Furman Football

Furman defensive tackle Bryce Stanfield died Friday afternoon, two days after he "collapsed unexpectedly at a morning workout," university president Elizabeth Davis said in a letter to the Furman community. He was 21.

Stanfield died "surrounded by his family and his Furman family" after he was taken to a local hospital and put on life support following his collapse, Davis said.

"We are heartbroken beyond measure with Bryce's sudden passing and ask that everyone, first and foremost, lift up his parents, Fred and Teri Stanfield and their family, in prayer on this day and in the days ahead," Clay Hendrix, coach of the Furman football team, said in a statement.

Stanfield contributed 2.5 sacks to a team total of 38, which ranked as the second-most sacks in Furman program history. The Paladins went on to win a Southern Conference championship and make it to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.

He played 35 games for the Paladins over three seasons, amassing 49 career tackles and seven sacks.

Stanfield was named alongside eight other team members to the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, as well as the Southern Conference Fall Academic Team. He had hoped to pursue dental school after graduation, Davis said.

Furman conferred Stanfield his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, in a "small private ceremony" Friday morning, according to Davis.

Davis added that the school is providing counseling and support for other members of the Furman football team.

GREENVILLE, S.C.--When Furman takes the field on Saturday against No.5 Wofford, it won't be a team that rests on the laurels of the late 1990's and the early 2000's. 

A decade ago, Furman ended Wofford's playoff and SoCon title hopes with a 23-21 win in Spartanburg against a Terrier team that was ranked in the Top 10 for the first time in its Division I history, as the Terriers were ranked at No. 10 heading into that contest. It was unfamiliar territory for Ayers' suddenly successful pups.

A win would have handed Wofford its first Southern Conference title since joining the league as an official member in 1997, but Brian Bratton's diving catch in the back of the end zone ended Wofford's hopes of a title and inaugural Division I-AA playoff bid in bitter fashion.

A year later, the Terriers would officially stake their claim as the FCS program in the state, as No. 4 Wofford claimed a 7-6 win over No. 25 Furman to finish the Southern Conference slate unbeaten and claim its first outright league title.

From that point forward, Wofford's success would only grow, and its inclusion in SoCon Title and playoff conversations would go from being awkward to commonplace. In fact, since the end of that 2002 season, the balance of power between the two Palmetto State FCS programs has seen a significant shift, even though Furman would win a SoCon title in 2004 and win 21 games over the next couple of seasons. 

Counting the 2003 title, Wofford has won three Southern Conference titles, owns a 75-37 overall record, a 46-24 league mark and has made five FCS playoff appearances, including two straight and four of the past five seasons. 

Since Bratton's diving catch in the back of the end zone, Furman has won one Southern Conference title, posted a 67-44 overall record, a 44-26 mark against league foes and three playoff appearances, with the last being in 2006. It's clear to see the shift of the balance of power between the two Upstate South Carolina football rivals.

The Paladins and Terriers have met nine times since that rain-soaked afternoon at Gibbs Stadium, with Furman holding a narrow 5-4 advantage on the strength of a 26-21 win over the Terriers in Greenville last season. However, Furman will once again enter the game unranked, and to some, with no chance at picking up a win over its FCS neighbor just down the road. 

One of the things that has made Mike Ayers-coached teams so successful over the years has been toughness, and that is an element that has been brought out more and more in now his 15th year as a head coach in Wofford's Southern Conference era.

His teams have played with a chip on their shoulder, and he coaches the team to take on many of the characteristics of its school mascot, as the Terriers are feisty and bothersome to foes who face them. Ayers sets his players on edge from the beginning, and his mission has to be a team that is about discipline and execution rather than talent.

Many times in the past, Ayers has preached the same message—they don't have the same athletes as these other schools, which is true to some extent, but not entirely accurate. So his players are taught that they are "overlooked" during the recruiting process, and thus have something to prove. That has been nothing short of brilliant over the years, and for the most part, the Terriers have won by "out-executing" their foes rather than winning on talent alone.

In recent years, Furman has taken the field against SoCon foes, most particularly teams like Wofford and The Citadel, and it has rested on its past laurels when facing teams with lesser football traditions. Furman didn't regard those as rivalries, and prior to Fowler's arrival was blinded by its past accomplishments.

Something is different now. Furman has just an 8-8 record under the direction of Fowler in just 1.5 seasons, but now the program plays with an edge, much like those Ayers teams have done and continue to do. It's a realization that "we are no longer who we were, but we want to be where past teams have been." It's a realization that something has changed, and the Paladins play with an anger they didn't have prior to the arrival of Fowler.

While Furman has not has had the success that Wofford has had in the recent past, Fowler is instilling a mentality of his own since taking the helm last season, centered upon two things: "relentlessness" and "controlling what you can control." 

Furman exhibited both of those characteristics in Saturday's 45-24 win over Western Carolina. When All-Southern Conference running back Jerodis Williams fumbled just before reaching the end zone and the Paladins turned over the ball, it was clear something was different.

Williams was angry slamming his fist into the Paladin Stadium turf, visibly disturbed by his miscue that had cost Furman a certain opening score. Williams had to wait for a WCU field goal before he could get his hands on the ball again, and when he did, he sprinted 100 yards angrily in the direction of that same end zone, giving the Paladins a 7-3 lead.

Williams didn't just stop there, scoring another two TDs in the first half, including an 89-yarder, and a run midway through the second quarter that saw him deliver a blow that knocked the helmet off one of the Catamounts showed how Williams dealt with his early mishap. He met it head on in relentless fashion, and he controlled the situation by no letting it define his overall performance of the game. It wasn't going to cost Furman the game, and he made sure of it.

At the end of the day that started with a nightmare for Williams and Furman, Williams had a career-best 239 yard rushing effort, and helped Furman post its most offensive yards (619) and most rushing yards (389) in a single game since the 2003 regular-season finale win at Chattanooga.

In Furman's six losses against FCS foes under Fowler, Furman has lost by double-digits only once, and that was a 50-20 loss at top-ranked Georgia Southern last season. In its other five losses to FCS foes under Fowler, Furman has lost by a combined 24 points, which is a little less than five points per game. 

It's fair to say Furman doesn't have the talent of some of those teams that were last competitive at the top of the league's pecking order for the first seven seasons of the new millennium, however, the Paladins will bring their a collection of young talent to Wofford on Saturday that probably reminds Furman fans of the 1987 Paladins--a team loaded with young talent, yet not quite to the level of enjoying its full potential as of yet. That full potential would come in the form of the school's national title a year later.

No, I am not saying that Furman will win a national title in 2013, but what I am saying is that Furman is a team that becomes dangerous for the league's top teams, such as Wofford and Georgia Southern. Furman is playing loose, and playing like a team that isn't scared of making mistakes, because when they are making them, they have had a short memory, as was the case was Williams and his early miscue last Saturday. 

Furman is playing for this season, and while it acknowledges the tradition of the school's decorated past on the gridiron, it's busy creating the next chapter of that tradition instead of resting on the accomplishments of those who came before. 

WHO: Furman (2-3, 1-1 SoCon) at No. 6 Wofford (4-0, 2-0 SoCon)

WHEN: Oct. 6, 2012, 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: Spartanburg, S.C., Gibbs Stadium (8,250)

Game Preview: Having won two-straight games, Furman heads to Spartanburg to face a Wofford team which is off to its best start as a Division I member and best start to a season since 1991.

Saturday's meeting between the Paladins and Terriers will mark the 86th meeting between the two Upstate South Carolina football rivals, with Furman coming into the contest holding a 51-27-7 all-time series edge. The two schools first met in 1889, with the Terriers taking a 5-1 win in what is the first official game between two colleges in the history of the Palmetto State.

The Paladins and Terriers have met 15 times as Southern Conference rivals, with Furman holding a 10-5 advantage since the Terriers' first official season as a SoCon member in 1997. The Paladins have lost their last two outings at Gibbs Stadium, which includes a 38-17 setback in 2010. In Bruce Fowler's first season at the helm, Furman was able to upset No. 4 Wofford, 26-21, in Greenville. Furman's last win in Spartanburg came back in 2006, as the Paladins were able to pick up an impressive 35-21 win in Spartanburg.

Wofford comes into Saturday afternoon's clash with the Paladins off a record-setting Saturday against Elon last week, as it posted a 49-24 road win over the Phoenix. Furman, meanwhile, was able to notch its seventh-straight win over Western Carolina, with a 45-24 win over the Catamounts.

It's a bit unusual to say, but Wofford has one of the most prolific offenses in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and it rarely puts the football in the air. The Terriers enter Saturday afternoon's contest against the Paladins ranking second in the nation in total offense (549.2 YPG), first in rushing offense (485.2 YPG), second in scoring offense (53.5 PPG), and 120th in passing offense (64.0 YPG).

The Terriers have scored no less than 34 points in any game this season, and have posted an average margin of victory of over 40 points per game through the first four games. Wofford has already scored 214 points through the first four games of the season. The school record for points in a season is 444 set by the 2007 Terriers, meaning the Terriers need just 231 points over the next seven games to set a new school scoring record.

Wofford is one of three teams in the SoCon that utilizes the triple option offense, joining The Citadel and Georgia Southern in that regard. Ayers' Terriers probably offer the most diverse scheme of the three, as Wofford will utilize several different formations on Saturday.

The Terriers will operate out of the shotgun, with wingbacks, which was introduced by offensive coordinator Wade Lang prior to the 2007 season, and the Wofford offense has become much less predictable and much more versatile as a result of Lang's tweak. The Terriers have also added several new wrinkles to the offense since Lang's implementation of the shotgun in '07.

The Terriers, which prior to the '07 season operated primarily out of their base wingbone offense, will now show a little bit of everything. If you are going to the game on Saturday, stop for a moment and appreciate the scheming and the detail that goes into this diverse offense, which is likely one of the most diverse and among the best-executed offenses in the nation. Wofford will show some wishbone, Maryland-I, split-bone, I-Formation and the newest wrinkle, the pistol, which has already produced several big plays this season. Wofford has one of Division I's top offensive coaching staffs.

Leading the Terriers under center this season has been junior Brian Kass (9-of-21 passing, 187 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT/38 rush att, 102 yds, 3 TD, 2.7 YPC ), who is in his first season as a starter after replacing Mitch Allen under center. Kass has shown he has the ability to lead Wofford where it wants to go this season.

In many ways, he's a different quarterback than Allen was, in that he is a much more proficient passer and not quite the runner that his predecessor was.  In last week's win over Elon, Kass' only completion resulted in a Terrier second quarter TD, completing a 16-yard pass to his tight end Michael Harpe.

In past seasons, Wofford's offense has been at its most efficient when being able to play two quarterbacks, and in 2012, freshman Michael Weimer (5-for-7 passing, 51 yds/12 rush att, 149 yds, 2 TDs, 12.4 YPC ) has seen some action this season, which only makes the Terrier offense more diverse. Weimer showed the nation what he could do on two long scoring runs against Western Carolina, as the six-foot-six Terrier signal-caller out-paced the Catamount defensive backfield on both runs, garnering SoCon Freshman of the Week honors as a result.

When talking about Wofford's offense, however, only one name needs to be mentioned, and that is fullback Eric Breitenstein (72 rush att, 735 yds, 9 TDs, 10.2 YPC). Breitenstein is an absolute specimen and beast of a running back, with a the perfect blend of speed, power, vision, power and intelligence. He is coming off a truly remarkable game against Elon, on what was a record-breaking offensive performance in the 49-24 win over Elon.

The Valle Crucis, N.C. product set a new Southern Conference rushing record,  amassing 321 yards and a couple of TDs on 27 rush attempts, shattering the previous regular-season mark of 301 rushing yards in a regular-season game established by former Furman Paladin and 2000 Walter Payton Award winner Louis Ivory on Nov. 1, 2000 in a 45-10 win over Georgia Southern.

Breitenstein's 321 rush yards rank as the second-most rushing yards in a game Southern Conference history, with only former Georgia Southern running back and 1999 Walter Payton Award winner Adrian Peterson's 333-yard performance in a playoff win over UMass sitting above Breitenstein's amazing afternoon this past Saturday. His 321-yard performance was also more than former Appalachian State quarterback and two-time Walter Payton Award winner Armanti Edwards' rushing total of 313 yards in the FCS Semifinals against Richmond in 2007.

Breitenstein's astounding 183.3 YPG rushing average leads the nation. He currently ranks as the NCAA leader in active career rushing yards, posting 4,430 career rushing yards on 694 attempts. That career yardage total ranks him second in school history behind only quarterback Shawn Graves (1989-92), who rushed for 5,128 yards, and ranks seventh in Southern Conference history.

With 131 yards rushing against the Paladins on Saturday, Breitenstein could surpass former Marshall great Chris Parker (1991-95) for sixth on the league's elite rushing scroll. His 55-career rushing scores ranks him sixth on the SoCon's all-time ledger.

Breitenstein has had some big outings against the Paladins in the past, especially in the past two meetings, rushing for 359 yards and six TDs on 53 rush  attempts. The last time the Paladins visited Gibbs Stadium two years ago, Breitenstein had a performance that catapulted him to Walter Payton Award candidate status with 230 yards and four TDs on 29 rush attempts in a 38-17 win. In the past two meetings with Furman, Breitenstein is averaging 244 yards rushing per game and three TDs, averaging almost a first down per attempt.

Teaming with Breitenstein in the Terrier backfield on Saturday against the Paladins will be Donovan Johnson (21 rush att, 245 yards, 2 TDs, 11.7 YPC). Johnson also a nice change up at running back, with good speed and power on the edge at one of the two wing positions. Johnson is a game-breaker. Though he doesn't have many receptions this season, he has proven he can catch the ball coming out of the Terrier backfield, with a 37-yard scoring catch this season.

Rounding out the starters in the Wofford backfield heading into Saturday's Upstate clash will be senior Brad Nocek (6 rush att, 56 yds, 9.3 YPC). Nocek hasn't seen all that many rushing attempts so far this season, but he provides and excellent perimeter blocking in his halfback role in the Terrier offense. Nocek also has one reception for five yards this season.

Though not used as primary offensive options in the Wofford offense, the Terriers have dangerous aerial threats, in tight end Michael Harpe (3 rec, 62 yds, 3 TDs, 20.7 YPR) and wide receiver Jeff Ashley (4 rec, 55 yds, 1 TD, 13.8 YPR), who has excellent speed and is the Terriers' top deep threat. Ashley is a excellent blocking presence on the edge as well. Harpe leads the team with three TD catches this season,  including hauling in a 16-yard scoring catch last week in Wofford's 25-point win at Elon.

Wofford arguably has the top offensive line in the country, year-in and year-out, and this season appears to be no different. Four starters returned for the 2012 season, with the only loss being Jacob's Blocking Award winner Nate Page. Anchoring the front this season have been junior center Jared Singleton, junior left guard Tymeco Gregory and senior left tackle Calvin Cantrell. Singleton and Gregory pace the Terriers in knockdown blocks this season, boasting 59 and 56 pancakes, respectively. This trio have helped comprise a quintet that is aiding the Terrier offense in averaging 8.1 yards per rush and 8.0 yards per play.

Furman has struggled at times defensively through the first five games this season, but the unit looked like it was turning the corner last week. The 24 points scored by the Catamounts came against mostly backups in the fourth quarter, as the Furman first-stringers held Western to 10 points through the first three quarters of the game.

Coming into Saturday afternoon's contest, the Paladins come to Gibbs Stadium ranking 80th nationally in total defense (400.2 YPG), 81st in scoring defense (31.7 PPG), 37th in rush defense (134.6 YPG) and 108th in passing defense (265.6 YPG).

The good news for the Paladins heading into this weekend's matchup is that their weakness this season has been against the pass, which is something that will be a threat on Saturday, but not as much as it will be against the majority of Furman's 2012 schedule.

Another positive the Paladins can take into Saturday's matchup is they have been decent against the run this season, and though the Paladins will face the best offensive line they have seen all season on Saturday, this might be the best defensive line the Paladins have taken into matchup against the stout Terrier offensive front since the 2006 matchup.

The Paladins bring their best defensive line to Spartanburg since the 2006 season, and it is certainly the strength of the Furman defense heading into the matchup. Defensive ends Josh Lynn (21 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) and Shawn Boone (13 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 3 QBHs, 1 FF, 1 FR) are among the best in the Southern Conference, and both have gotten off to strong starts to the 2012 campaign. Boone has proven to be the top pass-rushing threat on the young season.

