Get your popcorn ready for Furman-Belmont II

Furman coach Bob Richey coaches during the Paladins' win
over North Greenville Monday. Photo courtesy of Furman

Mid-major college basketball fans rejoice. Furman and Belmont - the sequel - is set for Friday night at Timmons Arena. It's kind of fitting that the Paladins and Bruins are squaring off on a night typically associated with movie premieres. If there ever was an Oscar given for game of the year, last year's matchup between these mid-major powers would've surely been nominated.

Last year's game could've been compared to the first Rocky. From a Furman point of view, that goes right down to the protagonist losing in the end. Sorry if that's a spoiler for anyone, but it has been 46 years.

Furman fell at Belmont in overtime, 95-89, three days after toppling Louisville in overtime last season. It was a tough loss and the Paladins made mistakes, including a rare 20-turnover game. However from a fan's perspective, it was hard to be all that upset by it simply because of the entertainment value that game provided. The turnovers, which Belmont had 16 of as well, were basically due to tenacious defense by teams that take pride in deflections. The Bruins, who were ranked No. 2 behind Gonzaga in the Mid-Major poll at the time, had a lineup filled with seniors.

The Paladins (1-0) enter as the higher-ranked team this season at No. 6, while a younger Belmont squad is No. 21. Furman is coming off a business-like 91-55 win over North Greenville Monday. Later that night, the Bruins pulled out a thrilling 70-69 win over Ohio. After Ohio took its first lead since it was 15-13 on a three-pointer with 1.4 seconds left, reigning North Carolina Mr. Basketball Cade Tyson buried a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.

"We came out on the wrong end of it last year, but that was a heck of a game and I expect the same thing Friday night," Furman coach Bob Richey said Monday. "We had Loyola (Illinois) in here a couple of years ago and the Wichita State NIT game. We want competitive mid-major matchups in Timmons Arena. I think those games are fun and it's great for the city and the school. You find out who you are by getting tested in games like these.

"That was a key last year. This is about winning the war, not the battle. At the mid-major level, you've got to be your best come conference play and specifically in those last four days at the tournament."

In last year's meeting in Nashville, Mike Bothwell had a game-high 23 points, along with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jalen Slawson added 14 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.

Slawson will obviously be a key player Friday, if he's able to go. Slawson injured his right hand Monday with 17 minutes left in the game and never returned. Richey said it was kind of a wait and see situation following Monday's game and could not be reached for an update this week.

"You grow up dreaming about playing in meaningful games and It's a big opportunity we have Friday. ... Last year, we came up short and we feel like it's one we should've won so there's a lot to play for," Bothwell said. "Their crowd was amazing last year and we know our fans are going to show up and reciprocate that for us. ... It's going to be a lot of fun."

Belmont lost seven of its top eight scorers from last season, but this is a program used to reloading rather than rebuilding. The Bruins, who are in their first season in the Missouri Valley Conference after dominating the Ohio Valley Conference, have won at least 20 games in 15 of the past 17 seasons.

Belmont senior Ben Sheppard is a contender for MVC Player of the Year after averaging 16.2 points per game last season. He and Tyson had 18 points apiece to lead the Bruins Monday night. Sheppard also had seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.

"We all have programs that we watch as assistants growing up in the game and developing your philosophy. (Longtime coach) Rick Byrd would be a top five for me in what he was able to do at Belmont," Richey said. "We took a lot of that when we were trying to figure out how to build this here.

"My respect for their program is very high. I consider (fourth-year Belmont head coach) Casey (Alexander) a friend and I've got a lot of respect for what he's done. Following a legend isn't an easy spot to be in."

Selvy to be honored

Also in the spotlight at Timmons Arena Friday will be Furman legend Frank Selvy, who is scheduled to be on hand for "Frank Selvy Night." Furman will celebrate Selvy's upcoming induction into the  National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Mo. on Nov. 20. He will be honored at halftime of Friday's game and will sign autographs prior to it.

