Part two of the 2023 schedule preview takes a look at Furman’s first five Southern Conference games of the upcoming campaign, which offers a tough stretch, beginning on Sept. 23 with a home test against Mercer and then ending on a day before Halloween, as East Tennessee State pays a visit to Paladin Stadium for a homecoming battle against the ‘Dins.
This portion of the slate is always the one that separates the good teams from the elite ones in the league.
The toughest test comes on Oct. 14 when the Paladins head to Homewood, AL, to face defending Southern Conference champion Samford. The Bulldogs figure to right in the thick of the Southern Conference race once again this season.
A week prior to that monumental test at Seibert Stadium, which could very well decide the 2023 Southern Conference regular-season title winner, the Paladins will face arch-rival The Citadel, who pays a visit to Paladin Stadium on Oct. 7 following Furman’s off week.
The Paladins take a trip to Cullowhee to face upstart Western Carolina on Oct. 21. Last season, Furman had to hold on to win a wild 47-40 contest in Greenville, while two years ago, the Paladins were 43-42 losers at EJ Whitmire Stadium, which snapped what was a five-game winning streak in the series for the Paladins.
The Paladins will face at least two Southern Conference title contenders in this portion of the 2023 slate, while also facing its most bitter rival during that span as well.

Sept 23. vs. Mercer (TBA)—Furman will open its Southern Conference slate on Sept. 23, welcoming the Mercer Bears to Paladin Stadium for a big-league showdown. The Paladins snapped what had been a two-game losing streak in the series last season, as the Paladins were able to go to Macon and come away with a 23-13 win last season in what was a battle between two ranked FCS foes. The Paladins entered that contest ranked No. 13 in the nation, while the Bears were the No. 11 ranked team in all of FCS football.
Up until that point, the Bears had looked like the top team in the Southern Conference at times, but then came a mid-season loss at Chattanooga, and the Bears would struggle for the remainder of the season, missing out on the FCS playoffs for a second-straight season.
The 2023 season will mark the 22nd all-time meeting between the Paladins and Bears, with Furman holding the 11-8-2 all-time series advantage. Furman will welcome Mercer to Paladin Stadium on Sept. 23, with kickoff time for that contest still yet to be announced.
Mercer, which will be under the direction of fourth-year head coach Drew Cronic, will look to continue to keep the Bears in position to compete for a Southern Conference title and FCS playoff bid this fall.
In each of the past two seasons, the Bears have been on the doorstep of an FCS playoff appearance each of the past couple of seasons, having won seven games in each of the past couple of seasons. The Bears should be in good shape to be a strong competitor for the league crown this fall, returning key players on both sides of the football.
The key player that must be replaced on the offensive side of the ball, however, is quarterback Fred Payton, who has moved on as a result of graduation. He put together an outstanding 2022 season, which saw him complete 216-of-325 passes for 3,019 yards, with 32 TDs and only eight INTs. He ended up being a Walter Payton Award candidate last season. Payton was also an effective rusher in the Mercer offense last season, as he finished the season with 161 rushing yards and a touchdown on 59 rush attempts.
There are several candidates that could ultimately end up replacing Payton under center this fall. One of those candidates is Missouri State transfer Hess Horne, who was a consensus three-star recruit coming out of Eufala High School in Eufala, Alabama. Horne led all 6A players in the state of Alabama as a senior with 3,040 passing yards, with 35 TDs and only six INTs. During his time with the Bears, he redshirted in 2021 and didn’t see game action last season and comes to Mercer as a redshirt sophomore.
Another impressive freshman that could figure into the quarterback battle for Drew Cronic’s Bears this fall is Drew Moore, who comes to Mercer out of Goose Creek High School in Goose Creek, S.C. Moore was named the 6-AAAAA Player of the Year in his senior season. Moore passed for over 2,500 yards and 25 TDs in leading Goose Creek to its fourth-consecutive region championship during his senior campaign.
The veterans expected to compete for the starting job this fall will be redshirt sophomore Carter Peevy (3-of-5 passing, 38 yds, 1 INT) and redshirt freshman Daniel Shoch (4-of-6 passing, 52 yds, 1 TD). Shoch and Peevy saw some limited action in mop-up duty last fall.
