TRAVELERS REST, S.C. – The Wofford College football team was defeated 34-14 by Furman on Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium. The Paladins score twice in the first quarter and held the Terrier offense in check as they used a nine-minute drive to score in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
 
Wofford opens the season 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the Southern Conference, while Furman is 2-3 overall and 2-1 in league play. The Terriers were led by Andre Stoddard with 12 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown, while Lennox McAfee added four carries for 58 yards. Joe Newman had 73 rushing yards and was 12-of-20 passing on the day. The Paladins were led by quarterback Harris Roberts with 16-of-19 passing for 235 yards and three touchdowns, along with two rushing touchdowns.
 
"They are a good football team and they came out well prepared for us," said Wofford head coach Josh Conklin. "They executed very well and at a high level and we didn't. We have a lot to learn from this game. When I look at the rushing yards, I thought the team that would win the rushing yardage would win the game. We won it, but it comes down to explosive plays. They had explosive plays and we didn't. That is us hurting ourselves not having explosive plays and not being sharp with our assignments on defense. They get up a couple touchdowns and we have hard time recovering from that. We have to do a better job offensively of scoring points. We have to learn our lessons and sometimes lessons come the hard way. I hope we learn our lesson as a coaching staff and as a football team."
 
The Paladins had the ball to open the game and scored on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Harris Roberts to Darius Morehead for a 7-0 lead at the 11:40 mark of the first quarter. Wofford gained one first down, then punted. A running into the kicker penalty gave the Terriers a fourth-and-two, but the run was short and Furman took over at the 47-yard line. After a first down, Mason Alstatt intercepted a tipped pass and the Terriers took over at the eight-yard line. Wofford had one first down before having to punt. Furman used a long return and a Terrier penalty to take over at the 36-yard line. Two first downs and a nine-yard touchdown run by Harris Roberts ended the drive with a 14-0 lead with 2:28 left in the first quarter. Wofford then went three-and-out and punted.
 
The Wofford defense forced a three-and-out and the Paladins punted. The Terriers had two first downs, then had a first down on a pass interference call and a first down on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to move inside the 10. After a run for a loss, Joe Newman connected with Garrison Moore in the end zone for a touchdown. Wofford trailed 14-7 at 7:24 in the second quarter. With the ball back, the Paladins had one first down before punting. Wofford had one first down and then Joe Newman was hit while throwing and the ball was caught in the air behind the line of scrimmage by Furman. The Paladins took over at the 34-yard line and had a first down before a 10-yard touchdown pass to Devin Wynn made it a 21-7 game with 45 seconds left in the first half. T.J. Luther had a 38-yard kickoff return and a first down catch by Dorian Lindsey moved the ball across midfield. On fourth-and-ten, the pass was incomplete to end the first half.
 
To open the second half, Wofford had one first down before punting. A first down and then a 49-yard reception moved the ball inside the 10-yard line. A nine-yard touchdown pass to Ryan DeLuca gave the Paladins a 27-7 lead after the missed extra point with 9:53 on the clock in the third quarter. On the next drive by Wofford, Andre Stoddard had a 42-yard run to move the ball across midfield. After two more first downs, Joe Newman scored but it was called back due to a holding penalty. On fourth-and-goal from the six, Andre Stoddard went in for a touchdown and Wofford trailed 27-14 with 3:41 left in the third quarter. The Paladins answered with a drive that took sixteen plays and covered 71 yards, taking 9:25 off the clock as they built a 34-14 lead with a one-yard touchdown run by Harris Roberts with 9:10 left in the game.
 
With the ball back, Wofford had a first down and then a 43-yard run by Lennox McAfee took the Terriers inside the 20. On fourth-and-two, a run by Joe Newman was short and the Paladins took over with 6:03 on the clock. Furman had one first down before having to punt back to the Terriers with 1:11 remaining in the game. Wofford was able to gain two first downs before time ran out.
 
Wofford had 352 total yards, with 247 rushing yards. Furman had 365 total yards, 235 of which were passing. Furman had a 17 to 16 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 3-of-11 on third downs and 1-of-4 on fourth down. Furman was 7-of-12 on third down and 1-of-1 on fourth down. Both teams were called for five penalties. Furman had a 30:41 to 29:19 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. Furman Post-Game Notes
In a series that began in 1889, the Paladins take a 54-32-7 lead. Wofford had won four straight in the series before the loss. The Terriers have lost five of the last six meetings in Greenville.
 
Garrison Moore scored his first career touchdown in the second quarter, while Jim Welsh had his first career catch in the fourth quarter.
 
Thad Mangum led the team with seven tackles. Mason Alstatt's interception in the first quarter was his first of the season and third of his career.   
 
With two PATs, Luke Carter has made 67 consecutive PATs in his career, extending his school record.
 
Game captains were John Beckley, Miles Brown, Blake Morgan and Weston Rountree.
 
Attendance was 7,006 at Paladin Stadium.
 
With the four-game road trip complete, the Terriers will return home on Saturday, October 20 against ETSU as part of Homecoming weekend.