FCS College Football

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is a preview of the game.

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

When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prediction: Furman 31, Western Carolina 24

WHO: Coastal Carolina (2-2, 0-0 Big South) at No. 17 Appalachian State (2-2, 1-1 SoCon)

WHEN: Sept. 29, 2012, 3:30 p.m. ET

WHERE: Boone, N.C., Kidd Brewer Stadium (24,500)

Preview: For the first time since 2006, Appalachian State will take on Coastal Carolina in a key SoCon non-conference battle on Saturday afternoon. The game will see the Black and Gold don their alternate jerseys for the only time during the 2012 season, which will feature the old Yosef logo on the helmet.

Saturday's meeting will mark just the third all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and Chanticleers, with ASU winning both of the previous matchups, with the last being a 45-28 first-round win in the FCS playoffs during an opening round clash in the '06 postseason. The only other meeting came during the 2005 regular season, as ASU was able to post a 30-3 regular-season home-opening win at The Rock.

ASU enters Saturday afternoon's contest against the Chanticleers coming off an impressive 34-17 road win at Chattanooga last Saturday, while Coastal Carolina has lost two-straight after dropping a 38-28 decision at Toledo last Saturday. 

The Chanticleers are 6-7 all-time against Southern Conference competition, but are riding a three-game winning streak against SoCon foes, including a 47-45 triple-overtime win at Furman earlier this season. 

ASU on the other hand, has been impressive against current members of the Big South Conference over years, with a 41-15-2 record against current members of the Big South. The Mountaineers did, however, log 19 of those 41 wins against former SoCon member VMI, who now plays as a member of the Big South.

The Mountaineers' offense was in good form this past Saturday after sputtering in the loss a week earlier against The Citadel, as ASU brings a unit into Saturday afternoon's clash with an offense that ranks 30th in FCS in total offense (413.5 PPG), 45th in scoring offense (27.5 PPG), 28th in passing offense (248.0 YPG) and 47th in rushing offense (165.5 YPG). 

Jamal Jackson (89-of-136 passing, 992 yds, 5 TDs, 3 INTs/42 rush att, 179 yds, 2 TDs, 4.3 YPC) continues to play well in ASU's spread attack, putting forth a solid effort last week in leading the Mountaineers to a road win over Chattanooga. In that contest, Jackson was able to connect on 19-of-30 passes for 268 yards, with three TD tosses and only one interception. 

Jackson has a strong arm, but though not as quick as some of his predecessors, has shown the ability to put the ball down and effectively get yards on the ground. In the win over then-No. 12 Montana earlier this season, Jackson had 312 yards of total offense. 

The junior signal-caller certainly has plenty of solid options to get the ball to as a part of ASU's wide receiving corps, with the best of the bunch being redshirt freshman wide receiver Sean Price (18 rec, 233 yds, 3 TDs, 12.9 YPR).

Price came up big in ASU's win over Chattanooga last week, looking much like his predecessor Brian Quick on one of his two TD receptions, leaping high over a Chattanooga defensive back to bring in a 36-yard scoring pass from Jackson early in the fourth quarter.

Moments later after the ASU defense came up with a turnover, Price hauled in his second scoring catch of the evening on a 14-yard strike from Jackson on a slant pattern. Price will start at the "X" receiver position on Saturday against the Mocs.

Joining Price as members of that talented ASU corps of receiving options on Saturday will be veterans and preseason All-SoCon selections Andrew Peacock (20 rec, 221 yds, 1 TD, 11.1 YPR) and Tony Washington (13 rec, 165 yds, 12.7 YPR/1 rush att, 22 yds, 1 TD) at the "Y" and "M" starting wideout positions, respectively. Impressive freshman Malachi Jones (16 rec, 174 yds, 10.9 YPR) starts at the "Z" receiver position, while Drew Bailey (3 rec, 32 yds, 10.7 YPR) rounds out the aerial options for Jackson at tight end.

The Mountaineers' ground game gets some good news this week, with the return of Rod Chisholm (9 rush att, 37 yds, 4.1 YPC), who missed nearly the entire month with a broken hand, which he suffered in the 35-13 season-opening loss to East Carolina.

Handling the lion's share of the running game responsibilities in the absence of Chisholm has been Steven Miller (84 rush att, 399 yds, 5 TDs, 4.8 YPC), who has been solid running the football for the Apps through his first four weeks. His career-high 167-yard, three TD performance in the 52-28 loss to The Citadel was one of the few bright spots for the Apps a couple of weeks ago. Miller has caught the ball well this season, with eight catches for 68 yards and a TD.

In last week's win at Chattanooga, Miller finished the contest with a hard-fought 95 yards on 22 carries against one of the best rushing defenses in the FCS. Miller also had a pivotal 35-yard scoring catch in the second quarter, helping the Mountaineers tie the game just prior to the half. Miller currently ranks fifth in the league in rushing yards, and is averaging right at 100.0 YPG rushing (99.8 YPG).

Maybe the most impressive aspect of Saturday's win for ASU was the recovery of the offensive line against one of the best defensive fronts in the FCS. After completely getting dominated in the opening quarter by that star-laden front for the Mocs, which constantly applied pressure to Jackson, and even caused a first quarter fumble that led to UTC points.

To its credit, ASU, which was playing with out its two starting offensive tackles, who were out as a result of injury and an NCAA rules question, rebounded to play maybe its best three quarters of the season. Preseason All-SoCon left tackle Kendall Lamm was forced to miss the game with a concussion suffered during the week, and he should be cleared to return to action on Saturday against the Chanticleers.

Regan Dufort, who missed the game with a discrepancy involving a potential NCAA rules question, is appealing NCAA for the discrepancy and it is unclear whether he will return this season. Set to start in Dufort's place on Saturday will be either Will Corbin or Ian Barnard who played excellent in their first starts in tandem of the season, and Corbin's first-career start.

Coastal Carolina brings a defense into Saturday's contest against the Mountaineers ranking 77th nationally in total defense (397.5 YPG), 85th in scoring defense (32.8 PPG), 87th in defending the pass (241.5 YPG) and 54th against the run (156.0 YPG). The Chanticleers will operate out of a 4-2-5 defensive formation on Saturday.

CCU has had to deal with some injuries along its defensive line early on this season, losing preseason All-Big South defensive end Chris Thomas to a season-ending knee injury in the 47-45 win over Furman.

The leaders along the defensive line to this point in the 2012 season for the Chanticleers have been veteran defensive end Quinton Davis (14 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack), while Johnny Hartsfield (12 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack) anchors the defensive interior for the Chanticleers.

The strength of the CCU defense is its linebacking corps, which consists of reigning Big South Player of the Week Quinn Backus (41 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs, 2 FR, 1 FF), who had 13 tackles and forced a fumble in the 38-28 loss to Toledo last week. Backus will team with talented junior Mike McClure (40 tackles, 4.5 TFL).

The two talented linebackers rank No. 1 and No. 2 on the team in tackles, respectively. Backus claimed the Big South Defensive Player of the Week honors last week        

The Chanticleers have struggled in the secondary early on this season, but the unit has had its moments early on this season. Leading the Coastal Carolina secondary this season has been cornerback Dontavious Johnson (12 tackles, 3 INTs, 2 PBUs, 1.0 TFL, 1 blkd kick).

