FURMAN DOWNS GEORGIA SOUTHERN
24-17 TO ADVANCE
TO NCAA I-AA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
STATESBORO, Ga. -- Georgia Southern football fans affectionately refer to Paulson Stadium as "Our House", but on Saturday the Furman Paladins, with 2000 Walter Payton Award winning tailback Louis Ivory sidelined with an injured knee, served an eviction notice by bouncing the Eagles 24-17 to advance to the NCAA I-AA championship game against Montana next Friday in Chattanooga. Kickoff for the ESPN televised game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Winners
of 39 straight games in Paulson Stadium and 28-0 in home playoff contests over
the years, Georgia Southern (12-2) saw Furman (12-2) convert a pair of early
third quarter fumbles into 10 points, helping the Paladins erase a 17-7 halftime
deficit on the way to the win -- the first by an Eagle opponent in Paulson Stadium
since William & Mary edged Georgia Southern 29-28 during the 1997 season.
Furman's appearance in the championship game will be the program's third overall and first since 1988, when the Paladins defeated Georgia Southern 17-12 in Pocatello, Idaho, to become the first Southern Conference team to win the national title. Montana routed Northern Iowa 38-0 in the other semifinal game on Saturday to gain its second straight national title game appearance.
"We did something nobody had
ever done, we beat them down here in a playoff game," said Gatorade-drenched
Furman head coach Bobby Johnson. "It just feels great for our coaches and
players, because they've worked so hard and talked so much about getting to
this point."
"To win here feels wonderful, because they're a great football team, but, listen, it's great to beat Georgia Southern anywhere. I don't care if it's on Mars,"said Furman linebacker Will Bouton, who registered 10 tackkles, three tackles-for-loss, and a sack to lead a stout Paladin defense.
Furman's
opportunity to play for another national championship appeared in doubt after
Georgia Southern struck for a pair of touchdowns in the final minutes of the
first half. Trailing 7-3, slotback Mark Myers put the Eagles ahead 10-7 when
he took an option pitch from quarterback J.R. Revere and raced 51 yards for
a score with 3:22 left. Then, after stopping Furman on three plays and forcing
a punt, Georgia Southern used a 58-yard pass from Revere to Derrick Owens to
the quickly cover 84 yards for its second touchdown of the game, which came
on 11-yard run by Revere with only 20 seconds left before intermission.
Furman's fortunes, however, changed quickly in the third quarter.
On the second half kickoff, the Eagles' Justin Wright botched the reception, and Furman's Cam Newton picked up the ball and returned it six yards to the Eagle 18. From there Furman drove to the 2 before settling for a Danny Marshall 19-yard field goal that cut the Georgia Southern lead to 17-10.
On the the Eagles' first play from scrimmage on the ensuing possession, Furman's Eddie Overdyke pounced on a Zzream Walden fumble at the Georgia Southern 21, and on the next play quarterback Billy Napier connected with falnker Bear Rinehart on a post route for a 21-yard touchdown strike to knot the game at 17-17 at the 10:52 mark.
"Not only did we take advantage of the two turnovers, but after we got even we took over the game," added Johnson. "We didn't relinquish the momentum after we got it. We kept the pressure on them by running the football, making a couple of timely throws, and playing good defense. We kept the football away from them by making some key first downs and then coming up with some big plays on defense."
"Give Furman credit," Georgia Southern head coach Paul Johnson said. "They did what they had to do. Nothing went right for us in the second half. I don't know how to describe it."
After
yielding 224 yards in the first half, Furman's defense tightened the screws
on Georgia Southern, recording a shutout and limiting the Eagles to only 55
yards and 20 plays over the final two quarters.
Furman missed its first chance to grab the lead after Danny Marshall failed on a 31-yard field goal attempt with 1:15 left in the third period.
The Paladins' defense, however, quickly provided another opportunity. After Bouton tackled Eagle quarterback J.R. Revere for a three-yard loss at the Georgia Southern 22, Furman used an illegal block penalty to back the Eagles up to the 12, where Scott Shelton booted a 51-yard punt to Bear Rinehart, who returned it to the Furman 44.
From that point, the Paladins turned to their veteran offensive line to advance the football down the field in methodic fashion, running 13 consecutive times and converting a pair of third downs and one fourth down play along the way. After a Napier sneak provided the Paladins a first down at the Georgia Southern 1, fullback Eric Emerson bulled over on the next play to give the Paladins a 24-17 advantage with 8:24 left.
Furman's defense then stepped up with another solid series, using a Bouton sack of Eagle quarterback J.R. Revere to force a punt.
After
taking over at its 29, Furman picked up a key first down on a four-yard run
by Hindley Brigham to the 39. Three Eagle timeouts and four plays later, Lee
Willis punted 36 yards to the Georgia Southern 19 with 3:43 left. After a pass
interference penalty on Furman advanced the ball to the 30, Paladin cornerback
Richie Jackson effectively ended the game when he intercepted a Revere pass
and returned it 13 yards to the Georgia Southern 42 with 2:02 remaining.
Furman outgained Georgia Southern 345-279 and outrushed the Eagles 186-184, thereby becoming the first team to outrush Georgia Southern since last year's Paladin squad piled up a 404-114 rushing differential in a 45-10 win in Greenville. Playing in the last game of his collegiate career, Georgia Southern's Adrian Peterson, the Southern Conference's all-time leading rusher, was held to a career low 68 yards on 18 carries.
Furman's Billy Napier, meanwhile, tied David Henderson's school record for consecutive completions in a game by going 12-for-12 for 159 yards and a touchdown. His favorite target was Rinehart, who caught five passes for 82 yards.
Pictures:
Top Left: Linebacker Will Bouton sacks Georgia Southern quarterback J.R. Revere for a nine-yard loss in the fourth quarter.
Top Right: Furman fans celebrate the Paladins' 24-17 win over Georgia Southern.
Bottom Left: Split end Bear Rinehart caught five passes for 82 yards, including a game tying 21-yard reception for a touchdown in the Paladins' decisive third quarter.
Bottom Right: Flanker Brian Bratton breaks loose from Georgia Southern's Robert LeBlanc and Eric McIntire on a 10-yard pass reception in the second half.