Back home, Rafferty helps Furman stun Loyola

Matt Rafferty had seven points and an assist on the game-winning basket over
the final 1:21 of Furman's 60-58 win over Loyola. Photo courtesy of Furman

The last time Matt Rafferty played in a game in the Chicago area on a Friday night this time of year, it was as a quarterback for the Hinsdale Central High School football team four years ago. Rafferty returned home Friday night and even though he wasn't on the gridiron, oh what a memorable pass he made.

After scoring seven consecutive points over the final 1:21 of Furman men's basketball game at Loyola-Chicago, Rafferty was bound to draw plenty of attention on the Paladins' final possession in a tie game and he did. With one defender closely guarding him and another coming over to help near the top of the key, Rafferty hit Clay Mounce in stride - as if he was throwing to a receiver slanting to the end zone. Mounce caught Rafferty's pass and threw down a posterizing dunk with 1.6 seconds left to give Furman the lead. The Ramblers' half-court prayer at the buzzer bounced away no good and the Paladins celebrated a 60-58 win over the 2018 Final Four participant.

"This is one of the most exciting wins I've ever been a part of - college, high school, anything," Rafferty said on the Furman Sports Network's postgame show. "To be in my hometown and get this done, it means a lot."

On Frank Selvy's 86th birthday, Furman (2-0) pulled out a win that may prove to be as memorable in the program's history as Selvy's legendary 100-point game. It wasn't just because of the thrilling finish that was replayed numerous times on ESPN's SportsCenter Friday night. It was the way the Paladins withstood a roller coaster of a game.

Furman saw a 23-8 first half lead washed away under the flurry of a 20-0 Loyola run. The Paladins trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half before rallying. They were able to come back despite Rafferty, Jordan Lyons, Alex Hunter and Noah Gurley each being saddled with four fouls down the stretch.

"I can't say enough about our team's will," Furman coach Bob Richey told FurmanPaladins.com. "We never quit tonight and kept our poise down the stretch.
"That's life. Life is about responding."

Adversity first struck Furman just 3:08 into the game when starting point guard Alex Hunter picked up his second foul. Hunter was tasked Friday with guarding 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Clayton Custer. With Hunter relegated to the bench after those two quick fouls, freshman Mike Bothwell came on. Bothwell's availability was questionable as he had been dealing with a hip flexor injury.

Despite all that, Furman went out to a 14-3 lead after Lyons' 3-pointer with 12:59 left in the first half. A putback by Mounce pushed the lead to 23-8 with 7:08 left, but the Paladins didn't score again for more than six minutes. Loyola's 20-0 run put the Ramblers ahead 28-23. A layup by Gurley with 52 seconds left snapped the scoreless run. Gurley then had a dunk with 15 seconds left to cut the lead to 28-27 at the halftime break.

"That saved the game," Richey said of Gurley's baskets late in the half. "Because now you're not going into halftime just emotionally drained from giving up the lead like that."

While it obviously helped in the long run, that bit of Furman momentum didn't carry over to start the second half. The Paladins missed their first eight shots from the floor after halftime as Loyola built a 42-29 lead. Rafferty had Furman's first made bucket of the second half on a layup with 12:50 left.

That started a 10-0 run over the next 2:34 to get the Paladins back in it. Rafferty layups started and ended that run as they sandwiched around a pair of 3-pointers by Lyons. The Ramblers (1-1) led by seven when Gurley hit a 3-pointer with 5:07 left. After being fouled on a 3-pointer, Lyons knocked down all three free throws to cut the lead to one with 3:43. Lyons nailed a game-tying 3-pointer 41 seconds later.

Furman trailed 54-51 with less than two minutes to play when Rafferty simply would not be denied. After he rebounded a Loyola miss, Rafferty hit a layup with 1:21 left to cut the lead to one. Rafferty then had a steal and was fouled as he made a layup with 55 seconds left. He completed the three-point play to give Furman a 56-54 lead.

Hunter fouled out with 47 seconds left and Loyola's Marques Townes hit both free throws to tie the game. Rafferty made a pair of free throws to put Furman back up by two with 31 seconds left. Custer flew down the court and banked in a runner to tie the game 58-58 with 23 seconds left. 

