Carter Brown booted two 52-yard field goals in the fourth quarter, and the Tennessee Tech defense stopped Furman on downs in the final minutes on a sack by Hudson Tucker, giving the Golden Eagles a 20-15 win Saturday afternoon at Tucker Stadium.
Brown's second 52-yarder came with 2:50 to play and put Tech back in front after Furman had pulled within 17-15. The Golden Eagles then forced a turnover on downs on the sack by Tucker at their own 36-yard line and kneeled out the clock.
Head Coach Bobby Wilder also earned his 100th career victory with the win over Furman. Notching 77 wins at Old Dominion, Wilder now has 23 victories since taking charge of the Golden Eagles.
Jax Leatherwood completed 24 of 36 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown without an interception, including a perfect 8-for-8 start through the opening quarter. Tre' Holloway caught five passes for 34 yards and the game's first touchdown. Gabe Nunez led all receivers with five catches for 60 yards, and Aidan Littles added five catches for 32 yards. Eric Weatherly had a 47-yard reception in the first quarter, the longest play of the day for either offense.
M.J. Flowers carried 15 times for 70 yards and a touchdown, including a 31-yard run that set up Brown's game-clinching kick. The Golden Eagles finished with 73 net rushing yards and 212 passing yards for 285 total.
The defense held Furman to 67 net rushing yards on 33 carries, an average of 2.0 yards per rush. Tech finished with nine tackles for loss and two sacks.
Ameer Johnson had a 10-yard sack in the third quarter, and
Hudson Tucker ended the game with a 7-yard sack on fourth-and-15.
Omari Philyaw led the Golden Eagles with eight tackles and a tackle for loss, and
Jamarr Jones had two tackles for loss.
Chase Lanham averaged 49.8 yards on four punts, with a long of 57.
Tennessee Tech improved to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in Southern Conference play. Furman fell to 2-5 and 1-2.
How It Happened
Tennessee Tech took the game's opening possession after a Furman punt and put together a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 8:45. Leatherwood capped it with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Holloway with 2:58 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
Leatherwood lost a fumble on the first play of the second quarter, and Furman turned it into a 31-yard Nathan Chapman field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. The Golden Eagles answered with another 13-play drive, this one covering 85 yards. Nunez's 31-yard catch down to the Furman 1-yard line was upheld on a replay challenge, and Flowers scored from a yard out with 31 seconds left in the half to make it 14-3.
The second half was a grind in the rain. Tech's first drive of the third quarter ended with a punt that was blocked and recovered for what was first ruled a Furman touchdown. Replay overturned the call, and Furman was awarded a safety to make it 14-5. Chapman added a 53-yard field goal late in the third to pull Furman within 14-8.
Brown made it 17-8 with a 52-yard field goal early in the fourth, but Furman cut it to 17-15 on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Connor Ackerley to Luke Shields with 6:48 to play. Tech's next possession included a 37-yard Flowers run that reached the end zone but was nullified by a holding penalty. The Golden Eagles settled for Brown's second 52-yard field goal with 2:50 remaining.
Furman got the ball back at its own 25 and drove to the Tennessee Tech 29, but Tucker sacked Ackerley on fourth-and-15 to turn the ball over on downs with 1:04 left.
Game Notes
» Brown made both of his field goal tries, each from 52 yards, and both in the fourth quarter. He also kicked both extra points.
» Tennessee Tech never trailed and led 14-3 at halftime.
» The Golden Eagles scored on 13-play drives of 75 and 85 yards in the first half, using more than 14 minutes of game clock on the two drives.
» Leatherwood did not throw an interception.
» Tech held Furman to 6-of-17 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down. Furman's only offensive touchdown came on the 23-yard pass in the fourth quarter.
» Tennessee Tech won the possession battle, 30:48 to 29:12.
What's Next?
Tennessee Tech returns to Tucker Stadium on October 17 to host Eastern Kentucky.
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