Tribe run wild, Paladins run mild in Furman loss

Furman's Colton Hinton hauls in an 84-yard touchdown during the
Paladins' 34-24 loss at William & Mary. Photo courtesy of Furman

Note: Apologies for the delay in this game story this week. It was already delayed to begin with, but my plan was to publish Friday morning and then have a preview of the Samford game published Saturday morning. Those plans fell through when I lost power overnight Thursday and wasn't able to finish this until going out of town and getting my computer powered up again. Thanks as always for reading.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - It took a few days to write this one as Furman's 34-24 loss at 12th-ranked William & Mary Saturday was one of the more unusual games I've seen. In about 50 years of watching the Paladins, I'm sure there's been a couple of times they've jumped out to a 14-0 lead only to go on to lose. However, I'm fairly certain Furman's never taken an early 14-0 lead and failed to rush for 100 yards and lose.

Running the ball and stopping the run have always been kind of a 1a. and 1b. in Furman's football textbook. Neither of those things happened last Saturday night at Zable Stadium. It was the Paladins' first game at William & Mary since rushing for 509 yards in a 52-6 win in 1999. On Saturday, Furman had 84 yards rushing on 30 attempts.

Meanwhile, William & Mary's senior backfield trio of quarterback Darius Wilson and running backs Bronson Yoder and Malachi Imoh accounted for 371 of the Tribe's 384 yards rushing. Yoder, a Walter Payton Award watch list member, proved to be a load to bring down in his 166-yard night, while the Paladins could never get a hold of Wilson as he ran for 155.

"We didn't tackle very good on defense, but I knew they'd be good. Their quarterback was fantastic. When you've got a guy like that, he just brings a whole new dimension to it," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "We're looking to get off the field (defensively). We have a perfect call and we don't do what we're supposed to do. Right now, that's the killer for us. We just make so many mistakes.

"It's one thing if you can't tackle their guy, but it's another thing when you're not doing what you're supposed to do."

Despite getting dominated on the ground and clock, missing two chip shot field goals and losing the turnover battle (3-2), Furman kept hanging around. The Paladins managed to stay within striking distance until the Tribe scored a touchdown with 57 seconds left to seal the 10-point win.

That speaks to how much this young Furman team fights. Of the 65 Paladins that made the trip, 31 are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen.

"Yeah, we're young. ... But our season (starting with August camp) - not our games - is about halfway over and we're making some mistakes we shouldn't be making," Hendrix said. "It's disappointing, but our guys hang in there and don't go aways. They keep coming back. We've just got to learn how to win against a good team."

The first five minutes of the game could not have been scripted any better for Furman (1-3). On the game's first play, Evan DiMaggio pressured Wilson to the left sideline. Wilson managed to get a pass off before getting nailed by DiMaggio, but it was right to linebacker Luke Clark for an interception at the Tribe's 27-yard line.

On Furman's first play, Myion Hicks rumbled for 13 yards. Much like William & Mary's first play turned out to be its lone turnover of the night, the Paladins' first play turned out to be their only run of more than 10 yards.

On a night when these two well respected institutions of higher learning combined for 247 yards worth of 21 penalties, officials set their tone for the game two plays later. Trey Hedden's four-yard touchdown pass to Colton Hinton was wiped out by a controversial chop block penalty on Brock Chappell. Chappell atoned for whatever he did wrong two plays later with a spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown two plays later.

"It was a good play that we'd been drawing up all week and put in the game plan. We ran it a few times in practice ... and it paid off out there," Chappell said. "I came off the ball, hit the guy I needed to hit, got loose and just made a play on the ball."

After 18 yards on two carries that opening drive, Hicks carried eight times for 28 yards the rest of the way to lead Furman in rushing with 46 yards.

Backed with a lot of momentum off the turnover and touchdown, Furman's defense appeared to force a three-and-out on William & Mary's next possession, but Jalyn Moson was flagged for pass interference on 3rd-and-11. There was nothing controversial about this penalty as it was simply a horrible call. The Paladins did stop the drive three plays later when Imoh was tackled for a gain of one on third-and-two.

On Furman's first play after the Tribe's punt, Hedden threw deep to Hinton. The Paladins' fastest player pulled away from defenders on his way to an 84-yard touchdown to help push the lead to 14-0.

William & Mary's veteran team wasn't fazed by the early hole. The Tribe answered on its ensuing possession when tight end Sean McElwain made a fantastic 21-yard catch in the end zone. Furman linebacker Brandt Babin had blanket coverage on McElwain, but it was just another William & Mary senior making a big play.

Furman's ensuing possession began a stretch of three consecutive three-and-outs for its offense. By the time the Paladins got their next first down - with less than five minutes left in the first half - the Tribe had a 17-14 lead thanks to Wilson's 53-yard touchdown run.

"After that first play of the game, he didn't make many mistakes," Hendrix said. "His two long runs should never happen though. He was going to get his yards, but so much of it was us not doing what we're supposed to do."

That first down late in the first half came on a 43-yard pass to a wide open Jackson Pryor. It the first collegiate catch for the true freshman tight end. A targeting penalty against the Tribe put Furman in the red zone, but the Paladins had to settle for a field goal attempt. Fresh off earning Southern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors for made field goals of 48 and a school-record 57 yards the week before, Ian Williams missed a 29-yard try.

A 22-yard punt return by Hinton set up Furman near midfield with 1:43 left in the half. After Hedden was sacked on first down, he was picked off on second down. William & Mary, which was 0-for-2 on field goals entering last Saturday, made it 2-for-2 on field goals in the first half to take a 20-14 lead into halftime.

An offensive pass interference penalty on the second play of the second half effectively killed Furman's possession, which ended on Williams' 23-yard punt out of bounds that gave the Tribe the ball at the Paladins' 40-yard line. William & Mary pushed the lead to 27-14 when Wilson threw a 15-yard touchdown to senior Hollis Mathis on third-and-seven.

Furman's ensuing possession began with another long pass to a wide open Pryor, this time for 45 yards to the Tribe's 18-yard line. It appeared the Paladins had answered with a touchdown when Hicks scored from two yards out. However, officials determined that Furman was guilty of holding in the three-second time span it took Hicks to cross the goal line.

