Furman got a win on Saturday at home holding off a feverish comeback by Western Carolina to win 47-40. The Paladins never trailed in the game and led by as many 24 in the 2nd half. Western Carolina would show tremendous grit in their late rally, but it would fall just short. Furman got a FG late in the game to extend the lead back to 7 and WCU would run out of time on their final drive.
It was an offensive showcase on Saturday, as both teams struggled to get stops on defense. The two teams combined for nearly 1,200 total yards, 87 total points and both defenses struggled on 3rd down. Western's offense was mostly predicated on the passing game, as the gained 691 total yards, 462 came through the air. They ran for 229 yards on the game as well. Furman had 492 yards of total offense, their run game was the key. The Paladins rushed for 426 yards and they attempted just 10 passes on the day.
Furman RB Dominic Roberto paced the Paladins rushing attack with 252 yards and 2 TD's on 25 carries. Devin Abrams added 92 yards on 19 carries and QB Tyler Huff called his own number 8 times for 63 yards.
Western Carolina used two QB's in the game, Carlos Davis went 18 of 27 for 209, 2 TD's and 1 pick, Davis also ran for 104 yards on 11 carries. Cole Gonzales was 12 of 16 for 253 and 2 TD's. The Catamounts had 3 different receivers with a TD catch on the game as well. Censere Lee had 5 catches, 164 yards and 2 TD catches. Raphael Williams had 8 catches for 102 and a TD and David White Jr. added a TD catch.
Furman never trailed in the game, they took a 44-20 lead into the 4th quarter. Western would score 3 touchdowns in the 4th, two of them coming on big plays in the passing game from WR Censere Lee. His TD catches came with less than 8 minutes left in the game. Lee had TD catches of 42 and 69 yards in that stretch. They also got a TD run from T.J. Jones in the 4th.
Western cut the Furman lead to 44-40 with 2:18 left in the game. Furman would then get a FG to extend their lead to 47-40. Western would have one more chance and drove into the red zone before running out of time, and Furman would win it 47-40.
The Furman defense looked the most vulnerable it has all season, as the Paladin defense has been a strong suit all season. The secondary perhaps Furman's best unit overall struggled to cover the Western receivers especially late in the game.
Furman got two 2 TD passes from Tyler Huff to standout TE Ryan Miller. Huff was efficient in limited attempts, going 7 of 10 passing for 66 yards and 3 TD's. Both teams were even in the turnover margin, giving it away once each.
Furman moves to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in conference. Western Carolina falls to 3-4 and 1-3 in SoCon play. Furman is back in action this weekend. The Paladins travel to VMI for another SoCon match up. That game is set for a 1:30 kickoff on Saturday, you can every Furman game on The Fan Upstate.
