Furman basketball's transformation: Beans

Furman senior Geoff Beans. Photo courtesy of Furman.

This is part two of a five-part series on how Furman's senior class of Geoff Beans, John Davis III, Daniel Fowler and Devin Sibley became the nucleus of the remarkable turnaround of the men's basketball program.

The Shooter
On Senior Night Feb. 20, Furman had a comfortable 21-point lead as the clock ticked down under a minute to play. However, an important basket had yet to be scored. It was so important that Furman coach Bob Richey didn't care if VMI heard precisely what the Paladins planned on trying to do.

"Get Geoff a shot! Get Geoff a shot," Richey yelled out as Jordan Lyons dribbled the ball up the court to begin one of the final possessions.

Lyons dribbled to his left around Jalen Williams, who screened a VMI defender which freed up Geoff Beans near the top of the key. Lyons zipped a pass to Beans, who launched a long 3-pointer that rattled in with 51 seconds left. As Beans' 172nd career 3-pointer went down, the crowd erupted, the Paladins' bench jumped up and Richey pumped his fist before calling timeout for Beans' curtain call.

After hugs and high-fives from his teammates on the court, Beans saluted the home crowd as he walked off the Timmons Arena court for the last time to more greetings from the coaching staff and bench. After the game, Richey said a made 3-pointer was the only way for Beans to close his home playing career.

That shot was so important to the team because of how important Beans has been to the program. While he hasn't been on the court as much as his fellow three seniors, there's been no more important influence off the court than Beans.

"The key with Geoff is it's always about the program. A lot of people say 'it's always about winning,' but I think this goes a step above that," Richey said. "The other day at ETSU, he got to play two minutes. He was as fired up after that game as anybody in that locker room."

Beans' importance to the program dates back to before he ever put on a Furman uniform. He was the first member of this year's senior class to sign with the Paladins, back in November of 2013. The Toledo, Ohio native chose Furman over Wofford among other schools.

"He was the first one to jump on the boat and he was probably the most highly recruited one of this class," Richey said. "He chose to come here even while being recruited by a team (Wofford) that had already won two SoCon championships up the road.
"He saw something here in our vision, our university and our city that made him want to be a part of this."

For Beans, that thought may continue after his Furman days are over.

"I'm a business major. I'm don't know exactly what I want to go into yet but I'm looking into commercial real estate sales," Beans said. "With all the Furman alumni and connections I've gotten, I think I may end up working in Greenville.
"I just want to be able to continue to watch the younger guys continue to carry on the program."

Beans had an impact as a freshman as he made 18 starts and averaged 7.8 points per game. He hit the first three 3-pointers of his college career against Liberty and followed that game with a 21-point performance against Samford. Beans had a run of five consecutive games scoring in double figures in December that season.

While playing time hasn't been as abundant as it was his freshman year, Beans has provided an offensive threat off the bench as he's shot 35.3 percent on 3-pointers and 81.1 percent on free throws in his career. Defense has also improved for Beans during his time at Furman, and he's drawn some big charges this season.

"Each year has provided its own challenges, but everyone on our team knows that their role may shrink a little because of the depth and talent our team has," Beans said. "In order to be on a championship team people have to be okay with that.
"With us, it's been good because everyone's accepted their role. At the same time, everyone's working as hard as they possibly can to make sure when they get that opportunity in the game they can make the most out of it."

Richey said Beans' senior leadership has been on display at key times behind the scenes. Once came after the Paladins' loss at UNCG.

"The day after the Greensboro game, he was the one in the meeting room that spoke up and said what needed to be said," Richey said. "A lot of times coaches are scared to give players a voice because they don't always align with how they view it or see it. Because of how he values the program, what came out of his mouth that day was 100 percent correct."

Beans' message was heard loud and clear. The next time out, the Paladins defeated Western Carolina 100-66. Beans had nine points in 15 minutes off the bench, two of which came on a rare dunk that thrilled the home crowd.

