Greenville, S.C. – No. 16 South Carolina State stopped Furman quarterback
Connor Ackerley two yards short on a fourth and 10 play with 2:20 remaining to hold off the 24
th-ranked Paladins, 20-17, on Saturday night at Paladin Stadium.
After trailing 17-3 at the half, Furman's
Nathan Chapman converted on field goals of 49 and 44 yards to trim the S.C. State lead to 17-9 with 13:57 to play. Jett Jackson connected on a 28-yard field goal to extend the margin to 20-9 with 3:03 left, but the Paladins answered on their first play from scrimmage on the next drive as Ackerley found
Luke Shields behind the defense for a 67-yard scoring strike. The two-point conversion pass to
Daniel Haughton trimmed the margin to 20-17 with 2:47 remaining.
Furman (2-2) forced the Bulldogs into a three-and-out on the next possession to get the ball back at its own 28-yard ine with 2:20 to go. After three consecutive incompletions, Jordan Franklin and Roderick Kelly chased down Ackerley two yards short of the first down marker on a scramble to stop the Furman drive with 1:57 on the clock.
The Bulldogs (4-0) held Furman's offense to just 317 yards, including 53 on the ground. South Carolina State quarterback Keely Watson connected with DJ Maultsby on a 65-yard touchdown toss on the game's first play from scrimmage and Josh Shaw scored from nine yards out on the Bulldogs' next possession to push the lead to 14-0. Watson completed 12-of-25 passes for 186 yards as S.C. State compiled 332 yards of total offense.
Ackerley entered the game in the third quarter with the Paladins trailing 17-3 and sparked the offense. The junior went 10-for-18 for 184 yards and a touchdown.
Braylon Peebles led the Paladin defense with 10 tackles and
AK Burrell added a crucial interception off a deflection in the second half.
Furman returns to action with a 2 p.m. kickoff next Saturday at Richmond.
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