Paladins open season with blowout, buzzer beater

Furman's PJay Smith earned Southern Conference Player
of the Week honors Monday. Photo courtesy of Furman

There were plenty of questions surrounding this year's Furman basketball team following an offseason in which four players, who accounted for 59.1 percent of last season's scoring, left via the transfer portal. The coaching staff also saw assistants Jeremy Growe and Tim Johnson, as well as strength coach Matt Aldred, leave. Paladins coach Bob Richey put things in perspective after a preseason practice.

While major changes like these were new territory for Furman this year, that hasn't been the case for the majority of college basketball programs these days. Richey pointed out that eight players returned this season. That's more than plenty of programs typically have back anymore.

"Garrett's (Hein) played a lot of games. Tyrese Hughey's played a lot of games. Ben VanderWal's played a lot of games. Cooper Bowser started for us last year," Richey said. "We lost some good coaches and we brought some good coaches in. ... We lost some good players, but we signed some good players. When you have a good program that sustains winning, you're going to attract people and we've done that."

One week into the season, that mix of old and new Paladins is off to a 2-0 start. Furman opened the season on Nov. 4 by blowing out NAIA member Columbia International. Last Friday, another thrilling chapter in the Furman-Belmont series was written as PJay Smith's last second three-pointer lifted the Paladins to a big road victory.

Furman 104, Columbia International 46

Obviously the Paladins were facing an overmatched, non-Division I opponent, but that hasn't always turned out to be an automatic nearly 60-point win. Season openers aren't always smooth either, but Furman looked like a crisp team that had been playing together for years.

On a night in which Smith and key newcomer Charles Johnston - a transfer from Cal State Monterey Bay - sat out with minor injuries, 12 of the 13 Paladins who saw action scored. They were led by Florida State transfer Tom House, who had 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-6 three-pointers, and three steals.

"I think guys like Tyrese, Garrett and PJay have done a good job instilling the culture in the transfers," House said. "Sometimes for transfers, it's hard to gel with the team and the culture, but the older guys have done a good job to make sure that happens."

How balanced was Furman's scoring in the opener? Tommy Humphries was the 10th different Paladin to score and he ended up with 15 points. Tyrese Hughey came off the bench to record a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in just 15 minutes of action. True freshman Mason Smith had 11 points and five rebounds, while redshirt freshman Eddrin Johnson scored 10.

The Paladins shot 63.5 percent (40-of-63) from the floor and made 13-of-21 (61.9 percent) three-pointers. Furman also held the Rams, who've scored at least 107 points in two of their three non-Div. I games this season, to 28.6 percent (16-of-56) shooting.

"I thought we did a really good job of setting the game with the defense. ... We kept them out of transition, made sure they didn't get clean post touches and limited them to one shot," Richey said. "We had 40 deflections. I don't care who you're playing, when you have 40 deflections, you're dialed in.

"A lot of guys got to play. You got to see some of our youth has a chance to be really good."

Furman 76, Belmont 74

While Smith and Johnston returned to action in Nashville last Friday, one key Paladin didn't make the road trip. Associate Head Coach Chad Warner guided Furman as Richey stayed home in Greenville after his wife gave birth to a baby girl earlier Friday.

This was the latest in a series of back-and-forth great games between these two mid-major powers over the past few years. The Paladins made it a happy birthday for Richey's fourth child when Smith drilled the game-winning three-pointer from the top of the key with 2.3 seconds left. Smith, who was playing about 15 minutes from home, then hustled back down court and stripped the ball free before Belmont could get a three-pointer off at the buzzer.

Smith finished with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block to earn Southern Conference Player of the Week honors Monday. Nick Anderson, a grad transfer who played for former Furman coach Butch Estes at Division II Barry University, scored 17 points while Hien added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. All three had a big night shooting from three as Smith made 5-of-8, Anderson hit 5-of-7 and Hien - who had six made threes all last season - went 3-for-6.

While he fouled out without scoring, Bowser was also a force as he had 10 points, four blocked shots and two steals.

This week

Furman hosts Jacksonville as part of the SoCon-Atlantic Sun two-game challenge Monday at 7 p.m. at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Dolphins (1-1) opened the season with a 78-65 win over NCCAA Division II member Trinity Baptist before losing at No. 21 Florida, 81-60, last Thursday.

The Paladins host another game at The Well on Friday, when they face Tulane at 7 p.m.

Mistakes outweigh stats as Furman falls at VMI

Furman freshman Caldwell Bussey had two sacks, but the
Paladins fell at VMI, 21-17. Photo courtesy of Furman

LEXINGTON, Va. - Two out of three might not be bad, but it wasn't enough for Furman to beat a previously winless VMI team Saturday. The three biggest problems for the Paladins this season have been an non-existent running game, an inability to convert on third down and turnover ratio. They rank near the bottom in the country in all three categories.

On Saturday, Furman rushed for 195 yards, converted 10-of-18 third downs - and 2-of-4 fourth downs, but lost three turnovers and didn't force any. The Paladins had twice as many offensive plays as VMI (87 to 43), outgained the Keydets 412-177, had 26 first downs and allowed nine, and held the ball nearly twice as long (39:35 to 20:25).

None of those stats mattered. The only one that did was on the scoreboard, where Furman lost 21-17. The Paladins (2-6, 1-3 Southern Conference) could not overcome the big mistakes like turnovers and all the little mistakes like multiple low snaps to the quarterback sprinkled along the way. In Furman's six losses this season, it's lost 17 turnovers and forced four - two against William & Mary and two against Western Carolina.