Just like last season, the Bears should be very good at the skill positions, with viable big play options in both the running game and passing game. Expected to lead the ground attack this fall for the Bears will be James Madison transfer Austin Douglas (58 rush att, 403 yds, 5 TDs, 6.9 YPC). Douglas was also an effective receiving option coming out of the backfield, as he was able to haul in seven passes for 74 yards and a touchdown last season.
The top returning position on the offensive side of the ball is wide receiver, and this season the Bears should once again field a contingent of wideouts as good as any in FCS football. It all starts with All-America candidate Ty James (52 rec, 1,105 yds, 13 TDs, 21.2 YPR), who was a record-setting wideout for Mercer last season, and is back for his senior season looking to put up even more big numbers as a part of the Bears’ wide receiving corps.
James had been effective in two games against the Paladins previously, which both resulted in wins over the Paladins. However, in last season’s meeting between the two in Macon, James was ejected from the game for targeting after delivering a hit on Furman punt returner Cally Chizik late in the opening half of play. It proved to be a major turning point in the game, and one that saw Furman’s defense exert its dominance even more following James’ ejection from the contest. James exited the contest after having hauled in a pair of passes for 15 yards and a touchdown in the game for Mercer.
Returning alongside James as one of the top playmakers in all of FCS football is Devron Harper (78 rec, 987 yds, 10 TDs, 12.6 YPR). Like James, Harper returns as a potential Walter Payton Award candidate heading into the 2023 season for the Bears. Like James, Harper is a threat with his speed in both the passing and ground games for the Bears. Like James, Harper is a record-breaking wideout returning to the fold for the Bears and was a Walter Payton Award finalist last season. He finished the 2022 campaign with a school record 78 receptions for 987 receiving yards. His 1,878 all-purpose yards also set a school record and ranked fourth overall nationally in that category.
As far as the offensive line is concerned heading into the 2023 season, the Bears will welcome the return of three starters along the offensive front, with Riley Adcock, Tyzen Wilkerson and Ni Mansell all expected to return to the offensive front for the 2023 season. It’s a trio that helped the Bears finish the 2022 campaign ranking seventh nationally in total offense (470.5 YPG), sixth in scoring offense (38.2 PPG), 28th in rushing offense (187.8 YPG), and 12th in passing offense (282.6 YPG).
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears were also solid. Mercer finished the 2022 campaign ranking 25th nationally in total defense (337.4 YPG), 27th in scoring defense (22.1 PPG), 21st in rushing defense (120.2 YPG) and 54th in passing defense (217.3YPG) last season. The Bears also finished third nationally in total interceptions last season, as Mercer finished the season with 17 INTs, with 204 return yards, which includes a couple of those being returned for scores.
The Bears should again be strong along the defensive front, returning two of three starters along the three-man front, with both defensive tackles Chris Hill (22 tackles, 5.0 TFL. 0.5 sack) and Savio Frazier (27 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FF, 1 FR) set to return to the defensive front for the 2023 campaign. Both Frazier and Hill should be all-conference candidates entering the 2023 season.
Maybe the boon for the Mercer defense entering the 2023 campaign comes at linebacker, where the Bears return Isaac Dowling (99 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 INTs, 1 FF), who was one of the biggest playmakers on the defensive side of the ball for Bears last season. Dowling ended up finishing the season as Mercer’s leading tackler a year ago, and ended up being a first-team All-SoCon selection last fall. He will team with Ken Standley (85 tackles, 7.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 2 PBUs) in the heart of that Mercer defense once again this fall, forming what is arguably the top linebacking duo in the SoCon heading into 2023.
On the back end of the Mercer defense, the Bears welcome the return of free safety Myles Redding (60 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 4 PBUs, 1 INT ), as well as senior All-America and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Lance Wise (58 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 INTs) to anchor what should once again be a strong secondary for the Bears.
As far as the special teams unit is concerned moving forward, the situation is a little more unsettled for the Bears. Trey Turk, who garnered all-conference recognition last season, is back to handle the punting duties and will likely also compete for the starting place-kicking duties this fall.
Brief Recap of the last meeting: Furman 23, Mercer 13 (Nov. 12, 2022/Five Star Stadium)
From the outset of mid-November contest, it was evident that the 2022 meeting between Furman and Mercer had major league title and FCS playoff implications at stake, and a physical football game would take shape from the opening kickoff, and one that would be dominated by the two defenses for the majority of the afternoon. The feeling that this was a big game was almost palpable as one entered Five Star Stadium for the final Mercer home game of the 2022 campaign.