Lyons dribbled down the clock before passing to Rafferty with six seconds left. As Rafferty took two dribbles to his left near Mounce, Mounce's man turned toward Rafferty for a split second. As soon as his defender turned, Mounce sprinted right to the basket where he caught Rafferty's pass and dunked home the game-winner. 

"Clay's the best cutter we've got. We say in our program that 'cutting is character.' That was great character on his part that he was able to cut that right there when he hadn't had a great game," Richey said. "He went up with authority and man, what a night to be a Paladin."

Rafferty finished with team-highs in points (18), rebounds (7) and assists (4), and also had two blocked shots and two steals. While Furman suffered 17 turnovers, Rafferty was the lone starter with none. Lyons had 15 points and three steals, while Gurley finished with 11 points and six rebounds off the bench. Mounce and Andrew Brown each scored eight points, and Mounce added seven rebounds and three blocks.

While he didn't scratch in the scoring column in 18 minutes off the bench, Tre Clark's effort was lauded by Richey.

"I could talk forever (about this game), but Tre Clark. The kid has been through a ton of adversity and two injuries last year when he redshirted," Richey said. "His defense was unbelievable. On-ball defense, off-ball defense - he was all over the court."

Sack-happy Hope set to face pass-happy VMI

Furman redshirt freshman Adrian Hope has 10.5
sacks this season. Photo courtesy of Furman

With 2.5 sacks last week against Chattanooga, Furman freshman bandit Adrian Hope pushed his Southern Conference-leading total to 10.5 this season. That vaulted him into fourth place on Furman's single-season sack chart. Given the Paladins' opponent this week, Hope's performance last week might have just been an appetizer for something bigger.

When Furman plays at VMI Saturday at 1:30 p.m., Hope will face a Keydets' team that has allowed more sacks that any other team in Division I. VMI's given up 43 sacks through nine games this season and it's allowed at least two sacks in every game.

"They're going to throw it a bunch, so you'd hope that we would have some chances to get to the quarterback," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "Even if they focus on and double-team Adrian, we have other guys who can rush and create some negative plays."

Hope's standout season has not gone unnoticed. This week, he was named a finalist for the 2018 Blanchard-Rogers Award. The honor is given by the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame to the top player with ties to the state. Hope is the only freshman among the 20 finalists.

What's been most impressive about Hope's season is the way he's gone about it. He's yet to start a game, serving as the backup to senior Chris Washington, who's also had a solid season.

"He's done what he's done without making a start and with us facing two pure option teams. It's not like he's had tons of chances," Hendrix said. "He's got a great 'get off,' and just has a knack. If you look at him, he's not a real imposing kid, but he's got more power than you think he does.
"He's gotten progressively better as the year's gone along. He's becoming more of a complete player, not just a pass rusher."

Hope credits his coaches and teammates for his success. He said the attention players like senior captain Jaylan Reid receives inside opens up one-on-one opportunities for him. No matter what style of offense they're facing on a given week, Hope says the defense keeps the same mentality.

"We focus on us more than we focus on them. Our coaches do a great job preparing us week-to-week," Hope said. "They don't let us get a big head. There's always stuff you can work on to get better.
"The details are everything. Even sometimes when I make a sack, there could've been a better move I could've used. You never know when that the detail will come into place."

A big reason VMI (1-8, 0-7 SoCon) has allowed so many sacks this year is the many opportunities their style of offense provides. Led by sophomore quarterback Reece Udinski, the Keydets rank fifth in the FCS is passing at 324 yards per game. But they've gotten there by throwing more passes than any team in Div. I. With 501 attempts, VMI has thrown 63 more passes than Samford, which has the second-most attempts in the FCS.

It's a short passing game that serves as sort of a ball control offense for VMI. While it may be an unorthodox offense, it's made the Keydets much more competitive than last year. VMI's closest SoCon game last year was a pair of 18-point losses. This year, the Keydets have lost four SoCon games by seven points or less. In its last SoCon game, VMI jumped on top of Chattanooga 21-7 before the Mocs rallied for a 34-27 win. Last Saturday, the Keydets snapped a 25-game losing streak with a 20-11 win over Div. II Tusculum.

