Justin Bethel (Blythewood, S.C.) blocked his second punt in as many games for a touchdown, while freshman Demarcus Rouse (North Augusta, S.C.) scored two touchdowns, but the Presbyterian College football team didn't have an answer for Paladin quarterback Chris Forcier, who threw seven TD passes, leading Furman to the 62-21 win in front of 12,139 fans at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, S.C.
The Paladins improve to 2-1, while the Blue Hose fall to 1-3. PC is off next Saturday before travelling to Stony Brook Oct. 8 for a 6 p.m. game.
Furman put 14 points on the board early in the first quarter after PC fumbled the ball in its first two possessions, giving the Paladins the ball deep in Blue Hose territory each time.
PC's third drive ended in a punt for PC, giving the Paladins great field position, which they capitalized on, scoring the next play, a 39-yard TD reception by Daniel McFadden, to give Furman the 21-0 lead with 8:22 remaining in the first half.
The Blue Hose threatened late in the first quarter and went 40 yards in nine plays, including a 17-yard reception by Michael Ruff (Whitmire, S.C.), but stalled at the Furman 40-yard line and were forced to punt with 1:51 on the clock.
Patrick Morgano's (Greenville, S.C.) punt put Furman deep in its own territory at the four-yard line, where it was unable to move the ball much, and was set to punt the ball away from its seven-yard line when the quarter ended.
Bethel blocked Furman's second-quarter opening punt and landed on it in the end zone to give PC its first score of the game. It was his eighth blocked punt of his career and second in as many games. After Aaron Mayes' (Blythewood, S.C.) extra point was good, the Blue Hose were down 7-21.
Furman responded in its next drive with a touchdown, this one coming from a Colin Anderson six-yard reception at 8:04 on the clock, as part of a 14-play, 80-yard drive. After the kick, the Paladins extended their lead to 28-7.
PC's next drive stalled and Morgano was forced to punt and hit it well into Furman territory but a 48-yard return by Will King gave the Paladins the ball at the PC 20-yard line. After a rush for no gain, Forcier threw to Tyler Maples, who took it 20 yards for Furman's fifth score of the game at the 5:05 mark. The PAT was unsuccessful as the Paladins took the 34-7 lead.
Furman tacked on another TD off a 64-yard touchdown reception by Sederrik Cunningham, to go up 41-7 with 4:37 on the clock.
PC recorded its first offensive touchdown since Sept. 10 against North Greenville, when the Blue Hose pieced together a seven-play, 80-yard drive, highlighted by a 63-yard reception by Arthur Williams (Baxley, Ga.), his career-long. Rouse scored his second career touchdown with a two-yard rush with 1:38 to go before the half and after the PAT, the score was 41-14, in favor of Furman.
The Paladins weren't done in the half, scoring off a six-play, 58-yard drive that was highlighted by a 39-yard kickoff return by Tony Caldwell.
That is how the first half would end with Furman leading 48-14.
After a mostly quiet third quarter for both teams, the Paladins notched the first points of the half, these coming off a 20-yard catch by McFadden with 2:01 remaining, to give Furman the 55-14 lead. The drive was set up by a PC interception at the PC 41-yard line.
PC started the fourth quarter with an 11-play, 72-yard TD drive, that saw Brandon Miley (Wilmington, N.C.) convert a fourth and third with a 21-yard pass to Rouse that set up a seven-yard run by Rouse at 12:53 on the clock for PC's final score of the game.
Furman scored the final points of the game with 2:34 remaining to finish with the final, 62-21 win.
Leading the Blue Hose this afternoon was Rouse with nine carries for 38 yards and two touchdowns. Ruff caught three passes for 39 yards, with a long of 17 yards. Ryan Singer (Dunedin, Fla.) was eight for 21 for 142 yards with two interceptions on the afternoon. Morgano punted six times for 244 yards, his long being a 50-yarder.
PC recorded 290 total yards, which included 91 yards on the ground and 199 in the air. Furman posted 483 total yards of offense.
