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Western Carolina shocks second-ranked Paladins
Western Carolina soared to a 27-0 lead then used a huge defensive play just when it looked like Furman had turned the tide en route to a 41-21 upset of Division I-AA’s second-ranked team Saturday.
A crowd of 9,847 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field saw the Catamounts go 2-0 in winning their Southern Conference opener.
Western Carolina students prepare to carry away the goal posts after the Catamounts shocked Furman, the nation’s second-ranked Division I-AA team, 41-21 Saturday. – Photo by Mark Haskett
WCU’s Darius Fudge was named Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 133 yards and four touchdowns.
Justin Clark completed 17 of 27 passes for 138 yards.
The Paladins, who were held to 86 yards on the ground, tried to fight back through the air. Ingle Martin completed 24 of 43 passes for 249 yards, but he was intercepted five times. John Rust’s nine receptions went for 109 yards.
Mitchell Dukes and Primus Glover were each in on six tackles for the Cats. Furman’s Shelton Riley was the game’s top tackler with eight.
The Paladins scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and got the ball back at their 20 with a chance to drive for the lead TD and seven minutes on the clock.
However, defensive end Rico Reese stepped in front of Martin’s pass on the next play and returned the ball 18 yards for a score. Former Smoky Mountain kicker Stephen Brown, who was five of six on extra points, made it 34-21 at the 6:54 mark.
On the first play after the kickoff, Martin was intercepted again, this time by Francis Brown at the WCU 38.
The Cats moved 62 yards in eight plays to put the game on ice. Lamont Reid had a 12-yard gain and completed an 36-yard halfback pass to J.C. Brown. Josh Bush went in from a yard out to conclude the scoring at 41-21 with 2:59 on the clock.
Western Carolina’s Darius Fudge was named Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week after gaining 133 yards in Saturday’s 41-21 upset of Furman. – Photo by Mark Haskett
Western drove 62 yards in eight plays following the opening kickoff. Clark completed a 13-yard pass to Bush, and Fudge had a 26-yard run. Fudge scored from the 8, but Brown missed the PAT leaving the Cats up 6-0 with 11:27 to play in the opening period.
Furman drove into position for a field goal try, but Scott Beckler’s kick was wide right.
Fudge’s 38-yard run highlighted a 69-yard march in seven plays. Reid scored from the 3 upping the lead to 13-0 with 11:27 to go in the first quarter.
The Paladins’ next possession ended with Bruce Lee intercepting Martin’s pass and bringing the ball back 12 yards to the Furman 34.
The Cats returned the favor when Austin Holmes picked off Clark’s pass at the Paladin 14.
Martin would throw two more interceptions in the first half, but neither would lead to points. Shelton Gaffney and Andre Hemphill came up with the thefts, with the second appearing to put the Cats in business at the Furman 30.
They reached the 5 before Fudge fumbled with Roy Ravenell recovering and bringing the ball back 18 yards to the 25.
Western drove 56 yards in nine plays on its first possession of the second half. Fudge accounted for most of the distance with a 44-yard run. Bush scored from a yard out on fourth down making it 20-0 with 9:22 remaining in the third stanza.
Ryan McKie fumbled the ensuing kickoff with Gaffney recovering at the Paladin 15. Three plays later, Reid scored from the 3 extending the margin to 27-0 with 8:38 to go in the third quarter.
Furman began its comeback as Rust caught a 6-yard TD pass from Martin to cap a 66-yard drive in nine plays. The first of Beckler’s three PATs cut the gap to 27-7 with 14:28 left in the contest.
The Paladins marched 88 yards in 12 plays following a punt. Daric Carter’s 20-yard TD run brought his team within 27-14 at the 9:28 mark.
Furman recovered an onside kick and, aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, drove 48 yards in just three plays. Martin’s 13-yard TD pass to Justin Stepp narrowed the deficit to 27-21 at the 8:43 mark.
The win propelled the Cats into the I-AA national rankings as they are rated as high as 14 in one poll.
WCU will travel to meet Cincinnati of the Big East Conference at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Furman WCU
23 First Downs 15
22-86 Rushes-Yds. 38-189
25-48-5 Passing 18-28-1
255 Passing Yds. 174
3-35.3 Punts-Avg. 5-40.2
1-1 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
10-103 Penalties-Yds. 15-118
Furman 0 0 0 21 21
WCU 13 0 14 14 41
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