"It was the only holding call of the game, which is insane based on what I saw going on out there," Hendrix said. "Calls are going to get missed, but I really dislike calls that were made that don't happen. We have two holding penalties this year. Both were on touchdown plays. Both were inside the five-yard line. Neither one showed up on tape.

"But you've got to keep working and make your on luck. We had an offensive pass interference because it was such a bad throw on the screen pass that nobody touches it. We're downfield blocking because of that. Even if we throw it incomplete but touch it, it wouldn't have been a 15-yard penalty. So they back it up and we make a 23-yard punt to start the second half and they score a touchdown. That was a big difference in the game and that's where we are right now."

The Paladins did end up with points on the possession when Grant Robinson scored from four yards out, helping cut the lead to 27-21 midway through the third quarter.

William & Mary fumbled a field goal snap on its next possession setting the Paladins up at their own 33. On a fourth-and-one near midfield, Chappell made another great catch for a 12-yard gain. Furman was prepared to go for it again on fourth-and-one, this time at the Tribe four-yard line, but a false start nixed that plan. The Paladins settled for a 27-yard field goal try that Williams missed.

Furman's defense forced a three-and-out and got the Paladins the ball back at the William & Mary 44. But on the first play, Hedden's pass was picked off. Furman's defense ended the next drive on a fumble recovery by Caldwell Bussey at the Paladins' 40. Furman again had to settle for a field goal, but Williams finally got one to split the uprights as his 33-yard kick cut the lead to 27-24 with 6:18 left.

The Tribe answered with three third-down conversions - one more than Furman had all night - on their ensuing possession. The last one of those with a back-breaking 12-yard touchdown run by Yoder to seal the win with 57 seconds left.

William & Mary (3-1) entered as one of the best teams in the FCS on third down, while Furman (1-3) entered as one of the worst. Those trends continued Saturday. The Tribe converted 9-of-17 third downs, while the Paladins converted just 2-of-11. Furman has converted 13-of-52 (25 percent) this season, which ranks 109th in the country.

Furman's inability to run the ball consistently is undoubtedly a big factor in its third-down struggles. The running game issues were all the more frustrating Saturday considering that big pass plays should've loosened some of those running lanes up a little. Playing without reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Week Joshua Harris, Hedden still threw for 264 yards on 13-of-26 passing. Of those 13 completions, seven went for double-digit gains by six different receivers.

"We've got a bunch of guys in that (receiving) group that came make some plays," Hendrix said. "We've had too many third-and-longs."

Harris was suspended for a violation of team rules. During his Monday press conference, Hendrix said there is no timetable for when Harris might be able to return.

"There's no update," Hendrix said. "We've got standards we go by here and nothing has changed this week."

With the non-conference portion of its schedule complete, Furman's attention turns to SoCon play. The last two conference champions were set to meet Saturday at Paladin Stadium, when the Paladins were scheduled to host Samford at 2 p.m. The game was postponed by the weather-related issues this past week. As of Sunday, Sept. 29, there's been no update on when or if that game will be played.

Furman has big opportunity at William & Mary

Furman's Trey Hedden earned SoCon Offensive Player and National
Freshman of the Week honors this week. Photo courtesy of Furman

It's become a bit of a cliche in sports to say that "polls don't matter." In many cases, this is true. Like it or not, in the world of FCS football, they do matter - even in September. As a program that's had its playoff bubble burst as an unranked Southern Conference champion in 2018, Furman is fully aware of this.

The Paladins (1-2) fell out of the FCS media and coaches polls for the first time in two years following their loss to Charleston Southern on Sept. 7. This Saturday night offers a chance for Furman, which is still receiving votes in both polls, to likely hop right back in if it can pull off a win at 12th-ranked William & Mary. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Saturday also offers the chance for Furman to enter SoCon play on a high note against a former league member that the Paladins have a lot of respect for.

"We don't get to do this very often, but I really enjoy playing against people that are a little bit like us as an institution. They play with true student-athletes," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "I have great respect for their institution and how they go about it. We recruit a lot of the same kind of kids.

"Watching tape of them, they're talented and really well coached. They've got a good scheme. We're built similarly. They want to be a physical football team and run the ball."

Saturday also renews an old SoCon rivalry ... sort of. Even though William & Mary was in the league from 1936-76, it only faced Furman 10 times over that span. None of those meetings were really as significant as the five games in the series since:

• In 1989, Frankie DeBusk ran three times for 83 yards and two first quarter touchdowns, while Carl Tremble rushed for 115 yards and a fourth quarter touchdown as Furman opened the Division I-AA playoffs with a 24-10 win over the Tribe at Paladin Stadium.
• In 1990, No. 7-ranked Furman traveled to 10th-ranked William and Mary for an unusual non-conference showdown on the first Saturday of November. DeBusk threw three touchdowns and ran for another to give the Paladins a 28-24 lead going into the fourth quarter before the Tribe rallied for a 38-28 win. William & Mary had 593 yards of total offense that day while Furman had 554. Donald Lipscomb broke the school record for receiving yards in a single game with 202 on six catches. His total is now tied for second in school history.
• Furman opened the 1994 season with a respectable 27-6 loss at Clemson and a 26-21 win over S.C. State before hosting William & Mary the following week. On that day, the Paladins lost starting quarterback Philly Jones for the season with a broken wrist and also lost five turnovers. Braniff Bonaventure nearly rallied the Paladins to victory, but a failed two-point conversion run with 3:35 left sealed the Tribe's 28-26 win. William & Mary was led by Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who had 94 yards receiving and a touchdown. That rough day was kind of an omen for the season as Furman went 3-8 in Bobby Johnson's first year as head coach.
• In 1999, Furman rebounded from a 24-22 season-opening loss to Elon in which the Paladins missed a field goal with 38 seconds left with a 52-6 rout at William & Mary the next week. Furman's triple-option attack piled up 509 yards on the ground for the second-highest rushing day in school history. That started a seven-game winning streak for the Paladins, who finished 9-3 and won the SoCon title.
• In 2000, Louis Ivory rushed for 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Furman beat William & Mary 34-10. Ivory, who went on to win the Walter Payton Award that year, helped the Paladins record another 9-3 season.

