Sisson could make first start vs. VMI

Furman coach Clay Hendrix said if all goes as planned at practice this week,
Hamp Sisson should start vs. VMI Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

After coming off the bench to spark Furman to a 35-20 win at Chattanooga Saturday, quarterback Hamp Sisson could make his first start this Saturday. During his weekly press conference Monday, Paladins coach Clay Hendrix said based on Sisson's performance, he should take the first team snaps this week. If practice goes as expected, Sisson will likely get the starting call to face VMI.

Sisson entered when Furman was trailing 9-0 in the second quarter and five of the seven possessions on which he took snaps ended in touchdowns. Sisson completed 9-of-14 passes for 99 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also ran six time for 52 yards and a touchdown.

"Hamp came in and played exceptionally well. ... It was the first meaningful reps he's had and it certainly wasn't an easy situation to come into," Hendrix said Monday. "I think he's probably earned the right to probably start the football game Saturday if he practices like we want him to practice every week."

Perhaps the biggest highlight of Sisson's day - besides the assist on Devin Abrams' 31-yard touchdown when he shoved the fullback out of a pile to help him break away for the score - was the two-minute drive before halftime. It was actually a one-minute drive as it took exactly 60 seconds for the Paladins to go 80 yards on 10 plays.

Sisson was 5-of-8 on the drive for 52 yards. He accounted for the other 28 yards on two carries, including the go-ahead eight-yard touchdown run as Furman went from trailing 9-0 with less than three minutes to play in the half to leading with 26 seconds left.

For the coaching staff, it was more of what they saw from Sisson in August when he battled fellow redshirt freshman Darren Grainger for the starting spot.

"If you asked us all through August, we thought we'd have been playing two guys all along. We felt like we had two guys we could win with," Hendrix said. "You never know how it's going to play out. The way Darren played throughout August and certainly the first of the year - the Georgia State game in particular - he was so solid.
"After that game, I think the expectations for him just went through the roof. ... He's had a tough couple of outings and has probably lost some confidence."

After getting the starting nod this season, Grainger completed 30-of-45 passes for 441 yards with five touchdown and no interceptions over the first two weeks of the season to lock down the starting spot.

After completing 6-of-9 passes for 183 yards and four touchdowns at Samford on Oct. 5, Grainger hasn't looked the same. While he struggled in the passing game of late, he was still protecting the ball well. But on Saturday, Furman's first two possessions ended on a Grainger fumble and an interception. The last two possessions he was in on ended on punts.

"I told Darren at halftime, 'you're one play from being right back in there.' Darren handled it great," Hendrix said. "If you saw him in the locker room after the game, he was one of the more excited kids about the win. I know he's disappointed he didn't play as well as he wants too. I think he's been pressing a little bit too much.
"He's practiced well and I don't expect him to practice any different this week. We will get two guys ready to go like we do every week. ... We're going to need both those guys moving forward to do the things we want to do."

Paladins return to top 10
Furman shot from 13th to back in the top 10 of both FCS polls released Monday. The Paladins are No. 9 in the STATS poll, and ranked 10th in the Coaches. The FCS championship committee will announce it's first top 10 ranking of the season Wednesday on ESPN2 during halftime of the Miami (Ohio)-Ohio game, which is set to begin at 8 p.m.

Furman's defense slows Ford in second half

Donavan Perryman (44) broke up a touchdown pass and made a big fumble
recovery in Furman's 35-20 win at Chattanooga. Photo courtesy of Furman

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Ailym Ford's outstanding season statistics have really soared during Southern Conference play. Prior to Saturday's game against Furman, the Chattanooga freshman was averaging 161.8 yards rushing per game. He got to that point again Saturday, but it came in a very different way.

After a 145-yard rushing performance on 15 carries in the first half, Ford finished with 179 yards on 21 carries for the game. Eleven of those 34 yards in the second half came on the meaningless final play of the game. It was part of another solid effort from the defense, which was a key in Furman's 35-20 win.