Lynn, a preaseason First-Team All-SoCon selection, comes into Saturday's contest having posted 24.5 TFL and 8.0 sacks for his career. In last season's 26-21 win over the Terriers, Lynn had a solid performance, posting four tackles, 2.0 TFL and a sack.

Set to occupy the two defensive tackle positions for the Paladins on Saturday afternoon will be Neal Rogers (17 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) and Colton Keig (17 tackles, 1.0 TFL), who will be challenged as much Saturday as they will all season in the middle of that Furman defense, lining up against Wofford's strength, which is its interior offensive line.

Furman continues to get strong play out of its linebackers so far this season, and have two of the SoCon's tackle leaders slated to line up in the starting lineup on Saturday, with Matt Solomon (44 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 3 PBUs) slated to start at middle linebacker and Gary Wilkins (46 tackles, 1.5 TFL) at the weakside linebacker position. Solomon comes in ranking tied for ninth in the league in tackles, while Wilkins comes into the matchup against the Terriers ranking sixth overall in the league in total tackles.

The leader of the Furman linebacking corps coming into Saturday afternoon's clash is without question Mitch McGrath (33 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 INTs), who was a preseason Second-Team All-SoCon selection, is best described as a "playmaker" on the defensive side of the football for the Paladins. In the 26-21 win over the Terriers for Furman last season, McGrath was tied for the team lead with 13 tackles and also recorded a tackle-for-loss in that contest.  McGrath will start at the strongside linebacker position on Saturday against the Terriers.

The secondary has seen its share of struggles through the first five games of the 2012 season, but the unit is gaining experience as the season has progressed. The strength of the Furman secondary this season has been the play of its safeties, as both free safety Nathan Wade (41 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) and strong safety Greg Worthy (32 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU) were preseason All-SoCon selections, with Wade being a second-team selection and Worthy being a first-season selection.

Both Wade and Worthy are experienced safeties, and that could be a big key this Saturday, as both will be called on with more responsibilities facing a wingbone/triple option team on Saturday. Both Wade and Worthy were impressive in last season's win over the Terriers, as both Wade recorded 11 tackles, while Worthy added 10 tackles, a TFL and an INT. Wade recorded his first interception of the season late in the win over Western Carolina.

The problems have come at cornerback early on this season, but Furman appeared to have righted the ship last week, and one of the reasons for the stability at the position in the past couple of games has been true freshman Reggie Thomas  (14 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU).

Plain and simple, Thomas is a physical player, delivering a vicious hit to break up a pass against Western Carolina's Deja Alexander last week on a pass floated to the sidelines by WCU quarterback Eddie Sullivan. It was clear the freshman had been waiting on that type of moment and he delivered a bone-shattering, legal hit on Alexander.

Thomas is a player that has a chance to follow in the footsteps predecessor Ryan Steed, as he has that type of talent potential. His responsibilities this week will change, as he will have to fight off blocks and get to the edge to provide support against quick pitches, sweeps and options. It should be the type game that Thomas, with his physical nature, should like to be involved in.

Thomas will be joined at cornerback by senior Cortez Johnson (16 tackles, 2 PBUs), who is in his first season as a full-time starter at cornerback for the Paladins. Johnson is one of the fastest players on the Furman roster and has played well the past couple of games. Johnson, like his teammate Thomas on the other side, is a physical player and isn't scared to come up and make the hit. He, like Thomas, will be tested on the edge Saturday more than he has all season, because the cornerbacks and safeties perhaps play the largest roles in stopping an offense like Wofford's.

Another player that will likely be a factor for the Paladins on Saturday is reserve strong safety Marcus McMorris (15 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 1 TD), who recorded his second-career interception in last week's win over the Catamounts, returning the ball 52 yards for a score and has seen his role increase as a reserve in the secondary recently.

The Wofford defense might have been overshadowed by the performance of the Terrier offense this season, but it has proven to be among the staunchest units in the nation through the first four games of the 2012 season.

Coming into Saturday afternoon's contest against the Paladins, the Terriers bring a defense in the contest that ranks 22nd in the nation in total defense (314.2 YPG), third in scoring defense (12.7 PPG), 106th in pass defense (265.0 YPG) and first in rushing defense (49.2 YPG).

The Terriers have yet to allow an opponent to rush for 100 yards in any one of their first four games of the season. The Terriers will operate out of a 3-4 defensive alignment on Saturday against the Paladins.

Wofford has been extremely young across the defensive line so far this season, with three new starters along the front.

Two years ago, Furman's offensive line was completely dominated by that Terrier defensive front, while evening things up a little last season, as Furman was able to get the better of the Terrier defensive front.

The Terrier defensive line will play with the same mentality that all Mike Ayers coached teams have played with in the past, and the unit will look to assert its physical dominance from the outset on Saturday.

Wofford's three starting down linemen heading into Saturday's contest will be bookends Tarek Odom (2 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 PBU) and Zach Bobb (7 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 blkd kick), while freshman E.J. Speller (2 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 FR) will start at the nose tackle position.

In past seasons, the position that has been the most important in the Terriers' 3-4 defensive alignment has been the nose tackle position, and Wofford has had some of the very best of the years, with players like Katon Bethay and Nathan Fuqua coming to mind as two of the very best to suit up for the Terriers at the position. Speller appears to be another player ready to follow in the footsteps of those elite predecessors, having played solid through the first four games of his college career for the Terriers.

The strength of the Terrier defense, however, is its linebackers. Leading the unit are preseason All-America and First-Team All-SoCon selection Mike Niam (10 tackles, 1.0 TFL) at one of the inside linebacker positions, while Alvin Scioneaux (15 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 FR, 1 FF) another of the top linebackers in the league, garnering preseason All-SoCon recognition, will start at outside linebacker on Saturday for the Terriers. Niam has been steady throughout his career, despite a knee injury, and he continues to be a veteran leader of the Terrier defense.  Scioneaux is coming off a 2011 season, which saw him as one of the team's top pass-rushers.

Rounding out the starters at linebacker for Wofford heading into Saturday's contest will Mike McCrimon (19 tackles, 1.0 TFL), who will join Niam at inside linebacker, while Scioneaux will be joined by Phillip LeGrande (13 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 4 PBUs, 1 FF) at outside linebacker on Saturday. LeGrande is having a solid season, leading the Terriers in sacks and ranks second on the team in tackles-for-loss. Anthony Carden (20 tackles, 1 PBU), who leads the team in tackles, will see plenty of action on Saturday against the Paladins in a reserve role behind McCrimon.

Like Furman, the Wofford secondary has had some issues to deal with at times this season, but looked solid at times in last week's win over the Phoenix. Anchoring the unit heading into Saturday's matchup between the two rivals are cornerbacks Blake Wylie (18 tackles, 1 INT) and Stephon Shelton (12 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 INTs). The veteran leadership that Shelton and Wylie have helped the Terriers make up for some deficiencies against the pass this season.

Joining Wylie and Shelton in the secondary for the Terriers on Saturday will be safeties James Zotto (15 tackles, 2 PBUs) and Josh Roseborough (9 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 PBU), as the duo are set to start at the free safety and strong safety positions. Both are solid at coming up and making plays against the run, and that has shown this season as the Terriers rank tops in the nation in defending the run. Roseborough leads the Terriers in tackles-for-loss this season.

Furman comes into Saturday's contest against Wofford playing very well offensively as of late, and the Paladins come in ranking 22nd in the nation in total offense (444.4 YPG), 38th in scoring offense (29.8 PPG), 24th in rushing offense (207.2 YPG) and 36th in passing offense (237.2 YPG).

The Paladins, who utilize a spread offense with some pro style elements, will once again rely on freshman sensation Reese Hannon (71-for-111, 973 yds, 6 TDs, 1 INT) under center on Saturday, as the Greer, S.C., native will be making his fourth start for the Paladins on Saturday.

In all four games he has played in this season, Hannon has passed for 200 or more yards in each of those starts. He came in and took over the job after Dakota Derrick went down with a shoulder injury against Coastal Carolina.

Hannon was recently named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List, which is presented by The Sports Network and is given to the nation's top freshman player. Hannon is probably the best true freshman quarterback at Furman since Bobby Lamb in 1982.

In the 45-24 win over Western Carolina last week, Hannon helped power an offense that rolled up 619 yards to total offense, and he helped in that cause by connecting on 13-of-21 passes for 230 yards and a TD.

Hannon has had less pressure on him than most quarterbacks in his position simply as a result of the weapons he has around him. The Paladins have one of the best backfields in the SoCon and the FCS, which they will bring to Spartanburg on Saturday.

Senior Jerodis Williams (95 rush att, 645 yds, 5 TDs, 6.8 YPC/6 rec, 60 yds, 10.0 YPR) and sophomore Hank McCloud (58 rush att, 296 yds, 5 TDs, 5.1 YPC/6 rec, 48 yds, 8.0 YPR) have been able to keep defenses off-balance this season, and this one-two punch at running back is one of the best backfield tandems for the Paladins since the days of Louis Ivory and Hindley Brigham back in 20o1.

Williams and McCloud were simply sensational for the Paladins last week, with both turning in career-best performances running the football for the Paladins, with Williams posting a career-high 239 rushing yards and a pair of rushing scores, while McCloud posted a career-standard 123 yards and a TD on 20 rush attempts.

Williams also added 131 kick return yards, which included a 100-yard return for a score in last weekend's win over the Catamounts.  The duo helped the Paladins to 389 rushing yards last Saturday, which is the most yards gained on the ground by a Furman offense since 2003. The 370 all-purpose yards by Williams set a new school record, and ranks second in Southern Conference history for all-purpose yards in a single game.

Williams ran the ball with authority against the Terrier defense last season, posting 155 yards and a pair of TDs on 22 rush attempts, but the senior First-Team All-SoCon selection will have his work cut out for him on Saturday against the nation's top run defense.

The Prattville, AL, native enters Saturday afternoon's contest ranking eighth on the school's all-time rushing ledger heading into Saturday's contest, with 2,572 career rushing yards. With 81 yards rushing on Saturday, he would surpass former great Jerome Felton (2004-07) for seventh on the all-time rushing ledger.

When Hannon goes to the air, he has several solid options to dial up, including preseason First-Team All-America selection Colin Anderson (15 rec, 242 yds, 16.1 YPR) at tight end. Anderson is one of the best tight ends to ever suit up for the Paladins, ranking first all-time among tight ends in career touchdown receptions (11), second in career receiving yards (1,285) and third in career receptions (75). Anderson led Furman's receiving threats with four receptions for 61 yards and a score in the 26-21 Paladin win last fall.

Joining Anderson as receiving options for the Paladins on Saturday will be Will King (21 rec, 407 yds, 3 TDs, 19.4 YPR), Ryan Culbreath (17 rec, 218 yds, 2 TDs, 12.8 YPR) and Jordan Snellings (8 rec, 117 yds, 2 TDs, 14.6 YPR). King has been the go-to-receiver for the Paladins this season and is second only to Elon's Aaron Mellette in receiving yards per game, as he enters Saturday's contest averaging 81.4 receiving yards per game. Culbreath and Snellings are big, physical wideouts that could cause matchup problems.

The most surprising aspect of the Furman offense this season has been the play of its offensive line, which will start a pair of true freshmen on Saturday, in center Eric Thoni and left guard Joe Turner. Junior All-SoCon selection Dakota Dozier anchors the young unit at the the left tackle position. Charles Emert (RT) and Ryan Storms (RG) round out a Paladin offensive line that has helped the Furman offense average 6.3 yards-per-play and 5.0 yards-per-rush this season. The Paladins have allowed six sacks through the first five game of the season.

Final Prediction: It's the oldest rivalry in the Palmetto State, and one that has only intensified since Wofford's recent run of success. I expect this game to see some points go on the board on both sides, with the meeting being a higher scoring matchup between the two than usual. It's a matchup between two of the league's premier offenses with the league's two top running backs on display. If you are a neutral college football fan in the Upstate of South Carolina and need a game to go to on Saturday, then get to Spartanburg for what should be a great game at Gibbs Stadium. With that said, I think Wofford's experience proves to be the difference and the Terriers pull out a hard-fought win in the fourth quarter.

Wofford 38, Furman 35

Furman has seen its share of great quarterbacks. When you think of some of those 12 Southern Conference-title seasons, it's easy to recall some of the greatest to ever don the Purple and White, as names like Lamb, DeBusk, Hill, Napier and Martin are among the pantheon of greats to come through the program.

Furman may now be fashioning its newest member of that Quarterback Mount Rushmore in true freshman Reese Hannon. Through two-and-a-half games, Hannon has caught the attention of Furman and SoCon football fans.

The 6'1", 192-pound product of Greer (S.C.) High School has completed 58-of-90 passes for 707 yards and five TDs, while being intercepted only once. Heading into Saturday's game against Western Carolina, Hannon has completed 64.4 percent of his throws through his first six quarters as a Division I quarterback.

It was probably hard for many fans to get a gauge on Hannon in his first game, as he took the field late in the second quarter of Furman's 47-45 triple overtime loss to Coastal Carolina, replacing injured senior starter Dakota Derrick.

Furman would score TDs on its last six possessions in the overtime loss, and a star was born in the disappointment of a stormy, rainy evening at Paladin Stadium.

Furman fans might have even looked to the heavens on that evening to know that something was different, as a picturesque rainbow appeared in an otherwise gray September sky just about the time Hannon was engineering 13 Paladin points in a little less than four minutes to nearly help the Paladins pull off a miracle comeback.

But while it may have been hard to know what to make of Hannon's 22-of-35, 255-yard and four-TD performance, it was clear that Hannon was a different breed of quarterback a week later, as the Paladins took on No. 11 Clemson on what was to be a coronation of Sammy Watkins upon his return  in front of 81,500.

Hannon led Furman 63 yards on 13 plays on the opening possession of the game,  a drive that included completions on his first five passing attempts. Though Furman's fake field goal resulted in a pass being intercepted in the end zone, it was clear the Paladins had found their quarterback in Hannon.

What true freshman comes into a game seemingly unfazed against the FBS' No. 11 team, and one that many believed was the best Clemson team in quite some time, but one that has been groomed for such a stage.

Hannon, who grew up a Clemson fan, did extremely well against the Tigers considering the Paladins were vastly overmatched. He connected on 19-of-29 throws for 235 yards, with a TD and an interception in the 41-7 loss.

Making just his second start this past Saturday against Presbyterian, Hannon led Furman to scores on four of its six possessions in the opening half, as the Paladins led 24-0 lead at the half and were able to hold on for a 31-21 win, the first of what many feel will be many for Hannon.

Hannon didn't throw a TD pass, but still put up solid numbers, completing 17-of-26 passes for 217 yards without an interception. Among Southern Conference quarterbacks, his 235.7 passing yards per game trails only Appalachian State's Jamal Jackson.

Hannon's poise, accuracy, pocket awareness and arm strength are all superior to what most would expect of a true freshman. Hannon comes from great stock, as his cousin, Justin Hill, was also a Greenville product, leading the Paladins to the 1999 Southern Conference title.

Hill had a similar path to success at Furman. He starred as a quarterback at Greer High School and was the Shrine Bowl MVP in 1996, completing 7-of-13 passes for 199 yards and two TDs in leading South Carolina to a 30-10 win over North Carolina.

Hannon, who was a finalist for "Mr. Football" in the state and also garnered All-State honors after leading Greer to a 9-2 record and a Region 3 Championship, passed for 2,200 yards and 18 TDs in his senior season, and rushed for 500 yards.

Hannon is the first first-year quarterback to pass for 200 or more yards in his first three games for Furman in recent memory. Even greats like Ingle Martin or 2011 First-Team All-SoCon quarterback Chris Forcier didn't accomplish such a feat.

With so much success through the early going, Hannon will experience another first on Saturday, as Furman faces Western Carolina in a crucial Southern Conference game at Paladin Stadium in Greenville.

It will mark Hannon's first start in a Southern Conference game.

Here is a preview of the game.

Western Carolina (1-3, 0-2 SoCon) at Furman (1-3, 0-1 SoCon)

When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Where: Greenville, S.C., Paladin Stadium (16,000)

Overview: When Western Carolina heads to Greenville to face the Paladins, the Catamounts will be looking to claim their first win at Furman since 1994, when they won 35-24.

