Sept. 12, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The fifth-ranked Furman Paladins rushed for 331 yards and passed for another 193 yards to defeat the Samford Bulldogs, 45-10, in front of 9,053 fans, the eighth-largest crowd in Seibert Stadium history Saturday night.

"They have a solid football team," Samford head coach Bill Gray said. "They played like the No. 5 team in the country tonight. We found out that we have a lot of work to do. We had too many three-and-outs on offense. Our defense played hard, but they got tired, and Furman took advantage of that."

Samford started the scoring on Saturday when Ray Nelson hit Josh Brennard on a two-yard touchdown pass with 12:07 to go in the first quarter. Hal Hughston added the point after to make the score 7-0. The score capped a six-play, 36-yard drive that took 2:53 off the clock.

Furman came back when Ingle Martin hit Brian Bratton on a 14-yard touchdown toss with 6:17 left in the opening period. Jerome Felton ran in the two-point conversion after a Samford penalty to give Furman an 8-7 lead.

After each team turned the ball over late in the first quarter, Furman added to its lead when Martin scored on a 58-yard run with 52 seconds to go in the quarter. The PAT kick was no good, and the Paladins held a 14-7 lead.

Furman struck again when Cam Newton returned a Samford fumble 63 yards for a touchdown with 10:42 to go in the second quarter. Scott Beckler added the extra point to make the score 21-7.

Samford finished the scoring in the first half when Hughston nailed a 19-yard field goal to make the score 21-10.

Furman put the first points on the board in the third quarter when Brandon Mays scored on a three-yard run with 11:53 to go. The extra point gave the Paladins a 28-10 lead.

Beckler hit a 42-yard field goal to make the score 31-10 with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter. The Paladins then added another touchdown with 0:35 to go in the third when Justin Perdue scored on a three-yard run. Beckler added the PAT to make the score 38-10.

Furman closed the scoring when Bo Moore scored on a 20-yard run with 5:31 to go in the game. Beckler's extra point made the final score 45-10.

For the game, Samford's Nelson was 23-for-44 for 213 yards and a touchdown. Efrem Hill caught 10 passes for 88 yards on the night.

For Furman, Cedrick Gipson rushed 14 times for 94 yards. Martin was 9-for-20 for 168 yards, one touchdown and one interception on the night.

Samford will take this week off from competition, and will be back in action on Sept. 25, when the Bulldogs play at Southeast Missouri. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 6 p.m., and will be the OVC-opener for both teams.