In a season filled with frustration, Saturday was a whole new slice of it.

"I'd rather play worse and win," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "Our team hangs in there and fights. They didn't give up, but we just invent ways to hurt ourselves.

"We had three turnovers and we don't get one. Two possessions inside the 10 and we get three points. We had a bad snap at the three-yard line and then don't give ourselves a chance because we take a sack. We give up a seven-play drive to start the game. ... It's just the details that we're not very good at and that falls on me."

Entering Saturday, VMI (1-8, 1-4) had more than one offensive touchdown in a game just one time this year - against Bucknell eight weeks earlier. But on the opening possession, it looked like Halloween was still going and the Keydets were cosplaying as Western Carolina's offense that torched Furman two weeks ago.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Chandler Wilson threw a 17-yard touchdown to freshman Ethen Horne to cap the Keydets' seven-play, 75-yard drive. After going 5-for-5 for 70 yards on that opening possession, Wilson completed 4-of-11 passes for 65 yards the rest of the way. Furman held VMI to just 102 yards of offense after that first drive, but for the fourth time this season it didn't force a turnover.

Furman's opening drive lasted 14 plays, reached the Keydets' 17-yard line and resulted in zero points. After freshman quarterback Trey Hedden lost his footing before he ever got going on a third-and-four run, the Paladins had to settle for a 38-yard field goal attempt. After a high snap on the try, VMI recorded its fourth blocked kick of the season.

Things then started looking like the more recent history of this series in which Furman had won the last two meetings by respective scores of 41-3 and 37-3. Its defense forced a three-and-out in which Tanner Schuck got a second-down sack and Caldwell Bussey just missed one on third down. With Bussey charging hard at Wilson, he just tossed the ball down for an intentional grounding penalty instead of getting sacked.

The Paladins' ensuing possession began with three consecutive runs by Myion Hicks before they took a deep shot and Hedden hit a wide open Colton Hinton for a 43-yard touchdown.

Furman's next drive reached the VMI 38 before a fumbled handoff on first down was recovered by the Keydets. On the Paladins' next possession, freshman Gavin Hall made the most of his first touch. After taking a handoff, Hall faked an end-around pitch and for a split-second looked like he was about to look for a receiver to throw to. Instead, Hall took off for a 46-yard run to the VMI seven-yard line.

While Furman gladly took its longest running play of the year, Hall really should've scored as there was one defender and one blocker between Hall and the goal line when he reached the 15. VMI's Joe Comello did a nice job of shedding that block and Hall happened to cut the same direction that Comello did and he was tackled.

On the next play, Hedden somehow avoided a sack and somehow got the ball to Brock Chappell's outstretched hands amongst a group of defenders in the end zone. Chappell couldn't hang on though when he was hit by a pair of Keydets. A delay of game further foiled the drive and Furman settled for a 29-yard field goal by Ian Williams to take a 10-7 lead.

Of the 102 yards VMI posted after its first drive, half came on the next play as Wilson's 51-yard pass to Egypt Nelson reached the Furman 24. Furman was later flagged for pass interference in the end zone on a ball that Nelson caught at least one yard to the left of the end zone out of bounds. I'd be interested to know how a ball that was caught well out of bounds would've been catchable in bounds, but nobody asked me and the ball was automatically placed at the two. Hunter Rice scored on the next play to put the Keydets back on top 14-10.

On a first down on Furman's first play in VMI territory on the next drive, Hedden took a big hit from Eric Rankin as he was about to pass and fumbled. Rankin scooped up the fumble and returned it to the Paladins' four-yard line. It was similar to a play at The Citadel a month earlier, which was reviewed and reversed to an incomplete pass. Fumble appeared to be the correct call Saturday, but there was never an official review.

Two plays later, freshman quarterback JoJo Crump checked in for his only snap of the day and kept for a three-yard touchdown. VMI, which was averaging 11.4 points per game this season entering Saturday, led 21-10 with 1:56 left in the half.

For the sixth time in as many drives, the Paladins entered VMI territory on their next possession. On third down from the Keydets' 32, Hedden rolled to his left and was able to set his feet for a throw but could not get rid of the ball before being sacked by a gang of Keydets for a nine-yard loss. That left Furman with a 59-yard field goal attempt by Williams that had enough leg, but just missed wide right and the Paladins trailed by 11 at the break.

"We've harped all week, 'Throw it to the flat. He's wide open. It's going to be a five- to 10-yard gain probably.' And also, 'They can hit you. You don't have a red (practice) jersey on,' " Hendrix said. "We just don't have the urgency to get that done."

On a day in which all but one true Furman drive reached VMI territory, the only one that didn't was unsurprisingly its first of the second half. Unsurprising because the Paladins seem unable to do anything offensively coming out of halftime anymore.

In their first possession of the second half against Charleston Southern and Stetson, the Paladins had touchdown drives of 79 and 90 yards, respectively. In the other six first possessions of the second half this season, Furman has had 18 offensive plays net zero yards and one first down thanks to a facemask penalty against Western Carolina.

After Rice ran for 10 yards on VMI's first play of the second half, Furman's defense allowed 19 total yards and one first down - on a roughing the passer penalty - the rest of the way.

"You win and lose as a team. Individual stats really don't matter. It's winning as a team. We're close, but we've got to continue to figure that out," said Bussey, who finished with two sacks. "We're always going to miss the guys we've lost (to injuries on defense), but I think we're a gritty group that continues to fight. That's something we can definitely build off of."