While VMI has improved offensively this season, its struggles on defense have continued. Out of 124 FCS teams, the Keydets are 122nd in scoring defense allowing 44.9 points per game. VMI is last in the SoCon in rushing defense, allowing 253.8 per game. With a cold, windy forecast Saturday that could cause problems for both teams' passing games, it's appears to be a golden opportunity for Furman's rushing game to step up in a big way.

If Furman (4-4, 4-2) can maintain its momentum and take care of its own business Saturday, a couple of other SoCon games could make for a very interesting trip to Mercer to close out the regular season next week. A three-way tie for the SoCon championship between ETSU, Furman and Wofford could be achieved if the following results happen:

• Furman wins its last two games
• Wofford wins at Western Carolina Saturday
• Samford loses at Citadel Saturday, but wins at ETSU next week

It's believed that if that three-way tie occurs, Furman would win the tiebreaker and earn the SoCon's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. So basically, Paladin fans will be rooting for their team Saturday, along with Wofford and Citadel. Football's weird sometimes.

Paladins earned throwback win Saturday

Furman senior captain Jaylan Reid drops Chattanooga quarterback Nick
Tiano for a loss in the Paladins' 16-10 win. Photo courtesy of Furman

There are a few reasons why having the Colgate game cancelled by the threat of Hurricane Florence has grown to really stink for Furman this season. Given the mismatch that took place on Colgate's home turf last season, the thinking would have to lean toward the Paladins sitting at 5-4 currently rather than 4-4 had the game taken place.

No matter if Furman won or lost that day, what if some of the kinks that weren't fully worked out with a healthy Harris Roberts at quarterback for Furman against ETSU the next week were worked out against Colgate? Perhaps then the Paladins don't squander a 27-6 lead at ETSU and would be currently alone in first place in the Southern Conference.

There's nothing Furman can do about "what might have been" now, but there's still a possibility - with some help - that Furman could share a SoCon title and/or earn an FCS playoff bid. The Paladins are one of three SoCon teams with two league losses, trailing one-loss ETSU in the standings with two weeks left in the regular season.

One result of the cancelled game was postponing the planned events honoring the 30th anniversary of the 1988 Div. I-AA national championship team to this past Saturday. Members of the team returned to campus to participate and took the field for recognition between the first and second quarter. Given how Furman grinded out a 16-10 win over Chattanooga, it was rather fitting that the 1988 team was remembered Saturday. Coach Clay Hendrix couldn't help but recall how similar it was to the 10-7 win over Chattanooga 30 years ago.

"In 1988 we went up to Chattanooga at the old Chamberlain Field and they were good and really good defensively," said Hendrix, who was the offensive line coach in 1988. "Our touchdown was a pick-six. Pat Turner picked one off I think in the first or second quarter. Today was kind of like that game. We just kind of hung on in a game that was in the later part of the year."

Defense stands tall
Furman's defense led the way Saturday with its best all-around performance this season. Chattanooga's only two scores came after Furman turnovers. The Paladins held the Mocs to 240 yards of total offense, marking the first time this season that Furman held an opponent under 318 yards.

Freshman bandit Adrian Hope had 2.5 sacks Saturday moving into fourth-place in school history for most sacks in a single season with 10.5. Hope averages 1.31 sacks per game with ranks second in the FCS. Elijah McKoy had 13 tackles Saturday and he now ranks second in the SoCon with 9.2 tackles per game.

Atkins honored again
For the third consecutive week, kicker/punter Grayson Atkins has earned SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Atkins hit all three of his field goals Saturday, including another 50-yarder, running his consecutive made field goals streak to 10 - two behind the school record held by Danny Marshall. Atkins has kicked the third-longest field goal (53 yards) and third-longest punt (81) in school history this season, while half of his 40 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks.

"Grayson's just a cool guy. He just stands there and not a whole lot bothers him," Hendrix said. "He doesn't get enough credit for the kickoff stuff ... and he continues to punt the ball really well. He's certainly a weapon."

