FCS College Football

WHO: Furman (2-6, 1-4 SoCon) at Elon (3-4, 1-3 SoCon)

WHEN: Oct. 27, 2012, 3 p.m.

WHERE: Elon, N.C., Rhodes Stadium (13,000)

GREENVILLE, S.C.—When Furman has met Elon the past couple of seasons on the Southern Conference gridiron, it's been a team looking to keep alive or enhance its playoff aspirations, but when the Paladins pay a visit to Rhodes Stadium on Saturday afternoon, playoffs will be far from the minds of the Paladin players.

With Furman's 38-17 loss to No. 3 Georgia Southern at Paladin Stadium, the Paladins were assured of their second losing season in the past three campaigns.

Furman's 2-6 start this season is its worst start in 33 years, and the Paladins haven't faced the prospects of ending a season with fewer than three wins since the 1994 season, when the Paladins finished 3-8. They got a late-October win at East Tennessee State to notch the Paladins' third win of the campaign, under former legendary Furman head coach Bobby Johnson in his rookie coaching season.

The Paladins come into Saturday's game looking to end a three-game losing skid, and the season has been a frustrating one for now second-year head coach Bruce Fowler. Since a 41-34 loss to Elon on Nov. 12 last season, the Paladins have lost eight of their last 10 games, with wins against teams with a combined record of 3-13 this season, as Furman has claimed wins over both Presbyterian (31-21) and Western Carolina (45-24).

It would seem somewhat hard to believe that the Paladins knocked off two Top Five-ranked FCS foes, and is a team that built a 22-7 lead on Florida in The Swamp in the 2011 regular-season finale. But, the Paladins have never been been able to find that "mojo" that they had throughout the 2011 season, and though the Paladins have seen some close, heartbreaking losses to the likes of Wofford (20-17) and Samford (24-21) this season, it's a team that lacks the experience and talent of the 2011 squad, which posted a 6-5 mark and wins over both No. 3 Appalachian State (20-10) and No.4 Wofford (26-21) in Greenville.

While there's no reason to sound the alarm, it has no doubt been a frustrating season for Furman players and its few but faithful fans. The reality of Furman's struggles this season came further into focus in the waning moments of Georgia Southern's 21-point win at Paladin Stadium last Saturday. With the win in the bag, Georgia Southern put a meaningless TD on the board courtesy of Dominique Swope to increase its advantage to 36-17 with just under 20 seconds remaining.

Then, inexplicably, Georgia Southern opted to attempt a two-point conversion, and converted to set the final scoreline at 38-17. Whatever the prevailing opinion of the decision to go for the two-point conversion is on both sides, it's pretty safe to say these are different times for Furman football.

In a similar situation in the early 2000s, it's safe to say that Paul Johnson or Mike Sewak would have considered such decisions as treacherous.

Knowing that Furman was a formidable FCS power, year-in and year-out, and knowing both were conference brethren, those coaches would have most undoubtedly been against such decisions.

However, whatever one may think of the actions conducted by the Georgia Southern coaching staff on Saturday, one fact cannot be denied: this Furman football program is not what it once was, and it remains a program battling to find its way back to the lofty perch it once occupied.

The Paladins certainly have a tall order in front of them on Saturday, as they face an Elon team that has gained confidence over the past few weeks, and is the team that has effectively ended Furman's playoff hopes each of the last two seasons.

Last season's 41-34 loss handed the then-17th-ranked Paladins their fourth loss of the campaign, and with Florida the only game left on the schedule, it left the Paladins needing to defeat the Gators in The Swamp to make its first postseason appearance since 2006.

Fowler now hopes to avoid becoming the first Furman head coach to fail to win three games in a season since Bob King's 1972 Paladins, which finished 2-9.

Fowler enters Saturday's contest holding an 8-11 mark at the helm of the Furman football program. One thing that is apparent for both Furman and Fowler—and which may be a big positive for the future—is the amount of talented underclassmen on the roster. This includes five true or redshirt freshmen starting on the offensive side of the football for the Paladins this season.

Meanwhile, Fowler's counterpart is Jason Swepson, who is in his second season at the helm of the Elon program since taking over for the highly successful Pete Lembo. Lembo, before leaving to take over the head coaching post at Ball State, helped put the Phoenix football program on the map as a relative newcomer to the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

Lembo led the Phoenix to its first and only postseason appearance as a Division I football-playing member, and helped take the program to the brink of a Southern Conference crown just three years ago. Elon finished the season with a 9-3 overall record.

Swepson certainly inherited a lot of talented football players brought in by Lembo, among them being one of the best receivers to ever play in the SoCon: senior wideout Aaron Mellette. But it was a frustrating 2011 season for Swepson's Phoenix, which saw them post their first sub-.500 mark (5-6) since the 2006 season.

Swepson enters his 18th game as head coach of the Elon football program with a 7-10 record at the helm, but his is a team that has seemingly maintained the status quo this season.

Elon, like Furman, has suffered through some heartbreaking losses this season, and one of those setbacks came to league leader Georgia Southern (26-23) in Statesboro. The Phoenix were also competitive in Boone against highly ranked Appalachian State before falling, 35-23.

It could certainly be argued that Swepson's biggest win as Elon's head coach came against Furman last season, as the Phoenix went on the road and came away from Paladin Stadium with the 41-34 win over the then-No. 17-ranked Paladins.

It is the only win over a ranked foe that Swepson owns as head coach of the Phoenix.

The way the matchup sets up, it certainly would seem to favor the Phoenix, given Elon's ability to throw the football. Saturday's matchup between the Phoenix and Paladins will mark the 16th meeting between the two schools, with the Paladins holding a 10-5 all-time series edge.  The Phoenix were able to end a three-game losing streak, which all came to teams ranked inside the Top 15 in the FCS polls, as Elon was impressive throwing the football with a 42-31 win over Western Carolina.

Saturday's game offers a chance for Furman to continue to grow as a football team, and a road win for the Phoenix would do much in the way of morale for a Paladin team that is down on its luck and confidence right now. Elon is a team that knows what it feels like to lose tough football games, and it got a confidence boost with the impressive home win against the Catamounts last week.

It should be a good football game on Saturday afternoon.

Game Preview

Elon comes into Saturday's contest against the Paladins well on its way to claiming the SoCon passing crown for an eighth-straight campaign. The Phoenix showed its explosiveness in last week's 42-31 win over the Catamounts, throwing for 412 yards and racking up 511 yards of total offense against the Catamount defense in the victory.

The Elon offense comes in ranked 43rd nationally in total offense (395.0 YPG), 50th in scoring offense (27.7 PPG), 10th in passing offense (290.8 YPG), and 103rd in rushing offense (104.1 YPG).

For the third-straight week, Furman will face off against the reigning Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Phoenix senior quarterback Thomas Wilson (143-of-224 passing, 2,005 yds, 18 TDs, 8 INTs/35 rush att, 51 yds, 1.5 YPC) had his way with the Western Carolina passing defense last Saturday, as he connected on 20-of-28 passes for 412 yards, five TDs and an INT.

Wilson is one of the league's top quarterbacks and has really grown in his decision-making this season, making smarter throws and keeping his interception total down, as he threw 18 picks last season. The senior from Raleigh, N.C., had a big afternoon against the Paladins last season, as he led Elon to a 41-34 win over then-No. 17 Furman.

In that win, Wilson connected on 20-of-26 passes for 279 yards, with four TDs and an INT.

It certainly helps Swepson that he has one of the best wide receivers to ever play in the Southern Conference, in classmate Aaron Mellette (55 catches, 814 yds, 13 TDs, 14.8 YPR). Mellete was once again in strong form last Saturday's win over Western Carolina, hauling in five passes for 154 yards and three TDs.

With another jaw-dropping performance in a career that has been chock-full of them, Mellette moved even farther up the SoCon all-time receiving ledger, surpassing former Marshall great Mike Barber and former Citadel Bulldog standout receiver Andre Roberts to move into the top three receivers in a couple of categories.

His 154 receiving yards puts him at 3,670 yards in career receiving yards, allowing Mellette to pass Barber while his career-high tying three scoring catches surpassed Roberts in career scoring catches, with 39 career TD receptions.

Mellette also played a large role in allowing the Phoenix to come to Greenville and pull off a 41-34 win over the Paladins last season, as Furman's pass defense—like much of the league over the past three-and-a-half seasons—had little success in slowing the versatile wideout.

He finished that afternoon with eight catches for 144 yards and a couple of scores in the win. His 55-yard scoring reception with a little under nine minutes remaining in the game against the Paladins last season broke a 27-27 deadlock and gave Elon a lead it would not relinquish.

Mellette is a Walter Payton Award candidate, and yes, he might be the best receiver the Paladins have faced this season, and that includes Clemson's DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. In his career against the Paladins, Mellette has hauled in 14 passes for 251 yards and a couple of scores.

Mellette will be joined this Saturday by fellow Phoenix wide receivers Jeremy Peterson (22 rec, 305 yds, 13.8 YPR) and Rasaun Rorie (15 rec, 127 yds, 1 TD, 8.5 YPR).

A receiver that doesn't start, but is just as valuable as a starter for the Phoenix as a part of this potent passing attack is Kierre Brown (25 rec, 406 yds, 2 TDs).

Brown is Elon's second-leading receiver and has done plenty to take the pressure off of Mellette this season, and has also benefited from Mellette drawing most of the attention. Brown, a speedy 5'9" sophomore, is easily having his best season catching the football for the Phoenix, and like Mellette, is a threat on the deep ball.

Set to start at the tight end position for the Phoenix on Saturday will be senior Chris Harris (7 rec, 153 yds, 2 TDs, 21.9 YPR), who has done an excellent job of catching the football for Elon this season. Harris, like Furman preseason All-America selection Colin Anderson, has tremendous hands and is also an excellent athlete. In fact, Harris is one of the best athletes on the offensive side of the ball for the Phoenix, as evidenced by his 21.9 yards-per-catch average coming into Saturday's contest.

In seven of the past eight seasons, it is fair to say Elon's strength hasn't been the ground attack, but the Phoenix were able to run the ball effectively against the Paladins last season in the 41-34 victory, rushing for 163 yards as a part of Elon's 442-yard output.

Leading the ground game this season has been Karl Bostick (90 rush att, 306yds, 2 TDs, 3.4 YPC/4 rec, 22 yds, 5.5 YPR), a solid ground threat for the Phoenix this season after transferring into the program from the University of Akron. The 5-9, 200-pound running back has good speed and power, and with his speed is a big-play threat if he breaks into the secondary.

Bostick has excellent support in the offensive backfield for the Phoenix, as both Tracey Coppedge (64 rush att, 233 yds, 2 TDs, 3.6 YPC/8 rec, 84 yds, 10.5 YPR) and Truc Phan (37 rush att, 139 yds, 3.8 YPC) have provided a running back-by-committee approach for Swepson and his staff so far this season.

Coppedge and Phan are both speedy, 'scat-back' types coming out of the Elon backfield, and are both big-play threats.

Elon's offensive line is a relatively veteran unit: four of the five starters coming into Saturday's contest is either a junior or senior. The strength of the unit is probably on the left side, where sophomore left tackle Austin Sowell and senior left guard Kyle Herbert anchor the unit.

The right side of the offensive line will be anchored by senior Justin Ward, who is an all-conference caliber performer at right tackle, while junior Dennis Wagner will hold down the right guard position. Senior Clay Johnson rounds out the starting quintet along the Phoenix offensive front at center, and he is the most experienced performer along the Elon offensive front, making his 18th start for the Maroon and Gold on Saturday.

As a unit, the Elon offensive front has surrendered 13 sacks this season, which ranks in the SoCon in sacks allowed, and the unit has helped the Phoenix average 5.5 yards-per-play, while averaging 2.9 yards-per-rush.

The Furman defense comes into Saturday afternoon's contest ranked 80th in the nation in total defense (396.8 YPG), 85th in scoring defense (30.8 PPG), 75th in rushing defense (169.1 YPG) and 75th in passing defense (227.6 YPG).

Leading the Furman defense this season has been a big, physical defensive line, which has been the strength of the Paladin defense this season. The Paladins are led by a pair of veteran defensive ends, in senior Josh Lynn (27 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 PBU, 1 FF, 2QBHs) and junior Shawn Boone (18 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF), who is having maybe his best season for the Purple and White this fall.

Boone has been the Paladins main pass-rushing threat on the end this season. While Lynn came into the season as a preseason First-Team All-SoCon selection, he has had a frustrating season as a pass-rusher, drawing plenty of double teams.

Starting at the two defensive tackle positions this season are another couple of veterans: Neal Rogers (24 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) and Colton Keig (33 tackles, 2.0 TFL). Both Keig and Rogers have been dependable throughout their careers in the middle of the Furman the defense.

The Paladins have gotten solid play out of their linebackers this season, despite the graduation of talented veterans Kadarron Anderson and Chris Wiley. This unit has been one of the strengths of the defense, and gives the Paladins as solid a front seven in the SoCon as anyone this season.

Leading the charge at linebacker this season for the Paladins has been preseason Second-Team All-SoCon strong side linebacker Mitch McGrath (60 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 PBUs), who's continuing to wind down his career. McGrath is the leader of this Furman defense and is a playmaker, and he's the type player that continues to be one who can turn the momentum of a game for the Paladins with one single defensive play. McGrath had just four tackles in the 41-34 loss to Elon last season.

Teaming with McGrath at linebacker in Furman's 4-3 defensive alignment this season have been senior middle linebacker Matt Solomon (67 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 3 PBUs) and talented sophomore weakside linebacker Gary Wilkins (66 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 blkd kick, 1 PBU).

Both Solomon and Wilkins are exceptionally physical players on the Furman defense, and both are extremely physical players on what has been a physical Paladin defense this season. Solomon is one of the biggest hitters on the Furman defense, and Wilkins is part of what appears to a very bright future at linebacker for the Paladins, and is one of the best athletes on the Furman roster.

The area of concern this season for the Paladin coaching staff this season continues to be the secondary, and it's a unit that will have its hands full Saturday, in much the same way it did earlier this season against Clemson.

Breakdowns in this unit have become a theme this season, as evidenced by Wofford's 52-yard scoring pass from Brian Kass to Jeff Ashley that proved to be the game-winning score for the Terriers, as Wofford held on for a 20-17 win.

Another of those breakdowns occurred late in the third quarter of last week's loss to Georgia Southern, as Eagle QB Jerick McKinnon connected with wideout Zach Walker for a 75-yard score to turn a 10-9 game into a 17-9 lead, and it would be a lead the Eagles would never relinquish en route to a 38-17 GSU win.

The Paladins have been particularly inexperienced at the two cornerback positions. Reggie Thomas (19 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PBU) is a true freshman and the other starter, junior Austin Williams (7 tackles), has split time with Cortez Johnson (22 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs, 1FR) in the starting role this season.

Losing a player to graduation with the prowess of All-American Ryan Steed has been more difficult to overcome for the Paladins than some may have projected.

One of the players that looks to be a "Ryan Steed-in-the-making"  for the Furman defense is Thomas, and the true freshman from Abbeville, S.C., made his presence known with a pick hit on Georgia Southern quarterback Jerick McKinnon on a "CAT" blitz on the first play from scrimmage in last week's 38-17 loss to the Eagles. Thomas is a great athlete and a physical corner, and it will be interesting to see if he draws the tall task of trying to limit Elon's Mellette on Saturday.

The safeties are one of the more experienced aspects of the Furman defense, and the preseason All-SoCon duo of free safety Nathan Wade (61 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) and strong safety Greg Worthy (55 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs) stepped up and played well in the loss to Georgia Southern last Saturday, with the only real missed assignment being the 75-yard TD from the Eagles.

Wade and Worthy are both big hitters in the Furman defense, and will certainly get some opportunities on Saturday, given the number of times Elon will likely put the ball in the air. In the 41-34 loss to the Phoenix last season, Wade led the Furman defense with 12 tackles, including a pair of tackles-for-loss.

Elon brings a defense into Saturday's contest that ranks 67th nationally in total defense (386.3 YPG), 96th in scoring defense (33.0 PPG), 110th in rushing defense (223.5 YPG) and 10th in passing defense (160.9 YPG).

The Phoenix have at times played exceptionally well on the defensive side of the football, but have lacked the overall consistency that the Elon defense displayed last fall, in a season which saw the Phoenix rank among the upper echelon in total defense.

The defense utilizes a 4-3 alignment, fielding a solid front seven. One of the question marks coming into the season for the Phoenix was the defensive line.

The defensive front comes into Saturday's matchup against the Paladins led by the defensive end tandem of Jay Brown (30 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 FR) and Jordan Jones (21 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 2 FRs) have had solid campaigns along the Elon defensive front this season.

Brown offers more of the pass-rushing threat for the Phoenix, while Jones has done a little bit of everything.

Set to start at the two defensive tackle positions will be Tony Thompson (17 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 FR) and Olumfemi Lamikanra (19 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FR), who comprise one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the Southern Conference. Thompson could be considered one of the better nose tackles in the Southern Conference.

The linebacking corps has no doubt missed Joshua Jones this season, but the unit has been solid this season, but it lacks the obvious star talent it had last fall.

Anchoring the linebacking corps for the Phoenix this season has been Jonathan Spain (66 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks) at weakside linebacker, who is having an All-SoCon type campaign for the Phoenix. Spain is physical and runs well from sideline-to-sideline, and is one of the more physical players on the defensive side of the football for Elon. Spain had a pair of tackles and a pass break-up in Elon's win at Furman last season.

The other two starters at linebacker for the Phoenix on Saturday will be Thonda Taylor at middle linebacker, while Odell Benton (29 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) will be the starter at strong side linebacker. Taylor will be drawing his first start of the season, and he will be doing so as a result of an injury to Blake Thompson (52 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 INT) in last week's win over Western Carolina.