"I actually thought we didn't play bad defense all day. We just gave up explosion plays (in the first half) that we have not done," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "Our defense hung in there and the turnover they got was huge."

The Paladins' defensive effort against the seventh-leading rusher in the country was highlighted by two plays during a stretch of the third quarter in which Furman took command.

With Chattanooga starting at its own two-yard line after a 62-yard punt by Grayson Atkins, Ford got a handoff and was dropped for a loss of one by Josh Agbenou and Parker Stokes. That started a three-and-out that gave Furman the ball at the Mocs' 32 before Hamp Sisson threw a touchdown to Ryan Miller on the next play.

The Mocs' next possession also went three-and-out when Elijah McKoy and Bryan Okeh stopped Ford for no gain on third-and-one with five minutes left in the third quarter. Ford had only two carries the rest of the game.

"That was a great team win. We knew we weren't playing our game at the beginning, but as the game progressed we put it together." said linebacker Donavan Perryman, who had six tackles, broke up what could've been a touchdown pass to Ford, and recovered a key fumble deep in Furman territory in the first quarter.
"Our game plan as a defense was to stop the run. It wasn't perfect. ... We need to tackle better, but a win is a win."

Atkins special again
Grayson Atkins' resume for being the best special teams player in the country grew Saturday. Four of his six kickoffs went for touchbacks and he averaged 48.8 yards on four punts. Two of those went inside the 20. Chattanooga did return one for five yards which gives Furman opponents a total of three yards on eight returns this season.

The highlight of Atkins' day might have been the biggest play of the game. His 62-yard punt that was downed at the Chattanooga two-yard line flipped the field and momentum. After the third-longest punt of Atkins' career, Furman's defense forced three consecutive three-and-outs while the offense scored a pair of touchdowns to take a 28-12 lead early in the fourth quarter.

"I needed to flip the field. That's my job. When I hit it, I knew it was good ... but I was like, 'long, long, long, get down the field!' because I was scared it was going to bounce in the end zone," Atkins said. "The defense did a great job of stopping them and forcing the 31-yard punt right after that. That was a huge momentum play for us."

Moving up the charts
Thomas Gordon caught two passes Saturday to move into third place on Furman's all-time receptions list with 142. At 2,300 yards receiving in his career, he's currently 38 behind Isaac West for third place on that career list. ... Adrian Hope had Furman's lone sack Saturday, giving him 18.5 for his career. That ties him with Brian Pitts for fourth place on the school's career sack ledger.

Road warriors
Saturday's win was Furman's sixth consecutive Southern Conference road win dating back to last season's 29-27 loss at ETSU on Sept. 22, 2018. That's the Paladins' longest SoCon road winning streak since they won seven consecutive from Oct. 15, 1988 to Sept. 15, 1990. Furman lost at Marshall the week before and the week after that run.

Sisson sparks Paladins past Chattanooga

Backup quarterback Hamp Sisson directed five touchdown drives Saturday
to spark Furman to a 35-20 win at Chattanooga. Photo courtesy of Furman

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - On a day when 13th-ranked Furman needed a spark, backup quarterback Hamp Sisson was the plug that reignited the offense. After that engine started to purr, fullback Devin Abrams drove the Paladins to the finish line. Sisson directed five touchdown drives and Abrams ran for a career-high 118 yards as Furman defeated Chattanooga, 35-20, Saturday afternoon at Finley Stadium.

The victory puts the Paladins alone in first place atop the Southern Conference standings, a half-game ahead of Wofford. In handing Chattanooga (4-5, 3-2) its second league loss, Furman (6-3, 5-1) and Wofford are the only teams with one SoCon loss.

"We took a few gut shots there early and our defense hung in there," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "I felt like we were moving the ball if we could just get a little spark going, particularly in the passing game and Hamp certainly provided that.
"I was proud of our kids for hanging in there and finding a way. It was exactly the kind of game I thought it would be. ... I told the guys this week that they've been with us three years and every conference game has mattered. Every game we've played in November has mattered. Not many people can say that."

