Historic defensive effort lifts Furman past Elon

Furman's Xavier Stephens had 2.5 sacks in the Paladins' 31-6 win over Elon
in Saturday's opening round of the FCS playoffs. Photo courtesy of Furman

In Furman's storied history of Division I-AA and FCS playoff football, the Paladins had never held a opponent out of the end zone for the game.

Until Saturday.

Furman (10-2) had 251 yards rushing on offense and limited Elon to 77 yards on the ground as the Paladins rolled to a 31-6 win in the opening round of the playoffs Saturday at Paladin Stadium. It's the fewest points Furman has ever allowed in 37 playoff games in school history and the only time its opponent hasn't scored a touchdown.

The 11th-ranked Paladins will travel to San Antonio to play at seventh-seeded and fifth-ranked Incarnate Word in next Saturday's round two at 2 p.m.

"I couldn't be prouder of how our group prepared. Our staff did a phenomenal job of putting our guys in positions to go make plays," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said. "I just can't say enough about the way we played defensively. When you do that, it certainly makes it a little easier to play offense and win ballgames."

No. 12-ranked Elon (8-4) struck first when Skyler Davis made a 52-yard field goal on the game's opening drive, which was extended by a fake punt that Furman was actually prepared for but only required a two-yard run.

Dominic Roberto's longest run of the day, a 25-yarder, started Furman's second drive. Tyler Huff's longest pass of the day ended it as Ryan Miller caught a pass over the middle and rumbled to the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown.

Elon's ensuing drive ended when quarterback Matthew McCoy was dropped for a loss of one on fourth-and-one. On the Paladins' next drive, Huff scrambled for a 12-yard gain on third-and-four on the first play of the second quarter. Devin Abrams scored on a 10-yard run on next play to push Furman's lead to 14-3.

Later in the second quarter, Elon's lone trip to the red zone ended in spectacular fashion for Furman. On fourth-and-three, the Phoenix lined up for a 25-yard field goal but ran a fake. Davis took a lateral from the holder and was immediately obliterated by Travis Blackshear. Kam Brinson recovered the fumble.

"Certainly that play was huge," Hendrix said. "We've been practicing for fake goals. We've blocked so many kicks, we knew we were going to see stuff."

After that play by Blackshear with 5:45 left in the first half, Elon crossed midfield just twice the rest of the day. One of those times, Luke Clark forced a fumble that Seth Johnson recovered at the Furman 28 on the next play. The second time resulted in a 51-yard field goal by Davis that cut Furman's lead to 17-6 early in the fourth quarter.

Furman then had the answer of all answers of a drive. The Paladins drove 75 yards on 16 plays and shaved 9:39 off the clock. The march when Huff scrambled for a nine-yard touchdown on third-and-seven to extend Furman's lead to 24-6 with five minutes left.

That was a fitting end to a drive as it featured the most symbolic play of the day thanks to Huff. On third-and-two early on in the possession, Huff bulldozed his way for a five-yard run that had no business getting anything positive.

"I always tell our running backs, 'find you a soft shoulder.' Well Tyler didn't find a soft shoulder. He hit the guy right down the middle and I'm thinking that he's going to get stopped but then the pile just kept moving," Hendrix said. "I think it just epitomized our whole day and was certainly a big play in a big drive."

Furman stopped Elon on downs at the Phoenix 44 on the next possession. Grant Robinson put the cherry on top of the victory with a 25-yard touchdown run on his lone carry.

Roberto finished with 98 yards on 23 carries giving him 1,061 this season and 2,055 in his career, which ranks 12th-highest in school history. Huff had 93 yards rushing on 10 attempts and completed 16-of-26 passes for 140 yards and no interceptions.

"Our defense has done a tremendous job all year. They've picked us up when we've been slacking and they did it again today," Huff said. "This was my first playoff game so to advance to the second round, it's an amazing feeling."

Furman's defense held Elon 1,000-yard rusher Jalen Hampton, a Virginia Tech transfer, to 30 yards on 10 carries. McKay, who previously played at N.C. State and Montana State, netted 53 yards on 11 carries and completed 20-of-40 passes for 238 yards.

McKay was sacked four times, 2.5 of which were by noseguard Xavier Stephens. Alex Maier accounted for the other 1.5 sacks. Bryce McCormick and Braden Gilby had seven tackles apiece to lead the defense.

"I just trust the process and coaches, keep my head down and grind," said Stephens, who had just five tackles over the first five games this season, but has 20 stops and four sacks since. "I trust the defensive backs and linebackers to get quick coverage and I trust my boys up front to get pressure that frees me to get sacks."

