Furman improved 3-1 on the season after a hard fought road win at Charleston Southern, 24-19. Both defenses played well and come up with big plays, forcing 4 turnovers each. That is a season high for Furman in a game this season. Furman Starting QB Tyler Huff would leave the game with an injury in the 1st half and didn't return. Sophomore Jace Wilson would step in and have 3 total TD's on the game to lead the Paladin offense.
Furman leaned on their run game offensively, as they ran for over 200 yards in the game. The Paladins ran for 216 yards on 55 carries for an average of yards per carry. Charleston Southern was also productive in the run game as well, rushing for 187 yards on 28 carries for an average of nearly 7 yards per tote.
Furman struck 1st , getting a 30 yard Field Goal after capitalizing on a short field created after a Paladin takeaway. Charleston Southern then scored on a short field after a Furman turnover. The Bucs got a 1 yard TD run from RB Roderick Hawkins to take a 7-3 lead after the 1st.
CSU would take a 9-3 lead after they scored on a Shary Jefferson tackle that resulted in a safety. Furman would then put together their longest offensive drive of the game, going 93 yards on 14 plays in a drive that took 5:45 off the clock. That drive was capped by a 5 yard Jace Wilson TD run that game Furman a 10-9 with less than 30 seconds left in the 1st half. The Paladins would cling to the one point lead at the break.
Charleston Southern would score 10 unanswered to open the 2nd half. They got a big play in the passing game, when QB Isaiah Bess found Vinson Davis for a 97 yard scoring strike. They then added a 28 yard FG to take the largest lead of the game at 19-10. Furman answered late in 3rd when Wilson found standout TE Ryan Miller for a 44 yard passing TD. CSU would then lead 19-17 after 3 quarters.
Furman would then find the end zone 10:30 left in the game when Wilson scampered 22 yards for his 2nd rushing TD of the contest. That gave Furman a 24-19 lead that it would not relinquish. The Furman defense would stand tall and not allow a point in the final frame. The Paladin D would make the game deciding play, when DB Dominic Morris picked off a pass in the end zone with 2:43 left in the game. Furman's offense would pick up a 1st down on their ensuing possession and salt the clock away to take the win.
The Paladins got a 3 touchdown performance from Wilson on in relief of Huff. Wilson ran for 2 scores and threw for one. Paladin RB Dominic Roberto had 88 rushing yards on 21 carries. TE Ryan Miller had 6 catches for 94 yards and a score.
Furman is now 3-1 on the season, they return to Paladin stadium this week. Furman hosts Samford in SoCon action on Saturday for a 2 PM kickoff. You can hear that and every Furman game all season long on the Fan Upstate.