Furman's second possession of the half was a 16-play, 87-yard effort capped off by a great play after taking points off the board when the Keydets were flagged for an offsides penalty on a field goal. On fourth-and-one at the VMI four, the Paladins lined up in an I-formation with Chappell at fullback. After faking a handoff to Hicks, Carson Jones rolled right and tossed to Chappell who could've walked into the end zone for a touchdown. That helped cut the lead to 21-17 with 3:39 left in the third quarter.

Despite multiple golden opportunities, the Paladins got no closer. A 12-play drive on their next possession ended on fourth-and-two at the VMI 23. Jones found a wide open Ja'Keith Hamilton in the end zone, but the overthrown pass bounced off the fingertips of the diving Hamilton.

"I think he makes that throw eight out of 10 times, but didn't make it that time," Hendrix said. "That's just kind of who we are right now."

While a 40-yard field goal there would certainly be in Williams' range, VMI's proclivity for blocking kicks this season was likely a factor in the decision to go for it. The way the defense was playing, it felt like Furman would have plenty of opportunities left with more than 12 minutes remaining and it did.

The Paladins had a 14-play drive on their next possession. On second-and-goal from the three, a fumbled snap resulted in a two-yard loss. On third down, Jones was sacked for a five-yard loss. On fourth down, Jones' pass to Ben Ferguson was broken up. The pass went to the two, so it likely wouldn't have resulted in a touchdown had it been caught anyway.

That gave the ball back to VMI with 2:45 remaining and Furman with only one timeout. In one of the worst possessions you'll ever see, including a deadball unsportsmanlike conduct after a second-and-one play and running out of bounds on third down, the Keydets punted.

Furman got the ball back at its own 34 and somehow still had that one timeout with 1:41 left in the game. On the first play, Jones' pass into double coverage was picked off by Shamus Jones. VMI didn't screw up this time, taking a knee three times to end the game.

"It's frustrating. ... I'm trying to be the positive guy and there are things to be positive about, but the name of the game is finding a way to get wins," Hendrix said. "I haven't done a good enough job of doing that."

Hall averaged 9.3 yards per carry as he had 121 yards on 13 attempts to become Furman's first 100-yard rusher since Dominic Roberto had 154 at Western Carolina last October. Hicks also ran 22 times for 59 yards Saturday.

"The running game was a lot better today. The o-line looked good and we had a lot of things wide open there. We just didn't execute when we got to the red zone," Hall said. "I'm extremely appreciative for the opportunity the coaches have given me as a freshman to go out there and play football."

Jones, who came on to start the second half in relief of Hedden, completed 14-of-21 passes for 110 yards. Hedden finished with 78 yards on 9-of-15 passing. Hinton caught eight passes for 88 yards and also completed a 29-yard pass on a trick play in the fourth quarter.

"I'm proud of Carson Jones. That's not an easy position to be put in and I'm proud of how he's handled it," Hendrix said. "He gave us a boost, but we left a bunch of points out there.

"I don't want to hear another word from anybody about youth. We've played eight games now. We've been to an SEC stadium. We've actually played some of our best football on the road. It's about going and expecting to make plays and do the things we have to do to give ourselves a chance to win. We did a lot of those, but just so many mistakes."

Furman will host Wofford at 2 p.m. next Saturday in the home finale.

Young Paladins set to open final month at VMI

Furman freshman quarterback Trey Hedden
Photo courtesy of Furman

Following last season's departures, this season's Furman football team was set to be one of the youngest in years. By the time the season got here, it was even younger. Two months into the season, that trend has continued. Every team deals with injuries, but it's hard to recall a season in which the Paladins (2-5, 1-2 Southern Conference) lost as many key players. 

Last season, 35 of the 44 Paladins on the two-deep depth chart were comprised of juniors, seniors and graduates. As Furman opens the final month of the regular season at VMI Saturday at 1:30 p.m., there are 25 different freshmen and seven different sophomores on the current two-deep depth chart. The Paladins are particularly young along the defensive front. This week's two deep at defensive tackle, noseguard, weakside linebacker and bandit are all freshman.

Losses in personnel have led to big losses on the scoreboard lately. The Paladins are coming off a bye week that Furman coach Clay Hendrix said "will be good for us" during the postgame press conference after a historically poor performance against Western Carolina. One week after suffering the most lopsided SoCon loss during Hendrix's eight-year tenure as head coach in a 31-point home loss to Chattanooga, the Catamounts topped that as they left Paladin Stadium with a 52-20 win.

It seemed fairly reasonable to believe that Furman's defense wouldn't face any kind of offense like it did in a 76-0 loss at Ole Miss to open the season. While Western Carolina didn't match the point total - or payroll - of the Rebels, the Catamounts did put up a school record 801 of total offense. That included another school record - for Western and against Furman - 620-yard passing day by Western quarterback Cole Gonzales. Furman had never allowed more than 700 yards of total offense in a game before Ole Miss piled up 772.

"Under the circumstances with the guys we were without, I think they both (Chattanooga and Western) were a little better than we were. They were both much better than us on those Saturdays," Hendrix said Thursday. "I thought we were not playing great, but hanging in there pretty good early on (in both games). Right now, we're the kind of team that if a couple things get away from us, the whole game flips."

The Chattanooga game was set to be a battle of teams who desperately want to run the football but had not been able to all season. Without Furman noseguard Xavier Stephens - who suffered a season-ending injury at The Citadel the week before - plugging up the middle, the Mocs ran fairly wild.