Since losing to Western in 1994, Furman has won 16 of the last 18 meetings in the series and lead the all-time series 27-10-2. One of the more memorable meetings for Catamount fans was the 1983 clash in the Division I-AA semifinals, which saw the Catamounts pick up a hard-fought 14-7 win in Greenville. Furman managed to post a 47-21 in Cullowhee last fall.

The Catamounts are coming off a heartbreaking, 25-21 loss at Samford, while Furman posted its first win of the season last Saturday, topping Presbyterian 31-21.

The Catamounts will looking to put an end to a couple of streaks. They have lost six straight to the Paladins, dating back to a 41-21 win over a No. 2-ranked Furman team in Cullowhee in 2005. The Catamounts will also be looking to snap a streak of 16-straight Southern Conference losses, dating back to a win at The Citadel in October 2010.

The teams feature two of the league's newest head coaches. Both Western Carolina's Mark Speir and Furman's Bruce Fowler were once assistant coaches at the schools where they now coach.

Speir, who served as the running backs coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach during an eight-year stint at Appalachian State (2003-2011), coached at Western Carolina back in the early to mid 1990s, serving as an assistant under Steve Hodgin.

Fowler, who is in his second year as the Paladins' head coach, served for 18 years as a running backs coach and defensive coordinator (1983-2001) at Furman before moving on to Vanderbilt, where he coached for eight years (2002-10) under former Furman head coach Bobby Johnson and former Furman offensive line coach and current Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell.

Both coaches have been charged with reviving once tradition-rich programs. Fowler's Paladins haven't made the FCS postseason since 2006, and Speir's Catamounts haven't been to the postseason since finishing as the national runner-up in 1983.

Speir was a member of the last WCU staff that won in Greenville back in 1994.

Game Preview: Having already dropped its Southern Conference opener at Samford, 24-21, Furman will be looking to avoid only its third 0-2 start in Southern Conference play in the past 32 years. Only in 1987, 1994 and 2007 have the Paladins dropped their first two Southern Conference games.

Furman enters the game ranked 38th nationally in total offense (400.7 YPG), 54th in scoring offense (24.0 PPG), 33rd in passing offense (239.0 YPG) and 50th in rushing offense (165.7 YPG). Furman's 239.0 YPG ranks the Paladins second in the Southern Conference in passing offense.

True freshman Reese Hannon (58-of-90 passing, 707 yards, 5 TDs, 1 interception) continues to be at the controls of what is quickly becoming one of the most versatile attacks in the SoCon. Hannon has now passed for at least 200 yards in all three games he has played in as a Division I quarterback.

Hannon has plenty of solid options in the passing attack, and one of those, of course, is tight end Colin Anderson, a preseason first-team All-America selection (The Sports Network). He has 11 receptions for 197 yards.

Anderson is coming off his best game. He had three catches for 83 yards, including a season-long 50-yard reception in last week's 31-21 win over Presbyterian. Anderson enters Saturday's matchup ranking first among tight ends in school history in all-time TD catches (11), second in receiving yards (1,240 yds) and third in all-time receptions (71). In the 47-21 win over the Catamounts last season, Anderson had five receptions for 87 yards and a couple of scores.

Teaming with Anderson are split end Ryan Culbreath, flanker Gary Robinson and slot receiver Will King, who is second in the conference in receiving yards with 264 on 16 receptions. Freshman Jordan Snellings could also be pivotal. He has six receptions for 96 and two touchdowns.

The Paladins have again shown the ability to get yards on the ground, and that comes with having maybe the best tandem of running backs in the SoCon. Jerodis Williams has rushed for 406 yards and three touchdowns on 77 carries, while Hank McCloud has 173 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries.

Both Williams and McCloud had big outings against the Catamounts last season, with Williams posting a career-high 175 yards and a TD on 25 carries. McCloud had 61 yards on 12 carries, which stood as his career high until this past Saturday's performance at PC, which saw the sophomore rush for 78 yards and three first-half scores.

Williams also eclipsed the century mark in rushing this season for the first time in last week's win, rushing for 136 yards and a TD on 23 carries in the 10-point win.

Surprisingly to some, Furman has gotten excellent play out of its offensive line. The unit has helped the Paladins establish the run. The unit continues to be anchored by preseason all-league selection Dakota Dozier at left tackle, and two new starters,center Eric Thoni and left guard Tank Phillips.

The Paladins are 36th in the FCS and sixth in the SoCon in sacks allowed (1.50) per gamel.

Defensively, Western Carolina is 106th in the FCS in total defense (472.5 YPG), 93rd in scoring defense (35.0 YPG), 43rd in pass defense (183.5 YPG) and 119th in rush defense (289.0 YPG).

The Catamounts, who have looked better in some spots than they did in 2011, operate out of a 4-2-5 formation. Anchoring the WCU defensive line has been defensive end Brian Johnson (17 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss).

Johnson will team with talented freshman Caleb Hawkins (15 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks), who might be the best athlete along the defensive front.  The Catamounts, like Furman, are a little undersized at the two defensive tackle positions, but are athletic. Set to start aree Bevans Robbs (5 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 5 QBHs) and Eric Banford (6 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 FR).

The starters at linebacker are Rock Williams (34 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack, 2 FFs) and Courtland Carson (37 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 PBU). They have been among the most solid linebacking tandems in the SoCon this season. Williams is coming off a 2011 season which saw him rank third in the SoCon in total tackles, while Carson posted a career-high 14 tackles in a 52-21 loss at Marshall a couple of weeks ago. Both are athletic and run well from sideline-to-sideline.

If there has been a strength to the WCU defense over the past couple of seasons, it has been the secondary. And despite the overall defensive struggles, WCU has managed to defend the pass well.

Veterans Elijer Martinez (19 tackles, 2 passes broken up) and Ace Clark (29 tackles, 3 PBUs, 2 INTs.) highlight what is an athletic unit that is one of the better units in the SoCon. Martinez will start at the boundary cornerback position, while Clark will start as a hybrid safety in the middle of the secondary. The hard-hitting Clark is having an All-SoCon-caliber season.

Joining Martinez at cornerback will be talented true freshman Jaleel Lorquet (16 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 PBU).

Clark will be joined at safety by TrevorTaylor (12 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR), who will start at free safety, and Sertonuse Harris (29 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 FFs), who will start at the boundary safety position. Both are first-year starters.

Furman has been shaky at times defense through the first four games, but has looked pretty good against the run, especially last week against PC, as the Paladins yielded just 43 yards of rushing offense.

Furman is ranked 76th nationally in total defense (395.2 YPG), 89th in scoring defense (33.2 YPG), 31st in rushing defense (122.3 YPG) and 107th in passing defense (273.0 YPG).

The strength of the Furman defense has been its defensive line, particularly its defensive end tandem of Josh Lynn (17 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 PBU, 1 FF) and Shawn Boone (9 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR), who have combined to notch 3.5 of Furman's eight sacks.

Lynn and Boone were also huge in Furman's 47-21 win at Western Carolina last season, with the bookend tandem posting three of the team's four sacks. Lynn had two sacks. Boone one.

Neal Rodgers (13 tackles, 0.5 sack) and Colton Keig (17 tackles, 1.0 TFL) will start at defensive tackle,. Though a bit undersized, the duo has stood tall through the first four games, making running the ball in the middle difficult.

The Paladins had to replace two of three starters at linebacker, but new starters Matt Solomon (39 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 3 PBUs) and Gary Wilkins (37 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 PBU) have picked up right where Kadarron Anderson and Chris Wiley left off.

Solomon, a senior, will be making his sixth start at middle linebacker and ranks fourth in the SoCon in total tackles per game (9.8 TPG). Wilkins has been one of the better young linebackers in the league this season. He will start at the weakside linebacker spot on Saturday.

The top player on defense might be preseason All-SoCon linebacker Mitch McGrath (25 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 INTs, 3 PBUs), who is off to a strong start at strongside linebacker. He has intercepted two passes in the first four weeks. He had a solid performance against the Catamounts last season, with six tackles, a tackle-for-loss and an interception.

The secondary has had its struggles, especially at cornerback. However, the Paladins are improving each week at the cornerback position. One of the real bright spots has been true freshman cornerback Reggie Thomas (8 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT). Cortez Johnson (12 tackles, 2 PBUs), who is one of the fastest players on Furman's roster, is in his first season as an established starter at the other cornerback position.

The Paladins have two of the conference's best safeties. Strong safety Greg Worthy (25 tackles, 1 PBU) was a preseason first-team All-SoCon selection, while starting strong safety Nathan Wade (33 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 2 PBUs) was a preseason second-team All-SoCon pick. Both are solid, big hitters in the middle of the defense who cause receivers to think twice before crossing the middle.

Prediction: Furman 31, Western Carolina 24

Furman's football tradition obviously means something to its supporters, and with very good reason. Although Furman has a small faction of fans compared to Appalachian State or Georgia Southern, it has a very passionate fan base.  The program has won one of two Division I football crowns in the Palmetto State, as the Paladins took home the 1988 Division I-AA national title with a 17-12 win over Georgia Southern, and a SoCon standard 12 league titles.

In 24 hours, the Furman football program will likely encounter a rare situation, not seen in 33 years, as the Paladins face the very real proposition of starting a season 0-3 for the first time since second-year head coach Bruce Fowler was a defensive back for the Paladins back in 1979. The Paladins have also claimed 11 Southern Conference crowns since that 1979 season, which saw the Paladins complete the campaign with a 5-6 record after starting 0-4.

Few give Furman a chance at keeping the score within 30 points tomorrow against FBS No. 11 Clemson, who gets All-ACC wide receiver Sammy Watkins back from suspension.

Perhaps more alarming is that Furman’s recent struggles have become a trend. The Paladins have now lost four straight heading into Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Clemson Tigers, closing the 2011 season with losses to Elon (41-34) and Florida (54-32) before beginning the 2012 season with losses to Samford (24-21) and last week’s triple-overtime setback to Coastal Carolina (47-45).

The Paladins did enter the 2012 season returning 15 starters (six offense, eight defense, one specialist) off a team that finished 6-5 in 2011, which was a one-win improvement from the 2010 squad, which posted a 5-6 mark and ended a string of 12-straight winning seasons.

Furman was selected to finish in the middle of the pack at the preseason Southern Conference Media Day, held in late July, as the Paladins were a consensus fifth-place selection, which was a more than fair assessment.

Now it is up to the 2012 edition of the Paladins to decide what their legacy will be, and they have some work to do. Even if Furman loses on Saturday to Clemson to fall to 0-3, the Paladins will still have eight chances remaining to avoid being just the fourth team since ’79 to complete the season with a losing record.

Over the past 32 years, only one team has failed to win fewer than three games in a season, and that was the 1994 Paladins, which was also the first season under the direction of Bobby Johnson. That ’94 Furman team claimed just three wins on the campaign, finishing with a 3-8 overall mark, and a sixth-place finish in the SoCon, with a 2-6 mark. Furman hasn’t won less than three games in a season since 1977, when Furman finished the campaign 2-9.

Johnson, of course, would take the program back to the pinnacle of the Southern Conference just a few years later, leading the Paladins to Southern Conference titles in 1999 and 2001, as well as taking the Paladins all the way to the national championship in ’01, before the Paladins dropped a 13-6 record in the national championship.

So when Furman knocked off two top-five foes, No. 4 Wofford (26-21) and No. 3 Appalachian State (20-10), in a three-week period last fall and entered the national polls at No. 17, was it all a fluke? Well, the answer is no, but the other answer is that Furman probably played over its head.

Still, is this a Furman program that talent-wise is on the same rung of the ladder as that ’94 squad that finished with a meager 3-8 record? No, Furman has much more talent than that ’94 squad, but the Southern Conference has also vastly improved as a league since 1994.  Eighteen years ago, there were always those guaranteed wins for most schools in the league by beating school like VMI, East Tennessee State or Chattanooga.

In 1994, Georgia Southern, Appalachian State and Marshall were the teams that ruled the roost in the league. Now, however, no victory comes easily, and since 2007, the league has seen several teams regularly challenge the league’s elite at different times. Any one of five or six teams could legitimately win the SoCon this fall. At a program where losing hasn’t been commonplace, the 2012 season has gotten off to a nightmarish start.

Below is a quick look at tomorrow’s Furman-Clemson clash.

Preview:

Furman (0-2, 0-1 SoCon) at No. 11 Clemson (2-0, 0-0 ACC)

Furman will take on Clemson for the first time since the 2007 season, when the Paladins dropped a 38-10 decision to the Tigers. For Furman, it faces a team that is not only the defending ACC champion, but that some consider the most talented Clemson team since the 1981 National Title team and the most talented offense in the history of the program.

That’s a sobering thought for a Furman program, which some believe might be the worst Paladin team in the past 30 years, that will enter tomorrow’s tilt already off to an 0-2 start. Traditionally, Furman has occasionally played well against its FBS counterparts, but is just 1-20 against the elite class of Division I college football since 1987, with that lone win being a 28-3 decision against North Carolina in 1999.

Adding to the already daunting task, Furman will be starting a true freshman under center for the first time on Saturday, as Reese Hannon (22-of-35 passing, 255 yds, 4 TDs) will lead the Paladin offense at Memorial Stadium. He led the Paladins offense to score on their final six possessions of the day, and garnered SoCon Freshman of the Week accolades for his efforts last week after replacing injured starter Dakota Derrick.

Hannon will handing the football to All-SoCon running back Jerodis Williams (35 att, 183 yds, 2 TDs, 5.2 YPC, 3 rec, 16 yds) and will have some talented options to throw the football to, such as Will King (13 rec, 205 yds, 2 TDs, 15.8 YPR) and preseason All-America tight end Colin Anderson (4 rec, 71 yds, 17.8 YPR).

Furman hasn’t been all that bad offensively this season and enter Saturday’s contest tied for 27th in the FCS in scoring offense (33.0 PPG), 33rd in total offense (399.0 YPG), 50th in rush offense (150.5 YPG) and 25th in pass offense (248.5). The Paladins are managing the passing attack well coming into Saturday afternoon’s contest, as their 248.5 yards-per-game average through the air also ranks second in the Southern Conference to Appalachian State’s 280.0 YPG through the first two weeks.

Defensively, it has been a disappointment for Furman, as the Paladins have not looked too good through the first two weeks. Furman comes into Saturday’s contest tied for 65th in the FCS rankings in total defense (383.0 YPG), 90th in pass defense (254.0 YPG), 80th in scoring defense (35.5 PPG) and 44th in rush defense (131.0 YPG).

Leading the charge on defense Saturday will be talented defensive ends Josh Lynn (10 tackles, 1.0 TFL,  2 QBHs) and Shawn Boone (7 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks), while Mitch McGrath (20 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 INT) solidifies a strong corps of linebackers. Both Lynn and McGrath were preseason All-SoCon selections.

The secondary has been the biggest concern so far, but the Paladins have an all-conference tandem at safety in Greg Worthy (12 tackles, 1 PBU) and Nathan Wade (21 tackles, 1 PBU). The Furman defense has caused only one turnover, an INT, through the first couple of weeks.

Clemson has plenty of weapons beyond Sammy Watkins entering Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Paladins, including DeAndre Hopkins (19 rec, 224 yds, 4 TDs, 11.8 YPR) as Watkins’ partner-in-crime at wide receiver, and Andre Ellington (38 carries, 269 yds, 2 TDs, 7.1 YPC) running the football.

Clemson enters Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Paladins ranking 20th nationally in total offense (527.0 YPG), 27th in scoring offense (39.0 PPG), 29th in passing offense (290.0 YPG) and 25th in rushing offense (237.0 YPG).

The Tigers have logged a total of 171 plays so far this season, which is more than 80 plays per game, with their fast-break offensive scheme. That is a pretty astounding average to any college football enthusiast.

Preseason All-ACC signal-caller Tahj Boyd (19 rec, 224 yds, 4 TDs, 11.8 YPR) has led a Clemson offense that has scored seven of its first eight possessions in the 52-27 win over Ball State last week, and a unit that has rolled up 500 or more yards in each of the Tigers’ first two games of the 2012 campaign.

