Furman dropped Wofford 42-20 in the latest installment of a rivalry that dates back to 1889. The Terriers jumped out to a 10-0 lead and had a 17-7 advantage in the second quarter. Furman responded with the next three touchdowns for a 28-17 lead in the third quarter. After a Wofford field goal, the Paladins added two more touchdowns for the final margin.
Wofford opens the season at 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the Southern Conference. Furman is 3-2 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Terriers were led by Irvin Mulligan with 126 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Peyton Derrick was 7-of-15 passing with a touchdown. Devin Wynn led the Paladins with 204 rushing yards on 31 carries with two touchdowns.
"I thought we were making progress the last three games but today we didn't make progress as a football program," said Wofford head coach Josh Conklin. "We have to do a better job of executing. We need to find a way to compete and keep it closer in the fourth quarter which we did not do. We will get back to work on Sunday and find a way to get it done."
The Paladins had the ball to open the game and had thee first down before having to punt. Wofford took over at the 20-yard line and on third down Irvin Mulligan found a seam up the middle for a 72-yard touchdown.
The Terriers had a 7-0 lead at the 7:37 mark of the first quarter. Furman went three-and-out and punted, with R.J. Khayo returning the ball to the 20-yard line. After a first down the Terriers added a 27-yard field goal by Walker Gliarmis to take a 1-0 lead at 3:46 in the opening quarter.
With the ball back, the Paladins had one first down before punting. Wofford then went three-and-out and punted. Furman had three first downs on the ensuing drive and scored on a two-yard run by Devin Wynn to cut the lead to 10-7 with 9:32 on the clock in the second quarter. On the next drive by the Terriers, they had a first down pass to Alec Holt and then Devin Mathews made a one-handed catch at midfield and ran untouched to the endzone for the 63-yard touchdown. Wofford extended the lead to 17-7 at 7:57 in the second quarter. Furman answered with a seven-yard touchdown run by Jace Wilson to make it a 17-14 game at the 5:41 mark. Wofford had one first down before punting back to the Paladins two minutes later. Furman converted a fourth-and-one and added a first down reception before Devin Wynn caught a 26-yard touchdown pass for a 21-17 lead with 37 seconds remaining.
Wofford opened the second half with the ball and went three-and-out and punted. Furman had five first downs and then scored on an eight-yard run by Ryan DeLuca to make it a 28-17 lead with 7:04 on the clock in the third quarter. The Terriers answered with a 29-yard field goal with 3:46 left in the quarter to cap a seven-play drive. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Devin Wynn scored on an eight-yard run for a 35-20 advantage. Wofford had one first down on the ensuing drive before Peyton Derrick was intercepted at midfield by the Paladins. Off the turnover, the Paladins had three rushing first downs and sored on a six-yard run by Wayne Anderson for a 42-20 lead with 7:07 remaining in the game. With the ball back, Wofford gained one first down before punting. The Paladins then went three-and-out and punted to midfield with one minute remaining. Wofford had a rushing first down before time expired.
Wofford had 314 total yards, with 181 rushing yards. Furman had 478 total yards, 289 of which were rushing. Furman had a 25 to 12 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 2-of-8 on third down and Furman was 10-of-15 on third down. Wofford was called for four penalties to one for Furman. The Paladins had a 34:51 to 25:09 time of possession advantage. The Paladin run game was dominant outgaining Wofford 289 to 181 on the ground.