Selvy led the Division I in scoring as a junior with 29.5 points per game and as a senior with 41.7. Friday's "Frank Selvy Night" comes 69 seasons after the first one. On Feb. 13, 1954, the Paladins honored Selvy by feeding him the ball against Newberry. He made 41-of-66 field goals that night and finished with 100 points, an NCAA single-game record that still stands.

A two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year, a consensus All-American and United Press National Player of the Year in 1954, Selvy was a first-round pick in the 1954 NBA Draft by the Baltimore Bullets. Selvy was a two-time NBA All-Star over a nine-year career that was interrupted by three years of military service.

Furman women strive to overcome adversity

Furman's Tate Walters, a preseason All-Southern Conference pick, will likely miss
this season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. Photo courtesy of Furman

It was already going to be a bit of an unusual sight Wednesday night when the Furman women's basketball team opens the 2022-23 season by hosting Erskine at 7 p.m. When the Paladins take the floor, it will be their first game without Tierra Hodges on the roster since March of 2016.

"Baby T" wrapped up her phenomenal career last year by leading Furman to the championship game of the Southern Conference Tournament and a 20-14 record - the Paladins first 20-win season under Coach Jackie Carson. The 2021-22 Southern Conference Player of the Year left as the school's all-time leader in rebounds (1,303) and fourth-leading scorer (1,719 points).

While there's always excitement with the start of a new season, some other unexpected roster news has made this year's start bittersweet. Junior guard Tate Walters is expected to miss the entire season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. She got hurt in practice on Oct. 24, one day before it was announced that she made the All-SoCon preseason team and that Furman was picked second in the media poll after returning every starter besides Hodges.

Walters' injury came weeks after sophomore guard Niveya Henley tore an ACL and she's also expected to miss the season.

"We've now lost 40 points (per game) since last season (including Hodges). What those players have done for this program is going to be irreplaceable," Carson said at the league's Media Day on Oct. 26. "It was already going to hard to imagine not having Tierra Hodges, who was a sixth-year player for us and a phenomenal young lady.

"We lost our main engine and now we lost our other engine. ... (Tate) was running a sprint and just touched midcourt and went down. There was no contact."

Henley made 15 starts last season and averaged 4.0 points and 2.6 rebounds a game to earn a spot on the SoCon's All-Freshman team. Walters was a consensus All-SoCon pick last season after averaging 12.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She also led the SoCon in assists (137), was second in the league in three-point shooting (37.3 percent) and fifth in steals (47).

While she routinely filled up slots all over a stat sheet, Walters' game went beyond that. Without her incredible performance in the last two minutes of regulation and then overtime against Chattanooga in last year's SoCon Tournament opener, the Paladins would've been one-and-done in Asheville. She simply willed her team to the win, which you can look back on here: http://www.furmansportsreport.com/2022/03/furman-women-rally-survive-and-advance.html

Before the injuries, there was unexpected great news for the program with the return of graduate forward Grace van Rij. After bidding farewell to Furman at the end of last season, van Rij decided to enter the school's new graduate program this summer and will use her final year of playing eligibility this season.

"We had a summer workout and it was not a good one. Grace came in from working a camp and I (jokingly) said, 'Grace, you wanna come back?' and she said, 'can I?' I said, 'you sure as heck can. You've got a COVID year,' " Carson said. "She had to call her mom and her mom was all about coming back. Within 45 minutes, it was done."

The 6-2 forward joined Walters on the preseason All-SoCon team after a breakout season last year. In her first season as a full-time starter, van Rij averaged 10.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. In addition to coming back for basketball, she's also enrolled in the strategic design Master's program.

"When I graduated I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Furman. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my teammates, because of how close we are on and off the court. ... So I worked the little kids camp because I love that," van Rij said. "When Coach Carson asked me about coming back, I thought it was too late. She assured me it wasn't and suggested the strategic design program.

"I met with the head of the program and it was insane how perfect it was for me. I'm a very artistic person. This allows me to dive into that and play one more season of basketball, so I'm super excited about it."

The return of van Rij became all the more important after the key injuries the program has suffered this offseason.