The strength of this Elon team this season has been its secondary, and the unit has played as well as any unit in the SoCon this season, and cornerbacks Ed Burns (24 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 3 PBUs, 1 INT) and David Wood (19 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 5 PBUs, 1 INT, 1 FR) have played exceptionally well on the edge for the Phoenix this season, and both are physical performers, who can hold their own against some of the league's more physical wideouts. Burns recorded four tackles in the win at Furman last season, while Wood recorded one stop.

The two starting safeties for the Phoenix on Saturday against the Paladins will be Chandler Wrightenberry (42 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 2 PBUs, 1 FF) at strong safety, while Miles Williams (32 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FR, 2 PBUs) will round out the starters in the secondary at the free safety position.  Wrightenberry is having an All-SoCon type season for the Phoenix in the secondary, and he had seven tackles in the win over the Paladins last season.

Furman counters with an offense that has struggled the past three games, having faced three of the best defenses in the FCS over the past three weeks.

The Paladins bring an offense into Saturday afternoon's contest ranking 50th nationally in total offense (386.4 YPG), 68th in scoring offense (24.1 PPG), 44th in rushing offense (170.9 YPG) and 53rd in passing offense (215.5 YPG).

Furman will operate out of a pro-style offense on Saturday, with some I-Formation and some spread mixed into its offensive scheme as well.

Leading the charge for the Paladin offense this season has been true freshman Reese Hannon (124-of-195 passing, 1,475 yds, 6 TDs, 4 INTs/), who enters Saturday's contest as a part of the Sports Network's Jerry Rice Award watch list, which is an award given to the top freshman player at the FCS level.

Hannon is efficient and is a solid decision-maker for the Paladins under center. He assumed the starting role at quarterback when Dakota Derrick went down in the second week of the season with a shoulder injury against Coastal Carolina, and he has never relinquished the starting role.

In the 38-17 loss to Georgia Southern last Saturday, Hannon connected on 19-of-26 passes for 184 yards. In the three-straight losses for the Paladins, Hannon has not thrown a TD pass.

A player that has certainly relieved him of plenty of the pressures that face a true freshman quarterback is All-America candidate running back Jerodis Williams (146 rush att, 913 yds, 8 TDs, 6.3 YPC/12 rec, 94 yds, 7.8 YPR), who is having yet another strong season toting the pigskin for the Furman offense.

With 87 rushing yards on Saturday against the Phoenix, Williams would become the first Paladin running back to rush for 1,000 or more yards in back-to-back seasons since the legendary Paladin Hall-of-Fame running back Louis Ivory eclipsed the plateau in 2000 and '01.

Williams currently has rushed for 2,840 career yards and needs 160 yards Saturday to eclipse the 3,000-yard plateau for his career, which would make him only the sixth Paladin running back in school history to record that rare feat. Williams needs 199 more yards this season to break into the school's top five list for career rushing yards, currently sitting in sixth place on the all-time scroll.

In the 41-34 loss to Phoenix last season, Williams was held to just 36 yards on 14 carries. Williams has also proven to be dangerous on kick returns this season for the Paladins, as evidenced by his 99-yard return for a score in the win over Western Carolina earlier this season. He comes into Saturday's contest averaging 37.5 yards per kick return to lead the league.

Providing solid depth in the Paladin backfield all season has been sophomore running back Hank McCloud (74 rush att, 358 yds, 5 TDs, 4.8 YPC/9 rec, 78 yds, 8.7 YPR). The smaller, more-compact McCloud has great speed and vision,  and is a very physical runner, who is not at all scared of initiating contact. His speed makes him a danger to opposing defenses when he reaches the second level.

The Paladins have lacked a real big-play threat at receiver this season. However, what they have had is some reliable pass-catchers that have made Hannon's transition into the starting quarterback role easier than expected.

One of those leaders at receiver is, of course, preseason First-Team All-America Colin Anderson (22 rec, 368 yds, 16.7 YPR) at tight end. Anderson isn't having quite the year he had in 2011, due in large part to teams making it a goal to limit his touches, but the senior from Dallas, TX, no doubt has a shot at the next level.

Anderson is ranked in the top three in three different pass-catching categories for tight ends all-time in the 106 years of Furman football. He enters Saturday's contest ranking first among Paladin tight ends in career TD receptions (11), while ranking second all-time in career receiving yards (1,411) and tied for second in career receptions (82). He needs 155 more receiving yards this season to become the school's all-time receiving yards leader among tight ends.

Ironically, the player who has more receiving TDs among tight ends in school history for the Paladins has yet to haul in a scoring pass this season. In the 41-34 loss to Elon last season, Anderson had a strong performance, as he was able to catch six passes for 132 yards and a score.

Other reliable receiving options at wide receiver for the Paladins entering Saturday afternoon's showdown at Rhodes Stadium are Gary Robinson (9 rec, 80 yds, 8.9 YPR), who will start at flanker for the injured Paladins' leading receiver Will King (34 rec, 541 yds, 3 TDs, 15.9 YPR), while junior Ryan Culbreath (25 rec, 308 yds, 2 TDs, 12.3 YPR) will start at split end. Also expect freshman Jordan Snellings (15 rec, 181 yds, 2 TDs, 12.1 YPR) to see plenty of playing time in a reserve role at wideout for the Paladins on Saturday.

Furman's offensive line has looked good at times this season, but at times has had trouble when pass-blocking, which has led to the Paladins surrendering 11 sacks so far this season. The unit has looked good for the most part in run-blocking, and is one of the more physical offensive lines in the league.

The Paladins will be without there lone All-America candidate up front on Saturday, in junior left tackle Dakota Dozier, who's still nursing an injury he suffered two weeks ago in the 31-10 loss to Chattanooga. Charles Emert will move over and start his second game at left tackle this season in relief of Dozier on Saturday, while Grayson Weber will be making his second start at right tackle with Emert moving over to fill in. True freshman walk-on Eric Thoni will start his ninth game this season at center, while Ryan Storms (RG) and Joe Turner (LG) round out the starters along the offensive front for Furman on Saturday.

Turner has been exceptional this season along the offensive front for the Paladins, and is proving why he was such a highly sought-after recruit by offensive line coach Scott Smouse, who has a track record of finding "diamonds in the rough" dating back to his days as a part of Jack Crowe's staff at Jacksonville State. Turner graded out a unit best 86% on 59 plays last week in the 38-17 loss to Georgia Southern.

Final Prediction: Furman 31, Elon 28

WHO: No. 15 Appalachian State (5-3, 3-2 SoCon) at Western Carolina (1-7, 0-6 SoCon) 

WHAT: 'Battle For The Old Mountain Jug'

WHEN: Oct. 27, 2012, 3:30 p.m. EST

WHERE: Cullowhee, N.C., E. J. Whitmire Stadium

CULLOWHEE, N.C.—Appalachian State travels to Western Carolina looking to rebound from a 38-28 home loss to Wofford College last Saturday, marking the first time the Mountaineers have lost two regular-season home games since 1997, and the first time the Apps have lost two games on their home turf since the 2002 season. Western Carolina will look to rebound from a 42-31 loss at Elon University last Saturday.

Saturday's game will offer an interesting challenge for head coach Jerry Moore and Appalachian State as the Mountaineers will be engaged in another 'Battle For The Old Mountain Jug' by western North Carolina Mountain rival, Western Carolina.

This Western Carolina team, which is currently mired in a 20-game Southern Conference losing streak, has a former Mountaineer at the helm in Mark Speir.

Prior to his arrival in Cullowhee last December, Speir spent nine seasons at Appalachian State, where he originally arrived as a running backs coach back in 2003.

Speir spent time assisting out the legendary Moore—a coach he calls a mentor and a great friend— and will now  look to lead the Catamounts against the same man on Saturday.

The former Mountaineer assistant is busy trying to establish a foundation built on those same elements in Cullowhee, and he isn't the only Black and Gold influence on the Catamount sidelines these days.

Former Mountaineer players Trey Elder, John Holt and Pat Mills are assistants with the Catamounts, as is former ASU quarterbacks coach Brad Glenn, who now serves in a new role—the Western Carolina offensive coordinator. It was a mass Exodus of Biblical proportions.

When Speir and his staff look across the E. J. Whitmire Stadium field turf on Saturday, they hope it will be a future  reflection of the program they are currently getting up and running. Speir not only cut his teeth in Boone, he learned what it was like to be a champion, winning three national titles with the program and six-straight Southern Conference titles.

Moore, who is now squarely in the twilight of his career, has been a good source of advice for the new staff in Cullowhee this season, but now it will be up to the SoCon's all-time winningest coach to beat his former friends, players and assistants and cheer against them at least one Saturday this fall. A loss in Cullowhee, would be detrimental to ASU's playoff hopes, who enter Saturday's contest with a 5-3 overall record and a 3-2 conference mark.

With ASU's championship hopes likely out of reach for a second-straight season, and with a game at league leading Georgia Southern slated for next Saturday, Saturday's game provides for a pressure-packed situation for Moore's  Mountaineers.

With a win by Speir and his Catamounts on Saturday, the first-year head coach's popularity would likely rise to rockstar-like proportions, as the Catamounts have seen little against their western North Carolina mountain rivals over the past three decades.

ASU enters Saturday's contest having dominated this series for nearly three decades now, having won 25 of the past 27 meetings between the two programs, including a seven-straight streak dating back to WCU's 30-27 win in Cullowhee back in 2004.

Saturday's meeting between the Catamounts and Mountaineers will mark the 77th all-time meeting between the two, and the 37th meeting in which the teams will battle for the Old Mountain Jug. ASU owns a 57-18-1 all-time series edge, including a 29-7 record in Jug games.

Saturday's game will mark an interesting meeting for WCU, as its coaching staff has much invested in the recruitment of players on both sidelines Saturday, but a win would do much for a program in desperate need of one in order to build confidence heading into the home stretch of the 2012 season.

For ASU, a win Saturday is absolutely paramount. No more slip-ups can be afforded, especially with a tough schedule remaining on the horizon what with traveling to Georgia Southern on Nov. 3 before closing out the regular season with a home game at The Rock on Black Saturday against Furman.

The Last Time The Catamounts Lifted The Jug

Western Carolina hasn't tasted success in this series since the 2004 season, which saw the Catamounts score one of the more memorable wins in recent history, posting a 30-27 come-from-behind win over the Mountaineers.

That game would see some unlikely events and an unlikely hero emerge in the waning moments, allowing the Catamounts to pick up their first win in the series in six years.

A Justin Clark-to-Michael Reeder 22-yard scoring pass allowed the Catamounts post the heart-stopping win.

Clark entered the lineup after starter Bennett Swygert went down with an injury with about five minutes remaining. Clark completed all five of his passes for 113 yards and a pair of scores as well as a two-point conversion pass, which was also hauled in by Reeder after WCU's final score.

It didn't appear as if the Catamounts would be afforded the opportunity to pull off the miraculous win, however, former East Tennessee State linebacker Lamar Beam came through and caused ASU quarterback Richie Williams to stumble and let go of the football as he was scrambling away from pressure, and the ball would be recovered by senior defensive tackle Albert Reid on the ASU 22 with a little over a minute left to play, setting the stage for the memorable game-winning play.

On the opening play, Clark completed a short pass to Calvin Guinyard with the Catamounts following with a quick timeout with 49 seconds remaining. Then, on the next play, Clark would connect with Reeder on a  22-yard pass in the corner of the end zone.

After Nygel Rogers intercepted a Swygert pass and returned it 27 yards for a score to give ASU a 27-16 lead with only 5:02 remaining, it appeared the game had slipped away from the Catamounts once again.

However, ASU was penalized for excessive celebrations after the TD and that resulted in a 15-yard penalty on the kickoff and led to good field position for the Catamounts on the ensuing possession.

Swygert would leave the game with an injury after the first play from scrimmage following the ensuing drive, and Clark would enter the game for the Catamounts.

Clark's first pass was golden as he found sophomore wideout Eddie Cohen on a short tunnel screen and after breaking a couple of Mountaineer tackles, raced 53 yards for a score to bring the Catamounts within five points after a faied two-point play, at 27-22, with 4:35 remaining.

"Western then kicked a bloop kick, which dropped on the Appalachian State and recovered by senior Randy Thompson on the Mountaineer 39. Clark moved the Cats to the one yard line, thanks largely to a 32 pass from Clark to Cohen. However, Clark tried a quarterback sneak, only to fumble and have ASU's Michael King recover the ball in the endzone for a touchback with 2:03 left in the game. After Williams had an incomplete pass and a short pass to Atwater, he fumbled to setup the game-winning Clark-to-Reeder pass" (taken from WCU Sports Information Recap, Nov. 13, 2004).

History of The Jug Game

Saturday's meeting between the Mountaineers and Catamounts marks the 37th time the two have gotten together on the gridiron with the Old Mountain Jug at stake.

Both Apppalachian State and Western Carolina have long been rivals on the gridiron, going back to each program's membership in the old North State conference. Saturday's game will mark the 77th renewal of one of Division I college football's most-heated rivalries.

The two teams wouldn't start playing with the old mountain jug on the line until 1976, when Yosef Club Director Wayne Clawson and Catamount Club Director Tom Bommer helped establish the trophy the two teams would play for—a 25-pound corn whiskey container. Support for the game was led by both school's sports information directors, WCU's Steve White and ASU's Rick Layton.

The design on the mountain jug, which is painted yellow with each school's mascot delicately detailed on each side of the trophy, was originally painted by the wife of Roby Triplett, who managed the Appalachian State bookstore. The late Dee Triplet is responsible for painting the trophy gold, adding each school's logo on the respective sides and the legend of one of the coolest college football rivalry trophies was born.

As mentioned above, Appalachian State owns a commanding 29-7 record all-time in "Jug" games since the inception of the trophy in 1976. ASU was able to control the early proceedings of the rivalry, winning four of the first five matchups between the two schools in this rivalry matchup.  While the early years saw the Mountaineers enjoy most of the success, it would be the Catamounts who would seize control of the rivalry in the early 1980's, as the Catamounts enjoyed their most successful run in the rivalry, winning four-straight in the rivalry from 1981-84.

There were some memorable matchups in the early history of "Jug" battles, and in particular, the 1979 and '80 meetings, which were both Appalachian State victories.

Western Carolina brought a highly-touted passing attack, led by standout quarterback Mike Pussey to Conrad Stadium in 1979 and faced ASU's own version of an aerial display, led by Mountaineer Hall-of-Fame signal-caller Steve Brown.

The two standout quarterbacks were both effective in leading their respective big-play offenses in the contest, with Pussey completing 16 of his passes for 231 yards and a TD, while his counterpart Brown attempted just 13 passes in the game, but managed to lead the Mountaineers to a 35-27 win.

It was a new "wrinkle" that allowed the Mountaineers turn a 27-14 halftime deficit into a 35-27 win, as the Black and Gold came out of the halftime locker room fashioning the wishbone offense, catching the Catamounts off guard.

The ASU offense racked up 266 yards on the ground in the second half alone, while the Mountaineer defense was equally impressive, limiting the potent WCU passing attack to just 37 yards through the air and no points.

A year later, the Mountaineers and Catamounts would battle in another great game in Boone before 15,850 fans at Conrad Stadium, and the result would be in the same fashion, as the Mountaineers had to establish the win in come-from-behind fashion.

With the quarterback-wide receiver tandem of Steve Brown and Rick Beasley playing their final respective games before the home folks, it would provide an emotional backdrop for what was one of the more memorable games in the series for Appalachian State fans.

However, Beasley, who would finish his career as the NCAA's fifth all-time leading receiver and the leading receiver in Appalachian State football history, went down with a first-quarter injury and was not able to finish the game.

That took away a large part of the ASU passing attack, and Brown was limited to just 166 yards passing on the day. However, the exit of Beasley set the stage for a freshman running back to be the hero for the Apps on the day, as Alvin Parker would become the first 100-yard rusher of the season for the Apps in the narrow three-point win.

Game Preview

Appalachian State enters Saturday afternoon's contest continuing to play well on the offensive side of the football, however, the Mountaineers, had some struggles last week in the 38-28 loss to Wofford. Appalachian State's normally potent offense was limited to 363 yards of total offense, which was one of the lowest totals of the season for what has been a potent ASU offense this fall.

The Mountaineers enter Saturday's Old Mountain Jug battle ranking 13th nationally in total offense (451.6 YPG), 23rd in scoring offense (32.0 PPG), 21st in passing offense (265.7 YPG), and 34th in rushing offense (185.8 YPG). For the eighth season in nine since switching to the spread offense, the Black and Gold ranked among the Top 20 offenses in FCS football. ASU finished the 2011 season ranking 38th overall in total offense (390.2 YPG), which was the lowest offensive output in the spread era for the Black and Gold, or since 2004.

The Mountaineer offense is continuing to be led by Jamal Jackson (179-of-277 passing, 2,126 yards, 14 TDs, 7 INTs/92 rush att, 365 yds, 5 TDs, 4.0 YPC) this season, and he continues to have a strong season for the ASU offense and has thrived under the direction of offensive coordinator Scott Satterfield this season.

In the 46-14 win over Western Carolina last season, Jackson was impressive as he connected on 22-of-34 passes for 261 yards and a TD.

Coming into Saturday's clash with WCU, Jackson ranks among the Top 20 nationally in a couple different individual categories, including eighth in the FCS in total offense (2,491 yds) snd 16th in total passing yards (2,126 yds).

In last week's 10-point loss to Wofford, Jackson connected on 29-of-46 passes for 257 yards, with an INT.

Jackson also has one of the top receiving corps' in all of FCS football this season, led by a redshirt freshman wideout that has taken the league by storm this season, in Sean Price (41 catches, 541 yds, 6 TDs, 13.2 YPR).

Price has been one of ASU's most-versatile pass-catchers this season, as he has been reliable in clutch situations, when the Mountaineers need a big catch to keep a drive alive, while also having been the main option when the Mountaineers have gone in search of the big play in the passing attack this season. Price is one of four Mountaineer receivers that have 24 or more receptions this season.

