December 1, 2001

FURMAN RALLIES PAST WESTERN KENTUCKY 24-20
IN NCAA I-AA FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF ACTION

Game Statistics

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Al Means' 19-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left in the game lifted Furman to a 24-20 win over Western Kentucky in NCAA I-AA first round playoff action Saturday at Paladin Stadium.

Means' decisive score came after Furman's Josh Cooper recovered a fumble by Western Kentucky's Curtis Hamilton at the Hilltoppers' 42-yard line. After four consecutive rushes by Louis Ivory moved it to 19, Means took a handoff up the middle for the game winning score.

With the victory, Furman (10-2), the Southern Conference co-champion, will host Patriot League champion Lehigh next Saturday at Paladin Stadium in a quarterfinal game. Kickoff is set for noon. Lehigh defeated Hofstra 27-24 in overtime on Saturday. Western Kentucky, runnerup in the Gateway Conference, finishes its season at 8-4.

"I'm extremely proud of our football team for hanging in there, playing hard the whole game, and not worrying about the circumstances and being behind early," said Furman head coach Bobby Johnson. "You have to give Western Kentucky a lot of credit. They made some plays offensively and forced some turnovers that put us in a tough spot early, but we made some plays defensively in the second half, and our offense took advantage of them."

"I know things were very difficult for us on offense, but that's because of Furman's outstanding defense," said Western Kentucky head coach Jack Harbaugh. "We've blocked a lot of people, but (Will) Bouton always seemed to be where he had to be. I think the turnovers were the devastating part of this game for us, particularly the two fumbles in the second half."

Furman suffered four turnovers, including a pair of fumbles and two interceptions by quarterback Billy Napier, but the Paladins' benefited from three Hilltopper miscues ‹ all in the second half ‹ including two fumbles that led directly to scores.

Furman totaled 327 yards in offense against the Western Kentucky's defense, which came into the game ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring and total defense. The Hilltoppers, meanwhile, totaled only 243 yards against Furman, including 186 yards rushing. Western Kentucky came into the contest ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense, averaging 303 yards per game.

The Paladins were paced by reigning Walter Payton Award winning tailback Louis Ivory, who ran for 170 yards on 33 caries, but Ivory, the Southern Conference's leading rusher this season, sustained a sprained left knee on Furman's game winning drive and is considered doubtful for next week's game against Lehigh.

Furman appeared to be on the way to suffering its third consecutive NCAA I-AA first round home playoff loss after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter following a 3-yard touchdown run by Western Kentucky's Jason Johnson and 8-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to DeWyane Gallishaw. The Paladins, however, sliced Western Kentucky's lead in half when Billy Napier connected with Isaac West on 21-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter to make it 14-7.

Western Kentucky upped its lead to 17-7 on the final play of the first half when Peter Martinez kicked a career best 51-yard field goal to cap an impressive 7-play, 51-yard drive that consumed the final 1:14 of the second quarter.

After Martinez connected on a 33-yard field goal at the 6:31 mark of the third quarter to make it 20-7, Furman rallied, using a 47-yard pass from Napier to tight end Trent Sansbury to the Western Kentucky 16-yard line to set up a four-yard touchdown run by fullback Eric Emerson with 0:52 left in the third quarter that cut the Hilltopper advantage to 20-14.

From that point, Furman's defense took over, forcing a pair of Western Kentucky fumbles that helped complete the comeback. Will Bouton's recovery of a Keith Brooks fumble at the Hilltopper 38 set up a Danny Marshall 21-yard field goal that pulled Furman to within three points at 20-17.

Later, after Bobby Sippio intercepted a Napier pass at the Western Kentucky 29, the Paladin defense responded again when Josh Cooper recovered Curtis Hamilton's fumble at the Hilltopper 45, setting up Means¹ game winning touchdown with a little over three minutes to play.

Furman's comeback was its biggest since 1996, when the Paladins fell behind Nothern Arizona 21-7 in the first half before rallying for a 42-31 victory in NCAA I-AA first round playof action in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Picture: Tight end Trent Sansbury's 47-yard reception in the third quarter set up Furman's second score of the game, helping the Paladins to narrow the Hilltoppers' lead to 20-14.