Defensively, the Tigers haven’t looked as sound, but the unit is still young and has plenty of athleticism. Linebackers Stephone Anthony (17 tackles, 1 PBU) and Jonathan “Tig” Willard (11 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack, 2 PBUs) have paced the defense so far this season, but a young secondary has continued to be a concern.

Final Prediction: This one won’t be close, but the Paladins should score a few points against the Clemson defense that has at times yielded the big play.

Clemson 50, Furman 17

WHO: Coastal Carolina (1-0, 0-0 Big South) at Furman (0-1, 0-1 SoCon)

WHEN: Sept. 8, 2012, 5:00 p.m. EST

WHERE: Paladin Stadium (16,000)

Overview: Furman will open its home slate on Saturday, facing Palmetto State rival Coastal Carolina and will look to shake off the ill-effects from what was a disappointing 24-21 season-opening loss at Samford Saturday.

The game was especially heartbreaking for Paladin fans, since it was the Southern Conference opener, and a game that the Paladins could have just as well won, but four turnovers on the evening ultimately spelled the ultimate disaster.

Furman now looks to even its record against a team that upended the Paladins, 30-23, in the 2011 season opener in Conway in what was Bruce Fowler's first game as the head coach of the Furman football program. 

Coastal Carolina, meanwhile, was impressive in its season opener on Saturday, as the preseason No. 3 pick in the Big South posted a 29-13 win over North Carolina A&T to open the 2012 campaign.

Like Furman last season, the Chanticleers have a new coach, as Joe Moglia has taken the reins of the Coastal Carolina football program after David Bennett was fired last December. Moglia is one of the more interesting stories in Division I college football, coming to CCU from TD Ameritrade, as the Chairman of the Board for the Fortune 500 company.

Moglia's career on the gridiron is even more bizarre, as he has not actually served on the sidelines as a college coach in 27 years, until serving as a consultant for the Nebraska football program for their Big 12 Championship team two years ago.

Moglia hasn't served directly in a coaching or coordinator role since 1983, when he was the defensive coordinator for the Dartmouth Green for two seasons (1982-83) and prior to that, Moglia served on the Lafayette staff from 1978-80 as a defensive and special teams coach.

Prior to that, Moglia was a coach at the high school ranks. 

After such a long hiatus, Moglia got his head coaching career off to a strong start, notching a victory in his first game , which is something that not even the great Furman coach Bruce Fowler was able to do last season. 

Saturday's meeting between the Paladins and Chanticleers will mark the third all-time meeting between the two schools, with CCU holding a 2-1 all-time series edge on the strength of last season's 30-23 win. The only other meeting between the Chanticleers and Paladins at Paladin Stadium occurred back in 2007 when the Paladins were able to get a 27-17 win.

Furman will put an impressive streak on the line on Saturday evening against the Chanticleers, as the Paladins have claimed 21 straight wins over non-conference foes at Paladin Stadium, dating back to the 1999 season opener against Elon, which Furman lost 24-22.

Coastal Carolina is coming off a 7-4 2011 season and finished 3-3 in Big South play, which was good enough to help the Chants finish third in the Big South's final standings last fall. 

Preview: Last season's matchup between Furman and Coastal Carolina had plenty to keep even the neutral fan on the edge of his seat, as there were big plays on both sides and it was a close football game throughout.

Ultimately, mistakes spelled doom for the Paladins on that muggy evening in Conway a little over a year ago—a fumble by Tyler Maples that led to CCU's game-winning score and a Ray Early blocked PAT—and the 2011 season-opening loss was strangely similar to the 2011 season-opening loss by the Paladins at Samford. 

Several key performers return on both sides of the ball from last season's seven-win Coastal Carolina club.

On offense, the Chanticleers return nine starters from a unit that was efficient last season, but lacked the explosiveness that the Chanticleer offense showed in the season opener against Furman.

Last season, the Chanticleers finished the season ranking 90th nationally in total offense (323.5 YPG in 2011), 67th in scoring offense (24.6 PPG in 2011), 70th in passing offense (186.4 YPG in 2011) and 74th in rushing offense (137.2 YPG in 2011).

In last week's win , the Chanticleers showed some of that big play ability once again, finishing the contest by rolling up an impressive 437 yards of total offense, including 274 yards through the air.  

At the controls of the Coastal Carolina offense for a second-straight season is dual threat signal-caller, senior Aramis Hillary (148-of-226 passing, 1749 yds, 14 TDs passing, 5 INTs, 81 rush att, 268 yds, 7 TDs rushing in 2011).

Hillary, now in his second season as the full-time starter, was nothing short of impressive in the season-opening win, completing 19-of-28 passes for 274 yards, with a TD and a pair of INTs. 

Against Furman last season, Hillary led the CCU offense to one of its four 400-yard offensive efforts of the 2011 campaign, accounting for 194 of CCU's 426 yards total offensive yards, and maybe even more importantly, led a turnover-free evening for the Chanticleer offense. 

Hillary, one of seven returning starters on the offensive side of the ball for CCU, will have some all-league weapons at his disposal once again this fall, including wide receiver Matt Hazel (32 rec, 488 yds, 6TDs, 15.2 YPR in 2011), and one of the nation’s top tight ends, David Duran (5 rec, 75yds), who was granted a sixth year of eligibility after an injury cut his season short after just four games last fall. 

Hazel got his 2012 season off to an outstanding start, as he hauled in three passes for 57 yards and a score. Duran had a couple of catches for three yards.

Last season against Furman, Hazel was Coastal's second-leading receiver, hauling in three passes for 41 yards, including a 39-yard reception, in the seven-point win. 

The most impressive receiving performance by the Chanticleers last Saturday was the one put forth by Nick Mastromatteo. Mastromatteo was Coastal Carolina's leading option when the Chanticleers went to the air, as Mastromatteo hauled in seven passes for 114 yards.

He has the kind of speed and elusiveness that could cause the Furman defense some struggles on Saturday.

Mastromatteo is coming off a 2011 season which saw him haul in 27 passes for 512 yards as a reserve receiver in 11 games. As a punt return threat a couple of years ago, Mastromatteo averaged 8.8 yards-per-return last fall. 

Mastromatteo will start at the slot receiver position for the Chanticleers on Saturday night. 

Mastromatteo was a pretty solid kick return threat against the Paladins last season, with four returns for 88 yards, including a 39-yard return after a Furman first-half TD.

Rounding out the starters at wide receiver on Saturday night for CCU will be South Carolina transfer DeMario Bennett.

Bennett, a 6-2, 190-pound junior is a big play threat in the Chanticleer offense, and is coming off a solid season opener with CCU, as he hauled in three passes for 39 yards and averaged 13.0 YPR. 

Bennett was suspended for the first half of the 2011 season, but in eight games last fall, he performed solidly in his role as a reserve, catching 14 passes for 164 yards and a couple of scores. Bennett also threw a TD pass last season, hooking up with Hazel on a 32-yard strike in the loss to Liberty.

One of the areas that wasn't necessarily a strength for CCU last fall was the running game, as the Chanticleers were just 74th in the FCS in rushing offense, averaging just 137.2 YPG on the ground last fall. 

In the 30-23 win over Furman last season, CCU ended the contest by rushing for 231 yards, which stood as the top rushing performance of the season until the Chanticleers faced two of the worst rushing defenses in the nation—Charleston Southern and Western Carolina. 

The Chanticleers fielded a balanced ground game against the Paladins last season and Jeremy Height (57 rush att, 197 yds, 3.5 YPC in 2011) headlines that ground attack this fall. 

It was Height that hurt the Paladins the most last season, leading the Chanticleers in receiving (3 rec, 43 yds) and ranking second in rushing (17 rush att, 59 yds) in the 30-23 win . 

In the win over North Carolina A&T last Saturday, it was a career night for the senior running back, amassing a career high 109 rushing yards on 20 carries, including a 22-yard first half scoring run.

Height also had three receptions for 37 yards.

Another significant senior role player on the offensive side of the football on Saturday might be running back Marcus Whitener (60 rush att, 318 yds, 5.3 YPC), who will spell Height in the backfield for CCU on Saturday night.

Former Furman offensive line standout Patrick Covington has done a solid job in fostering talent in the trenches as the Chanticleers' offensive line coach over the past few seasons.

This fall, Covington welcomes the return of four starters to a veteran front that is anchored by preseason All-Big South left tackle Jamey Cheatwood. Cheatwood was part of that front that looked dominant at times against the Paladins last season.

The strength of the 2012 Furman football team is no doubt its defense, with eight starters returning, including four preseason First or Second Team All-SoCon selections. The strength of the defense this season is the defensive line, as all four starters return from last season's unit.

The quartet up front is anchored by bookends Shawn Boone and Josh Lynn.

The two were impressive in the season opener against CCU last season, especially Boone, who turned in his top performance of the 2011 season in that contest,  recording six tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Boone has good speed, quickness and overall athleticism and is one of the top athletes on the Paladin defense.

In the season opener against Samford last Saturday, Boone recorded three tackles and a couple of quarterback hurries.

Lynn, a preseason First Team All-SoCon pick, was also strong in last year's loss to Coastal Carolina, registering five tackles, 1.5 TFL and a sack.

Lynn had five tackles last week, but both he and Boone were held without a sack.

Coming into his senior season, Lynn has recorded 21.5 TFL and seven sacks. Boone and Lynn combined for over a third of the team's 21 sacks last fall, as the defensive end duo registered a combined eight sacks on the campaign—Lynn with a team-leading five sacks, Boone with three sacks. 

The two veterans that will start at defensive tackle on Saturday afternoon will be Neal Rodgers and Colton Keig.

Going into the 2011 season opener against CCU, the defensive interior was thought to be a weakness for the Paladins and Furman was undersized at both positions.

As the season progressed, however, it was clear that Rodgers and Keig were holding their own along the Furman defensive front and the duo became two of the more underrated defensive tackles in the SoCon.

Rodgers was outstanding against Coastal Carolina last season, playing one of the best games of his career.  He recorded five tackles and a TFL in the seven-point loss.

In Saturday's season opener, it was Keig who had a career afternoon, recording six tackles and 0.5 TFL in the three-point loss. Rodgers did not register a tackle in the season opener.

Another area that seems to have a bright future is the Furman linebacking corps, which graduated two of three starters. The one veteran who returns is one of the top linebackers in the SoCon, preseason Second Team All-SoCon LB Mitch McGrath. 

McGrath is a real difference-maker on this defense for the Paladins and he was impressive in the loss at Samford, recording 13 tackles. 

McGrath is coming off an excellent 2011 season, recording 87 tackles, 13.5 TFL, four sacks and four INTs. In many ways, McGrath is the key to this unit and one of the reasons I believe that Furman will have one of the best defenses in the Southern Conference this fall. 

Joining McGrath at linebacker in the starting lineup on Saturday will be veteran Matt Solomon at middle linebacker, while Gary Wilkins is slated to start at the other OLB position.

Some CCU folks might remember Wilkins from last season's encounter, as he continuously pressured the Chanticleers' punter and even partially blocked one CCU punt.

He is one of the top athletes on the defensive side of the ball and is coming off a 10-tackle performance in the season-opener against Samford.

Solomon has waited three seasons for the opportunity to start in the middle of the Furman defense and the hard-hitting senior now finally gets his chance, as he will be making the third start of his career on Saturday.

He had eight tackles and broke up a pair of passes in the Paladins' loss at Samford.

The secondary is not the unit it was last season, at least at the cornerback position, but there is plenty of talent returning at each of the safety positions.

All-SoCon tandem Greg Worthy and Nathan Wade are both big hitters in the Furman secondary, and both were relatively quiet in the season opener at Samford last week. Worthy completed the season opener with five stops, while Wade had eight tackles and a PBU.

This duo could play a huge role in Saturday's contest. Wade did not play in last season's meeting with CCU, serving a four-game suspension to begin the season. 

Rounding out the starters in the Furman secondary this fall will be Derrick Murray and veteran Cortez Johnson.

Murray, who played opposite Steed as a starter last season, looked shaky in the season opener against Samford, yielding a couple of big passing plays to the Bulldogs. He had good coverage on one of the pass plays, but mistimed his jump, allowing the Samford receiver to come down with the football.

He finished the game with a pair of tackles.

Johnson is one of the fastest players on the Paladin roster and is also one of the veteran leaders of the secondary, even though he has played most of his career as a reserve.

Last week against Samford, he posted five stops.

The defensive side of the football sees some impressive talent returning for the Chanticleers. 

The defense lost an All-American CB to graduation and the NFL, but seven starters return to a unit that ranked 57th nationally in total defense (355.2 YPG) and 74th in scoring defense (27.9 PPG) last season.

The Chanticleers will utilize a 4-2-5 defensive scheme against the Paladins on Saturday.

One of the veteran anchors of the CCU defense heading into Saturday's matchup will be defensive end Quinton Davis (39 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks in 2011), who was one of the key pieces of the defensive line last season. 

He has started 23 of 26 games for the Chanticleers. Last season, Davis was able to record three tackles and 1.5 TFL against the Paladins.

In the season opener against North Carolina A&T, he was held to just one tackle.

Teaming with Davis at defensive end on Saturday will be Jamel Davis (20 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack in 2011).

Davis is another athletic presence along the defensive front for the Chanticleers and was solid in the season opener with three tackles from his bookend position. Davis will be making his 14th start for the Chanticleers on Saturday.

In the win over Furman last season, Davis recorded four tackles and a sack.

The defensive interior will be anchored by both Jeffery Salley (14 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FF, 1 FR in 2011) and Johnny Hartsfield (22 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack in 2011).

Both Salley and Hartsfield recorded three tackles in last week's win over the Aggies. 

Salley will be making just his second start for CCU on Saturday, having played as a reserve in his freshman season. Salley had a tackle and also made one of the biggest plays of the 2011 meeting between the two teams when he recorded a Tyler Maples fumble in the fourth quarter to set up CCU's game-winning score. 

Hartsfield will be making his ninth start for the Chanticleers on Saturday. 

The senior is coming off a solid performance last week, as he posted three tackles and half-a-tackle-for-loss.

Defensive end Chris Thomas (30 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks in 2011) was a Second Team All-Big South pick last season and will be a key player once again this season as a reserve at bookend.

Linebacker was a strength for CCU last season, and this season should be no different, with the unit anchored by strong-side LB Mike McClure (36 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FF, 1 PBU).

He ended up leading the defensive efforts for the Chanticleers in the season opener with 12 stops and 3.5 TFL in what was a strong performance against the MEAC foe.

McClure has spent the past couple of seasons as a reserve LB and is slated to make just his second start in his 20th career game for CCU on Saturday.

In the win over the Paladins last season, McClure posted three tackles, a TFL, and broke up a pass in action as a reserve.

His 12 tackles last week were a career best, eclipsing his previous career standard of eight tackles in a loss to Gardner-Webb last fall. 

Completing the starting duo at LB on Saturday for the Chanticleers will be Quinn Backus (31 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 FR in 2011), who will patrol the middle of the CCU defense at middle linebacker.

Backus was able to join McClure in double digit tackles, as he registered 10 stops in their season-opening victory.

Backus is another player that will be making just his second start on Saturday.  Against the Paladins last season, Backus did not see action.

One of the second string surprises on the depth chart is 2010 Big South Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-Big South honoree, middle linebacker Andrae Jacobs (46 tackles, 10.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks).

Jacobs had three tackles and a TFL against the Paladins last season.  In action as a reserve last week, Jacobs recorded three tackles and half-a-tackle-for-loss.

The Coastal Carolina secondary gave up some big yardage last week on big plays by the Aggies, but the unit also made its fair share of big plays, most of which came from the Sports Network's National Player of the Week Dontavais Johnson (13 tackles, 5 FRs in 2011), picking off three passes.

Additionally, the senior cornerback also recorded a tackle. 

Starting at the other CB position for the Chanticleers on Saturday night will be another senior, Tre Henderson (21 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 3 PBUs in 2011).

Henderson is another playmaker in the secondary and he opened the 2012 season with five tackles. 

The two starters at safety will be a pair of juniors, Phillip George (40 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 INT, 1 FR in 2011) and Johnnie Houston (49 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 2 INTs in 2011).

Both are veterans and enter having been staples as starters in the CCU secondary since about the middle of last season.

George finished the season opener against the Aggies with six tackles and Houston tallied one stop.