Johnson is the lone senior in the secondary for the Chanticleers and he will team with LaDarius Hawthorne (26 tackles, 2 PBUs, 1.0 TFL) as a starting cornerback for the Chanticleers on Saturday afternoon. Johnson currently leads the Big South Conference in INTs coming into Saturday's contest, and was the national player of the week after picking off North Carolina A&T three times in the season opener.

The Chanticleers will utilize three safeties in their 4-2-5 defensive scheme, highlighted by Pernell Williams (20 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) and Phillip George (23 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU). Williams will start at the "Whip" safety position for the Chanticleers on Saturday, while George will start at the free safety position. Johnnie Houston (15 tackles, 1.0 sack) rounds out the starters for the Chants in the secondary at strong safety.

One of the strengths for Appalachian State coming into the 2012 season was thought to be its defense, and against Chattanooga last week, it played like it for the first time in 2012. The Apps were able to limit the Mocs to just 270 yards, including holding the Mocs to just 87 yards on the ground last Saturday.

The Mountaineers are in the second season operating out of the 3-4 defensive scheme, and the switch for the most part, has been a large success to this point. Highlighting the efforts in the 34-17 road win at Chattanooga last Saturday night was Brandon Grier, who finished the night with seven tackles, a sack, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a 70-yard interception return for a score to seal the Mountaineers' road win and garnered National Defensive Player of the Week honors by the Sports Network.

The Black and Gold brings a defense into Saturday's final non-conference contest ranking tied for 85th nationally in scoring defense (32.8 PPG), 97th in total defense (440.3 YPG), 70th in passing defense (221.8 YPG) and 94th in rushing defense (218.5 YPG).

The Mountaineers are really young along the defensive line, with two freshmen and a sophomore starting along the defensive front this season. The unit is anchored by sophomore defensive end Ronald Blair (20 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 FR), who is ASU's top pass-rushing down lineman. He will team with Davante Harris (9 tackles, 2.5 TFL) and Stephen Burns (11 tackles, 2.5 TFL) at defensive end and defensive tackles, respectively, on Saturday.

The strength of the ASU defense is in its linebacking corps, led by two of the nation's best at the two inside linebacker positions, with All-Americans Jeremy Kimbrough (47 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 QBH) and Brandon Grier (36 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF, 1 INT, 1 TD) anchoring that unit. Both Kimbrough and Grier could very well end up winning the Buck Buchanan Award this fall, which is given to the most talented defensive player at the FCS level.

The two starters at the respective outside linebackers heading into Saturday's final non-league tilt will be James "Deuce" Robinson (25 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 0.5 sack) and Joel Ross (19 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 QBH). Both Ross and Robinson have done an excellent job in each of their first respective seasons as starters on the ASU defense. Robinson has had to make the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker just prior to fall camp, and has adjusted nicely to his new role.

ASU has a nice group of athletes in the secondary, but at times have given up the big play this year, mostly as a result of  inexperience. Anchoring the secondary this season have been a pair of all-league standouts, in Demetrius McCray (14 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 0.5 sack) at cornerback and Troy Sanders (26 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 PBU) at safety.

Like Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina also brings an impressive offense into Saturday afternoon's showdown against Appalachian State, and the surname leading that offense will be familiar to Appalachian State fans, and that name is "Hillary"—as in Aramis Hillary (93-of-139 passing, 1,127 yds, 7 TDs, 4 INTs/46 rush att, 83 yds, 2 TDs, 1.8 YPC), who is the younger brother of former standout Mountaineer wide receiver CoCo Hillary.

Hillary leads a Coastal Carolina offense that enters Saturday's contest ranking 36th in total offense (403.0 YPG), 35th in scoring offense (30.3 PPG), 86th in rushing yards per game (114.3 YPG) and 15th in passing offense (288.8 YPG).

Hillary has seemingly broken his new school records passing the football with each passing week through the first four games, and has quickly become one of the explosive quarterbacks in the FCS, and will likely be the top quarterback the Mountaineers have seen through the early portion of the schedule.

Hillary, who was recruited hard by Appalachian State, originally started his career at the University of South Carolina, where he found himself behind Stephen Garcia and Connor Shaw on the Gamecocks' depth chart, and he decided to transfer to Coastal Carolina.

Hillary, of course, owes plenty of his success to having one of the most dynamic receiving units in the FCS this season. The trio leading the Chanticleers catching the football this season have been Matt Hazel (20 rec, 293 yds, 3 TDs, 14.6 YPR), DeMario Bennett (19 rec, 232 yds, 2 TDs, 12.2 YPR) and Niccolo Mastromatteo (20 rec, 214 yds, 1 TD, 10.7 YPR).

Hazel and Bennett have good size and speed and are deep threats, whereas Mastromatteo, who missed last week's game for the Chanticleers as a result of an injury, is more of the utility type wideout for the Chanticleers, who does a little bit of everything as a wide receiver to help Coastal Carolina's offense, especially in clutch situations.

When the Chanticleers go to the ground game, they will look to Jeremy Height (54 rush att, 234 yds, 3 TDs, 4.3 YPC/12 rec, 81 yds, 6.8 YPR) and Lorenzo Taliaferro (27 rush att, 106 yds, 1 TD, 3.9 YPC/1 rec, 9 yds). The Chanticleers have struggled to run the ball at times this season, but if Height gets into the open field, he has the speed to take it the distance. Taliaferro has been the back Coastal has relied on in short-yardage situations.

The Chanticleers' offensive front is coached by former Furman All-American offensive lineman Patrick Covington, and he, like former ASU offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, is one of the top offensive line coaches in the nation at the FCS level, and he has helped recruit the offensive linemen with the attributes to fit Coastal's potent spread offense. Anchoring the unit so far this season has been preseason All-Big South left guard Jamey Cheatwood.
 

Final Prediction: Appalachian State 44, Coastal Carolina 41

WHO: No. 25 Samford Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 SoCon) at No. 9 Georgia Southern Eagles (2-1, 1-1 SoCon)

WHEN: Sept. 29, 2012, 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Statesboro, GA, Allen E. Paulson Stadium

Preview 

Since joining the SoCon in 2008, one of the teams that the Samford Bulldogs have had the most success against are the Georgia Southern Eagles, having won three of four matchups between the two and having never lost to Georgia Southern in Paulson Stadium since joining the conference.

The Eagles are coming off a hard-fought 26-23 win over the Elon Phoenix on Sept. 22, while Samford also had a close call with a 25-21 win against the Western Carolina Catamounts in Week 4. With the win, the Bulldogs continued their strong start to the 2012 season, their best since the 1995 season.

Saturday's meeting between the Eagles and Bulldogs will mark the seventh all-time clash between the two teams, with Georgia Southern holding a narrow 4-3 series edge on the strength of last season's 31-17 win in Birmingham.

Samford last made the trek to Statesboro in 2010, claiming a 20-14 win on that occasion, also posting a 28-10 win over the Eagles in Statesboro in 2008, in what was the Bulldogs' first trip to the "Prettiest Little Stadium in America." The Eagles have won 18 straight games inside the friendly confines since that 2010 loss to the Bulldogs.