Price is putting together one of the best seasons by a freshman wideout in school history, and currently leads all of NCAA Division I college football in receptions, receiving yards and TD grabs. Earlier this season, he matched a school standard for an ASU receiver by tying the school record for consecutive 100-yard receiving performance, with three-straight 100-yard receiving performances earlier this season in games against Montana (103 yds), Chattanooga (130 yds) and Coastal Carolina (128 yds). Price's biggest grab of the season came against Samford, as his 22-yard scoring reception against Samford allowed ASU to escape Birmingham with a 28-25 win.

Starting alongside Price at receiver on Saturday will be 'M' wideout Andrew Peacock (44 rec, 446 yds, 2 TDs, 10.1 YPR), 'Y' receiver Tony Washington (26 rec, 331 yds, 1 TD, 12.7 YPR/5 rush att, 44 yds, 1 TD, 8.8 YPC) and 'Z' wide receiver Malachi Jones (24 rec, 274 yds, 11.4 YPR).

Peacock and Washington have obviously provided the veteran leadership this season, but it's been the emergence of players like the aforementioned Price and Jones that have made this corps truly one of the most versatile units in the FCS this season.  Against the Catamounts last season, Peacock was able to haul in six passes for 56 yards, while Washington snagged five passes for 33 yards in the 46-14 triumph.

The Mountaineers' ground game has been solid this season, and leading the way in running the football for the Mountaineers has been senior running back Steven Miller (154 rush att, 832 yds, 8 TDs, 5.4 YPG/24 rec., 317 yds, 4 TDs, 13.2 YPR). Miller is a speedy, big-play threat out of the backfield and is looking to become ASU's first 1,000-yard rusher at the running back position since Kevin Richardson was able to complete that feat back in the 2007 campaign.

Coming into Saturday afternoon's clash with Western Carolina, Miller ranks fourth in the SoCon and 20th nationally in rushing. If he should reach the 1,000-yard plateau this season, Miller would become the 12th player in Mountaineer football history to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season.

An extremely versatile running back, Miller has set career highs in three of the last four games for the Apps, as either a rusher or a receiving threat out of the backfield.

In the win over Coastal Carolina on Sept. 29, Miller set his career-high for rushing yards by amassing a career-high 202 yards on the ground, and followed that performance up with a pair of career-high setting receiving performances in wins over Elon and Samford. In the 35-23 Homecoming win over Elon, Miller hauled in six passes for 97 yards and two scores, before following up that performance with six catches for 98 yards in the victory at Samford.  Against Western Carolina last season, Miller rushed for 76 yards on 11 carries, while also hauling in one pass for 23 yards in the 46-14 win.

Joining Miller in the ASU backfield on Saturday will be Rod Chisholm (28 rush att, 131 yds, 1 TD, 4.7 YPC/2 rec, 15 yds, 7.5 YPR) and Michael Frazier (17 rush att, 93 yds, 1 TD, 5.5 YPC /1 rec, 27 yds), who have both really become the short-yardage backs this season for the Apps and have offered a nice change-up up to Miller's speed and explosiveness coming out the the ASU backfield this season.

The ASU offensive front has been the walking wounded at times this season, but the Mountaineer front line might be one the most improved aspects of this offense this season and is one of the main reasons the Apps have been able to right many of the wrongs on the offensive side of the football from a season ago.

The recent rash of injuries has seen the Mountaineers yield six sacks over the past couple of games after yielding just five sacks through the first five games of the 2012 season. The Mountaineers still rank 26th nationally in sacks allowed per game.

The stalwart along the offensive line for the Mountaineers this season has been left tackle Kendall Lamm, who was a preseason All-SoCon selection. As a result of the injuries, players like Ian Barnard (RG) and Will Corbin (RT) have stepped into starting roles and performed nicely this season for the Apps. Graham Fisher has also performed well since moving into his role as the starting center for the Apps this season.

Western Carolina enters Saturday afternoon's contest against the Mountaineers with a defense that has improved, but it is one that continues to struggle against the diversity and speed of the offenses in the Southern Conference.

The Catamounts come into Saturday afternoon's contest ranking 119th nationally in total defense (513.8 YPG), 113th in scoring defense (39.6 PPG), 121st (last nationally) in rushing defense (333.8 YPG) and 28th nationally in passing defense (180.0 YPG).

Despite the struggles on the defensive side of the ball this season, the argument could be made that the Catamounts are much improved on the defensive side of the football this season, even though there's not a discernible difference in some statistical categories. The good news for Speir and his staff heading into Saturday afternoon's rivalry game is that ASU offers little in the way of surprise for a coaching staff that either played or coached in that same offense just last season.

The Catamounts will utilize a 4-2-5 defensive alignment on Saturday against the Mountaineers. The centerpiece and heart and soul of this WCU defense is its linebackers, which is led by one of the league's best, in strong side linebacker Rock Williams (76 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks).

Williams is one of the more active linebackers in the Southern Conference, and he comes into Saturday's showdown for the Jug leading the Southern Conference in tackles average per game (12.7 TPG).

Williams enters Saturday's contest against the Mountaineers with 287-career tackles, and with 19 more stops this season, he will break into the Top 10 all-time career tackles list at WCU.

Joining Williams as a starting linebacker on Saturday afternoon will be Courtland Carson (72 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1 PBU), who like Williams, is having a solid season in the Purple and Gold.

Carson is athletic, and like his teammate Williams, is among the league's leaders in tackles so far in 2012. Carson's 9.0 tackles-per-game average ranks him fifth overall in the SoCon in tackles-per-game.

The Catamounts have been solid this season across their defensive front, and leading the four down linemen for the Catamounts this season has been veteran defensive end Brian Johnson (31 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU).

Johnson, a veteran defensive end, continues to lead all Catamount defensive linemen in tackles so far this season. He's a big, athletic defensive end that does a nice job of creating pressure from the edge.

Starting opposite Johnson at defensive end on Saturday for the Purple and Gold will be freshman Caleb Hawkins (18 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks), who is doing a nice job in his first season as a starter along the WCU defensive front.

Hawkins brings good speed and power for the Catamounts on the edge, and he might be WCU's best pure pass-rushing threat coming into Saturday's Battle For The Old Mountain Jug.

Bevans Robb (16 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 1.0 sack) and Eric Banford (19 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 FR) will comprise the defensive interior for the Catamounts, and both are athletic, but a bit undersized. Teams have had success when running the ball inside against the Catamounts once again this season, and this will be a matchup to keep an eye on this Saturday.

The secondary, which is of course made up of two corners and three safeties in the Catamounts' 4-2-5 defensive scheme. It will mark the first of two-straight opponents that will utilize a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, as ASU's next opponent, Georgia Southern, will also operate out of a 4-2-5 scheme.

The starting trio of safeties for the Catamounts on Saturday is boundary safety Sertonuse Harris (57 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3 FFs), who is having as good a freshman season as any freshman defender in the Southern Conference this season. Harris is a big hitter in the WCU secondary and currently ranks third on the club in tackles this season. Harris will team with middle safety De'Von Richardson (33 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PBU) and free safety Trevor Taylor (21 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 3 PBUs).

Rounding out the starters in the secondary for the Catamounts on Saturday will be a talented duo of cornerbacks, in Jaleel Lorqueet (33 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) and Elijer Martinez (29 tackles, 4 PBUs, 1 INT). Martinez and Lorqueet are probably two of the more underrated cornerbacks in the SoCon this season, but the duo will definitely have their hands full on Saturday trying to slow ASU's Price, Peacock, Washington and Jones.

Appalachian State struggled giving up some big plays in the running game last week in the 38-28 loss to Wofford, but it's been a unit that for the most part has been a disappointment this season. While it has not lived up to some of the expectations many had envisioned for the unit prior to the campaign, in its own defense, the unit has suffered a rash of injuries this season and is exceedingly young along the defensive front.

The Mountaineers will operate out of a 3-4 defensive alignment on Saturday, and bring a defensive into the Battle For The Old Mountain Jug that ranks 94th nationally in total defense (421.5 YPG),73rd in scoring defense (28.9 PPG), 94th in rushing defense (194.9 YPG) and 74th in passing defense (226.6 YPG).

One of the big question marks heading into Saturday's clash with the Catamounts is at one of the positions the Mountaineers have been outstanding at this season, which is linebacker. If you were going to give an MVP award to player on the defensive side of the ball at this point, you would most likely point to ASU inside linebacker Brandon Grier (63 tackles, 8.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks, 1 INT, 1 TD, 2 FRs, 1 FF, 4 QBHs), who is having an outstanding senior season for ASU, and one worthy of All-America and perhaps Buck Buchanan Award-type attention.

Grier went down with a knee injury late last week in the loss to Wofford, and his status for Saturday's game against the Catamounts remains questionable. If he can't go on Saturday, expect Karl Anderson (16 tackles, 1 FR) to once again step into the ASU lineup on Saturday.

Grier has been the heart and soul of this ASU defense, teaming with another senior veteran in the middle, in Jeremy Kimbrough (92 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 INT), as the duo have acquitted themselves as arguably the SoCon's top two linebackers in 2012. One element both Kimbrough and Grier bring to the ASU defense is the ability to drop into pass coverage and make big plays. Both are physical, big hitters in the middle of that ASU defense. Both Grier and Kimbrough led the ASU defensive efforts against the Catamounts a year ago in the 46-14 win at The Rock, recording nine and five tackles, respectively, in the win.

Joining Grier and Kimbrough at linebacker on Saturday at both OLB positions will be sophomores Deuce Robinson (31 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 0.5 sack) and Joel Ross (37 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FR, 2 TDs, 1 PBU, 1 QBH), who has scored TDs the past couple of weeks via an INT return and a fumble return for a score.

The Apps have a talented secondary, led by a couple of veterans, in senior cornerback Demetrius McCray (34 tackles, 3 INTs, 0.5 sack, 4 PBUs, 1 FF) and senior strong safety Troy Sanders (54 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FF), who are both once again having All-SoCon worthy seasons. McCray actually entered the campaign as a Buck Buchanan Award candidate, added to the preseason watch list by The Sports Network. 

 Teaming with Sanders and McCray in the Mountaineer secondary on Saturday against the Catamounts will be free safety Patrick Blalock (42 tackles, 4 PBUs, 1 INT, 1.0 TFL) and cornerback Jamil Lott (24 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 INTs).

Lott was originally expected to be a starter at the free safety position, but injuries dictated he make the move to corner this season.

The weakest unit on the defensive side of the football for the Black and Gold this season has proven to be the defensive line, but most of that has to do with lack of experience rather than a lack of talent. A lot more is expected out of three down linemen than is expected from four down linemen, which a majority of the teams in NCAA Division I college football utilize schematically.

This places a great deal of pressure on the nose tackle in the 3-4 defensive alignment, and the Mountaineers have called upon the services of freshman Stephen Burns (25 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 FF). Burns has stepped into his role and performed nicely this season, but still the Mountaineers lack the experience they had the position with Dan Wiley last season in the first season in the 3-4 defense.

Teaming with Burns up front on Saturday will be veteran sophomore Ronald Blair (41 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 FR) and Davante Harris (20 tackles, 4.5 TFL), who like Burns, is a freshman and in his first season as a starter at defensive end for the Apps after redshirting following a concussion last season. Blair is a player that has come on and played well as of late on the defensive side of the football for the Apps, as he has posted 26 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 1.5 sacks over the past five games, including notching a career-high 10 tackles last week in the loss to the Terriers.

The Catamounts have been solid, even explosive at times this fall on the offensive side of the football, utilizing the exact same spread offense that Appalachian State has utilized to much success since 2004, and one that will line up against the Catamounts on Saturday.

Western Carolina enters Saturday afternoon's showdown for the Old Mountain Jug ranking 63rd in the nation in total offense (365.8 YPG), 60th in scoring offense (25.8 PPG), 30th in rushing yards per game (188.1 YPG) and 85th in passing offense (177.6 YPG).

The Catamounts have utilized a two-quarterback system this season, with both Troy Mitchell (50-of-82 passing, 489 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT/76 rush att, 316 yds, 6 TDs, 4.2 YPC) and Marshall transfer Eddie Sullivan (91-of-164 passing, 916 yds, 4 TDs, 6 INTs/50 rush att, 246 yds, 2 TDs, 4.9 YPC) splitting time under center this season, and as has been the case for most of the season, the starter for Saturday likely won't be revealed until game time on Saturday.

Mitchell is coming off a performance against Elon last week, which saw him garner SoCon Freshman of the Week accolades, and he's a player that the WCU coaching staff has a lot of the same qualities and versatility that Armanti Edwards had at Appalachian State.

In the loss to the Phoenix last Saturday, Mitchell passed for a career-high 175 yards and two scores, while also rushing for 78 yards on 15 rush attempts. Look for Mitchell and Sullivan to both see action on Saturday in an attempt to try and keep the Appalachian State defense off-balance.

The Catamounts, who rank 30th in the nation in rushing yards this season, have really gone out and made an effort to establish the run offensively this season, using the run in the spread to try and set up the pass. The Catamounts are led in the ground game by a pair of freshmen in rushing, with the aforementioned Mitchell ranking second on the club, while freshman Darius Ramsey (81 rush att, 389 yds, 1 TD, 4.8 YPC/15 rec, 96 yds) from Shelby, N.C. leads the club.

Ramsey is one of the fastest players on the offensive side of the football for the Catamounts, and he has eclipsed the 100-yard plateau two times in this his true freshman campaign, including a career-high 120 yards rushing in the season opening win over Mars Hill. Veterans Michael Johnson (42 rush att. 212 yds, 4 TDs, 5.0 YPC) and Michael Vaughn (49 rush att, 159 yds, 4 TDs, 3.2 YPC/12 rec, 95 yds, 7.9 YPR) will also be significant threats in the ground game for the Catamounts on Saturday.

The Catamounts also have solid contingent of wide receivers entering Saturday's showdown, led by another freshman, in Spearman Robinson (36 rec, 357 yds, 1 TD, 9.9 YPR).

The product of Greenwood High School, which also produced two time Walter Payton Award winner and Appalachian State legend Armanti Edwards, was highly sought after by Appalachian State in the recruiting process, but chose Western Carolina. Robinson ranks third among freshmen wide receivers in the FCS in receptions, with 36 catches so far in 2012. Robinson is coming off a career-high 139-yard receiving effort in the loss at Elon last week and will start at the 'X' wide receiver position on Saturday.

Robinson will be complimented by veteran wideouts Jacoby Mitchell (31 rec, 289 yds, 3 TDs, 9.3 YPR) and Deja Alexander (8 rec, 83 yds, 10.4 YPR) on Saturday, while big and sure-handed Nate Stephenson (3 rec, 34 yds, 1 TD, 11.3 YPR) will once again hold down the starting role at tight end for the Catamounts on Saturday. Alexander, a junior receiver, leads the Catamounts with three receiving TDs this season, while Mitchell has yet to really find the rhythm he enjoyed a year ago, as he has been slowed by a nagging knee injury this season.

Prior to Speir and staff's arrival in the Valley, the Catamounts' biggest weakness year-in and year-out was seemingly the offensive line, however, under the direct supervision of former Appalachian State standout John Holt, the offensive line has made significant strides this season.

Entering Saturday's contest, the unit is being anchored by senior right guard Ryan Moore, who is having his best season as a Catamount, and he has the third most starts and appearances of any player on the WCU roster entering Saturday's contest, as he will be making his 15th start and 39th appearance on Saturday afternoon for WCU.

Quevalas Murray has done a nice job since transitioning from the defensive line to the center position for the Catamounts this season, while the two youngest players along the WCU offensive front are freshmen Josh Wineberg (RT) and Tyler Philpott (LG), who have both shown the potential to have a bright future for WCU. Left tackle Dan Polaski is another player that is having a great season along the WCU offensive front and will be making his sixth-straight start at left tackle on Saturday.

FINAL PREDICTION

It's been awhile since Western Carolina has knocked off a ranked foe on the FCS football gridiron, and you have to go back the 2006 campaign to find the last time the Catamounts were able to upend a ranked foe, when WCU posted a 20-17 upset win over Eastern Kentucky.

In fact, all-time, the Catamounts are just 11-71-3 all-time against ranked foes, with the last win over a ranked Southern Conference foe coming in the 2005 season, when the Catamounts claimed a 41-21 win over No. 2 Furman in Cullowhee.

Eight of the program's 11 wins over ranked foes have come in Cullowhee, and the WCU first-year head coach Mark Speir will be looking to do something that has only been accomplished once in 1969.

On Saturday, the Catamounts face an Appalachian State team that will take the E.J. Whitmire field turf ranked for the eighth-straight season. While I think the Catamounts will keep it close for a while on Saturday, Appalachian State has too much to play and more talent, which will show in the second half as the Mountaineers post their eighth-straight win over the Catamounts, and 26th victory in the last 28 meetings in the Mountain Jug game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: APPALACHIAN STATE 38, WESTERN CAROLINA 24

GREENVILLE, S.C.—The Furman Paladins and Georgia Southern Eagles are two old rivals and two programs headed in vastly different directions. It could be argued that Georgia Southern's ascension to the top of the league could be found in the Eagles' stretch run during the 2010 season.

One of the games included in that stretch run was a late November trip to Greenville, S.C., to close out the 2010 season, entering an emotionally-charged Paladin Stadium, with the game marking the final one on the sidelines for Paladin head coach Bobby Lamb.

As expected, Furman came out throwing the punches, looking to put the finishing touches of a 13th straight winning season in Greenville while racing out to an early 14-0 lead. They held a 28-17 lead heading to the fourth quarter before the six-time national champion Eagles, who needed a win to qualify for the postseason, forced a couple of Paladin turnovers in the fourth quarter, which led to 15 GSU points, ultimately enabling GSU to finish off Furman and head back to Statesboro with a 32-28 win and its first postseason bid since 2006.

The Eagles had entered that regular season finale two years ago coming off two straight victories, including one of those coming against No. 1 Appalachian, 21-14, in Statesboro, which was part of a season-ending streak that would see the Eagles reel off six straight wins before being defeated, 27-10, in the FCS semifinals at Delaware.

