Samford 24, Furman 21

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Cameron Yaw 's 27-yard field goal with 37 seconds left helped lead Samford past Furman 24-21 Saturday in the season opener for both teams. Andy Sumerlin was 23 of 37 for 216 passing yards with three scores to lead the Bulldogs. Sumerlin connected on first half touchdown passes of 5 yards and 38 yards to Kelsey Hope and Riley Hawkins , respectively, to help Samford go into halftime tied at 14. Fabian Truss , named 2011 All-SoCon as both a running back and kick returner, led the Bulldogs in rushing with 102 yards on 19 carries. Furman running back Jerodis Williams rushed for 102 yards, making him the 11th player in Paladins history to rush for 2,000 career yards. Williams' 17-yard touchdown run tied the game with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. Both teams remained scoreless for much of the fourth quarter before Yaw's late field goal sealed it for Samford.