Auer an unsung hero
While a pair of Furman turnovers in the second half kept Chattanooga's hopes alive, it snapped a run of seven consecutive quarters without one for the Paladins. That run was nearly snapped in the first quarter Saturday though. Having allowed fumble returns for touchdowns in losses to Elon and Samford this year, the Paladins were fully aware how costly they can be and nearly suffered one on their opening possession.

With Roberts rolling to his right, Chattanooga standout defender Isaiah Mack forced a fumble from behind. As the ball bounced toward the Furman sideline, reserve left tackle Caleb Auer made a terrific hustle play to pounce on the loose ball to retain possession. The sophomore's dive landed him just ahead of streaking Chattanooga cornerback Kareem Orr. There was nothing between Orr and the goal line except for Auer.

Paladins receive votes
Coming off Saturday's win, Furman collected six votes in this week's FCS STATS (Media) poll - 57 fewer than Chattanooga. The Paladins received no votes in the FCS Coaches poll.

Mistake-free Paladins cruise in season opener

Jordan Lyons scored a career-high 23 points in Furman's 102-48
win over Bob Jones Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Furman

No matter who's tipping off, a season-opening basketball game can often be filled with sloppy play and turnovers as teams shake off the offseason rust. However, that was not the case for Furman Tuesday night at Timmons Arena.

The Paladins opened the 2018-19 season with what's believed to be a school record-low three turnovers in a 102-48 win over Bob Jones. Comparatively, Furman committed 12, 14, 14 and 16 turnovers, respectively, over the previous four season openers. The Paladins' first turnover Tuesday came when Noah Gurley lost control on what was looking to be a spectacular dunk. That was with 11:25 left in the first half. Furman didn't have another turnover until the bench was completely emptied with 3:55 left in the game.

"I don't care who you're playing ... To play 35 minutes with one turnover - and also have 21 assists, which shows the ball's moving - shows we did a good job of driving with two eyes up," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "We led the league in turnover efficiency last year and only turned it over on 15 percent of our possessions. We had senior guards out there then ... but its carried over so far this preseason and showed up there tonight."

Tuesday's game was tied 10-10 at the five-minute mark and Furman led only 18-14 just over nine minutes in. Then the Paladins began to heat up. Clay Mounce's layup started a 14-0 run over a span of 2:51 that was capped by a Jaylon Pugh 3-pointer off an assist from Mounce. That was the fourth 3-pointer of the run as Mounce hit one and Jordan Lyons had two. Back-to-back layups by Alex Hunter gave Furman its biggest lead of the first half at 51-26 with 52 seconds left.

While the Paladins shot 65.5 percent from the floor in the first half, Bob Jones shot 59.1 percent. In the second half, Furman limited the Bruins (0-2) to 28 percent shooting. The Paladins had a 29-0 advantage in points off turnovers and a 16-0 edge on fastbreak points.

"Taking care of the ball is one of the things that we value the most as a team," Lyons said. "We have a lot of versatility offensively and a very unselfish team. Last year we were really good at valuing the ball and this year, we're just trying to be even better."

Lyons posted career-highs in points (23) and 3-pointers (7-of-13). Things were definitely going good for the junior when he banked in one of those 3-pointers and later hit what was essentially a no-look floater. As he drove to the lane, he lost control of the ball only to have it sail on in to the basket. All Lyons could do was turn to the Furman bench and smile after realizing where the ball ended up.

"That caught me off guard. The ball got deflected, I looked up and it just happened to drop. Hey, I'll take it - two points is two points," Lyons said. "The bank (3-pointer) is always open though. We'll take them all day."

Matt Rafferty finished with one of those classic Matt Rafferty stat lines: 27 minutes, a career-high 24 points, 9-of-11 shooting, 6-of-9 free throws, eight rebounds, five assists, one block, one steal, zero fouls and zero turnovers. Every Furman starter had at least two assists and none had a turnover.

"The guys did a great job feeding me the ball tonight," Rafferty said. "Last year, we kind of played through me and I was kind of the facilitator. Now I'm trying to do a little bit of both scoring and facilitating."

Mounce had 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor and seven rebounds, while freshman Mike Bothwell had 11 points in his collegiate debut. In 16 minutes off the bench, sophomore Tre Clark had nine points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, no fouls and no turnovers.

