Oct. 17, 2009

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Furman's Kyle McKinney blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt by Samford's Cameron Yaw as time expired to preserve a 26-24 Paladin win over the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.

"This was a heck of a football game," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "It was disappointing for us to lose it. That's two years in a row (against Furman) where we had our chances. Cameron didn't lose the game at the end, we had so many chances. Just one play here or there could have made a difference, but give Furman the credit."

Samford's Dustin Taliaferro completed 29-of-46 passes for 306 yards and an interception. Jonathan Lowery led all receivers with eight catches for 143 yard. Chris Evans also caught eight passes for 41 yards. Evans scored two rushing touchdowns and rushed for 47 yards on 14 carries.

Defensively, John Michael Clay led Samford with nine tackles, including 2.5 for a loss. Ty Levie and Bryce Smith had seven tackles each.

Furman's Jordan Sorrells completed 21-of-28 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Kadarron Anderson led all tacklers with 19 tackles.

Samford trailed, 26-10, heading into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs cut the Furman lead in half when Alex Barnett scored on a one-yard run and Taliaferro hit Lowery on the two-point conversion to make the score 26-18 with 11:53 to go in the fourth quarter.

Samford's Evans scored his second touchdown of the day on a one-yard run with 6:23 to play in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion failed to make the score 26-24, Furman.

Furman jumped on top first when Tersoo Uhaa scored on a two-yard run with 12:49 to go in the first quarter. The extra-point attempt by Matthew Cesari was no good and Furman held a 6-0 lead.

Samford answered when Evans scored on a two-yard run. The extra point by Yaw gave Samford a 7-6 lead with 10:28 to go in the first quarter.

Furman regained the lead when Sorrells hit Jerry Williams on an eight-yard touchdown. Cesari's point after made the score 13-7.

Furman's Sorrells hit R.J. Webb for a 13-yard score with 11:07 to go in the first quarter. The extra point by Cesari pushed Furman's lead to 20-7.

Samford drove to the Furman one-yard line late in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs failed to score on a fourth-and-one play, giving the ball back to the Paladins. Furman held a 20-7 lead heading into halftime.

Samford cut the Furman lead to 20-10 when Yaw kicked a 21-yard field goal with 4:36 to go in the third quarter. Furman added to its lead when Sorrells hit Chris Truss on an eight-yard touchdown pass. Cesari's extra point was no good and the Paladins held a 26-10 lead with 38 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Samford will take the next week off from competition. The Bulldogs will return to action on Oct. 31, when they travel to Charleston, S.C., to take on The Citadel. The game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. (CT) start from Johnson Hagood Stadium.