"People have no idea how important Geoff Beans is to this program. ... His leadership this week has been phenomenal," Richey said in the Western Carolina postgame press conference. "This program is indebted to him in a lot of different ways.
"He doesn't get written about a lot, but I'll tell you this. In 10 years, people are going to know who Geoff Beans is. He's going to have an unbelievable future."

The highlight of Beans' on-court career may have come in the culmination of Furman's run at the SoCon Tournament in his freshman year. After Kris Acox went down with an injury in the championship game against Wofford, Beans came on and scored a team-high 15 points to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team.

While no one could've anticipated what kind of good days were ahead for Furman basketball then, that run obviously was a stepping stone in that positive direction. Beans said one key element came into play in Asheville that year that has been perhaps the most vital part of the Paladins' success since.

"As bad as we were our freshman year, the reason why we were so successful in the tournament is that our defense really showed up," Beans said. "It didn't end how we wanted, but the ending was definitely better than the whole season.
"It's been neat to see how through each year, we've gotten better at something. Freshman year, we were just pretty bad but we ended the year well at the tournament. Sophomore year, we set the home win record for the season. Junior year, we made it a focus to win on the road and we set the school record for that."

As the team prepares for the seniors' last shot at a SoCon championship this weekend in Asheville, Beans will be ready to step up however he may be needed. That's what family members do for each other, and that's what Beans considers his teammates and coaches to be.

"All four years, this has been the closest team I've ever been with by far," Beans said. "We're always hanging out together. That's just how our culture is. It's more than just basketball to us, but I think that helps us out on the court."

Furman fan events at the SoCon Tournament

Griffith propels Paladins past Gamecocks

No. 9 hitter Sims Griffith smashed a two-run triple to left to snap a seventh-inning tie and Furman went on to a 6-4 win over South Carolina at Founders Park Tuesday. It was the Paladins' first victory in Columbia in 10 years.

The win snapped Furman's four-game losing streak and came on the heels of a weekend sweep at 12th-ranked N.C. State in which the Paladins (4-4) were outscored 28-2.

"It's been a tough four days. You love to learn with wins, but often times you learn more about yourself in some losses," Furman coach Brett Harker said. "We've had one of the hardest schedules in the country, so it's not like you expect to be undefeated at this point. It just felt like we weren't playing very good baseball.
"We really challenged the boys to stay together, believe in themselves, the team and the coaching staff. They come out tonight and just played really good baseball. It felt like we controlled most of that game."

The Paladins scored two runs in the third on a USC error and a sac fly by Jake Crawford. The Gamecocks (6-3) tied the game 2-2 on a Madison Stokes home run in the bottom half of the inning and it stayed that way until the seventh.

Landon Kay led off the seventh with a single and was sacrificed to second. After a walk by Bret Huebner, Griffith drilled a 3-2 pitch over the head of USC leftfielder Carlos Cortes scoring Kay and Huebner. Ben Anderson's sac fly pushed Furman's lead to 5-2.

"That was an unbelievable at-bat (by Griffith). He really squared it up," Harker said. "Sims is a very good defender for us and good at moving runners. He isn't known for burning outfielders, but that's what's beautiful about this game."

With nobody out in the eighth, Cortes hit a two-run homer to cut the lead to 5-4. The Gamecocks' next batter, Stokes, got ahead 2-0 when Harker called on Friday ace starter Grant Schuermann to come on in relief. Schuermann fired three strikes to get Stokes out looking, then needed just five pitches to get a pair of pop outs.

Jabari Richards' third hit of the evening was an RBI-double in the top of the ninth that provided some insurance. Schuermann worked around a one-out single in the bottom half to record his first career save.

"It was his bullpen day and (pitching) Coach (Kaleb) Davis just kind of bounced it off me when it was a tie game in the third or fourth," Harker said. "He got three quick outs in the eighth. ... He came back in the dugout and I said, 'how do you feel?' He said 'great,' and I said, 'well we'll push your start back if we have to, go out and win us a ballgame.'
"Man, did he look good. It was fun having him out there in that situation."

