ORANGEBURG, SC—Junior running back Jalen “Scoot” Simmons had a game-high 19 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown to lead South Carolina State to a 17-7 victory over No. 21 Furman Saturday at Oliver. C. Dawson Stadium.
The Bulldogs snapped a two loss game losing streak to improve to 2-2 on the season, Furman suffers their second defeat to fall to 2-2.
“This was a very good win for us and I am really happy for my guys and the way they performed tonight,” said SC State head coach Buddy Pough. “I thought overall the defense played well and I have to give Furman credit they didn’t make it easy.”
Redshirt senior quarterback TeDarrius Wiley had a solid night starting in replace for injured Adrian Kollock, Jr. Wiley finished 8-of-17 passing for 92 yards and touchdown. Junior running back Dondre Lewis-Freeman also finished with 13 rushes for 70 yards.
The Bulldog offense finished with 232 total rushing yards, while the defense limited the Paladin offense to 61 yards rushing.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Darius Leonard spearheaded the defense with eight tackles, 2.5 tackles of loss, one sack and a forced fumble for a recovery in the win. Senior Justin Hughes added 6.5 tackles, while junior defensive lineman Javon Hargrave finished with five.
The Bulldogs scored first on a 25-yard pass from Wiley to freshman wide receiver Mykal Moody to put SC State ahead 7-0 with 3:38 remaining in the first quarter. Freshman Tyler Scandrett connected on a 22-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 10-0 advantage at the 11:53 mark in the second quarter.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Dillon Woodruff gave the Paladins their only score of the game on a 36-yard toss to Logan McCarter with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter. Woodruff finished 17-of-31-1 for 200 yards and one touchdown.
Senior wide receiver Austin Smith’s 53-yard punt return with 3:09 remaining in regulation set up the go ahead score by Simmons on a 3-yard punch to give SC State a 17-7 victory over Furman.
Courtesy: scsuathletics.com
