GREENVILLE, S.C.
– Samford broke up two passes at the goal line to force a turnover-on-downs with 1:18 to help the Bulldogs escape with a 13-6 victory over Furman in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
Tied at 6-6 in the fourth quarter, Samford's Sam Holton pounced on a
Ben Croasdale fumble at the Paladins' 11-yard line, and Gabarri Johnson connected with Cayden Aukerman on a 14-yard touchdown toss on third-and-13 with 6:42 remaining to give the Bulldogs a 13-6 lead.
After the Paladins and Bulldogs traded three-and-outs, Furman's offense took over at the Samford 41 with 2:25 to play.
Trey Smith came off the bench to connect on a nine-yard toss to
Daniel Haughton, and Croasdale carried the ball for a first down. Smith hit
Ethan Harris for 11 yards and a first down at the Samford 19, but the Paladins faced a third-and-seven following a three-yard run and an incompletion.
The freshman signal caller rolled out and fired towards the goal line for
Jackson Pryor, but the pass was batted down by Samford's Trey Lenhardt. Following a timeout by the Paladins, Smith fired another pass to the goal line that was broken up by Elijah McDowell with 1:28 left to give Samford the ball and the victory.
Johnson went 18-of-26 through the air for 206 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs compiled 304 yards of total offense.
Connor Ackerley completed 15-of-25 attempts for 216 yards to lead the Furman offense, but he was intercepted twice. The Paladins finished with 313 yards of offense, despite just 77 on the ground.
Samford (2-6, 2-3 SoCon) forced the Paladins into three turnovers on the day, and Max Steve led the Bulldogs with 13 tackles.
Raleigh Herbert recorded 16 tackles, including 2.5 tackles-for-loss to lead the Paladins (2-6, 1-3 SoCon) while
Eli Lipscomb notched two sacks.
Furman is back in action next Saturday, October 31, when it plays host to Western Carolina at 2 p.m. at Paladin Stadium.
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