Furman could use some offensive performances like that again Saturday in Williamsburg, Va. as William & Mary (2-1) is solid on both sides of the ball. The Tribe are coming off a 28-21 win in a back-and-forth game at Wofford last week. Furman will be their third SoCon opponent this season as they opened with a 41-7 win over VMI. It will also be their third consecutive game against a Palmetto State opponent as they lost at Coastal Carolina, 40-21, in week two.

Led by senior running back Bronson Yoder, who's on the Payton Award watch list, William & Mary averages 196.7 rushing yards per game. Fellow senior running back Malachi Imoh has averaged 7.0 yards per carry in his career. Tribe senior quarterback Darius Wilson ranks 16th nationally in passing efficiency (151.2). Meanwhile, William & Mary's defense ranks ninth nationally in pass defense efficiency (93.7).

Third downs could be a factor Saturday. The Tribe is sixth in the country in third-down conversion percentage (51.2) and 12th in third-down defense (27.8). On the other side, Furman has converted only 11-of-43 third downs (25.6 percent), while allowing 37.8 percent (17-of-45).

"We will have a big, big challenge this week. ... They're much more of a veteran team than we are right now," Hendrix said. "They've got a veteran quarterback, who's a true dual threat guy, and several good running backs."

The Paladins will look to build off a strong showing in last week's 48-7 win over Stetson. In his collegiate debut as a starter, freshman quarterback Trey Hedden completed 20-of-27 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a 13-yard touchdown. He was subsequently named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week and Stats Perform National Freshman of the Week.

Hedden's big day led to a career-high day for Joshua Harris, who caught seven passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. 

After failing to record a turnover in back-to-back games for the first time in six years, Furman's defense came up with three interceptions last week. That included two by freshman safety Billy Lewis. The Paladins' offense did not suffer a turnover for the first time this season also last week.

William & Mary has yet to throw an interception this season, but has lost three out of seven fumbles. It's defense has forced three turnovers.

Furman could have an edge on special teams. Ian Williams earned SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week last week after drilling field goals of 48 and a school-record 57 yards. He also averaged 44.8 yards per punt and sent eight of his nine kickoffs for touchbacks. William & Mary is 0-for-2 on field goals this season, with misses from 48 and 37 yards.

Saturday's game will be Furman's only one this season not available on ESPN+. With William & Mary being the home team, the broadcast will only be available via FloSports, the official television provider of the Coastal Athletic Association. A monthly subscription to FloSports costs a laughable $29.99 per month, which I guess is required to fund a 16-team league like the CAA.

Stanfield's plaque installed at Paladin Stadium

A view of Paladin Stadium from the newly installed
monument and plaque honoring Bryce Stanfield.

Bryce Stanfield would've turned 22 on Thursday. It's been seven months since the Furman defensive lineman with a million dollar smile passed away. That didn't stop his family and teammates from celebrating his birthday Thursday as if he were still here.

In the hearts and minds of those in the Stanfield family and the Furman family, he is still here. He always will be.

Furman made sure that Stanfield's legacy will be honored permanently thanks to a monument erected at the base of the Champions Walk in one corner of Paladin Stadium. Prior to the Paladins' home opener this season, there was a pregame ceremony honoring Stanfield. Coach Clay Hendrix presented a copy of the plaque that tops the monument honoring Stanfield to his parents, Fred and Teri.

"That was a pretty special ceremony. It doesn't get any easier," Hendrix said. "Some days you think it will, but it just ... But that (ceremony) was great for the family and for Furman."

The day before Furman's win over Stetson last week, the permanent version of plaque was installed. Now whenever the Paladins take that walk to the field, their old teammate will always be there to greet them.

"He will forever be a part of Paladin Stadium," Hendrix said.

The plaque features a picture of Stanfield at the top in between two diamond F logos. At the bottom are his accolades: President's Award winner; SoCon champion; SoCon All-Freshman team; Magna Cum Laude; SoCon Academic Honor Roll; and Three-Year Letterman.

In the middle is an inspiring quote from Stanfield that he wrote as part of the application process for Furman's Men of Distinction program. That program features Furman students helping mentor poor and at-risk youth in the community.

The plaque honoring Bryce Stanfield.

"His mom sent that to me sometime after his passing. ... That was his original rough draft that she had found and sent it to me," Hendrix said. "I just thought, 'man, what a perfect thing to put on his plaque.' "

The memorial is just another way that Furman is honoring Stanfield's memory this season. There are the "Stanfield Strong" stickers on each player's helmet, a "97" painted along the Furman sideline and the "Big Bryce Energy" and "Stanfield Strong" bracelets that his parents had made and have given out to his teammates and fans.

At every game this season, there have also been two different Paladins chosen to hold either side of Stanfield's No. 97 jersey out front of the team sideline while Stanfield's fellow team captains go to midfield for the pregame coin toss.

The first pair to do that were Jeremiah Jackson and Luke Clark. Clark said he can't really put into words what the memorial means to him, as well as having Stanfield's parents around this offseason and season. While being around the team undoubtedly helps them cope, their presence also helps the team.

"It's unbelievable how strong his parents are. I can't imagine just how strong they are. The amount of respect and love we have for them is tremendous," Clark said. "Having that memorial there for Bryce is special. I love it."

Fellow senior Bailor Hughes said coaches have long spoke about being a "Furman man." That's taken on a whole new meaning with what the team has been through since February.

"There wasn't a better example of a Furman man in this program than Bryce Stanfield," Hughes said.

Stanfield's memory will be remembered by another team on Friday when his old high school, Harrison High in Kennesaw, Ga., has a special pregame presentation. In what the school is calling "Big Bryce Energy Night," it's just another honor for someone who clearly made a positive impact everywhere he went.

Happy heavenly birthday, Bryce.

Furman coach Clay Hendrix hugs Bryce Stanfield's parents after presenting
them a copy of the plaque that honors their son. Photo courtesy of Furman

Big plays help Paladins cruise past Stetson

Furman's Joshua Harris had seven receptions for a career-high 164 yards and two
touchdowns in the Paladins' 48-7 win over Stetson. Photo courtesy of Furman

As Furman coach Clay Hendrix watched his team practice this spring and summer, he was confident that the Paladins could be more explosive on offense this fall. On Saturday, Furman showed why. The Paladins had more pass plays of 50-plus yards than they did in the entire 13-game season last year - and as many as they did in the 13-game season of 2022 - in a 48-7 victory over Stetson.