Foster sparks first-half blitz as Furman rolls

Marcus Foster had a career-high 22 points in Furman's 102-74
win over Tusculum Friday. Photo courtesy of Furman

All you needed to know about Furman's basketball game against Tusculum Friday could be summed up with one amazing stat. At the 14:56 mark of the first half, Tusculum had its third defensive rebound of the game. At the 19:06 mark of the second half, Tusculum had its fourth defensive rebound.

While it came against an overmatched Division II opponent - although Tusculum (2-0) is a high-scoring team ranked No. 7 in its region poll, the Paladins put on an absolute clinic during that near 16-minute run. Furman (4-2) made 18-of-20 field goals during that stretch and grabbed offensive rebounds that led to scores off both misses. That helped the Paladins cruise to a 102-74 win.

"We only missed eight shots in the first half, but got five offensive rebounds. ... That's something that we've really emphasized and (assistant) Coach (Tim) Johnson led the way with that," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "We know that's an area we had to be better in and so far this year, that's probably been one of the bright sides. ... We've been 19th in the country in defensive rebounding and that's playing two high-majors, a (Missouri) Valley school and a Sun Belt school. The Sun Belt team in Old Dominion was as physical as anybody.

"There's still some things we've got to do better, but I do think it's starting to show up in our identity."

Playing at home for the first time in two weeks on a Friday afternoon the day after Thanksgiving, the Paladins trailed 15-11 at the 13:44 mark. When Marcus Foster went to work, Furman's sluggish play suddenly stopped. While Foster scored a career-high 22 points, as usual his defense was the key to the Paladins' spurt.

It was still 15-11 when Foster grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul with 13:23 left. He made both free throws to start a 21-2 run over the next seven minutes. His three-pointer as time expired in the first half pushed Furman's lead to 57-27 at the break. The Paladins shot 73.3 percent in the opening half.

"Marcus was the one that stood out the most, not just in scoring but he led us in deflections today and he took the only charge called," Richey said. "I keep telling him how good he can be and how much better he can be. It's just a matter of how hard he plays. I've been proud of him. He's been warming up harder, turning the motor on and being ready to play."

Furman wasn't nearly as sharp in the second half, but never led by less than 23 the rest of the way. For the second consecutive game, eight different Paladins had at least one assist as the team finished with 24.

Like Foster, Jalen Slawson also had 22 points. Slawson also had 10 rebounds and five assists, while Foster also had seven rebounds. Mike Bothwell added 18 points, five assists and two steals, while Tyrese Hughey had 15 points and three steals. After missing all of last season with an injury, Jonny Lawrence knocked down a pair of threes for his first points since making 3-of-4 threes against The Citadel on Feb. 24, 2021. 

"I take pride in defense. That's one thing I want to leave my mark in, so I was just focused on not missing any assignments and staying active on the ball," said Foster, who came off the bench for the second consecutive game Friday. "I try to be a better leader on the defensive side of the ball to get our guys going."

Coming off a career-high 20-point game in the win over South Carolina, Garrett Hien didn't dress out for Friday's game due to a calf strain. Richey said Hien is day-to-day, but he him to return "sooner rather than later."

Furman will have its first true road game Tuesday when it plays at Appalachian State at 6:30 p.m. The Mountaineers (5-2), who put up 142 points in the season opener against Warren Wilson, will be coming off a 74-70 win at East Tennessee State on Wednesday.

"We enjoy playing high-level mid-major games and this one will be no different. I've got a lot of respect for (App State head coach) Dustin (Kerns)," Richey said. "He's a great coach of a great program. ... He will have his team ready to play."

Furman set to host Elon in FCS playoff opener

Furman noseguard Cameron Coleman (0) is one of 12 Paladins to earn
All-Southern Conference honors this season. Photo courtesy of Furman

For the first time in 17 years, Paladin Stadium is set for some postseason football. Eleventh-ranked Furman will host No. 12 Elon Saturday at noon in the opening round of the FCS playoffs. It's the Paladins' first home playoff game since a 14-12 win over Nicholls State in the opening round of the 2005 playoffs. Saturday's winner will travel to San Antonio to play at seventh-seeded Incarnate Word next Saturday.

"It's an exciting time for us. This never gets old when you get this opportunity," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said during his weekly press conference Monday. "To win this thing by having to go on the road for five weeks is a pretty tough challenge, so having the chance to play at home is huge.

"I'm thankful to our administration. When we came back here as a staff we put in some fund-raising efforts to help us make a good, strong bid (to host a first-round game). For our football team, I think what I'm most proud about is the improvement we've made all year. We're certainly playing our best football, which we need to be."

The Phoenix (8-3) come into Greenville with statistical numbers that look quite a bit like Furman (9-2). Elon leading rusher Jalen Hampton has 1,023 yards and 10 touchdowns on 221 carries (4.6 yards per carry). Furman leading rusher Dominic Roberto has 963 yards and 10 touchdowns on 159 attempts (6.1 ypc).