"Oh my gosh, I couldn't imagine where we'd be without her after all that's happened. Just that leadership factor because if she wasn't here, we'd have no seniors," Carson said. "Niveya's a very vocal underclassman and has a strong personality in a lot of great ways, so Grace is going to have to step up in that kind of role as well.

"I'm a big believer that everything happens for a reason. We don't know the reason and we can't figure it out, but what we are going to figure out is how to battle through adversity and be a different team. It doesn't change our goals. It just changes our path to our goals."

Slawson injured, but Paladins roll in opener

Jalen Slawson had a team-high 17 points before leaving with an injury in Furman's
91-55 win over North Greenville Monday. Photo courtesy of Furman

After a glitzy season-opening win over North Greenville in which Furman set single-game records for three-pointers (22) and assists (34) last November, Monday's season opener was more workmanlike but achieved the same goal. Six Paladins scored in double figures as Furman cruised past North Greenville, 91-55, at Timmons Arena.

On a night where the Paladins made just 5-of-25 three-pointers, they still managed to shoot 53.7 percent from the field as they made 31-of-42 shots inside the arc. Furman finished with 58 points in the paint, 42 points from the bench and 25 points off 21 Crusader turnovers. Jalen Slawson led the way with 17 points and three steals, but left at the 17:33 mark of the second half and didn't return.

Slawson was fouled on a drive to the basket, but immediately grabbed his right hand in pain. He stayed in to make 1-of-2 free throws, but exited at the next dead ball. Slawson went to the locker room and didn't return to the bench until there were only about three minutes left in the game.

"We don't have a lot of details on Slawson at this point," Furman coach Bob Richey said during the postgame press conference. "We will just have to see what comes of it.

"Last year in this game, we couldn't miss. Clearly that wasn't the case tonight, but it was good to see us keep our defensive intensity up for the most part. We shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half even though we shot just 23 percent from three. It's good for us to understand that there's going to be some nights when you're not making them and you've got to go generate baskets other ways."

Things got off to a slow start as Furman led 14-12 with less than 12 minutes left in the first half before Slawson and Mike Bothwell took command. Slawson started a 16-0 run on a jumper and capped it with a thunderous dunk off a steal with 3:48 left. Mike Bothwell had seven points in the run and also had an assist on perhaps the play of the night. Bothwell made an alley-oop pass that both Slawson and freshman Ben VanderWal went up for. VanderWal the lead man on the fast break and he made the catch and slammed it home for his first collegiate points.

After the Paladins took a 37-19 lead into halftime, Slawson gave Furman its biggest lead to that point of the night on a three-point play to open the second half. Bothwell hit a layup one minute later to push the lead to 23 before Slawson's injury on Furman's next possession.

"I think we came out and settled for some quick shots. We kind of didn't have an idea of how they were going to play us defensively. I think there was some opening night jitters and people stepping in to new roles," Bothwell said. "We eventually settled in, started getting to the paint more and guys started finishing at the rim."

While the Paladins were in control, others still needed to step up when Slawson left and that's what happened. Garrett Hien grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds before fouling out with 3:03 left. Tyrese Hughey scored a career-high 15 points in 18 minutes off the bench. And then there was VanderWal, who made quite an impression in his debut.

VanderWal finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals and flashed all facets of his game over a 20-second stretch of the second half. The 6-7 freshman grabbed a rebound at the 12:26 mark and had an assist on Hughey's jumper in the paint six seconds later. Eleven seconds later, VanderWal made a steal near midcourt and had a clear path to the bucket for another dunk. That forced a North Greenville timeout with 12:06 left as Furman pushed the lead to 57-32.

"He's a player. He does a lot of different things and we can move him around. We can play him at the three or the four," Richey said. "He's one of those guys that's typically in the right spot. A month ago, I didn't know if he was going to play or redshirt and he really just took off once we started practicing every day.

"Early in camp, it was like 'maybe he will play,' and then it was like 'oh yeah, he's definitely playing.' He's got a unique confidence about him, but it's earned. He cares about all the small things."