Making his first career start, freshman quarterback Trey Hedden threw two touchdowns and ran for another. Joshua Harris had a career-high 164 yards receiving and the offense didn't have a turnover after suffering four in last week's loss to Charleston Southern. After not forcing a turnover in back-to-back games for the first time in six years, the Paladins (1-2) also had three interceptions on defense Saturday.

"I'm happy for our kids. I'm most proud of how we responded after the last two weeks. We've come out and had really good practices and our focus has been really good," Hendrix said. "We got better today. ... We certainly still have a long way to go, but we got better.

"Confidence does wonders - if you handle it the right way. We've been humbled and I've told them to remember that feeling. You'd better keep some humility when you've had some success and I think they will. That's what I've enjoyed most about this team. They're a good practice team and they want to be a great practice team."

The game started how you might expect from one team hungry for its first win facing a team from the non-scholarship Pioneer Conference. On his first play of the game, Furman backup strong safety Billy Lewis ended the game's opening possession with an interception at midfield. It was the first of two picks Saturday for the redshirt freshman who's the grandson of former East Carolina coach Bill Lewis.

Hedden then directed a scoring drive that ended on a one-yard touchdown run by Grant Robinson as Furman took a 7-0 lead less than five minutes in.

From that point until late in the second quarter, Furman offense disappeared while its defense was plagued by penalties. Two of those were very questionable roughing the passer flags in which Furman defensive linemen basically had what would be the textbook definition of a pancake block if it had been an offensive player striking a defender.

After that 50-yard drive on the Paladins' opening possession, they had just seven yards the rest of the quarter. Meanwhile, Furman held Stetson to only 50 yards but the Paladins also had 53 yards worth of penalties over the first 15 minutes. Hendrix believes that was a big reason for a lull that lasted until late in the second quarter.

"I wasn't happy at all with the two roughing the passer calls. They were huge and changed the whole tempo of the game. We're up 7-0 and fixing to get the ball back (after the first penalty on a third-down incompletion), probably at midfield," Hendrix said. "I saw the replay about three times and I'm not sure what you can do (differently)."

After nearly a full half of dinking and dunking the ball left and right, Hedden's big arm was finally turned loose with 3:39 left in the half. That's when he found a wide open Ben Ferguson for a 51-yard touchdown to push Furman's lead to 17-0. 

The Paladins got the ball back at their own 40 with 1:51 left after Stetson (2-1) was stopped on fourth down. Four plays later, one of the prettiest throws you'll ever see took place when Hedden hit Harris in stride down the right sideline for a 50-yard touchdown to send Furman into halftime leading 24-0.

"I think we wanted to do the easy things well to start the game and create those bigger plays later," Hedden said. "I think it's really important to establish the run and get some easy completions to try to start moving the sticks and get some rhythm."

Furman got the ball to start the second half, but a block in the back on the kick return backed the Paladins up to their own 10-yard line. That didn't stop the big play momentum from carrying over from the last four minutes of the first half though.

On the first play, Hedden threw another deep ball to Harris down the right sideline again. This time, the defender managed to ride Harris out of bounds as Hedden was preparing to throw. Harris didn't give up on the play though and came back in bounds to haul in the 58-yard pass. Since he was driven out of bounds by the defender, it was a legal catch.

"On that first (touchdown), he called it and it was one-on-one. I was like 'this is an opportunity I have to take advantage of.' I can't leave plays like that out on the field," Harris said. "When Trey threw it, I knew I could run under that one. We've been working on that during practice and after practice, just working on the trajectory of the ball and me running under it.

"The second one (deep ball) was crazy. I got pushed out (of bounds), but I knew I could keep going. If it's in my area, I've got to go get it."

Just like that, one play into the third quarter, Furman had its third pass play of at least 50 yards Saturday. The Paladins had two of those all of last season and three in 2022. Two plays later, Harris caught a 17-yard pass to the Stetson 13. That set up a beautifully designed play in which Hedden faked one of those dink and dunk passes to the right, then turned back to his left where he found a nearly empty swath of fake grass in front of him. He rumbled 13 yards for the touchdown withstanding hits by a pair of defenders at the goal line to push the lead to 31-0.

Later in the third, Furman was faced with a 3rd-and-27 at its own 46. Hedden completed a short pass to Ferguson, who managed to get 15 yards to the Stetson 39. While he was well short of the first down, anyone who's seen the Paladins the last couple of years and can do math quickly knew what was coming next. On a day with 51- and 50-yard touchdowns, Ian Williams provided the game's longest score when he drilled a 57-yard field goal right down the middle with plenty of distance to spare.

Williams' booming kick put his name atop the Furman record books for longest field goal in school history. It broke the previous mark of 55 shared by Grayson Atkins and Jon Croft Hollingsworth, whose kick beat Central Florida in 2016.

"I've always said I wouldn't hesitate to let him try one from 60 if the conditions are right," Hendrix said. "It's funny, he had been struggling a bit at practice early on, but the last couple of weeks he's kicked it really well in practice. I was thrilled for him today and thrilled for us to have a chance to be a part of that."

That scoring drive wrapped up Hedden's day, as he finished with 267 yards on 20-of-27 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He had 16 yards rushing on three carries, which included an eight-yard loss on the Hatters' lone sack.

"With this being our third game, I felt pretty comfortable. I was ready (to start)," Hedden said. "I was very confident and happy to have the guys around me to be able to go over the top and make big plays."

Sophomore Carson Jones came in at quarterback on Furman's next possession, but the Harris show continued. On third down, Jones hit Harris for a 30-yard touchdown. After that 57-yard first quarter, Furman posted 372 yards of total offense over the second and third quarters.

The Paladins went deep down the depth chart the rest of the way, but Gavin Hall's performance may have earned him more carries in the future. The true freshman was the fourth running back to touch the ball Saturday, but he ended with twice as many rushing yards as any of his teammates. Hall had with 72 yards on 10 carries, including a 12-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the fourth quarter to push the lead to 48-0.

"We played a bunch of guys in the second half who probably didn't practice for Stetson last week. They were actually probably being Stetson (in practice)," Hendrix said. "Gavin Hall came in and showed what he can do. We've got a good group of backs and I think it's going to be a 'by committee' group."

Hall just missed another touchdown run as he was tackled at the one with 1:17 left. Furman then took two knees to run out the clock.

