PALMETTO STATE FOOTBALL: Furman knocks off Georgia Southern, 30-22
By The Associated Press Sunday, November 15, 2009STATESBORO, Ga. — Jordan Sorrells threw for 244 yards and Furman scored two touchdowns as Furman defeated Georgia Southern 30-22 on Saturday.
The Paladins (5-5, 4-3 Southern Conference), who snapped a three-game losing streak, took a 7-0 lead on Tersoo Uhaa’s 16-yard run with 9:17 left in the first quarter. Ryan Steed’s 44-yard interception return for a score gave Furman a 14-0 advantage midway through the first quarter.
“We have really struggled at the start of games this season,” Furman coach Bobby Lamb said. “When we got up 14-0, I think it broke their spirit a little because they came out fired up. We could hear them (in the locker room prior to the game).”
The defeat assured the Eagles (4-6, 3-4) of a losing season for only the third time since football resumed in 1982.
Sorrells was 17 of 23 for 244 yards and one touchdown and Mike Brown had 53 yards rushing.
The Paladins, who entered the game with the worst defense in the conference, limited the Eagles to 367 yards, nearly 100 yards less than their average.
Georgia Southern coach Chris Hatcher started sophomore Kyle Collins at quarterback in favor of starter Lee Chapple, but the move failed to provide a spark .
Collins was 13-for-22 for 123 yards and a touchdown and was replaced by Chapple in the third quarter.
“It’s like in baseball when you make a change in your rotation,” said Hatcher, whose team has lost three straight. “We were trying to change our mojo. We were wanting to light a fire under our offense.”
The move didn’t work.
Furman had a 24-0 advantage at the half. Sorrells hit Adam Mims on a 29-yard scoring strike in the second quarter and Matthew Cesari connected on a 42-yard field goal.
It was the first time Georgia Southern had been held scoreless in the first half since a 14-7 loss to Wofford in the second game of the 2002 season.
The Eagles scored on their first possession of the second half when Chapple hit Mitch Williford on a 10-yard scoring pass.
Furman answered with Jerry Williams’ 2-yard run and led 30-7 going into the fourth quarter.
The Eagles got a 1-yard run by Chapple with 6:46 to play and scored their final touchdown with 1 second remaining when Jonathan Bryant caught a 16-yard pass from Collins.
Evans leads Samford in 27-24 win over Wofford
SPARTANBURG — Chris Evans ran for 257 yards on 37 carries to set the Samford career rushing record in a 27-24 win over Wofford on Saturday.
Evans has 3,379 career yards, surpassing Jerome Russell’s 3,122 yards set from 1996-1999. With 1,053 yards this season, Evans also became the first player in Samford history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in three straight seasons.
The Bulldogs (5-5, 3-4 Southern Conference) finished with 347 yards on the ground in their first road win of the season.
Dustin Taliaferro was 19 of 26 with 174 yards and two touchdowns and Riley Hawkins caught five passes for 103 yards for Samford.
Cameron Yaw connected on a 25-yard field goal with 46 seconds left in the third quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead for good, 20-17.
Wofford (3-7, 2-5) was led by Michael Scott with 165 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
Coastal Carolina holds
off Presbyterian 41-37
CONWAY — Zach MacDowall threw three touchdown passes and Coastal Carolina beat Presbyterian 41-37 on Saturday.
MacDowall went 11-for-23 for 193 yards passing with one interception for the Chanticleers (5-5, 3-2 Big South). MacDowall connected with Paul Nicholas on a pair of 23-yard touchdown passes, and Brandon Whitley on a 26-yard touchdown. Nicholas had four catches for 82 yards.
MacDowall’s second touchdown pass to Nicholas with 10:41 to play in the third quarter gave the Chanticleers their largest lead at 41-24.
The Blue Hose (0-10, 0-5) scored the last two touchdowns of the game on a 3-yard pass from Brandon Miley to Robert Bumgarner and a 29-yard pass from Miley to Patrick McKoy. Miley went 20-for-32 with an interception for 251 yards. Lance Byrd rushed for 148 yards.
The Blue Hose have lost 13 straight games.
Chattanooga defeats
The Citadel 31-28
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Blue Cooper caught a 1-yard pass from B.J. Coleman with 4:36 left and Chattanooga defeated The Citadel 31-28 on Saturday.
The Mocs (6-4, 4-4 Southern Conference) began the game-winning drive on The Citadel 9-yard line after a career-long 53-yard punt return by Joel Bradford.
Coleman was 39-for-61 with 356 yards and three touchdowns and Cooper finished with 139 yards and two TDs on 14 carries for Chattanooga.
The Mocs had 12 tackles for a total loss of 41 yards, holding The Citadel to 91 yards rushing. Steven Smigelsky led the Mocs with 11 tackles, including two for a loss and a sack.
The Bulldogs (4-6, 2-5) took a 21-0 lead on a 9-yard pass from Tommy Edwards to Andre Roberts with 1:40 left in the second quarter.
Edwards finished with 214 yards and three TDs on 21-of-37 passing and Roberts caught 10 passes for 107 yards and two TDs.
Charleston Southern beats Stony Brook 30-27
CHARLESTON — John Paglia kicked a 43-yard field goal in overtime to help Charleston Southern take a 30-27 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday.
Stony Brook (5-5, 4-1 Big South Conference) suffered its first conference loss, but the Seawolves can still gain a share of the conference championship with a victory over Liberty next week.
Paglia also kicked field goals of 46 and 51 yards to help Charleston Southern (4-6, 2-3) overcome Stony Brook’s 340 yards rushing.
The Buccaneers led 27-24 until Stony Brook’s Wesley Skiffington kicked an 18-yard field goal with 12:46 left in the game.
Deon Lee scored on an 89-yard kickoff return for Charleston Southern.
A.J. Toscano was 19-for-32 for 214 yards and a 29-yard touchdown pass to Josh Atkinson for the Buccaneers.
Edwin Gowins rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns and Conte Cuttino added 163 yards and a score for Stony Brook.
To subscribe to the print edition of The Times and Democrat, click here.