Furman also lost cornerback Jaylen Moson when he broke his collarbone after making the win-sealing interception at Citadel. Without Moson and leading pass rusher Luke Clark, who was injured against Chattanooga, Gonzales torched the Paladins all day.

"We just gave up too many big plays, but that's a little bit of who they (Western) are. They can stretch you in a lot of ways," Hendrix said in that postgame. "In the second half, we just had poor tackling that kind of got worse."

In that loss, little mistakes early on seemed to snowball into big mistakes as the game wore along. After Furman's opening drive stalled at midfield, Ian Williams had a perfect, lofty punt in which three different Paladins were positioned to catch the ball near the goal line. Instead, the ball bounced between them at the three-yard line and into the end zone for a touchback.

Western led 7-0 late in the first quarter when Furman had an obvious field goal situation on fourth down. The Paladins had to rush a lineman who was out there on third down back on to the field as the play clock wore down. That caused the entire play to be rushed and Williams missed the 47-yard attempt.

After a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Colton Hinton cut the Catamounts' lead to 14-6 midway through the second quarter, Williams missed the extra point. 

"That's just kind of been the year for us," Hendrix said in the postgame.

It has been an unusual and uncharacteristic year for the Paladins on the field and off. On the field, the Paladins rank 117th (out of 123 teams) in the FCS in rushing offense, averaging 84.7 yards per game including a paltry 2.58 yards per carry. They're 113th in turnover margin, having forced eight and lost 15, and 113th in third-down conversions at 28.7 percent (27-of-94).

The odd year began in February with the tragic loss of Bryce Stanfield. In addition to the emotional toll his passing has taken on the Furman community and team, Stanfield was one of the new projected starters on defense. During the spring, bandit Alex Maier - an experienced backup to Clark - was lost for the season due to injury. During preseason camp in August, spur/nickelback Justin Hartwell and safety A.K. Burrell each suffered season-ending knee injuries.

"Losing those safeties really killed us. We were already thin there," Hendrix said Thursday. "And we started with nine corners and now we're down to four (because of injuries and moving guys to safety)."

Furman lost Florida State transfer tight end Joshua Burrell in the opening quarter of the second game of the season due to an injury. Hendrix said he could be close to returning though.

Perhaps the offense's biggest weapon was gone shortly thereafter when Joshua Harris, a senior captain who had made 37 career starts, didn't make the road trip to William and Mary and never returned. A couple of weeks ago the cause was finally revealed when The Post and Courier was first to report that Harris had been arrested by the university's police department and was no longer enrolled at school.

"I think that (receiver) group has played pretty good, but that (losing Harris) affects you in some ways that you don't even talk about," Hendrix said Thursday. "I think it affected everybody, me included."

Obviously, anything football related doesn't compare to the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, but that was another thing beyond Furman's control that impacted the team as the Samford game was cancelled. It marked the third time during Hendrix's tenure that a home game was lost due to weather or disease.

Then there's been the flurry of key injuries over the past few weeks.

"We've just got to stay the course. ... We're just trying to turn this into a four-game season. We've got four games left to see how good we can play and I feel good about our prep," Hendrix said Thursday. "I think (freshman quarterback) Trey (Hedden) is getting better and looking more like a veteran. Like most young guys, he's still making some mistakes but those other times he shows you just what kind of ability he has."

VMI (0-8, 0-4) enters Saturday's game winless this season, but has played better of late. On Oct. 12, the Keydets led Wofford 16-15 midway through the fourth quarter before falling, 31-16. The next week, VMI led rival The Citadel 10-6 at the half. That lead stood until the Bulldogs got the lone score of the second half with less than 10 minutes remaining and went on to a 13-10 win. Last week, the Keydets were up 10-7 at Chattanooga late in the first half before the Mocs came back then pulled away for a 31-10 win.

"(VMI's) Danny Rocco is a really good coach. You kind of know what you're going to get out of them and I'm sure they've got our game circled as one they can win," Hendrix said. "I think we just need to worry about us because we've been our own worst enemy."

After big loss, Furman set to host Catamounts

Furman's Caleb Williams makes a tackle against
Chattanooga. Photo courtesy of Furman

Furman will try to rebound from the most lopsided Southern Conference loss it's had in Clay Hendrix's eight-year tenure as head coach when it hosts Western Carolina at 2 p.m. Saturday on homecoming at Paladin Stadium.

The Paladins lost five turnovers (officially) and didn't force any in last week's 41-10 loss to Chattanooga. The Mocs (3-3 overall, 2-1 SoCon) scored 24 points off those turnovers. That performance came weeks after being at minus-four in turnover margin for the first time ever under Hendrix in Furman's 24-20 home loss to Charleston Southern.

"We're certainly disappointed in the outcome and how we played. We just kind of continue to be our own worst enemy," Hendrix said after the game. "I told the team at halftime that I'd felt a lot better about how we played today than last week (first half at The Citadel), but we turned it over four times (in the first half). So you keep that in perspective. You can't beat anybody (doing that), especially a good team and they've got a really good, veteran team."

Even though Furman (2-4, 1-1) had the four turnovers, it wasn't like a 20-3 halftime deficit was insurmountable. After freshman quarterback Trey Hedden was intercepted three times in the first half, the Paladins turned to Carson Jones to quarterback the second half. Unfortunately for Furman, Jones could not capture that same magic he had last season at Chattanooga when he came on for an injured Tyler Huff and rallied the team to victory and the SoCon championship.