The Paladins finished with a 510-244 edge in total offense. Furman also ended up with nine penalties for 108 yards. While a few of those were questionable, multiple pass interference calls in which the Paladins didn't play the ball were clearly correct.

"We've got to play the ball in the air better ... but that's stuff we can fix," Hendrix said. "I'd be really concerned if we were getting beat, but I don't see us getting beat. We've been in really good spots, we just have to play the ball better."

Harris' 164-yard day tied him with Donald Lipscomb for 10th place on Furman's single-game receiving chart. His seven catches moved him past Bear Rinehart (126) and Luther Broughton (123) into eighth place on the Paladins' career receptions list with 128.

Furman will wrap up non-Southern Conference play with a trip to No. 13-ranked William & Mary next Saturday at 6 p.m. The Tribe (2-1) scored a touchdown with 3:40 left to snap a tie in their 28-21 win at Wofford Saturday.

"That will be a challenge next week, but we will have a bunch of challenges moving forward," Hendrix said.

Freshman Hedden set for first start for Paladins

Furman freshman quarterback Trey Hedden is expected to make his
first start Saturday against Stetson. Photo courtesy of Furman

Furman freshman quarterback Trey Hedden appears set to make his first start when the Paladins host Stetson at 2 p.m. Saturday. He will look to provide a spark similar to the one he made in Furman's loss to Charleston Southern in the home opener last Saturday, albeit this time without the turnovers.

Hedden came in with 5:40 left in the first half last week and directed the Paladins on a touchdown drive that gave them the lead. He guided Furman on another scoring drive that ended on a go-ahead touchdown on its first possession of the second half. Hedden finished with 193 yards on 12-of-25 passing. Hedden also fumbled three times, lost two of them, threw an interception and was sacked four times.

Sophomore Carson Jones, who made the first two starts this season, will also likely see action Saturday. Jones was 6-of-10 passing for 42 yards last week, including an interception on the third play of the game.

"Obviously, Trey gave us a boost in some areas. He didn't take care of the ball like he should have for various reasons," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said Friday. "But I still think this thing (starting quarterback job) is going to be decided in a week or two. It might though. We'll see.

"I'm really proud of how they both practiced this week. In a lot of ways last week felt like the first week ... and Ole Miss already feels like it was an August scrimmage from two months ago. So I'm looking forward to seeing that progression."

After losing a turnover battle by four - the largest deficit during Hendrix's tenure as head coach - last week, it's imperative that whoever's playing quarterback must protect the ball.

"Ball security is job security," Hendrix said. "We've just got to be better and I think that will come with experience." 

As the last couple of seasons have shown, having a quarterback that's a threat to run has been a big part of Furman's offensive success. While no one is expecting Tyler Huff type of rushing numbers from Hedden or Jones, Hendrix is confident both can run and he wants to see them do more of it moving forward.

Hedden longest run last Saturday was a 10-yard gain, but that was a result of a busted play. As Huff showed, making something out of nothing is another positive aspect of having a mobile quarterback.

"I don't know that there's a lot of difference in either one running, expect that one of them (Hedden) is 230 pounds," Hendrix said. "I'd like to see them both be more assertive in the run game."

Burrell to miss 6-to-8 weeks

Joshua Burrell, a graduate transfer from Florida State who has two years of eligibility remaining, will miss six-to-eight weeks with a high ankle sprain he suffered on the third play of the game last week. It's a blow to an offense that has shown a good deal of success in utilizing big, pass-catching tight ends the last few seasons.

"It's not like we can't do that stuff, but if you had him available you're probably going to try to take advantage of that even more," Hendrix said. "I hate it for him, but he's already had the surgery and is doing well. ... It especially stunk the other (Saturday) night because we had a lot planned for him."

Hendrix said Burrell's injury is similar to the one that sidelined offensive lineman Luke Petit for the rest of the season last year, but Petit's injury was suffered in week six. He said by the end of last season, while Petit wasn't healthy enough to play, he was moving around pretty well.

An eerie old feeling of 2018

In addition to turnover issues on offense, Furman's defense has had their own - as in a lack of. The Paladins only had one game in each of the previous four seasons in which they didn't force a turnover but have yet to force one this season. The last time the Paladins had back-to-back games without getting a turnover was the first two games of the 2018 season.

Much like this season, Furman opened that year getting blown out by a national FBS power in Clemson. The next week, freshman quarterback Darren Grainger fumbled on the second play of the game. Elon returned the fumble for a touchdown and went on to blow out the Paladins. That turnover was kind of similar to Jones' interception on the third offensive play last week.

The third week of 2018, Furman was scheduled to host Colgate a year after stomping the Raiders on their home field. The threat of Hurricane Florence - and Colgate's refusal to move the game to another day - caused the game to be cancelled. While no hurricane is expected Saturday, heavy rain has been on the forecast all week.

Furman tried to make up that cancelled game with finding an opponent on its open date of Oct. 6 that season. There was only one other FCS team that also had a previously cancelled game and an open date of Oct. 6, With long road trips to San Diego and Drake sandwiched around that open date that school refused to play Furman - home or away.

That school just happened to be this week's opponent, Stetson.

Furman can certainly hope that some parts of 2018 continue this season, as Furman ended up going 6-4 and earning a share of the Southern Conference championship that year. That lost game - and likely seventh win - probably cost the Paladins a trip to the FCS playoffs that season though.

Turnover toll bounces Furman from polls

Furman's Xavier Stephens celebrates a sack during the Paladins'
24-20 loss to Charleston Southern. Photo courtesy of Furman

Following Furman's 24-20 home loss to Charleston Southern Saturday, Clay Hendrix couldn't recall if he's ever been involved in a win where his team was at least minus-four in the turnover battle. During his tenure as the Paladins' head coach, that's definitely the case for one simple reason. Saturday marked the first time that Furman had four more turnovers than an opponent in Hendrix's eight-year head coaching career.

The last time it happened to Furman was in 2016, when the Paladins lost four and forced none in back-to-back losses to Coastal Carolina and Kennesaw State.

There are plenty of things to work on moving forward for Furman (0-2), but turnovers were the biggest factor in Saturday's loss. For the game, the Paladins had a 336-257 advantage in total offense, 20-14 edge in first downs and had time of possession more than four minutes longer than CSU (1-1).