Bothwell finished with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-3 on threes. Marcus Foster had 11 points, five rebounds, two steals and no turnovers. Wake Forest transfer Carter Whitt had 10 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists off the bench. Joe Anderson led the Paladins in assists with a career-high six in 19 minutes off the bench. While J.P. Pegues didn't score, he had three assists and received praise from Richey for how he handled his first game as starting point guard.

Next up for Furman is a showdown with another top mid-major program Friday when the Paladins host Belmont at 7 p.m.

Paladins embrace role as SoCon favorites

Furman's Mike Bothwell Photo courtesy of Furman

The Furman men's basketball team enters the 2022-23 season with no lack of inspiration. The Paladins can be motivated by the heartbreaking way last season ended on Chattanooga's answered prayer at the final horn of the Southern Conference Tournament championship game.

With the team embracing Coach Bob Richey's mantra of "pressure is a privilege," they're also motivated by being the consensus favorites by the SoCon's media and coaches to win the league title this season.

For a more in-depth preview of this season, check out the story I wrote for The Greenville News from SoCon Media Day here: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/sports/college/furman/2022/10/31/furman-basketball-socon-favorite-must-handle-hype/69595537007/

Starting lineup

Furman, which is ranked No. 6 in the preseason College Insider Mid-Major poll, will be led by preseason All-SoCon selections Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson. In helping the Paladins go 22-12 overall - including a win at Louisville - and 12-6 in the SoCon last season, Bothwell averaged 15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season. Slawson, the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 7.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and  1.7 steals per game last season.

The Paladins ranked No. 82 in the final NET, led the country in three-pointers (401), ranked second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.66) and was sixth in assists per game (17.4).

Gone from last year's team is the dynamic backcourt duo of Alex Hunter and Conley Garrison. When Furman opens the season against North Greenville at 7 p.m. Monday night, it's anticipated that the starting lineup will be Bothwell, Slawson, Marcus Foster (8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals last season), Garrett Hien and J.P. Pegues.

Familiar opponent

For the second consecutive season, Furman will open against Division II North Greenville. In last season's opener, Bothwell and Hunter had 22 points apiece and the Paladins shattered single-game records for three-pointers (22) and assists (34) in a 118-66 victory.

The Furman and North Greenville programs have more in common than their location just 13 miles apart. Richey and his wife, Jessica, each graduated from NGU. Crusaders coach Chad Lister is a 1995 Furman graduate who's in his 21st season as head coach in Tigernville. Lister's son Rett is a senior for Furman this season.

Upcoming tests

Monday's opener is an appetizer for a Mid-Major showdown Friday when the Paladins host Belmont at 7 p.m. Belmont, which is No. 21 in the Mid-Major poll, outlasted Furman 95-89 in overtime last November in Nashville. That wasn't just a showdown last season. It was an absolute clinic of brilliant basketball and one of the best games I've ever seen.

After all the success the Paladins have enjoyed over the past few seasons, they were finally rewarded with a big-time tournament invite this season. Furman will take part in ESPN's Shriners Children's Charleston Classic starting next Thursday. The Paladins will take on Penn State at 11:30 a.m. in the opener of the tournament hosted by the College of Charleston.

The field in that tournament includes ACC champion Virginia Tech - coached by Wofford legend Mike Young, former SoCon powerhouse Davidson, Colorado State - coached by former Furman coach Niko Medved, and South Carolina - coached by former Chattanooga coach Lamont Paris.

Huff, Paladins take down No. 7 Chattanooga

Devin Abrams runs for a touchdown as Tyler Huff (6) celebrates during Furman's
24-20 win over No. 7 Chattanooga Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

In one of the biggest games Furman has hosted in years, the Paladins weren't perfect Saturday. They lost the turnover battle, dropped a snap on a field goal, didn't score for the final 29-plus minutes of the game, and had an 11-yard punt at a critical point in the fourth quarter.

What they did do was shut down Chattanooga's running game, made another huge play on special teams and got a terrific effort from quarterback Tyler Huff. That all added up to a 24-20 win over the seventh-ranked Mocs. With the win, No. 24 Furman (7-2, 5-1 Southern Conference) became the first FCS team to defeat Chattanooga (6-2, 4-1) this season.

