SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the final game of the season, the Wofford College football team used a strong defensive performance to take down Furman 19-13 at Gibbs Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers had three turnovers in the first half, but were able to take a 10-6 lead into the break. In the second half, Wofford committed two more turnovers but the defense scored on a fumble recovery and held Furman to just a touchdown to earn the win.
 
Wofford is 2-9 overall and 2-6 in the Southern Conference. Furman, ranked #2 in the nation, is 9-2 overall and 7-1 in league play, having won the SoCon title and receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Terriers were led by Ryan Ingram with 111 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Amari Odom was 9-of-18 passing for 92 yards in his collegiate debut. Furman was led by Mylon Hicks with 70 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Paladins were held to just 188 total yards by the Terrier defense.
 
"It was a great win," said head coach Shawn Watson. "We had the faith and confidence that we could get the job done because we have seen what this team has been through this season. The mark of a great team is great character. They never stopped believing in each other and never stopped believing in the coaches. We knew we were getting better each week and we played like that today. The defense had to be outstanding against a team like Furman and they were a handful. Our guys did a great job of stopping the run and we were able to make some big plays as well."
 
The Terriers had the ball to open the game and had three first downs before scoring on a 46-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 10:21 on the clock. Furman gained two first downs before having to punt, but on first down Amari Odom was intercepted by Cally Chizik at the 42-yard line. The Wofford defense did not allow a yard to be gained and the Paladins punted. The Terriers took over at the one-yard line and had one first down before Odom was sacked and fumbled, with the Paladins recovering at the 10-yard line. The Terrier defense held and the Paladins tied the game with a 22-yard field goal at 2:32 in the quarter. Wofford went three-and-out and punted.
 
After Furman went three-and-out and punted, Devin Mathews caught a first down pass. On a run, the Paladins forced a fumble and they recovered at the 42-yard line. They gained one first down and added a 44-yard field goal for a 6-3 lead at the 8:55 mark of the second quarter. With the ball back, the Terriers had a first down catch by Devin Mathews and then the Terriers had a fourth-and-one and Ryan Ingram ran up the middle and was not caught for a 52-yard touchdown. Wofford had a 10-6 lead at 5:09 in the second quarter. Furman gained two first downs on Wofford penalties and then had a 38-yard run to move inside the 20-yard line. The 32-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright and Wofford took over with 45 seconds remaining. After running one play, the clock expired with the Terriers leading 10-6.
 
To open the second half, Furman had two first downs and then had a fourth-and-one. The snap was fumbled and Maximus Pulley picked it up and went 64 yards for the touchdown and a 16-6 lead after the extra point was missed with 10:46 on the clock. Furman went three-and-out and punted, with the Terriers taking over at midfield. The teams then traded three-and-outs, with Wofford getting the ball at midfield with 6:53 left in the third quarter. On fourth-and-one, Ryan Ingram gained two yards for the first down, but the drive stalled and Wofford punted. With the ball back, Furman had a first down and then a pass was tipped by John Boyles and intercepted by David Powers at the 27-yard line. The Terriers added a 42-yard field goal by Bridger Jones for a 19-6 lead with 55 seconds left in the third quarter.
 
With the ball back, Furman gained three first downs and then faced a fourth-and-eight. A pass interference call gave the Paladins a first down inside the 20-yard line. Mylon Hicks had an eleven-yard touchdown run to make it a 19-13 game with 12:07 left in the fourth quarter. Ryan Ingram had a first down run to go over 100-yard rushing in the game and Jordan Davis had a first down catch to move into Paladin territory. The Paladins had their second strip sack of the game and recovered the ball, but went three-and-out and punted after a sack by Nick Morgan. Wofford took over at the five-yard line with 5:27 left in the game. The Terriers gained one first down before having to punt and the Paladins had the ball at midfield with 1:37 remaining. Furman threw four straight incomplete passes to turn the ball over on downs, with the Terriers taking a knee three times for the victory.
 
Wofford had 184 total yards, with 136 rushing yards. Furman had 188 total yards, with 115 of those rushing yards. Wofford had 11 first downs to 15 for the Paladins. Wofford was 3-of-14 on third down and 2-of-2 on fourth down. Furman was 3-of-15 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down. Furman was called for just two penalties, while Wofford was called for seven. The Terriers had a 32:10 to 27:50 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. Furman Post-Game Notes
This was the 97^th meeting between the two teams, dating back to the first game in the state of South Carolina in 1889. Furman leads the series 56-34-7.
 
Wofford has played a team ranked #2 in the nation six times and are 2-4 in those games after the win. The other win over a #2 team was November 24, 2007 at Montana in the FCS Playoffs. That same season Wofford had a 42-31 win over #1 Appalachian State.
 
Ryan Ingram had 111 rushing yards, his third straight with 100+ rushing yards (Western Carolina and The Citadel). He now has 1,347 rushing yards for his career.
 
Freshman Amari Odom started hist first game for the Terriers and was 9-of-18 passing.
 
The dominate defense included nine tackles for loss, including two by David Powers, an interception by Powers and a fumble recovery for a touchdown by Maximus Pulley. Eli Purcell and Powers tied for the team high with six tackles.
 
The Furman game marked the final regular season home contest for 22 Wofford seniors. The group includes two fifth year seniors: Tayvian Gass and Devin Mathews. There are also 20 true seniors. They are: Trey Baker, Wyatt Bartkowiak, John Boyles, Bryce Corriston, John Michael DiRoberto, Dillon Droze, Anthony Garcia, Alec Holt, Briggs Kearse, Jacob Kimbrell, David Legette, Harrison Morgan, David Powers, Atkins Roberts, Chuck Smith, Jason Swann, C.J. Tillman, Garrett Vernon, Isaiah Wadsworth, and Cameron Woolery.
 
Game captains were Ryan Ingram, Anthony Garcia, David Powers and C.J. Tillman.       
 
Attendance at Gibbs Stadium was 3,722.