On the first play of the second half, Chattanooga's Chase Artopoeus threw a bomb to Javin Whatley for a 47-yard gain to the Furman 28. The Mocs and Paladins entered last week's game as two of the worst rushing teams in the country, but Chattanooga proceeded to churn out yards on the ground on this drive. Reggie Davis carried on each of the final five plays of the possession, capped by a two-yard touchdown run.

On Furman's ensuing possession, Myion Hicks ran for six yards on first down. Jones' first pass was complete for a one-yard loss and his third down pass was incomplete, so the Paladins went three-and-out. Furman's defense was poised for a three-and-out on the Mocs' next possession, but on 3rd-and-9, Artopoeus found Whatley running all alone down the right sideline for a 71-yard touchdown.

Furman entered Chattanooga territory for the first time since midway through the first quarter on its next possession. However the drive ended when Jones' third down pass was batted down. UTC's Marquise Freeman gathered the loose ball and held it up in the air in celebration as everyone had stopped on the play. With no whistle though, Freeman took off for the end zone and was officially credited with an interception return for a touchdown.

Replays showed that the ball had bounced off the turf, but there was never an official review. While it didn't probably matter, it's a pretty unprofessional look to not automatically review a goofy looking play that everybody had stopped on. Of course, Hedden's third interception of the first half was reviewed and the call stood despite the ball being trapped.

Nevertheless, the three touchdowns by Chattanooga less than nine minutes into the second half turned a 20-3 game into a 41-3 game and it was essentially over.

"In our three FCS losses, we've had 12 turnovers and you can't do that," Hendrix said during his weekly press conference Monday. "It hurts me to have to say it, but (Chattanooga) just got after us. Something we've taken pride in since I came back here is playing with relentless effort and playing with great physicality. We got out-physicalled Saturday."

Three turnovers or five turnovers doesn't change the fact that the Mocs dominated the final three quarters. In the first quarter, Chattanooga had a 76-68 edge in total offense and both teams had 17 plays apiece. The rest of the way, the Mocs had 367 yards on 55 plays while Furman had 165 on 35 plays.

It was Furman's first game without noseguard Xavier Stephens, who was lost for the season after suffering an injury in the fourth quarter at Citadel the week before. Chattanooga found holes up the gut that were not there before with Stephens clogging up the middle. The Mocs finished with 199 yards rushing on 46 attempts. Davis finished with 93 yards on 22 carries to lead the way.

"This was the game you really needed him (Stephens)," Hendrix said. "I looked out there early in the game and six of our front seven (on defense) were freshmen."

For what it's worth, Furman also had one of its more successful games on the ground with 130 yards in what was one of its better efforts with the RPO. Hicks finished with 67 yards on 15 attempts and had the Paladins lone touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Evan DiMaggio led Furman's defense with a 14 tackles. The defense was further decimated when Luke Clark left with an injury. While his season isn't over, he is expected to miss Saturday's game against Western Carolina.

"It's been a tough year, but tough times don't last. Tough people do," Hendrix said. "We're just trying to hang in there and get better with our young guys. ... It is what is is and everybody deals with it."

Being without your top pass rusher is less than ideal when facing the Catamounts (3-3, 2-0), who are one of only two teams without a loss in SoCon play. Western quarterback Cole Gonzales is ninth in the country in total offense (282.8 yards per game). He has 1,528 yards passing and 169 rushing this year and road environments haven't exactly intimidated him. Gonzales had a season-high 340 yards passing in the Catamounts' 46-35 loss at Montana. He rushed for a season-high 75 yards in their 38-21 loss at N.C. State.

Gonzales is third in Western Carolina history with 44 career passing touchdowns. He's fourth in career passing (5,667 yards) and total offense (6,186).

"We've got a really, really good, really talented team coming in here. We're never going to out-talent either of these teams (Chattanooga or Western)," Hendrix said. "They've played a really tough schedule. That's why their record isn't as good, very similar to Chattanooga. ... We've got to get back to attacking on defense."

Furman enters crunch time portion of schedule

Furman freshman Jackson Pryor hangs on to the game-winning score
in the Paladins' 17-16 win at The Citadel. Photo courtesy of Furman

Ready or not, Furman has arrived at the "make or break" portion of its 2024 football schedule. When the Paladins host No. 23-ranked Chattanooga Saturday at 2 p.m. Saturday, there won't be as much on the line as the previous few meetings, but it will be a major chapter in how this season turns out for both teams.

After Chattanooga, Furman hosts a Western Carolina team still receiving votes in both FCS polls and then has a bye in the final week of October. Victories the next couple of weeks could very well catapult the Paladins back into the rankings heading into the final month of the season.

Polls are something Furman can't control though. What both teams would desperately like to finally control Saturday is the line of scrimmage. In a statement that's probably never been able to be made in the middle of October, Saturday is a matchup of two of the worst rushing offenses in the country. The Moccasins (2-3, 1-1 Southern Conference) rank 114th, averaging 91.2 rushing yards per game, while the Paladins (2-3, 1-0) are 119th at 81.6 per game. Chattanooga averages 2.7 yards per carry and Furman averages 2.5. Every other team in the SoCon averages more than 3.1.

Running game struggles are just the beginning of similarities for these teams. Each opened the season with extremely lopsided losses to semi-pro Southeastern Conference teams. Each one is coming off low-scoring road wins in league play last week. While Furman scored a pair of touchdowns in the final six minutes to pull out a 17-16 win at The Citadel, the Mocs got a big 17-10 victory at East Tennessee State.

