March 27, 2004


DEFENSE STEPS UP IN FINAL FURMAN SCRIMMAGE;
2004 SEASON CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- With Furman’s offense and new quarterback Ingle Martin garnering most of the attention since the start of spring practice, the Paladin defense stepped up with several big plays in Saturday’s final scrimmage of the spring season.

Sparked by All-Southern Conference free safety Cam Newton’s 50-yard interception return for a touchdown, the Paladin defense picked off four passes, batted three passes, recovered two fumbles, and registered a pair of sacks in the two-hour scrimmage in Paladin Stadium in front of approximately 250 fans.

“In the spring you want your defense to always be ahead of your offense, and today that was the case,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “They (the defense) made a lot of plays, but I’m not surprised considering some of the personnel (10 returning starters) we have over there. I thought Cam Newton was superb, and Roy Ravenell has been very impressive this spring.”

Newton, a rising senior from Bennettsville, S.C., who led Furman with three interceptions in 2003, stepped in front a pass by quarterback Josh Stepp and raced 50 yards untouched for a score. Cornerbacks Maurice Duncan and Dantae Powell, and linebacker Gary Nelson also picked off passes to headline the defense.

Defensive end Keenan Adams sacked quarterbacks Bo Moore and Renaldo Gray for a pair of eight-yard losses, and the Columbia, S.C., product also returned a fumble recovery 23 yards. Defensive tackle Justin Porter rounded out the big plays with a fumble recovery at the 1-yard line.

Offensively, Furman was paced by quarterback Ingle Martin, who completed 13-of-18 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Martin’s scoring toss covered 16 yards to flanker Brian Bratton, but the transfer from the University of Florida suffered an interception when he under threw flanker Justin Stepp on a deep ball and had it picked off by Duncan.

“Ingle threw the ball well and had nice touch on most of his passes,” added Lamb. “The interception came on third and long as was a roll out where he threw across his body and didn’t get much on it. That was a mistake, but sometimes those can work out like a good punt.”

Backup quarterback Bo Moore completed 4-of-7 passes for 26 yards, and Stepp connected on 4-of-8 attempts for 20 yards and an interception. Renaldo Gray found the mark on 3-of-6 attempts for 25 yards but had his final attempt picked off by Nelson.

Bratton led all receivers with three catches for 35 yards, and Justin Stepp followed with three catches for 31 yards. Brian Stone and Isaac West both notched two receptions for 23 yards, and tight end Penn Garvich collected two catches for 22 yards.

Tailback David Latimer shook off two early fumbles to lead the rushing attack with 46 yards on 15 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown plunge, and Daric Carter added eight carries for 39 yards.

At the conclusion of Saturday’s scrimmage Lamb announced the 2004 season captains as selected by vote of the players. They include seniors Ben Bainbridge, Brian Bratton, Mike Killian, and Cam Newton.

“We had great enthusiasm on both sides of the football this spring, and that attitude is directly attributed to our senior class and their strong leadership.”

Furman will wrap up spring practice with two non-contact practices next week.