Elon's second-leading rusher is quarterback Matthew McKay, who has 406 yards and three touchdowns on 108 attempts (3.8 ypc). Furman's second-leading rusher is quarterback Tyler Huff, who has 537 yards and five touchdowns on 86 carries (6.2 ypc). McKay has completed 177-of-283 passes for 2,471 yards with 21 touchdowns and four interceptions for a passer rating of 157.5 Huff is 167-of-238 passing for 1,888 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions for a rating of 149.8.

Elon has allowed 200 points this season and its defense has 66 tackles-for-loss, including 34 sacks, and has forced 21 turnovers. Furman has given up 203 points and its defense has 77 tackles-for-loss, including 25 sacks, and forced 24 turnovers.

"We're built similarly. They want to rush the football and be efficient throwing it. One thing that's stood out from talking with folks that's faced them is their appearance. With their size and length, they're an impressive looking group," Hendrix said. "Their quarterback was at N.C. State then Montana State. He's a big tall guy who's accurate and is certainly a threat to run. ... Their running back is a Virginia Tech transfer and they're really big up front with big receivers as well.

"Defensively, their numbers are really outstanding in a a really good league."

Furman will be going for its sixth win in seven playoff games against current Colonial Athletic Association teams. The Paladins will also try to earn the Southern Conference some much needed respect on a national level. While the nine-team SoCon still has the wild concept of every team playing one another every season, the 13-team CAA gets multiple playoff bids each year for teams who often have conveniently not faced one another.

That wasn't the case for Elon this year though. The Phoenix went 4-1 against FCS playoff teams this season, including a 3-1 mark against fellow CAA playoff teams. Elon handed fifth-seeded William and Mary its only loss this season with a 35-31 road win on Sept. 24.

"They're one of the ones that played all their league teams that got in. I think that's huge for their credit," Hendrix said. "We have a lot of respect for them and we've had a couple of really good games against them right when we first got back here. ... We will certainly have to be at our best this weekend."

Despite having four SoCon teams ranked in the top 20 of the Stats Perform (media) poll much of the second half of the season, only sixth-seeded Samford and Furman made the 24-team playoff field. Chattanooga was upset in the regular season finale for the second consecutive year when it fell at Western Carolina last Saturday, while Mercer was snubbed after a 50-44 double overtime loss at Samford.

Perhaps if Mercer had not taken its league champion to double overtime on the road and instead lost by five touchdowns like Montana did at Montana State last week, it could've made the field and gotten a home game to boot. The Grizzlies (7-4) will be going for their first win over a team with a record of better than 4-7 this season when they host Southeast Missouri State (9-2) Saturday. SEMO, which has one win over a team with a winning record, got the Ohio Valley Conference's autobid on a coin flip after it finished tied with Tennessee-Martin atop the OVC standings at ... 5-0.

Losing down the stretch didn't prevent CAA member Delaware from also making the field and also getting rewarded with a home game. The Blue Hens (7-4), losers of four of their last six games including a 27-7 loss at Elon, get to host St. Francis (Pa.), champions of the 45-scholarship limit Northeast Conference. NEC teams are 1-12 all-time in the FCS playoffs.

So why Elon?

Every team in the FCS playoffs is supposedly "good," so every matchup is supposedly "tough." But between teams buying home games in the opening round - and perhaps buying their way into the field seemingly this season - and making the the playoffs via coin flips after playing only five conference games, the whole FCS postseason system seems more out of whack than ever.

A case in that point is this Saturday's game in Greenville. In a 24-team field, how is it that the 11th and 12th-ranked teams square off in round one? Even with "regional matchups" factored in, this just doesn't make sense. In a real tournament where every team was seeded, Furman would be considered a No. 10 seed based off of being aligned with No. 7 seed UIW. That would mean the Paladins' opponent would be the No. 23 seed, which certainly would not be Elon.

"I'll be honest with you. I'm not real crazy about the (selection) process," Hendrix said. "I think it needs to be tweaked. I can't say I was surprised it was Elon, because I knew they would be a possibility but I thought others might be more of a possibility. ... I was just really excited to have a home game."

In a logical playoff system, Furamn's opponent Saturday should more likely have been unranked ASUN/WAC automatic qualifier Eastern Kentucky, unranked Big South champion Gardner-Webb or unranked Davidson, the automatic qualifier of the non-scholarship Pioneer League. Gardner-Webb and Davidson didn't register among others receiving votes in the final Stats Perform poll.

Instead, 7-4 Eastern Kentucky is hosting Gardner-Webb with the winner getting on a bus to travel to fifth-seeded William and Mary. Meanwhile, Richmond - which lost at Elon in double overtime this season - gets to host Davidson Saturday.