After the Paladins' first three drives ended on a Darren Grainger fumble, a Grainger interception and a punt, Sisson was called on midway through the second quarter with Furman trailing 9-0. The deficit would've been greater had Furman not forced and recovered a fumble deep in its own territory following the Paladins' second turnover.

On Sisson's first snap, Dominic Roberto took a handoff and popped off a 20-yard run. Furman's longest play of the day at that point got it in Chattanooga territory for the first time. On third-and-six at the 34, Sisson's first pass was a screen to Abrams for a 10-yard gain. The Paladins had two other successful third downs on the drive, including Abrams' touchdown run on third-and-goal.

After stopping the Mocs on third down near midfield, Furman called timeout to stop the clock with 1:31 left. Following the punt, Sisson directed a perfect two-minute drill as the Paladins went 80 yards on 10 plays in just 60 seconds. It was capped on Furman's lone third down of the drive when Sisson kept on an option for an eight-yard score. That gave the Paladins a 14-9 lead with 26 seconds left.

"He was so decisive on that option play. He's really athletic," Hendrix said. "He took care of the ball and the situation wasn't too big for him."

It appeared Chattanooga would be content with running out the clock, but star freshman running back Ailym Ford turned a simple handoff into a 57-yard run to the Furman 18. The Paladins avoided disaster as the Mocs caught a pass in the end zone but was out of bounds. Chattanooga settled for a 32-yard field goal by Victor Ulmo on the final play of the half to cut the lead to 14-12.

After that momentum swung a bit toward the Mocs before halftime, they opened the second half by driving to the Furman 24-yard line. On fourth-and-six, Chattanooga lofted a pass to the end zone for Ford but Donavan Perryman broke it up. It was a particularly great play by Perryman as Tiano rolled to his right and waited a while before finally throwing it. Perryman never bit on rushing Tiano and never lost sight of Ford.

While Furman's ensuing drive was one of only two directed by Sisson that didn't end in a touchdown, it's ending may have been the biggest play of the game. Grayson Atkins booted a 62-yard punt that was downed at the Chattanooga two-yard line. After Ford was stopped for a loss of one yard, Tiano threw a pair of long incompletions. The last one was broken up on a great play by Quandarius Weems, who ripped the ball out of the hands of the receiver.

"Quan made a couple of big plays on some deep balls. He just battled," Hendrix said. "I'm so proud of him and our defense."

Backed up at it's own goal line, Chattanooga's short punt set up Furman at the Mocs' 32-yard line. Longtime Paladin followers may have had a sense for what was coming next. On the next play, Sisson went deep for the first time and hit a wide open Ryan Miller down the right sideline for a touchdown to push the lead to 21-12 with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

"That was a great play called by our coaches and great execution. We had been setting that play up pretty much throughout the game to that point," Sisson said. "We had ran a run play with that similar action by the tight end. ... The secondary bit on that motion and Ryan Miller was able to get behind the defensive backs.
"You always have to prepare like you're the starter no matter what, so that you're ready when your time comes. ... It was a great team win. I'm proud of how our guys battled through adversity, came back and sealed this really big win on the road."

That prior Chattanooga possession was the first of three consecutive three-and-outs forced by Furman's defense. One of those came when Ford, who rushed for 145 yards in the first half but only 34 in the second, was stood up by Elijah McKoy and Bryan Okeh for no gain on third-and-one.

Devin Wynn's one-yard touchdown run extended Furman's lead to 28-12 early in the fourth quarter. UTC answered with a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a two-point conversion to make it a one-score game. But that drive took 6:51 off the clock and left only 5:57 to play.

