Furman To Face Appalachian State In NCAA I-AA Semfinals Saturday

Dec. 6, 2005

A 24-20 winner over Richmond in NCAA I-AA quarterfinal playoff action and winners of 10 of their last 11 games, the Furman Paladins move to the semifinal round this Saturday and will face the No. 2 seed Appalachian State Mountaineers at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Kickoff for the clash of Southern Conference foes is set for Noon and the game will be televised by ESPN2.

Furman defeated Appalachian State 34-31 in Greenville on Oct. 8 and owns an 8-7-2 record against the Mountaineers in Boone -- the winningest mark by a SoCon program in ASU's backyard. Overall, the Paladins sport a 21-11-3 series advantage over Appalachian State, but the two schools have split the last 10 meetings and the last five contests have been settled by a total of 14 points. In addition, the home team has won eight of the last nine games.

The Furman-Appalachian State winner will advance to the NCAA I-AA national championship game, slated for Friday, Dec. 16 at 8:00 p.m. at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn., and will take on the winner of the other semifinal round clash between Northern Iowa and Texas State.

Furman, a second place finisher in the 2005 Southern Conference race behind Appalachian State, secured an at-large playoff berth into this year's playoff field following a 9-2 regular season, which included three wins over nationally ranked teams: No. 20 Jacksonville State (37-35), No. 17 Hofstra (44-41 2OT), and Appalachian State (34-31). The Paladins defeated Southland Conference champion Nicholls State (14-12) in Greenville in first round playoff action before taking out Atlantic 10 Conference South Division champion Richmond (24-20) in quarterfinal round action last Saturday.

This year's playoff participation marks Furman's sixth playoff appearance in the last seven years and 14th appearance overall. The Paladins, who will be making their sixth semifinal playoff appearance, sport a 17-12 playoff record.

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