After committing an error in each game this season and totaling 12, Furman made no errors Tuesday. The Paladins also got a solid start from sophomore Trent Alley, who matched a career-high long outing of six innings. Alley (1-0) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out three.

"We played really good defense and Crawford made some really good plays at third," Harker said. "Alley still hasn't had his stuff that he's shown us in bullpens, but he's putting up big innings for us. He's got a bright future and some confidence going right now. In this game, that's half the battle.
"He comes from a family where his dad played on a national championship football team at Clemson and his brother is currently a coach on Clemson's football team. So for him to do that against the Gamecocks, I know that was a special night for him and his family."

Furman returns home for a weekend series against Central Connecticut State. Game one is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m.

Seniors transformed Furman basketball

Furman coach Bob Richey talks to his team. Photo courtesy of Furman.

This is part one of a five-part series on how Furman's senior class of Geoff Beans, John Davis III, Daniel Fowler and Devin Sibley became the nucleus of the remarkable turnaround of the men's basketball program. The rest of the series will focus on each senior's personal Furman story.

Coming off another record-setting season for wins, the Furman men's basketball enters this weekend's Southern Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Paladins are one of a handful of SoCon teams that would not be a surprise to see cutting down the nets on Monday.

Four years ago, none of this seemed possible. It was four years ago today that the Paladins wrapped up the 2013-14 regular season with a home loss to Georgia Southern. Eight days later, the teams met again in the first round of the SoCon Tournament and Niko Medved's first season as head coach ended with a record of 9-21.

Upon taking the job in April of 2013, it might have been easy for Medved to completely clean house after inheriting a team that went 7-24 this year before. However, Medved's first move was to retain one assistant from the previous staff - Bob Richey. It didn't hurt that Richey was the recruiter and position coach of Stephen Croone, who averaged 9.9 points and 4.0 assists per game as a freshman in 2012-13. Croone, who also broke the school record for assists in a game that season with 14, went on to become the fifth-leading scorer in school history.

After retaining Richey, Medved said, "We are very fortunate that Bob decided to stay at Furman. Bob is a talented young coach and an outstanding recruiter. He has a gift for connecting with people and will be an intricate part of helping Furman basketball reach new heights."

Not only is Medved a heck of a basketball coach, he might also be a psychic.

The latest of those "new heights" came this season in Richey's first year as head coach as Furman set the school record for regular season wins with 22. Last season, it set school records for conference wins (14), road wins (12) and overall wins (23). Two seasons ago, it set the school record for home wins (14), including 11 consecutive.

While players like Croone, Kris Acox, Kendrec Ferrara, Larry Wideman and others helped begin to steer Furman's ship in the right direction, it was this year's senior class of Geoff Beans, John Davis III, Daniel Fowler and Devin Sibley that was the nucleus of the transformation of the program. Despite going 11-22 as freshmen in 2014-15, this year's senior class is the second-winningest in school history with a record of 75-59. Only the senior class of 1980 has more wins at 80-37.

"Their pride in Furman and their desire to be at Furman was so high, so early. That was a critical piece of increasing their development," Richey said. "When they showed they really enjoyed being here and had a mission of what they're trying to do, that's pretty infectious. That really started to get to guys that came in after them and it just kind of grew and grew."

No shoes, no problem
So how did Medved and his staff convince this program-changing class to commit to and sign with a program that had gone 16-45 overall and 6-28 in the SoCon in the two seasons combined before they got to Furman? It goes back to another part of Medved's quote about Richey, "a gift for connecting with people."

That word "connected" has been used by Richey more than any other this season. When the Paladins are at their very best, it's when they're most connected on both ends of the floor. That also meant - and still means - Furman taking a different approach when it comes to recruiting.

"When you're going through a rebuilding situation, the most important thing you have to do is identify the people that you feel like are going to help you in the long-term," Richey said. "First, we had to get great human beings. We had to stay clear of entitlement and guys that just thought talent was going to be enough. We had to get people that were able to connect.
"Evaluate the film second. Evaluate the person first. They both have to check off."

Furman's place in the college basketball landscape also factored in recruiting.