Coming into Saturday evening's contest, Samford has posted one of the most balanced offenses in the Southern Conference, averaging 171.5 YPG on the ground and 213.0 YPG through the air this season. In total, the Bulldogs are averaging 384.5 YPG to rank 50th in FCS, also ranking 29th nationally in scoring offense (31.7 PPG).

Samford has had a new leader under center this season, and with the graduation of Dustin Taliaferro, not many knew what to expect from the Bulldogs for the quarterback position this season.

Memphis transfer Andy Summerlin (89-of-129 passing, 817 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs/13 rush att, 45 yds, 1 TD) has been the leader of what has been an extremely efficient passing attack for Samford this season. Summerlin has shown the poise and savvy of a veteran quarterback, one polished enough to show that he has played in the upper echelon of Division I college football.

Summerlin certainly has a wide receiving corps that is as talented as any you will find in the FCS, led by preseason First-Team All-SoCon selection Kelsey Pope (20 rec, 204 yds, 1 TD, 10.2 YPR/2 rush att, 11 yds). Pope has 1,248 receiving yards and seven TD catches in his career.

He teams with Chris Cephus (14 rec, 195 yds, 13.9 YPR) and another veteran, Riley Hawkins (12 rec, 157 yds, 3 TDs, 13.1 YPR), to give Samford its talented litany of receiving options.

While the Bulldogs' receiving threats are among the best in FCS, running back Fabian Truss (69 rush att, 448 yds, 7 TDs, 6.5 YPC/12 rec, 75 yds, 6.2 YPR) is quickly becoming one of the most individual offensive threats in the nation.

He has been the key cog in the Samford offense in his second season as a starter for the Bulldogs. He is coming off quite a performance in their win over Western Carolina last week, rushing for 180 yards and a pair of scores.

Truss is also one of the most dangerous return men in the SoCon, and he will be the focal point of the Samford offense on Saturday, not only in the ground game, but also as a return threat. As a kick return threat this season, he has truly been a weapon, leading the nation with an average of 34.8 YPR this season. Truss also has one kick return for a score this season, as he was able to take a kick back 97 yards for a score in the 44-23 win over the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in Week 3.

Samford's offensive line has been strong this season. The unit, which returned four starters coming into the campaign, is anchored by center Ryan Dudchok and right guard Jacob Kirschenbaum.

Georgia Southern brings a defense into Saturday's matchup that has played very well through the first three games of the 2012 season. The Eagles come into Saturday's showdown ranking seventh in the nation in total defense (263.3 YPG), 13th in scoring defense (15.3 PPG), 22nd in rush defense (107.6 YPG) and 20th in pass defense (155.7 YPG).

It all starts up front for the Eagles, who bring an athletic, physical front four into Saturday's contest. That unit is led by preseason First-Team All-America selection and Buck Buchanan Award Watch list member Brent Russell (11 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 blkd kick) at nose tackle.

Russell is a tremendous presence along the defensive line for the Eagles, and his 22.5 career sacks rank him second in the Eagles' all-time ledger in that category. He needs just two more sacks to set a new school-career mark, as he would pass former Eagle Edward Thomas' career total of 24 sacks.

Teaming with Russell at defensive tackle on Saturday will be junior Blake Riley (6 tackles), who plays a bit in the shadow of Russell, but he is a solid pillar in the teeth of that GSU defense. Both Riley and Russell have made life exceptionally difficult for opponents trying to find running room in the middle.

The two starting defensive ends for the Eagles on Saturday are quick and athletic: Josh Gebhardt (9 tackles, 3.0 TFL) and Dion DuBose (11 tackles) are veteran, athletic defensive ends who have gotten solid pressure from the edge this season.

Another factor along the GSU defensive line on Saturday could be Javon Mention (6 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 1 FR), who should also see extensive action at defensive end on Saturday. He leads all Eagles with three sacks in the entire campaign.

The three starters at linebacker for the Eagles will be Kyle Oehlbeck (7 tackles), John Stevenson (23 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 2 PBUs, 1 FF) and Antwione Williams (4 tackles, 1 PBU). The trio has been solid this season, particularly veteran Stevenson, who is slated to start at weakside linebacker for the Eagles on Saturday. Stevenson comes into Saturday's contest averaging 7.7 tackles per game.

Georgia Southern's secondary is talented, but young. The graduation of LaRon Scott has been a bit hard to compensate for, but with each game, new starter Valdon Cooper (4 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD) seems to see improvement.

Cooper has excellent speed and athleticism on the outside and now just needs experience. He certainly got his season off to a strong start after returning an INT 60 yards for a score in the season-opening win over the Jacksonville Tigers.

Set to join Cooper as a starter at cornerback on Saturday night will be junior Lavelle Westbrooks (9 tackles, 1 INT), who is in his second season as a full-time starter in the GSU secondary. Westbrooks is a physical athletic cornerback and will likely draw the assignment of trying to slow Samford's Kelsey Pope on Saturday night, which is obviously easier said than done. 

The two starting safeties for the Eagles heading into Saturday night's contest will be a pair of veterans: J.J.Wilcox (16 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR, 1 PBU) and Darius Eubanks (16 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR).

Wilcox, who was on the offensive side of the ball the previous two seasons, has been a breath of fresh air on the defensive side of the ball in 2012.  He is one of the top athletes on the team with his ability to make plays against the opposing passing attacks this season.

Eubanks has been a tremendous pillar of the GSU defense over the past few seasons, and has been able to overcome injuries earlier in his career to become an All-SoCon caliber safety.

Samford brings a defense into Saturday evening's contest that ranks 36th in the nation in total defense (333.2 YPG), ties for 21st in scoring defense (17.7 PPG), 26th in rushing defense (112.2 YPG) and 68th in pass defense (221.0 YPG).

Samford had one of the most inexperienced defensive lines in the Southern Conference and FCS coming into the season, anchored by the lone veteran, senior defensive tackle Nicholas Williams (12 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 PBU). Williams has made it tough for teams to find much daylight running the ball in the middle this season, and will team with nose guard Jerry Mathis (15 tackles, 4.5 TFK , 1.5 sacks, 3 PBUs) on the defensive interior.

Teaming up at the two defensive end positions for Saturday night's contest for the Bulldogs will be Calvin Ruff (9 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 QBHs) and Aaron Bethune (9 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 3 PBUs, 3 QBHs).

Many wondered how the Bulldogs would effectively replace defensive end Austin Hayes and effectively generate pressure with its front four coming into the season. The Bulldogs have not only been able to do that with Ruff and Bethune, they have also been able to disrupt passing games, with Bethune and Mathis having a combined six PBUs this season.

Samford has a trio of the most experienced linebackers in the league, and it's a unit that does not make many mistakes. Keith Shoulders (28 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 PBU) and Darion Sutton (36 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 PBUs) are All-SoCon-caliber linebackers, starting at middle and weakside linebacker, respectively.

Durrell Hill (26 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 PBU) is another player that has been solid at linebacker this season, and he will start at the strong side linebacker post on Saturday night.

Shoulders is coming off one of the best performances of his career, posting 12 stops in the 25-21 road win over Western Carolina. He also had a strong performance in the season opener against Furman, posting eight stops and a pair of tackles-for-loss in the 24-21 triumph.