With all three of its timeouts, the Mocs kicked deep and the Paladins made them pay for that decision. More specifically, Abrams made them pay. It looked like it could be a three-and-out, but on fourth-and-one from its own 35, Abrams carried for a two-yard gain. Furman faced another fourth down later. This time with two yards to go and 15 seconds left. Abrams appeared to be stopped at the line of scrimmage, but - with a helpful shove in the back from Sisson - he broke away for a 31-yard touchdown.

"We know in the fourth quarter you need to run out the clock and run the ball. It's all about trust really. I trust my teammates, they trust me and we trust the game plan," Abrams said. "When Hamp came and pushed me through, that's just an example of working hard and going that extra little bit. Everybody has the same goal and we all work for that goal."

Abrams, who carried on eight of Furman's last nine offensive plays, had 82 yards on 10 rushes in the fourth quarter. Along with Abrams' 118 yards for the game, Wynn rushed for 73 while Sisson had 52 yards on six carries. Sisson completed 9-of-14 passes for 99 yards with no interceptions.

"We wanted to get the fullback more involved today. Devin Wynn had a couple of snaps at fullback too. Between those two guys, it's hard not to want to give them the ball," Hendrix said. "Hamp's hung in there and worked and worked, got the opportunity today and made the most of it.
"I don't know if there's two more liked or respected guys on our team than those two quarterbacks (Sisson and Grainger)."

Paladins set for key battle at Chattanooga

Furman freshman linebacker Braden Gilby (43) and other Paladins wrap up
Western Carolina quarterback Tyrie Adams. Photo courtesy of Furman

While Wofford steps out of Southern Conference play this week for a trip down I-85 to Clemson Saturday, 13th-ranked Furman will look to cut the number of teams with one conference loss to two when it plays at Chattanooga at 2 p.m. It's the first of what could prove to be some big Saturdays in November. The Paladins (5-3, 4-1) and Terriers (5-2, 4-1) are tied for first place in the SoCon, each a half-game ahead of the Mocs (4-4, 3-1).

Chattanooga suffered its first conference loss in agonizing fashion at Wofford last Saturday, 35-34, in overtime. After taking a 28-21 lead with 2:08 to play, the Mocs' kickoff landed out of bounds giving the Terriers the ball at their own 35. Wofford had pass completions on two third downs and a 4th-and-10 as part of a 13-play scoring drive that ended on a touchdown with 19 seconds left. In overtime, the Mocs' potential game-winning two-point conversion pass was dropped by a receiver who had crossed in front of another open receiver.

"I think if you watch that game Saturday, I'm sure they're thinking they should've won," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "On the two-point play, that kid probably catches that ball nine-and-a-half out of 10 times. ... I kind of see them a lot like us. I think they were really challenged early in the year with their schedule.
"I think our guys certainly understand the importance of this week. They're all important, but if you win a few more, they become even more important."

In a conference filled with very different offenses, Chattanooga may be the most balanced the Paladins will see. The Mocs have rushed for 1,516 yards (189.5 per game) and passed for 1,448 (181 per game) this season, although the running numbers have received a boost of late as freshman Ailym Ford has burst on the scene.

At 5-foot-9, 205 pounds, Ford is a powerful back who's handled a workload like not many running backs are tasked with these days. He ranks seventh in the FCS with 893 yards and has run for nine touchdowns. In SoCon play, he's averaging 161.8 yards rushing and 30.5 carries a game.

"I think he's (Ford) maybe the best back we've played against - counting Georgia State and Virginia Tech," Hendrix said. "He's a smaller version of the Mercer kid (Tyray Devezin). He's not nearly as big, but he's a little more explosive and he breaks tackles against everybody. He's a hard guy to tackle and a hard guy to simulate."

Teams can't simply load up to key on Ford though. Not with 6-5, 240-pound fifth-year quarterback Nick Tiano taking snaps. He's thrown for 1,384 yards this season with seven touchdowns, but does have nine interceptions. Despite starting his career at Mississippi State, Tiano ranks in the top 10 in UTC school history in passing yards and touchdowns.

