MISSOULA, Mont. — For the 16th year in a row, the Southern Conference will fall short of winning a national title in the Football Championship Subdivision.
But with the SoCon down to one representative in the quarterfinals — after starting the playoffs with three members in the 24-team bracket — No. 7 seed Furman made sure the league didn’t go down without a fight.
And while the Paladins may not have been able to extend their postseason run for another week, they did take their final game of 2023 beyond regulation.
Furman scored in the final minute of the fourth quarter Friday night at Washington-Grizzly Stadium to force overtime against No. 2 seed Montana, but the Grizzlies won 35-28 when Clifton McDowell threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Keelan White and their defense shut down the Paladins on the final possession.
“What a game. Congrats to Furman,” Montana coach Bobby Hauck said in a postgame report on the program’s website. “What a wonderful battle they put up tonight to get that to overtime on the last play. Our defense was nails in the second half. After the first quarter, they were really something. I was proud of them.”