The secondary is also a strength for the Bulldogs, and a lot of that has to do with veteran Alvin Hayes II (26 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 2 INTs). Despite losing Corey White to graduation and the NFL, the Bulldogs have looked even better in the secondary than they did last year through the early portion of the 2012 schedule.

Hines was a preseason All-SoCon selection and is a hard-hitting safety. He has certainly lived up to his billing as one of the best safeties in the SoCon with a couple of INTs through the first four games.

Hines will team with Jaquiski Tartt (39 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 5 PBUs, 2 INTs, 1 FR), arguably the SoCon's top safety over the first four weeks the 2012 season. Tartt comes into the contest leading the Bulldogs in tackles and ranks fourth overall in the league in tackles.

He has enjoyed some outstanding performances early on this season, posting two INTs in Samford's win over the West Alabama Tigers in Week 2 and a season-high 14 tackles in Week 4's win against Western Carolina.

Rounding out the starters on the defensive side of the ball are redshirt freshman James Bradberry (13 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 INTs) and junior Tae Lewis (6 tackles, 1 INT).

Bradberry has done a nice job of replacing White at one of the cornerback positions, but I expect Georgia Southern to test the young corner on Saturday to see if he bites on some of the play-action option-pass-type plays that it has in its repertoire. This can be a nightmare at times for young cornerbacks, and the slightest mistake could spell six points for the Eagles and their speed at wideout and slotback.

Most of Georgia Southern's problems offensively coming into Saturday's contest have come as a result of not being able to hold onto, rather than not being able to effectively move, the ball.

The Eagles enter Saturday's showdown ranking 19th in the nation in total offense (441.3 YPG), 19th in scoring offense (35.0 PPG), second in rushing offense (402.0 YPG) and 121st in passing offense (41.0 YPG).

Leading the Georgia Southern offense this season, which has gone to more multiple looks in the option game, has been talented sophomore quarterback Ezayi Youyoute (9-of-19 passing, 123 yds, 1 TD/48 rush att, 371 yds, 4 TDs, 7.7 YPC). Youyoute has had a lot to take in as far as learning the Flexbone offense, one that is much more diverse than the one Jaybo Shaw took over two years ago after transferring in from Georgia Tech.

The Eagles have shown more shotgun looks in the triple option, similar to what we have seen the Wofford Terriers do in their offense, when they started implementing the shotgun into the Wingbone attack back in 2007.

The Eagles have yet to find the kind of success through the air this season that they had the last two seasons with Shaw, but their passing attack might have started to come to life in Week 4, as Youyoute tossed his first scoring pass of the season in a 38-yard play to Kentrellis Showers (5 rec, 69 yds, 1 TD, 13.8 YPR/1 rush att, 26 yds) in the first quarter that was more Showers running than it was Youyoute passing.

Youyoute is certainly a threat in the open field with awesome speed, eclipsing the century mark in every game so far this season, including rushing for 106 yards on 17 attempts.

One of the biggest weapons on the offensive side of the ball is the explosive Jerick McKinnon (32 rush att, 193 yds, 2 TDs, 6.0 YPC), who has played three different positions on the offensive side this season.

McKinnon could see action under center, as well as the 'A' and 'B' back positions. He saw action at 'B' back for the for the first time in his career in Week 4, and this is yet another wrinkle the Eagles have added to their versatile attack this season.

The starter at 'B' back on Saturday evening will be one of the SoCon's most dangerous runners, preseason All-SoCon selection Dominique Swope (50 rush att, 270 yds, 5 TDs, 5.4 YPC). Swope is a powerful back who can get yards after initial contact, and he also has the speed in the open field to run away from defenders.

Jonathan Bryant (7 rush att, 123 yds, 1 TD, 17.6 YPC/2 rec, 33 yds, 16.5 YPR) and Darreion Robinson (8 rush att, 37 yds, 4.6 YPC) are two veteran options as slotbacks. Both Bryant and Robinson join Showers as the top receiving options coming out of the GSU backfield.

Zach Walker (1 rec, 15 yds) and Mitch Williford are yet a couple more options at wide receiver. Both Williford and Walker are also excellent blockers on the perimeter.

The offensive line has done well, considering it graduated two All-Americans last year. Anchoring the unit this season has been Dorian Byrd at center, who has shown his versatility in moving from left tackle to center to help shore up some of the difficulties in center-quarterback exchange troubles that plagued the Eagles early this season. Byrd leads an offensive front that has helped the Eagles average 6.9 yards per rush and 6.6 yards per play this season.

Final Prediction

 This game is going to be a war. The one clear advantage Samford has entering the contest is in the kicking game, with one of the best kickers in the nation, Cameron Yaw (4-for-7 on FGs, 15-for-15 on PATs).

Alex Hanks (2-for-3 on FGs) is still adapting to being the full-time kicker for Georgia Southern. It was Hanks' 32-yard kick that won the game against Elon, which had to be a huge morale boost for him after his field goal sailed wide left in the 23-21 loss against the Citadel Bulldogs in Week 2.

Yaw missed two field goals against Western Carolina, but those didn't cost the Bulldogs; his 27-yard field goal in the season-opener against helped the Bulldogs with a 24-21 win over Furman.

When it all comes down to it, however, I look at this Georgia Southern team, and I think it is a team waiting to explode. The Eagles have speed everywhere on the field, and while I think this game will be close for a while, I believe the Eagles will pull away late in the third quarter and show why they were the preseason pick to defend their SoCon crown.

Final Score Prediction: Georgia Southern 35, Samford 24

Prior to the 3-0 start for the The Citadel in 2012, the program's success on the gridiron has been fleeting, to say the least. After all, the Bulldogs have managed just four six-win campaigns and only three winning seasons since their 1992 Southern Conference championship season, which saw the Bulldogs go 11-2 overall and 6-2 in the Southern Conference under the direction of legendary coach Charlie Taaffe. 

Since Taaffe was fired after the conclusion of the 1995 season, the Bulldogs haven't really been relevant on the SoCon or FCS gridiron, with only two winning seasons separated by a decade, in 1997 and 2007. 

Taaffe and the Bulldogs' wishbone offense became not only known in the SoCon and FCS, but also the national landscape of college football, particularly with their success against FBS competition. The Bulldogs had the great equalizer, running variations of the wishbone and triple option offense under the direction of the genius of Taaffe. 

Before coaches like Wofford's Mike Ayers or Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson (former Georgia Southern head coach), Taaffe was the authority on running the triple-option attack. Before there was Sept. 1, 2007—a day when another Southern Conference school, Appalachian State, shocked the college football world—there was Sept. 5, 1992. 

That was a day that will always be one of the greatest in the history of Citadel football, as the Bulldogs knocked off SEC West member Arkansas, 10-3, in Fayetteville, AK, shocking the college football world. It was a win that Citadel fans can still re-live to this day, and many didn't know if they would ever see another era approach the one Taaffe established during his nine seasons at the helm in Charleston. Taaffe would post a 55-47 record and help the Bulldogs to their second SoCon title and their only three trips to the FCS playoffs in school history. 

With the likes of Jack Douglas and Everette Sands toting the ball out of the Bulldogs' backfield, it was The Citadel that could have claimed the distinction of being the best football-playing service academy in the nation in 1992, as the Bulldogs established the best season in school history. 

