Nov. 17, 2007
Final Stats
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Renaldo Gray passed for 185 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a career high 122 yards a pair of scores to help Furman roll past Western Carolina, 52-21, in Southern Conference football action Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
The win represented the third straight victory and fourth triumph in the last five games for Furman (6-5, 4-3 SoCon), which completes the season tied for third place in the SoCon. The Paladins' strong finish included a 52-49 win over 14th-ranked Elon on Nov. 3 and 24-22 road triumph over 11th-ranked Georgia Southern on Nov. 10. The victory was also Furman's ninth in the last 10 clashes with Western Carolina (1-10, 0-7 SoCon).
The 6-5 campaign marked the ninth straight winning season for Furman, which has posted more winning campaigns than any other SoCon member school since 1980. The Paladins' 18 seniors helped forge a 35-15 overall record and 21-7 SoCon mark over the past four seasons.
"I'm very proud of our team, and in particular our seniors, for the way we played today and for the strong finish to our season," said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. "We got the lead early and talked at halftime about finishing the game, which we did in solid fashion. Our offense put up the points, and our defense, which has been much maligned this year, really played well.
"We were 2-4 at one point this year but didn't quit. That's a credit to our seniors. We played our best football down the stretch and beat some good football teams. I've happy for our guys and glad they are going out as winners."
Gray, a senior from Greenwood, S.C., playing in his final collegiate game, completed 12-of-18 passes in the contest, including a 58-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, to help Furman build a 24-7 halftime lead. He later added a career long 37-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to extend the Paladins' advantage to 31-7.
The 122-yard rushing effort highlighted a Furman offense that piled up 538 total yards, including 353 rushing yards. Furman's defense, meanwhile, limited Western Carolina to only 218 yards and 14 points. The Catamounts' final score came on a 71-yard kickoff return against reserves with just over a minute left in the game.
Fullback Jerome Felton rushed for 72 yards in his final collegiate game. The Paladin senior finished his career as Furman's all-time leading rushing fullback with 2,652 yards and career scoring leader with 414 points.
Scott Beckler converted seven extra points and a field goal to become Furman's career scoring leader with 314 points, surpassing Danny Marshall (2000-03, 312 points).
Sophomore tight end Larry Hedden caught six passes for 74 yards to complete the season with 36 catches -- the highest tally by a Paladin tight end since 1996, when Luther Broughton recorded 41 receptions.
Patrick Sprague caught two passes for 64 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown grab. The Birmingham, Ala., product finished the campaign with 59 catches -- the third highest tally ever at Furman.
Furman grabbed the lead on its first possession by moving 70 yards in 10 plays for a 3-yard Cedrick Gipson touchdown run midway through the first quarter. Beckler's PAT made it 7-0.
A 41-yard kickoff return by Mike Malone gave Western Carolina the football at its own 41, and from there the Catamounts used eight plays to cover 59 yards to tie the game at 7-7 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Todd Spitzer to Andrew Rogers.
Furman's Adam Mims' 33-yard punt return to the Western Carolina 37 set up the Paladins' next score, which came on a 4-yard run by Gray with 3:22 to go in the first half.
Leading 14-7, Furman padded its lead following a sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery by linebacker Andrew Jones at the WCU 42-yard line. On the next play, Gray rolled to his right and found Patrick Sprague open behind the Catamount secondary for a 58-yard touchdown pass to stretch the Paladin advantage to 21-7 with 2:27 to go.
The Paladins closed out the first half with a 21-yard Scott Beckler field goal that made it 24-7.
Furman gained the upperhand in the third quarter, scoring on its second possession with Gray's 37-yard bolt to complete a 3-play, 66-yard drive.
The Paladins tacked on a pair of third quarter touchdowns on 1-yard scoring runs by Gipson and Joe Watson to stretch the advantage to 45-7.
Stephone LaFrance's 4-yard touchdown run with 1:32 left in the game wrapped up Furman's onslaught and capped the Paladins' highest scoring tally of the season. The 52 points tied an E.J. Whitmire Stadium opponent record.
Defensively, the Paladins were paced by Thomas Twitty's seven tackles. Furman tallied a pair of sacks in the contest to complete the campaign with a SoCon leading 29 sacks after totaling just 14 a year ago in 12 games.
Andrew Jones registered four tackles, including two for-loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. The two-time All-SoCon linebacker completed his career with 352 tackles, good for 13th on Furman's career ledger.