"Obviously, the glaring thing is the turnovers. ... We had every opportunity to still win the game," Hendrix said. "I kind of see that as a positive. But we also haven't created any (turnovers) and that's something we've been really, really good at."

The first turnover came on the third play of the game when Carson Jones' third-down pass was picked off by Chandler Perry near midfield. That didn't turn out to be too critical thanks to a fourth-down sack by Luke Clark on the Bucs' ensuing possession.

Furman avoided what could've been a disastrous turnover after the teams exchanged scores late in the first half. Freshman quarterback Trey Hedden took over at quarterback with 5:40 left in the second quarter and directed a drive that ended with a push pass to Colton Hinton for a five-yard touchdown that gave the Paladins a 10-6 lead. CSU answered with the first of two fantastic touchdown catches by a well-covered Noah Jennings. A two-point run by punter Gilbert Brown put the Bucs up 14-10.

"They throw two go (up and get it) balls. We're in great position on both of them, but their guys makes  a play on both for two touchdowns," Hendrix said. "I've talked about us being better at throwing the ball downfield and we have been all August. We throw two the other night that weren't well covered. One was a gimme touchdown, but we overthrew it. The other one we throw out of bounds. We had a couple of those at Ole Miss too."

After the kickoff, Furman took over at its own 22 with 23 seconds left. On first down, Hedden dropped back to pass and was hammered by Tylan Hollis forcing a fumble that was recovered by tight end Brock Chappell. The Paladins wisely simply let the clock run out following the recovery.

Furman wasn't quite as fortunate with turnovers in the second half. Midway through the third quarter, Hedden's pass was intercepted by Hollis, who returned it to the Furman nine-yard line. Two plays later, CSU took a 21-17 lead thanks to Autavius Ison's seven-yard touchdown run.

The Paladins responded with what looked to be their best possession of the night. The 13th play of the drive, which took 6:36 off the clock, was a first-and-goal at the CSU seven-yard line. Hedden scrambled from the pocket and just dropped the ball, which the Bucs recovered at their own nine-yard line.

Furman trailed 21-20 midway through the fourth quarter when Hedden was sacked by Perry, causing a fumble that was recovered by Hollis at the Paladins' 17-yard line. A personal foul pushed CSU back to the Furman 32, but that just gave the Bucs more room to shave off more clock before a field goal pushed its lead to 24-20.

"Trey came in and did some good stuff, but you've got to take care of the ball. I don't care what level of football you play, you've got to take care of the ball," Hendrix said. "We will learn from this and get better. We're a work in progress."

After a touchback on the kickoff, Furman should've began at its own 25 with 2:18 left. Instead, it started at the 20 thanks to an unfathomable delay of game penalty before the first play of the drive. Four Hedden incompletions later, the Bucs ran out the clock.

"I want to give them (CSU) a bunch of credit for doing what they had to to win the game. They took care of the ball, their receiver made two big plays for touchdowns and took advantage of a lot of mistakes we made," Hendrix said. "We talk a lot about Furman not beating Furman and man, we did a lot of stuff to beat ourselves."

In addition to losing four turnovers, Furman also didn't force any for the second consecutive game. The last time the Paladins went back-to-back games without getting a turnover on defense occurred in blowout losses to Clemson and Elon to start the 2018 season. In fact, over the last four seasons Furman's defense forced at least one turnover in all but one game each season.

"Those are things we're working hard daily to get better at. Everything we want is still out there in front of us," Hendrix said. "I told my staff (Monday) morning, I feel like we're five games in with the way the thing has started, but we're not. We just lost a game the other night that we felt like we should've won.

"We've still got a couple of weeks to get to the conference schedule, which is the most important part of all of us."

Paladins drop out of polls

The turnover streaks weren't the only ones to end for Furman, which dropped out of both the FCS media and coaches polls this week. The Paladins had been ranked for 22 consecutive weeks dating back to late October of 2022. 

They weren't the only Southern Conference team to fall from the polls. After an overall rotten Saturday for the league, which could be problematic come selection Sunday for the FCS playoffs, Western Carolina also got booted out of both polls. After a strong showing by the Catamounts in a season-opening loss at N.C. State, Western lost its home opener to Campbell Saturday.

Chattanooga also seemed to get unusually hosed in the polls after a 24-21 loss at FBS member Georgia State. The Mocs fell from 10th to 16th in the coaches poll and from No. 11 to No. 14 in the media poll after losing a game in which it led in the fourth quarter.

Mercer (2-0) did enter the poll at No. 23 (media) and No. 24 (coaches) and Wofford (2-0) received votes for both after its fourth consecutive win dating back to last season. The last three of those victories for the Terriers have been against teams that made the 2023 FCS playoffs.

Meanwhile, The Citadel lost in its home opener to South Carolina State Saturday. That came a week after the Bulldogs snapped an 11-game losing streak by rallying from 21-3 down to beat Charleston Southern. VMI also lost to Bucknell in its home opener.

Stanfield strong: Paladins set to honor Bryce

Captains Jeremiah Jackson (0) and Luke Clark (44) hold the jersey of Bryce
Stanfield prior to Furman's season opener. Photos courtesy of Furman

Clay Hendrix had one of the worst experiences of his coaching career during Furman's rough loss to open the season at Ole Miss last Saturday. After the game, Hendrix wasn't exactly pleased with the amount of time it was taking for the Paladins to load the buses for a road trip that saw them end up back on campus about 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

So Hendrix exited his assigned bus and waited outside. Outside of running into some former players who had made the trip, there weren't too many others where Hendrix was waiting. As he turned away after talking with them, he looked up and was greeted by the familiar smiles of Bryce Stanfield's parents, Fred and Teri.

"As bad as I felt about that whole night, seeing them just kind of changed everything," Hendrix said.

Hendrix said the Stanfields told him of their appreciation for what took place prior to the game. While captains Joshua Harris, Luke Petit and Evan DiMaggio went to midfield for the coin toss, the rest of the captains who would've lined up near each other on Furman's defensive front that night were seen in between the sideline and midfield. That's where Luke Clark and Jeremiah Jackson held Stanfield's jersey. Stanfield was the only unanimous choice for captain this season.

"(Seeing them) was perspective, and I've kind of learned a lot about that," Hendrix said. "Is Saturday the worst thing that ever happened to this football team? Nope, not even close."

