIMS FIFTH-RANKED APPALACHIAN STATE 28-22
GREENVILLE -- Billy Napier passed for 159 yards and two touchdowns to lift the NCAA I-AA third-ranked Furman Paladins to a 28-22 Southern Conference win over fifth-ranked Appalachian State in front of 14,411 fans Saturday at Paladin Stadium.
Napier, a junior from Chatsworth, Ga., completed 9-of-15 passes on the afternoon and connected with redshirt freshman flanker Isaac West for both scores in the second half on plays covering 39 and 30 yards. West had six pass receptions for 120 yards and five punt returns for 42 yards in the game.
The win was the third straight by Furman (4-1, 3-0 SoCon) over Appalachian State (3-2, 2-1 SoCon) in Greenville and the 11th consecutive conference home win for the Paladins.
"It
was tough. It was a hard nosed game all the way," said Furman head coach
Bobby Johnson. "Both defenses were playing great. They gambled a little
bit, and we hurt them a couple of times with big passes. But you have to give
Appalachian State credit, they came out and played hard on defense and really
took it to us a little bit, but our defense played just as well and Isaac made
two good catches. That was the difference in the game."
"When you play that hard and lose, it hurts," said Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore. "We made too many mistakes to win a big ball game like this. Our defense deserves a better fate than this. It was a consolation prize stopping Louis Ivory short of the record."
Appalachian State outgained Furman 222-194 in total offense, accumulating 105 of its yards late in the fourth quarter after the Paladins had taken a 28-14 lead. The Mountaineers had 81 offensive snaps to Furman's 45 but averaged only 2.7 yards per play to the Paladins' 4.3.
Paladin All-America tailback Louis Ivory, who came into the game only 50 yards short of Furman's career rushing record, was held to 40 yards on 18 carries, snapping his consecutive 100-yard game streak at 10, but Ivory's 18-yard touchdown run with 4:17 left in the first half put the Paladins ahead for good at 14-7.
The Paladins grabbed a 7-0 lead on the game's first play when Brian Bratton took the opening kickoff and raced 100 yards for a touchdown.
Appalachian State's Jerry Beard tied the game at 7-7 with a 13-yard run with 13:51 left in the second quarter.
Leading
14-7 at intermission, Furman linebacker Will Bouton pounced on a Appalachian
State fumble at the Mountaineer 39-yard line, and on the next play Napier hooked
up with a streaking West on a 39-yard touchdown strike to stretch the Paladin
advantage to 21-7.
The Mountaineers made it 21-14 on a Joey Hoover 1-yard touchdown run with 11:14 left in the game, but two possessions later a 17-yard punt return by West to the Appalachian State 30 set up the Paladin's final score, which came one play later when Napier found West behind the Mountaineer secondary for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 7:46 left.
Appalachian State was denied on its next possession when Furman cornerback Richie Jackson stepped in front of a Joe Burchette pass at the Paladin 1-yard line for his 16th career interception.
After Paladin punter Lee Willis ran out of the end zone for a safety to make it 28-16, Appalachian State regained possession at the Furman 43. Eight plays later Burchette connected with Jose White on a 3-yard touchdown pass to draw the Mountaineers to within six points at 28-22 with 1:26 remaining. The Mountaineers' onside kick, however, was recovered by Furman's James Thomas at the 50-yard line, allowing the Paladins to run out the game clock.
Bouton paced Furman's strong defensive effort with nine tackles, three tackles-for-loss, and a fumble recovery. Both teams recorded three sacks in the contest.
Top Left Picture: Isaac West beats Appalachian State's Du'Shon Martin for a 39-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give the Paladins a 21-7 lead.
Bottom Right Picture: Though held to only 40 yards, his lowest total as a starting tailback, Louis Ivory runs over Appalachian State defensive back Steve Kitchens to score on an 18-yard run in the second quarter, giving Furman a 14-7 lead.