Missoula, Mont. – Furman quarterback Tyler Huff returned to the Paladin lineup after two weeks off with a shoulder injury and did about as much as could be asked with a 53 yard scoring run and a fourth down touchdown pass with a defensive lineman in his face, but Furman came up just short in overtime to No. 2 seed Montana 35-28 in the FCS Playoff Quarterfinals in Washington Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Montana on Friday.

The Grizzlies (12-1) advance to the semifinal round next weekend and will face the winner of Saturday's North Dakota State at South Dakota match-up. Southern Conference champion Furman finishes its season with a 10-3 record.

Huff passed for 188 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 71 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown dash in the first quarter.

Down 20-14 at the half, Furman had grabbed the lead late in the third quarter. Furman defensive back Micah Robinson picked off a Montana pass and raced 34 yards to the Montana 19 before Dominic Roberto cashed in the turnover with a one-yard plunge three plays later to give the Paladins a 21-20 advantage.

After being stopped on its next two possessions late in the fourth quarter, Furman got the ball back at its own 43-yard line with 1:37 left and no timeouts. Four pass completions by Huff and a pass interference call helped the Paladins march to the Montana 19, but Furman faced fourth-and-10 with 19 seconds remaining. With a blitzing linebacker in his face Huff floated a pass towards the back of the endzone and tight end Mason Pline leaped to secure the touchdown catch with 13 seconds on the clock. Following a five-yard penalty against the Paladins who were set to attempt a two-point conversion, Ian Williams booted through the extra point to force overtime.

In the overtime, on a second-and-11 play from Furman's 13 yard line, Montana quarterback Clifton McDowell fired a pass into a tight window to hit White with the go-ahead score down the left seam on the first possession of overtime. After stuffing the Paladins for a loss of five on the opening play of Furman's drive, Montana forced back-to-back incompletions before quarterback Tyler Huff's fourth down throw to Kyndel Dean along the right sideline fell incomplete to end the game.

The Grizzlies (12-1) advance to the semifinal round next weekend and will face the winner of Saturday's North Dakota State at South Dakota match-up. Southern Conference champion Furman finishes its season with a 10-3 record.