GREENVILLE, S.C. ? Presbyterian College finished its first ever NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision football game with two receivers with 100 over yards receiving for the first time since the 2001 campaign, but it was not enough as the Blue Hose fell 40-16 to the Furman Paladins before 11,188 at Paladin Stadium on Saturday evening.
“I thought that our guys played extremely hard,” remarked Bentley before a horde of media at the conclusion of the game. “My hat goes off to Furman, but I am just real proud of how our guys played. You have to be proud of the PC spirit and see that the future is bright for Blue Hose football.”
Terrance Butler (Surfside Beach, S.C.) and Chetyuane Reeder (Clinton, S.C.) both hauled in four receptions and had 117 receiving in the contest.
Both players also had long catches in the contest with Butler pulling down a 39-yard grab and a 53-yard catch, while Reeder brought in an 84-yard reception.
Reeder's 84-yard reception was the longest pass play that the Paladins have ever given up on their home turf at Paladin Stadium. It is the fifth longest pass reception that the Paladins have allowed in their history.
All of the passes that both players caught came from the arm of Grayson Mullins (Columbia, S.C.), who opened the 2007 PC Football campaign with 283 yards passing. Mullins was 16-for-26 in the contest with two interceptions.
The junior also rushed the football for two touchdowns.
Defensively, Presbyterian was led in the contest by Caleb Massengill (Watkinsville, Ga.), who finished his efforts on the evening with 12 total tackles, nine of which were solo.
The Paladins were led in their win by receiver R.J. Webb. The Liberty, S.C. native finished the game with 143 yards receiving on seven catches. Furman starting quarterback Renaldo Gray hurled most of Webb's pass receptions as he ended the contest 19-for-22 with four touchdowns and 261 yards passing.
The score 7-7 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, Furman went ahead 14-7 after Furman backup quarterback Jordan Sorrells (Greenville, S.C.) found Patrick Sprague in the left corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown reception.
Furman had acquired good field position at the PC 13-yard line shortly before the touchdown when Mike Brown blocked Bryson Summers' punt.
Down 7-0, Mullins answered Furman's opening score when he used a fake pass play to rush in for PC's inaugural touchdown of the Bobby Bentley era from 17 yards out. The touchdown squared the game at 7-7 after Bret DiTullio's (Aiken, S.C.) extra point.
Mullins had made the score possible a few plays earlier when on a crucial fourth-and-one at the Furman 38-yard line he rushed up the middle for seven yards to keep the PC drive alive. PC's first score of 2007 was the result of a nine-play, 60-yard drive that took only 3:05.
Furman opened up the scoring in the game with 7:48 left in the first stanza when Paladins fullback Jerome Felton hauled in a Gray pass from three yards out to pull the Paladins ahead 7-0 after a Scott Beckler extra point. The Furman score capped a 32-yard, seven play drive for Furman.
The first quarter ended having looked like the opening quarter of the year for both teams. Both teams had numerous miscues and traded the ball back and forth via turnovers. PC actually forced Furman into two turnovers in the quarter as Massengill and Brian Wilson (Sumter, S.C.) both caused a Paladin to fumble the football and turn the ball over to PC.
PC was not without its turnover problems in the quarter. Mullins threw an interception to Furman's William Middleton to negate premium field position for the Blue Hose after Wilson's forced fumble gave PC the football at the Furman 35-yard line.
The Paladins went in halftime with a 20-7 advantage after two Beckler field goals, which included a 54-yarder as time expired in the first half.
After starting the second half with the Paladins scoring two touchdowns to take a 34-7 lead, PC was able to get its first points of the half and set the game at 34-10 when Ditullio hit a 43-yard field goal that nicked off the left upright and just squeaked inside.
The Blue Hose inched closer in the fourth quarter when Mullins found a streaking Reeder for the 84-yard reception that set up Mullins for his second rushing touchdown of the contest and made the score 34-16 after PC failed on its two-point conversion attempt.
Furman added one more score on a Brantley Kendall touchdown pass from Gray that made the final score 40-16.
The Blue Hose open their 2007 home campaign at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8 at Bailey Memorial Stadium against Pikeville College. It will be Take A Kid To The Game Day as children ages 12-and-under will be admitted to the contest for free with an adult paid admission.
For more information on the Pikeville game, please visit GoBlueHose.com or call Sherry Medlin in the PC ticket office at 864-833-8240.
Noting PC-Furman...
PUT IT IN THE BOOKS: Chetyuane Reeder's 84-yard reception was the longest pass play that the Paladins have ever given up on their home turf at Paladin Stadium. It is the fifth longest pass reception that the Paladins have allowed in their history.
LETS MAKE IT TWO: The Blue Hose had two players with over 100 yards receiving for the first time since the 2001 season when D.J. Humphries and Kevie Smith both finished with 100 yards receiving in a 41-19 win over Wingate.
KICKING IT: PC field goal kicker Bret DiTullio was successful on a field goal attempt of 35 yards or longer for the second consecutive season in PC's opener. DiTullio hit a 39-yard field goal in PC's 10-0 season-opening win over West Georgia last season and hit a 43-yard field goal in the loss to Furman on Saturday.
BEEN A WHILE: Prior to Furman's Mike Brown blocking a PC punt in the second quarter, the Blue Hose had not allowed a punt block since a 19-14 loss to Catawba on Sept. 25, 2004.
PC-Furman Box Score