In this week's scientific Massey Ratings, Furman is rated ninth, Elon 19th, Richmond 20th, Eastern Kentucky 31st, Gardner-Webb 44th and Davidson checks in at 98th.

A dozen Paladins earn All-SoCon honors

While Saturday will be Furman's first home playoff game since 2005, this season also marks the Paladins' highest win total since 2005. That season came up again this week when three offensive linemen earned first team All-SoCon honors for the first time since 2005.

Tackles Anderson Tomlin and Pearson Toomey and guard Jacob Johanning made the Coaches' first team along with All-American tight end Ryan Miller. Furman had two first team picks on defense in noseguard Cameron Coleman and free safety Hugh Ryan.

Second-team selections were running back Dominic Roberto, cornerback Travis Blackshear, linebacker Braden Gilby, and return specialist Wayne Anderson. Bandit Alex Maier and safety Caleb Williams represented Furman on the All-Freshman team.

"I could go back and look at some playoff teams we've had here and say, 'yeah, I knew that team could line up and play with anybody.' For others I might say, 'if we could win a game,' " Hendrix said. "What's excited me about this team all year long is that I think we can line up and play with anybody. We will have our work cut out for us Saturday, but I just think we're a team that can do that."

After 12-year wait, Paladins crush USC again

Garrett Hien had a career-high 20 points off the bench in Furman's
79-60 win over South Carolina. Photo courtesy of Furman

Prior to this men's basketball season, the last time Furman faced South Carolina was Dec. 22, 2010 when Amu Saaka's 20-point performance led the Paladins to a 91-75 victory at Timmons Arena. After what Furman did to the Gamecocks Sunday in Charleston, I wouldn't anticipate anything less than another 12-year wait for a 127th meeting in the series that dates back to 1908.

Coming off the bench for the first time this season, Garrett Hien scored a career-high 20 points in 26 minutes and Furman shot 57.7 percent in the second half to roll over USC, 79-60, on the final day of the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic at T.D. Arena. The Paladins (3-2) made 12-of-27 three-pointers (44.4 percent) to salvage their final game at the tournament. That included a career-high 3-of-4 from three for the 6-foot-9 Hien, who had struggled in the first two games of the tournament.

"Garrett's got unbelievable intent and he's Furman through and through," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "On Sunday, you saw him run the floor a little bit harder, play with a little bit more spirit. I've told him, 'look, you're not going to be the biggest guy down there. You've got to use your speed and skill to your advantage.' He did that Sunday.

"Beating an SEC school is something we don't take lightly. Any power-five win is a great win."

While Furman's first two games of the tournament took a similar route - the Paladins almost rallying from a 20-point deficit only to lose by five - that second loss on Friday against Old Dominion dealt a more somber mood than the loss to Penn State did on Thursday.

As Richey pointed out following Friday's game, it's the first time the Paladins had lost on back-to-back days in his tenure. That feeling persuaded Richey to cancel Saturday's off-day practice to "kind of hit the reset button."

"We didn't even walk in the gym on Saturday. We watched film and had a walk-through," Richey said. "The whole focus for us was getting back to having a good competitive spirit with a good, connected energy.

"I thought we did both those things well Sunday. We had 22 assists, which is always something that's critical for us. And the big thing was we turned them over and didn't give them second-chance shots. Trying to increase our possessions and decrease theirs was a huge part of the game plan."

Tyrese Hughey and Ben VanderWal replaced Hien and Marcus Foster in the starting lineup Sunday. The move paid off in numerous ways. Hughey, who had a career-high day in points (15) and rebounds (11) Thursday before only trying one shot in 10 minutes as he was saddled with foul trouble Friday, scored Furman's first seven points Sunday. That kept the Paladins in the game early on as freshman sensation G.G. Jackson led the Gamecocks to an 11-4 lead out of the gate.

That's when Foster became a factor. Foster tied the game 18-18 on a 3-pointer with 11:33 left in the half. Hien grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds on Furman's next possession, which led to a Jalen Slawson bucket as the Paladins took the lead for good. That three by Foster started a 15-0 run as VanderWal hit a pair of free throws with 6:35 left in the half to push the lead to 30-18.

Where Foster really made his mark though was on the defensive end of the court. While Jackson led USC (2-3) with 19 points, he had only three points on 1-of-6 shooting over the final 15:42 of the game as Furman pulled away. After the Gamecocks cut the lead to eight with 13:18 left, a steal by Foster led to a three-pointer by Hughey a minute later and the Paladins led by double figures the rest of the way. Furman outscored USC by 23 during Foster's 28:51 on the floor.

"Marcus' defense on G.G. was just incredible in that second half. ... Those guys (Foster and Hien) handled it great. Without practicing, I wanted to do something to shake up the energy a little bit," Richey said. "There's a little bit of trend in college basketball to bring some experience and firepower off the bench because a lot of times, you're injecting guys that can be key contributors while other people are going through their second line of rotation."