With the opener under its belt, Furman now turns its attention to Friday and a road trip to Chicago to face 2018 Final Four participant Loyola.

"We will be dealing with a team that's very well-coached and very unselfish. They've got an elite point guard, an elite (No.) five man and really good pieces around them," Richey said. "They didn't just accidentally fall into the Final Four.

"It's going to be tough, but this group's up for the challenge."

Furman basketball set to begin big next chapter

Furman sophomore point guard Alex Hunter. Photo courtesy of Furman

A new chapter in Furman basketball begins Tuesday night when the Paladins open the 2018-19 season against Bob Jones at 7 p.m. The core of a group that led the program's historic turnaround - capped by a school-record 22 regular season wins last year - has graduated and it should be exciting to see what lies ahead.

While Geoff Beans, John Davis III, Dexter Fowler and Devin Sibley will no longer be suiting up, Furman does return quite a few experienced players. Seniors Andrew Brown and Matt Rafferty have made more than 100 combined starts in their career, while junior Jordan Lyons started seven of the Paladins' final eight games last season.

"Last year ... we basically played four guards around Matt. We were anywhere from 5-foot-11 to 6-4 at the four spot," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "This year it's going to look way different. There's going to be lineups where you go 6-7, 6-7, 6-8 at the three, four and five.
"I like where we are. We've got a good mix of old and young and we know what we're going to get out of the old guys because they're proven. ... The young guys have shown a willingness to work and figure out a way to grow and get better."

Rafferty will look to build off an All-Southern Conference season in which he averaged 11.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. In addition to ranking fourth on the team in scoring and first in rebounding, Rafferty also led Furman in steals (54) and blocked shots (21) and was second in assists (91). Rafferty also had just 33 turnovers last year. Among the six Paladins who averaged more than 18 minutes a game, only Brown (32) had fewer turnovers.

Brown should be ready to go after missing much of the preseason as he recovered from a broken foot. That came after surviving a life-threatening scare following a complication from hernia surgery right after the 2018-19 season. Brown averaged 8.6 points a game last season and ranked third in the SoCon in three-point shooting making 43.3 percent.

Lyons provided instant offense off the bench for much of last season before sliding into the starting lineup. He averaged 8.3 points per game last year and earned SoCon All-Tournament honors after scoring 15 points in the win over Western Carolina and 17 in a semifinal loss to ETSU. Lyons could take on a bigger role in a number of ways this year.

"Jordan's taken great shots and letting the game come to him (this preseason). He's always been a good defender, but now he's just doing every single possession and buying into the communication piece," Richey said. "He's just playing with a great confidence about him right now.
"I'm really proud of his growth. Those games that he was able to start towards the end of last season really ended up working out in his favor. It really pushed him into the offseason motivated and determined."

Others returning who've logged solid minutes for Furman include sophomores Clay Mounce and Alex Hunter, along with junior Jalen Williams. Thanks quite a bit to some dazzling dunks, Mounce shot 56.3 from the floor last year and should have a larger role this season. Richey said that Mounce had 17 points and nine rebounds in the "secret scrimmage" at Florida, then had 16 points in the Paladins' other scrimmage against Alabama-Huntsville.

Hunter looks to fill the big shoes of Davis at point guard. As a freshman last season, Hunter showed a terrific knack for protecting the ball. Hunter averaged 14 minutes a game and had just 16 turnovers all season. He had 37 assists last year and scored a career-high 10 points in the SoCon Tournament win over Western Carolina.

"Whatever (Hunter) ends up going out there and doing this season, I won't be surprised by any of it. He's as dedicated as any guy that I've seen in an offseason," Richey said. "Last year for him it was: take care of the ball, play defense and make the open shot.
"This year, JD's gone so he's got to be the guy that gets the ball in the paint. He can't just be a facilitator, he's got to be an aggressor. It's been nice to see his growth there."

It will be interesting to see how redshirt freshman Noah Gurley and sophomore Tre Clark, who redshirted last season due to an injury, contribute this year. Gurley, who grew one inch and added 25 pounds since last season, and Clark have each had impressive offseasons. According to Richey, incoming freshmen Jaylon Pugh, Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson have all shown solid flashes of what they can do in the preseason and could also be in the mix. From a depth standpoint, however, it could make the most sense for at least one to redshirt this season.

