September 20, 2003
LATE TOUCHDOWNS LIFT FURMAN PAST RICHMOND, 31-17
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Fullback Al Means scored two fourth quarter touchdowns, including a 47-yard scoring run with 1:20 left in the game, to lift NCAA I-AA nationally ninth-ranked Furman to a 31-17 win over Richmond in front of 12,452 fans at Paladin Stadium Saturday evening.
Means, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., snapped a 17-17 deadlock on a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 4:40 left in the game and broke a pair of tackles on the 47-yard run, the longest of his career, to seal the contest. His second score came after Furman stopped Richmond on downs at the Spiders 49 with 2:18 remaining in the game.
The game was the first between Furman (2-1) and Richmond (0-2) in Greenville since 1976, when the Spiders were then a member of the Southern Conference.
“It certainly took a long time before we got this one in the barn,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “Richmond battled us all the way, but we were very inconsistent offensively until our final two possessions. I thought our defense played well after the first series when they ran it down our throats. We got after them pretty good after that.”
"We really didn’t seem to stop them when we needed to,” said Richmond head coach Jim Reid. “I thought we played hard but weren’t physical enough. This was more of a physical game.”
Furman outgained Richmond 383-278 and totaled 244 yards on the ground behind senior tailback Hindley Brigham’s 20-carry, 110-yard performance. Means finished the game with 74 yards on 10 carries. Paladin placekicker Danny Marshall, meanwhile, contributed seven points and, in the process, become Furman’s all-time kick scoring leader with 251 points.
Furman opened the game with a little deception, recovering its own onside kick at the Richmond 48 and advancing the ball to the Spider 15, where Marshall booted a 32-yard field goal to give the Paladins a 3-0 lead.
Richmond came right back with an impressive 15-play, 84-yard drive that included a critical 29-yard leaping reception by Stacy Tutt at the Furman 17. Four plays later Kenny Dantzler scored on a 6-yard run to give the Spiders a 7-3 lead at the 4:29 mark of the first half.
A 21-yard punt return by Justin Stepp to the Richmond 36 set up Furman’s next score. Two plays into the second quarter Paladins quarterback Bo Moore connected with Brian Bratton for a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-7.
After stopping the Spiders on a fourth-and-nine play at the Furman 35, the Paladins put together an 11-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by Brigham for a 17-7 lead with 3:35 remaining in the half.
Richmond used an interception and 11-yard return by linebacker Kyle Kupchak to the UR 44 to set up the final score of the first half. After three plays netted only four yards, the Spiders got a break when Furman was flagged for roughing the kicker, giving Richmond a first down at the Paladins 44. Four plays later Joseph Fore drilled a 47-yard field goal on the final play of the half to make it 17-10.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Spiders knotted the game at 17-17 when Richmond quarterback and University of Virginia transfer Bryson Spinner hit David Edwards on a 4-yard scoring strike at the 7:41 mark, capping a 13-play, 68-yard drive.
Furman, however, answered by covering 66 yards in six plays, helped along by a 21-yard run by Moore and a 32-yard pass from Moore to tight end John Rust to the Richmond 1, setting up Means’ go-ahead score.
The Paladins got a game high 14 tackles each from linebackers Mike Killian and William Freeman. The Spiders were paced by linebacker Lance Gray’s 13 stops.
Furman returns to action next Saturday when it entertains Gardner-Webb in a 2:00 p.m. game.