"He's a big guy, but a good athlete. He doesn't run it a lot, but he made a couple of big plays with his feet against Wofford," Hendrix said. "They're just solid in all phases and playing with a lot of confidence."

As a team, the Mocs have thrown 11 interceptions this season. In a game that could be a grind like last season's 16-10 Furman win in Greenville, the turnover battle could be a key. In last week's 28-7 win at Western Carolina, the Paladins' string of five consecutive games with at least one interception on defense ended. It was just the second time this season that Furman didn't force a turnover.

The Paladins did record three sacks last week for their first notches in that category since having one against ETSU on Sept. 28. It was part of another stellar performance by a defense that has responded very well after allowing opening-drive touchdowns in each of the last three games.

"We're certainly addressing that. We've got to start faster," Hendrix said. "I think on their (WCU) second series, Jordan Willis made a big hit on one of the ball the threw out in the flat. That kind of seemed to get us going and we were pretty solid after that."

On offense, Furman will try to put together back-to-back strong running games. After rushing for 163 yards at Virginia Tech, Furman had 410 against Mercer, then 171 against ETSU, then 460 at Samford, then 172 against The Citadel before 296 last week.

Meanwhile, Darren Grainger will look to continue to get back on track. While he completed just 4-of-10 passes last week, he made those four count. One came on Furman's opening drive that led to a field goal. The next two came on a two-minute drill as the first half ended on a key field goal by Grayson Atkins to push the Paladins' lead to 13-7. The last was a perfect tunnel screen that Thomas Gordon turned into a 36-yard touchdown.

"I think we all realize we have to be much better in the passing game. It's something we're working really hard at," Hendrix said. "I think all the pieces are in place to be really good in that phase.
"I thought we had a great two-minute drive. There was 37 seconds left in the half after they missed the field goal. I don't think a lot of guys could do what Darren did on that drive."

Defense spurs Furman to business-like win

Furman captain Jordan Willis celebrates a big tackle for loss during the
Paladins' 28-7 win at Western Carolina Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - It wasn't the most spectacular Saturday this football season for No. 14 Furman, but it sure beat the previous one. After suffering its first FCS loss since last season in nasty weather last week, the Paladins rebounded in similar conditions Saturday. Thanks to a dominant third quarter, Furman pulled away for a 28-7 win at Western Carolina.

After taking a six-point lead into halftime, the Paladins (5-3, 4-1 Southern Conference) outscored the Catamounts 15-0 in the third quarter and outgained them 149-19 to take command. The win, combined with Wofford's victory over Chattanooga, pushes Furman back into a first-place tie in the SoCon with the Terriers.

"It was a business-like win and I like business-like wins," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "Tough conditions again, so we've had a bunch of adversity but I thought - after their first drive - our defense played great.
"That's a different team (WCU) when 12 (quarterback Tyrie Adams) plays for them and he hasn't played but half their games. ... I'm just happy to get a win and move on."

Furman drove 45 yards in 37 seconds on its final drive of the first half thanks to two runs and two completions by Darren Grainger. That was capped by Grayson Atkins' 40-yard field goal into the wind. That gave the Paladins a 13-7 lead and little bit of momentum into halftime.

"The last drive (of the first half) on defense and on offense, we just played with a little more of a sense of urgency. I could just see us playing faster," Hendrix said. "We finally got to the quarterback a couple of times and then Darren made a couple of big plays in the two-minute drill."

Western Carolina (1-7, 0-5) started the second half on offense and got near midfield before Taylor Hodge stopped Adams for a loss of two. On the next play, Jonah Tibbs and Landon Lawrence combined for a sack to force a 3rd-and-31 and the Catamounts ended up having to punt.

After advancing from its own 29 to WCU's 36 on nothing but run plays, Furman faced 3rd-and-10. Grainger threw a screen slant pass to Thomas Gordon, who turned it into a touchdown. After the Catamounts were offsides on the extra point, Furman went for two and Devin Wynn ran it in to make it 21-7.

