Wofford Claims Third-Straight I-85 Rivalry Win Over Furman
Furman safety AK Burrell (photo courtesy of Furman athletics)
Turnovers Doom Paladins for Second-Straight Week
For the third-straight season, Wofford got the better of the I-85
rivalry, as the Terriers handed Furman a 31-13 setback on a sunny,
mid-October Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium.
The win snapped a three-game SoCon losing streak for Wofford, as the Terriers claimed their second-straight win to improve to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in Southern Conference action. Furman fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in SoCon play. Prior to Saturday, Wofford's last SoCon win had been a 19-13 win in Greenville last November. It marked the third-straight season the Paladins had ended a loss to Wofford with 13 points.
The Paladins held a slight advantage in total yards (329-325), but couldn't overcome three costly turnovers, while the Terriers only committed one miscue on the afternoon. Over the past couple of games, Furman has committed eight turnovers, which have led directly to 38 points for the opposition, including a pair of INTs returned for scores.
The Paladins fell to 15-14 against the Terriers since Wofford joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 1997, and now hold a 56-36-7 lead in the all-time series, which began way back in 1889.
Furman quarterback Trey Hedden finished the afternoon connecting on27-of-39 passes for 257 yards, with three INTs and one TD. He was sacked five times in the game.
Northwestern State transfer JT Fayard completed the day by connecting on 18-of-25 passes for 179 yards, with two TDs and one INT for Wofford.
Hedden, who was without three of his top pass-catchers due to injury, settled in on running back Gavin Hall ( 7 rec, 49 yds) and Devin Hester Jr. (6 rec, 82 yds, 1 TD) as his top receiving targets in the passing game.
Hester's 10-yard scoring catch from Hedden in the second quarter was his first touchdown reception in a Furman uniform. Kerry King also hauled in four passes for 50 yards, while Clemson transfer Landyn James made four receptions for 44 yards.
The ground game was led by Hall, who finished his afternoon with 61 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts, while CJ Nettles rushed for 34 yards on four attempts.
Fayard's favorite receiving option in the contest was Isaiah Scott, who hauled in seven passes for 91 yards, while freshman Colby Alexander made four catches for 45 yards and a TD.
The Terriers were led on the ground by Ihshon Jackson-Anderson, who finished with 75 yards and a TD on 15 attempts. Gerald Modest Jr. finished his day with 51 rushing yards on 11 attempts.
How It Happened:
Furman won the toss and deferred to the second half, and on the first
possession of the afternoon, but after one first down the Terriers were forced
to punt the ball to the Paladins.
Furman’s first possession of the day saw the Paladins mirror the Terriers
in gaining one first down on an 11-yard connection from Trey Hedden-to-Kerry
King on the first play, however, two rushing plays that netted three yards and
an incompletion forced an Ian Williams punt.
Wofford’s second drive of the afternoon would see the Terriers drive the
ball inside Furman territory and after a 21-yard run by Ivory Aikens around the
corner reached Paladin 29, Wofford quarterback J.T. Fayard, who faced heavy
pressure from Paladin defensive end Joshua Stoneking, found freshman Colby
Alexander behind the Paladin secondary for a 29-yard scoring strike to make it
a 7-0 game with 8:30 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Paladins drove to the Wofford 38 on their second drive of the
afternoon, but a Wofford sack on first down put the Paladins behind the
eight-ball, and eventually forced Furman to punt the ball back to Wofford,
however, it did flip the field position, forcing the Terriers to start their
third drive of the day at their own five with 5:39 remaining in the opening
quarter.
The Terriers would get out of their own end to reach their own 35 but
would eventually punt the ball back to Furman with just 33 seconds remaining in
the opening quarter. The Terriers would take their 7-0 lead into the second
quarter of play. The Terriers held a 139-57 advantage in total yards at the end
of the first 15 minutes of football.
The Paladins took their second drive inside Wofford territory early in
the second quarter, and Trey Hedden would find Devin Hester Jr. on a 9-yard
scoring strike with 10:57 remaining in the half. After Wofford jumped offsides,
the Paladins opted to go for two, but the pass from Hedden intended for Luke
Clyburn fell incomplete to leave Wofford in the lead at 7-6. For Hester, it was
his first-career scoring catch for the Paladins.
Following a forced three-and-out by the Furman defense, the Paladin
offense would get the ball back with 9:26 remaining in the first half. However,
after CJ Nettles gained 29 yards well inside Wofford territory as the Paladins
reached the Terriers 34, Trey Hedden was picked off by Wofford linebacker Logan
McCloud and returned up to the Terrier 46, it ended the Furman scoring threat
and gave the Terriers renewed momentum.
It would lead to more Wofford points, as the Terriers would pad their
lead when Fayard tossed his second scoring pass of the day on a 23-yard underthrown
loft, which saw Terrence Honeywood adjust
before the Furman secondary could respond, extending the Wofford lead to 14-6
following the PAT from Sam Spence with 3:37 remaining in the half. The score
would see the Paladins trail at the half for the third-straight game.
Wofford got the ball back at its own 30 with just over two minutes
remaining in the opening half. The Terriers drove the ball inside Furman
territory late in the half, and after a illegal hands-to-the-face penalty moved
the ball to the 1, despite a fumble out of the back of the end zone, the play
had already been blown dead prior to the fumble.
With the ball moved to the 1 as a result, Wofford running back Ihshon
Jackson-Anderson ran it in from a yard out to make it a 21-6 lead with 52
seconds to play in the half. The 21 points was the most scored in a half this
season by the Terriers and most since (). Wofford would take that 15-point lead
into the half. The Terriers held a 266-180 advantage in total yards at the
half.
The Paladins opened the second half with the football, however, the
Paladins would be forced to punt the ball back to the Terriers following a
holding penalty. The Paladin defense would then force a three-and-out on the Terriers
opening drive of the second half.
Furman would get some momentum when AK Burrell picked off a JT Fayard
pass and returned it 37 to the Wofford 18, setting up the Paladin offense in
good position. After losing two on the first play, Gavin Hall gained 12 on the
next play to get the ball down to the 8 and setting up a first-and-goal. Two
plays later, Hall scampered in for a score, getting the Paladins to within
21-13 following Ian Williams PAT with 5:10 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, with Furman driving inside of Wofford territory, Javario
Tinch stepped in front of a Trey Hedden pass and returned it 66 yards for a
score to give the Terriers a 28-13 lead with 12:06 left in the game. Hedden
would throw another pick with 5:47 remaining, as Cole Walker picked off a
tipped pass and returned it 33 yards inside Furman territory and that would
eventually set up a 42-yard field goal from Sam Spence to increase Wofford’s
lead to 31-13 with 4:16 left.
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