While it may have been a needed dose of perspective in that moment for Hendrix, it was hardly a surprise that the Stanfields were in attendance that night. They've been with the team seemingly all spring and summer, ever since that tragic week in February. The week in which Bryce suffered a medical emergency while simply looking on at a Wednesday morning workout before passing away two days later. The Stanfields have been around supporting his teammates and coaches while mourning and remembering their son with them.

They'll be at Paladin Stadium Saturday when Furman hosts Charleston Southern at 6 p.m. Bryce's memory will be honored in a pregame ceremony on Sept. 7 of all days. Somehow Furman didn't open the season at home for the first time since 2018 this year. As if it was meant to be that No. 97 is honored on 9/7.

But Bryce Stanfield will be remembered long after Saturday. And long after this season in which his teammates will wear "Stanfield Strong" decals on the back of their helmets. From conversations I've had with coaches and players, he will live on in the hearts and minds of the "Furman family" forever.

The Player

Stanfield came to Furman in 2021 from Newnan, Ga. As a junior in 2019, he helped Harrison High School go 15-0 and had 10 tackles in its Class 6A state championship victory. He committed to the Paladins out of 25 offers, including schools such as Wake Forest, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State.

As a freshman at Furman in 2021, Stanfield was second on the team with three sacks before a foot injury against Chattanooga ended his season. He continued to be a major part of the rotation for dominant defenses the past two seasons without making a start.

  

"He was just the epitome of a Furman man. He could've started anywhere else in the SoCon and he just sums up what we want guys to be about," Furman defensive coordinator Duane Vaughn said. "He was a team first guy - big we, little me.

"We look at old film and we see what a player he was. ... It's so cliche, but man it's the truth: what an even better person."

Former teammate and position mentor Matt Sochovka is confident Stanfield would've been a pick for captain if he was still here. Sochovka said Stanfield's experience at Furman shows the kind of character and team first mentality Stanfield had.

"Think about this. You're a freshman coming to Furman out of some really good offers. He trained with great people. He comes in here and he's got this fifth-year senior (Sochovka) in front of him, so he's probably thinking he's going to start the next year," Sochovka said. "Then that freaking fifth-year comes back for two more years and you've got to sit behind his old ass. You're probably going to have a mindset of, 'can this guy just leave already?'

"It was never like that with Bryce. I was learning from him as a seventh-year senior. I was like, 'Bryce let's go watch some film on pass rush,' because he was a heck of a pass rusher. He was always so open and would tell me what he saw as we watched film."

The fact that this was finally going to be Stanfield's season to be a starter is something that Sochovka still has trouble reconciling.

"I did seven years here so I got to see young Bryce and old Bryce. Man, you talk about a pleasure to be able to see that kid grow and develop," Sochovka said. "Truthfully it was 1A and 1B for us. It wasn't first and second string.

"Yeah, we lost him and that sucks but also what hurts me the most is that he waited his turn and this was his year. ... The old man was gone and it was going to be Bryce's show. I was so excited to see him start this season and I'm heartbroken I don't get to see it."

The Teammate

Sochovka recalls Stanfield's first day with the team well. Coaches had informed him that Stanfield was "going to be a good player," and since they played the same position they wanted Sochovka to mentor him.

"On that first day of practice, I was like 'this kid knows more than me!' I was learning stuff from him because he's really talented," Sochovka said. "Four weeks later, I tear my MCL (knee ligament) in the first game and Bryce Stanfield is put out there as a true freshman. He makes a tackle-for-loss on that first drive. ... He got up and pointed right to his mom and dad. That's exactly who Bryce was.

"He was a baller, he loved his mom and dad and he loved everybody around him. So he was just a special kid from the beginning."

Stanfield could also be quite a "jokester" according to Sochovka. He said Stanfield would say something crazy in a meeting room that would get everybody rolling. That is, until it was time to go do work.

"Then it was no play, all business," Sochovka said. "That's who he was, but he knew how to keep it light."

While Furman delayed the start of spring practice following Stanfield's death, there's no textbook to guide you on when to resume some kind of normal schedule after something that traumatic. Clark was confident that Stanfield would've wanted the Paladins to get back to work as soon as possible.

"Everything we do is for him. If anything he gives us motivation to come out here and realize how blessed we are to be here," Clark said following the spring game. "It will never be normal. It will never be the same, but in honor of Bryce we're going to come out here and do work.

"I've never met someone more passionate or caring, and just enthusiastic to be here."

All Southern Conference championships are special. Carson Jones coming off the bench to rally Furman to a win at Chattanooga to clinch last season's was a special story itself. With the loss of Stanfield, memories from that day really stick out for Sochovka, who revealed that he was so banged up at the time he wasn't sure how much he'd play if at all. He said every time he hit the ground, Stanfield "had his back" and was ready to go in for him.

"It was very gloomy at one point, but we come back and win and after the game Bryce comes up to me and says 'Matt, I love you so much. Thank you for always being a big brother. I appreciate everything you've done for me.' And in the moment, I was like 'Bryce, shut up. I love you too,' " Sochovka said. "But now it's like man, I cherish that. Who would've known?"

The Legacy

One reason the Stanfields have been around the team so much this year is that defensive coordinator Duane Vaughn would not have it any other way.

"We're going to keep them a part of the family as long as I'm the defensive coordinator here at Furman," Vaughn said.

That bond started long before Stanfield's passing. Bryce's mother Teri and Vaughn's wife Christie connected through their support of the team. Christie Vaughn created the "Big Din Energy" sign that's been seen in Furman crowd shots quite a bit over the last couple of years.

"Mrs. Stanfield loved it so much that she went out and got Big Din Energy sweatshirts made for her family and then gave Christie one," Duane Vaughn said. "I told my wife, 'That's not normal for (the mother of) your backup defensive tackle - that could probably be starting - to be best friends with the defensive coordinator's wife.

"At a lot of places, they'd be giving my wife dirty looks and glares, not even wanting to speak to her because they think I'm holding their son back. That just speaks to the uniqueness here."

Christie Vaughn's slogan has a new twist this season. Now Furman is all about "Big Bryce Energy," which along with "Stanfield Strong" has been emblazoned on custom wristbands that Teri Stanfield handed out at Furman's Fan Day in August.