Furman will counter with an offense that seemed to gain its footing as the game progressed last Saturday. The Paladins are led by Conway, S.C.-native Dakota Derrick, the senior signal-caller looking for a measure of redemption after struggling in the season opener. 

He also has a chance to get a win over his hometown school.

In the 24-21 setback to Samford in the season-opener, Derrick connected on 11-of-25 passes for 201 yards and a TD with three INTs, and rushed for 22 yards on 11 attempts.

Derrick hasn't had much experience coming into Saturday night's battle against the Chanticleers, having completed 39-of-83 passes for 501 yards in his career, with four TDs and four INTs.  He rushed for 273 yards and three scores.

Derrick will be making his fourth career start on Saturday.  He has a 1-3 record as a starter.

Derrick saw limited action against CCU last season, relieving Chris Forcier, who had to leave the contest with cramps. 

Certainly CCU fans will remember senior running back Jerodis Williams, who really had a game in the 2011 season opener, one that would catapult him to the first 1,000-yard rushing season by a Furman running back since 2003.

All Williams did in the opener against the Chanticleers last season was rush for 141 yards and three TDs on 16 carries to garner Sports Network National Player of the Week accolades. 

In Furman's loss last week, Williams rushed for 98 yards and a score on 20 carries.

For his career, Williams has rushed for 2,025 yards—he's currently tied for 10th on Furman's all-time rushing ledger. 

The second part of that rushing attack is Hank McCloud, who will be Williams' heir apparent in the offensive backfield for the Paladins next season. 

McCloud runs hard and is explosive with good speed.

In the season-opener against Samford, McCloud rushed seven times for 28 yards. 

Wide receiver has been one of the biggest question marks for the Paladins this season and it was a position that was shaky at times last Saturday.

Obviously, when mentioning the Paladins corps of receivers, it begins and ends with All-American tight end Colin Anderson.

Anderson was relatively quiet in the season opener against the Bulldogs last week, but he did manage to haul in a 41-yard pass in the third quarter and finish the contest with two catches for 56 yards.

For his career, Anderson has hauled in 62 passes for 1,099 yards and 11 TDs.

Anderson had four catches for 36 yards against the Chanticleers last season.

Wideout Gary Robinson will make just his second start at wide receiver on Saturday for the Paladins. 

He has the type of game-breaking speed that could be a factor as a big-play threat. He will be looking to make his first reception as a collegiate wide receiver. 

One of the players that should be getting the ball more is split end Ryan Culbreath, who might have the best hands of any Furman wideout. 

Culbreath hauled in three passes for 53 yards on Saturday and posted four receptions for 40 yards in last season's loss to the Chanticleers. 

Rounding out the inexperienced receiving corps for Furman is senior Will King, who has spent most of his Paladin career catching punts rather than catching passes.

He was effective and reliable in Furman's season opener, however, as he hauled in four passes for 89 yards, including a 36-yard scoring pass from Derrick.

King doesn't have blazing speed, but he is elusive. 

One of the most pleasant surprises of the season opener for Furman fans was the solid play of its offensive line, which asked the most questions of any unit heading into the season.

Despite starting a walk-on, center Eric Thoni, and left guard Tank Phillips for the first time, the Paladins rushed for 179 yards on the day and only allowed one sack. 

Furman is anchored up front by All-America candidate Dakota Dozier at left tackle. 

Final Prediction: Furman has shown it can play well at home in its tradition-rich football history, especially against non-conference foes, recording 21 straight wins over such teams. The Paladins should have a good crowd on hand and they will be treated to what has become a nice Palmetto State rivalry.

Could this be a preview of a future Southern Conference affair?

There's always that possibility, but that would be a few years down the road. As for tomorrow's game, I look for Furman to win, breaking open a close game in the fourth quarter to win by 10-14 points. 

24-14, Furman

Furman at Samford (Southern Conference Game of The Week)

Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, 4:30 p.m. EST

Seibert Stadium (6,700 capacity)

Overview: It's been seven years to the day since Furman began a football season in Dixie, battling Jacksonville State on that memorable Thursday night. The second-ranked Paladins left the outcome to be decided in the waning moments by University of Florida transfer quarterback Ingle Martin, who connected with senior wideout Josh Stepp on a slant pattern as time expired to come away with a 37-35 win.

On Saturday afternoon, Furman will once again make the trip to America's Heartland to take on Samford. Furman and Samford will face off in a huge Southern Conference tilt to open the 2012 season.

It will mark the second-straight season Samford has begun a season with a Southern Conference game, while marking the first time since the 2003 campaign that the Paladins have begun a campaign with a Southern Conference game. The Paladins haven't opened a season with a road Southern Conference tilt since a 7-0 loss at VMI in 1974.

When Furman and Samford kick the season off at Seibert Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it will mark the 15th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Furman holding a narrow 8-6 series edge.

Last season, Samford was able to come to Greenville and pull off a 26-21 win at Paladin Stadium. The victory snapped a string of seven-straight wins in the series by the Paladins, dating back to the 1969 season. The 26-21 win by the Bulldogs also marked the first win by the Bulldogs over the Paladins in their fourth season as a league member.

Since Samford joined the SoCon in 2008, only one of the four meetings has been decided by more than five points, and two of the meetings have been separated by just a single point. It's becoming one of the more exciting SoCon tilts each season, with many similarities shared between the two programs.

One of the storylines heading into Saturday afternoon's contest will be the health of Samford head coach Pat Sullivan, who has been battling pneumonia this week. Sullivan took some time away from his team this week in an effort to get well for Saturday's opener.

Sullivan, who is one of the classiest coaches in all of Division I football, won the Heisman Trophy as a quarterback during his playing days at Auburn. I think I speak for the entire Bleacher Report staff by wishing the coach of the Bulldogs well.

We all hope to see him on the sidelines leading Samford on Saturday afternoon against the Paladins.

Preview: The Offenses

Furman and Samford will be in similar situations when they open the 2012 season against each other on Saturday: both the Paladins and Bulldogs will be breaking in new quarterbacks.

Furman has to replace first-team All-SoCon signal-caller Chris Forcier, while Samford will be looking to replace the school's second all-time leading passer, Dustin Taliaferro.

Samford will likely employ the services of two quarterbacks, as both Memphis transfer Andy Summelin and junior Ben Neill have been unable to separate themselves during spring and preseason camps. Expect Summerlin to get the start under center, although the 6'4", 225-pound senior has only limited college game experience.

Summerlin sat out the 2011 season with an injury. In 2010 at Memphis, Summerlin completed 45-of-94 passes for 469 yards, as he saw action in five games for the Tigers. Summerlin has looked good all spring, and he has a big arm and a good understanding of the Samford offense.

Much like Summerlin, Neill has also acquitted himself well, and the 5'11", 180-pound native of Decatur, AL, might not have the size of Summerlin, but he does have a good arm and is a more mobile quarterback. Also, like Summerlin, the junior signal-caller lacks much game experience, completing 13-of-18 passes for 146 yards and a TD last season while seeing action in three games.

Plenty of experienced talent returns at the skill positions for the Bulldogs for the 2012 season, which could make this offense scary good when Summerlin gets a feel for the attack. The Bulldogs are coming off a 2011 season which saw them rank 36th nationally in total offense (391.3 YPG), 43rd in scoring offense (28.3 PPG), 45th in pass offense (225.0 YPG) and 45th in rush offense (166.3 YPG).

One area that many Samford fans thought might see more of a drop-off in last season was the ground game, which endured the loss of the school's all-time leading rusher, Chris Evans. Evans became one of only a handful of players in FCS history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons.

The Bulldogs replaced Evans' production with Fabian Truss (150 rush, 847 yds, 7 TDs, 5.6 YPC). In his first season as a full-time starter, all Truss did was garner second-team All-SoCon accolades, and earned first-team honors as a kick return specialist, which included an 82-yard return for a score against Stillman last fall.

Until a late-season injury, Truss was among the national leaders in all-purpose yards, completing the season with 1,774, which led the SoCon. In addition to his prowess as a rush and kick-return threat last season, Truss also proved he could catch the football coming out of the backfield. He hauled in 23 passes for 137 yards.

Truss had one of his best games against the Paladins, finishing the 26-21 win with 136 yards on 26 carries.

But as good as Truss is, the top threats for the Samford offense entering the 2012 season will be its wide receiving corps, which should be among the best in the SoCon and FCS this fall. The leader of this talented, experienced unit will be Kelsey Pope (86 rec, 810 yds, 6 TDs, 9.4 YPR), who will enter the season as a first-team All-SoCon selection has been a member of a couple of All-America teams entering the 2012 season.

Pope, a 6-0, 200-pound native of Sycauga, AL, has good speed and a great pair of hands, coming off a 2011 season which saw him lead the team and rank second in the SoCon with 86 receptions.

Pope enjoyed his best outing of the 2012 season against Gardner-Webb, with six catches for 125 yards and a TD. Against the Paladins, Pope hauled in eight passes for 104 yards and a score, while catching a season-high 10 balls for 82 yards in a home loss to Chattanooga. He set a school record for single-game receptions (17) in the SoCon finale win at The Citadel.

Pope was a multi-threat for Samford last fall as well—he rushed 33 times for 175 yards and four TDs, while completing 4-of-6 passes for 66 yards and a score last season. Pope played quarterback in high school, and was one of the top athletes in the state in the 2010 recruiting class. He has 114 catches for 1,044 yards (9.2 YPR) and six TDs so far in his Samford career.

The veteran of the Samford receiving corps this fall will be redshirt senior Riley Hawkins (37 rec, 472 yds, 2 TDs, 12.8 YPR). Hawkins has been a starter for the Bulldogs in each of his three active seasons, and has proven that he will be a vital part of the Samford passing attack this fall.

Hawkins has been a significant piece of the Samford passing game in his three seasons, as he has been able to haul in 96 passes for 1,576 yards and 10 TDs, averaging 16.4 YPR for his career. He had his best outing of the 2011 season against Elon, hauling in eight passes for 89 yards in the win over the Phoenix. He also had four catches for 72 yards, including a 9-yard scoring reception, against the Mountaineers of West Virginia.

Chris Cephus (25 rec, 339 yds, 4 TDs, 13.6 YPR) will complete the trio of wide receivers set to start this fall for the Bulldogs. The 6-2, 215-pound native of East Dublin, GA, combines great athleticism and power. He has above average speed, making him a downfield threat, but, with his size, also has great ability as an extra perimeter blocker for the Samford ground game.

Cephus had a solid effort against the Paladins last season, hauling in three passes for 55 yards, which included a 6-yard scoring catch in the 26-21 road win. He had his best performance of the 2011 campaign against Appalachian State, with six receptions for 89 yards, including a 32-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter of the 35-17 loss in Boone.

Rounding out the receiving options for the Bulldogs heading into the season and SoCon opener against the Paladins is redshirt sophomore tight end Sidney Jordan (1 rec, 9 yds). Jordan will be filling one of the few positional losses due to graduation from a year ago, as he will be replacing Daniel Diamond at tight end this fall for Samford.

This has been one of the focuses of the preseason for the Bulldogs, as the tight end position is one of the key elements of Samford's spread offense. Jordan did see action in all nine games for the Bulldogs last season.

One of the strengths of the Samford offense in 2012 should be the offensive line, as the Bulldogs welcome the return of four starters from a unit that proved to be one of the better O-lines in the SoCon last season.

Returning to anchor the unit this fall will be center Ryan Dudchock, who started all 11 games for the Bulldogs last fall, and was certainly one of the leaders of the unit. Jacob Kirschenbaum (RG), Branden Moore (LT) and Charlie Sanford (RT) round out the returning starters along the unit this fall.

The lone new starter in 2012 will be Kasey Morrison at left guard, who will replace Joe Collins. Sanford and Kirschenbaum, who are both experienced performers in their own right, will have a chance to garner All-SoCon recognition at season's end.

Switching gears, Furman will have a lot more question marks on the offensive side of the football entering the opening week matchup than the Bulldogs will. The Paladins return only six starters on the offensive side of the ball, including first-team All-SoCon signal-caller Chris Forcier, who was simply sensational for head coach Bruce Fowler in his first season at the helm in 2011.

Statistically speaking, Furman finished the 2011 season ranking 39th in the FCS in total offense (389.4 YPG), 48th in passing offense (222.5 YPG), 42nd in rushing offense (166.8 YPG) and 28th nationally in sacks allowed (1.36 SPG).

Taking the reins of the Furman offense in the season opener in Birmingham will be senior Dakota Derrick (8-of-17 passing, 104 yds, 1 TD, 0 INTs/10 rush att, 34 yds, 1 TD in 2011 ). The 6-4, 222-pound native of Conway, S.C., pushed Forcier for the starting job for the entirety of spring camp last season, until Forcier was finally able to win the job in the final week of competition.

Though he hasn't seen all that much action in his collegiate career, Derrick has been effective in leading the Furman offense when he has been in the lineup. He is 1-1 as a starting quarterback, with both starts coming in his sophomore season of 2010. In total, Derrick has seen action in 12 games in his previous three seasons as a Paladin QB, including six last fall.

Derrick has been effective as both a passing and a rushing threat in his Furman career. As a passer, he has completed 28-of-58 passes for 300 yards, with three TDs and an INT, while rushing for 251 yards and three scores on 40 attempts (6.3 YPC) in his career.

Though he has deceptive speed, Derrick's most effective weapon is his cannon-like arm. He is in some ways a better passer than Forcier was, and certainly has a stronger arm. The only area in which he might not measure up in comparison to his predecessor as a passer is with his accuracy. However, the difference likely won't be all that noticeable to the casual fan.

Obviously, Derrick will not offer the same type of threat on the ground as Forcier did, but he is not scared to tuck the ball and run it if the occasion calls for it.

Arguably the best weapon returning on the offensive side of the ball for the Paladins in 2012 is All-SoCon running back Jerodis Williams (199 rush att, 1,055 yds, 9 TDs, 5.3 YPC). The 5'11," 208-pound senior from Prattville, AL, became the first Paladin to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season since Hindley Brigham last accomplished the feat for the Paladins back during the 2003 season.

Williams' performance last season restored the Paladin faithful's confidence in their ability to run the football, especially in short-yardage situations, which had been lost in recent seasons. Williams enjoyed several strong rushing performances last fall, including rushing for a career-high 175 yards and a TD in a 47-21 road win at Western Carolina. It was one of five occasions in which Williams eclipsed the century mark in rushing last fall.

In fact, his 175-yard rushing effort against Western Carolina last fall were the most yards gained on the ground by a Furman running back since Louis Ivory went for 176 yards in a 47-28 Paladin win over PC in the 2001 regular-season finale. Samford's defense had the ancedote against Williams last season, limiting the All-SoCon running back to season-low 25 yards on 10 rush attempts in the Bulldogs' five-point road triumph last October.

Williams is also an effective receiving threat out of the backfield, catching nine passes for 60 yards last fall. He needs just 73 yards to eclipse the 2,000-yard plateau for his Paladin career.

Teaming with Williams to give Furman one of the top one-two punches in the offensive backfield in the SoCon entering the 2012 campaign will be sophomore Hank McCloud (58 rush att, 241 yds, 1 TD). McCloud has good size and deceptive power for a somewhat diminutive running back. McCloud turned in his best effort of the 2011 season in the 47-21 win at Western Carolina, as he posted 61 yards on 12 carries. He also posted three receptions for 37 yards in 2011.

One of the positions hardest hit by graduation on the offensive side of the football for the Paladins was wide receiver, with the loss due to graduation of two of the Paladins' top four pass-catchers from a year ago—Sederrik Cunningham and Tyler Maples. Maples and Cunningham combined to haul in 55 passes for 923 yards and seven TDs last season.

The good news is Furman returns a preseason first-team All-American to its ledger of receiving threats this fall, senior tight end Colin Anderson (40 rec, 696 yds, 7 TDs, 17.4 YPR).

No doubt Anderson was a key cog in the Paladin offense last season, and the former high school quarterback will again be one of the key pieces to the Furman offensive puzzle this fall.

Anderson is not only a reliable, big target, he is also extremely athletic. He is the first tight end to lead the Paladins in overall receiving since 1996, when Luther Broughton was the Paladins' main threat in the passing game. In his previous three seasons combined, the former high school quarterback from Dallas, Texas, has hauled in 60 passes for 1,043 yards and 11 TDs.

