Abrams, Furman run past Chattanooga 35-20

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Furman RB somehow emerges from pile to score TD

Furman RB Devin Abrams looks to be bottled up, but escapes the pile and puts the cherry on top for the Paladins with a 31-yard score.

Nov 2, 2019, 10:08 pm

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Freshman Devin Abrams rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns and Furman pulled away in the second half to defeat Chattanooga 35-20 on Saturday.

It was all Chattanooga early. The Mocs used Victor Ulmo's 23-yard field goal to grab a 3-0 lead after one quarter. Nick Tiano scored on a 3-yard run with 12:27 left in the second quarter, but Ulmo missed the point-after kick, leaving Chattanooga with a 9-0 lead.

Furman (6-3, 5-1 Southern Conference) bounced back with two touchdowns over a 2:03 span. Abrams bulled his way into the end zone from 1 yard out, capping a 10-play, 58-yard drive. Hamp Simpson then put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive for the Paladins. The freshman quarterback completed 4 of 7 passes on the drive and used his legs to cover the final 28 yards, scoring on an 8-yard run for a 14-9 lead. Chattanooga (4-5, 3-2) pulled within 14-12 at the half on Ulmo's 32-yard field goal.

Sisson's 32-yard scoring strike to Ryan Miller was the only score of the third quarter, giving Furman a 21-12 lead.

Abrams' 1-yard TD run pushed Furman's advantage to 28-12, but Tiano answered with a 4-yard scoring toss to Chris James and a 2-point conversion pass to James to get the Mocs within 28-20 with 6:02 remaining.

Furman ran all but 6 seconds off the clock on its final possession. The Paladins kept the drive alive on a fourth-and-1 run by Abrams on their own 37-yard line and ended matters when Abrams ran 31 yards for a TD on fourth-and-2.

Ailym Ford ran for 179 yards on 21 carries for Chattanooga.