Abrams, Furman run past Chattanooga 35-20

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — 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.

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