December 21, 2001
MONTANA SMOTHERS PALADINS'
CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES 13-6
CHATTANOOGA, TENN. -- Yo Humphery rushed for 142 yards and Chris Snyder booted a pair of field goals to lift the Montana Grizzlies to a 13-6 win over the Furman Paladins Friday night in the 2001 NCAA I-AA national championship game in front of 12,698 fans at Finley Stadium.
Humphery scored on a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to cap a 16-play, 99-yard drive that gave Montana (15-1) a 7-0 lead, and Snyder later added a pair of field goals covering 35 and 30 yards to extend the margin to 13-0 before Furman (12-3) averted the shutout on the game's last play when James Thomas gathered in a tipped Billy Napier pass to complete a 54-yard touchdown play.
Montana's defense, however, made the victory possible by holding Furman's offense in check virtually the entire game and forcing three Paladin turnovers. Furman was also hurt by a two key penalties on the Grizzlies' decisive 99-yard firstt half drive, including an offsides call that gave Montana a first down at the Furman 6 after Snyder had missed a 28-yard field goal attempt.
"Montana did an outstanding defensive job. They made plays and we didn't, and they did a good job keeping us off balance," said Furman head coach Bobby Johnson. "Give Montana credit. They beat us."
"Our defense played awesome," said Montana head coach Joe Glenn. "This was a day when our defense played unbelieveably and we did enough offensively to win the game."
Montana, which edged Furman 297-293 in total offense, was paced defensively by All-America strong safety Vince Huntsberger, who totaled 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, and a fourth qurter interception that helped preserve the win. Paladin All-America linebacker Will Bouton, making his 50th consecutive start, headlined a strong Furman defense with 12 tackles, three tackes-for-loss, and a sack.
Furman tailback Louis Ivory, returning to the starting lineup after missing the last two games with a sprained knee, was limited to 33 yards on 12 carries -- his lowest production in his three-year tenure as the Paladins' starting tailback. Billy Napier, meanwhile, completed only 10-of-26 passes for 172 yards and was picked off twice.
After a scoreless first quarter that saw Snyder miss a 32-yard field goal attempt following a fumble recovery at the Furman 12, the Grizzlies mounted the game's only sustained offensive drive from their own 1-yard line with 13:16 left in the half.
With Humphery accounting for 37 yards on the ground and quarterback John Edwards passing for 34 yards and running for 22 more, Montana moved down the field in methodic fashion. Furman, however, appeared to turn aside the scoring threat after stopping the Grizzlies at the 11, but on a missed 28-yard field goal try the Paladins were penalized for offsides, thereby giving Montana a first down at the Paladin 6. Two plays and a Furman face-masking penalty later Humphery bulled in from two yards out for the game's only touchdown with 6:27 left.
Montana upped its lead to 10-0 on its next possession, taking advantage of a short 27-yard Furman punt by moving 39 yards in nine plays for a 35-yard Snyder field goal with 0:53 left in the the first half.
In the second half, Furman put together its longest drive of the game on its second possession, moving from its own 12 to the Montana 15 before a penalty, a three-yard loss, and two incomplete passes led to a missed 40-yard Danny Marshall field goal attempt.
From that point, Furman could do little offensively while Montana upped its lead to 13-0 with a 30-yard Snyder field goal with 6:12 left in the game.
Interceptions by Dave DeCoite and Huntsberger halted two of Furman's last three possessions before Thomas gathered in the Napier's tipped pass to complete a 54-yard touchdown pass as time expired.