"The best thing today was how we came out in the third quarter and just took control," Hendrix said. "The pass to Thomas was something we haven't done. We caught them in a blitz, executed it and hit the big play."

Furman's defense forced a three-and-out on WCU's next possession, highlighted by Patrick Wells' open field tackle for a two-yard loss on a 3rd-and-7 screen pass. On the ensuing possession, Wynn rushed for 43 of the Paladins' 54 yards, including a three-yard touchdown to push the lead to 28-7 with 27 seconds left in the third quarter. Furman's defense kept up its effort after WCU's first series of the game to keep the Catamounts off the scoreboard the rest of the way.

In Furman's 44-38 win over WCU last season, Adams threw for 424 yards and ran for 48. On Saturday, the SoCon's preseason offensive player of the year was 18-of-22 passing, but for only 108 yards. He had 22 net yards rushing on 12 attempts.

"Our biggest thing was just being disciplined and communicating well on the field," said Furman spur Jordan Willis, who had seven tackles. "We started a little bit slow, but after the first drive we got it going and settled in. We knew if we could contain (Adams), we'd be fine."

Furman started the game by appearing to try to get Grainger going after last week's rough performance. While his first pass fell incomplete, the Paladins' second play was a 36-yard completion to Gordon to the WCU 26-yard line. A blindside block penalty and a sack pushed Furman back and the Paladins' settled for a 55-yard field goal by Atkins. His 18th consecutive make tied the school record for longest field goal held by Jon Croft Hollingsworth in Furman's 16-15 win at UCF in 2015.

The Catamounts answered with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that lasted over nine minutes. Adams ran for a seven-yard touchdown to cap it.

The Paladins put together its lone touchdown drive of the first half and their ensuing possession. The 72-yard drive was highlighted by a 52-yard run by Devin Abrams on a play where it appeared he was initially stopped at the line of scrimmage. Wynn scored from two yards out to end the drive.

Atkins' streak of made field goals ended after a low snap on a 44-yard attempt midway through the second quarter.

While Furman put up more yards in the first half (219) Saturday than it did in the entire game against Citadel (216), it wasn't exactly an offensive explosion. Furman joined North Greenville as the only WCU opponent to be held to one touchdown in the opening half this season. In SoCon play, Catamount opponents averaged 35.5 points per first half entering Saturday.

"Their (WCU) approach today was a little different than some other people. I think we took advantage of it some, but it hurt us a little bit too," Hendrix said. "We just got to continue to clean things up. We're at our best when we're multiple. ... That was something we probably didn't do enough of a week ago - let Darren make some plays with his feet."

After simply running clock in the fourth quarter, Furman finished with 392 total yards, including 296 rushing. Wynn rushed for 87 yards. Corey Watkins had 72 yards on seven carries, while Abrams had 62 yards on five attempts. Grainger was 4-of-10 passing for 96 yards and ran 11 times for 52 yards.

While it had 90 yards on its opening possession and 79 yards on its final possession in the last 3:34 of the game, Western Carolina had 95 total yards of offense on 34 plays in between. Furman, which had not recorded a sack since the ETSU game on Sept. 28, finished with three on Saturday. That was part of nine tackles-for-loss. Braden Gilby led the defense with nine tackles.

"Coming out of halftime, we wanted to start fast in the third quarter because we didn't start the game the way we should have. Everybody needed to be locked in and ready to go," Willis said. "We got that first stop and the offense carried their momentum over from the end of the first half."

Paladins look to get back on track at WCU

After having its eight-game win streak against FCS opponents snapped, Furman
will try to rebound Saturday at Western Carolina. Photo courtesy of Furman

For each of Clay Hendrix first two years as head coach at Furman, the Paladins had a big response when their backs were to the wall. After last week's stunning home loss to The Citadel, Furman is tasked with that again this season.