With wins over Arkansas and later Army (15-14) in 1992, the Bulldogs are only one of two teams since Division I was re-classified in 1982 to knock off two Division I or FBS opponents in the same season. A couple of years prior to those upset wins over Army and Arkansas, the Bulldogs knocked off another Division I FBS foe, when they downed South Carolina 38-35 in Columbia. 

The Bulldogs head to NC State on Saturday with likely their best team since the one that last went toe-to-toe with college football's big boys and actually forced those FBS foes to play their starters the whole game. 

When the Bulldogs take the Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday afternoon to take on Tom O'Brien's NC State Wolfpack, they will take with them the nation's No. 10 ranking in the FCS football, as well as their best start overall (3-0) and in-conference play (2-0) since that historic 1992 campaign. 

The Bulldogs, now in their third season in transitioning back to the triple-option, have shown the ability to move the ball at will in the first three games of the season, which include wins over a pair of previously ranked Top 10 teams, in No. 3 Georgia Southern (23-21) and No. 8 Appalachian State (52-28). 

The Bulldogs will face a Wolfpack team that will enter the game with a 2-1 record, having claimed victories over both South Alabama (31-7) and Connecticut (10-7), while opening the season with a 35-21 setback to Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic. 

The Citadel is a team that could very well take home a win on Raleigh on Saturday, as the two programs will be facing each other for the first time since 1983—a game that the Bulldogs took handily with a 45-0 victory. The Bulldogs and Wolfpack will be meeting for just the fifth time on Saturday, with NCSU having taken the previous three contests by convincing margins. 

There's reason to believe that the 2012 Citadel team—with many of the same players that challenged nationally-ranked South Carolina last season in the regular-season finale before losing 41-20 last November—will give NC State all it can handle and perhaps even hand the Wolfpack a loss on Saturday. 

Since re-classification of Division I in 1981, the Wolfpack has faced 29 FCS foes, holding a 26-3 mark against those teams, with all three losses coming from Southern Conference foes and the last coming from the now-defunct East Tennessee State (29-14) in 1987.  Furman claimed wins over the Wolfpack in 1984 and 1985, which eventually led to Paladin head coach Dick Sheridan be hired to fix the NC State mess in 1986.

If The Citadel claims a win on Saturday, what happens to Tom O'Brien? Will he be shown the door like Jack Crowe was in 1992 or will Kevin Higgins be the next coach in Raleigh?

To Citadel fans, all those scenarios don't matter right now. All the Bulldogs want to do is keep winning and keep on climbing up in the Sports Network FCS polls. A win this week over the Wolfpack, and the Bulldogs likely ascend into the Top Five, already having climbed 11 spots after Saturday's first win over at Appalachian State since—you guessed it—1992.

For a complete preview of The Citadel/NC State matchup, check back on Thursday for the week four edition of Southern Conference football previews and predictions. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Preview:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clemson 50, Furman 17

Overview:

It's a somewhat light week on the Southern Conference Football landscape, but there are two very intriguing league encounters, one of those being the first matchup of the season between two ranked foes.

No. 21 The Citadel found its way back into the national polls for the first time since 2008, as the Bulldogs were able to upset No. 3 Georgia Southern 23-21 last Saturday.

It was just the fourth win over a ranked foe for head coach Kevin Higgins, now in his eighth season at the helm of the Bulldogs' football program, but the win offered proof that it was a good idea to resurrect the triple-option offense in Charleston. 

Not since the Charlie Taaffe era in Charleston, during which the Bulldog football program enjoyed their "glory days" of the late 1980s and early '90s, has The Citadel knocked off a Top-Five foe.

Meanwhile, Appalachian State got the home slate started off in strong fashion with a 35-27 win over No. 12 Montana, in a game played in front of better than 30,000 fans.

A game with such preseason hype certainly lived up to its billing, and ASU was buoyed by that throng of partisan home fans to come up with the eight-point win.

The other SoCon game to keep an eye on Saturday is the one between Wofford and Western Carolina, which is set to commence on Saturday in Spartanburg. It will be Mark Speir's first Southern Conference game as head coach of the WCU football program.

The Terriers have not lost to the Catamounts in Spartanburg since 1981, and the Terriers have won six straight overall in the series after a 24-0 loss to the Catamounts in Cullowhee in 2005.

In tomorrow's previews, I will take a look at the non-league matchups to take place this weekend, highlighted by the Palmetto State clash between Furman and Clemson.

Furman has its first 0-3 start to a season since second-year head coach Bruce Fowler was a defensive back for the Paladins back in 1979.

The Paladins travel to "Death Valley" this Saturday to face an 11th-ranked Clemson team that enters the matchup with one of the most potent offenses in the nation—an attack that will also get All-America wide receiver Sammy Watkins back from suspension.

So, without further adieu, here are this week's SoCon previews, beginning with league matchups. 

No. 21 The Citadel (2-0, 1-0 SoCon) at No. 9 Appalachian State (1-1, 0-0 SoCon)

Sept. 15, 2012, 3:30 P.M., Boone N.C., Kidd Brewer Stadium (24,550)

Preview: The Citadel enters Saturday's contest in Boone coming off head coach Kevin Higgins' biggest win in his eighth seasons at the helm of The Citadel football program. The Citadel hasn't beaten two Top-10 ranked FCS foes in a season since 1991, when it took down both No. 7 Furman (10-6) and No. 10 Appalachian State (17-10) in Charleston. 

The Citadel was sensational on both sides of the ball last week in getting the memorable win over the third-ranked Eagles. The Bulldogs made big plays in all three phases of the game, causing five GSU fumbles on defense while also getting huge pass plays in crucial situations on offense.

Quarterback Ben Dupree (1-of-4 passing, 26 yds, 1 TD/34 rush att, 169 yds, 2 TDs, 5.0 YPC) even had his first passing TD in nearly two years. 

Dupree will once again team with Aaron Miller (7-of-11 passing, 107 yds/14 rush att, 33 yds, 2.4 YPC) under center on Saturday.

Both quarterbacks led the Bulldogs' offense on a furious rally last season in Charleston against the Apps, as the Bulldogs came up just short in their comeback effort. Trailing 49-14 in the third quarter, the Bulldogs reeled off 28 unanswered points but dropped the 49-42 thriller. 

Darien Robinson (16 rush att, 128 yds, 1 TD, 8.0 YPC) rushed for 109 yards and a score last season against the Apps, and is once again a key component of the nation's fifth-ranked ground game, as are veteran slotbacks VanDyke Jones (8 rush att, 48 yds, 6.0 YPC/1 rec, 26 yds) and Rickey Anderson (14 rush att, 110 yds, 4 TDs, 7.9 YPC).

If the Bulldogs decide to go to the air on Saturday, they will likely look to one of the aforementioned slotbacks, or Domonic Jones (2 rec, 38 yds, 1 TD, 19.0 YPR). It was Jones that hauled in that 26-yard TD from Dupree last week.

Defensively, the Bulldogs are always among the SoCon's most physical units, especially up front. That unit will be led by All-SoCon defensive end Chris Billingslea (13 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1.0 TFL, 1 FF, 2 PBUs). 