Anderson's 11 TD receptions in three seasons are the most ever by a Furman tight end, surpassing former great Brette Simmons' 10-career TD catches from 1974-78. Anderson is also within striking distance of Furman's all-time receiving yards mark for a Furman tight end, which is also currently held by Broughton, who finished his four years in the Purple and White with 1,565 yards receiving.

Anderson needs 523 yards receiving this fall to set a new all-time mark. His seven TD grabs in a single season last fall tied for sixth all-time for TD grabs in a single-season by a receiver.

Anderson also threw a TD pass on a double-pass in the season finale loss at Florida. His TD pass was a 47-yard strike to a wide-open Cunningham, who had gotten behind the Florida secondary for the easy score.

Anderson turned in a solid performance against Samford last fall, as he led the Paladins' receiving efforts with nine catches for 110 yards and a TD in the 26-21 setback.

When Furman is not looking to Anderson, the Paladins will no doubt be looking to Ryan Culbreath (18 rec, 265 yds, 2 TDs, 14.7 YPR) and Will King (3 rec, 36 yds, 1 TD, 12.0 YPR). Culbreath brings NFL size to the Furman receiving corps. He will enter his second season as the starter at split end for the Paladins.

Culbreath served as a great blocking presence on the perimeter for the Paladins last season, and he also proved what a valuable asset he could be as a wide receiver, hauling in four passes for 62 yards and a TD in his signature performance of the season, which was a 41-34 loss to Elon.

One of the real surprises during the final portion of the 2011 season was walk-on Will King, who has now worked his way into the starting lineup for the Paladins this fall. The 6-0, 180-pound senior from Rock Hill, S.C., is a good athlete and is blessed with some of the best hands in the wide receiving corps.

Like Anderson, King spent his prep career under center as a quarterback and now has become one of the most reliable pass-catchers and blockers in the Furman receiving corps. He will start at flanker for the Paladins in the season opener against Samford.

Rounding out the starters at wide receiver for the Paladins will either be senior Daniel McFadden (8 rec, 180 yds, 2 TDs, 22.5 YPR) or freshman Jordan Snellings, as both are vying for the right to start at slot receiver for the Paladins in 2012.

McFadden, a 6-2, 198-pound native of Daytona, FL, sports tremendous speed and has shown the potential to be an explosive big-play threat at times throughout his career. Both of his scoring catches came in the 62-21 win over Presbyterian, covering 39 and 20 yards, respectively. He had a season-long 61-yard reception in the 41-34 loss to Elon.

Snellings, a 6-2, 185-pound redshirt freshman from the Marist School in Atlanta, GA, has proven to be one of the most impressive receivers on the Paladin roster since his arrival on campus last fall. Snellings garnered all-conference honors in his senior season, hauling in 24 passes for 337 yards and three TDs in 2010.

The offensive line returns three starters for the 2012 season, but the losses were substantial along the offensive line, with the graduation of left guard Ryan Lee and a four-year starter at center in Daniel Spisak. Depth is a huge question mark entering the 2012 season, and the two starters that must be replaced along the offensive front could be former walk-ons.

Furman left tackle Dakota Dozier was a Second-Team All-Southern Conference selection last season. The current coaching staff has said that he has the potential to be one of the best to ever suit up along the offensive line for Furman. The 6-4, 291-pound product of West Columbia, S.C., started all 11 games for the Paladins last season, and has great feet and overall athleticism.

Joining Dozier in all-conference recognition last season was redshirt freshman Charles Emert, who garnered SoCon All-Freshman team accolades after starting at various positions along the offensive front last season, the majority of those starting assignments coming in four starts at left guard. The Statesboro, Ga., native showed his versatility by also logging starts at right tackle last fall.

Rounding out the returning starters along the offensive line for the Paladins heading into the 2012 season will be Ryan Storms, who will likely enter preseason camp as the starter at right guard entering fall camp. Storms has garnered starts in 12 games out of the 16 he has played in his career.

Penciled as the two starters at left guard and center heading into the season opener are former walk-ons Eric Thoni at center and Tank Phillips at left guard. Both have had solid spring and fall camps, and will be relied upon to fill some pretty big roles along the Paladin offensive front this season, especially Thoni, who will be stepping into a position that has been occupied each of the three previous seasons by a polished veteran in Spisak.

Preview: The Defenses

The Samford defense welcomes the return of six starters from a unit that completed the 2011 season ranked 65th nationally in total defense (356.5 YPG), 101st in rush defense (193.5 YPG), 13th in pass defense (172.1 YPG), 97th in sacks (16.0 sacks, 1.45 SPG) and scoring defense (24.8 PPG).

The biggest strength of this Samford defense heading into the 2012 season appears to be linebacker play, as the unit returns two veterans from a year ago in Keith Shoulders (61 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 INT) and Darion Sutton (56 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2 INTs).

Shoulders, a 6-1, 236-pound senior from Tanner, AL, will find himself starting at middle linebacker this fall. He is coming off a campaign in which he started all 11 games for the Bulldogs last fall. Shoulders enjoyed his best game of the season against Appalachian State, recording a season-high eight stops in a 35-17 setback. Shoulders also recorded seven tackles in wins over Furman and Gardner-Webb.

Sutton will be set to start at the weakside linebacker position for the Bulldogs heading into the 2012 season. The 6-2, 235-pound senior from Columbiana, AL, joined his mate Shoulders in starting all 11 games for the Bulldogs last season. One of Sutton's best performances came in a win over Elon, recording six solo tackles and one of his two INTs on the season. In the SoCon finale at The Citadel, Sutton recorded a season-high eight stops and a key fumble recovery in the 14-10 road win.

Rounding out the trio of expected starters at linebacker heading into the 2012 season for the Bulldogs will be strong side linebacker Durrell Hill (49 tackles, 4 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 2 PBUs, 1 FF).

Hill, a 6-2, 238-pound senior from Oxford, AL, is another experienced, big and powerful linebacker returning for Pat Sullivan's Bulldogs this fall. Last season, Hill saw action in all 11 games, including nine starts. Hill enjoyed his top performance of last season in the season opener against Georgia Southern. He recorded seven tackles, including six of the solo variety, along with a tackle-for-loss in the 35-17 loss.

A few weeks later, in a 38-23 road loss at Wofford, Hill equaled that total of seven tackles and a TFL. He also registered a season-high seven stops in the regular-season finale, a loss at Auburn.

Another strength of this Samford defense in 2012 should be its secondary, which returns two of four starters from a unit that helped the Bulldogs boast one of the nation's top aerial defenses a year ago, helping the Bulldogs rank 13th nationally in pass defense. The biggest question mark is obviously at cornerback, where the Bulldogs must replace Corey White—a fifth-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints this fall.

The top player in the secondary for Samford this fall will be Alvin Hines II (66 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 9 PBUs, 3 INTs) at strong safety. The 6-1, 217-pound junior is one of the top safeties in the FCS and he enters the campaign as a First-Team All-SoCon selection. He was able to lead the Bulldogs in tackles last fall with 66.

Hines II came up big in several games last fall for the Bulldogs last season, including the big 26-21 win at Furman. In that contest, Hines II recorded nine tackles and a crucial INT. Hines II also posted a season-high 10-tackle performance—alll solo—in the 35-17 road loss at Appalachian State. He also started all 11 games in the secondary for the Bulldogs last season.

Teaming with Hines II at safety in 2012 will be free safety Jaquiski Tartt (23 tackles). Tartt will be in his first season as a starter in the Samford secondary. The redshirt selection saw action in 10 contests for the Bulldogs last season. In those 10 contests, he tallied 23 tackles, including 20 solo stops.

Set to man the two cornerback positions for the Bulldogs in 2012 will be a veteran tandem in Justin Sly (7 tackles, 2 PBUs) and Tae Lewis (20 tackles, 2 PBUs).

Sly, a 5'11", 195-pound senior from Hoover, AL, will be asked to fill some incredibly large shoes, replacing Corey White at the right cornerback position this fall. All White did was establish himself as one of the premier cover corners in the FCS last season, completing the 2011 season with 58 tackles and finishing second in the SoCon with four INTs last fall.

Sly has good speed, strength and will, and has shown the ability to hold his own against the experienced, talented Samford wideouts during spring and fall camp.

Lewis will start at the other cornerback position. The 5'11", 194-pound native of Columbiana, AL, logged action in all 11 games last fall, which included six starts. He turned in one of his top performances of the season and of his career against Furman, registering a season-high six tackles, including four solo stops, in the win over the Paladins. He brings good speed and physical skills to the position, and he is probably one of the more underrated players on this Samford defense heading into the 2012 season.

The area that looks to be most like a concern heading into the 2012 season on the defensive side of the football for the Bulldogs is the defensive line. Gone are three of four starters from a year ago, including the anchor of that unit, Austin Hayes, who garnered All-SoCon accolades after leading the Bulldogs with 12.0 TFLs and five sacks last fall.

The lone returning starter along the defensive front from a year ago will be Nicholas Williams (23 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks), who at 6'4", 310 pounds, will present quite a formidable force on the interior of the Samford defense.

Williams started all 11 games for the Bulldogs along the defensive front last fall. He enjoyed his top performance of the season against both Georgia Southern and Western Carolina, recording four tackles apiece in each of those respective contests.

Lining up alongside Williams at nose guard will be sophomore Jerry Mathis (18 tackles). Mathis will be in his first season as a starter along the defensive front for the Bulldogs, and like his teammate on the interior Williams, Mathis brings good size and strength to the position, at 6'3," 292 pounds.

Mathis did see action in all 11 games as a reserve along the Samford defensive front last season, enjoying his top performance of the season in the SoCon finale win over The Citadel, with four tackles.

Set to man the defensive end positions for Samford heading into the season opener against the Paladins will be Aaron Bethune (21 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 FR) and Brandon Wilkinson (7 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FR).

Bethune completed the 2011 season tied for second on the team in both sacks and tackles-for-loss. The 6-3, 260-pound product of Opeilika, AL, will be the player looked to pick up most of the pass-rushing slack after the graduation of Hayes.

Bethune saw action in all 11 games for Samford last fall, which included one start. He registered his top performance of the campaign against Gardner-Webb, recording seven tackles, including six solo stops.

Wilkinson is the least experienced Bulldog among the starting quartet slated to take the field against Paladins on Saturday. The 6'3", 212-pound redshirt sophomore from Venice, FL, did manage to log action in nine contests as a reserve last season for Samford. He had a couple of tackles and a fumble recovery in the regular-season finale, a 35-17 loss at Auburn.

There is much expectation surrounding Wilkinson's presence as a starter along the defensive front, as he was rated the No. 54 defensive end in the country according to Scout.com's 2010 rankings.

Overall, the Samford defense should be one that develops as the season progresses. This unit will have to rely on a strong linebacking corps and safety tandem, as the Bulldogs get their footing under them early in the season along the defensive line and at cornerback.

With some younger players developing experience and role responsibilities along the way, this Bulldog defense might be one of the surprises in the SoCon by season's end.

For Furman, the 2012 season presents an opportunity to get even closer to the tradition-rich roots they have established as one of the top defensive clubs in the SoCon and FCS.

Prior to Fowler's arrival last fall, Furman was struggling to regain that footing as a major force on the defensive side in the SoCon, a position that they had enjoyed so many times in the past under former coaching legends Bobby Johnson, Jimmy Satterfield and Dick Sheridan.

But Fowler—Johnson's defensive coordinator at both Furman and Vanderbilt-—has begin to once again lay a foundation that should ensure Furman's defensive success in the very near future, if not the 2012 season. The seeds of that turnaround were planted last season, as the Paladins did several things well, including leading the SoCon in turnover margin (+0.82), and ranking fourth in the league in sacks (1.82 SPG).

That Paladins nearly tripled their meager eight sack total from the previous campaign, completing the 2011 season with 21 sacks in 2012.

In total, the Paladins completed the 2011 season ranking 74th nationally in total defense (374.4 YPG), 33rd in pass defense (193.6 YPG), 93rd in rush defense (180.8 YPG), 57th in scoring defense (26.0 PPG) and 20th in turnover margin (+0.82).

While eight starters return on the defensive side of the ball for the Paladins, there's no dancing around the fact that the Paladins must replace its two top defensive players from last fall, with the graduation of All-American cornerback Ryan Steed and All-SoCon LB Kadarron Anderson.

Many feel the strength of this Furman defense this fall will be its defensive line, and the Paladins may very well have one of the top defensive end tandems in the Southern Conference returning for the 2012 season in senior all-league performer Josh Lynn (49 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 5.0 sacks) and talented junior bookend Shawn Boone (27 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, 1 PBU).

Lynn, a 6'4", 264-pound native of Fort Lawn, S.C., completed the 2011 season garnering second team All-Southern Conference honors, and he was instrumental in his role of helping the Paladins improve its pass-rush last fall. Lynn had one of his best performances of the 2011 season against Western Carolina, posting five stops, including two sacks in the 47-21 road win by the Paladins.

While Lynn gets most of the hype, it might be Shawn Boone that actually ends up having the bigger season, with Lynn drawing so much attention. The 6'2", 233-pound native of Lithia, FL, is one of the best athletes on the defensive side of the football for the Paladins. He started all 11 games for the Paladins last fall, recording his top performance in the season opener, as he registered six tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack in the 30-23 road loss.

Lining up to start on the defensive interior for the Paladins this fall will be Neal Rodgers (21 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) and Colton Keig (32 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1 FR). Rodgers and Keig are two veterans that are poised to be difference-makers on the defensive interior for the Paladins this fall.

Both are a bit undersized, but both provide veteran leadership along the defensive front for Furman.

The Paladins must fill an enormous hole at middle linebacker, with the graduation of Kadarron Anderson, and also must replace a solid, talented weakside linebacker, Chris Wiley.

However, there is plenty of optimism for what returns to the unit this fall, as All-SoCon strongside linebacker Mitch McGrath (87 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, 4 INTs, 3 FFs, 1 FR) returns as one of the key pillars of the Furman defense this fall. McGrath was arguably Furman's defensive MVP last season, despite playing somewhat in the shadows of his more heralded teammates, Steed and Anderson.

McGrath's athleticism and physicality on the defensive side of the football last season was part of the defensive attitude that Furman exhibited throughout the Bobby Johnson era and in the first few seasons of the Bobby Lamb era.

His bone-jarring hits were a constant reminder of the attempt at regaining respect. McGrath will no doubt enter the campaign as an all-conference selection and potential All-America candidate.

It was McGrath's performance in a 14-7 win at Chattanooga that nearly single-handedly won the tough road contest and earned him Sports Network National Player of the Week plaudits. All McGrath did was tally nine tackles, four sacks, an INT, force a fumble and recover a fumble in the seven point road win.

Matt Solomon (22 tackles, 1.5 TFLs) has been strong during the spring and preseason, and has had maybe the best preseason camp of any Paladin defender. A solid reserve for three seasons behind Anderson and former Paladin standout middle linebacker Andrew Jones, Solomon will finally get his chance to make a name for himself in the middle of the Furman defense.

In his only start last season against Florida in the regular-season finale, Solomon had a career afternoon, registering a career-best 10 tackles , 2.0 TFL, and forcing a fumble in the outstanding performance.

Talented sophomore Gary Wilkins (46 tackles, 0.5 TFLs, 1 BLK), will round out the front seven for the Paladins, replacing Chris Wiley at the weakside LB position. Many think Wilkins is one of the best athletes on the defensive side of the ball for the Paladins.

Wilkins saw significant action in his redshirt freshman campaign for the Paladins, and was a significant role player on special teams as well, using his leaping ability to affect punts, and even recording a partially blocked punt in the season-opener against Coastal Carolina. His 46 tackles were good enough to rank Wilkins sixth on the tackles ledger last season.

No doubt the secondary was a strength for the Paladins last season, but they must replace the headliner of that unit from a year ago, having to fill the enormous void left by the graduation of one of the top corners in school history, Ryan Steed.

While the Paladins lose Steed, they welcome back a pair of all-conference safeties, which might also be one of the top tandems in all of FCS football heading into the 2012 season. Free safety Nathan Wade (75 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 1 FR, 3 PBUs) and strong safety Greg Worthy (80 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, 3 INTs, 3 PBUs) made life scary for Samford wide receivers last fall, as Samford fans know all-too-well.