"I think the start to their season really affected them. I actually talked to (UTC coach) Rusty (Wright) after week one when they played Tennessee and we played Ole Miss and had similar results," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said at his weekly news conference Monday. "Then they turn around and play Georgia State (a 24-21 loss). Guess what? Georgia State beat Vanderbilt and we all know what Vanderbilt just did (a stunning win over No. 1 Alabama last Saturday). Then they play Mercer (a 10-3 loss) and they could've easily won that game.

"People try to compare scores, but you really can't. Every game is a little different and matchups are always a bit different."

In the history of Paladin Stadium, no visiting team has left with more wins than Chattanooga's eight. Furman has won three in a row in the series and six of the last eight meetings though. Last season in Chattanooga, Carson Jones came on in relief of an injured Tyler Huff and led the Paladins to a 17-14 win that clinched the SoCon championship.

The teams had a rematch at Paladin Stadium in round two of the FCS playoffs, which Furman won 26-7. While Huff returned for the Paladins that day, Mocs' starting quarterback Chase Artopoeus missed the game due to injury.

In the Mocs' last trip to Greenville in the regular season, then No. 24-ranked Furman defeated then No. 7 Chattanooga, 24-20, in 2022. That began a stretch of three out of four losses to end the season for the Mocs.

"They're the same team I thought they were before the season. ... They've got talent. They've got size and length, and do a good job of coaching," Hendrix said. "We will have to absolutely have our best week (of practice). I think they're the most complete team we will have played, outside of the opener.

"You look at those (SoCon) scores from last week. It was a bunch of close games and I think it's going to be like that every week. You've got to find ways to win close games." 

After further review

Furman found a way last week in the fourth quarter thanks to a dominant defense and an offense that went up tempo to finally spring to life. Freshman Trey Hedden threw both of those touchdowns in the final six minutes, including a six-yard pass to freshman tight end Jackson Pryor for the game-winner with 1:01 left. Furman finished with 28 yards rushing, marking its lowest rushing output in a victory in the last 50 years.

Prior to that pass, that struggling rush offense actually made it first-and-goal after three consecutive running plays beginning with an eight-yard keeper by Hedden. On the go-ahead score, the Paladins lined up in an I-formation and faked a toss to the left before Hedden rolled to his right. The expectation had to have been that the backup tight end (Pryor) might be wide open in the end zone, but he wasn't. Unfazed by that, the freshman still made the throw and Pryor made a great catch and held on while he was folded up like an accordion.

"Trey made some big plays down the stretch. He's a confident guy and is getting better and better," Hendrix said. "I couldn't really see (the game-winning score) on the sideline. Until seeing the tape, I didn't realize how good of a throw and how good a catch it was. True freshman to true freshman. That was the second game Jackson's ever played in and he just continues to show up."

A welcome distraction

Pryor is a native of Boone, N.C. and his home was actually safe enough to return to two weeks ago when Hurricane Helene's aftermath led to Furman's home game against Samford being called off. 

Most of the Paladins were able to make it back home that weekend. One who couldn't though was starting left tackle Eli Brashier, who's from Black Mountain just outside of Asheville. An emotional win Saturday capped off an emotional week for him.

"It's honestly been a gift having football here and being a distraction from what's going on at home," Brashier said Monday. "Being able to have my mind somewhere else has helped so much. Just having a goal and focusing on that has helped."

Fill the Din Bin

Furman, along with Ingles and Harvest Hope, is looking to support those impacted by Hurricane Helene by having the community fill the "Din Bin" prior to Saturday's game. Fans are asked to help fill the Smith Dray Moving Paladin Football equipment truck, which will be located at the Ingles Fan Zone at Paladin Stadium beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. Donations will be accepted until Saturday's kickoff at 2 p.m.

Needed items included travel size toothpaste, toothbrushes, paper towels, beef jerky, buckets, peanut butter, deodorant, rags, canned vegetables, canned meat, dry beans, fruit pouches, pasta, rice, bar soap, gloves, baby food, tampons/pads, bleach, diapers, flashlights, wipes, coolers, bottled water, socks and batteries.

Two late touchdowns power Paladins past Citadel

Furman's Luke Clark celebrates after a sack during the Paladins'
17-16 win at The Citadel Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman

CHARLESTON - Much like real life the past week, Furman's offense spent much of Saturday afternoon in the dark. But when the lights finally came on, the Paladins shined bright like a diamond (F). Freshman quarterback Trey Hedden threw a pair of touchdowns in the final six minutes as Furman rallied from a 16-3 deficit for a 17-16 win over rival The Citadel at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

After putting up 93 yards of total on offense on 30 plays over the first three quarters, Furman upped the tempo and had 181 yards on 27 plays in the fourth quarter. While the Paladins' defense kept them in the game for much of Saturday, it was especially outstanding in the fourth as Citadel was held to nine yards on 13 plays.

"You talk about a frustrating first half. ... Credit our kids for hanging in there and executing. ... Credit our coaches for the adjustments that were made. The way they were playing, we felt like we needed to go to some tempo on offense," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "It's always fun to win down here, but it's always fun to win period. Hopefully, this is kind of that big step we've needed to continue to grow up.

"It was a challenging week and we had some inconveniences, but nothing compared to what people are going through. Our thoughts and prayers are still with all of them. ... I'm just really proud of our kids."

