By By Nick Pipitone

Furman University marched down the field, leading 28-21 and orchestrating an 18-play, 72-yard drive behind its strong offensive line and three-pronged rushing attack. It appeared the Paladins were going to push and shove through the line and take a commanding 14-point lead late in the game, but the Pride had other ideas.

From the one-yard line, Furman sent RB Brandon Mays on a goal-line dive and Pride defensive ends Dan Garray and Stephen Bowen converged. The two seniors stripped Mays at their own 1-yard line and defensive tackle Ken Sussman dove onto the ball.

“We needed a big play,” Garray said. “I was running down the line of scrimmage and I saw the running back coming out and I knew I had to lay a big hit on him and I just happened to squeeze the ball out.”

After the fumble, the inspired Pride then drove the length of the field and tied the game at 28 on a 27-yard pass from junior QB Anton Clarkson to senior slot wide-out Brian Wolman. The game eventually wentt into two overtimes, but the host ninth-ranked Paladins outlasted the Pride, 44-41, at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, S.C.

A worn defensive line and a couple of questionable calls by Pride offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero did the team in, as it lost its first game “down in football country,” as head coach Joe Gardi called it.

The tough loss dropped the Pride to 2-1 on the season and to No. 23 (down from No. 17) in The Sports Network’s weekly Top 25 I-AA poll.

“Any time you lose, it’s a step backwards,” Gardi said. “There were a lot of things you could say that we’re tough. We were up against a lot of adversity, but we had a chance to win.”

The Pride jumped out to an early lead, again compliments of Bowen. On only the third play from scrimmage, the 6-foot-5, 271-pound senior snagged an interception off Furman QB Ingle Martin and returned it 31 yards for the score.

“We were running a blitz up front and that’s when the weak side end drops for coverage,” Bowen said. “I dropped and I saw the tight end going to the flat and the quarterback’s eyes moved towards him. I saw him throw it and I just stepped in front of him and got lucky.”

However, Furman answered quickly, running the ball right through the Pride defense on a 13-play, 75-yard drive, tying the game at 7.

Not to be outdone, the Pride offense responded and went 80 yards on nine plays, capped off by RB Terry Crenshaw’s seven-yard touchdown scamper, his third of the season. The score gave the Pride a 14-7 advantage after one.

In classic barn-burner fashion, the Paladins scored another two touchdowns in the second quarter and the Blue & Gold put up one-senior WR Devale Ellis’ second touchdown of the season-leaving the game deadlocked at 21 going into the half.

Both teams came into last Saturday’s game with very high-powered offenses. Furman, however, relies mostly on its ground game, which was evident against the Pride. In total, the Paladins rushed for 312 yards and held onto the ball for 38:10, compared to the Pride’s 21:50.

Although the Pride scored 41 points, its longest touchdown drive was a mere 3:51. Furman, on the other hand, sustained drives of over five minutes three times throughout the game. In addition, the Paladins held onto the ball for most of the third quarter, and the defensive wear and tear on the Pride began to show in the final session of regulation.

After tying the game at 28 on Wolman’s score, the Pride defense made a huge stop, forcing the Paladins to punt on their own goal line after a three and out. The Pride responded quickly, utilizing a spread attack offense, covering 64 yards in less than two minutes, capping off the drive with an 11-yard pass from Clarkson to senior WR Marques Colston. The 9,884 fans on hand were temporarily silenced as the Pride took a seven-point edge with 9:37 remaining.

But with a chance to run the clock down on its next possession, the Pride was only able to get one first down and kill three minutes on six plays after a questionable call by Ruggiero to pass on a first and 10.

“If we did what we were supposed to do, we would have had first and 10 on the 50-yard line,” Ruggiero said. “Wouldn’t that have been nice? We would’ve won the game on that play. That was the plan, we just had a miscommunication. We were trying to win the game.”

With the home crowd and momentum now on their side, the Paladins regained possession with 2:53 remaining. They then powered their way 46 yards to tie the game at 35 with just 32 seconds left on the clock as Martin connected with tight end John Rust for a six-yard score.

With 32 seconds and all three timeouts remaining, the Pride regained the ball at its own 20-yard line. However, instead of trying to get into field goal range, the Pride coaches decided to play for overtime and run the clock down. It was another questionable call that the coaching staff backed up whole-heartedly.

“It wasn’t even a decision [to kneel the ball],” Ruggierio said. “Only a moron would try to throw the ball. They’re just going to drop nine guys into coverage in a prevent situation and we’re going to try and force the ball in there and possibly turn it over? We would’ve lost the game on a dumb mistake and a dumb coaching decision and let them beat us.”

In the first overtime, things remained tight. Furman kicked a 41-yard field goal on its first possession and the Pride matched with a clutch, career-long 48-yarder from sophomore and Atlantic-10 special teams player of the week Rob Zarrilli.

However, the second overtime proved to be the Pride’s downfall. After a largely ineffective drive, Zarrilli booted another field goal to give the team a three-point edge. But like the story of the entire game, the Paladins front line was commanding, enabling RB Jerome Felton to rush for 24 of his team-leading 109 yards on what would be the final drive of the game. Martin snuck into the end zone on a QB sneak for the Paladin win, ending any chance of an upset.

The Pride will not have much time to lick its wounds, as it prepares to host the No. 6 ranked defending national champion James Madison University Dukes on Saturday, the second game in a very difficult four-game stretch.

The Pride offensive line was sturdy and provided stability in the Prides 44-41 loss at Furman. (Photo Courtesy Jim Sheehan)