Napier, the nation’s leader in passing efficiency, completed 15-of-22 passes, including a 15-yard touchdown toss to Brian Bratton and 44-yard scoring strike to Bear Rinehart, who caught five passes for a career high 153 yards. The win was Furman’s (4-1, 2-0 SoCon) fifth straight over Western Carolina (3-3, 1-2 SoCon) and the Paladins’ 14th-straight home triumph over Southern Conference opposition.
Despite
Napier’s record setting performance, Furman only managed to escape Western
Carolina’s upset bid when Chris Vought missed an extra point attempt after
Fred Boateng scored on a 4-yard run with 3:43 left to pull the Catamounts to
within a point. Instead of attempting and onside kick, the Catamounts kicked
deep, and Furman was able to burn most of the remaining time off the clock with
a pair of first downs.The Catamounts regained possession at their 44 with 19 seconds left following a poor 15-yard Furman punt, but a desperation pass by quarterback Brian Gaither was picked off by Furman’s Cam Newton to end the game.
“We didn’t play our best game today, but you have to tip your hat to Western Carolina,” said first year Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “They came out today and were the aggressor. They were doing a little bit of different stuff than we had seen them do. It was a big win, and we’ll take that any day in the Southern Conference.”
“This was a real heartbreaker,” said Western Carolina head coach Kent Briggs, also in his first year as head coach. “We never gave up and we proved we could play with one of the best teams in America. Not one play or one player won or lost this game. I didn’t believe that extra point would win over lose the game. I knew we would have to battle to the end.”
Both teams took advantage of miscues to open the scoring. An interception and 36-yard return by cornerback Randy Thompson to the Furman 39 led to a Vought 32-yard field goal that put Western Carolina ahead 3-0 at the 9:39 mark of the first quarter.
Later in the quarter Furman defensive end Eddie Overdyke scooped up a fumble a returned it 14 yards to the Western Carolina 13 to set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Napier to Bratton to give the Paladins a 7-3 lead with 5:24 left in the first quarter.
Furman extended its lead to 14-3 in the second quarter, using a 33-yard run by tailback Toreico O’Neal and 23-yard option keeper by Napier to the Western 1 before fullback Eric Emerson ran off right tackle into the end zone for the score.
Leading 21-10 after three quarters, Furman watched Western Carolina pull to within four points at 21-17 after quarterback Pat Cilento connected with Lamont Seward on a 34-yard first down pass to the Furman 1, where one play later Cilento scored with 12:45 left.
Furman answered with an 11-play, 83-yard drive for a Danny Marshall 20-yard field goal and a 24-17 lead, but Western Carolina appeared poised to tie the game after covering 62 yards in eight plays for Boateng’s 4-yard scoring run. On the PAT, however, the snap bounced to holder Stanton Horne and the bad timing led to Vought’s kick missing wide right.
Furman outgained Western Carolina 444-354, rushing for 192 yards to go along with Napier’s 252 passing yards. Western Carolina’s Fred Boateng led all rushers with 117 yards on 16 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns.
The Paladins return to action next Saturday when they take on nationally-ranked Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., in a 3:30 p.m. game televised by Fox Sports South. Western Carolina, meanwhile, hosts Georgia Southern next Saturday in Cullowhee in a 2:00 p.m. contest.