"It sounds cliche, but we really have six starters and we're going to have to manage that," Richey said on his latest All Din podcast. "Noah Gurley could start for anybody in our league right now, including us.
"We've got Clay, Matt and Noah all playing really well. We're going to want those three guys out there a lot."

Defense carries Furman past Chattanooga

Furman senior captain Aaquil Annoor returns an interception during the
Paladins' 16-10 win over Chattanooga Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

"Survive and advance" is a phrase typically reserved for the postseason, but it was pretty applicable Saturday at Paladin Stadium. In a game in which the loser's hopes for any Southern Conference championship and/or FCS playoff bid would likely be dashed, Furman grinded out a 16-10 win over Chattanooga on Senior Day.

Furman improves to 4-4 overall and 4-2 in the SoCon, while the Mocs fall to 6-3 and 4-3 in the league. While the Paladins defense had great efforts against Wofford and The Citadel, Saturday's may have been their best of the season.

Chattanooga quarterback Nick Tiano had a season-low 154 yards passing. Bryce Nunnelly, who ranked fourth in the FCS in receiving averaging 119.1 yards per game, had 52 yards on eight catches. Tyrell Price, who averaged 71.9 rushing yards per game, was held to 33 one 10 carries. Price also had five receptions for minus-1 yard receiving.

"I told our guys yesterday, 'the toughest football team tomorrow is going to win,' and I thought we were," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "We didn't execute like we want to and weren't as smart as we need to be. ... We basically gave them both their scores off turnovers, which just cannot happen.
"But I thought at the end of the day when we had to make tough yards and tough stops, we did."

In a matchup of the two lowest-scoring teams in the SoCon, one big offensive play could be a difference maker. Furman sophomore running back Devin Wynn provided that late in the first quarter. Wynn took a handoff, split a pair of blitzing defenders at the line of scrimmage, and raced past the rest of Chattanooga's defense for a 50-yard touchdown staking Furman to a 7-0 lead with 1:23 left in the opening quarter.

"This week, coach was telling me that I made too many cuts. I had to just get vertical and accelerate ... so that's what I did," said Wynn, who finished with a career-high 96 yards on 13 carries. "We wish we could've capitalized on more opportunities on offense today, but our defense was phenomenal."

Furman put together a 13-play, 52-yard drive that shaved 7:30 off the second quarter clock. It ended on Grayson Atkins' 50-yard field goal with 3:04 left.

Chattanooga threatened on its ensuing possession until senior captain Aaquil Annoor intercepted Tiano's pass and returned it 33 yards to the Mocs' 44-yard line. On 3rd-and-14, Wynn caught a 23-yard pass from senior captain Harris Roberts. That helped lead to a 48-yard field goal by Atkins on the last play of the half as Furman led 13-0 at the break.

After going seven consecutive quarters without a turnover, Furman's streak ended on the opening kickoff of the second half. Defensive end Landon Lawrence fielded the short kick and made a nice return before losing the ball, which Chattanooga recovered at the Furman 45. Twelve plays later, the Mocs got on the board with a 28-yard field goal by Victor Ulmo.

The Paladins responded with the biggest - literally and figuratively - of the game. It began with 8:36 left in the third quarter. It featured three fourth-down conversions - including a pair of Furman's side of the 50. After 20 plays, it ended on Atkins' 28-yard field goal with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter.

"On the first (fourth down conversion of the drive), I just felt like we've got to be able to make that given how we're built and with some of the things we do offensively," Hendrix said. "Part of it is also letting your team know you believe in them."

Senior noseguard Jaylan Reid enjoyed his view of the drive from the sideline.

"We're sitting over there sipping Gatorade and water," said Reid. "A 10-minute drive will get you really fresh before you go back out there."

Chattanooga's next possession ended on fourth down at its own 43-yard line when senior cornerback Bradford Lemmons made the best play of his career with a terrific break-up of Tiano's pass.

The Mocs' hopes barely stayed alive on Furman's next possession when the Paladins went for it on 4th-and-4 rather than trying a 54-yard field goal. Roberts' high pass went off the hands of Jake Walker.