While the Bulldogs were hit hard by graduation at linebacker and in the secondary, keep an eye on Rah Muhammad (22 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 FF) at LB, and hard-hitting safety Austin Boyle (5 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT) on Saturday. The Bulldogs also have one of the league's top cover corners in Brandon McCladdie (7 tackles, 1.0 TFL).

Appalachian State has looked nearly unstoppable on offense at times through the first two weeks, with much of that success having to do with quarterback Jamal Jackson (47-of-74 passing, 560 yds, 2 TDs, INT/23 rush att, 99 yds, 2 TDs).

It was Appalachian’s 49-42 win over the Bulldogs last season that saw the emergence of Jackson as the full-time starting quarterback. 

In starting the game against the Bulldogs for an injured DeAndre Presley, Jackson completed his first 15 passes of the afternoon en route to leading the ASU offense to the seven-point win. Jackson was 21-of-27 passing for 234 yards and three TDs as he powered the ASU offense to a 2011 season-high 552 yards. 

This season, Jackson has looked solid in his first two starts, continuing his streak of consecutive performances of 250 or more yards of total offense, which now stands at nine-straight.

Jackson posted 328 yards (260 passing, 68 rushing) of total offense in ASU’s 35-27 win over No. 12 Montana at The Rock last Saturday. 

Jackson has a litany of weapons in the ASU attack. One of those is redshirt freshman wide receiver Sean Price (8 rec, 103 yds, 1 TD, 12.9 YPR), who was simply sensational in the win over Montana last Saturday.  

Amazingly, Jackson has completed at least 57.5 percent of his passes in eight of his nine career starts for the Apps. 

After being suspended for the season opener against East Carolina, Price returned to the lineup in a big way on Saturday. His performance included a 32-yard touchdown catch to open the scoring in the contest for the Apps.

Other than Price, the Mountaineers also have all-league options Andrew Peacock (10 rec, 134 yds, 1 TD, 13.4 YPR) and Tony Washington (9 rec, 124 yds, 13.8 YPR). 

With the injury to Rod Chisholm in the opener, the Mountaineers are increasingly thin at running back this season.

However, with the way Steven Miller (41 rush att, 138 yds, 2 TDs, 3.4 YPC/2 rec, 12 yds) ran in ASU’s win over No. 12 Montana last Saturday night at The Rock, apparently he didn’t get the memo on ASU’s lack of depth at the position.

Miller lowered his shoulders and delivered the blows time after time last Saturday. On one run in the third quarter he delivered a massive hit to one of the Montana linebackers.

While his fearless running style might cause the App State coaches to cringe, it has been effective so far this season, as Miller finished Saturday night on the cusp of his second career 100-yard rushing performance. He finished the night with 99 yards and a pair of TDs on 27 carries to power the ASU ground attack. Miller also had a reception for five yards. 

The only better game in Miller's career than last week’s 99-yard rushing effort against the Grizzlies came last season against The Citadel, as the Piscataway, N.J. native rushed for 102 yards and a pair of scores in the 49-42 win. 

Coming into Saturday afternoon’s showdown at The Rock, Appalachian State brings a defense that ranks 82nd nationally in pass defense (436.5 YPG), 66th in scoring defense (31.0 PPG), 98th in pass defense (274.5 YPG) and 63rd in rush defense (162.0 YPG).

Appalachian State operates out of a 3-4 defensive scheme, with its strength being its linebacking corps. 

Leading the talented quartet of linebackers this season is the senior tandem of Jeremy Kimbrough (27 tackles, 2.0 TFL) and Brandon Grier (22 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 FF).

Kimbrough, who entered the season as a member of the Buck Buchanan Award watch list, has lived up to that preseason hype. He leads the SoCon in tackles coming into this weekend’s contest.

In the secondary, Demetrius McCray (6 tackles, 2 INTs) showed why he was a preseason Buck Buchanan Award candidate, picking off the seventh and eighth passes of his career for the Apps. McCray also had an INT in ASU's win in Charleston last season.  

Final Prediction: Appalachian State will benefit from being in front of a crowd that has helped the Mountaineers forge a 62-5 record in their last 67 home games. Look for the Bulldogs to keep it close, however, as they might do a better job of slowing the Apps defensively than Montana was able to do. However, ASU gets its ninth-straight win in Boone, making it 18 of its last 19 in the series against The Citadel on Saturday.

Appalachian State 31, The Citadel 24

Western Carolina (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) at No. Wofford (2-0, 0-0 SoCon)

Sept. 15, 2012, Gibbs Stadium (13,000), 7 p.m.

Preview: Western Carolina heads to Wofford in hopes of garnering its first win over the Terriers in Spartanburg since 1981. All the Terriers have done in the first two weeks of the season is outscore their opponents 116-7, including an 82-0 win in their home opener last Saturday against NAIA Lincoln. Eight different Terriers reached paydirt in the win.

This series hasn't been all that close on the scoreboard in recent history, as the Catamounts haven't kept the Terriers' victory margin under double digits since that '05 win. The Catamounts have lost their last 18 games against ranked FCS foes as well.

The Catamounts will also be looking to snap a 14-game losing streak to SoCon foes, dating back to a Oct. 2, 2010 win over The Citadel in Charleston.

Eric Breitenstein (27 rush att, 254 yds, 4 TDs, 9.4 YPC) has now moved up to No. 2 on the school's all-time rushing ledger (3,949 career rushing yards) and leads the nation's top rushing offense.

Senior Brian Kass (7-of-12 passing, 168 yds, 4 TDs, 1 INT/19 rush att, 42 yds, 2.2 YPC), in his first season as the starting signal-caller, is more of passing threat than his predecessor, Mitch Allen. He will challenge the WCU secondary on Saturday.

Defensively, keep an eye on a talented linebacking corps for Wofford, which is anchored by veterans Mike McCrimon and Phillip LeGrande (8 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 2 FFs).

Blake Wylie is the top returnee in the secondary at CB, as the Terriers had to replace all three starters up front as a result of graduation. The new trio will be anchored by Zach Bobb (4 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 0.5 sack).

Western Carolina is coming off a 52-24 loss at Marshall last Saturday night in Huntington, but should challenge the Terriers on Saturday on both sides of the ball. Marshall transfer Eddie Sullivan (19-of-40 passing, 191 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT) and true freshman Troy Mitchell (20-of-29 passing, 149 yds) will share the quarterback responsibilities on Saturday.

One of the real surprises so far on offense has been running back Darius Ramsey (30 rush att,144 yds, 4.8 YPC/5 rec, 54 yds, 10.4 YPR). The true freshman from right up the road in Shelby, N.C., could challenge the Terriers' defense with his speed.

Once again, the Catamounts have a strong contingent of wide receivers, led by Deja Alexander (1 rec, 12 yds) and Jacoby Mitchell (15 rec, 127 yds, 1 TD, 8.5 YPC).

In recent seasons, the Catamounts have yielded huge, 500-plus yard rushing days to the Terriers. Anchoring the WCU defense this season are linebackers Rock Williams (18 tackles, 2 FFs) and Courtland Carson (19 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 PBU).

Final Prediction: Western Carolina will give the Terriers a solid opening test. This isn't the Catamount team that Wofford has become accustomed to in recent seasons. They will score some points on Saturday, but the defense, while improved, is still a long way from where it needs to be. The Catamounts will again struggle to stop Wofford's Breitenstein and the wing-bone attack. 