"It's a great, great win for a program against a really good football team," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "I don't think a lot of people thought we could win, but we had a lot of confidence coming in. I thought our kids played that way all day.

"It took everybody. The defense came up with some big stops and the offense was able to score points against a team where points are hard to come by."

Running the ball and stopping the run are often the biggest keys to a game and that was the case Saturday, but that came with a twist. A showdown between the top two running backs in SoCon play didn't materialize. Chattanooga's Ailym Ford, who was averaging 140.5 yards rushing per game in league play, didn't make the trip following a physical game against Mercer last week. Furman's Dominic Roberto, who was averaging 124.4 yards against SoCon foes, was held to 22 yards on 10 carries.

The difference was Huff. Looking fully recovered from a dislocated elbow suffered five weeks earlier, Huff rushed for 132 yards on 20 carries. It's the most rushing yards Chattanooga has allowed to one individual since last October. Furman's 185 yards rushing are the most allowed by the Mocs this season.

Meanwhile, Furman's defense limited Ford's backup, Gino Appleberry to 56 yards on 22 carries. Chattanooga's 84 yards rushing as a team were its fewest in a game since the shortened spring season in 2021.

"I knew it wasn't going to come down to our back vs. their back. I told them in the team meeting last night that 'No. 6 (Huff) is going to get some carries tomorrow,' and boy am I glad he's on our team," Hendrix said. "He exemplifies our entire team."

Huff's running success helped open things up in the passing game and vice versa. He made the most of those opportunities as he completed 16-of-25 passes for 203 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

"If my front's (offensive line) not playing well, nothing else really matters and they balled out today," Huff said.

The biggest sequence in the game was sandwiched around halftime. After Devin Abrams scored from five yards out to give Furman a 14-10 lead with 6:46 left in the first half, the Paladins got the ball back with 3:12 left. Furman drove from its own 16 to the Chattanooga 19, but had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Alex Lepvreau as time expired to take a 17-10 lead at the break.

Whatever good feeling Chattanooga had about forcing a field goal to end the first half quickly faded in the second. Kendall Thomas returned the second-half kickoff 26 yards to the Furman 40. On the first snap, Huff scrambled for a 30-yard gain. On the next one, he hit Ryan Miller for a 30-yard touchdown and Furman led 24-10 just 45 seconds into the second half.

"I probably threw it a little too far across the field, but Ryan made a great catch, broke two tackles and scored," Huff said. "To have three plays - a return and two offensive - to go score, I think that took the wind out of them."

The Mocs got a field goal late in the third quarter and a touchdown early in the fourth, but Furman's defense stood tall the rest of the way.

After that touchdown cut the lead to 24-20, Chattanooga's next drive began at Furman's 48 thanks to a leaping interception by the Mocs' All-American linebacker Ty Boeck. On fourth-and-one at the Paladins' seven-yard line, Chattanooga's 24-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Jack Barton. It's the third consecutive game that Furman has had a blocked kick or punt.

A Furman fourth down fiasco that resulted in an 11-yard punt started the Mocs next possession at the Paladins' 40-yard line with 3:13 left. Chattanooga's third-down pass was batted down by Barton. It's fourth-down pass was broken up by Cally Chizik.

"Those guys up front played good all day. Chattanooga wants to run the football and our line and linebackers have done a great job all year against the run," said Furman safety Hugh Ryan, who had an interception for the third consecutive game Saturday and also made seven tackles. "They stopped the run today and also got their hands on passes and just made some awesome plays. When they get their hands up in the passing lanes that only helps us in the backfield."

Furman's final possession began with 2:26 left, but Chattanooga still had all three timeouts. On third-and-nine, the Paladins made a gutsy call that saw Huff throw a perfect pass to Kyndel Dean along the left sideline for a gain of 17. The Mocs had no timeouts, but were still alive when Furman faced third-and-eight with 51 seconds left. Abrams put the final nail in the coffin though when he rumbled down the left sideline for 12 yards and Furman just needed one kneel down to seal the win.

