Greenville, S.C. – Preseason All-American placekicker Ian Williams connected on three second-half field goals as Furman rallied to top William & Mary, 23-21, in the season opener for both schools Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
 
Trailing 21-20 with under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Trey Hedden went 3-for-3 through the air to engineer a seven-play, 43-yard drive that resulted in a go-ahead field goal by Williams, his third of the afternoon, with 2:43 to play. William & Mary faced a third down and one at its own 34 on its next drive when Taylen Blaylock dropped Rashad Raymond for a four-yard loss. The Tribe elected to leave its offense on the field on fourth down, but Blaylock broke up Tyler Hughes' pass attempt over the middle and Furman's Jayquan Smith carried the ball three times for 15 yards to pick up a first down and run out the clock to secure the Paladin victory.
 
Blaylock, who transferred to Furman from Lindenwood, finished the game with six tackles, two tackles-for-a-loss, a pass breakup, and a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown in his Paladin debut. The pick six from Blaylock came on the opening drive of the game to give the Paladins a 7-0 lead. William & Mary evened the score on Raymond's three-yard touchdown run with 10:18 left in the half before freshman Evan James hauled in a four-yard touchdown pass from Hedden on Furman's next possession to give the Paladins a 14-7 lead at the half.
 
Hughes capped a four-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge to knot the game at 14-14 midway through the second quarter. On the Tribe's next possession Hughes connected with Sean McElwain on a nine-yard scoring toss to put William & Mary in front 21-14 with 5:26 left in the period.
 
Furman answered as Williams capped a nine-play, 41-yard drive with a 50-yard field goal to trim the deficit to 21-17 with 1:37 to go in the third quarter. On Furman's next possession, the Paladins drove 39 yards on six plays before Williams cut the margin to 21-20 with a field goal from 42 yards out.
 
Along with Williams' go-ahead field goal, the Paladin defense provided three stops in the final quarter to seal the season-opening victory.
 
Furman offense accounted for just 237 yards, but Hedden went 21-of-29 through the air for 179 yards and a touchdown. Gavin Hall rushed 16 times for 55 yards while James recorded seven receptions for 68 yards and a score.
 
Hughes finished 19-of-31 for 208 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The junior also led the Tribe with 57 rushing yards on 15 carries.
 
Furman is back at Paladin Stadium next Saturday when it hosts the Presbyterian Blue Hose. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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