"We had to get off the grid a little bit. We couldn't go sit at the Nike, Adidas or Under Armour tournament. We had to go look for non-shoe AAU teams and the undervalued stock," Richey said. "It was hard. ... We just had to go through a ton of names, a ton of films and keep calling and calling."

In addition to looking at players from under-the-radar AAU teams, Furman coaches also paid attention to the recruits' high school teams. In trying to build a winner, the staff recruited winners.

In their senior years: Beans' high school team went 22-2; Davis' team was ranked No. 1 in Division III in Ohio; Fowler's team went 29-2; Sibley's team went 23-7.

"It was just a group of guys that had low AAU reputations, but winning high school reputations and just very good people from very good support systems," Richey said. "We felt like all four of these guys would come in here and work hard to develop.
"We knew we had to invest in them. They weren't necessarily ready to play as many minutes as they had to play as freshmen."

Growing pains and the run
They may have not been ready as freshmen, but each showed glimpses of what they could do that season.

Beans drained the first three 3-pointers he tried in his collegiate debut against Liberty and scored 21 in the next game against Samford. Davis scored 20 in the regular season finale against Wofford. Fowler started all 33 games that season, averaging 7.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, on his way to a Furman-record 125 career starts. Sibley scored at least 20 points five times that season, including a 29-point performance at ETSU, and earned SoCon Freshman of the Year honors.

Fowler and Davis dove head-first into college basketball as they played 34 and 33 minutes, respectively, in the Paladins' 75-40 season-opening loss to the College of Charleston. That was the first of seven losses that season by at least 14 points, including five by at least 25 points. Since Dec. 19, 2015, Furman has just six losses by 14 points or more - only one by more than 19.

As sourly as that season began against Charleston, it nearly ended in storybook fashion. Despite a last-place finish in the SoCon, the Paladins made a magical run to the SoCon Tournament championship before falling to Wofford 67-64. Along with Ferrara, the four freshmen were the players on the court when the final horn sounded that Monday night.

One final chance
Now the seniors have one more shot to try to walk off the U.S. Cellular Center's court on that Monday night as SoCon champions. That path begins in Saturday's quarterfinals when the third-seeded Paladins face No. 6 seed Western Carolina at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Richey hopes his team will use its experiences from the prior three tournaments this weekend. Unlike those seasons, Furman enters this year's tournament on a roll with six consecutive wins. The Paladins will be looking to bounce back from the disappointment of an upset loss to seventh-seeded Samford in last year's quarterfinals.

"You win 21 in the regular season, finish in a three-way tie for first, and for the first time since probably 1990, you go in with any kind of expectation," Richey said of last year's tournament. "I think the combination of that and the fact that we had lost two of the final three in the regular season, we didn't walk onto that court with the confidence we had two weeks prior.
"I think the players would tell you now there was just so much pressure to go win the whole thing. I don't think we were looking past (Samford), we were just looking at the tournament in a cumulative lens. That can really increase pressure."

Having four guys who know what it takes to get to the finals certainly can't hurt Furman's chances this season. While a No. 10 seed should never feel any kind of pressure in postseason conference tournament, Richey would like for his team to somehow find that same feeling this weekend in Asheville.

"The approach we have to take is learn from your freshman year. Go out there and cut loose. Just play the game the right way and fixate on how we play. Don't worry about anything besides possession-by-possession, how can we play to our standard," Richey said. "The second thing is that you've got to go one game at a time. There's nothing you can get done until you beat Western Carolina. We have to have that focus."

This year's tournament will cap what's been an exciting year in a deep, competitive SoCon. Whether the Paladins punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980 or not, emotions will surely be running high.

"I'm going to miss them like crazy. ... I tell them all the time, 'you guys are going to leave here with a degree in team,' and that's the truth," Richey said. "That will probably carry them more through life than some of the other pieces of their experience here.
"These guys are Furman through and through and it's not just basketball. They love this place and they just wanted to see something great happen here."

Paladins swept at N.C. State

N.C. State racked up 17 hits Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of Furman with a 9-0 win.
The 12th-ranked Wolfpack (7-1) scored in five different innings Sunday and outscored the Paladins 28-2 in the series.