Few will forget the vicious blows dished out by Wade and Worthy in that game, with Worthy's hit on Jauan Davis and Wade's nasty hit on Hawkins, which ended his afternoon prematurely.

Rounding out the starters on the Furman defense heading into the season opener will be senior speedster Cortez Johnson (11 tackles, 1 FR) at one cornerback position, while Derrick Murray (23 tackles, 1 INT) will start at the other CB position.

Johnson replaces Steed at CB, and while he might not come into the season with the overall talent of his predecessor, he will have one thing on Steed—speed.

Johnson can flat out fly. He is possibly the fastest player on the roster, and a player that has recorded a 4.30 time in the 40-yard dash.

A Potential Key

If this game comes down to a field goal, which it very well might, the advantage would have to go to Samford, who brings back the best place-kicker in the SoCon, and one of the best in the country, in senior Cameron Yaw (23-of-28 on FGs, 32-of-33 PAT). While Yaw is a great kicker, Fabian Truss was oftentimes able to put the Bulldogs in outstanding position with his league-leading 29.3 yards per kick return last season.

Furman counters with place-kicker Ray Early (2-of-6 FGs, 14-of-19 PATs), who after an outstanding true freshman campaign in 2010, which included a career-long 52-yard field goal in Furman's 27-10 win in its last trip to Samford, struggled to maintain his starting job last season due to lack of consistency. However, strong spring and preseason camps have the junior focused on reclaiming his All-SoCon status this fall, as he is now firmly established as the FU starter.

The Advantages

Furman O-Line vs. Samford D-Line (Advantage Samford)

Samford O-Line vs. Furman D-Line (Advantage Furman)

Samford WRs vs. Furman DBs (Slight Advantage Samford)

Furman WRs vs. Samford DBs (Slight Advantage Furman)

Furman LBs or Samford LBs (Push) 

Individual Advantages

RB Jerodis Williams or RB Fabian Truss (Slight Advantage Williams)

QB Andy Summerlin or QB Dakota Derrick (Push)

PK Cameron Yaw or PK Ray Early (Slight Advantage Yaw)

Final Prediction

On paper, this one shapes up to be a great game. Three of the last four games between the two have been decided by five points or less. After Saturday's game, it will be four of the past five. This game will come down to who makes less mistakes, plain and simple. The reason Furman wins this one is it proved it could make those jarring hits and key INTs when it needed to last season, on most occasions. Furman wins a close one, and look for part of that opportunistic safety tandem of Worthy and Wade to have something to say about forcing that key turnover at a critical moment on Saturday.

28-24 Paladins

Last season at this time, Furman head coach Bruce Fowler was busy trying to hire a staff for the 2011 Football season, however, this season Fowler and the Paladins appear to be in much better shape.

Fowler did about what was expected of him in his first season back in Greenville, after spending nine seasons in Nashville as the defensive coordinator for the Vanderbilt Commodores under longtime friend and Commodores’ head coach Bobby Johnson.

The Paladins finished the campaign with a 6-5 overall mark and a 5-3 league ledger, which was good enough for a third-place finish in the Southern Conference standings.  

Not only did the Paladins improve their overall record by one game in Fowler’s first season at the helm, the Paladins also captured a pair of wins over top-five foes, handing No. 4 Wofford a 26-21 loss on Oct. 22 and No. 3 Appalachian State a 20-10 setback on Nov. 5.

The win over the Appalachian State Mountaineers snapped a six-game skid to the Black and Gold, dating back to the 2005 campaign, and was just Furman’s second win over ASU since 2001. The two wins over top-five ranked opponents last season marked the first time in school history that Furman has knocked off a pair of top-five foes in the regular season in school history.

Furman saw another of its staples from previous years return in 2011, as Paladin fans played witness to the return of a physical ground game. For the first time since 2003, the Paladins had a running back rush for over 1,000 yards, with Jerodis Williams eclipsing the millennium mark, with 1,055 rushing yards rushing in 11 games last season.

Fifteen starters return to highlight the 2012 campaign, however, the Paladins lost arguably their best players on both sides of the football, with first-team All-Southern Conference quarterback Chris Forcier having graduated, as well as first-team All-America cornerback Ryan Steed and first team All-SoCon linebacker Kadarron Anderson on the defensive side of the football.

While the Paladins struggled more than expected at times on the defensive side of the football, the aggression and physicality was back on the defensive side of the football for the Paladins. That was something that had been lacking in the twilight of Bobby Lamb’s career at the helm of the program.

Though the Paladins finished ranking eighth in the SoCon in total defense (374.5 YPG) last season, the Paladins did manage to effectively cause turnovers last season, as the Paladins completed the campaign tied overall for turnover margin (+9, 0.82) with the Chattanooga Mocs.

On offense, the Paladins were explosive, finishing the 2011 season ranking fourth in scoring offense (28.6 PPG), fifth in total offense (389.4 YPG), fourth in rushing offense (166.8 YPG) and fifth in passing offense (222.5 YPG).  

That explosiveness came from Forcier under center, who set a school record for passing efficiency (172.36) in a single-season, and ended the campaign ranking tops in the FCS in that particular stat. Forcier threw a single-season school-record 23 TDs, while his 2,265 yards passing for the campaign were fourth-most in program history.

 Forcier became the first Furman quarterback to garner first-team All-SoCon accolades since 1996, when Braniff Bonaventure garnered first-team All-SoCon honors.

If the Paladins hope to return to postseason play for the first time since 2006, it will have to start by getting consistent play from the quarterback position this fall. Dakota Derrick and Travis Eman competed for the starting job in the spring, with the senior Derrick emerging from spring drills as the starter for the Paladins, but Eman, a redshirt freshman, did not seem to be all that far behind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbME0OWpg84

Derrick, a 6-4, 210-pound product of Conway, S.C., is slated to take over the reins under center this fall, as he came out of the spring as the starter. Derrick has a big arm and has developed his accuracy as his career has progressed. Derrick saw limited action last season, completing 8-of-17 passes for 104 yds and a TD.

Derrick has a pair of starts in his career, and is 1-1 as a starting quarterback, defeating Western Carolina during his sophomore season. In that 31-17 win over the Catamounts, Derrick completed 12-of-23 passes for 122 yards and a pair of TDs, while rushing 12 times for 71 yards in the win. For his entire career, Derrick has completed 28-of-58 passes for 300 yards, with two TDs and an INT.

Derrick will have some stiff competition on his hands for the starting quarterback position, competing with Eman for the starting responsibilities under center. Eman has a strong arm and good speed, and is the quarterback of the future for Furman football. In his senior season at Cansius High School, Eman passed for 1,575 yards and 26 TDs, while rushing for 971 yards and 20 scores to lead Canisius to a 7-3 season.

Eman was impressive during the spring for the Paladins, completing 10-of-15 passes for 134 yards and an interception. 

Furman will have one of the best ground options in the Southern Conference this fall, with the return of senior running back Jerodis Williams (199 rush att, 1,055 yds, 9 TDs, 5.3 YPC). Williams is a key piece to the puzzle once again for the Paladins this fall, and all he did last season was become Furman’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2003, when Hindley Brigham rushed for 1,048 yards.

Williams was instrumental in the Paladins’ 6-5 campaign, helping Furman re-establish itself as a team that could move the ball effectively on the ground when it needed yards. Williams provided the punch for Furman’s ground attack in each of the first two games last season, posting a 142-yard, three TD performance in the season-opening loss at Coastal Carolina, while following up that performance by going for 122 yards on 28 carries in the Paladins’ 16-6 road win.

Williams also got it done against the name opponent on Furman’s schedule last season, posting a big day in Furman’s 54-32 loss to Florida. In that contest, Williams went for 133 yards and a pair of TDs, including a season and career long 77-yard scamper for a score late in the third quarter.

Joining forces with Williams in the Furman backfield this fall will be Hank McCloud (58 att, 241 yds, 1 TD), who is coming off a strong redshirt freshman campaign, which saw him provide plenty of support to Williams in the Paladin backfield.

McCloud, a 5-8, 184-pound sophomore, is a running back that runs much more powerfully than his frame would suggest. He ended the campaign as the Paladins’ third-leading rusher, and posted his best overall rushing performance in the win at Western Carolina, rushing for 61 yards on 12 carries in the win.  Look for McCloud to be used more as a receiving option out of the Paladin backfield next fall, as he ended the 2011 campaign with three receptions for 37 yards.

Furman has lost some quality talent to graduation over the past couple of seasons, graduating the school’s all-time leading pass-catcher, Adam Mims, two years ago, and will have to replace two of the top four receiving options this fall, with the graduation of Sederrick Cunningham and Tyler Maples. Cunningham proved useful as a deep ball threat down the stretch last season, while Maples was a reliable underneath threat as a possession receiver, but did possess quickness and was an excellent route-running wideout.

The cupboard, however, is certainly not bare when looking at the talent returning in Furman’s receiving corps for the 2012 season, led by the return of maybe the top tight end in FCS football, in senior Colin Anderson (40 rec, 696 yds, 7 TDs, 17.4 YPR).

Anderson is not only a reliable, big target, he is also extremely athletic. He is the first tight end to lead the Paladins in overall receiving since 1996, when Luther Broughton was the Paladins’ main threat in the passing game.  In his previous three seasons combined, the former high school quarterback from Dallas, Texas, has hauled in 60 passes for 1,043 yards and 11 TDs.

Anderson’s 11 TD receptions in three seasons are the most ever by a Furman tight end, surpassing the former great Brette Simmons’ 10-career TD catches from 1974-78. Anderson is also within striking distance of Furman’s all-time receiving yards mark for a Furman tight end, which also currently held by Broughton, who finished his four years in the Purple and White with 1,565 yards receiving. Anderson needs 523 yards receiving this fall to set a new all-time mark. His seven TD grabs in a single season last fall ranked tied for sixth all-time for TD grabs in a single-season by a receiver.

 Anderson also threw a TD pass on a double-pass in the season finale loss at Florida. His TD pass was a 47-yard strike to a wide-open Cunningham, who had gotten behind the Florida secondary for the easy score.  

When Furman is not looking to Anderson, the Paladins will no doubt be looking to Ryan Culbreath (18 rec, 265 yds, 2 TDs, 14.7 YPR) and Daniel McFadden (8 rec, 180 yds, 2 TDs, 22.5 YPR).

Culbreath has tight end size, at 6-4, 215 lbs. He has an excellent pair of hands and with his physicality, has the ability to cause matchup problems for the SoCon’s smaller corners. Culbreath will once again line up as the Paladins starter at split end. Culbreath had four catches for 63 yards and a TD in a late-season loss to Elon, while hauling in three passes for 69 yards, including a season-long 43-yarder, in a 26-21 win over fourth-ranked Wofford. With a big season this fall, Culbreath could start putting himself on the NFL radar heading into his senior campaign of 2013.

While Culbreath will start at split end, expect Daniel McFadden to move Cunningham’s former position as the starting flanker for the Paladins. McFadden has the type of speed to get behind defenses just as Cunningham provided last season. McFadden turned in his strongest performance of the 2011 campaign in the 62-21 win over Presbyterian, hauling in a pair of passes, both of which went for TDs (39 and 20 yds) for 59 yards in the rout. He had a season-long 61-yard reception in Furman’s late-season loss to Elon.

One of the real surprises at wide receiver this fall for the Paladins could be walk-on Will King (3 rec, 20 yds, 1 TD) and redshirt freshman Gary Robinson. King caught his lone TD pass in Furman’s win over PC, while Robinson’s speed could be a factor this fall, likely backing up McFadden at flanker.  Robinson could also be a significant contributor on special teams for Furman this fall.

The offensive line must find a way to replace a couple of veteran starters, graduating both center Daniel Spisak and First-Team All-SoCon offensive tackle Ryan Lee. Both will be missed, but a solid nucleus of three regulars return for the 2012 campaign, including a pair of all-league honorees.

Furman left tackle Dakota Dozier was a Second-Team All-Southern Conference selection last season, and has been called by the current coaching staff as having the potential of being one of the best to ever suit up along the offensive line for Furman. The 6-4, 291-pound product of West Columbia, S.C., started all 11 games for the Paladins last season, and has great feet and overall athleticism.

Joining Dozier in all-conference recognition last season was redshirt freshman Charles Emert, who garnered SoCon All-Freshman team accolades after starting at various positions along the offensive front last season, with the majority of those starting assignments coming in four starts at left guard.  The Statesboro, Ga., native showed his versatility by also logging starts at right tackle last fall.

Rounding out the returning starters along the offensive line for the Paladins heading into the 2012 season will be Ryan Storms, who will likely enter preseason camp as the starter at right guard entering fall camp. Storms has garnered starts in 12 games out of the 16 he has played in his career.

The only real question mark for the Paladins remains at the center position, with the graduation of Spisak. Spisak was a stalwart along the offensive line each of his four seasons for the Paladins, logging action as the Paladins’ full-time starter at center for three seasons. Spisak might be replaced by Emert at center in the fall, as that was Emert’s originally recruited position.

The defensive side of the football actually saw the Paladins yield two less yards in Bobby Lamb’s last season at the helm than the 374.9 given up by the Paladins in Fowler’s first season at the helm.  It was evident, however, that there was a different mentality on the defensive side of the ball for the Paladins in 2011.

The biggest noticeable difference was the Paladins’ physicality, with numerous hits that jarred football’s loose last season, which had been a missing element for Furman defenses since the early 2000s. The Paladins finished the 2011 campaign tied for first in turnover margin (+9, 0.82) last season, and with 25 total sacks on the campaign, Furman tripled its total of eight sacks last season and totaled more sacks in 2011 than the past two seasons combined.    

There are significant losses to be accounted for on the defensive side of the football, as the Paladins lose their two top defensive players from a year ago, in cornerback Ryan Steed and linebacker Kadarron Anderson, who both garnered numerous accolades during their respective senior seasons, including All-America honors.

A solid contingent of eight starters returns on the defensive side of the football for the Paladins in 2012, including a few solid honors candidates. It was just a few years ago that many that followed the Furman football program were maligning the defensive line talent, however, now the unit might be the strongest on the Furman defense.

One of the leaders on the defensive side of the football this fall for the Paladins will be rising senior defensive end Josh Lynn (49 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 5.0 sacks). The 6-4, 264-pound native of Fort Lawn, S.C, completed the 2011 season garnering second team All-Southern Conference honors.

Lynn was instrumental in helping revive what had been a stagnate pass-rush for the Paladins in recent seasons. Lynn’s five sacks were good enough to lead the Paladins in that category last season, and was part of a season which saw the Furman defense amass a total of 21 sacks. Lynn enters his senior campaign with 21.5 tackles-for-loss and six sacks.

The other bookend position will feature another player on the defensive line who should enter the 2012 campaign as an All-SoCon honors candidate, in Shawn Boone (27 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, 1 PBU). Boone’s power and athleticism have made him a force in his first two seasons as a starter.

The real area of concern for head coach Bruce Fowler heading into the 2011 season was the defensive interior, which was a little undersized. The Paladins have three of four defensive tackles that logged a majority of the action returning for the 2012 season. The only loss as a result of graduation heading into 2012 is Cody Reynolds.

Colton Keig (32 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1 FR) returns for his senior season at defensive tackle, while Neal Rodgers (21 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) and Tyreek Phillips (23 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 FF). Phillips was regarded as a “project” player when he entered the program a couple of years ago, but under the direction of Ricky Logo, and now new defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey, he has honed his raw skills and athleticism to become what coaches believe to be a major contributor in the teeth of the Furman run defense this fall.

The linebacking corps will not have the usual stalwarts Chris Wiley and the aforementioned Anderson, as both have moved on as a result of graduation, but the Paladins have stockpiled linebacker talent in each of the past couple of recruiting classes.

Headlining the Paladin linebacking corps this fall will be ‘bandit’ Mitch McGrath (87 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, 4 INTs, 3 FFs, 1 FR). McGrath was arguably Furman’s defensive MVP last season, despite playing somewhat in the shadows of his more heralded teammates, Steed and Anderson.  

McGrath’s athleticism and physicality on the defensive side of the football last season was part of the defensive ‘attitude’ that Furman exhibited throughout the Bobby Johnson era and in the first few seasons of the Bobby Lamb era at Furman, as his bone-jarring hits were a constant reminder of the attempt at regaining respect. McGrath will no doubt enter the campaign as an all-conference selection and potential All-America candidate.