"We made the call to give Tyler a chance to run it or throw it and man, what a great throw. Then Devin making that kind of run is a fun way to end it," Hendrix said. "We got a bunch that fights. They're smart, they're tough and they play well together.

"That's how you have games like this. That's how you go beat teams that are probably a lot more talented."

Furman set for showdown with Chattanooga

Wayne Anderson had a kickoff return for a touchdown in Furman's win over Western Carolina two
weeks ago and a blocked punt in the Paladins' win at VMI last week. Photo courtesy of Furman 

"Statement Saturday" has nearly arrived for Furman football. After making the FCS Stats Top 25 for the first time this week, the 24th-ranked Paladins will try to earn their first statement win of the season Saturday. That's when No. 7 Chattanooga visits Paladin Stadium for a 2 p.m. kickoff on homecoming.

Saturday will mark the highest-ranked team to visit Furman since 2018 when the Paladins topped sixth-ranked Wofford, 34-14. The Mocs (6-1, 4-0 Southern Conference) are coming off an impressive 41-21 win over Mercer, which dealt the Bears their first SoCon loss. Furman (6-2, 4-1) is coming off its fourth consecutive road win, and first blowout in FCS play, with a 41-3 victory at VMI. Chattanooga is sixth in this week's FCS Massey Ratings, while the Paladins are 19th.

"We've certainly got an ultra-talented and well-coached Chattanooga team coming in here. That's a pretty good combination," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said during his weekly press conference Monday. "They've had a heck of a year and coming off a heck of a win, but it's pretty exciting around here to have them coming to our place. It's been a while since we've had one like that here."

What's at stake Saturday:

• A win should vault Furman up the rankings. It could move high enough to possibly withstand a close loss at Mercer two weeks later and stay in the FCS playoff conversation - depending on how other league games shake out. After the loss at Chattanooga, the Bears (6-2, 4-1) moved down five spots to No. 16 in the FCS Stats poll and down three spots to No. 9 in Massey.
• A loss Saturday would likely knock Furman out of the top 25. A win at Mercer would probably put the Paladins back in the poll, but not necessarily the top 20. A victory over Wofford in the season finale would likely move Furman around the 20th spot.

The SoCon currently has three teams in Massey's top 11 as Samford is 11th. The Bulldogs (6-1, 4-0), who are No. 13 in the FCS Stats poll, play at The Citadel Saturday while Mercer travels to VMI. Furman and Mercer each have byes next week before they face off in Macon on Nov. 12. Also on Nov. 12, Chattanooga hosts Samford. Mercer plays at Samford in the regular season finale on Nov. 19.

Based on recent history of the FCS playoff selection committee, four SoCon teams aren't making the field. Three wouldn't even be a safe bet.

Hendrix briefly touched on some frustration with the polls. Furman has proven that it's still much harder to get in the poll than to get out. It was seemingly the first or second team among "others receiving votes" for many weeks before cracking the top 25 this week. Of particular note, Hendrix mentioned the rankings that followed Furman's 35-12 loss at Clemson.

After outgaining the Tigers 384-376, Furman went from 30th in FCS Stats (if the poll stretched into others receiving votes) to 37th the next week. Conversely, UT-Martin dropped from No. 18 to No. 21 this week after getting annihilated at Tennessee, 65-24, Saturday. The Skyhawks (4-3), who are No. 31 in Massey, trailed 58-7 less than two minutes into the third quarter.

"I think people got more credit for playing a bad, Division I non-scholarship team than we got for going and competing at Clemson the way we did," Hendrix said. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. We've put ourselves in a good position.

"If we can get it done, we will have gotten it done. If we can't get it done, then maybe they were all correct."

Back to things Furman can control. All of its focus is on this week and trying to come up with its first complete game in FCS competition this season. While the Paladins cruised to victory at VMI, they had 11 penalties. That's the most they've had in a game since 2013. Oddly enough, they knocked off Appalachian State 27-10 that day.

