Georgia Southern vs. Furman: Late 2-point conversion causes controversy

Aside from the furious pep talk Jeff Monken gave his players to help motivate them to climb out of a halftime deficit Saturday against Furman, he also made a controversial call at the end of the game that caused an extended conversation between the two head coaches following the game.

Running back Domonique Swope ran in a touchdown for the Eagles to give them a convincing 36-17 lead with just 20 seconds left to play. Then, Swope ran in a two-point conversion to solidify the three-touchdown victory, arguably a move that was totally uncalled for.

Monken gave the excuse of the Eagles having their tails whipped in the beginning of the game and that he was just coaching them to the very end. Whether or not a 19-point lead with 20 seconds left could be considered "the end" is debatable. Either way, Monken said it wasn't his intention to be disrespectful to Furman head coach Bruce Fowler, or the rivalry between the two programs.

"I would never try to put a black mark on this rivalry by trying to run up the score on them or anybody," said Monken. "But, you know, we had a tough, hard-fought football game. They were beating the pants off us in the first half, and we went in that locker room and I said, ‘They've got a good football team, and if we don't get it going, they're going to beat our butts.' We've got a lot of season left. Our guys need to have things that help the momentum and help their confidence, and I'm going to coach them all the way to the end as hard as I can."