Georgia Southern head coach Jeff Monken started his career a bit inauspiciously, as the Eagles began that 2010 season with just a 4-4 start. However, since it's final regular-season loss to Samford in Week 8 two years ago, Georgia Southern has nearly been unbeatable, posting a 22-5 record in two-plus seasons, including a 15-2 mark against SoCon foes, which includes an FCS playoff win over Wofford in 2010.

The only two losses over that stretch against SoCon foes came at Appalachian State (24-17) and at The Citadel (23-21) to open Southern Conference play this season.

The Eagles come into Saturday's game red-hot, as they have won four straight, including a 17-9 win over No. 4 Wofford on Saturday night in Statesboro, claiming their 13th-straight home triumph.

Meanwhile, Furman has seen its struggles this season under second-year head coach Bruce Fowler, which includes a 31-10 loss to Chattanooga at Paladin Stadium this past Saturday to mark Furman's second straight loss.

The 21-point loss to the Mocs was the second-largest margin of defeat for the Paladins against FCS competition under Fowler's leadership, with Georgia Southern's 50-20 win in Statesboro marking the largest margin of defeat against FCS foes.

Like Lamb's Paladins in 2010, Fowler's 2012 edition will receive a character test on Saturday afternoon when the third-ranked Eagles come to Paladin Stadium for a 1:30 p.m. ET contest.

With the playoffs now squarely in the rearview mirror at a much earlier point in the season than in Fowler's first season at the helm in Greenville, pride and a winning season now become the goals of the 2012 Paladins.

Looking beyond the postseason goals, however, remains the several other things for Furman to protect on Saturday when the Eagles land at the foot of Paris Mountain. Furman will look to protect its unbeaten mark (2-0) against top-five ranked FCS foes at Paladin Stadium, as the Paladins knocked off both No. 3 Appalachian State (20-10) and No. 5 Wofford (26-21) last season. 

Who: No. 3 Georgia Southern (5-1, 4-1 SoCon) at Furman (2-5, 1-3 SoCon)

When: Oct. 20, 1:30 p.m. ET

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

The Rivalry

The rivalry between Furman and Georgia Southern has its roots tied firmly to seminal moments in both programs' respective histories, as Georgia Southern claimed its first national title with a dramatic 44-42 come-from-behind win over the Paladins to claim the school's first of six national crowns, while Furman claimed its lone national title with a 17-12 win over the Eagles in 1988.

The two teams will be squaring off on the gridiron for the 25th time on Saturday, with the Eagles having doubled up the Paladins in the all-time series, 16-8.

Great quarterbacks like Tracy Ham, Bobby Lamb, Jayson Foster, Frankie DeBusk, Raymond and Ingle Martin all have their place in this rivalry at one time or another. Few on both sides will forget the 2004 and 2005 meetings as being two of the more recent classics between the two schools that share many of the same recruiting areas and many of the same connections to the glory years for both programs. Georgia Southern is well on its way to revisiting some of the past triumphs.

Running backs like Georgia Southern's Adrian Peterson and Louis Ivory also made this matchup every bit worth the price of admission during the late 1990s and early 2000s, as both are two of the greatest to ever tote the pigskin in the league's storied history.

Furman didn't win in Statesboro until the 2001 Division I-AA semifinals, as the Paladins claimed a 24-17 win over the Eagles to end two of the more impressive streaks in FCS history—a 39-game unbeaten streak at home dating back to 1997, and handing the Eagles their first home playoff loss in school history, dropping the Eagles' home playoff mark to 27-1 in the friendly confines.

It could be argued that no two programs in the FCS ranks have as much tied to each other in their respective traditions as these two.

It's fair to say Furman and Georgia Southern don't like each other each season when they meet on the gridiron. However, the two programs respect each other a great deal. That's mostly due to the tradition each has established over the years.

Head coaches Jeff Monken and Bruce Fowler are tied to the storied tradition of this rivalry. After all, Fowler was an assistant coach on the staff that defeated Georgia Southern in the 1988 National Championship Game, while Monken was very much a part of this rivalry in the early 2000s under former GSU head coach Paul Johnson.

Coming off of last season's 50-20 loss in Statesboro—the largest margin to separate the two teams in any one game in any of the 23 meetings—it will be interesting to see the mindset of Fowler's team on Saturday. The Paladins are fresh off their worst loss to an FCS opponent under the second-year head coach and the 31-10 set back to the Mocs ultimately ended Furman's chance at the 2012 postseason, which will now mark a sixth straight season the Paladins will be home for Thanksgiving.

Furman's 2-5 record is the worst record Furman has ever brought into a game against the Eagles, which is even worse than the 1994 meeting, which saw the Paladins enter the matchup with a 3-5 mark on the campaign before finishing with a 3-8 overall record.

Furman needs to win its final four games to avoid a losing season, and if the Paladins are able to accomplish such a feat, it would mark the first time the Paladins have ever been able post a winning season in the nine times the program has started a season 0-3.

Only once (1979) have the Paladins managed to win more than three games in a season after getting out to an 0-3 start, as Furman posted a 5-6 mark to finish the season. Only twice in those nine 0-3 starts has Furman been able to claim three wins in a season, with a 3-7 mark in 1959 and a 3-6 finish in 1942.

Preview

When Furman faces third-ranked Georgia Southern (The Sports Network FCS Top 25 College Football Poll) on Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium, it will be facing a team looking for its third straight triumph at Furman, which has only been accomplished in regular-season meetings once in the history of the program, and twice all time.

Chatanooga was able to claim three straight victories in Greenville in 1978, '79 and '81, while Western Carolina claimed consecutive wins over the Paladins in Greenville in 1983, '84 and '86. The Catamounts are the only school in Paladin Stadium history to ever claim three straight wins at Furman.

The Georgia Southern offense started out the 2012 campaign struggling a bit with the turnover bug early, but the Eagle "O" appears to be hitting its stride at just the right time coming into Saturday afternoon's clash. The Eagles enter Saturday's contest ranking 16th in the nation in total offense (442.8 YPG), 20th in scoring offense (33.6 PPG), second in rushing offense (408.3 YPG) and last nationally (121st) in passing offense (34.5 YPG).

The Eagles, of course, operate out of the triple-option/spread-option offense.

One different element to the GSU offense this season has been the lack of a passing attack, as the Paladins saw Jaybo Shaw have one of his better passing performances against Furman in last season's 50-20 contest. Shaw connected on six of nine passes for 171 yards on a day when the Eagles torched the Furman defense for 532 yards of total offense.

Leading the attack for the Eagles this season has been a pair of talented quarterbacks, in Jerick McKinnon (3-for-7 passing, 84 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT/75 rush att, 528 yds, 4 TDs, 7.0 YPC) and Ezayi Youyoute (9-for-21 passing, 123 yds, 1 TD/54 rush att, 391 yds, 4 TDs, 7.2 YPC). McKinnon and Youyoute are second and third on the team in rushing for the Eagles, respectively, and as of late it has been McKinnon leading the GSU offense in the starting role. Both are averaging over seven yards per rush attempt, which is astounding even in an option offense.

In last Saturday's win over Wofford, McKinnon got the start and rushed for 84 yards on 16 attempts. As a team, Georgia Southern did not attempt a pass last Saturday and neither quarterback has passed for over 100 yards in any one game this season.

In fact, GSU's best passing performance this fall came in the 26-23 win over Elon, which began the current four-game winning streak for the Eagles, as GSU passed for 66 yards and one of their three TDs through the air in the win.

Leading a strong Georgia Southern backfield this season has been fullback Dominique Swope (116 rush att, 662 yds, 10 TDs, 5.7 YPC), who was the 2011 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and appears to be well on his way to garnering All-SoCon accolades for a second straight season for the Eagles.

Swope enters Saturday's SoCon clash with the Paladins as the reigning Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the 17-9 win over Wofford last Saturday. The sophomore sensation finished that contest by rushing for a tough 137 yards and a pair of scores on 25 attempts.

Swope is well on his way to a second straight 1,000-yard rushing season for the Eagles, and he comes into Saturday's contest with the Paladins having already rushed for 1,685 yards in his 1.5 seasons in an Eagle uniform. Swope comes into Saturday's contest with two 100-yard rushing performances to date this season.

Swope will be surrounded by some solid weapons in the back at each of the respective slotback positions on Saturday. Both Jonathan Bryant (21 rush att, 178 yds, 8.2, 1 TD/2 rec, 33 yds, 16.5 YPR) and Darreion Robinson (28 rush att, 183 yds, 1 TD, 6.5 YPC). Bryant and Robinson are quick on the perimeter and each of their respective speed can be a threat to the Paladins on Saturday.

It was Bryant who had one of the best afternoons of his career in last season's 50-20 win over the Paladins. Bryant led the Eagles' rushing efforts against the Paladins last season, finishing the contest with 10 carries for 95 yards and a TD to lead GSU offensively in the win.

While the Eagles haven't thrown the ball much this season, they do have effective weapons in the passing game, with the top receiving option in the passing attack being Kentrellis Showers (6 rec, 89 yds, 2 TDs, 14.8 YPR), who has tremendous speed and the speed to get behind defenses and threaten the big play. There are more possession-type receivers in the Eagles' arsenal entering Saturday afternoon's contest, while veterans Tyler Sumner (1 rec, 33 yds) and Mitch Williford act as reliable options in the passing game, as well as excellent perimeter blockers.

Maybe the greatest reason the Eagles have experienced such success over the past 2.5 seasons under the direction of Monken has been the play of the offensive line, and after having gotten off to a bit of a shaky start this season, the unit has gained experience and once again looks like one of the league's top units.

The Georgia Southern offensive front is being led by All-SoCon left tackle Dorian Byrd and center Manrey Saint-Amour, who was a SoCon All-Freshman selection last season. The Eagles have some young starters across their offensive front, too, such as guards Trevor McBurnett (LG) and Logan Daves (RG), and right tackle Garrett Frye is one of the more athletic players along the GSU front line. The Eagles enter Saturday's matchup averaging 6.8 yards per play and 6.8 yards per rush.

Furman comes into Saturday's contest against the Eagles with an offense that has sputtered a bit the past couple of weeks in losses to Chattanooga (31-10) and Wofford (20-17), and that certainly has much to do with having faced two of the league's best offenses during that time frame. It doesn't get easier, as the Paladins face the nation's second-ranked defense.

On Saturday, Furman enters the contest with the nation's 24th-ranked offense (394.9 YPG), while ranking 64th in scoring offense (25.1 PPG), 42nd in rushing offense (174.9 YPG) and 47th in passing offense (220.0 YPG). The Paladins have certainly been made to look more human on the offensive side of the football the past couple of weeks.

The Paladins will operate out of a traditional, pro-style offense, with some I-formation and two-back sets mixed in to their offensive repertoire.

Set to lead the Furman offense on Saturday will be one of the nation's most talented freshmen quarterbacks, in Greer, S.C. native Reese Hannon (105-of-164 passing, 1,291 yds, 6 TDs, 4 INTs). The cousin of former Furman signal-caller Justin Hill has struggled the last couple of weeks and has had to deal with a lot more pressure the past few weeks, especially having faced two of the better defensive fronts.

Hannon entered the starting lineup for the Paladins after Dakota Derrick went down with a shoulder injury just before halftime in the 47-45 overtime loss to Coastal Carolina in Week 2. Since then, Hannon has not looked back and had his string of four straight 200-yard passing performances come to an end a couple of weeks ago in the 20-17 loss at Wofford.

Hannon has one of the best running backs in the SoCon to hand the ball to, with Jerodis Williams (129 rush att, 815 yds, 7 TDs, 6.3 YPC/10 rec, 80 yds, 8.0 YPR) on pace to register his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season. Williams is a powerful runner, with good vision and breakaway speed once he reaches the second level of the defense.

The Paladins, who have made a name running the football in two seasons under the direction of Bruce Fowler, struggled to rush the ball in last Saturday's 31-10 loss to Chattanooga. In fact, the 19 rush attempts was the lowest number of rush attempts in Furman's history as an FCS/Division I-AA member (1982-present).

Entering Saturday afternoon's contest against the Eagles, Williams ranks sixth all time on Furman's all-time rushing ledger, having gained 2,743 yards. He needs 297 more rushing yards to move into Furman's top five all time on its career list. Williams has certainly seen some highs and lows this season for the Paladins.

His 239-yard rushing performance in a 45-24 win over Western Carolina three weeks ago ranks as the fourth-best individual rushing performance in school history, while his 39 rushing yard on 19 attempts last week against Chattanooga ranks as the seventh-lowest individual rushing total by a Paladin running back since 1982. Williams was held to 64 rushing yards on 13 attempts against the Eagles last season.

Williams will be backed up by talented and elusive Hank McCloud (66 rush att, 323 yds, 5 TDs, 4.9 YPC/6 rec, 48 yds, 8.0 YPR) in the Paladins' backfield, while Ernie Cain (11 rush att, 37 yds, 1 TD, 3.4 YPR/3 rec, 17 yds, 5.7 YPR) has been an effective option on short-yardage plays this season for the Paladins at fullback.

Furman also has some solid receiving options, with the most notable being All-America tight end Colin Anderson (21 rec, 356 yds, 17.0 YPR). Anderson enters Saturday's contest as one of the top receiving tight ends in school history.

The senior from Dallas, TX, enters Saturday's contest ranking tops in school history among tight ends in TD receptions (11), while ranking second in career receiving yards (1,399 yds) and third in career receptions (81). With two catches against the Eagles on Saturday, Anderson would move into second place in all-time career receptions among tight ends.

In the 50-20 loss to Georgia Southern last season, Anderson was effective as he hauled in three passes for 111 yards, including a 44-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter for Furman's final score of the day.

Anderson will have some solid company in the receiving corps for the Paladins, with Will King (34 rec, 541 yds, 3 TDs, 15.9 YPR) and Ryan Culbreath (20 rec, 241 yds, 2 TDs, 12.1 YPR) set to start at the flanker and split end positions, respectively.

Both Culbreath and King are exceptional pass-catchers and both have excellent hands. One of the more talented freshmen wideouts is Jordan Snellings (10 rec, 126 yds, 2 TDs, 12.6 YPR), and he could also factor into Furman's offensive plans on Saturday afternoon. Culbreath posted a solid outing against the Eagles last season, as he hauled in three passes for 69 yards in the 50-20 setback.

Furman's offensive line has been solid in run blocking, and the Paladins are led up front by preseason All-SoCon left tackle Dakota Dozier.

Eric Thoni, a former walk-on, is in his first season as a full-time starter at center, and he is joined in the starting lineup by another former walk-on, first-year starter in Joe Turner (LG). Rounding out the starters along the Furman starting front line are veterans Charles Emert (RG), a Statesboro, GA native, and Ryan Storms (RT).

The Furman offensive front has struggled pass-blocking the past couple of weeks against Wofford and Chattanooga, and things get no easier on Saturday, as the Paladins face the GSU defensive front, which is one of the best units in the FCS. Coming into Saturday afternoon's contest, the Paladins have surrendered 11 sacks on the campaign and come in averaging 5.9 yards per play, including 4.8 yards per rush.

When Furman's offense takes its home turf on Saturday afternoon, it will be greeted by one of the nation's truly outstanding defensive units. The Eagles come into the contest ranking second nationally in total defense (266.5 YPG), seventh in scoring defense (14.0 PPG), 10th in rushing defense (119.8 YPG) and fourth in passing defense (146.6 YPG). The Eagles also rank 10th nationally in sacks per game, averaging 3.0 per contest.

The Georgia Southern defense which will enter Paladin Stadium on Saturday afternoon will very much resemble the unit that helped the Eagles dominate the fourth quarter a couple of years ago in Greenville en route to a 32-28 come-from-behind win. The Eagles defense is on pace to finish as one of the best in school history.

Leading the staunch unit on Saturday will be the GSU defensive line, which is once again anchored by Buck Buchanan Award candidate Brent Russell (27 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 1 blkd kick) at the nose tackle position. It was Russell that changed the complexion of last season's game against Furman, with a blocked PAT after a Furman TD, which allowed the Eagles to turn the momentum in what was to that point a tight football game, as former Eagle cornerback Laron Scott returned the ball for two points on the dead-ball play.

Russell is flat out a beast, and referred to as the "man bear" by his teammates. His three sacks this season have allowed Russell to move into second place on the school's all-time sacks list, with 23.5 career quarterback takedowns. With a sack against the Paladins on Saturday, Russell would surpass former Eagle defensive end Edward Thomas' 24.0 career sacks for the school's all-time career sacks mark.

That would be an astounding record for a nose tackle to hold. No doubt Furman will have to scheme around Russell, who is sometimes unable to even be contained by two blockers and is one of the primary reasons it's so tough to run the football at the point of attack against the Eagles.  

Additionally, against the Paladins last season, Russell was able to record two tackles and a sack against the Paladins to go along with his blocked PAT.

Joining Russell at defensive tackle on Saturday afternoon will be Blake Riley (22 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sack). Riley is a player that has also been solid on the defensive interior for the Eagles this season. Riley has been another stalwart in the teeth of that Georgia Southern defense this season, and he helps form one of the top defensive tackle tandems in the Southern Conference.

Georgia Southern also fields one of the top tandems of defensive ends in the Southern Conference and the FCS, with Dion DuBose (23 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks) and Josh Gebhardt (14 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks) slated to start for the Eagles on Saturday, but expect Javon Mention (13 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 1 FR) to also log his fair share of action at defensive end on Saturday for the Eagles.

Mention comes into Saturday's game with the Paladins ranking third in the league in sacks per game, averaging 0.83 sacks per contest.

Set to man the respective linebacker positions for the Eagles on Saturday will be John Stevenson (50 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack, 3 PBUs, 1 FF) on the weak side of the GSU defense, and he's one of the fastest players on head coach Jeff Monken's roster, having been clocked at a blazing 4.38 in the 40-yard dash.

Teaming with Stevenson in GSU's 4-2-5 defensive alignment on Saturday will be Kyle Oehlbeck (22 tackles, 2.0 TFL), who will provide veteran leadership in the middle of the GSU defense, as he will start at the middle linebacker position for the Eagles on Saturday.