In the loss to ODU, Mike Bothwell and J.P. Pegues combined for 43 points and 10 assists to account for the majority of Furman's 77 points. Richey stressed that his backcourt can't be asked to do everything. Against USC, it was clear that the Paladins got the message. Hien was one of four Paladins in double figures. Slawson had 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Hughey finished with 12 points, while Bothwell had 11 points, a career-high eight assists, five rebounds and two steals.

Pegues had nine points and five rebounds, while Foster finished with eight points. Eight of the nine Paladins who played had at least one steal. Furman forced 17 turnovers, outscored the Gamecocks 23-4 in points off those, outrebounded USC 34-24, and had 22 assists on 30 made field goals.

While a Sunday morning, seventh-place game of an eight-team tournament was a less than ideal way to face USC, Richey - a South Carolina native - savored the chance. While the Paladins had not faced the Gamecocks in 12 years, it's been nine years since they've played Clemson. In eight years from the 2006-07 season to the 2013-14 season, Furman faced the Tigers six times. Ever since the Paladins "got good," they haven't been able to get either of the two state power-five programs on the regular schedule.

"It's an SEC school, a power-five school. If you look at facilities, budget, resources, it's not close. But at the end of the day, we want to be an elite mid-major program that's recognized as one of the best in the state," Richey said. "It's hard for us to get those opportunities. We would love to get them. I think it's healthy for us to be able to showcase basketball in the state, but we've got to be willing to play one another.

"For me, growing up in Columbia and having never had the chance to compete against them as an assistant or a head coach, Sunday was pretty neat."

Honors for Bothwell, Slawson

Even though Furman went 1-2 at the tournament, Bothwell shined enough that he was selected as the Southern Conference's Player of the Week. He averaged 20 points, 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game in Charleston and was also named to the All-Tournament team.

On Wednesday CollegeInsider.com announced that Bothwell and Slawson were part of the 50-player Lou Henson Award watch list. The award is presented annually to the top mid-major player in the country. Bothwell and Slawson are two of four SoCon players on the list, as Samford's Ques Glover and Chattanooga's Jake Stephens also were selected.

Selvy inducted into Hall of Fame

Furman legend Frank Selvy, the only player ever to score 100 points in an NCAA game, was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Mo. Sunday. While Selvy's health did not allow him to travel to the ceremony, his wife Barbara spoke on his behalf there.

In conjunction with the celebration of Selvy's Hall of Fame honor, Furman announced that school's Male Student Athlete of the Year would now earn the "Frank Selvy Award." Selvy led Division I in scoring both as a junior with 29.5 points per game and as a senior (41.7 ppg). Most notably, Selvy scored a Division I-record 100 points on 41-of-66 shooting against Newberry on Feb. 13, 1954, at Textile Hall in downtown Greenville.

A two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year selection, three-time first team All-SoCon and All-America choice, including consensus All-America and United Press National Player of the Year pick in 1954, he was a first round selection in the 1954 NBA Draft by the Baltimore Bullets. Selvy made two NBA All-Star Teams over a nine-year pro career that was interrupted by three years of military service.

"Frank's record-breaking accomplishments throughout his career and 100-point game in 1954 are legendary in the sport of basketball and the city of Greenville," Furman athletic direction Jason Donnelly said. "In recognition of Frank's legacy and impact, Furman athletics is excited to name the Male Student Athlete of Year the "Frank Selvy Award" from this day forward."

Paladins thump Wofford, pad playoff resume

Dominic Roberto (8) and Ryan Miller celebrate in Furman's 63-28 win over Wofford Saturday. Miller
broke Chas Fox's career touchdown reception record with his 27th. Photo courtesy of Furman

You may never get a second chance to make a first impression, but final impressions are pretty important too. On Saturday, 12th-ranked Furman's final impression to the FCS playoff committee was awfully impressive. The Paladins didn't score in the fourth quarter, but still had their highest scoring output against a Division I opponent in 19 years as they whipped Wofford, 63-28, before a crowd of 10,117 at Paladin Stadium.

It was the most points scored against a Division I foe since the 2003 squad ended the season with a 63-21 win at Chattanooga. Furman (9-2, 7-1 Southern Conference) just missed out on grabbing a share of the SoCon championship when Samford outlasted Mercer, 50-44, in double overtime. Mercer had a first-and-goal at the Samford two in the final seconds of regulation, but had to settle for a game-tying field goal.

Now the Paladins will wait to see who, when and where they play next when the FCS playoff field is revealed at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU. Their resume includes wins over three ranked teams, a loss to a one-loss FBS power in Clemson and the other loss to an FCS team that had no FCS losses in Samford. That seven-point loss to Samford was played without starting quarterback Tyler Huff and had a play controversial enough to warrant a public apology to Furman by the SoCon.

