Box Score Game Box (pdf)
Inside Wofford Football
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Wofford football team was defeated 27-14 by Furman on Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium to end the 2013 season. The Terriers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but Furman scored the next 27 points to earn the victory.
The Terriers finish the year at 5-6 and 4-4 in the Southern Conference. Furman is 7-5 overall and 6-2 in the SoCon, earning a share of the 2013 Southern Conference championship. Wofford was led by Caleb Lucas with 71 rushing yards and Will Gay with 69 yards on the ground. The Paladins were led by quarterback Reese Hannon with 326 yards passing and Hank McCloud with 78 rushing yards.
“Our kids played really hard and had a chance until the last interception,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “It was a tough year. The bottom line is we will start tomorrow as far as getting ready for next year. Our seniors have done an unbelievable job for us for the past four years.”
Both teams gained one first down and punted on their respective opening drives. The Paladins then picked up two first downs before punting. On the next drive for the Terriers, a 25-yard run by Caleb Lucas set up a five-yard touchdown run by Jonny Martin and a 7-0 lead at 4:17 in the first quarter.
Furman had one first down, but punted back to the Terriers with 38 seconds on the clock in the opening quarter. Wofford picked up one first down before punting, but the Paladins went three-and-out. The Terriers started at the 10-yard line and gained six first downs as they covered the 90-yards in 15 plays, the final one a 2-yard touchdown run by Evan Jacks for a 14-0 lead at 5:00 in the second quarter.
The Paladins were inside the 20-yard line when Chris Armfield intercepted Reese Hannon at the goal line and returned it to the 13-yard line with 3:40 left in the half. Wofford fumbled at the 21-yard line and Ira McCune recovered for the Paladins. On the next play, Furman scored on a touchdown pass to Andrej Suttles to make it a 14-7 score with 2:21 on the clock. Wofford gained one first down, but punted back to Furman with 1:18 remaining. The Paladins added a 31-yard field goal with six seconds left to make it a 14-10 contest. Wofford took a knee to end the half.
To open the second half, Wofford converted a fourth-and-one at the 40-yard line but then had to punt. Furman used a 24-yard pass and a 31-yard pass to set-up a 2-yard touchdown run by Hank McCloud. The Paladins had a 17-14 lead with 8:05 on the clock in the third quarter. Michael Weimer entered the game at quarterback for the next drive and after a first down the Terriers lined up to punt. The pass by Kasey Redfern on the fake punt was intercepted by Furman at the 35-yard line.
Furman was able to add to the lead on a 7-yard touchdown run by Tanner Skogen to take a 24-14 lead at the 14:55 mark of the fourth quarter. James Lawson took over at quarterback for the Terriers and the team moved inside the 20-yard line before Austin Williams picked off a pass in the endzone. The Paladins added to the lead with a 48-yard field goal by Ray Early for a 27-14 score with 6:41 left in the game. On the next drive for Wofford, the Terriers moved the ball to the seven-yard line. On fourth-and-two, the run was a yard short and Furman took over on downs with 2:55 left in the game. The Paladins gained one first down and ran out the clock for the win.
Wofford had 381 total yards, with 356 on the ground. Furman had 417 total yards, 326 of which were passing. Wofford had 26 first downs, while Furman had 21. Wofford was 7-of-14 on third downs and 1-of-3 on fourth downs. Furman was 7-of-14 on third down. Wofford had five penalties and Furman had six. Furman had a 31:41 to 28:19 time of possession advantage.
Wofford vs. Furman Post-Game Notes
It was the final game for 24 seniors on this year’s team. The seniors include: Jeff Ashley, Qay Bell, Jon Boyd, Josh Davis, Leverett Diggs, Tony Goodwin, Rob Greene, Ty Gregory, Michael Harpe, Josh Holt, Jeremy Holt, Paul Inclan, Donovan Johnson, James Lawson, Caleb Lucas, Mike McCrimon, Kasey Redfern, Alvin Scioneaux, Kane Sherrill, Jared Singleton, SeQuan Stanley, Alex Starnes, Jared Wilken, and James Zotto. Overall they have a four-year record of 32-17 with two Southern Conference titles and three playoff appearances.
Players not seeing action due to injury included Donovan Johnson, Tom Bove, and Jared Wilken.
The interception for Chris Armfield in the second quarter was his third this season, which is tied for the Southern Conference lead.
Senior Caleb Lucas had 71 rushing yards on twelve carries in the game. In his previous 20 games, he had 58 yards on 18 carries.
Furman leads the series that began in 1889 by a 52-28-7 margin. Furman has won the last three games in the series at Paladin Stadium.
The four straight losses in a season are the most since the 1997 season. Wofford had four consecutive losses to end the 1999 and begin the 2000 season.
Wofford finished at 5-6. The Terriers did not have a winning season for only the second time in the last twelve years.
Game captains were Ty Gregory and Mike McCrimon.
Attendance was 8,291 at Paladin Stadium.