The GSU secondary, which was thought to be a weakness going into the season, has shown to be one of the stronger aspects of the defense this season despite the graduation of All-SoCon CB Laron Scott.

Anchoring the GSU secondary this season has veteran safeties Darius Eubanks (37 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PBUs, 1FR) and J.J. Wilcox (42 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU). Eubanks will start at the free safety position, while Wilcox moved over from the offensive side of the football to the defensive side of the ball and has been an outstanding addition to the GSU secondary this season with his athleticism.

A third safety in the secondary will be manned by either the "Nickel" safety Deion Stanley (23 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 4 PBUs), who was a SoCon All-Freshman selection last season, or "Buck" safety Antwione Williams (12 tackles, 1 PBU).

The starting cornerbacks will be LaVelle Westbrooks (11 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD, 4 PBUs) and Valdon Cooper (11 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 INTs, 1 TD), who made one of the plays of the game in the win over Wofford last week, knocking a deep ball out of the grasp of Wofford wideout Jeff Ashley, helping the Eagles protect their lead late in the game.

Furman came into the 2012 season with its strength expected to be on the defensive side of the football, as the Paladins welcomed the return of seven starters on that side of the ball. However, so far this season, the losses of players like All-American cornerback Ryan Steed and All-SoCon linebacker Kadarron Anderson have proved to be tough to overcome.

Furman was also an opportunistic defense last season, and a unit that tied for the league lead in turnover margin, causing 22 opponent turnovers (13 INTs, 9 FRs). So far this season, the Paladins have caused just eight (5 INTs, 3 FRs).

Coming into Saturday's contest, the Paladins rank 76th in total defense (390.6 YPG), 75th in scoring defense (29.7 PPG), 58th in rushing defense (154.0 YPG) and 88th in passing defense (236.6 YPG).

The Furman defensive line is one of the strengths of a unit that has struggled more than was predicted this season, and it's a veteran, physical unit led by a talented defensive end tandem of Josh Lynn (25 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 QBHs, 1 FF) and Shawn Boone (18 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR).

Boone and Lynn are two of the more athletic defensive ends in the SoCon and their role will be key when GSU attacks the Paladin perimeter on Saturday.

A veteran duo will start at the respective defensive tackle positions for the Paladins on Saturday, as defensive tackles Colton Keig (27 tackles, 2.0 TFL) and Neal Rodgers (23 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) have combined 43 games in their respective careers for the Paladins. Both have been solid inside against the run this season.

The top player on the Furman defense is preseason second-team All-SoCon strong-side linebacker Mitch McGrath (51 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 3 PBUs), who is having a strong senior season for the Paladins. He teams with classmate Matt Solomon (58 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 3 PBUs), who will start at middle linebacker for the Paladins on Saturday, and he is one of a several big hitters on this Furman defense.

Rounding out the starters for the Paladins at linebacker heading into Saturday afternoon's clash with the Eagles is weak-side linebacker Gary Wilkins (62 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 PBU), who has fashioned quite a young career already in the Paladin Purple and White. His 62 tackles lead the team and rank him fifth in the league in tackles, averaging 8.9 tackles per game. Like GSU's Stevenson, he's one of the most athletic players on the Paladin roster.

The Paladin secondary has been the unit that has struggled the most so far this season, but the unit is anchored by a pair of veteran, All-SoCon safeties, in free safety Nathan Wade (54 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) and strong safety Greg Worthy (47 tackles, 1.0 TF). Both Wade and Worthy are big hitters on the Paladin defense, and both will have to make plays and make key gap reads if Furman is to have a shot at pulling an upset on Saturday.

The problems have stemmed from yielding the big play at cornerback this season, as evidenced by Wofford wideout Jeff Ashley getting behind the Furman secondary for what proved to be the game-winning, 52-yard score in the third quarter of a 20-17 setback for the Paladins.

The Paladins have utilized an assortment of cornerback combos this season, but the one head coach Bruce Fowler has decided to employ on Saturday against the Eagles is talented, physical freshman Reggie Thomas (17 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 INT, 1 PBU) and junior Austin Williams (4 tackles).

Final Prediction

Rivalry games are always fun, and this is one of the best when it comes to FCS football, with its roots in playing for the top prize at the sub-classification. Georgia Southern has righted its ship quickly and it was just three years ago that we were all wondering what happened to such a tradition-rich program.

The answer has been swiftly answered by Jeff Monken, and with the Eagles' win over Wofford last Saturday, they now control their own destiny.

For Bruce Fowler's Paladins, their season was always going to be a struggle, even with the return of 15 starters, but many would agree that this team isn't as bad as its 2-5 overall record would indicate. While Fowler's efforts to turnaround the Furman program haven't gone as swiftly as Monken's, make no mistake that Furman is well on its way back to prominence in the FCS and SoCon football scenes, respectively.

Saturday's game against the Eagles will prove the strides Fowler's Paladins have made, but it will result in another heartbreaking defeat as Georgia Southern picks up a hard-fought, come-from-behind, 10-point win on Saturday at Paladin Stadium.

Final Score: Georgia Southern 27, Furman 17

Texas Tech dismantling West Virginia made for major headlines this weekend, providing the biggest upset of the season so far.  However, the FBS level of college football wasn't the only one to see major upsets this week, as the FCS level also saw several major upsets.

The biggest shocker in FCS football happened in Fargo, as the Indiana State Sycamores went into the Fargodome and stunned No. 1 North Dakota State.  Defensive back Johnny Towalid had two interception returns for touchdowns, leading the Sycamores to a 17-14 win despite the fact that Indiana State didn't score a single offensive touchdown in the game. 

The defending national champion Bison came into the game riding high after a dismantling of formidable Youngstown State last weekend, but were unable to avoid the letdown.  QB Brock Jensen had perhaps the worst game of his collegiate career, throwing for under 200 yards with no touchdown passes while getting picked off three times, including the two pick-sixes by Towalid that ultimately wound up costing the Bison the game.

The result of the game shook up the Missouri Valley Conference standings, as the heavy favorites NDSU now find themselves in fifth place in the conference.  South Dakota State took (at least for the moment) the spot at the top of the conference standings that has been locked down by NDSU for the better part of two years. The Bison and Jackrabbits face off in Fargo on November 10.

The SWAC also experienced a monumental upset, as previously unbeaten Alabama A&M lost at home to Alcorn State in front of over 16,000 fans.  The Braves, who came into the game with a 2-4 record, forced three turnovers by the Bulldogs while taking care of the ball on offense en route to a 21-20 victory.

The Bulldogs saw their homecoming game spoiled by an upset-minded Alcorn State team who gave first-year head coach Jay Hopson his first marquee win.  Braves QB John Gibbs tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Tavoris Doss with five-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter to take a 21-17 lead, and the defense did the rest of the work, holding Alabama A&M to only a field goal for the remainder of the game.

The Bulldogs still hold first place in the SWAC with a 5-1 conference record, but they are no longer a guarantee to win the conference.  Teams like Alabama State and Arkansas- Pine Bluff are now within striking distance.

One other major upset occurred in the Big Sky, where first-year conference member SUU went into Washington-Grizzly Stadium and knocked off traditional powerhouse Montana.  While the Grizzlies are having a tougher season than usual, they still came into the game as heavy favorites over a Thunderbirds team adjusting to their first year in a major conference. SUU showed that they are looking to make noise in their new conference, winning 30-20 in Missoula.

After Montana kicker Chris Lider booted a 42-yard field goal with eight minutes left in the game to tie the score at 20-20, SUU went on a 10-0 run to end the game.  Thunderbirds QB Brad Sorenson finished the game with 294 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, while avoiding any interceptions.  The solid effort gave SUU their first marquee win as a member of the Big Sky.

The upset will likely have little impact on the outcome of the Big Sky title race, as NAU, Cal Poly, Montana State, Sacramento State, and Eastern Washington are all quite a ways ahead of Montana and SUU.  However, it does put a severe damper on any remaining playoff hopes the Grizz may have had.

WHO: Chattanooga (2-3, 1-1 SoCon) at Furman (2-4, 1-2 SoCon)

WHEN: Oct. 13, 2012, 1:30 p.m. ET

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

Overview: After Saturday's 20-17 loss to No. 5 Wofford, Furman now finds itself having lost three games to FCS foes by a combined total of eight points.

Saturday's opponent, Chattanooga, certainly can relate to Furman's heartbreaks, as it was the Mocs that finished the 2011 season with five of its six losses coming by a total of combined total of six points.

Saturday's contest offers the chance for a young Furman team to continue to take steps under second-year head coach Bruce Fowler, which had the Paladins enter the polls in his first season briefly at No. 17 before falling out of the polls after a 41-34 loss to Elon.

Fowler helped the Paladins to a 6-5 record last fall, and Furman is looking to return to the prominence that saw the program capture a league-standard 12 Southern Conference crowns, with the last conference crown coming in 2004 and the last trip to the FCS postseason coming in 2006.

Furman played toe-to-toe with Top 5 foe Wofford last week, as the Paladins dropped a 20-17 decision to the Terriers in Spartanburg last week.

Chattanooga comes into Saturday's contest off of an off week. Like Furman, Chattanooga is trying to find its way back to prominence in the Southern Conference, and the man charged with charting the course back to prominence for the Mocs is Russ Huesman, who is now in his fourth year at the helm of the Mocs program.

Huesman sports a 19-19 record in his career at Chattanooga, and is 1-2 in three previous meetings with the Paladins, including seeing his Mocs drop a 14-7 decision to the Paladins last season.

In the late 1970s and for the first half of the 1980s, Furman and Chattanooga were among the league's elite, and both head coaches played defensive back for the school they now coach, with Fowler once playing cornerback at Furman (1977-81) and Huesman playing cornerback at Chattanooga (1979-83) during that same time period.

The Mocs, as a program, have won four Southern Conference crowns, with the last league title for the Mocs coming in 1986, which also accounts for the program's last playoff appearance.

The Mocs have been on the brink of revisiting the postseason in each of Huesman's first two seasons, but haven't quite been able to get over the hump, posting back-to-back 6-5 campaigns before a disappointing 5-6 finish last season in a campaign which saw the Mocs enter the season ranked No. 13 in the country. 

Bruce Fowler is now 8-9 at the helm of the Furman program in two seasons as the head coach and is 1-0 vs. Huesman as the head coach at Furman.

The last time Huesman and the Mocs made the trip to Greenville, Chattanooga was able to post one of the more remarkable come-from-behind wins in school history, as the Mocs came away from Greenville with a 36-28 win in tow, snapping a 15-game losing streak against the 25th-ranked Paladins, which dated back to 1994.

Trailing 28-10 entering the fourth quarter, the Mocs were able to get their largest fourth quarter comeback in school history, with 26 unanswered points in the final quarter to come away from Greenville with the victory.

Huesman was able to lead his Mocs to an impressive Southern Conference road win the last time the Mocs took the field a couple of weeks ago, picking up a 28-10 road win over No. 11 The Citadel, marking UTC's highest ranked foe it has defeated on the road since the 1983 campaign, when the Mocs posted a 30-9 win over Appalachian State in Oct. of 1983.

With the win last week, Huesman improved his record to 5-9 in his career against ranked foes, and one of those five wins against ranked foes of course came in 2010, when the Mocs posted the win over a 25th-ranked Paladin squad.

Three of Huesman's four wins against ranked foes have been against the Palmetto State contingent of the SoCon, knocking off 17th-ranked Wofford, 34-9 in 2009, while posting the win over No. 24 Furman in 2010 and the win over No. 11 The Citadel the last time out.

Fowler has certainly put the Paladins in the headlines a few times in his first two seasons at the helm in Greenville, with most remembering the Paladins' two wins over a pair of Top Five foes last season, with the Paladins claiming wins over No. 3 Appalachian State (20-10) and No. 5 Wofford (26-21), with both of those victories coming in Greenville last fall.

The Paladins haven't defeated many ranked FCS foes on the road in the past few seasons, and dropped to 0-7 against Top 10 opponents on the road last week with its 20-17 loss to fifth-ranked Terriers in Spartanburg. In fact, last season's 14-7 road win at Chattanooga was one of the better road results in recent history for the Paladins, taking down a comparable, formidable opponent in the Mocs. Fowler is 2-2 against ranked foes in just his second season at Furman.

Losses have come against Wofford last week and top-ranked Georgia Southern (20-10). Over the past two seasons, Fowler has yet to face lower than a Top Five ranked foe when facing FCS ranked opponents.

Saturday's meeting between the Paladins and Mocs will mark the 42nd meeting between both teams, with Furman having a commanding 27-14 series edge, including claiming 16 of the past 17 meetings between the two programs. Little margin for error remains for either program, as both must win out to make the postseason.

With an all Division I schedule, Furman is allowed an extra loss than the Mocs, who have one of their wins against a non-Division I member, with a victory over Glenville State.

Saturday's contest is hugely important for both teams, who have been playing some good football as of late. Expect a game between two relatively young football teams, littered with underclassmen among each of their respective starting lineups on both sides of the football heading into the clash.

Just another day in the Southern Conference is set, on what I am calling "Separation Saturday" in Southern Conference football.

Preview: Chattanooga has had some difficulties at times trying to adjust to its new spread offense this season, however, the unit seemed to be getting more comfortable in the scheme the last time out, especially running the football. For the first time in the 2012 season in the 28-10 win against The Citadel a couple of weeks ago, the Mocs actually exhibited an offensive identity.

The Mocs enter Saturday afternoon's contest against the Paladins ranking 69th nationally in total offense (346.6 YPG), 73rd in scoring offense (23.4 YPG), 76th in passing offense (174.4 YPG) and 42nd in rushing offense (172.2 YPG). The Mocs haven't been as prolific offensively as they were in their trip two years ago to Paladin Stadium, but they have been this season is an extremely balanced offensive attack. 

Slated to lead that offense will be recent Jerry Rice Award List addition Jacob Huesman (70-of-111 passing, 704 yds, 6 TDs, 3 INTs/67 rush att, 304 yds, 1 TD, 4.5 YPC).

Huesman has excellent speed, and the son of head coach Russ Huesman has shown an uncanny poise for a true freshman signal-caller.

He has had some solid performances so far this season, and the last time out against the Bulldogs, Huesman connected on 11-of-14 passes for 86 yards and a score, while also rushing for 80 yards on 14 rush attempts to total 166 yards of offense in the win over the Bulldogs.

Huesman possesses excellent speed and is one of the fastest players on the offensive side of the football for the Mocs.

Likely to once again split the snaps under center with Huesman on Saturday, will be Terrell Robinson (16-0f-24 passing, 178 yards, 2 TDs/40 rush att, 165 yds, 1 TD, 4.5 YPC), who started under center against the Paladins last season in place of injured senior signal-caller B.J. Coleman.

Like Huesman, Robinson is tremendously gifted as an athlete, and he saw his most extensive action under center in UTC's last game against The Citadel. In that contest, Robinson was able to make good on four of five passes for 73 yards and a score, while rushing for a team-high 97 yards and a score on 22 rush attempts.

One of the more forgettable performances of Robinson's career would have to be in last season's game against the Paladins, as he connected on just one of seven passes for three yards, with a pair of INTs. As a rushing threat, Robinson battled for 87 yards on 32 attempts. It was no doubt a frustrating performance for Robinson after he had so much success against Georgia Southern and Elon in prior matchups to the Furman game in 2011.

Robinson could also see some action at wide receiver with his athleticism. Coming into Saturday's game against the Paladins, Robinson has hauled in three passes for 44 yards and a score (19.7 YPR).

Huesman and Robinson enter Saturday's matchup ranking as Chattanooga's top two rushing threats, ranking No. 1 and No. 2 in rushing yardage, respectively. Chattanooga has split the carries among three capable running backs, giving the Mocs a versatile, talented group of running backs.

Leading the charge in the Mocs' backfield has been bruising running back Keon Williams (48 rush att, 150 yds, 2 TDs, 3.1 YPC), who's a player that runs with authority.

Williams has been the Mocs' go-to back in short-yardage situations this season, and after being suspended last season, has had to work himself back into the rushing game in the new offense.

In the win over the Paladins two years ago in Greenville, Williams rushed for 14 yards on three carries.

Joining him in the ground game responsibilities on Saturday  will be J.J. Jackson (27 rush att, 59 yds, 2.2 YPC/10 rec, 102 yds, 10.2 YPR), Kendrix Huitt (18 rush att, 100 yds, 1 TD, 5.6 YPC) and Marquis Green (18 rush att, 97 yds, 2 TDs, 5.4 YPC/3 rec, 17 yds).

Jackson is the veteran of the three, with the most versatility and is one of the better athletes on the Chattanooga roster.

Two years ago against Furman, Jackson was a threat both as a running back and a receiving threat coming out of the backfield, as he rushed for 38 yards and a score on nine carries, while hauling in three passes for 25 yards in the eight point road win. When the Mocs go to the air, their leading threat, much like Furman, is the tight end position.

Faysal Shafaat (19 rec, 201 yds, 3 TDs, 10.6 YPR) is off to a strong performance in 2012 as he is leading the Mocs in receiving yards coming into Saturday's matchup, and ranks second to only Furman's Colin Anderson in receiving yards among SoCon tight ends.

Shafaat has been solid throughout is career catching the football for the Mocs, and like Furman's Anderson, is a tremendous athlete and a sure-handed receiving option in clutch situations.

In the 28-10 win over The Citadel two weeks ago, Shafaat hauled in three passes for 24 yards and a score.

The Mocs have a solid trio of receivers set to challenge the Furman secondary, led by Ron Moore (10 rec, 163 yds, 2 TDs, 16.3 YPR) and Tommy Hudson (17 rec, 133 yds, 7.8 YPR), while veteran wideout Marlon Anthony (5 rec, 48 yds, 1 TD, 9.6 YPR) will be making his third start of the season after battling an early-season ankle injury that he is just now fully recovering from.

