GREENVILLE, S.C. – Bryan McCollum kicked a 36-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to lift Western Carolina past Furman, 27-26, in Southern Conference football action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
McCollum's game winning kick followed a nine-play, 58-yard drive after Furman's
Nathan Chapman had put Furman ahead, 26-24 with a 25-yard field goal with 1:57 left.
Quarterback Lex Thomas opened Western Carolina's final possession with a 31-yard completion to Matthew Keener to the Furman 44. The Catamounts ran the ball on six of their next seven plays, advancing to the Paladin 17, where McCollum booted the game winner.
Western Carolina set up its win in game's first two minutes, when Ken Moore returned a Furman fumble 15 yards for a touchdown on the game's first play and Jermiyah Douglas intercepted a
Trey Smith pass that he returned 37 yards for a second score to help give the Catamounts a 14-0 lead before Furman's defense had taken the field.
Smith, a freshman quarterback making his first collegiate start, helped rally Furman to three consecutive scores and a 17-14 lead. After
Nathan Chapman booted a 39-yard field goal to get the Paladins on the board,
Gram Smithson blocked a punt that
Connor Adams scooped and returned seven yards for the touchdown, cutting Western Carolina's lead to 14-10.
Smith then gave Furman a 17-14 lead when he found a seam up the middle and sprinted 79 yard for a touchdown with 4:58 to go in the first half.
Western Carolina responded just before the half when, on a third-and-23 play, Thomas found Jai Boyd open in the back of the end zone for a 40-yard strike with 15 seconds left in the first half.
Chapman second half field goals covering 49, 39, and 25 yards accounted for Furman's points. The Paladin defense, meanwhile, limited the Catamounts to only 34 yards on six second half possessions prior to the 58-yard game winning drive in the final two minutes.
Smith rushed 22 times for 162 yards — a new record for Paladin qurterbacks. His 79-yard scoring sprint was the second longest by a signal caller in Furman history.
He passed for 120 yards, completing 9-of-19 passes with two interceptions.
Thomas finished with 195 yards passing on 22-of-37 attempts with a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked three times.
Furman registered a 388-321 edge in total offense, including a season high 268 yards rushing.
Chapman, who entered the game as the top field goal kicker in FCS, made 4-of-5 attempts'
Raleigh Herbert led all tacklers with 14 stops, and WCU's Braylon Jones finished with 11 stops.
Furman plays at The Citadel next Saturday in a 2:00 p.m. contest.