Late in the opening quarter, Furman would break through in the second quarter and get the first points of the contest when Ian Williams came on to knock through what would be the first of his three field goals in the contest, as his 44-yard field goal gave Furman the early 3-0 lead with just 2:05 remaining in the opening quarter, capping what was a six-play, 58-yard drive.
Mercer would answer a little over four minutes into the second quarter, as the Bears showed signs of awakening from its hibernation. Mercer used 10 plays to cover 60 yards, with All-SoCon wide receiver and Walter Payton Award Ty James capping the drive with a 3-yard scoring catch from a nicely thrown pass from quarterback Fred Payton, as he put the ball where only James could catch it. The Bears led 7-3 with 10:54 left in the half.
With 3:19 remaining in the half, Trey Turk’s punt was fielded by Furman defensive back Cally Chizik, who was leveled by Mercer receiver Ty James after mishandling the punt. The ball was recovered by Mercer, however, James was flagged for targeting, which was upheld. James was disqualified from further action the remainder of the day, and due to the targeting penalty, the Bears were penalized 15 yards and fourth down was replayed, nullifying the Furman turnover.
Furman would seize the momentum for the remainder of the half and would relinquish it for the remainder of the game. Furman’s Tyler Huff got the Paladin offense going, and just as he did against Chattanooga, it was with his legs, which later opened up the Paladin passing game.
“If there’s a better player in our league at quarterback than him and there’s some good quarterbacks in our league, but if there’s a better quarterback in our league, I’d like to know who he is,” head coach Clay Hendrix said. “He’s a winner…He’s tough…He’s all those things you look for in a quarterback,” Hendrix added.
Facing a 2nd-and-10 play at the Mercer 42, Huff avoided a heavy rush from Mercer and found plenty of wide open turf to run into, scampering 35 yards all the way down to the Bears 7-yard line to set up a 1st-and-goal for the Paladin offense with time winding down in the half.
On 3rd-and-goal and following a Mercer timeout, the initial pass play broke down, and Huff was improvising once again, and this time pump-faked the Mercer DB at about the 4, and that allowed Huff enough space to dive inside the corner pylon for the score to give the Paladins a 7-3 lead with just 37 seconds left in the half.
After a squibbed kick, the Bears got the ball in excellent field position deep inside Paladin territory following a return of 22 yards to the Mercer 47, the Bears drove the ball down to the Furman 14 with five seconds left.
Mercer and Furman both burned timeouts, and then Devin Folser lined up for a 30-yard field goal attempt, however, the Paladins blocked their seventh kick of the season, as Jack Barton deflected the attempt and Furman maintained its three-point edge heading to the halftime locker room.
The Paladins got the ball to start the second half, but for the second time on the day, were stopped on 4th-and-1 at the Mercer 38, turning the ball over on downs.
The Bears got the ball back and were forced into a punting situation, but instead of allowing Trey Turk to set up good field position once again, the Bears opted to fake the punt, and Chris Hill rumbled five yards for a first down five yards for a first down to create a new set of downs for the Bears offense at their own 49.
Furman’s defense, however, came up big, as Braden Gilby tackled Brandon Marshall in the backfield for a three-yard loss on first down, and after Payton’s pass intended for James’ replacement Travion Solomon was incomplete on second down, Payton would be sacked by Alex Maier and Bryce Stanfield on third down, again forcing Turk on for a punt. This time, there was no fake, however, there was a notable change in momentum once again. What momentum was gained by Hill’s 5-yard gain on the initial fake punt, was quickly nullified by the Paladin defensive response.
Seizing upon that momentum, Furman’s offensive answer didn’t take long. On first down, Furman went deep, and Ryan Miller got both hands on the ball, but couldn’t come with it despite being interfered with by Mercer defensive back Richie Coffee. After the infraction was marked off, Kendall Thomas, who was in the game for an injured Devin Abrams, gained 14 yards to the Paladin 44. On the next play, Huff threw a bullet approximately 20 yards down field and between a pair of Bears defenders, who couldn’t bracket Harris on the play, and with the ball thrown slightly behind the sophomore wideout, it made for a big play opportunity for the quickly rising star on the Paladin offense.