Unlike the past two years, in which Furman ended the regular season on winning streaks to make the FCS playoffs in 2017 and earn a share of the Southern Conference championship in 2018, the Paladins control their own destiny this time around. Being ranked No. 14 in both FCS polls could possibly allow Furman (4-3, 3-1) to suffer one more loss and still make the playoffs, but after being shunned last season the Paladins certainly want to secure the SoCon's autobid.

While potential showdowns for league supremacy at Chattanooga and at Wofford loom on the horizon, Furman cannot afford to look ahead. Given how poorly last Saturday went, one would expect the Paladins to be quite focused this Saturday when they play at Western Carolina (1-6, 0-4).

"There's nothing that matters anywhere except for beating Western Carolina. That's the only thing that should be on our mind," Hendrix said. "We took a punch and went down. We're sitting over there in the corner and the bell for round eight is fixing to ring. Now how are you going to respond? The fight's not over. ... I'll be surprised if our guys don't respond.
"I think part of our problem a little bit has been worried too much about the big picture and beyond."

Western Carolina goes as its dynamic, record-setting quarterback Tyrie Adams goes, and things have not gone well this season for the SoCon preseason offensive player of the year. A suspension, injuries and playing behind an entirely new offensive line have not equated for the kind of numbers Adams has been accustomed to. He's averaging 56.4 yards rushing per game with four touchdowns, and passing for 157.8 yards per game with six touchdowns and five interceptions.

Furman has been preparing to face either Adams or backup quarterback Will Jones as Adams is dealing with a turf toe injury. Adams played just four snaps in the Catamounts' 59-7 loss at Wofford last Saturday. In last season's 44-38 Furman win in Greenville, Adams threw for 424 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions and also rushed for 48 yards.

As a team, WCU ranks last in the SoCon in scoring offense (18.3 points per game), next-to-last in scoring defense (40.7 points allowed per game), last in total offense (323.6 yards per game) and seventh in total defense (452.1 yards allowed per game).

The Paladins, who average 280 yards rushing per game, could have a particularly juicy advantage there against WCU. Catamount opponents have rushed for 286.9 yards per game, 6.2 yards per carry and 22 touchdowns. Among FCS teams, only Gardner-Webb's run defense (292.1) is worse.

If Devin Wynn, who ranks fifth in the country averaging 7.91 yards per carry, and the rest of Furman's running backs get rolling Saturday, that should make life easier for quarterback Darren Grainger. Grainger is looking to bounce back from a 5-for-25 passing day for just 44 yards in last week's loss. The poor game resulted in Grainger's national passer ranking go from sixth to 27th.

"I think Darren will be fine (confidence wise)," Hendrix said. "I don't know if there's a guy on our team who cares more than Darren Grainger. You could see it in his eyes after that game."

Furman's rainy homecoming ruined by Rainey

Furman defensive end Jonah Tibbs strips The Citadel quarterback
Brandon Rainey of the ball Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

The first game in the second half of Furman's regular season schedule couldn't have been more different from any in the first half. With a kickoff temperature of 56 degrees, Saturday's homecoming contest against rival The Citadel was far and away the chilliest game this year and the No. 8-ranked Paladins were colder.

It was also the wettest day of the season. While Furman's dreams of an unbeaten run through the Southern Conference and potentially earning an FCS playoff seed were washed away Saturday, rain wasn't the big problem. Rainey was. As in Bulldogs' quarterback Brandon Rainey, who was 100 percent healthy for the first time since their win at Georgia Tech. Rainey had 165 of Citadel's 360 yards rushing as the Bulldogs defeated the Paladins 27-10.

The loss snaps Furman's eight-game winning streak against FCS competition. The Paladins (4-3, 3-1) had previously only trailed FCS teams for all of 13 seconds this season, but trailed Saturday from the 9:10 mark of the first quarter on.

"Hats off to Citadel and Coach (Brent) Thompson. Their football team outplayed us in every way imaginable today," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "Obviously, that starts with me. It was an all around frustrating day."