Furman (2-3, 1-0 Southern Conference) trailed 13-0 late in the third quarter when its offense finally showed a pulse. The Paladins had just 36 yards of total offense and two first downs when they began a possession at their own 25-yard line with 5:30 left in the third. Furman's first trip to the red zone ended on a 26-yard field goal by Ian Williams to cut the lead to 13-3 with 52 seconds left in the quarter. Seeing as how it was still a two-score game, there may have been a thought of going for it on fourth-and-four.

Furman's defense made sure the field goal was the right decision. It forced a three-and-out on the Bulldogs' ensuing possession when Evan DiMaggio stuffed Citadel running back Garrison Johnson for no gain on third-and-one.

Citadel's next possession resulted in another three-and-out, but the punt was muffed by Colton Hinton and the Bulldogs recovered at the Furman 31. The Paladins' defense answered the bell again as Citadel had to settle for Ben Barnes' third field goal of the day. His 44-yard kick extended the lead to 16-3 with 8:27 left to play.

Hedden's first three passes of Furman's ensuing possession moved the ball from the Paladins' 22 to the Bulldogs' 24. The third of those was a perfect throw down the right sideline to Devin Hester, who made a great over-the-shoulder catch for the 26-yard gain. On second-and-18, Hinton appeared to catch a 19-yard touchdown pass but it was wiped out by a questionable illegal man downfield penalty. Two plays later, Hedden found Ben Ferguson for a 10-yard touchdown with no flags on the play as Furman cut the lead to 16-10 with 5:39 left.

After yet another three-and-out forced by Furman's defense, a 65-yard punt by Citadel's James Platte led to the Paladins beginning possession at their own 12-yard line with four minutes left. It appeared Furman's comeback effort was all for naught when Hedden was hit as he threw and officials initially ruled it a fumble that the Bulldogs returned for a touchdown. Replay showed that Hedden's arm was moving forward before the ball was knocked loose and after a review, it was ruled an incompletion.

The game was delayed further after Citadel called timeout to argue that it should've been third down after the incompletion, even though it came on a first-down play. Officials inexplicably reviewed what down it should be for a few minutes before correctly leaving the upcoming play as a second down.

After that foolishness subsided, Hedden went back to work. He hit Hinton for gains of 14 and 12 yards sandwiched around a 24-yard throw to Ferguson. After Furman entered the red zone with two minutes remaining, its beleaguered running game was called on and Hedden made a great fake handoff before taking off for an eight-yard gain. Two plays later, Grant Robinson had a four-yard run on third-and-one. The Paladins lined up in the beautiful I-formation on the next play. After Hedden faked a toss to the left, he rolled right and found fellow true freshman Jackson Pryor for a six-yard touchdown with 1:01 left. Williams' extra point gave Furman the 17-16 lead.

"That's a play that we've been working on all week. Getting those reps in makes it easier to do in the game," said Pryor, who's a native of Boone, N.C. "It's been kind of a roller coaster of emotions, but my whole family's safe. They actually made the trip down here a couple of days earlier as they were fortunate to have power back home."

Williams' fourth touchback in as many kickoffs gave Citadel the ball at its own 25 with two timeouts remaining. On first down, Luke Clark's hurry forced an incompletion. On second down, Jeremiah Jackson's hurry forced a short pass that resulted in an off-balance catch and a three-yard loss. On third-and-13, Clark's hurry led to an easy interception by freshman cornerback Jaylen Moson to seal the win.

It was a well-deserved pick for Moson, who's had some tough luck with warranted - and unwarranted - pass interference penalties this season. Unfortunately for Moson, he was injured while being tackled on the play and his right arm was in a sling after the game.

"I landed on my shoulder and they think it's my collarbone," Moson said. "I'm hurting right now, but hopefully the results come back and I'm okay."

Furman somehow only trailed by 10 at the half after a truly horrific showing in the opening 30 minutes. On the Paladins' second offensive play, Hedden ran eight yards for a first down on an option keeper. Furman had one more first down the rest of the half.

Citadel (2-4, 0-3) jumped out to a 10-0 lead two possessions in. After Barnes kicked a 48-yard field goal to open the scoring, the Bulldogs' Dervon Pesnell turned a third-and-10 screen pass into a 48-yard touchdown. The touchdown drive was assisted by an offsides penalty on a fourth-and-one play from the Bulldogs' 37-yard line. With two seconds on the play clock, Xavier Stephens moved forward, didn't make contact and got back with the ball never being snapped. It was ruled that his movement caused a Citadel lineman to move though, extending the drive.

For the first half, the Bulldogs had 185 yards on 43 plays while the Paladins had 34 yards on 17 plays. Citadel, which is no longer a run-heavy, ball control offense, also had a 21:49 to 8:11 advantage in time of possession.

"We played hard in the first half. We just kept hurting ourselves," Hendrix said. "Effort without execution doesn't equate. You've got to have both. ... The last thing I told them at halftime was the best thing going for us is that it was 10 to nothing. ... When we don't hurt ourselves and play confident football, we've got a chance to play with anybody."

Coming out of the locker room for the second half, it didn't look like much had changed. Furman opened the third quarter with a pair of shotgun handoffs up the middle and an incompletion on third-and-eight. Citadel took its opening possession of the half 69 yards on 17 plays, shaving more than eight minutes off the clock before Barnes' 30-yard field goal pushed the lead to 13-0.

At that point, the Bulldogs had 239 yards on 60 plays. They had 18 yards on 15 plays the rest of the way.

DiMaggio had a game-high 12 tackles, while Clark had eight, including three tackles-for-loss and a sack. Clark was officially credited with Furman's only two hurries of the day even though he was in Citadel's offensive backfield all afternoon.

