PALADIN STADIIUM: Seventh-seed Furman spotted Southern Conference rival UT-Chattanooga a quick 7-0 lead, then scored 26 unanswered points, and defeated the Moccasins 26-7 Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium in Greenville. The Paladins, who improved to 10-2, will either play at Montana or host Delaware next week in the quarterfinals. This is the deepest Furman has advanced in the playoffs in 18 years.
UTC took advantage of a pass interception of Furman quarterback Tyler Huff on the game’s first possession and drove 81-yards for a touchdown and 7-0 lead. The Paladins tied the game early in the second quarter with a 10-play, 60-yard drive capped by a one-yard run by Dominic Roberto.
The Paladins took a 10-7 lead into halftime on the first of four field goals by Ian Williams with :25 left in the half. Thomas Blackshear’s interception early in the third quarter setup the Paladins at the UTC two, and on the next play Roberto cashed in the turnover for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead. Williams later kicked field goals of 31, 37 and 20 yards to close out the scoring.
The Furman defense clamped down on the Mocs in the second half allowing them just 42 yards, and the Mocs got no farther than their own 39-yard line over the final thirty minutes.The Paladins finished with 384 yards, evenly split between the run and the pass. The were 9-17 on third down and ran 72 plays to 49 for the Mocs.
Hugg was 18-29 for 192 yards with the one interception. Grant Robinson led the ground game with 62 yards.