It was McGrath’s performance in a 14-7 win at Chattanooga that nearly single-handedly won the tough road contest and earned him Sports Network National Player of the Week plaudits. All McGrath did was tally nine tackles, four sacks, an INT, force a fumble and recover a fumble in the seven point road win.  

The likely replacement at middle linebacker this fall is Matt Solomon (22 tackles, 1.5 TFLs). A solid reserve for three seasons behind Anderson and former Paladin standout middle linebacker Andrew Jones, Solomon will finally get his chance to make a name for himself in the middle of the Furman defense where so many predecessors in the middle have.

Wiley’s likely replacement at the weak side linebacker post will likely be Gary Wilkins (46 tackles, 0.5 TFLs, 1 BLK), who might be the best athlete on the team. Wilkins saw significant action in his redshirt freshman campaign for the Paladins, and was a significant role player on special teams as well, using his leaping ability to affect punts, and even recording a partially blocked punt in the season-opener against Coastal Carolina. His 46 tackles were good enough to rank Wilkins sixth on the tackles ledger last season.

The secondary should once again be strong, returning three of four starters for the 2012 season, however, replacing the school’s top all-time cornerback Ryan Steed will not exactly be easy.

Slated to draw the starting responsibilities at the respective cornerback positions this fall will be Derrick Murray (23 tackles, 1 INT) and Austin Williams (10 tackles, 1 PBU). Cortez Johnson (11 tackles, 1 FR), Marcus McMorris (18 tackles, 1 FR, 1 INT) and E.J. Vinsang (25 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, 1.0 sack) will also be in the mix to challenge for some significant playing time at cornerback this season.

Murray and Williams split starting duties at the corner position opposite Steed last season. I expect McMorris will make a strong charge at a starting job in fall camp. He was one of the most impressive young talents in the Furman last season.

The real strength of the secondary should be the safety duo of the potential all-league tandem of Greg Worthy (80 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, 3 INTs, 3 PBUs) and Nathan Wade (75 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 1 FR, 3 PBUs). Both are physical and can be game-changers for the Paladins this fall.

Furman must see improvement from its place-kicking this fall, but rising junior Ray Early had a strong spring and appears poised and ready to overcome what was an abysmal sophomore season. The Paladins must also replace punter Chas Short.

Furman and The Citadel have been hating each other on the Southern Conference gridiron for a long time, as the two Palmetto State institutions are the only charter football members of the Southern Conference.

The Citadel and Furman have met 91 times previously, with the Paladins holding 57-31-3 all-time series edge, and there have been plenty of memorable meetings between the two Palmetto State schools.

The Paladins and Bulldogs rivalry has much to do with the contrast of both schools—The Citadel being a disciplined military education that prepares a man for the world and to be a leader through service, while Furman’s stringent academic standards challenge good minds to be great ones. They are both vastly different and both offer a quality education, but both fanbases view each other in a condescending manner.

For Citadel fans, Furman is usually viewed as the school full of students that wear Polo, drive BMWs and is only for students who have family members who are members of the bourgeoisie.

Furman fans view Citadel cadets as “bellhops,” mostly due to their uniforms resembling that of your upscale hotel porter. They also have the condescending view of Citadel cadets as being “West Point rejects” or members of a lesser military institution than those of the other major service academies, Army, Navy and Air Force.

Both stereotypes are vastly skewed, and both are quality institutions which offer outstanding educations in their own right, but the aforementioned stereotypes each fanbase holds for the other institution is what makes the rivalry what it is to this day.

For a long time, the Furman-Citadel rivalry was a significant part of rivalry week, as the Paladins and Bulldogs met on the final week of the college football season. However, after a nine-game winning streak from 1982-90, Citadel Athletics Director Walt Nadzak petitioned to have the game moved to the middle of October rather than at the end of the campaign.

Nadzak would win that petition and the game was moved to mid-October instead of the end of the season in 1993, and with that move, the rivalry lost a little of its luster.

However, the 2012 season will see the game moved back to the end of the campaign.

Greatest Moments In The Rivalry

There have been so many great moments in the rivalry, narrowing to just a few might be hard. Though Furman has dominated the series, The Citadel has had their moments over the years.  

Certainly the Bulldogs did enjoy some success at the beginning of the 1990s, as The Citadel claimed four-straight wins in the rivalry from 1991-94.

It was during the Bulldogs’ golden era that they enjoyed some of their most memorable moments in the series, with most Citadel fans holding the 1991 and ’92 wins over the Paladins in particularly high regard.

Led by quarterback Jack Douglas and fullback Everette Sands, the Bulldogs, led by legendary Citadel coach Charlie Taaffe, posted a 10-6 win in ’91 and a 20-14 win over the Paladins in a driving rainstorm in ’92.

It was the 1998 meeting between the two that saw the Bulldogs forge a comeback for the record books. It was October 17, 1998, and Paladin Stadium was especially alive with the home-side nearly fully purple and white on what was a beautiful, mid-October Saturday afternoon.

It looked as if it would be a near-perfect sequence of events on that particular homecoming Saturday, and after the Paladins jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter, it looked like a homecoming win over the arch-rival Bulldogs would be a mere formality.

Former standout Furman wide receiver Des Kitchings was in high gear on that afternoon, scoring two of the Paladins three TDs in the contest—one of which came on 65-yard run on a reverse, and the other coming on a 52-yard pass from quarterback Justin Hill early in the second quarter, which gave the Paladins a 21-0 lead with 10:30 remaining in the half.

That is where the perfect Saturday for the Paladins would end, however, as the Bulldogs stormed back dominated the next 40 minutes of football. It was Citadel signal-caller Stanley Myers and running back Antonio Smith that did a large majority of the damage, as the duo would keep the Paladin defense off-balance the remainder of the game to help the Bulldogs to the 25-24 win.

Myers connected on an astounding 18-of-19 passes in the contest for 167 yards and a TD, while Smith rushed for 110 yards and a couple of TDs to help the Bulldogs rebound for the win. Myers completed 18-straight passes against the Paladin defense, setting a new Southern Conference standard for consecutive pass-completions in a single game. That record would later be shattered by Appalachian State’s Richie Williams, also against the Paladins, when he completed 28-consecutive throws against the Paladins in 2004.

Trailing 25-24, the Paladins had a chance to win the contest late in the fourth quarter, driving all the way to the Citadel 31, but Jason Wells’ potential game-winning field goal was blocked by Citadel cornerback Marcus Johnson and the Bulldogs were able to preserve the one-point, come-from-behind win.

The two have had a pair of overtime decisions in the recent past. Both the 2005 and ’07 meetings needed overtime to decide things between the two archrivals, and both were at The Citadel’s Johnson-Hagood Stadium.

It was Furman that fell behind 21-7 in the ’05 contest, and the Paladins had plenty of ground to make up when starting signal-caller Ingle Martin exited the lineup with cramps in the third quarter in the sweltering Charleston October heat.

Backup signal-caller Renaldo Gray would come into the contest, and his versatility as a run-pass threat would save the fifth-ranked Paladins, as Furman would score 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to force overtime, eventually winning a triple overtime thriller, 39-31.

The Paladins had only 226 yards of total offense through the first three quarters, as their offense was stymied. However, after Gray came into the game, the Paladin offense found another gear and generated 235 yards the remainder of the game in getting the thrilling win.

In 2007, it was the Duran Lawson show, as the Bulldogs rolled up a school-record 641 yards en route to a 54-51 overtime win over the Paladins on another warm afternoon in the Port City.

The 641 yards gained by the Bulldogs were not only a Citadel record for single-game total offense, it was also the most yards ever given up by a Paladin defense, eclipsing the previous record surrendered by a Furman defense, which was 640 yards to Georgia Southern in the 1985 national championship game.

Lawson set a single-game Citadel record for total offense, accounting for 486 total offensive yards (386 passing, 100 rushing) of the 641 yards gained by the Bulldogs offense on the afternoon.

Not lost in the loss for the Paladins was the performance by wideout Patrick Sprague, who had a record-breaking afternoon for a Furman receiver. Sprague caught nine passes for 238 yards and three scores, setting the school record for receiving yards in a single game.

In stark contrast to the ‘05 and ’07 meetings, the ’03 meeting  in Charleston was one that was a much more defensively slanted contest, with the Bulldogs taking a narrow 10-9 win, benefiting mostly from late-game Paladin miscues.

Furman rebounded from a 10-0 halftime deficit, getting a 29-yard field goal from Danny Marshall late in the third quarter and the Paladins finally found the end zone via Furman backup quarterback Josh Stepp, who scampered in from three yards out to make the score 10-9. However, a bad exchange on the extra-point attempt forced the Paladins into a botched PAT.

Furman was then forced into an onside kick to try and get the ball back, but The Citadel recovered and was able to run all but 12 seconds off the game clock. The Paladins eventually got the ball back with only 12 seconds remaining at their own 16, but could not get within Marshall’s field-goal range and time ran out, with the Bulldogs holding on for the 10-9 win.

One of the memories that will forever live in the minds of Furman fans will be the 1978 meeting between the two schools—a matchup that would ultimately end up deciding the Southern Conference title—with Furman getting a 17-13 win over the Bulldogs to claim the crown.

Furman needed a goal-line stand on a Citadel drive late in the fourth quarter, as the Paladins kept talented Citadel running back Stump Mitchell out of the Sirrine Stadium on a fourth-and-goal, allowing Furman to claim the first of its league-standard 12 Southern Conference crowns. The Paladins went on to finish 8-3 in 1979.

With Furman having no hopes of reaching the postseason in 1987, the one game that meant something to Paladin nation was the regular-season finale at Citadel’s Johnson-Hagood Stadium, and this game alone would play a huge role in establishing momentum for Furman’s lone national championship season in 1988.

The Paladins entered the contest with a 6-4 record, while the Bulldogs came into the matchup with a 4-6 overall mark. The Paladins handed the Bulldogs one of their worst beatings inside the friendly confines, rolling up a school record 676 yards en route to a 58-13 win.

Furman denied the Bulldogs a shot at the league title in 1988 (30-13) and in 1990 (30-17), with the 1990 contest between the two rivals being before the third-largest crowd (18,190) in Paladin Stadium history.

The two met in what was another tough, hard-fought game in Charleston last season, with the Paladins getting a 16-6 win over the Bulldogs in Charleston. The win proved to be another milestone moment for the Furman football program, as it was Bruce Fowler’s first win as a head coach and first win at the helm of his alma mater. It was Paladin field-goal kicker Chas Short, a smash-mouth ground-attack and a gritty performance by the Furman defense, which aided the Paladins to the 10-point victory.

Short connected on three field goals, including a 46-yarder with under three minutes to play, to give the Paladins a double-digit advantage and allowing them to leave Charleston with an all-important win in their Southern Conference opener in tow.

Jerodis Williams powered the Furman offensive efforts, and helped Furman control the ball and the clock against The Citadel’s ball-control, flexbone offense. All Williams did was eclipse the century mark for the Paladins for the second-straight game, finishing the contest with a 122-yard rushing effort, which came on 28 rush attempts. Furman’s defense held The Citadel in check, limiting the Bulldogs to just 301 yards of total offense.

With the game set to return to the end of the season this fall, it will be interesting to see what is on the line when the two meet at the end of the season for first time in two decades. Who knows, it could once again be a playoff spot, or perhaps a Southern Conference title. Time will tell, but both teams will be improved this fall and dark horses for the SoCon crown.  

The Georgia Southern-Furman rivalry is one of the best on the Southern Conference gridiron, and rightfully so, as the first two meetings between these tradition-rich programs took place in the national title game. The Eagles completed an unbelievable 44-42, come-from-behind win in the national title game in 1985, in which GSU trailed 28-6 early in the third quarter.

Furman would exact revenge three years later in Pocatello, Idaho, by coming up with a 17-12 win over the Eagles to claim the school's only national title. The Paladins and Eagles will be meeting for the 23rd time in series history this fall, with the Eagles holding a 14-8 all-time series edge. The Eagles and Paladins have played some epic games since GSU joined the SoCon as an official member in 1993.

No GSU fan can forget the Eagles' 27-24 win over the top-ranked Paladins in 2005, which allowed the Eagles to qualify for the FCS postseason. The Eagles were able to come up with the win when Terrance McBride stepped in front of an Ingle Martin pass in the waning moments to clinch the three-point win over the Paladins.

Most Furman fans won't soon forget the 2000 meeting with the Eagles, as Paul Johnson brought his top-ranked club to Paladin Stadium, having already clinched at least a share of the SoCon title. Furman needed a win to keep its postseason hopes alive. Johnson decided to bench his stud running back and all-time FCS leading rusher Adrian Peterson, who was nursing a minor injury.

The Paladins led 10-7 at the break, and the second half would belong to Furman running back Loius Ivory. Ivory not only set a school record, but also a SoCon regular-season record for rushing yards, rushing for 301 yards and three TDs and leading the Paladins to a lopsided 45-10 win over the Eagles. Furman would later end up qualifying for the postseason with a victory in its final game against Chattanooga, while Georgia Southern would be fueled by the thumping and go on to win their second-straight national title.

The 2001 season saw two classic games played between the schools, with Georgia Southern claiming a gritty 20-10 win in the regular-season home finale. Playing in front of the home folks for the final time, Adrian Peterson used the emotional, electric, sell-out atmosphere to rush for 158 yards on 24 attempts.

The two would meet against in the FCS semifinals, with the Paladins handing Georgia Southern its first postseason loss (27-0 coming in to the game) at Paulson Stadium, while also ending GSU's 39-game winning streak.

Furman, which played without star running back Louis Ivory, used a trio of running backs to control the ball and the clock in a 24-17 win over the Eagles in front 11,827 stunned fans. The Furman defense also did its job in the contest, holding Adrian Peterson to a career-low 68 yards rushing in the contest.

With nothing on the line for GSU in 2003 except a winning season, the Eagles showed a great sense of pride in gutting out a 29-24 win over the Paladins in a game that featured a matchup between two great running backs, FU's Hindley Brigham and GSU's Jermaine Austin.

It was Brigham who began the fireworks that afternoon with an 80-yard scoring scamper, establishing a Paulson Stadium record for the longest rushing TD by an opponent. However, it would be Austin that had the last laugh, rushing for 136 yards and a TD on 25 carries despite a slightly injured knee. GSU posted an impressive afternoon offensively, rolling up 448 yards against the nation's third-ranked defense.

Sean Holland connected on five field goals, which accounted for more than half of GSU's points, and tied Reed Haley's school mark set against The Citadel in 1994.

A year later, an epic battle would ensue between the Paladins and Eagles. Furman came into the matchup ranked seventh in the nation, while the Eagles' offense had been steamrolling their opponents to the tune of 49 PPG and 487 YPG. However, in what would go down as a classic, Furman would win a 29-22 contest. The Paladin defense slowed the Eagle offense to 412 yards and 22 points in a matchup between the top teams in the SoCon.

The Paladins would get the game-winning score, with just over a minute left, from fullback Jerome Felton to take a 27-22 lead. The Paladins would go on to claim the Southern Conference title in 2004 after that victory over the FCS juggernaut Eagles.

Ever since that initial win in Statesboro, the Paladins have claimed victories in their last two trips to the place Eagle fans call The Prettiest Little Stadium In America. Last season, however, it was the Eagles who were able to come back from an early deficit and post a thrilling 32-28 win over Furman. It was the final game for head coach Bobby Lamb, who's tied to the GSU rivalry as much as any Paladin, having also quarterbacked the 1985 squad.

The Eagles used their opportunistic defense to overcome an early 14-point deficit and get back in the game. It was the GSU defense that became dominant in the second half, as the Eagles controlled the line of scrimmage. In fact, the Eagles allowed the Paladins just three first downs in the second half and ended up holding nearly a 17-minute (38:20-21:40) advantage in time of possession.

It was a gutty performance by quarterback Jaybo Shaw, who kept getting up after taking vicious hits from Paladin linebackers Kadarron Anderson and Chris Wiley. Shaw more than showed his toughness, willing the Eagles to a win and rushing for 101 yards and three TDs, while passing for 126 yards.

Saturday's meeting promises to be an exciting one, as the past eight meetings have been decided by an average of five points per game.