"We hit a similar pass earlier. It was wide open, he just rushed it and threw it a little hard," Hendrix said. "I just thought we had them on their heels and could still burn a little more time off the clock."

Chattanooga drove to the Furman five-yard line on its next possession, but it ended on a fourth-down sack by freshman Adrian Hope with 5:28 left to play. Hope finished with 2.5 sacks Saturday to push his SoCon-leading season total to 10.5.

The Mocs' hopes still remained alive when Ridge Gibson fumbled and Chattanooga recovered at the Furman 18-yard line with 2:29 left. Four plays later, Tiano hit Bingo Morton on a five-yard touchdown as the Mocs sliced the lead to 16-10 with 1:49 left.

Chattanooga's coffin was finally nailed shut when Avery Armstrong recovered the onside kick. With the Mocs out of timeouts, Furman was able to kneel out the clock and wrap up its first win over Chattanooga at home since 2008.

Paladins host Chattanooga in elimination game

Furman linebacker Donavan Perryman had 12 tackles, a sack and a fumble
return for a touchdown last week at The Citadel. Photo courtesy of Furman

When all is said and done in the Southern Conference Saturday, there could be as many as five teams with two league losses with two weeks left in the regular season. One of those will be the winner of the Furman-Chattanooga game. The loser will have three league losses which will virtually extinguish any hopes of a conference championship or playoff bid.

After missing last week's 28-17 win at The Citadel with a concussion suffered the previous week against Samford, Furman starting quarterback Harris Roberts is expected to be back under center Saturday.

"He came in Monday raring to go and was able to practice all week, so he's ready," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said Friday.

Last season, Furman (3-4, 3-2) snapped a five-game losing streak against the Mocs with a 41-17 victory in Chattanooga. The Paladins dominated in the trenches that day, outgaining Chattanooga 290-7 on the ground.

The Mocs (6-2, 4-2) are much improved this year having already double last season's win total. Its another week in which Furman's defense must shift gears once again. After facing a passing-heavy offense in Western Carolina, Furman faced run-heavy Wofford the next week, followed by pass-heavy Samford and run-heavy Citadel. While the Mocs strive to be more balanced, they are third in the league in passing at 262.8 yards per game.

Chattanooga is led by junior quarterback Nick Tiano. The Mississippi State transfer has thrown for 2,102 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, and ran for 199 yards and a score. His favorite target is sophomore Bryce Nunnelly, who ranks fourth in the FCS with 953 yards receiving. He's caught 60 passes, including seven touchdowns. The Mocs' Tyrell Price has rushed for 567 yards and nine touchdowns on a SoCon-high 154 attempts.

"Hopefully we can stop the run, makes them one-dimensional and have a chance to get after them," Hendrix said. "They run about as true of a pro-style offense as we will see ... and he's a big, tall kid who looks like a prototypical NFL quarterback."

Furman could use another big day from junior linebacker Donavan Perryman, who had a career-high 12 tackles, a sack and the game-sealing fumble return for a touchdown last week to earn SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors.

"I don't know if we have anybody who works any harder than Donavan on our team," Hendrix said. "We moved him to play that 'Mike' (linebacker) position on Wednesday (for the matchup against Citadel) and he was really solid."

While Chattanooga's offense has put up solid numbers otherwise, the Mocs are eighth in the SoCon in scoring (26 points per game) ranking only ahead of Furman (24.2). Chattanooga has leaned on a stingy veteran defense that ranks second in the SoCon in sacks (28) and scoring (19.1 points allowed per game).

Furman's offense should get a boost by the return of Roberts, as well as possibly tailback Darius Morehead. Morehead, who's averaging 7.6 yards per carry, has missed the last two weeks due to injury. With Morehead out, Devin Wynn made the first two starts of his career and made this most of his chances. After rushing for 83 yards on 13 carries against Samford, Wynn had nine rushes for 86 yards against Citadel.

"I think those three guys (Morehead, Wynn and Corey Watkins) together are averaging seven yards a carry, which probably tells you that we haven't handed the ball to them enough," Hendrix said.