"It was a complete win out there today. There's always things you want to go back and do better, but I thought it was our best day offensively," Furman coach Clay Hendrix said after Saturday's win. "Their offense for the day was jump balls and obviously we didn't do as good a job against those as we should have, but I can't say enough about our team.

"I think we have a heck of a football team. I'm certainly excited to be playing again and I can actually talk about it now. ... I think we're a seeded football team. They may not call me and ask me my opinion tonight, but I think we've proven that by how we've played and the schedule we've played."

Furman could essentially do whatever it wanted offensively Saturday. With backups in at all spots in the fourth quarter, the Paladins had 10 yards on nine plays but still finished with 469 yards of total offense. Furman converted all of its first downs over the first three quarters - all four of them.

Huff was sensational as he completed 21-of-22 passes for 295 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed eight times for 40 yards and two scores. Dominic Roberto ran for 90 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Joshua Harris built off his career day last week with 112 yards receiving on eight catches, including a touchdown.

"It wasn't nothing spectacular by me. We were throwing screens and I was just getting the ball to my guys," Huff said. "Throwing to a guy like (Harris) is easy because if you put it anywhere near him, he's going to catch it. I'm confident any time I throw it his way."

While there were plenty of stars all over for Furman Saturday, one got the game ball. That went to All-American tight end Ryan Miller, who caught a pair of touchdowns to break Chas Fox's school record with 27 in his career.

"I don't think I've ever been in a locker room where the game ball has been given out, but I gave Ryan the game ball today," Hendrix said. "I just thought it was appropriate. What's hard about that is that you want to win the game, but you also want to get that record for him. ... We don't have a guy that's worked any harder or practices any harder.

"Chas was a good teammate and a heck of a player. He's actually the one that brought the record to my attention earlier this season. He told me he wanted to speak to Ryan when he breaks it and I told him we could make that happen."

It wasn't all cake and ice cream for Furman Saturday. A Wofford team that had won three out of four came out with guns blazing and the Paladins found themselves in a shootout early on. But with the game tied 14-14 in the first quarter, Furman's defense finally snapped the back-and-forth scorefest with a three-and-out.

After the Paladins went up 21-14 on their ensuing possession, their defense bluntly turned the shootout into a rout. On first down, the Terriers' Kyle Parsons took a handoff and was immediately slammed to the ground by Cameron Coleman for a one-yard loss. On second down, Parsons caught a screen pass and was immediately upended by Travis Blackshear for a two-yard gain. On third down, Wofford quarterback Jimmy Weirick took a big hit from behind by cornerback Ivan Yates and fumbled. Alex Maier recovered setting up Furman at the Wofford 21.

"I think the key was how we played offensively, because we kept answering when we were struggling (defensively)," Hendrix said. "But that series defensively absolutely turned the tide."

By the time the Terriers scored again late in the second quarter, the Paladins had a 42-14 lead. It took 17 passes for Huff's first incompletion and that was an interception by Wofford with 1:02 left in the half. The Terriers looked to cut more into the lead with a field goal, but Jack Barton came up with his fourth blocked kick of the season and Travis Blackshear returned it 33 yards to the Wofford 37.

Furman could not take advantage of it points-wise as Huff was sacked on the final play of the half and the Paladins settled for a 42-21 lead at the break. There was no let up in the second half as Huff and Kendall Thomas ran for touchdowns on Furman's first two possessions.

The cherry on top of the day was once again provided by special teams. Wofford tried another field goal and this one was blocked by Cameron Coleman. Blackshear again scooped up the loose ball and this time he raced 65 yards for a touchdown to push the lead to 63-21 late in the third quarter.  That marked Furman's fourth consecutive blocked field goal dating back to the Chattanooga game. The Paladins have blocked eight kicks and one punt this season.

"We were really happy that Cujo (Coleman) got one. ... He's the lowest man on the line every time on that play," Barton said. "He will put his helmet right into the other dude's helmet and knock them back. Then Matt (Sochovka) and I just have a field day."

Furman withstood a career-high passing day by Weirick, who finished with 428 yards on 25-of-43 passing with two interceptions. The Paladins limited Wofford to 37 yards rushing on 24 attempts.

Another big hole leads to another Furman loss

J.P. Pegues had a career-high 20 points and five assists in Furman's
82-77 loss to Old Dominion Friday. Photo courtesy of Furman

CHARLESTON - For the second time in as many days at the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic, Furman's opponent built a 20-point lead and withstood a rally. After Penn State shot the lights out in the first half Thursday in building a 21-point lead, Old Dominion shot the lights out in both halves Friday to knock off the Paladins, 82-77.

