BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -- Dominic Roberto rushed for 216 yards to headline a powerful Furman ground attack, and the Paladins' defense effectively checked Samford's high powered passing game to claim a 41-34 Southern Conference football victory in the season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.

The victory earned Furman (6-5, 4-4 SoCon) a winning campaign and marked the Paladins' third straight triumph over Samford (4-7, 3-5 SoCon).

Roberto, a redshirt sophomore, finished off a strong second half of the season to post a new career high rushing performance and 10th best rushing outing in Furman history.  The 5-foot-11, 242-pound product of Fayetteville, N.C. did his damage on 22 carries, including a 73-yard bolt in the waning seconds of the first half that set up a Devin Wynn 2-yard touchdown run to give Furman a 28-10 lead at intermission.

Roberto, who emerged following a mid-season injury to Wynn, Furman's All-SoCon tailback, ran for 132 yards in a 24-14 win over The Citadel on Oct. 26, 196 yards and four touchdown against Western Carolina on Nov. 6, and 100 yards and a score in the Paladins' 37-31 victory over VMI last Saturday in Greenville.

Devin Abrams complimented Roberto's outing by rushing 18 times for 110 yards in the contest.  The duo repeatedly punished Samford, spearheading a ground game that registered a season high 358 yards.  The Paladins finished the contest with 503 total yards, another season best.

Samford took an early 7-0 lead, but Furman's defense set the table by stopping the Bulldogs on their next six possessions.

After freshman quarterback Jace Wilson connected with tight end Ryan Miller on a 50-yard touchown pass to tie the game at 7-7, Paladin senior safety DiMarcus Clay intercepted a pass and returned it to the Samford 2.  Three plays later Wilson scrambled off the left side for three yards into the end zone to put Furman up 14-7 following the PAT.

Two possessions later, following another Samford punt, Furman used a 31-yard pass from Wilson to tailback Chase Abshier to move to the Samford 8, and on the next play Wayne Anderson covered the distance to the end zone for a 21-7 lead four minutes into the second quarter.

Leading 21-10 following a Samford field goal with under a minute to play, Furman appeared set take the 11-point advantage into halftime with the ball on its own 25.  Roberto, however, had other ideas as he slammed off left tackle through the Samford defense and bounced off a couple of Bulldog defenders for 73 yards to the Bulldog 2.  On the nex play Wynn found the end zone, with Timmy Bleekrode's PAT upping the advantage to 28-10.

Furman seemingly took total command of the contest with the opening possession of the second half, using 11 plays, including 10 rushes, to cover 75 yards for Wynn's second 2-yard scoring run that pushed the lead to 35-10.

Samford used a field goal and a short touchdown run by quarterback Liam Welch to get to within 35-20, but two fourth quarter Bleekrode field goals helped blunt any Bulldog comeback bid.

A 26-yard Montrell Washington touchdown catch on a fourth down play with 40 seconds remaining cut Furman's lead to 41-34, but the Paladins' Hugh Ryan snagged the ensuing onside kick at the Samford 48 to render the game's final verdict.

Wilson, a Southern Conference Freshman of the Year candidate, passed for 145 yards and a touchdown, finding the mark on 7-of-11 aerials.

Welch completed 26-of-40 passes for 269 yards and two scores.  He was intercepted once and sacked three times.

Samford managed only 81 yards rushing on 24 carries.

Redshirt junior linebacker Braden Gilby topped Furman's tackle ledger with 12 stops.  Fellow linebacker Nicky Kuzemka finished with nine tackles and was credited with a sack.