Brock Deatherage and Dillon Cooper each had three hits to lead N.C. State, while David Vazquez had three RBIs. Deatherage, Vazquez and Brett Kinneman homered for the Wolfpack. It was Kinneman's fourth homer of the series as he went deep in each game.

After having just one walk and 18 strikeouts over the first two games, the Paladins (3-4) showed more patience Sunday drawing nine walks. However, Furman had just three hits, struck out 11 times and stranded 11 baserunners.

Freshman Matt Lazzaro (0-1) allowed six runs on 10 hits in four innings to take the loss.

Nolan Clenney (1-0) tossed 3 1/3 hitless innings of relief for N.C. State to get the win.

The tough early-season slate for Furman continues Tuesday when the Paladins play at South Carolina at 4 p.m.

Paladins beat ETSU for sixth consecutive win

Devin Sibley had 17 points to lead Furman to a 79-76
win at ETSU Sunday. Photo courtesy of Furman.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Facing the best team in the Southern Conference at defending the 3-pointer, Furman hit 10-of-20 Sunday including some critical ones down the stretch as the Paladins beat ETSU 79-76. The Bucs' Devontavius Payne had a good look on a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it bounced away no good as the Paladins held on for the win in front of a packed house of 5,908 fans.

With the win, Furman (22-9, 13-5) wrapped up a third-place finish in the SoCon. The Paladins will play No. 6 seed Western Carolina in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament next Saturday in Asheville at approximately 8:30 p.m. Furman had 100-66 and 76-54 wins over Western this season.

"They (Furman) just answered every bell tonight and just had the 'next play' mentality. It's not about being perfect, you've just got to get to the next play. We're going to have to do that same thing in Asheville," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "All they're going to hear about is how much better they are than Western. I promise you, Western's going to have five or six days to get ready for this game and it's going to be a knockdown drag out."

The game featured eight ties and 13 lead changes, but the Paladins matched their biggest lead at 60-52 with 10:32 left. Desonta Bradford powered ETSU to a 17-4 run matching the Bucs' biggest lead at 69-64 with 4:15 left. Andrew Brown answered with a 3-pointer before Matt Rafferty had a steal and a 3-pointer to give Furman a 70-69 lead. It was tied 71-71 when Devin Sibley hit a 3-pointer and was fouled with 1:26 left. Sibley completed the four-point play.

"Daniel (Fowler) made a good play and a good pass. My defender just slacked off a little and I decided to shoot it," Sibley said of his big shot. "To come into this place on Senior Day, it's a big win."

Bradford's layup cut Furman's lead to 77-74 with 52 seconds left. The Paladins ran off much of the shot clock on their ensuing possession before Fowler missed. However, Fowler came up with a huge offensive rebound and John Davis was fouled with 15 seconds left. Davis hit 1-of-2 free throws then, and 1-of-2 with five seconds left for the final margin of 79-76.

"You can point to a lot of different plays, but the mental toughness is what got it done. We got up eight and they came all the way back and got up five," Richey said. "So you've got a 13-point swing there in a packed house against a team that's playing for a championship and you have the resiliency and mental resolve to stay the course and continue to swing. That's the story of the game.
"I told them before the game 'you're going to win this game because you're more connected,' and they showed that. There were two momentum swings that ETSU got and Daniel Fowler huddled our team twice - once in the first half and once in the second half. That's the growth and that's why we won this game today."

Furman held a 40-39 lead at the half despite shooting just 38.7 percent from the floor in the opening half, while ETSU shot 53.3 percent. The difference came at the foul line, where the Paladins were 12-for-12 and the Bucs were 1-for-2. Thanks to 10 ETSU turnovers, Furman had a 13-4 edge in points off turnovers in the first half.

The Paladins led by as many as eight in the first half with three minutes to go. ETSU reeled off a 13-3 run in a span of just 1:33 to take a 39-37 lead before Fowler's 3-pointer with 41 seconds left put Furman ahead at the half. It was just the second time an opponent held a halftime lead at ETSU this season and the first since Nov. 22.