"Our defense held strong the whole second half. Holding them to a field goal after that muffed punt ... helped change the game completely as well," Hedden said. "We're down two scores and they just kept giving us (the offense) a chance.

"When you're a young football team that wins a game like this, it's like 'oh my gosh, we can do it.' I think that's really going to help us moving forward. We're going to be more confident when it's time to go win football games."

Hedden withstood being sacked five times to finish with 246 yards on 23-of-33 passing with no interceptions.

Furman returns to Paladin Stadium next Saturday to host Chattanooga at 2 p.m.

Paladins set to return to action at The Citadel

Furman tight end Brock Chappell runs against
William & Mary. Photo courtesy of Furman

After having its Southern Conference opener postponed - and more than likely cancelled - last Saturday, Furman will begin conference play this Saturday at rival The Citadel at 2 p.m. When I wrote about this season being eerily similar to 2018 a few weeks ago (http://www.furmansportsreport.com/2024/09/freshman-hedden-set-for-first-start-for.html), I had no idea how stronger that feeling would become.

There doesn't seem to be a clear path for the Paladins (1-3) to be able to reschedule last week's home game versus Samford, which was wiped out by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. That would make it Furman's third game - all at home - to be cancelled during Clay Hendrix's eight-year tenure as head coach. The threat of a hurricane cancelled Colgate's trip to Greenville in 2018, while the 2020 spring COVID season finale against Wofford was called off after the Terriers ended their season early due to a decimated roster.

"When Samford's team got here Friday, their hotel had no power and they were told it would be at least 24 hours without it. I get it. I wouldn't want for us to go to Birmingham with no power and nowhere to stay," Hendrix said. "And we didn't know what our campus was going to look like (last Saturday)."

Hendrix said by Friday afternoon, it was evident that Saturday was no longer an option. The possibility of playing around noon Sunday was explored, while still trying to find a place for Samford to stay. Hendrix said they even looked at eastern Atlanta with the thinking that the Bulldogs could arrive back in Greenville in a couple of hours Sunday morning.

"We just could never find them a place. We were hoping to get power back on campus Saturday night, but we didn't," Hendrix said. "After being told we'd likely get power back on Tuesday, we just decided to send our players home for a couple of days."

Hendrix said that outside of a couple of players from the Asheville area, most of the team was able to make it back home. The next task was finding a place for the coaching staff to work and Hendrix finally found one in downtown Greenville.

"The Westin (Poinsett) was great to us. They offered us a ballroom area, so we could at least have power and internet. We spent all day there Sunday and all morning Monday, thinking we'd have power (on campus) Tuesday," Hendrix said "Then we're told we may not have power until the end of the week, but they were going to try to have power in the dining hall and the PAC. I knew we could make that work to get our players fed and to be able to work and meet."

Hendrix said he thought that power situation would be manageable until Thursday, when the Paladins might go ahead and leave a day earlier for Charleston. After the players returned to campus Monday morning, they gathered in the team meeting room with the only light coming from the windows.

"I'm laying out the plan for the week and all of sudden, one side of the room lights up. Everybody was kind of quiet, just looking at each other," Hendrix said. "(Offensive coordinator) Justin Roper is in the back of the room and (special teams coordinator) Tommy Spangler is sitting on the other side of the room next to a light switch. (Roper) hollers at (Spangler), 'Coach, hit that light switch.' When he does, the other side lights up and the room erupted."

Many of the dorms also got power back that day. So outside of classes being cancelled and unusual dining hall hours, it wasn't as abnormal a week as Hendrix first expected.

"It was an interesting week," Hendrix said Thursday. "2024's been a challenge for the Furman Paladins, all the way back to January."

Another unusual moment took place as the team was preparing to leave for Charleston Friday morning. One of the bus drivers had a medical emergency, so the team ended up traveling in two buses rather than three.

In preparation this week, Hendrix said that Citadel's defensive approach is fairly similar to Samford's. A big plus this week was the fact that the offensive differences between Samford and Citadel are not nearly as night and day as they used to be.

Led by grad transfer quarterback Johnathan Bennett, the Bulldogs (2-3, 0-2) have more passing yards (955) than rushing yards (688) this season - and two more wins than they had in a winless 2023 season. Bennett, a Summerville native who previously played at Liberty, has completed 65-of-126 passes for 921 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He's rushed for 93 yards and two scores as well.

"I think the biggest difference for them this season is the quarterback. That's our sport," Hendrix said. "He just gives them some balance and has the ability to make throws. I don't think he's really a runner, but he has the ability to make plays with his feet. They kind of started this (offensive) evolution last year.

"They've got a lot of guys back from last year and they're playing better on defense. They're creating turnovers and been solid in the kicking game."

Furman is coming off a 34-24 loss at No. 12 William & Mary two weeks ago. While the Paladins had some big plays offensively, it didn't play very well overall. Yet they still had a chance for a road victory over a highly-ranked team.

While everyone was disappointed to not get to play last week, Hendrix said he was thankful to have a full week of practice each of the last two weeks. 

"We're that team that needs to practice. We need the reps. We had some curveballs this week, but we got everything in. ... We had a good week of prep. I think we've have a good week of prep every week and gotten better each week," Hendrix said. "The biggest thing holding us back is us. It's things we can fix. ... We've got to be better at the routine stuff. I think all the pieces are there.

"I think our league is wide open. I think there's some good teams that have played brutally tough schedules. ... I think it's who can play well down the stretch and who can stay healthy."