November 11, 2002

FURMAN'S ERIC EMERSON SIDELINED WITH TORN ACL

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman head football coach Bobby Lamb announced today that sophomore fullback Eric Emerson will miss the remainder of the 2002 season after sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the Paladins' 41-21 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday.

"Eric has been a vital part of our offense the last two seasons, so his loss is significant given the fact that we are already minus Al Means, who we lost to injury earlier this year," said Lamb on Monday. "We've been pretty fortunate in keeping our guys healthy, but the injuries we've had have been concentrated in the backfield. Corey Tant will have to step up."

Emerson, who had earned starts in each of the Paladins' nine games this year, went down in the first quarter of Saturday's contest in a non-contact situation. He will undergo an MRI Monday evening to determine the full extent of his injury. The Newnan, Ga., product had rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns this fall after totaling 213 yards and six touchdowns in 11 regular season starts as a true freshman last year.

Sophomore Corey Tant, who rushed for three yards and caught a nine-yard touchdown pass against Georgia Southern, has totaled 35 yards on 12 carries this season. The Easley, S.C., product saw limited action as a redshirt freshman a year ago after sustaining a concussion in the preseason and a second concussion in the Paladins' 47-28 win over Presbyterian.

Ranked ninth in this week's NCAA I-AA poll, Furman takes on Wofford this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Spartanburg.