The Paladin football squad made the lengthy trip to the Lone Star State this past Saturday after defeating Elon in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. Just about twenty minutes from China Grove, Texas, the #7 Incarnate Word Cardinals played host to the Dins in a matchup to be remembered.
The Dins came off a 31-6 rout of the Elon Phoenix on Nov. 26 that saw Furman QB Tyler Huff light up the box score with over 100 yards through the air and nearly the same using his legs. TE Ryan Miller also continued his trend of touchdown receptions to lift the Dins to an insurmountable lead late in the second half.
The Dins would continue this defensive dominance against UIW a week later, starting early with a Cally Chizik pick-six after an errant Lindsey Scott Jr. throw. At UIW, you could argue that “every day there’s a new thing coming,” as QB Scott Jr. followed up his mistake with an improbable never-before-seen leaning touchdown pass to even the score at seven early in the game.
Both teams would trade blows for most of the game. Midway through the third quarter, it looked like UIW was just a defensive stand and a touchdown away from icing the game at 31-17. Throughout the game, the Cardinals were able to lock up TE Miller and isolate RB Dominic Roberto, preventing the Dins from executing a sneaky touchdown here and there. However, QB Huff would take over with a quick TD run to bring the game within one score.
After a quick UIW field goal early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to ten, QB Huff responded with an absolute dime to WR Joshua Harris for a touchdown, bringing the lead down to three once more. A quick defensive stand by the Dins setup Huff with excellent field position, allowing him to march the offense down the field for a touchdown to regain the lead.
UIW received the kickoff and looked primed to score. However, a few miscues led them to turn over the ball on downs. All the Dins needed were a few first downs to send them off to the third round of the FCS playoffs. However, the Dins were pinned deep in their endzone due to some unfortunate penalties, some 30 yards from a first down. Punter Ryan Leavy sent away a scorching 50-yard punt, but with the hot UIW offense and a bad defensive read, the Cardinals scored with less than two minutes to go.
Every team wants to win the game in regulation, and the Dins hoped to do just that. Head Coach Clay Hendrix believed in his players. With three timeouts and an elite QB taking the field, a possible game-tying field goal would salvage the incredible offensive performance. Hoping to at least line up an easy field goal for Lepvreau, Huff tossed a pass to TE Miller on first and ten, which was intercepted. Some long runs by UIW would put the game on ice and send the Dins packing in a gut-wrenching loss.
An analytical “keyboard warrior” would have significantly criticized the play calling on that particular drive. It made some Dins fans stunned and puzzled as to why not to have thrown some check-downs into the flat to Miller or Harris rather than a 50-50 ball when you have 1:20 on the clock with three timeouts left; however, I disagree.
You have to trust your players and receivers as a coach and quarterback. Harris was locked up in the flat, and the other receivers were covered in what would have been a hazardous throw with pass-rushers coming at full speed. Huff showed he trusted his teammates and Miller and threw up a pass, hoping the elite TE would come down with the catch to line up a short score. However, the pass was slightly underthrown—an unfortunate twist of fate. This aggressive play call showed a healthy culture in the program: the coaches’ belief in the players to put the game in their hands rather than some computer telling them to do otherwise.
The Furman players and fanbase were heartbroken at this ordeal with a win just within grasp. The Dins, “looking to the east” as they returned to Greenville, were frustrated and defeated. That game was the last for many players such as Huff, Blackshear, and Miller in a season where they and other seniors proved their worth to the squad with an impressive 10-3 season.
After losing to Samford, the Dins shot off nearly eight straight wins, a statistic that any SoCon school would love to have had. All Dins fans should be thankful to have had this great of a season, which many “experts” expected us not to have. The team easily defied all odds and had an outstanding season. Next year, we can all hope that Hendrix can make a splash in the transfer portal as he did with Huff. Even then, if that were not to happen, the Dins would still have an arsenal of elite players. However, the coaching staff can hope to fill the gaps with the next man on the depth chart or an incoming recruit. Go Dins!