Wofford 48, Western Carolina 31

  

WHO: Western Carolina (1-0, 0-0 SoCon) at Marshall (0-1, 0-0 C-USA)

WHEN: Sept. 8, 2012, 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Huntington, WVa. Joan C. Edwards Stadium (38,019)

Quick Preview: An old Southern Conference rivalry will be renewed on Saturday evening as Western Carolina and Marshall meet on the gridiron for the first time since the Thundering Herd called the Southern Conference home back in 1996. A No. 1 FCS-ranked Marshall team easily dispatched the Catamounts, 56-21 in Huntington, WVa., and the Thundering Herd has won the last four between the two. Saturday night's meeting will mark the 21st all-time meeting between the two schools, with the series being all tied at 9-9-2.

Western Carolina was impressive in its season opener, posting a 42-14 win over Mars Hill last Thursday night in Cullowhee. Marshall dropped its season opener 69-34 to in-state rival and FBS No.11-ranked West Virginia.

The Catamounts played nine freshmen in Thursday night's opener against Mars Hill under first-year head coach Mark Speir. On offense, most are talking about the fact that it will be an old Marshall player at the controls of the WCU spread offense this evening, as Eddie Sullivan is also set to lead the Catamounts' offense after being suspended for the season opener.

Sullivan might not start, but is expected to see action this evening. True freshman Troy Mitchell was extremely impressive in the season opener against Mars Hill, connecting on 20-of-29 passes for 149 yards, while rushing 13 times for 38 yards and a couple of scores. During Sullivan's time with the Thundering Herd, he logged only limited action, completing 6-of-24 passes for 134 yards and a TD, while rushing for 51 yards on 12 attempts.

The running game has plenty of options, with three players returning with starting experience, and one very impressive freshman in Darius Ramsey, who garnered SoCon Freshman of the Week accolades by finishing the season opener with 120 yards on 20 attempts, while Shaun Warren added 72 yards on 12 carries, and veteran Michael Johnson had 69 yards and two TDs on just six carries.

Jacoby Mitchell and Deja Alexander head up a talented, explosive WR corps for the Purple and Gold. Mitchell led the Catamounts in the season opener, with six catches for 43 yards, while Alexander was held to just one catch for 12 yards.

Defensively, the Catamounts will utilize a 4-2-5 alignment and will be led by linebacker Rock Williams, who posted a team-leading 10 tackles in the season-opener. WCU did yield 333 yards in the season opener to the Lions, including 207 rushing yards.

Marshall's Doc Holliday is in his third season at the helm of the Thundering Herd football program, and he is slowly but surely starting to turn around a program that is coming off a 2011 season which saw the Herd post a 20-10 Beef O'Brady's Bowl win over Florida International and a 7-6 overall record and a 5-3 record in the C-USA East to tie for second in the division last fall.

On offense, the Herd will be led by talented flame-throwing quarterback Rakeem Cato under center. Cato was impressive in the season-opening loss to the Mountaineers, as he connected on 38-of-54 passes for 413 yards, with a couple of scoring tosses and an INT. He was at the helm of a Marshall offense that generated 545 yards in the season opener last Saturday. 

Travon Van is the top running back for the Herd, and he is coming off a season-opener which saw him rush for 38 yards and a couple of scores on 16 carries. Among the litany of receiving options for the Herd, the best of the bunch is Aaron Dobson and tight end Eric Fronhapfel. Fronhapfel led the Herd's receiving efforts in the season opener, with six receptions for 60 yards and a score. Dobson showed his big-play ability with four catches for 72 yards.

The Marshall defense surrendered 655 yards of total offense to West Virginia in the season opener and 69 points. The unit is led by strong safety Dominic LeGrande, who posted 13 tackles, a TFL and forced a fumble in the season-opening loss.

Final Prediction: Marshall 48, Western Carolina 28

Just The Picks:

Chattanooga 21, Jacksonville State 19

North Carolina Central 26, Elon 23

Wofford 58, Lincoln 10

Samford 35, West Alabama 3

WHO: Georgia Southern (1-0, 0-0 SoCon) at The Citadel (1-0, 0-0 SoCon)

WHEN: Sept. 8, 2012

WHERE: Charleston, S.C., Johnson Hagood Stadium

Overview: Georgia Southern and The Citadel seem to always be one of the more contested rivalries in the Southern Conference, but it doesn’t get the recognition that some of the other matchups around the league get.

Georgia Southern opened its 2012 season with a convincing 58-0 win over Jacksonville, while The Citadel looked impressive in handing cross-town rivals Charleston Southern.

Last season was no different, as Georgia Southern hung on to get a 14-12 win over the visiting Bulldogs.

Benefitting from a missed 31-yard field goal from The Citadel’s Ryan Sellers with 13 seconds remaining, and the Eagles kept their SoCon title hopes intact with the two point victory.

Georgia Southern, of course, went on to claim the 2011 Southern Conference title, finishing 11-3 and 7-1 in the league before having its season end with a 35-7 loss to eventual national champion North Dakota State in the FCS semifinals.

The Bulldogs enter the 2012 season off a 4-7 overall mark and a 3-5 record in conference last season. Despite close games in the series, Georgia Southern has owned the overall series between the two, holding a 17-4 all-time series edge.

The Citadel hasn’t tasted victory since Oct. 28, 2006, as the Bulldogs got a 24-21 win in 2006. Of the 21 meetings between the two programs, nine meetings have been decided by a TD or less.

Close games in this series, which began Georgia So. at The Citadel 2010 in 1988 in the FCS playoffs, have been a recent trend, as eight of the nine games decided by a TD or less have come since 2000.

Prior to 2000, the only meeting to be decided by a TD or less was the 1994 meeting, which The Citadel claimed with a 17-15 win in Charleston.

Five of the past six matchups between the two have been decided by less than a TD, with few soon to forget the 44-41 triple-overtime win by Georgia Southern in ‘08. Georgia Southern holds a 6-3 all-time edge in games played in Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston.

The Citadel will always represent a part of Georgia Southern football history, as the Bulldogs marked the first game the Eagles ever played as a Southern Conference football member in 1993.

The Eagles went on to the 16-6 victory.This season, the Eagles welcome the return of 15 starters for the 2012 season, while the Bulldogs have 16 starters back.

Both teams are back to running the triple option offense and both offenses were among the top rushing offenses in the nation last season. It’s rare to see a team open conference play with a loss and go on to win the league title.

In fact, since 1970 only three teams have lost their Southern Conference opener and gone on to at least claim a share of the league title.

William & Mary accomplished the feat in 1970 (Lost SoCon opener to The Citadel, 16-7), Georgia Southern in ‘02 (Lost SoCon opener to Wofford, 14-7) and Appalachian State in ‘07 (Lost SoCon opener to Wofford, 42-31).

The Bulldogs could be positioning themselves to be a darkhorse conference title and FCS playoff contender this fall. The Citadel completed the 2011 season with a 4-7 record, but lost five games by a total of 10 points last season.

Preview: Georgia Southern and The Citadel of course utilize the same offensive scheme, which means this game should be over in less than two hours. All kidding aside, recent history has shown that when these two teams meet, it means war.

