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View Full Version : WCU-FU recap from ACT, Wagner not satisfied



catamount man
October 12th, 2008, 10:09 AM
Furman holds off WCU

Tyler Norris Goode • [email protected] • published October 12, 2008 12:15 am


A homegrown quarterback gave Western Carolina a surge of energy and some sorely needed touchdowns Saturday afternoon at Furman.


Redshirt freshman Zack Jaynes – a Pisgah High graduate - racked up 338 all-purpose yards and had a hand in each of the Catamounts' three touchdowns during his first college start. But No. 20 Furman kept WCU from scoring on its final drive and earned a 28-21 victory in front of 10,078 fans.

The Catamounts have now lost 18 consecutive SoCon games, which ties Marshall (1977-79) for third all-time.

Moments after Jaynes' last-minute and potentially game-tying pass to Andrew Rogers fell incomplete in Furman's end zone, WCU coach Dennis Wagner made clear his sentiments that the close call wasn't good enough.

“I'd be a fool to sit here and say it's O.K.,” Wagner said. “We played good at times, but we had opportunities to win this game like we have in some other situations. But until our team learns to close the window, I'm not going to be satisfied.

“We keep showing ourselves that we're capable of playing with Top 25 teams: Liberty and now Furman, but we haven't won,” Wagner said. “Nobody's going to remember the score two months from now. It's all about winning and losing. I told them they did some things better today. But we worked too hard during the week to have that happen.”

The Paladins (5-2, 2-1) scored the first 21 points of the game and out-gained the Catamounts, 148-24, in the first 15 minutes.

But just when blowout looked inevitable, WCU (2-5, 0-3) assembled its most impressive first-half drive of the SoCon season. Late in the second quarter, Jaynes hit Andrerius Thomas from 13 yards out to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive.

Jaynes also led the Cats on scoring drives of 75 and 71 yards. However, three other opportunities inside Furman's 30 yielded no points.

“Everybody came out well prepared and gave everything they had,” said Jaynes, who completed 33-of-48 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns. He also scrambled for 36 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown run that pulled WCU within seven points early in the fourth quarter.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Jaynes said. “A few times, we drove it but couldn't put it in the end zone. But hats off to Furman. They're a great football team, and they came out did what they needed to win.”

After forcing a three-and-out late in the fourth quarter, WCU took over at its own 26 with 5:24 remaining, Jaynes marched the Cats down to Furman's 18 in 10 plays. But the drive began to stall after Jaynes was sacked for the first time, and Rogers was well-covered on the fourth-down incompletion that gave Furman possession with 24 seconds remaining.

“My hat's off to Western,” Furman coach Bobby Lamb said. “They have a nice scheme. Their kids are playing hard, and they had a very good three-step passing game where No. 1, we couldn't get to the passer until late.”

KEEP FIGHTING YOU CATAMOUNTS!!! xthumbsupx