All three have been solid downfield threats for the Mocs this season and the Mocs saw Moore really come as a solid receiving threat as of late. He was able to catch TD passes against The Citadel last week and Jacksonville earlier in the campaign. Moore has the longest scoring reception of the season, as he hauled in a 60-yard scoring pass in the win against the Bulldogs.

Five of Moore's 13 career catches have been 20 or more yards in distance, giving you an idea of just how much of a downfield threat he can be.

Hudson is a player that enters Saturday's contest in much the same mold as Moore, with good speed and the ability to make the big play over the top. Hudson turned in his best performance of the season in the win over Glenville State, hauling in six passes for 64 yards.

Anthony, though, should be close to full strength on Saturday.

The offensive line continues to mature for the Mocs this season, but the unit overall is much improved from the one that the Paladins saw last fall.

Anchoring the offensive line for the Mocs will be right tackle Adam Miller, who was the lone preseason All-SoCon selection along the offensive line for the Mocs. The senior has started 37 games in his career, including 23 straight.

Rounding out the starters along the Chattanooga offensive front heading into Saturday's contest will be: Kevin Revis (RG), Patrick Sutton (C), Synjen Herren (G) and Hunter Dockery (LT). The unit is still ironing out the wrinkles, however, as the Mocs have yielded a league high 15 sacks through the first five games of the 2012 season.

For the first time in last Saturday's 20-17 loss to Wofford, Furman looked like the defense that many thought it would be coming into the 2012 season, which is one that at times was dominant against a powerful Wofford offense.

The Paladins held the Terriers to 304 yards on the ground last Saturday, which was well under its national leading average coming into the matchup.

The Paladins enter Saturday's matchup ranking 78th nationally in total defense (394.6 YPG), 76th in scoring defense (29.4 YPG), 68th in rushing defense (162.7 YPG) and 84th in passing defense (231.5 YPG).

The Paladins have a defense that has been strongest along its defensive line this season, led by one of the top defensive end tandems in the Southern Conference, in senior Josh Lynn (22 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 PBU, 1 FF) and junior Shawn Boone (16 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks,  3 QBHs, 1 FF, 1 FR).

Both Boone and Lynn are experienced and athletic, and will give a Chattanooga offensive line that has had trouble protecting the quarterback some issues on Saturday afternoon. In last season's meeting with the Mocs, Lynn and Boone both had strong performances, especially Lynn who recorded seven tackles, 2.0 TFL and a sack in the 14-7 win in the Scenic City. Boone had four tackles in the win against the Mocs last season.

Set to start at the two defensive tackle positions will be Colton Keig (20 tackles, 2.0 TFL) and Neal Rogers (18 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack), who will anchor the middle of that Paladin defense once again.  The two tackles are solid, and have been good at making things tough running the football at the middle of that Furman defense, as Wofford and Breitenstein found out last weekend for three quarters of the football game.

No one will soon forget the performance by Furman linebacker Mitch McGrath (44 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 3 PBUs) against the Chattanooga Mocs last season, which was one of the best individual defensive performances in one game by a Paladin in school history.

The then junior outside linebacker finished that day with nine tackles, 4.0 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an INT, garnering Sports Network National Defensive Player of the Week accolades.

McGrath, a second-team All-SoCon selection entering the season, is once again a key cog of the Furman defense, which has gotten solid play out of its linebackers this season. The senior from Longwood, FL, will start at strongside linebacker for the Paladins on Saturday.

Teaming with McGrath will be sophomore weakside linebacker Gary Wilkins (49 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 PBU) and senior middle linebacker Matt Solomon (50 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 3 PBUs), who comes in leading the Furman defense in tackles through the first six games.

Wilkins is one of the most athletic players on this Paladin defense, while Solomon might be the most physical performer on a Furman defense that is very physical.

Furman has been susceptible to the big play in its secondary this season, which was evidenced by the 52-yard TD pass in the third quarter by Wofford, which proved to be the game-winning score last week.

The strength of the Furman secondary is its two safeties, Nathan Wade (48 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) and Greg Worthy (39 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU). Both entered the season as All-SoCon picks, as Worthy, a junior strong safety, was a First-Team All-S0Con selection coming into the season, while Wade, a senior free safety, as a Second-Team All-SoCon selection coming into the 2012 season. Worthy and Wade had five tackles apiece in the win at Chattanooga last season.

The position at which Furman has struggled the most this season has been at cornerback, where the Paladins have been somewhat inexperienced.

Set to start at the two corners on Saturday for Furman will be senior Cortez Johnson (21 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs, 1 FR) and true freshman Reggie Thomas (14 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU). Johnson has excellent speed, while Thomas is physical and is one of the best young athletes on the Paladin defense this season.

Like the 2011 season, Chattanooga brings one of the top defensive units in the FCS into Saturday's matchup with the Paladins. The Mocs come in ranking 17th nationally in total defense (315.0 YPG), 30th in scoring defense (21.0 PPG), 38th in rushing defense (138.6 YPG) and 31st in passing defense (178.4 YPG).

The Mocs will bring what many consider one of the best defensive lines in the nation to this matchup, and the best defensive line that the Paladins have faced this season.

Like Furman, the Mocs are led by their strong tandem of defensive ends, in Josh Williams (11 tackles, 2.0 TFL) and Davis Tull (19 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks, 5 QBHs). With Williams drawing most of the attention, Tull is having a season worthy of All-America praise if the season were to end today.

Coming into Saturday's matchup, Tull ranks ranks second in the SoCon in sacks through the first five games this season and was a SoCon All-Freshman Team selection last season. In the loss to the Paladins last season, it was Tull that was one of the more active players on the UTC defense, as he posted eight tackles, 2.0 TFL, and was responsible for the only sack on the afternoon against the Paladins.

Williams came into the 2012 season as a preseason All-America selection, and has already set the school record for sacks, as he enters the game against Furman with 21.5 career quarterback takedowns, but has yet to record one this season.

The defensive interior will be occupied by the solid duo of Toyvian Brand (10 tackles, 1.0 TFL) and University of Georgia transfer Derrick Lott (18 tackles, 1 FR). Both Brand and Lott are athletic and have done a good job of shutting down running lanes for the Mocs' foes through the first five games of the season.

Like the defensive line in front of them, the Chattanooga linebackers are considered one of the best units in the Southern Conference this season, and that credibility and praise starts in the middle with preseason All-America selection and Buck Buchanan Award watch list member Wes Dothard (35 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 FF, 1 INT).

Dothard didn't get off to quite the start he did last season, but he has picked up his performance over the past few weeks and is now living up to those preseason accolades. Dothard was tied for second on the team in tackles in last season's loss to Furman, registering eight stops and he currently ranks second on the squad in tackles so far this season.

Teaming with Dothard at linebacker in the Mocs' 4-3 defensive alignment will be Gunner Miller (23 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 INT) and Shane Heatherly (29 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack). Like Dothard, both Heatherly and Miller are experienced, veteran members of the Chattanooga defense. Miller recorded a solid performance in the loss to Furman last season, registering eight stops.

The secondary has been solid this season, but has given up a few big plays. The unit is led by D.J. Key (41 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT) at safety, who is coming into the matchup as the Mocs' leading tackler, and is an All-SoCon talent in the defensive backfield.

Key will team in the defensive backfield with Keith Mayes (15 tackles, 1 sack), who will be starting his third game at free safety. Mayes is one of the top young players on the Chattanooga defense.

The two cornerback positions will be anchored by Kadeem Wise (30 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FR) and Chaz Moore (23 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT), as the tandem is one of the strongest cornerback duos in the SoCon.  It was Wise, who was a SoCon All-Freshman selection two years ago, that picked off the game-clinching pass by Cody Worley the last time the Mocs made the trek to Greenville.

Furman brings an offense into Saturday's matchup that has been explosive at times this season, but a unit that was held under wraps for the most part in last week's 20-17 loss to Wofford.

The Paladins enter Saturday's matchup ranking 24th in the nation in total offense (423.5 YPG), 46th in scoring offense (27.7), 22nd in rushing offense (197.5 YPG) and 46th in passing offense (226.0 YPG).

Like Chattanooga, the Paladins have a Jerry Rice Award candidate under center, in Reese Hannon (86-for-136 passing, 1,107 yds, 6 TDs, 4 INTs), who will be making his fifth start under center against the Mocs, since taking over the quarterbacking duties for Dakota Derrick, who went down in the second week of the season against Coastal Carolina. Since Hannon has taken the job, he hasn't looked back in leading the Paladins.

The true freshman has shown an uncanny poise under center, and has thrown for 200 or more yards in four of five games he has seen action in for the Paladins this season.

In the game against Coastal Carolina, Hannon enjoyed his best performance of the season, completing 22-of-35 passes for 255 yards and four TDs in a 47-45 triple-overtime loss. Hannon led the Paladins to scores on each of their final six possessions in the contest to garner SoCon Freshman of the Week honors for his efforts.

Senior running back Jerodis Williams (121 rush att, 766 yds, 7 TDs, 6.3 YPC/9 rec, 74 yds, 8.2 YPR) continues to run the football with an agenda, and he had to get all 123 yards the tough way in last Saturday's setback at Wofford.

Williams currently ranks sixth on Furman's all-time rushing ledger, having posted 2,693 rushing yards in his career, recently passing Jerome Felton on Furman's all-time rushing list. Williams needs 346 rushing yards to push into the top five on Furman's all-time rushing chart.

Against the Mocs last season, Williams rushed for 60 yards and a TD on 20 attempts. Like last week, Williams had to fight for every yard he was able to gain in last season's 14-7 win over the Mocs.

Williams teams in the Furman backfield with talented sophomore Hank McCloud (63 rush att, 309 yds, 5 TDs, 4.9 YPC/6 rec, 48 yds, 8.0 YPC), who offers a nice chang to Williams' rushing skills in the Paladin backfield.

McCloud has excellent speed and has been dangerous when he reaches the second level of the defense this season. McCloud recorded the best rushing effort of his career in the win over Western Carolina a couple of weeks ago, posting 123 yards and a TD on 20 carries.

When Furman goes to the air on Saturday, the one player Chattanooga will obviously have to be wary of is tight end Colin Anderson (19 catches, 321 yds, 16.9 YPR). Anderson, who was a preseason First-Team All-America selection has had some of his best games in his standout career against the Mocs. Last season, Anderson made just one catch, but it was a huge reception for the Paladins, as he reeled in a 42-yard strike from Chris Forcier.

Anderson enters Saturday's contest against the Mocs ranking first all-time among Furman tight ends in career receiving TDs (11), second in career receiving yards (1,364yds) and third in career receptions (79). With four more catches, he would surpass Brette Simmons for second on the all-time list in career receptions.

Anderson needs 202 more receiving yards over the final five games for the Paladins to become the all-time leader among Paladin tight ends in receiving yards, which would surpass former Paladin great Luther Broughton. After leading the Paladins with seven TD catches last season, Anderson has yet to be on the receiving end of a scoring pass this season.

Anderson has, however, posted a catch in each of the past 19 games for Furman. He currently ranks second on the Paladins statistical ledger in receiving in 2012.

Leading the pass-catchers for the Paladins entering Saturday afternoon's showdown is senior flanker Will King (25 rec, 457 yds, 3 TDs, 18.3 YPR). The former high school quarterback is having himself quite a season and ranks second in the SoCon to only Elon's Aaron Mellette in receiving yards per game, averaging 76.2 yards-per-game. King will team with junior 6'5", split end Ryan Culbreath (18 rec, 223 yds, 2 TDs, 12.4 YPR) to round out a group of solid, reliable receiving options for the Hannon heading into the matchup with the Mocs.

Furman's offensive line has performed much better than expected this season, and has been one of the reasons the offensive has been able to move the ball so effectively. Anchoring the unit is preseason First-Team All-SoCon selection Dakota Dozier at left tackle, while redshirt freshman center Eric Thoni, who is a walk-on, is also having an outstanding season replacing veteran Daniel Spisak this season.

Along with Dozier, look for Paladin right tackle Charles Emert—maybe the most versatile, athletic player across the Furman offensive front, to end up on one of the offensive all-league scrolls at season's end. The Paladins' O-line has surrendered seven sacks on the season, and will face their toughest test this season, on Saturday against the Mocs, who have one of the top defensive fronts in the FCS. Furman comes in averaging 6.1 yards-per-play.

Final Prediction: Furman 24, Chattanooga 20

When Georgia Southern plays Wofford on Saturday, it offers the Eagles the chance to reclaim their role as Southern Conference favorite.

It was another Palmetto State school—The Citadel—that, at least briefly, derailed those championship aspirations with a 23-21 win over the Eagles the second week of the season. However, Georgia Southern has collected itself and is starting to look like the team we all thought they were,' to steal the words of former Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green.

To claim a fourth straight win, the Eagles will have to do something they haven't done in eight years, which is beat Wofford in Allen E. Paulson Stadium. The Terriers are off to their best start since 1991 and possibly bring their best team to Statesboro since joining the conference in 1997.

However, the Eagles haven't dropped a home game since 2010, having won 13 straight. 

Who: No. 4 Wofford (5-0, 3-0 in Southern Conference) at No. 7 Georgia Southern (4-1, 3-1 in Southern Conference)

When: Saturday, 6:00 p.m.

Where: Statesboro, Ga., Allen E. Paulson Stadium (18,500)

Georgia Southern and Wofford have engaged in some important battles over the past couple of seasons, with the Eagles claiming a 23-21, FCS quarterfinal win at Wofford in 2010. Last season, the Eagles' 31-10 win in Spartanburg helped GSU claim its first outright Southern Conference title since 2002.

Last Saturday, Wofford was able to fight its way to a 20-17 win over Furman. Meanwhile, Georgia Southern rolled over Western Carolina, winning 45-13. 

Most recognize this as a matchup between two of the FCS's premier triple-option teams. Wofford's 448.8 rushing yards per game leads the nation, while Georgia Southern's 437 rushing yards per game ranks second.

Often unnoticed in this rivalry is the role of the defense. Traditionally, both teams have two of the better defenses in the nation and two units that are extremely physical.

This season is no different. The Terriers bring in the nation's 18th-ranked total defense (315.2 YPG)  while the Eagles rank third (270.2 YPG).

While the two teams come in utilizing some of the same formations offensively, the units offer different mindsets. Wofford will look to reigning and preseason Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year Eric Breitenstein, a senior fullback who has rushed for 893 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 9.6 yards a carry. He's second in the FCS in rushing.

The Georgia Southern offense is more likely to attack the perimeter, capitalizing on its edge in speed and athleticism at the slotback position.

Another difference is the role of the quarterback. Southern's Jerick McKinnon and Ezayi Youyoute are much bigger running threats than Wofford's Brian Kass. McKinnon and Youvoute are as much of a big-play threat as slotbacks Jonathan Bryant and Darreion Robinson, or fullback Dominique Swope.

Wofford won't use its perimeter rush game as much, but the Terriers have had some stars emerge at the position, such as Cam Flowers and Octavius Harden.

The last time the Terriers visited Statesboro, they had three players rush for more than 100 yards in a 33-31 win. One of those players was Donovan Johnson, who is now in his junior season and is Breitenstein's backup and Wofford's second-leading rusher. 

For Georgia Southern, its best deep threat off the play-action pass is Kentrellis Showers, who has two of GSU's three receiving TDs this season.

Wofford will use its tight end as a major part of its passing attack. All three of Michael Harpe's catches this season have resulted in touchdowns.

The one similarity between the two offenses is that both will operate out of the shotgun, with the Terriers now doing that a majority of the time, especially out of the Pistol formation. 

Both defenses are physical up front, although for Wofford, there's no Ameet Pall or Eric Eberhardt wrecking havoc out of a diverse slant-50 defense or 3-4 defensive scheme.

However, last week's win over Furman was the the first time the young unit started to get pressure with its front, with most of it coming from sophomore defensive end Tarek Odom. His pressure forced Furman quarterback Reese Hannon into two uncharacteristic interceptions. One of those was picked by Odom himself after the Terriers got pressure from the blind side. 

Georgia Southern has a solid contingent along its offensive line, anchored by Manrey Saint-Amour, who was a SoCon All-Freshman selection last season. With Dorian Byrd not 100 percent, expect to see Raymond Klugey start at left tackle.

The Eagles are much younger along the offensive front than the unit that helped them advance to the FCS semifinals the past couple of seasons. But the 2012 edition is playing just about as well as those lines that featured all-league performers such as Brandavious Mann.   

Georgia Southern, meanwhile, has one of the top defensive lines in the FCS. The defensive front is again being led by Brent Russell, the reigning and preseason Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He will start at the nose tackle and is one of the best to play the position in Southern Conference history.

Russell, who will be double-teamed, is also a solid candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top defensive player at the FCS level.

Javon Mention, who is having his best season as an Eagle, will start at one defensive end. Junior Josh Gebhardt will man the opposite end.

Gebhardt has made big plays against the Terriers before, as most remember his fumble return for a score in Spartanburg as a freshman in the FCS quarterfinal meeting.

The Eagles are tied for first in the SoCon in sacks (14) with Samford, although that will likely not be a factor on Saturday evening, as GSU will be facing one of the top offensive lines in the FCS. Wofford returns four of five starters, anchored by left tackle Calvin Cantrell and center Jared Singleton.

The Terriers also have a strong corps of four linebackers who are among the best in the country. That is arguably the deepest part of the Wofford defense, but the Terriers recently have been without All-American Mike Niam, one of their top linebackers.

Wofford can do a lot of things with its outside linebackers in the 3-4 defense, and sometimes it will slant its front and bring a linebacker down on the wide side of the field to try to create matchup problems.

Alvin Scioneaux has been a beneficiary of that wrinkle, as his 3.5 tackles for loss leads the team. Mike McCrimon has also played well of late, as evidenced by his performance last Saturday in the win over Furman. He had a key interception and tackle behind the line of scrimmage in one of the more clutch performances of his career.

Georgia Southern counters with a solid corps of linebackers. John Stevenskon, one of its most athletic performers, anchors the unit at weakside linebacker. Veteran Kyle Oehlbeck will line up in the middle on Saturday.