"We've got some things to clean up. We had a couple of frustration penalties and that's not who we are," Hendrix said. "We can't be that and we won't allow that. ... We'll have to play exceptionally well this week against this team."

Furman will definitely have to play better than its atrocious last meeting against the Mocs. Last fall, the Paladins were held to six first downs and had the ball for less than 21 minutes in a 13-3 loss at Chattanooga. Nearly a third of Furman's 151 yards of total offense that day came on one play - a 44-yard run by Devin Abrams.

"With five minutes to go, it was a one-possession game ... but we did absolutely nothing offensively the entire day," Hendrix said. "I think we're certainly a different team than we were a year ago, but they're significantly better offensively too."

Another defensive struggle could take place Saturday as the teams are first and second in the league in scoring defense. The Mocs rank eighth nationally surrendering 16.4 points per game, while the Paladins are 20th allowing 19.4 points per game. While Furman recorded its seventh fourth quarter shutout Saturday, Chattanooga has been even stingier in the final period. The Mocs have outscored opponents 62-3 in the fourth this season.

Saturday's game will also feature the two leading rushers in the SoCon during league play. Ailym Ford's averaging 140.5 yards per game and has six touchdowns in Chattanooga's four conference games, while Dominic Roberto is rushing for 124.4 yards and is averaging 8.1 yards per carry against SoCon foes. He also has six touchdowns in Furman's five league games. In his last 11 games dating back to last season, Roberto has rushed for 1,301 yards.

"I think we have a lot of the same philosophies on both sides of the ball. When you go to tackle Ford, you'd better bring a buddy with you. He's a hard guy to tackle and knock off his feet," Hendrix said. "Dom had two carries (against Chattanooga) a year ago. It was really after that game that we made the decision to 'get this guy involved.'

"Dom's always been a great worker and a great kid. ... For us, we've kind of figured out how to use him and that's continued under (new offensive coordinator) Coach (Justin) Roper."

Furman could have an edge in special teams, where it has excelled this season under new assistant Tommy Spangler. Two weeks ago, starting slot receiver Wayne Anderson had the Paladins first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2018. Last week, he had Furman's first blocked punt since 2018.

Ian Williams is third in the country with 36 touchbacks and he and Axel Lepvreau have combined to connect on 12-of-15 field goals. After averaging less than 19 yards per kickoff return each of the past three seasons, the Paladins are 12th nationally at 25.7 yards per return this year.

"A lot of credit goes to Coach Spangler and the culture he's created in that group," Hendrix said. "I've been really pleased with what we've done on special teams. Hopefully we can continue to build upon that because I think that will be a big part of this game too."

Paladins party like it's 1999 in rout of VMI

Furman senior cornerback Travis Blackshear had a 41-yard interception return for a
touchdown in the Paladins' 41-3 win at VMI Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

LEXINGTON, Va. - One week after having what was shaping up to possibly be a "breather" turn downright scary in a 47-40 win over Western Carolina, Furman overcame a sluggish start and 11 penalties to have a true breather at VMI Saturday. Nine different ball carriers combined for 254 yards rushing and 10 different pass catchers helped the Paladins throw for 202 in a 41-3 win over the Keydets.

It's the fourth consecutive road victory for Furman (6-2, 4-1 Southern Conference). That last happened in 1999 when the Paladins posted wins at William & Mary (52-6), Western Carolina (27-19), The Citadel (31-17) and North Carolina (28-3). Saturday also marked the second time this season Furman held an opponent without a touchdown. The last time that happened more than once in a season was also that 1999 SoCon championship squad, which did it four times.

"We've played eight straight games, five of those on the road, so we knew coming here would bring its own challenges. We had a good week of prep and had the chance to play a ton of guys. I was disappointed in the penalties, that we've got to get cleaned up," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "They threw a bunch of different stuff at us and it took a little bit of time to get adjusted, but we didn't panic."

The first quarter-plus of game play was about as bland as the beige backdrops at Foster Stadium. Despite having a target on Dominic Roberto's back following his 252-yard rushing day last Saturday, it was Roberto that popped the cork on what turned out to be a flurry of energy for Furman.