Furman made 6-of-9 3-pointers in the second half, including each of its last five attempts. Meanwhile ETSU, which entered Saturday making 38.1 percent of its 3-pointers in league play, went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc after halftime. That came after going 6-of-13 on 3-pointers in the first half.

"That was a halftime adjustment because we were losing their (3-point) shooters," Richey said. "That opened the paint a little bit and so Bradford and them just started putting their head down and going to the rim. Then we had to shrink it back and fortunately we were able to slow it down a little bit."

Sibley led five Paladins in double figures with 17 points and six rebounds off the bench. Matt Rafferty had 14 points, six rebounds and three steals. Daniel Fowler and John Davis each scored 12 points and Fowler had five assists. Andrew Brown scored 11 for Furman.

The Paladins finished 21-of-28 from the foul line (75 percent) after entering Sunday last in league play in free throw shooting at 67.2 percent. Furman will carry a six-game winning streak into Asheville as their four seniors take their last shot at a tournament title.

"We've just been working to get better each game and that's why we're playing the way we're playing now," Sibley said. "It's the best way we could script going to the tournament."

Desonta Bradford scored 17 of his game-high 19 in final 10:14 of the game for ETSU (23-8, 14-4), which finished second in the league after home losses to The Citadel, Wofford and Furman to end the regular season.

N.C. State clinches series win over Paladins

Brandon Elmy went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles in Furman's
9-2 loss at N.C. State Saturday. Photo courtesy of Furman.

N.C. State piled up 13 hits and scored in six of the eight innings it batted as the Wolfpack cruised to a 9-2 win over Furman Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. No. 12-ranked N.C. State will go for the series sweep Sunday at 1 p.m.

After going 3-for-5 with five RBIs in Friday's series opener, N.C. State's Brett Kinneman went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs Saturday. Evan Edwards went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs also for the Wolfpack.

Furman (3-3) took a 1-0 lead in the first. Ben Anderson led off with a single and later scored on Brandon Elmy's two-out single. N.C. State answered in the bottom half when Josh McLain and Kinneman led off with singles and McLain later scored on Shane Shepard's sacrifice fly.

The Wolfpack took a lead it never relinquished in the third when Kinneman walked and later scored on a two-out single by Edwards. Kinneman led off the bottom of the fifth with his third home run of the series - and fourth this season. Later in the fifth, Edwards hit a two-run homer to push the lead to 5-1.

Furman's scoring wrapped up in the sixth when Landon Kay ended an 0-for-17 skid to start the season with an RBI-single, which scored Elmy who had doubled.

Johnny Piedmonte (2-0) allowed two runs on six hits in six innings to get the win for N.C. State. He had one walk and five strikeouts. Reid Johnston tossed three shutout innings of relief for his second save. Wolfpack pitchers have 18 strikeouts and one walk thus far in the series.

Furman starter Jake Crawford allowed six runs on eight hits in six innings to take the loss. He had four walks and two strikeouts.

Anderson and Elmy each went 3-for-4 to lead the Paladins.

Quarterbacks solid in Purple-White scrimmage

Furman freshman quarterback JeMar Lincoln. Photo courtesy of Furman.

At the beginning of spring practice, Furman football coach Clay Hendrix anticipated the battle to replace graduated quarterback P.J. Blazejowski to last well into August. In addition to those returning, it will also give the two quarterback signees from the 2018 recruiting class a chance to compete. Based on the results of Furman's annual Purple-White spring scrimmage Saturday at Paladin Stadium, that thought hasn't changed.

Senior Harris Roberts and redshirt freshman JeMar Lincoln, the two leading candidates among those returning, each had strong performances. In a game that featured four eight-minute quarters and a running clock, Roberts quarterbacked the Purple squad to a 16-10 victory. Coaches drafted the members of each team, and some players such as kicker Grayson Atkins and tailback Devin Wynn played for both squads.