The Wofford secondary has been susceptible to the big play this season, but the unit has a couple of veterans who are playmakers, including senior cornerbacks Blake Wylie and Stephon Shelton. Wylie made a key interception in last week's win over Furman.

Like Wofford, Georgia Southern's secondary has been susceptible to the big play. That's primarily due to youth at corner. The Eagles have some of the top safeties in the league, however, including former slotback J.J. Wilcox and Deion Stanley, who is having another season worthy of All-SoCon consideration. 

Prediction

This game will once again be a war and should be another physical battle in a series that has seen plenty of those in recent seasons. For Georgia Southern, it's a chance to pick up its third-straight win over the Terriers. This one should be a classic, but I see Georgia Southern ending the Terrier winning streak in Statesboro and making the SoCon title race very interesting coming down the stretch.

Georgia Southern 17, Wofford 13

 Week 7: Separation Saturday On SoCon Gridiron

GREENVILLE, S.C.--In a season that has seen its share of twists and turns through the early portion of Southern Conference football in 2012, the campaign reaches Week 7—a time when the men will be separated from boys on the SoCon gridiron.

Highlighting what could turn out to be a Saturday that could go down as one of we recall for years to come is a classic matchup between a pair of Southern Conference title contenders, when No. 5 Wofford (5-0,3-0 SoCon)  heads to Statesboro, GA, and the "Prettiest Little Stadium In America" also known as Allen E. Paulson Stadium, to face No. 7 Georgia Southern (4-1, 3-1 SoCon) in a key with league title implications.

To most of the opposition who visit Georgia Southern for a road game, the mere mention of Paulson Stadium has certain synonyms that come to mind such as "hostile" or "difficult."

In fact, Georgia Southern carries a 13-game winning streak inside the friendly confines heading into Saturday's clash between perennial league title contenders.

However, though Wofford has had some tough battles in South Georgia in recent memory, the Terriers haven't tasted defeat in one of FCS' most malevolent facilities in eight years, having picked up three straight wins at GSU.

Wofford was tested for the first time this past Saturday against Furman, as the Terriers were able to pick up a hard-fought 20-17 win over Furman at Gibbs Stadium on Saturday, helping the Terriers remain unbeaten, while preseason league favorite Georgia Southern comes in having  won three-straight, including having easily dispatched of Western Carolina 45-13 in Cullowhee.

It will be another classic matchup between two of nation's top rushing attacks and triple-option offenses, with Wofford and Georgia Southern entering Saturday afternoon's showdown ranking No. 1 and No. 2 nationally in rushing offense, with the Terriers leading the nation with an average of 448.8 YPG on the ground. The Eagles rank second nationally going into Saturday's contest, averaging 437.0 YPG.

But perhaps the aspect of the matchup that is most intriguing heading into Saturday's matchup is the play on the defensive side of the football by both teams through the first half of the 2012 season. The Eagles are the No. 3 total defense in the FCS entering Saturday afternoon's clash, yielding a mere 270.2 YPG on Saturday's matchup. Wofford enters the matchup with the nation's 18th ranked defensive unit (315.2 YPG).

Wofford and Georgia Southern will be meeting on the gridiron for the 19th time on Saturday, with the Eagles holding an 11-7 all-time series edge, including a convincing 38-10 in Spartanburg last season to clinch the 2011 outright Southern Conference title in mid-November.

All-time at Paulson Stadium, the Eagles are the only current Southern Conference member that has a .500 record (4-4) inside one of the toughest environments in FCS and Division I football in general.

Wofford has claimed three straight victories at Paulson Stadium, posting the victories by scores of 28-10 (2006), 38-37 (2008) and 33-21 (2010). The last time the Eagles claimed a win over the Terriers in the friendly confines was 2004, posting a 58-14 rout of the Terriers.

Each of the past two seasons has seen the regular-season victor in this matchup go on to claim at least a share of the Southern Conference title, and Saturday's meeting will also mark the eighth time in the past 10 regular-season meetings dating back to 2001 in which both Wofford and Georgia Southern enter the annual clash ranked inside the FCS Top 25.

No. 25 Samford hosts what might be its biggest games as a Southern Conference member on Saturday afternoon, hosting the lone school the Bulldogs have yet to defeat as a Southern Conference member, in 13th ranked Appalachian State. The Mountaineers remain the only team the Bulldogs have not defeated since joining the Southern Conference in 2008.

Appalachian State is coming off its third-straight win, posting a 35-23 win over Elon on a Homecoming Saturday at The Rock this past Saturday.

The win saw the Mountaineers move up four places in the polls to No. 13, and it saw ASU improve its overall record to 4-2 and its conference mark to 2-1.

In what will be the fifth meeting between the two schools as Southern Conference members, it will mark the first meeting between the Mountaineers and Bulldogs as ranked FCS foes.

Samford, off to its best start since 1992, comes into Saturday afternoon's contest off its first win over a ranked FCS since 1994, as the Bulldogs claimed a resounding 38-7 win over No. 19 The Citadel at Seibert Stadium.

The win improved Samford's overall mark to 5-1 while increasing their conference record to 3-1 in the league. The Bulldogs need just two wins in their final five games to become eligible for the FCS postseason.

Saturday's matchup will also feature the reigning Southern Conference Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week from Week 6, as Mountaineer quarterback Jamal Jackson and Samford defensive back Jaquiski Tartt earned the respective weekly honor on both sides of the ball with their performances from this past weekend.

For Jackson, he racked up a school record 398 yards of total offense, including 304 and four TDs through the air and another 94 and a TD on the ground, to round out his career afternoon. Jackson connected on 20-29 passes and was responsible for all five TDs on Saturday afternoon.

Tartt recorded his second defensive TD in successive weeks after returning an errant Ben Dupree pass 65 yards for a score, while also posting three tackles and a tackle-for-loss, as Samford held The Citadel's powerful offensive attack to 304 yards for the afternoon.

ASU was able to take a 35-17 win over Samford last season in Boone, and the Mountaineers posted a victory in their last trip to Seibert Stadium by an identical scoreline of 35-17 in 2010.

In total, Saturday's meeting will mark just the seventh all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and Bulldogs in the series, with the Mountaineers holding a 5-1 all-time series edge. Samford's lone win in the series against the Black and Gold came during the 1970 campaign, as Samford posted a 42-35 victory in Boone. ASU has a 3-0 all-time mark against Samford in games played in Birmingham.

Another game that has huge postseason implications will take place in Greenville on Saturday, as Furman hosts Chattanooga in a key Southern Conference clash on Saturday afternoon. Both teams must go unbeaten in their remaining slate of games to have any chance at a postseason invitation.

Furman must be feeling as if it is this year's "Chattanooga" having lost to three FCS opponents by a combined eight points, including a 20-17 road loss at fifth-ranked Wofford on Saturday.

Chattanooga had an off week and will look to continue off the momentum of its 28-10 win over then No. 11 ranked The Citadel a couple of weeks ago. The Mocs will bring one of the top defenses in the nation to the Upstate on Saturday, as the Mocs rank 17th nationally and second in the SoCon in total defense, allowing just 315.0 YPG.

The Paladins and Mocs will be meeting for the 42nd time on Saturday afternoon, with the Paladins holding a commanding 27-14 all-time series edge, including having won 16 of the last 17 meetings between the two, including a 14-7 win at Chattanooga last season.

Chattanooga was able to post a 36-28 win the last time it visited Greenville, using an epic fourth quarter peformance to overcome a 28-10 deficit heading into the final frame and allowing the 24th-ranked Mocs end what was a 15-game losing skid against No. 25 Furman.

Saturday's matchup will also mark one between a couple of the nation's top freshmen quarterbacks in Furman's Reese Hannon (86-of-136 passing, 1,107 yards, 6 TDs, 4 INTs) and Chattanooga's Jacob Huesman (70-of-111 passing, 704 yds, 6 TDs, 3 INTs/67 rush att, 304 yds, 1 TD, 4.5 YPC), as both were named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List--award given to the top freshman player in the FCS by The Sports Network--last week.  

The Mocs will also likely utilize the services of Terrell Robinson (16-for-24 passing, 178 yds, 2 TDs/40 rush att, 165 yds, 1 TD, 4.5 YPC) under center on Saturday, as the Mocs have platooned the quarterback responsibilities over the past few weeks.

Both Huesman and Hannon are different style quarterbacks, with Hannon favoring the pass, while Huesman favors the run and in fact is Chattanooga's leading ground-gainer heading into Saturday afternoon's matchup. Chattanooga's two leading rushers heading into Saturday's clash with the Paladins are both quarterbacks.

Hannon has thrown for 200 or more yards in four of five games he's seen action in his career, and will be making his fifth-career start against the Mocs on Saturday.

In the final league clash on Saturday, Western Carolina looks to come full circle as the Catamounts will be looking to snap an 18-game Southern Conference losing streak at The Citadel on Saturday, which ironically dates back to a 23-14 win over The Citadel in Charleston in October of 2010.

The Citadel has been reeling as of late, as the Bulldogs have lost three straight  coming into Saturday's contest to fall out of the national rankings after being ranked as highly as No. 7 just two weeks ago.

The Bulldogs attained such a lofty perch in the FCS polls after back-to-back victories over No. 3 Georgia Southern (23-21) in Charleston and handed then No. 7-ranked Appalachian State one of its worst losses in Kidd Brewer Stadium history, as the Bulldogs came away from the High Country with a 52-28 win in-tow back to Charleston.

However, the Bulldogs have suffered three-straight losses by an average of a little over 25.0 PPG since, dropping decisions at NC State (52-14) and Samford (38-7), while also losing to Chattanooga (28-10) inside the friendly confines a couple of weeks ago.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for this week's previews coming up later in the week, and take a look at this week's SoCon power rankings listed below.

SoCon Power Rankings After Week 6

1. Wofford (5-0, 3-0 SoCon)

2. Georgia Southern (4-1, 3-1 SoCon)

3. Samford (5-1, 3-1 SoCon)

3. Appalachian State (4-2, 2-1 SoCon)

5. The Citadel (3-3, 2-2 SoCon)

6. Chattanooga (2-3, 1-1 SoCon)

6. Furman (2-4, 1-1 SoCon)

8. Elon (2-4, 0-3 SoCon)

9. Western Carolina (1-5, 0-4)

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

Recapping Week 5:

In a season in which the Southern Conference entered the campaign with maybe its best collection of talent at the running back position in league history, Saturday, Sept.  29, 2012, will go down as one of the greatest in league history for running backs on a single Saturday.

The story of this tale obviously begins in Elon, N.C., where Wofford's Eric Breitenstein rolled up a SoCon record 321 rushing yards as a part of an afternoon that saw the Terriers roll up 500 yards on the ground en route to a 49-24 win over Elon to remain unbeaten, at 4-0, and atop the league standings with a 2-0 record.

Breitenstein's magical Saturday put him in some pretty good company, as he became part of the SoCon's Mount Rushmore of players to eclipse the 300-yard plateau in a game. Breitenstein became the fourth player in Southern Conference history to complete a game by rushing for 300 or more yards in a single game, and only the second player to do it in a regular-season game.

Breitenstein joins former  Georgia Southern's Adrian Peterson (333 yards vs. UMass in '99 FCS Quarterfinals), Appalachian State's Armanti Edwards (313 yards vs. Richmond in the 2007 FCS Semifinals) and Furman's Louis Ivory (301 yards vs. Georgia Southern in 2000). Only Breitenstein and Ivory were able to pull off the feat during the regular season.

The elite pantheon of former SoCon greats that Breitenstein joined with his performance on Saturday were three of the five players that have won a Walter Payton Award Trophy (awarded to the top individual player at the FCS level) from the SoCon.

The league has won six overall, with Edwards being the only player in FCS history to have won the award twice in his career.

In total, Breitenstein finished the day with 27 rushes for 321 yards and a pair of scores, averaging an amazing 11,9 YPG. The Terriers were simply dominant on the ground, with a 500-49 advantage in rushing yards.

While Breitenstein and the Terriers were busy running roughshod through the Elon defense on Saturday afternoon, Furman running back Jerodis Williams was busy rolling up his own huge day against the Western Carolina Catamounts, tallying a career-high 239 rushing yards, while also posting 131 return yards to help power Furman past Western Carolina 45-24 on Saturday afternoon in Greenville. In total, Williams posted 370 all-purpose yards on the afternoon for the Paladins.

The 239-yard rushing performance was the fourth-highest rushing total in a single game in program history, while his 201 first-half rushing yards tied the school mark for rushing yards in a single half of football. Louis Ivory rushed for 201 yards in the second half of Furman's 45-10 win over No. 1 Georgia Southern during the 2000 season.

The afternoon didn't exactly get off to the start Williams had hoped for, as despite gaining 42 yards on three carries on the opening drive of the game, Williams fumbled out of the back of the end zone just before he crossed the goal line, turning the ball over the Catamounts. However, that would be the end of Williams's miscues on the day for the Paladins, as every time he touched the ball from that point on was golden.

He answered an early Catamount field goal, which gave the visitors a very brief 3-0 lead, with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score to give Furman a lead it would not surrender the rest of the afternoon.

Early in the second quarter, Williams had just caught his breath when he sprinted 89 yards down the left sideline for the second-longest scoring run in school history, making it 14-3. His third and final score of the day was much shorter, as he plunged into the end zone from two yards, extending Furman's second quarter lead to 21-3.

In total, his 239-yard rushing effort helped the Furman offense gain 600 or more yards (619 yards vs. WCU) for just the 11th time in school history and for the first time since the 2003 season in the regular-season finale against Chattanooga. The 389 rushing yards were also the most ground yards since that same game to round out the the 2003 season.

Also on Saturday, it was Appalachian State's Stephen Miller getting into the rushing act, as he helped the 17th-ranked Mountaineers put together its most impressive rushing effort of the season, as ASU churned out 399 yards on the ground in its 55-14 blasting of Coastal Carolina at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday.

The Mountaineers improved to 3-2 overall and remain 1-1 in league play, as they ended the Chanticleers' three-game winning streak against the SoCon and improved to a perfect 3-0 against Coastal Carolina in three-career meetings.

It was Miller, a senior from Piscataway, N.J., that provided a lion's share of the ground work on Saturday, and like Breitenstein and Williams, posted a career afternoon with 201 yards on 17 carries, averaging 11.9 YPC.

ASU became the third team to amass 500 or more yards on the day and the second team to post 600 or more yards on the day, as the Mountaineers posted 684 yards of total offense.

Jamal Jackson amassed a career-high 339 yards of total offense (285 passing, 54 rushing) and had four TD responsibilities (three passing, one rushing) in leading ASU's offensive outburst, which accounted for the most yards by an Appalachian State offense since rolling up 712 yards in a 52-16 win over Georgia Southern in 2009. The 684 yards ranks as the third highest offensive yardage total in school history.

Jackson's favorite target in that ASU passing attack once again was redshirt freshman Sean Price, who hauled in eight passes for 128 yards and a couple of TDs in the all-around offensive explosion by ASU.

Miller's 201-yard rushing performance is the first 200-yard rushing effort by a Mountaineer since former quarterback DeAndre Presley racked up 264 yards in a second round FCS Playoff win over Western Illinois back in 2010.

Jackson's 339 yards of total offense on the day marked the 11th time in 12 career starts that the junior signal-caller has amassed 250 or more yards total offense in a single game.

In the Southern Conference Game of the Week, which featured the league's lone matchup between ranked foes, No. 9 Georgia Southern had two players eclipse the 100-yard mark, and the Eagles were able to improve to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in SoCon play, as the Eagles handed No. 25 Samford (4-1, 2-1 SoCon) its first loss of the season. They claimed a 35-16 win on Saturday night at Allen E. Paulson Stadium to notch their 12th-straight win inside the friendly confines.

The Eagles got a pair of solid rushing performances from Jerick McKinnon (162 rushing yards, 2 TDs) and Dominique Swope (133 yards, 2 TDs) and the defense played strong, limiting a normally potent Samford offense to just 354 yards, and had a 72-yard INT return for a score from Lavelle Westbrooks lead to one of the GSU scores.

The preseason Southern Conference favorites managed a 394-354 advantage in total offensive yards in claiming their 12th straight home win at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. In total, McKinnon was able to rush for 162 yards on 13 rush attempts, and his two scoring runs were from 67 and 41 yards in the contest.

The Eagles were able to forge a 363-60 advantage in rushing offense, as the Eagles were able to limit Samford all-league running back Fabian Truss to just 50 yards on 15 rush attempts.

A large majority of Samford's offense came through the air, with Andy Summerlin doing most of the damage with his arm, as he completed 23-of-49 passes for 291 yards with a TD and an INT. Samford also had a defensive TD, as Jaquiski Tartt picked up a fumble and returned it 80 yards for a score in the third quarter.

Chattanooga went on the road and picked up its first Southern Conference win of the 2012 season, taking a 28-10 win over No. 15 Citadel at Johnson-Hagood Stadium on Saturday night. The win sees the Mocs improve to 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in Southern Conference play, while the Bulldogs drop to 3-2 and 2-1 in league play.

Leading the Chattanooga offense for the first time in the starting role under center this season was sophomore Terrell Robinson, who connected on 4-of-5 passes for 73 yards and a TD, while also rushing for 97 yards and a score, and the Chattanooga offense out-rushed the potent Citadel ground attack, which came into the contest ranking fifth in the nation.

The road win for Chattanooga marked the highest-ranked road win for the Mocs since a 30-9 road win over No. 10 Appalachian State on Oct. 8, 1983. The Mocs had scoring drives of 78, 82, 85 and 85 yards to account for their four scores in the contest.

Not to be outdone was the performance by Jacob Huesman, who connected on 11-of-14 passes for 86 yards and a score, while rushing for 80 yards on 14 attempts.

The defensive efforts for the Mocs were led by defensive back D.J. Key, who posted a game-high 12 stops, while fellow defensive back Kadeem Wise posted eight stops and picked off a pass to key what was one of the best defensive performances of the season for the Mocs.