The Paladins took the opening kickoff and had solid drive that culminated in a 48-yard field goal by Grayson Atkins, his 17th consecutive successful try. The Bulldogs answered as Rainey kept for a 48-yard gain on their second play to reach the Furman 25. One of his four pass completions Saturday went for 12 yards on 3rd-and-10 later in the drive, which culminated in a five-yard touchdown run by Clay Harris.

Despite forcing three turnovers and having no penalties in the first half, Furman still trailed 7-3 until the third quarter. That's when Citadel (4-4, 2-2) won a battle of field position. The second half opened when Atkins' kickoff into the wind sailed out of bounds giving the Bulldogs the ball at the 35. Out of 95 kickoffs in his collegiate career, that was Atkins' first that ever landed out of bounds.

On the Bulldogs' first play from scrimmage, Nkem Njoku popped off a 23-yard run to the Furman 42. While Citadel had to punt, it was downed at the Furman five-yard line. After going three-and-out on that drive, the Paladins next drive started at the seven and it also was a three-and-out. This time Atkins' 25-yard punt set up Citadel at Furman's 31-yard line. Six plays later, Dante Smith ran for a four-yard touchdown as the Bulldogs led 14-3.

A touchback finally allowed Furman to start a drive away from its old goal line, but this drive was literally three-and-out. On third down, Grainger was sacked and stripped of the ball. Citadel recovered as the Furman 12 and two plays later, Remus Bulmer ran for an eight-yard touchdown to push the lead to 21-3 with 3:33 left in the third quarter.

"A regret I kind of have is I took the wind in the fourth quarter and the third quarter killed us," Hendrix said. "They just completely flipped the field on us."

A Furman offense that had touchdowns on eight of its first nine drives last time out at Samford on Oct. 5 finally found the end zone on its ensuing possession. Devin Wynn's four-yard touchdown run capped a 15-play drive took an agonizing 6:38 off the clock.

Trailing 21-10 with 11:55 left, Furman needed some quick stops and quick scores as the rain began to pour down sideways at Paladin Stadium. The Paladins got neither. Citadel's possession following the touchdown took 13 plays and shaved 7:11 off the clock before Jacob Godek hit a 30-yard field goal. After four consecutive incompletions on Furman's next drive, Godek hit a 46-yard field goal for the final margin.

"I told (offensive coordinator) George Quarles before the game if we're going to make some hay we'd better make it while we've got a chance to throw it around a little bit and we didn't," Hendrix said. "Trying to throw it around at the end of that game (in the weather conditions) was nil, but I don't want to take anything away from them. They just outplayed us in every way, shape and form."

While Furman's defense wasn't as lights out as it had been the past few weeks, limiting an opponent to 27 points could win a lot of college football games in 2019 - especially with an offense like Furman's. However, the Paladins never got things clicking on that side of the ball.

The running game wasn't bad, but wasn't as spectacular as it has been this season. The Paladins had 10 runs of 11 yards are more Saturday, but none longer than 15. More importantly, Furman failed to convert twice on third-and-one and once on fourth-and-one. Meanwhile, Grainger suffered his toughest day as a Paladin as he completed 5-of-25 passes for 44 yards.

"We couldn't get any chunk plays and we just couldn't get anything out of the passing game," Hendrix said. "How we're built, our plan is to hit a lot of those throws and we just didn't hit any of them. Darren had a really tough day, but he didn't get a whole lot of help either."

The Paladins started 0-of-5 on third down conversions before getting a meaningless one in the final seconds of the first half. Furman ended up 3-of-14 on third down and 1-of-4 on fourth. After putting up 647 yards of total offense at Samford, Furman had 216 Saturday. That's the fewest by the Paladins since a 10-7 loss at Presbyterian - in similarly lousy weather - in 2014. The 10-point output was the lowest at home since a 45-0 loss to Samford also in 2014 and also on homecoming.

"Our bunch will come back. I'll be shocked if they don't," Hendrix said. "We've been in this situation the last two years and won out. So that's our goal again."