Similar to Miller’s early second half TD catch against Chattanooga, Harris caught it, saw a defender bounce off, and then sprinted the final 30 or so yards to the end zone for the score. The only difference in Miller’s TD a couple of weeks ago against the Mocs is he didn’t have quite as far to run. The TD catch by Harris—56 yards in all—staked Furman to a 17-7 lead with 7:24 to play in the third quarter.
Mercer’s next drive would start promising enough, netting three first downs to reach the Furman 34. However, that’s where the Paladin defense once again seemingly had all the answers for an offense that has thrived in opposition territory the entire season. Payton completed a pass to Harper for a yard on first down, and on second down, saw his completion to the same player lose 10 yards, as Furman’s defense swarmed Payton, knocking his pass into the air, which was then caught by Payton for the sizable loss. That forced Turk on for another punt.
Furman would take over at its own 20, and after Thomas gained three on first down, Roberto hauled in a career-long 50-yard pass from Huff to get the Paladins to the doorstep of the red zone, at the Mercer 27. The Paladins eventually saw the drive stall, and had to settle for a 36-yard Ian Williams field goal and a 20-7 lead with just under a minute remaining in the third quarter.
After holding Mercer to a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, the Paladins would increase their lead to 16 points when Williams connected on a second-straight 36-yard effort to increase Furman’s lead to 23-7 with just 9:16 remaining in the game.
Mercer would make things interesting on its next possession, using a 52-yard pass from Payton-to-Harper to get the Bears to the Paladin 12. It took Mercer three plays, however, on 4th-and-9, Payton found Solomon for the score bringing the Bears to within 10 following the failed two-point run.
Furman’s offense did enough to chew up some of the 5:58 remaining on its next possession, and then eventually forced Mercer to turn it over on downs on the ensuing possession, with Gilby and Ryan providing the coverage on the final pass by Payton. Furman was able to close out the game in the victory formation.
“Our coaches challenged us to watch the film from the past two games with them {Mercer} the last two years and they said we were not the aggressor the past two years, and from the jump we we’re like we’re going to be the aggressor and coach Vaughn said he was going to call it aggressive and that’s how we played and we knew if we could stop the run we could make them one-dimensional just throwing the ball which they’ve done well this year but we trust our guys on the back end,” senior defensive lineman Matt Sochovka said.
The Prediction: Mercer will offer one of the stiffest challenges in Southern Conference play this fall, as the Bears should once again be one of the primary challengers for the Southern Conference regular-season crown. Furman will have its hands full when the Bears come to Paladin Stadium on Sept. 23 for the Southern Conference opener. The one question that really has to be answered for the Bears is what their plans are under center for the 2023 season, and coming to Furman with an unproven talent under center against what should be one of the better defenses in the SoCon and in FCS football could be recipes for a tough afternoon, and while I think this is a game that the Bears keep close, I think the Paladins will open Southern Conference play in solid fashion and post a 31-21 win over the Bears.
August-September Predicted Record: 3-1, 1-0 SoCon—The first month of the season is maybe the most important for any program, and the Paladins have a chance to get out of the gates quickly with a challenging, yet manageable schedule. Furman has the talent and experience to start and end the month ranked as a Top 10 team nationally, and we all know at the FCS level, it’s all in where you start. If the Paladins’ lone early-season loss is at South Carolina, given the way things are with how the voting goes in the FCS poll, the Paladins shouldn’t fall all that far. The important thing for Furman is a good showing in Columbia. If you’ll remember last year that strong showing at Clemson early last season was enough to get the positive mojo going forward towards what was an outstanding 2022 season. That same type of performance, though not required, would go a long way towards getting those same wheels turning towards what many feel could be another big season for Furman football.

Oct. 7 vs. The Citadel (TBA)— Following an off-week to start the season, the Paladins will welcome The Citadel Bulldogs to Paladin Stadium for the SoCon’s oldest gridiron rivalry, as they will take on a new look The Citadel team under the direction of a new head coach, as the Bulldogs will be led by former Green Bay Packers assistant and Bulldog Maurice Drayton, who is busy helping the revamp the suddenly archaic option offense in favor of a spread offense, which is a scheme the Bulldogs haven’t visited since the early portions of the Kevin Higgins era circa 2009 before transitioning to a triple-option offense in the latter part of Higgins’ time in Charleston.