A story like Vaughn's reveals why Stanfield was successful at Furman and why he and his family are so beloved there. In addition to his on-field work, Stanfield was a member of the All-Southern Conference Honor Roll every year.

Hours before Stanfield passed, Furman President Dr. Elizabeth Davis visited his hospital room for a ceremony where Stanfield was accorded his Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, in health sciences.

"That was one of the greatest things I've ever seen," Hendrix said. "It was also one of the hardest."

Stanfield's off-field legacy will live on with events such as the children's book drive Furman has planned for Saturday. Celebrating Stanfield's love of reading to children in the community, "Bryce's Book Buddies Donation Drive" has a goal of providing picture books and beginning children's chapter books to students who may not otherwise have access to their own. Donation bins can be located at the Champions, Defenders and Pearce Horton Suite gates of Paladin Stadium Saturday.

"That dude is still serving the community," Sochovka said of the book drive. "He was a special kid from the beginning, including just seeing him develop outside of football. ... He was running like a boys club for at-risk youth, where he'd come talk to them, read to them, play basketball with them. He was just being around and showing them a positive influence. He had that contagious energy and smile.

"He always had that smile."

Sochovka believes Stanfield's legacy was already submitted well before he passed. He said that's just from the positive impact he made on the community and how he went about making that impact.

"He wasn't looking for validation. He did it in silence. A lot of people weren't aware of his efforts of outreach and giving back until his passed," Sochovka said. "I think that's what a lot of people want to be remembered for. They don't want to be remembered for a play they made on the football field. They want to be remembered for what they did for others. When you think of Bryce, you think about everything he did for the people around him, about the energy he brought and you think about the kind of guy he was.

"A helmet sticker and a plaque and everything they're doing to honor him is cool, but Bryce Stanfield being Bryce is enough for his legacy to be remembered forever."

Furman suffers "embarrassing" loss at Ole Miss

Furman's Carson Jones completed 15-of-25 passes for 119
yards Saturday at Ole Miss. Photo courtesy of Furman

For a young Furman secondary - that got younger in the last couple of weeks, opening the season at Ole Miss had the makings of a nightmare scenario. I don't think anyone could've imagined just how Freddy Krueger-like the Rebels would be. Ole Miss entered parts of the Furman record book that haven't been touched in years in a 76-0 win Saturday night in Oxford, Miss.

It's the most points the Paladins have allowed since a 77-14 Davidson win in the "football for fun" non-scholarship days of 1969. It's the fifth-most lopsided loss in Furman history, the most lopsided since an 81-0 loss to Army in 1955. To put it in more recent perspective, the Paladins' defense allowed more touchdowns (10) Saturday night than it did over the final seven games (9) of last season.

"I'm embarrassed. Embarrassed by the job I did in getting our guys ready to play. ... I'm just disappointed in how we self-destructed in the first half," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said on the Furman Radio Network's postgame show. "I didn't see anybody quit. They hung in there and fought."

After making the eight-hour bus ride from Greenville to Ole Miss, the Paladins faced a quarterback who could scoff as such humble means of transportation. One of Jaxson Dart's NIL deal partners is Nicholas Air, which allows him access to their full fleet of private jets to "travel with family, for training and to support his philanthropic efforts." That's only one of Dart's deals, which have a total NIL valuation of $1.3 million according to digital media company On3.

So Dart is compensated like a pro quarterback and on Saturday night, he played like one. He completed 22-of-27 passes for 418 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions, while rushing six times for 31 yards and a score. By the way, that was all in the first half. The Rebels missed a 53-yard field goal as time expired to settle for a 52-0 lead at halftime, at which point Dart clocked out for the night.

Going into this season, Furman was tasked with replacing its entire starting secondary as well as a few experienced reserves there. That task got tougher as preseason camp went along as Justin Hartwell and A.K. Burrell both suffered season-ending knee injuries. Both had chances of starting this season.

Dart, who played as a freshman at Southern Cal in 2021 before transferring to Ole Miss, spread the wealth to a bevy of talented receivers. They were led by Louisiana Tech transfer Tre Harris ($613,000 NIL valuation), who caught eight passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Cayden Lee had four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Caden Prieskorn ($334,000 NIL valuation), a 6-foot-6 tight end who transferred from Memphis and will turn 25 this month, had three catches for 77 yards and a score. In his first game with the Rebels, South Carolina transfer Juice Wells ($377,000 NIL valuation) caught two passes for 70 yards, including a 61-yard score.

"I knew that was a brutally tough matchup. Obviously, we won't face anybody close to that talented," Hendrix said. "The two safeties that were out hurt us, but we just didn't play up to our standard. Regardless of what the score is, that's what really matters." 

All those bombs helped open up running lanes for the Rebels, who finished with 243 yards rushing. Their ground game was led by Matt Jones, who carried three times for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Ole Miss also got a touchdown run from 325-pound defensive tackle J.J. Pegues ($293,000 NIL valuation), a transfer from Auburn. Pegues had four tackles, including two tackles-for-loss, on defense.

Ole Miss averaged 9.4 yards per play and finished with 772 yards of total offense, obliterating the previous record set by a Furman opponent. That was set two years ago when the Paladins defeated Western Carolina 47-40, despite 691 yards put up by the Catamounts. The Rebels also had 37 first downs.

Meanwhile, Furman was held to 172 yards of total offense and seven first downs. The Paladins had 30 rushing attempts for just 26 yards and were 3-of-17 on third down. Carson Jones got the starting nod at quarterback and made some nice throws early on. He finished with 119 yards on 15-of-25 passing with an interception. Freshman Trey Hedden came on in the second half and completed 5-of-8 passes for 27 yards. They were both sacked twice.

Joshua Harris had three catches for 59 yards, while Florida State transfer Joshua Burrell had two receptions for 43 yards. Myion Hicks led the Paladins in rushing with six carries for 23 yards, including a long of 19.

"We've just got to be better at finding ways to get off the field (defensively) and stay on the field (offensively)," Hendrix said. "We didn't do either one very well. We will learn from it, get better as coaches and move forward."

Furman (0-1) hosts Charleston Southern (0-1) in the home opener next Saturday at 6 p.m. The Buccaneers are coming off a 22-21 loss to The Citadel in which they missed a field goal as time expired after seeing a 21-3 third quarter lead disappear.