Kendrix Huitt, who saw his first extensive action of his collegiate career on Saturday night, made the most of that opportunity by rushing for 57 yards, including a 29-yard score, to help bolster that balanced rushing attack for the Mocs.

Darien Robinson led the Bulldogs' offensive efforts by rushing for 132 yards on the night, while backup quarterback Aaron Miller rushed or 45 yards and the Citadel's lone score of the evening.

The Bulldogs had a pair of player that registered double-digit tackle performances on the night, with linebacker Carson Smith and cornerback Sadath Jean-Pierre contributing 11 tackles apiece in the loss.

SoCon Power Rankings Following Week 5:

1. Wofford (4-0, 2-0 SoCon)—Terriers have scored no less than 49 points in any one game this season and enter next Saturday's contest against Furman averaging a whopping 53.5 PPG, while averaging 549.2 YPG, with 485 of those yards coming on the ground per contest.

The Terriers were simply dominant in the win over Elon, with Eric Breitenstein establishing a new Southern Conference regular-season mark for rushing in Saturday's 49-24 win at Elon, as he rushed for 321 yards. It would be hard to bet against the Terriers and the SoCon's Preseason Player of the Year at this point.

2. Georgia Southern (3-1, 2-1)—Yes, it hasn't been all that pretty for the preseason Southern Conference favorites, but the fact remains the Eagles are still a work in progress, and that should be good news to GSU fans because it means the Eagles haven't peaked yet. One of the dangers for any college football team is to peak too early during any season. Two of GSU's three wins this season have come in grind out fashion. It's been the Georgia Southern defense and not its offense that has been leading the way thus far.

The Eagles enter next Saturday's contest against Western Carolina ranking as one of the top defensive units in the nation, allowing its foes only 286.0 YPG. The Eagles rank only second in the SoCon in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 15.5 PPG. Preseason SoCon Defensive Player of the Year Brent Russell (17 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 blocked kick) is coming off a solid effort on Saturday night against Samford, with six tackles, including one for a loss which denied Samford a first down on 4th-and-inches. The Eagles got their second INT return for a score of the season on Westbrooks's 72-yard INT return for a score against Samford on Saturday night.

3. Appalachian State (3-2, 1-1 SoCon)—We have seen the evidence of a young football team early on this season from Appalachian State, such was the case in ASU's 52-28 home loss to the Citadel a few weeks ago. However, we have also seen what the Mountaineers have been able to do when they put it all together, as evidenced by back-to-back offensive showcases in wins over Chattanooga (34-17) and Coastal Carolina (55-14).

The emergence of a defense that was much ballyhooed in the preseason, coupled with an offense that is averaging 467.6 YPG and just rolled up a 684 spot on the board in last Saturday's win over the Chanticleers has the prospects even more scary for ASU's future opponents. We're getting ready to learn plenty about the prospects of the 2012 Mountaineers, with games at Samford (Oct. 13) and at home vs. Wofford (Oct. 20) in two of the next three weeks.

ASU needs to avoid a letdown in a potential trap game against Elon--a team that hasn't defeated ASU since 1964—in a homecoming game this Saturday. The Mountaineers continue to get strong play of what is one of the nation's top signal-callers, in Jamal Jackson (108-of-163 passing, 1,277 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs/52 rush attempt, 233 yards, 3 TDs, 4.5 YPC), who is flourishing in Scott Satterfield's offense.

4. The Citadel (3-2, 2-1 SoCon)—Rarely it would seem that a team that has defeated the two teams directly above it would be ranked below each of those teams, but that is exactly the case with the Bulldogs. After back-to-back wins of over Top 10 FCS foes Georgia Southern (23-21) and at Appalachian State (52-28), the Bulldogs have hit a stumbling block, dropping two straight games in convincing fashion, with setbacks at NC State (52-14) and on its home turf against Chattanooga (28-10).

For the Bulldogs, however, it is now time to panic with a absolutely huge game with playoff implications looming in Birmingham against Samford on Saturday. The loss was a bit more understandable to NC State than last week's home setback to Chattanooga in a game that I felt was a major trap game for the Bulldogs coming in. The Bulldogs are still sporting healthy averages of 396.2 YPG of total offense and 308.2 YPG of rushing offense, but as has become the case many times with the triple option—the more games a team that utilizes that offense plays, the more it can be broken down on film.

I think Saturday night's 28-10 win by Chattanooga in Charleston is evidence of what a good defense can do against that offense with a good amount of film to watch from the first portion of the season. Chattanooga Russ Huesman is one of the nation's defensive masterminds and his staff did an excellent job of breaking down that film and his veteran defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage against a veteran Citadel offensive line. On the same hand, I expect to see some new wrinkles out of the Citadel's triple option, starting this week at Samford.

5. Samford (4-1, 2-1 SoCon)—In all honesty, I have trouble putting the Bulldogs this low, but the reason they are below the Citadel in the power rankings is the fact that the Bulldogs own wins over Georgia Southern and Appalachian State. Still, the Bulldogs are a force to be reckoned with in the Southern Conference and will have a lot to say about how this 2012 league championship ends up shaking out.Samford has gotten great play out of the quarterback position and running back position.

Memphis transfer Andy Summerlin (112-of-178 passing, 1,108 yards, 5 TDs, 4 INTs) has been solid in replacing Dustin Taliaferro under center. He has helped lead one of the more balanced offenses in the SoCon through the first five games. Defensively, the Bulldogs have been downright stingy at times this season, and enter this week's contest against the Citadel ranking fourth in the SoCon in total defensive, allowing just 354.4 YPG.

One of the players on the defensive side of the ball having an All-America worthy season so far is defensive back Jaquiski Tartt (51 tackles, 2 INTs, 2 FRs, 1.0 TFL, 1 TD), who returned a fumble 80 yards for a score in the 35-16 loss at Georgia Southern on Saturday night. We will find out if the Bulldogs plan on being contenders the rest of the way or fade into the rear view mirror over the next four weeks. The good news is that the Bulldogs will be at home in three of the next four weeks, while the bad news is the Bulldogs must face The Citadel, Appalachian State, Chattanooga and Wofford in what is easily the most difficult portion of Samford's schedule. Samford hosts the Citadel on Saturday in a huge SoCon showdown. Samford running back Fabian Truss (88 rush attempts, 498 yards, 7 TDs, 5.7 YPC) is one of the SoCon's most explosive players, and he continues to be among the nation's leaders in kick returns, averaging 31.8 yards per return this season.

t-6. Furman (2-3, 1-1 SoCon)—After starting a season 0-3 for the first time since 1979, the Paladins have gotten well over the past couple of weeks with wins over PC (31-21) and Western Carolina (45-24), suddenly finding offensive rhythm. The Paladins can at least solace in the fact that the three teams they lost to in the opening three weeks are a combined 10-5 on the season.

Furman is a young football team that will compete for a Southern Conference title next season, and I fully expect Furman to return to the postseason in 2013. However, this season, Furman probably won't make a run at the playoffs or SoCon title, but the Paladins are simply a team SoCon foes don't want to face this season. Over the past two weeks, the Paladins have played loose, breaking in a lot of freshmen talent, including under center with new signal-caller Reese Hannon (71-for-111 passing, 937 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT). Hannon, in my opinion, is the second-best passer in the SoCon right now behind only Appalachian State's Jamal Jackson, and if he stays healthy, will break every program passing record. He's the best true freshman quarterback to suit up for the Purple and White since Bobby Lamb in 1982.

But Hannon will just be starting his fourth game under center on Saturday when Furman makes the short trip to take on No. 5 Wofford on Saturday. Hannon's cousin, Justin Hill, helped the Paladins to a 28-7 win over Wofford in his first career start as a redshirt freshman in 1997, albeit that Wofford team was much weaker than the one Hannon and the Paladins will face on Saturday. Hannon made it 4-for-4 in 200-yard passing performances last Saturday, passing for 230 yards and a TD in Furman's 49-24 win over Wofford.

However, as good as Hannon has been in just four games since taking over for an injured Dakota Derrick under center, the story of the season on offense for Furman has once again been running back Jerodis Williams (95 rush attempts, 645 yards, 5 TDs, 6.8 YPC) and Williams is coming off a career-best 239-yard rushing effort in Furman's 45-24 win over Western Carolina on Saturday. The Paladins' offense has definitely picked up the pace over the past two weeks against weaker foes, averaging 445.0 YPG through the first five games. Furman must improve on the defensive side of the football, as the Paladins head into Saturday's game at Wofford surrendering 400.2 YPG.

t-6. Chattanooga (2-3, 1-1 SoCon)—Chattanooga displayed the team many thought it had coming into the season, producing a dominating win over the Citadel on the road this past Saturday. The Mocs have a veteran defense, and the Mocs will be in most every SoCon game with that defense this season. The Mocs rank third in the SoCon in total defense (316.0 YPG) and have two of the top defensive ends in the nation, in Davis Tull (19 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks, 2 FFs) and Josh Willaims (11 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 FR). While the defense is a known entity, it looked like the Chattanooga offense had an identity for the first time this season in its new spread attack.

If the Mocs can get their act together quickly on offense, they have a defense that is good enough to help the Mocs win a Southern Conference title. The Mocs now have a week off to prepare for their trip to Greenville, where they will look to win their second straight game, having claimed a 36-28 win over the Paladins back in 2010.

8. Elon (2-3, 0-2 SoCon)—Elon led us to believe that it was ready to make some noise in the 2012 Southern Conference race in 2012 with its narrow 26-23 loss at Georgia Southern a couple of weeks ago. However, the Phoenix performance against the GSU triple option did not help it against the Terriers, who rushed for 500 yards, including 321 from Eric Breitenstein, who set a Southern Conference regular-season record against the Phoenix's defense.

But it's not the Elon defense keeping the Phoenix from being a factor in the SoCon race, but its the inability to run the football. Since the start of the 2010 season, the Phoenix have struggled to find any sustained success running the football, making the offense one-dimensional. Thomas Wilson's 322 passing yards weren't enough to overcome the deficiencies in the ground attack once again in Saturday's loss to Wofford.

9. Western Carolina (1-4, 0-3 SoCon)—Western Carolina is a team that is much improved than it was a year ago, but it might be hard for some to see it. After all, the program is riding a 17-game losing skid, but there have been some signs that the Catamounts might end that this season, such as their performance against Samford in a 25-21 loss a couple of weeks ago. Eddie Sullivan (83-of-145 passing, 849 yards, 4 TDs, 5 INTs/44 rush attempts, 211 yards, 2 TDs, 4.8 YPC) appears to be a solid fit for this offense for the future for the future, and its not the skill positions where the program finds itself markedly behind the rest of the SoCon, but rather in the trenches.

Slate For Saturday Oct. 6, 2012

Furman at No. 5 Wofford, 1:30 p.m.

The Citadel at Samford, 3:00 p.m. EST

Elon at Appalachian State, 3:30 p.m.

Georgia Southern at Western Carolina, 3:30 p.m.

Senior running back Jerodis Williams racked up 370 all-purpose yards (career-high 239 rushing yards, 131 kick return yards) and three TDs (two rushing, one kick return) en route to leading Furman to a 45-24 Southern Conference win over Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.

With the win, Furman improves to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in SoCon play, while Western Carolina drops to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in SoCon action.

Williams was simply sensational for the Paladins, rushing for a career-high 239 yards on just 18 carries, including a pair of scores via the ground, which covered 89 and two yards, respectively. The 239 rushing yards by Williams were the fourth-most in school history.

Williams also tied a Paladin Stadium record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score, and the senior from Prattville, Ala., finished the afternoon with 131 yards on two kickoff returns

Furman amassed 619 yards of total offense, including 389 yards on the ground, as the Paladins eclipsed the 600-yard barrier and rolled up its most rushing yards since the 2003 regular-season finale against Chattanooga in a 63-35 win.

Furman won the toss and took possession of the football. The Paladins wasted little time in moving the ball down the field against the Catamounts, and it was Williams who quickly went to work on his career day.

On Furman's first drive alone, Williams posted 42 yards on three carries, but on his final carry of the drive, which was a 14-yard jaunt to the Catamount 1-yard line, Western stripped the ball loose and it squirted free into the end zone before eventually going out of the back of the end zone for a touchback, and WCU took over at its own 20.

Like Furman, WCU threw quite an offensive punch on its opening drive of the afternoon, matriculating 74 yards in 10 plays, but had to settle for a Richard Sigmon 23-yard field goal after the drive fizzled out in the Paladin red zone, giving Furman a 3-0 lead at the 9:19 mark of the first quarter.

The lead for the Catamounts, however, would literally last a matter of seconds, as on the ensuing kickoff, Williams made up for his fumble by returning the kickoff 100 yards for a score and give the Paladins a lead they would not relinquish, taking a 7-3 lead.

After the two teams could get nothing established on each of their next two drives, Furman would get the ball back early in the second quarter, and it took only one play for Williams to give the Paladins a 14-3 lead.

He took a toss sweep from quarterback Reese Hannon off the left side, and he took it 89 yards to the house for an 11-point Furman lead just a little over 30 seconds into the second quarter. The run by Williams was the second-longest in school history.

Williams would post his third score of the half on Furman's next offensive possession. The Paladins' defense once again forced the Catamounts to punt the football away, and mounted an 11-play, 88-yard drive that culminated with a Williams two-yard plunge with 6:42 remaining in the half, giving the Paladins a comfortable cushion at 21-3.

Williams went into the locker room having already rushed for 201 yards on the ground, tying the school record for most yards in a half by a Paladin running back. Former Furman running back Louis Ivory rushed for 201 yards en route to a school-record 301-yard outburst in leading the Paladins to an astonishing 45-10 win over top-ranked Georgia Southern in 2000.

After the Furman defense held once again, the offense went back to work, and the Paladins got their third rushing score of the half when Hank McCloud bolted 20 yards around the right corner for a score to make it 28-3 with 3:28 to play in the half.

The Catamounts would finally stop the bleeding a little bit on the ensuing drive, with Michael Vaughn's three-yard scoring running completing 12-play, 80-yard drive with 35 seconds remaining in the half, cutting the Furman lead to 18 points, at 28-10.

For the second time in the first half, the Paladin kick return team did an excellent job of sealing off one side of the field, this time allowing McCloud to return the ball 36 yards just inside Catamount territory, at the 48 with 28 seconds remaining in the half.

On the second play from scrimmage, Hannon's pass was on the money to senior wideout Will King for a 20-yard gain to set up a 45-yard Ray Early field goal to extend Furman's lead to 31-10 entering the halftime locker room.

WCU had the ball on the opening possession of the second half, and that would set the stage for Furman's first defensive score of the season.

On a 3rd-and-9 play at his own 46, Catamount quarterback Eddie Sullivan faced heavy pressure from blitzing linebacker Mitch McGrath, and intended receiver Deja Alexander slipped on a comeback route.

The ball was intercepted by Furman defensive back Marcus McMorris and returned 52 yards for a score to give the Paladins a 38-10 lead a little over two minutes into the second half.

Hannon, who has passed for over 200 yards in each of the four games he has played for the Paladins, got his arm into the act in the second half. After passing for only 41 yards in the opening half, Hannon exploded for 189 yards after the break to finish the day completing 13-of-21 passes for 230 yards and a score.

Hannon's fourth straight 200-yard passing effort matches a string of four consecutive 200-yard passing performances by his predecessor, Chris Forcier, who passed for 200 more yards against PC, Western Carolina, Samford and Wofford en route to garnering First-Team All-SoCon accolades last fall.

Hannon's lone scoring toss of the day came came with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter, connecting with his favorite target since taking over under center, as he found King on a drag route for a 70-yard scoring strike to make it a 45-10 game with 3:08 to play in the third quarter.

The Catamounts would tack on a pair of fourth-quarter TDs: a 15-yard scoring connection between Sullivan and Nate Stephenson and a Vaughn one-yard plunge to set the final score at 45-24.

Overshadowed in Williams' big afternoon for the Paladins was McCloud, who also established a new career-high for rushing with 123 yards on 20 carries, including a TD.

King had another strong day catching the ball for the Paladins, leading them in receiving for the third time in three games, with five catches, 143 yards and a TD. King came into the contest ranking second in the SoCon in receiving yards per game (66.0).

Preseason Sports Network First Team All-America tight end Colin Anderson hauled in four passes for 45 yards to finish with another solid performance.

The Catamounts amassed 420 yards of total offensive output against the Paladins, with 236 yards coming through the air and 184 on the ground.

Sullivan connected on 20-of-33 passes for 220 yards with a TD and a pair of INTs, while rushing for 104 yards on 16 carries. In total, Sullivan accounted for 334 yards of total offense on his own.

Kannoris Benson caught four passes for 75 yards to lead the receivers for the Catamounts.

Defensively, Furman was led by Gary Wilkins who had nine stops, while Furman All-SoCon free safety Nathan Wade had eight stops and an INT.

Furman returns to the gridiron next Saturday, traveling just 40 minutes up I-85 to Spartanburg to meet undefeated and No. 5-ranked Wofford in a key Palmetto State SoCon clash, while Western Carolina returns to Cullowhee in search of its first win over Georgia Southern since 1994.

Notes:

Furman has now won seven straight games against Western Carolina, as well as having claimed 17 of the past 19 meetings. The Paladins have now won nine straight over Western Carolina in Greenville, dating back to the 1994 season.

Williams is now alone in eighth all-time on Furman's rushing charts, having rushed for 2,572 yards in his four seasons as a Paladin. He needs 81 yards to surpass former Paladin and current Minnesota Viking Jerome Felton's 2,652 career rushing yards, established from 2004-07.

Williams' 100-yard TD return for a score on Saturday was the first kick return for a score since Sederrick Cunningham's 96-yard return for a score in a 50-20 loss at Georgia Southern last season. It was the first 100-yard return for a score since William Middleton's had one at Wofford in 2006, and the first 100-yard return for a touchdown inside the friendly confines since Brian Bratton's did the same in a 28-22 win over Appalachian State back in the 2001 campaign.

The loss marked Western Carolina's 17th straight Southern Conference setback dating back to a win over The Citadel in October 2010.