December 8, 2001

FURMAN THUMPS LEHIGH 34-17 TO ADVANCE
INTO NCAA I-AA SEMIFINALS VERSUS GEORGIA SOUTHERN

Game Statistics

GREENVILLE -- Toreico O'Neal rushed for 128 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Furman' defense racked up a season high nine sacks to lead the Paladins to a 34-17 win over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in NCAA I-AA quarterfinal football action in front of 10,189 fans at Paladin Stadium on Saturday.

Furman (11-2) will take on Georgia Southern (12-1) next Saturday in Statesboro at noon, with the winner advancing to the NCAA I-AA championship game in Chattanooga on Dec. 21. Georgia Southern, which defeated Appalachian State, 34-28, in quarterfinal playoff action on Saturday, topped Furman 20-10 in Statesboro during the regular season. The Paladins and Eagles shared the 2001 Southern Conference championship with identical 7-1 league records.

O'Neal's performance highlighted a strong Furman rushing attack that was without its marquee performer, 2000 Walter Payton Award winning tailback Louis Ivory, who did not play after sustaining a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee in the Paladins' 24-20 first round playoff win over Western Kentucky on Dec. 1. In addition to O¹Neal, Furman got 105 and 66 yards, respectively, from tailbacks Hindley Brigham and Lamar Rembert. In all the Paladins piled up 332 yards on the ground against Lehigh (11-1), champion of the Patriot League.

"I'm extremely proud of our football team," said Furman head coach Bobby Johnson. "I think we came out with a lot of intensity, and we really kept that intensity though the entire game. We were aggressive on both sides of the football, and I think our offensive line was determined that there would be no question about the tailback position getting yards for our offense. They did a great job of opening holes, and our tailbacks ran right through them."

"I think anytime you get to the postseason, with the level of competition you go against, whether it's Furman or Georgia Southern or Appalachian State or Delaware, you have to play absolutely flawless football, and we certainly didn't do that today," said Lehigh head coach Pete Lembo. "We didn't step up and make plays when we had opportunities in the first half, and we didn't force turnovers as have in previous weeks. Certainly a lot of credit has to go to the Furman folks, who are very well coached and very, very physical. On both sides of the football they were able to handle us up front."

As much as Furman's offensive line set the stage for the Paladins' strong ground attack, the Paladin defense stepped up with its second consecutive solid playoff game performance by holding the Mountain Hawks to only 305 total yards. Lehigh, which came into the contest averaging 411.0 yards per game, was hounded by Paladin senior linebacker Will Bouton, the Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year, who totaled 11 tackles, including six-for-loss, a career high four sacks, and a forced fumble. Bouton's dominating play helped the Paladins to their nine quarterback sacks, just one shy of the school single game record.

"I think (Will) Bouton lived up to his billing," addede Lembo. "He's an all-conference guy, and I think he played that way today, in particular running from sideline to sideline, and when he came on blitzes."

Furman took an early 3-0 lead on a 22-yard Danny Marshall field goal at the 8:23 mark of the first quarter.

After Lehigh answered to take a 7-3 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Justin Barrasso a little over four minutes later, Furman used a 65-yard kickoff return by conference freshman-of-the-year and the nation¹s leading return specialist, Brian Bratton, to set up its next score, which came on the next play when O'Neal took an option pitch 35 yards for a score to make it 10-7 at the 3:58 juncture of the first quarter.

Furman's defense set up the Paladins¹ next score when Bouton forced a fumble by Lehigh quarterback Brant Hall, which was recovered by Sterling Frierson at the Furman 35. Seven plays later, on a third and 16 play at the Lehigh 49, Paladin quarterback Billy Napier scrambled away from pressure and connected with wide receiver Bear Rinehart behind the Mountain Hawk secondary for a 49-yard touchdown to make it 17-7.

Just before intermission the Paladins stretched their advantage to 24-7 when fullback Eric Emerson bulled over from two yards out for a touchdown to conclude a 9-play, 62-yard drive.

In the third quarter Furman appeared on the verge of take complete command of the contest after moving from its own 36 to the Lehigh 6, but on a first and goal play an O'Neal fumble was recovered by Lehigh's Sam Perryman at the 12. From there the Mountain Hawks drove to the Paladin 12, where Brian Kelley booted a 29-yard field goal to narrow the Paladin advantage to 24-10.

Lehigh's bid for a comeback died, however, when the Paladins, using a 48-yard run by Brigham, quickly responded with Danny Marshall's second field goal of the contest, a 27-yard effort on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Furman later made it 34-10 after Will Bouton sacked Lehigh quarterback Brant Hall at the Mountain Hawk 41. Three handoffs to O¹Neal got the Paladins into the end zone, with the scoring run covering 10 yards. The win gave Furman a perfect 8-0 home record in 2001 and marked the 15th triumph in the last 16 home games in Paladin Stadium.

Furman and Georgia Southern have split a pair of NCAA I-AA playoff games over the years, both of which were national championship contests. The Eagles topped the Paladins 44-42 in the 1985 title game in Tacoma, Washington, with Furman later gaining revenge with a 17-12 triumph over Georgia Southern in the 1988 title game in Pocatello, Idaho.

Pictures

Top Left: Llinebacker Will Bouton (20) racks up one of his four sacks and tallies a forced fumble while defensive end Mike Killian (44) closes in in the Paladins' 34-17 whipping of Lehigh on Saturday at Paladin Stadium.

Middle Right: Tailback Hindley Brigham rushes for a portion of his 105 yards against the Mountain Hawks. Furman rolled up 332 yards rushing in the contest.

Middle Left: Bear Rinehart (7) breaks free from Lehigh defensive back Abdul Byron on a 49-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to put Furman ahead 17-7.

Bottom Right: Brandon Poole sacks Mountain Hawk quarterback Brant Hall and forces a fumble, leading to a recovery for Paladin linebacker Sterling Frierson (43) at the end of the first half.