Georgia Southern gave folks no reason to think that the Eagles wouldn't once again be the team to beat in the Southern Conference, as the Eagles made easy work of Pioneer league foe Jacksonville, 58-0, in the season opener at Allen E. Paulson Stadium.

The GSU offense was nothing short of explosive in the season opener, as the Eagles rolled up 558 yards, with all those yards coming on the ground.

The GSU offense looked much more potent this season under the direction of both Ezayi Youyoute and Jerick McKinnon, who helped pace that vaunted attack. Youyoute finished the game with a career high 164 yards and three TDs rushing, but was 0-for-8 passing. 

The Eagles have plenty of ground options, with the two best ground threats being fullback Dominique Swope and slotback Robert Brown.

Both Swope and Brown have rushed for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, and it was Swope that was solid once again running the football last Saturday, posting 104 yards and three TDs, on just 13 carries.

On a day when it was tough for the Eagles to find any daylight running the football in the 14-12 win over the Bulldogs last fall, it was Brown who led the rushing efforts for GSU, as he finished the day with 90 yards on 17 attempts.

Jonathan Bryant is a dual threat at slotback, as he was one of the leading receiving threats last season and he is explosive as a ground option on the perimeter for GSU. He will team with Darreion Robinson and Brian Wilcher on the outside. 

Kentrellis Showers (15 rec, 258 yds, 3 TDs, 17.2 YPR) is yet another explosive option at wideout heading into the SoCon opener. 

The GSU offensive line, which is yet again one of the best in the SoCon, is anchored by left tackle Dorian Byrd and veteran left guard Blake DeBartola. 

Manrey Saint-Amour is coming off a season which saw him garner SoCon All-Freshman honors last fall.

The GSU defense was a bit maligned last season, after returning 10 starters from a unit that ranked among the top 10 in the FCS in 2010, but only managed to rank sixth in total defense in the SoCon last fall. 

The Eagles made a statement in the opener, recording just the second shutout during head coach Jeff Monken's tenure (the last came against The Citadel, Oct. 23, 2010). The stingy GSU 4-2-5 defense limited the Dolphins to just 178 yards of total offense, including only 98 yards on the ground. 

Leading that GSU defense this fall is All-America nose tackle Brent Russell, who entered the season as a leading candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award. He only had one tackle last week, and he enters the 2012 season ranking fourth on the school's all-time sacks ledger, with 20.5 sacks in his career. 

Another player to keep an eye on as a part of what is one of the best defensive lines in the Southern Conference this fall is Dion DuBose, who sat out the 2011 season with an injury.

The Eagles are young at LB, but players like Quaun Daniels and Patrick Flowe are athletic and looked to be future stars on the GSU defense. Flowe finished second on the squad in tackles in last week's win, with four tackles and a sack, while Daniels added a pair of tackles. 

Much of the concern coming into the season defensively was quality depth at cornerback, and also concern surrounded on LaRon Scott's vacated cornerback position, but the unit didn't show any deficiencies in the season opener picking off three Dolphin passes.

One of the more intriguing story lines heading into the campaign is J.J. Wilcox, who is one of the best athletes on the team, and after serving as one of the Eagles' top offensive weapons each of the past two seasons, he started his first game on the defensive side of the ball at strong safety.

Wilcox made the most of his first start in the secondary, picking off his first career pass and adding three tackles.

Cornerback Valdon Cooper picked off a pass and returned it 60 yards for a score in his first start.

The Citadel figures to be a darkhorse in this year's Southern Conference race, and the Bulldogs opened the season with an easy 49-14 win over cross-town foe Charleston Southern, and looked impressive beginning their third season utilizing the triple-option offense. 

The Bulldogs rolled up nearly as many yards as the Eagles did in their opener against the Dolphins, as The Citadel completed the evening with 527 yards of total offense, including 479 of those yards coming on the ground. 

Much like GSU, the Bulldogs have the ability to play two quarterbacks, with Ben Dupree being the starter, while Aaron Miller could also see action on Saturday night, as he did in the opener and down the stretch last season. 

Both were effective in the win over the Buccaneers last Saturday. 

Dupree rushed 17 times for 77 yards and a pair of TDs, while Miller accounted for all of The Citadel's passing yards, connecting on 3-of-5 passes for 48 yards.

Miller was especially effective against GSU last season in the two-point loss, rushing for 80 yards and a TD on 19 attempts. 

Like GSU, the Bulldogs have a litany of explosive options on the ground, beginning with fullback Darien Robinson, who rushed for 120 yards and a TD on 12 carries in the opener.

Robinson led the GSU ground efforts last season against the Eagles, rushing for 92 yards and a score on nine carries. One of those attempts saw scamper 26 yards to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead early in the opening quarter. 

Another explosive ground option for the Bulldogs is slotback Rickey Anderson, who was solid in the season opening win, rushing for 80 yards and three scores on just 10 carries. Anderson could also be an explosive receiving option out of the backfield with his speed.

Former quarterback Matt Nelson and senior wideout Greg Adams are the Bulldogs' two best big-play options in the passing game. 

Experience also abounds on the offensive line for the Bulldogs, which returned four starters coming into the 2012 season. Anchoring that unit is arguably the top center in the SoCon, in junior Mike Sellers. This is a unit that helped the Bulldogs average 284 yards on the ground last season to rank second nationally in rushing offense.

Defense always seems to be a strength for Kevin Higgins coached teams and 2012 should see that trend continue.

With the likes of Derek Douglas and Chris Billingslea back to anchor one of the nation's top defensive lines. While Douglas is working his way back from an ACL injury in spring practice, it will be up to fellow bookend Billingslea to shoulder much of the load. Billingslea had a big impact in the season opening win over the Buccaneers, with a sack and a forced fumble.

Linebacker was a big question mark entering the 2012 season, losing both Tolu Akindele and Rod Harland to graduation. However, Rah Muhammad and Carson Smith were both solid in their first starts for the Bulldogs' defense, recording six tackles apiece in the win.

There were also question marks in the secondary, losing players like Joseph Boateng and Jeremy Buncum. But safety Austin Boyle and cornerback Brandon McCladdie were two of the veteran holdovers, and both were solid in last week's win.

Boyle notched his first INT of the season in last week's win.

The Bulldogs had plenty of success against the vaunted GSU offense last season, holding the Eagles to just 320 yards of total offense last season, with Appalachian State being the only team more successful at limiting the GSU attack during the regular season.

Final Prediction: This game will be one to watch and I think if someone is going to beat the Eagles in conference play this season, it has to be early on in the season.

The Bulldogs play the Eagles as good as any team in the league. Head coach Kevin Higgins is just 3-20 all-time against ranked foes, but did manage to notch one of those wins last season with the Bulldogs' 28-27 win over No. 15 Chattanooga in a game in which they trailed 27-0 in the third quarter.

This one should go the way of the Eagles, but it won't be easy!

31-28 Eagles 

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

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

WHERE: Paladin Stadium (16,000)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Height also had three receptions for 37 yards.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He finished the game with a pair of tackles.

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

Last week against Samford, he posted five stops.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Additionally, the senior cornerback also recorded a tackle. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

McCloud runs hard and is explosive with good speed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

24-14, Furman