Nov. 1, 2008

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Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford's Dustin Taliaferro threw for a career-high 336 yards and Jonathan Lowery had a career-high 136 yards receiving, but it was not enough as the Bulldog football team fell to No. 18 Furman, 28-27, in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.

With Samford trailing, 28-21, Taliaferro hit Lowery for a 74-yard touchdown with 1:52 to go in the fourth quarter. The play was a career-long pass for Taliaferro and a career-long reception for Lowery. However, Furman's Kyle McKinney blocked the extra-point attempt by John Paul Fraites to preserve the win for the Paladins.

"I was proud of the way our kids came back," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "The kids came back, they fought, they scored and they hung in there. Furman has a good football team, give them the credit."

Furman led, 21-7, heading into the fourth quarter. Taliaferro hit Kanon Burt for a four-yard touchdown with 13:46 to go in the game to cut the lead to 21-14. Taliaferro later hit Riley Hawkins for a 63-yard touchdown with 8:17 to go to tie the score at 21-21. Furman's Jordan Sorrells hit Adam Mims for a 50-yard touchdown with 4:37 left to put the Paladins up, 28-21.

Samford jumped on top first when Chris Evans ran for a five-yard touchdown with 10:16 to go in the first quarter. Fraites added the extra point to give Samford a 7-0 lead. The scoring drive was set up by an interception by Bryce Smith at the Furman 40-yard line. The interception was the first of two on the day by Smith.

Furman came back to tie the score with 3:46 to go in the first quarter. Brantley Kendall scored on a one-yard run and Matthew Cesari added the PAT to tie the score at 7-7. The Paladins took the lead when Hunter Twitty recovered a Samford fumble in the end zone, and Cesari added the PAT to give Furman at 14-7 lead. Tersoo Uhaa scored on a three-yard run with 6:46 to go in the third quarter to give the Paladins a 21-7 lead.

For Samford, Taliaferro completed 22-of-28 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Lowery caught six passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. Evans led all rushers with 68 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. The game marks the first Southern Conference game this season that Evans has failed to reach the 100-yard mark.

Smith and Brent Nall shared the Samford lead with 11 tackles each. Smith had two interceptions and Jason Gaines added a third pick for the Bulldogs.

Furman was led by Sorrells, completing 17-of-29 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. Mims caught six passes for a career-high 128 yards and a touchdown. Max Lerner, William Middleton and Brandon Williams shared the Furman lead with nine tackles each.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 8, when the Bulldogs play at Georgia Southern. The game will be televised live on CSS and is scheduled for an 11 a.m. Central kickoff.