Furman was able to come up with what was a hard-fought 21-10 win at Johnson Hagood Stadium last year. Not only is the Paladins-Bulldogs series on the gridiron the most-played Southern Conference rivalry, it’s also among the oldest and most renewed rivalry in all of Division I college football.
In Furman’s 11-point win in Charleston last season, it marked the return of Tyler Huff to the lineup after missing the game against Samford a week earlier, and despite throwing a couple of INTs in the win, he would end up helping lead a Paladin ground attack that enforced its will in the third quarter, as the Paladins put together back-to-back scoring drives early in the frame en route to holding off the Bulldogs, 21-10.
It would be a nice return to winning ways for the Paladins, who were coming off what would turn out to be their only Southern Conference loss of the season with a 45-34 home setback to eventual SoCon champion Samford a week earlier in the friendly confines of Paladin Stadium.
Highlighting that excellent ground attack for the Paladins in the win was the performance by Furman All-SoCon running back Dominic Roberto, who once again ran it extremely well against The Citadel Blue, finishing with a then season-high 133 yards to go along with a pair of third quarter touchdowns, as he led a Paladin rushing effort that saw Furman fight hard to roll up its 167 total ground yards in the contest, which accounted for a majority of Furman’s 280 yards of total offense, as Furman narrowly out-gained their bitter Palmetto State rival, 280-276.
The Paladins turned in one of the better defensive performances of the season, holding the run-happy Bulldogs to just 105 yards. The Citadel, which entered the game with a drought of nine-straight quarters of football without finding the end zone, would eventually end that streak late in the third quarter against the Paladins, as Ahmad Green connected with Ricky Conway for a 26-yard scoring toss, giving the Bulldogs their only score of the afternoon, cutting Furman’s lead to 11, at 21-10. However, that would prove to be the final points of the day for either team, as the Paladins escaped a place that has caused them plenty of nightmares in recent seasons with the 11-point win.
In what was the 102nd all-time meeting between the two rivals, the win marked Furman’s 62nd all-time in the series, as the Paladins assumed a 62-37 lead in the all-time series after capturing a second-straight win in the series. The Furman-The Citadel rivalry is the 16th most-played rivalry in FCS football.
Knowing what to expect from the Bulldogs this season is hard to figure. In what turned out to be the final season at the helm for Brent Thompson, the Bulldogs finished out the 2022 season with a 4-7 overall, including a 3-5 mark in Southern Conference action.
New head coach Maurice Drayton will certainly have his hands full, especially not only installing a new offense, but quite frankly, finding some offensive success in general would be welcomed in the Low Country following a season that saw maybe the most challenging season offensively since maybe the Ellis Johnson or maybe even the Don Powers era. The Bulldogs weren’t necessarily horribly low in total offense last fall, ranking 89th nationally (326.3 YPG), however, it was scoring points that seemed to be an eyesore all season. The Citadel ranked 101st nationally in scoring offense, averaging just 18.7 PPG in 2022.
It’s not the first time Drayton has been in Charleston, and I am not talking about his standout career on the gridiron for The Citadel Blue, as he starred at defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1994-98. All told, Drayton has served as an assistant on The Citadel’s staff in two different stints previously, has logged a total of 14 years in the Lowcountry as both a player and assistant coach for the Bulldogs. During his four-year playing career for The Citadel, he was a two-year starter at cornerback, finishing his career with 145 tackles, 17 pass breakups and three INTs.
Drayton will be returning to the Lowcountry after spending the past seven seasons as an assistant in the NFL. Drayton has served as the special teams coordinator at Green Bay (2021) and the Indianapolis Colts (2016-17) and was most recently the assistant special teams coordinator with the Las Vegas Raiders. A lot of Citadel blood will be on the sidelines for the Bulldogs this fall, and even a little Purple mixed in as well, with former Paladin offensive lineman standout Patrick Covington hired as both the Bulldogs’ offensive line coach, as well as taking the reins of the Bulldogs’ offensive line coach.
