October 13, 2001
LOUIS IVORY AND No. 3 RANKED FURMAN
RUSH PAST THE CITADEL, 30-7
Charleston, S.C. -- Senior tailback Louis Ivory rushed 29 times for 131 yards and a touchdown en route to setting Furman's all-time rushing record in the Paladins 30-7 victory over The Citadel in Southern Conference football action Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
Ivory, the 2000 Walter Payton Award winner as the top offensive player in NCAA I-AA football, pushed his career rushing total to 4,868 yards, eclipsing Carl Tremble's record of 4,746 yards.
"I'm glad to get it behind me and look forward to trying to win some more football games," said Ivory, who in rushing for 131 yards also registered the 25th 100-yard rushing performance of his career to tie the school standard for most career 100-yard games.
Furman (5-1, 4-0 SoCon), ranked third in I-AA football, got the ball rolling early and never looked back as the Paladins scored at the 6:23 mark in the first quarter when freshman fullback Eric Emerson rumbled 11 yards for a touchdown. The run capped a 12-play, 59-yard drive that lasted 5:57.
Furman's offense then capitalized on the strong play of its defense as sophomore placekicker Danny Marshall converted a 27-yard field goal at the 1:49 mark in the first quarter.
The Citadel's (1-4, 0-3 SoCon) defense held strong for most of the second quarter until Ivory finished off a seven play, 51-yard drive by rushing two yards for his only touchdown of the afternoon.
The Paladins then capitalized on a Citadel turnover at the 1:07 mark as junior quarterback Billy Napier connected with junior flanker Bear Rinehart on a 24-yard touchdown pass to take a 23-0 advantage into halftime.
The Citadel came out in the second half inspired as sophomore linebacker T.J. Rose sacked Napier on the first play of the third quarter, forcing a fumble, which was recovered by the Bulldogs at the Furman 24-yard line. Two plays later Nate Mahoney jaunted 13 yards for the touchdown to slice the Furman lead to 23-7.
The game included six fumbles and an interception, while the third and fourth periods were a stalemate until 4:52 in the game, when freshman fullback Al Means ran 10 yards for another Furman touchdown that pushed the Paladins' lead to 30-7.
Napier helped lead the Paladins, completing 9-of-18 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 12 times for 58 yards. Rinehart led the Furman receiving corps as he hauled in five passes for 82 yards and a score.
The Paladins received a strong effort from senior linebacker John Thrift, who led the team with 11 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, a fumble recovery, and a sack. Senior strong safety Shelvis Smith posted nine stops, which included two for a loss of 12 yards, a sack, and an interception off of Bulldog quarterback Mazzie Drummond.
The Bulldogs' top rusher was Mahoney, who carried 16 times for 69 yards and a touchdown. Defensively for the Bulldogs, senior linebackers Kevin Howard and Travis Stephens each totaled 14 stops and freshman free safety Kevin Corley had 13 tackles.
"We are very pleased with the victory," said Furman coach Bobby Johnson. "Ithink we beat a team that plays extremely hard, especially here in Charleston. They didn't give up, came out in the second half and made a game of it, and gave us everything we could handle.
"Wešre also pleased with Louis breaking the record," Johnson continued. "It's a great record by a great young man and we're proud as we can be of him and the people who helped him get the record."
"You could tell that a veteran team (Furman) was playing a young Citadel team," said Bulldog coach Ellis Johnson. "We had too many mistakes and right now we are our own worst enemy. I am proud of the effort our guys gave today as they played hard and physical, especially in the second half."
The Citadel returns to action on October 20 traveling to defending national champion Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. The Paladins return home to face Southern Conference foe ETSU.