In Thursday's opening game of the tournament, Furman (2-2) used a rebounding advantage to help trim Penn State's big lead down to one and had three chances at a game-tying three-pointer in the final minute. But on Friday, ODU owned the glass by a margin of 36-22. Of course, it's kind of hard to get rebounds when the opponent doesn't miss. The Monarchs (3-2) made 14-of-24 shots (58.3 percent) in the first half and then made 17-of-27 (70.8) in the second half.

The Paladins trailed by 20 with less than nine minutes to play Friday before flipping a switch defensively. Utilizing a full-court press, Furman forced turnovers and rallied. But unlike Thursday, there were never any potential tying shots as it could never get the lead to less than four. Also unlike Thursday, there was a much more subdued postgame locker room after a five-point loss to a Sun Belt team as opposed to Thursday's five-point loss to a Big Ten team.

"We're just not a team right now that embraces the importance and urgency of the defensive end of the floor consistently enough," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "We've had two scrimmages where we gave up 80 points and today we gave up 80. You're just not going to win games giving up 80 points and you can't expect to.

"They competed harder than we did today and that's the most disappointing thing."

While ODU shot nearly 60 percent in the first half and the Paladins shot 34.6 percent, it was still just a 34-27 game at the break. Furman had chances to make it tighter, but after Tyrese Hughey's layup with 7:23 left it made just two of its last 12 shots of the half.

"We've played eight halves of basketball with four mediocre to bad first halves and four decent second halves. I wouldn't say today was a decent second half even though we scored 50," Richey said. "We're just not coming out from the start, sitting down and saying, 'look, this is how we have to be.'

"We've got some key players that just don't have the discipline right now defensively. ... That's on me though. If I've got them out there and they're not doing it, that's for me to correct. This team can still be really, really good, but today is a disappointing game."

That end of the first half futility was part of a nine-and-a-half minute span in which the Paladins never made consecutive shots. There was also an eight-and-a-half minute stretch like that in the second half during which the Monarchs pushed their lead to 20. Meanwhile, ODU never missed more than two consecutive shots the entire game. The Monarchs made their first five shots of the second half, made five straight in the middle of the second half and made their last five shots of the game.

A play that summed up the day came early in the second half when Mike Bothwell drove in for a tough layup in one of those rare hot spurts when Furman made three consecutive shots. With no one in his face or really near him at all after the layup, Bothwell yelled and got called for the first technical of his career. ODU went on a 19-7 run over the next five-and-a-half minutes to push the lead to 63-44.

"I was just saying 'and one' trying to fire up our team. I wasn't trying to show up anyone," Bothwell said. "Today, I think our timidness kind of sparked their confidence."

The Monarchs lead reached 20 with 8:41 left before Furman went on a 15-2 run to cut the lead to 69-62 with 5:15 remaining on a Marcus Foster jumper. J.P. Pegues' driving layup sliced ODU's lead to 73-66 with 2:20 left before the Monarchs deflated whatever air was left in Furman's balloon. ODU's Ben Stanley made one free throw and missed the second, but the Monarchs got the offensive rebound and scored off it to push the lead to 10 with 1:42 left.

Bothwell hit a three, but Stanley answered with a dunk. Jalen Slawson hit a three, but ODU's Chaunce Jenkins answered with a jumper in the paint. Pegues hit a long three to cut the lead to 81-77 with 10 seconds left, but that wrapped up the Paladins' scoring.

"I'm proud about what I did offensively, but I feel like I could've done a better job of leading the team defensively," Pegues said. "They just bully-balled us. They were the more aggressive team."

Bothwell had 23 points, five assists and two steals to lead Furman, while Pegues had a career-high 20 points and five assists. Slawson finished with 15 points, four assists and four steals, but had six of Furman's 11 turnovers. Foster was the lone other Paladin in double figures with 10 points.

After a career-high day of 15 points and 11 rebounds on Thursday, Hughey only took one shot in 10 minutes off the bench Friday as he was saddled with four fouls. Furman had just five bench points as a team.

"Our two guards did all we could ask of them today. They had 43 points and 10 assists. We can't ask them to do everything," Richey said. "At some point, somebody's going to have to help them.

"J.P. was definitely a positive, which was no surprise to me. I don't think people have enough patience in the fact that this is a new role for him. He's had to get comfortable in that role. The best thing about what J.P. did today was that he fought. He wasn't timid."

Furman will wrap up play at the tournament Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The Paladins will take on South Carolina in the seventh-place game.

Paladins hope to boost resume against Wofford

Furman defensive end Jack Barton has blocked three kicks and
broken up four passes this season. Photo courtesy of Furman

While the Furman football team's last two games may have been the biggest of the season considering who it played and how it did, those results only make every next game bigger. So when the 12th-ranked Paladins host Wofford in the regular season finale Saturday at noon, it will also be a big one for plenty of reasons.