Roberts completed 6-of-8 passes for 112 yards and carried once for a five-yard gain. Lincoln was 6-of-7 for 80 yards passing and had 22 yards rushing on three attempts.

"Both quarterbacks did some good stuff," Hendrix said. "They're a little different, but they can do all of our stuff. We're really pleased with how they've both progressed this spring and it's been about like they did today.

"The thing that's impressed me the most about JeMar is that he doesn't panic back there. He's not a skittish guy in the pocket and he takes care of the ball. He doesn't just throw one up."

On the opening drive of the game, Lincoln directed the White squad down the field with a mix of throwing and running with glimpses of his ability to escape a pass rush. After running for a 19-yard gain, Lincoln threw to Ryan DeLuca for a nine-yard touchdown.

On the Purple's first play, Roberts hurled a deep pass down the left sideline that Cam Burnette caught in stride for a 53-yard gain. That drive ended on a three-yard touchdown pass from Roberts to Jake Walker.

"That was fun," Roberts said of his first play. "I need to set an example. I've been here on losing teams and on a winning team. I know what needs to be done to win games and I just want to be able to show younger guys what it takes to go out and do it on Saturdays."

After kicking a 48-yard field goal to give the White a 10-7 lead, Atkins tied it up later with a 42-yard field goal for the Purple. On the ensuing possession, a high snap sailed over the head of Lincoln and the Purple's Elijah McKoy recovered at the nine-yard line. A few plays later, Deon Sanders plunged in for a one-yard touchdown and final score of the scrimmage.

"I was pretty pleased. When you split them up and it's not O vs. D, you might worry about it getting a little sloppy but I didn't think it was," Hendrix said. "Other than the bad snap by a guy at a new position and a missed extra point when they're not rushing by a really good kicker, there weren't really any mistakes that stood out."

DeLuca caught four passes for 65 yards, while Burnette caught three for 70 yards. Avery Armstrong had a pair of receptions for 39 yards. Wynn rushed four times for 26 yards.

After redshirting last season, Lincoln said his first spring practice has been good. While batting for a starting job, Lincoln has enjoyed how all the quarterbacks support each other.

"We're just working together as a team. There's only one guy out there and whoever it is, we've got to help him out because he's the guy leading our team," Lincoln said. "You've got to get better every day, but I feel like I've improved since the start of spring with my mechanics, footwork and just completing balls."

McKoy takes on leadership role

With the loss of many linebackers from last season, McKoy has sort of inherited a leadership role as a sophomore. McKoy is the most experienced inside linebacker returning as he made 81 tackles in 12 games as a freshman last season. In addition to his fumble recovery, he had three tackles in Saturday's short scrimmage.

"I feel like I improved a lot this spring. I definitely knew the system a lot better, so it helped having that experience," McKoy said. "There's always things to improve on, so I think I can still get better. ... With me being one of the only guys with experience, I've got to make sure the new guys get caught up and help them."

Inside linebacker was a thin position already that's been a bit thinner this spring as senior Tyler Voyles suffered a knee injury that will sideline him approximately six months. He made 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season.

"He got hurt on a non-contact drill. It's one of the good things about going (with spring practice) early," Hendrix said. "Sometimes you're surprised at how fast they come back, and sometimes they take longer. We'll see, but we're going to plan on having him back (for the season)."

Flu sidelines Morehead

Voyles was one of 10 players who was listed as out on Saturday's roster, but the rest were non-serious injuries. Those included cornerback Quandarius Weems, defensive end Alec Hanff, centers Chris Breedlove and Jonathan Bockhorst, offensive tackle Andy Godwin, and Clemson transfer cornerback/returner Amir Trapp.

Running back Darius Morehead was listed on the active roster, but did not participate Saturday. He's been dealing with the flu for the past few days.

"It's been a real challenge this spring trying to find time to practice. With classes, labs, flu, stomach bugs, weather and field sharing, it's been a challenge," Hendrix said. "But it's been a really productive spring. Watching those young guys develop has been a good sign. Defensively especially, we're so far ahead of where we were."

The Paladins will wrap up spring ball with a pair of practices this week.