 |
| Ja'Keith Hamilton had career highs in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (104) in Furman's 28-24 win at Campbell. Photo courtesy of Furman |
Going into this football season, Furman had shoes to fill in a few areas but it felt like the most were at wide receiver. Last year's leading receiver, Colton Hinton, hit the transfer portal and is now at Coastal Carolina. Last year's second-leading receiver, Ben Ferguson, has yet to see any action in 2025 as he's dealing with a lingering back issue. Those two combined for 998 of Furman's 2,469 receiving yards last year and 83 of its 223 receptions.
John Holbrook, who averaged 14.9 yards per catch in limited action as a freshman in 2024, was lost for this season due to a knee injury suffered in the spring. The leading returning receiver healthy enough to play in the season opener was Ethan Harris, who hasn't played since that win over William & Mary due to injury.
On paper, there may have been questions surrounding the receiver position entering this season. In person, Paladins coach Clay Hendrix got all the answers he needed this offseason.
"I think I said several times in the preseason that it's a very talented group and they just continue to make plays," Hendrix said.
Three games into this season, that group has proven Hendrix right. During Furman's 28-24 win at Campbell on Sept. 13, true freshman Evan James had 10 receptions for 134 yards including a game-winning, 30-yard touchdown. Sophomore Ja'Keith Hamilton had 104 yards on seven catches, including a 28-yard effort on an inside screen pass that set up a touchdown that put the Paladins up 18-17 late in the third quarter.
James and Hamilton became the first Furman duo to have 100-plus receiving yards in the same game in 11 years. James' 10-reception effort established a new single-game record for Furman freshmen. For the season, James leads the Southern Conference and ranks 11th nationally averaging 97 yards receiving per game.
"I think there are multiple guys in that (receiving) room that could do the same. It makes my job a lot easier when you have three or four guys in a concept that are winning in their route," said sophomore quarterback Trey Hedden, who threw for a career-high 314 yards in the victory. "For Ja'Keith, it's been a long time coming. He's put in a lot of work and we've grown a lot together, so I'm really proud of him. Obviously, Evan's done a really good job winning his matchups."
Hedden's right about the group collectively. The first two plays of the Campbell game were catches of 19 and four yards by East Carolina transfer Kerry King. That led to the first points of the game on Ian Williams' 23-yard field goal. King caught a third-down pass that set up the Paladins' first touchdown and later had an eight-yard catch where it appeared he may have stretched the ball across the goal line, but was ruled down at the one. Jayquan Smith scored on the next play as Furman took an 18-17 lead.
Devin Hester had just one catch against Campbell, but it was a crucial 16-yard gain to the Camels' 30-yard line. James caught the game-winner on the next play. When it comes to targets for Hedden, Furman tight ends Joshua Burrell and Jackson Pryor can't be overlooked. Pryor was banged up and questionable for the Campbell game, but he fought through it and hauled in Hedden's first touchdown pass.
"When you have so many guys, it makes it really hard for them to key in on one or two dudes," Hedden said. "It's a lot more one-on-ones, so we can take advantage of the guys that have good matchups instead of needing to force it to one guy."
The passing game success has not helped spike rushing numbers for Furman ... yet. The Paladins are averaging 2.6 yards per carry this season, the same paltry total it averaged last season and desperately hoped to improve on this year. For a program whose heyday was built on running the ball to set up big passing plays, the opposite might be the trick for the Paladins this season.
"We've got to be better at running the football, but if people are going to pack the box against us ... we've got to take advantage of the matchups we have there," Hendrix said. "Certainly with the level that Trey's playing at and the great job he's doing of getting them the ball, we're confident in doing that. It's a little bit of the old saying of 'take what they give you.' "
On to Samford
Last Saturday's bye week was sandwiched in between Furman's longest two road trips this season as the Paladins open SoCon play at Samford Saturday at 3:30 p.m. This appears to be an ideal week to repair whatever needs fixing on offense for Furman (2-1). The Bulldogs ranks 116th nationally in total defense, surrendering 485.5 yards per game. Their run defense ranks No. 81 allowing 179 rushing yards per game and the pass defense is 119th (307.5 yards per game). Meanwhile Samford's offense has seven interceptions and six lost fumbles for a total of 13 lost turnovers. No other FCS team in the country has more than 10.
Facing preseason SoCon Offensive Player of the Year Taron Dickens, in his first game back from suspension for Western Carolina, last Saturday didn't help the Bulldogs' defensive numbers. Dickens threw for 582 yards and rushed for 42 in the Catamounts' 50-35 win.
"They've played a really challenging schedule. They've played Baylor, a Western team that's I'm sure going to be one of the top offensive teams in the country ... and a West Georgia team that's undefeated," Hendrix said. "I think a lot of their issues stem from turnovers. If they turn it over five times against us, I'd like that but I don't think you can count on that."
On the other hand, the winless start for Samford (0-4, 0-2 SoCon) also includes a 40-13 home loss to The Citadel. On that Sept. 6 afternoon, a balanced Citadel attack produced 162 yards rushing, 168 passing and averaged six yards per play for its only win this season. In Citadel's other three games, its scored just 13 points combined.
Furman's defense will have to contend with a Samford offense that finally came to life last week. The Bulldogs had 576 total yards of offense and 34 first downs in the shootout loss. Samford quarterback Quincy Crittendon threw for 456 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Despite being sacked four times, Crittendon also rushed for 53 yards.
Injury report
The bye week came at a crucial time for quite a few banged up Paladins, who should be ready to go this week. Harris should be back in the receiving mix, while every member of Furman's secondary is healthy for the first time all season.
Hendrix confirmed that linebacker Ryan Earl will likely miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in one of his fingers. Senior Luke McLaughlin made his first career start at Campbell replacing Earl and finished with a team-high 11 tackles, including back-to-back ones for no gain on third and fourth down at midfield. That defensive stand set up the drive that ended on Pryor's touchdown catch.
"Byes are always good when you need one and we needed one desperately. We were a beat up football team. ... We've had nine defensive backs miss games this season. We'll be getting some back that haven't been able to play at all," Hendrix said. "Luke's just that guy. He's just dependable, runs really well and sees things really well. He's the classic guy that's stuck around here for five years waiting for his opportunity and did a heck of a job."
Donations welcomed
If you enjoy the coverage of Furman athletics I provide and would like to support the Furman Sports Report financially, any donation is greatly appreciated. This is especially helpful around these long road trips. Since the closure of Tommy's Ham House, I've yet to be able to find another sponsor so support this way is truly a tremendous help. If you can't, I completely understand. I only hope that you'll continue to read my stories here as that is also greatly appreciated.
For PayPal donations, click here: paypal.me/FurmanSportsReport
For Cash App donations, click here: https://cash.app/$DSK74
No comments:
Post a Comment