After improving to 3-1 against FCS ranked teams this season following wins over Chattanooga and Mercer, the Paladins have secured second place in the Southern Conference. Furman (8-2, 6-1) could still gain a share of the conference title with a win combined with a Mercer win at Samford. A victory would also give Furman nine wins for the first time in 17 years. This is also a rivalry game and just Wofford's second visit to Paladin Stadium in Furman coach Clay Hendrix's six-year tenure.

The Terriers lost their first six games this season, but have played inspired football since head coach Josh Conklin abandoned ship. Two days after Conklin quit, Wofford had a respectable 28-14 loss at Samford and have gone 3-1 since then. After scoring 50 points over those first six games, the Terriers have scored 142 points in their last four games.

"We've got a Wofford team coming in that's clearly playing their best football of the year. They're really about where I thought they'd be. Their schedule was really front-end loaded," Hendrix said. "They're playing their best football, but we are too."

As for Furman's aspirations beyond Saturday, the Paladins very likely clinched an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs last week at Mercer. They probably don't want to test that theory with a loss to an improved, but still 3-7 Wofford squad. Instead, Furman will try to boost its playoff resume. Earning one of the eight seeds, which guarantee a first-round bye and a second-round home game, may be a long shot but it's not an impossibility.

A team that could end up having an impact on Furman's seed chances is Samford. All FCS projections currently have the Bulldogs as anywhere from a fifth to an eighth seed. It makes me wonder if a Samford loss at home to a Mercer team that the Paladins just beat on the road could flip Furman to a seed and the Bulldogs to a non-seed. On the other hand, a Samford win might only boost the Paladins' resume. In that scenario, Furman's only two losses would be to a one-loss Clemson team and a Samford team with no FCS losses.

For more on Furman's playoff possibilities, here's a story I wrote for The Greenville News this week: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/sports/college/furman/2022/11/16/furman-football-dream-of-getting-home-game-in-fcs-playoffs/69652828007/

'Cujo' the secret to special teams' success

If there was ever a player of the game for a defensive end who only had three tackles, Jack Barton could've gotten it last week in Furman's 23-13 win at Mercer. The Bears' second possession began at their own three-yard line following a great punt by Ryan Leavy. On the first play, Barton batted Fred Payton's pass up in the air and just out of Braden Gilby's reach for what would've been an interception in the end zone for a touchdown.

After Furman broke out on top 10-7 with a touchdown late in the first half, Mercer looked to swing momentum back with a field goal on the final play of the half. Barton busted through up the middle and easily blocked the 30-yard attempt. It was Barton's third blocked kick of the season, tying Matt Sochovka for the team lead.

After the Paladins took a 17-7 lead midway through the third quarter, Mercer drove to the Furman 33 in desperate need of points. On a third-and-nine play, Barton batted Payton's pass back to Payton who caught it for a 10-yard loss and the Bears punted on the next play. On the final play of the third quarter, Barton and Xavier Stephens combined for a sack on a Mercer third down. That helped lead to a field goal that gave the Paladins an insurmountable 23-7 lead.

"I'm so proud of Jack Barton. He started the year on the second team defensive line, but then J.J. (Jeremiah Jackson) went down and just to see how far he's come," Sochovka said. "In the offseason, he was working his tail off getting bigger. Now everything's coming to fruition with all these plays he's making. He's just playing free and having fun."

While that batted ball back to Payton doesn't count as a pass breakup since it was caught, Barton is still one shy of the team lead with four pass break-ups. As a team, Furman has 41 PBUs this season. That's the most in a year since the 1990 squad had 50 in 14 games. Sochovka and Barton have gotten the glory on the Paladins' kick blocking unit, but Sochovka says there's another real MVP of the unit.

"Cujo, Cameron Coleman, is the unsung hero of it all. Big zero anchors the middle and lines up on the guard. Me and Jack are kind of in the gaps and Cujo takes all the heavy lifting for us by knocking them (blockers) back," Sochovka said. "He doesn't show up on the stat sheet, but what he does for me and Jack is awesome."

A different kind of Senior Day

Prior to Saturday's game, Furman will honor its senior players. It doesn't necessarily mean fans won't see those seniors again next season though.

"Senior Day's a little different than it used to be. I think we'll have some guys that will be recognized Saturday that will actually be playing next year," Hendrix said. "I've just left all that up to them."

Gilby earns SoCon weekly honor

Furman linebacker Braden Gilby earned SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors for his 12-tackled performance at Mercer. He had three tackles-for-loss and one of the Paladins' five sacks, which doubled the total allowed by the Bears this season. Gilby leads Furman with 71 tackles on the season, including 13.5 for-loss and four sacks.