Similar to last week's opening play for Furman, Roberto took a handoff to the right and rumbled 57 yards for a touchdown four minutes into the second quarter. Devin Abrams made a beautiful block to spring the run that pushed Furman's lead to 10-0.

After a three-and-out on VMI's ensuing possession, Furman's do-everything man Wayne Anderson came right up the gut on the Keydets' punt and blocked it. Anderson raced to his left to scoop up the punt at the nine-yard line and returned it to the VMI two. It was yet another big play from Furman's special teams this season and another one for Anderson, who had a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last Saturday.

"We weren't really expecting to block one today because they have a really good punt team, but we found a crease. Credit to the guys out there with me ... even though I know they're all going to say I suck for not scoring on it," Anderson said with a smile. "Whether its running back, receiver, punt returner, punt (coverage), kick returner or wherever I need to go, I'm just happy the coaches have faith in me to be out there."

On the next play, Furman came out in what looked to be a bunch formation except for quarterback Tyler Huff lining up at a wide receiver spot on the left. Receiver Luke Shiflett took the shotgun snap and ran for the score behind a lead block by linebacker Braden Gilby to make it 17-0. Shiflett was flanked by Gilby on the left and Roberto on the right in the two-back set.

"We just try to get our best bodies in there," Hendrix said of Gilby being in on offense. "It's good to find different ways to punch it in."

VMI got on the board on its next possession with a field goal, but Furman answered that three with another seven. After Huff threw a 34-yard pass to Joshua Harris deep over the middle, he hit a wide-open Ryan Miller on a play-action pass for an 11-yard touchdown to give Furman a 24-3 lead with 5:10 left in the first half.

"Being up 3-0, it felt like you were down 10. We just weren't finishing drives and were frustrated, so when Dom popped that (57-yard touchdown) the whole mentality changed," said Huff, who completed 18-of-25 passes for 195 yards with no interceptions. "We had a sour taste in our mouth from last week. We were up 44-20 and should've put the game away offensively ... so coming out here and getting a blowout feels great. It gives us confidence going into a big game next week."

On the second play of the fourth quarter, Kendall Thomas ran for an 18-yard touchdown. His first collegiate rushing score helped push the Furman lead to 34-3. Two plays later, Travis Blackshear put the cherry on to with a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown.

After allowing its first points all season in the fourth quarter last week when Western Carolina erupted for three touchdowns, the Paladins were able to keep VMI (1-6, 0-4) off the scoreboard while emptying the bench in the final quarter.

Gilby and Evan DiMaggio had nine tackles apiece to lead Furman's defense. Xavier Stephens, a Lehigh transfer from nearby Roanoke, Va., had a key sack and a pass breakup on the same series. Furman had four sacks and nine tackles-for-loss as a team. The Paladins had two interceptions as Hugh Ryan captured his team-high third pick in the first quarter

"I was just waiting for that moment. I finally got my first interception of the season and had daylight all the way on the return," said Blackshear. "We didn't play to the standard that we normally play to (last Saturday). The emphasis this week was to get back to who we are. We all had a good week of preparation."

Roberto finished with 104 yards on just eight carries to lead Furman's rushing attack. Abrams had 60 yards on 11 attempts, Thomas had 35 yards on five carries, freshman Grant Robinson ran for 29 yards on six carries and freshman Jayquan Smith made his collegiate debut with 21 yards on four attempts.

Also making his collegiate debut was new No. 2 quarterback Carson Jones. With Furman playing it safe and just running out the clock, Jones completed all three of his passes for seven yards and rushed once for six yards. Miller finished with 71 yards on five receptions.

Furman will host Chattanooga in a SoCon showdown next Saturday at 2 p.m. The Mocs (6-1, 4-0) handed Mercer its first league loss Saturday and are tied atop the league standings with Samford (6-1, 4-0). The Paladins and Bears (6-2, 4-1) are tied for second.

"We're where we want to be. We've got nobody to worry about but ourselves," said Hendrix. "We just need to go have a great week of prep."