Former Bulldogs Joe Call (QB, 1998-2002) and Everette Sands (1990-93) will both serve as assistants on the offensive side of the football, while former Bulldog defender Raleigh Jackson (2003-07) will serve as the defensive coordinator, while another Bulldogs, Keith Jones (1971-75) will serve as the chief of staff.
The Citadel returns a healthy dose of experience on the offensive side of the football, however, as the Bulldogs were one of the youngest teams in the SoCon on that side of the football last season, as nine regulars are slated to return to the fold for the 2023 campaign. The first question to be answered will be quarterback, as the Bulldogs will be in search of a signal-caller that will fit the new scheme that the Bulldogs will be running this fall. The Bulldogs have some solid options to look to under center, with all three candidates for the job getting quality reps during the spring. One of those looking to make the transition from option quarterback to the spread offense had some success as a freshman against the Paladins last season, as Ahmad Green returns to the fold and he is the frontrunner to be the starter heading into the 2023 campaign.
Green saw some quality action under center last season as a freshman, finishing the campaign by completing 16-of-33 passes for 198 yards, with a touchdown and no INTs. Though elusive, Green wasn’t as much of a threat in the ground game. He saw action in seven games for the Bulldogs last season, starting three games. His 169 yards passing against Furman last season marked the fourth-highest total for a Bulldog freshman quarterback in their first-career start.
Competing for time alongside Green to assume the signal-calling duties as Graeson Underwood, who also saw plenty of action under center for the Bulldogs this past season, and that included leading The Citadel to a key road win over Western Carolina in Cullowhee. In what was his first-career start, Underwood finished out the contest by rushing 36 times for 129 yards and a score, while finishing out the game by completing 4-of-7 passes for 87 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While Green is the more accomplished passer, the situation for both to see ample playing time under center this fall could be a real possibility. Underwood completed the 2022 campaign by rushing for 229 yards and a pair of scores on 67 rush attempts last season.
The Citadel’s ground attack will be re-structured of course, but the good news is two of the team’s top running threats return to the fold, with the return of both Cooper Wallace (75 rush att, 409 yds, 3 TDs, 5.5 YPC) and Braden Walker (68 rush att, 366 yds, 2 TDs, 5.4 YPC) to the fold this fall. One of the few replacements the new coaching staff will have to deal with on the offensive side of the ball is replacing Nkem Njoku (11 rush att, 45 yds, 1 TD, 3.6 YPC), who has moved on, out of the backfield heading into the 2023 season.
Ricky Conway (19 rec, 244 yds, 2 TDs, 12.8 YPR), who was The Citadel’s top receiver last season, is also back to add even more depth to the backfield for the Bulldogs. As a rushing threat for the Bulldogs in 2022, Conway finished the season with 194 yards and a touchdown on 40 rushing attempts, averaging 4.9 YPC. Conway has good speed and quickness and will once again be a potential big-play threat coming out of the backfield in 2023.
The good news for Drayton and staff is that the transition to the spread offense from the triple/double-option should be smoother than expected, with some talented wideouts that can stretch opposing defenses back in the Lowcountry this fall. The reliable options returning to the fold for the 2023 campaign include Christian Hilton (15 rec, 285 yds, 2 TDs, 19.0 YPR) and Tyler Cherry (10 rec, 146 yds, 2 TDs, 14.6 YPR), while the Bulldogs’ most vetted option at tight end will be rising senior Ben Brockington (1 rec, 29 yds, 1 TD, 29.0 YPR).
The Bulldogs were young along the offensive line last fall, and heading into the 2023 season, The Citadel is projected to return four of its five starters along the offensive line for the 2023 season, with the only departure being Tereis Drayton at right tackle. Drayton was a 2022 preseason All-SoCon selection. Sawyer Whitman (LG), Mike Bartilucci (C), Zach Blanchard (RG), and Cameron Moewe (LT) are all slated to return to the unit for the 2023 season.
The defensive side of the football for the Bulldogs should be solid and that will be music to the ears of their defensive specialist head coach. Six starters are slated to make their return on the defensive side of the football for the Bulldogs this season. While six do return, the Bulldogs lost some pretty significant talent on the defensive side of the football from last season, including linebacker Marquise Blount and defensive back Destin Mack.
The good news is there is some high level talent returning on the defensive side of the football at all three levels, however. The Bulldogs will return two of their three starters along the defensive front from a year ago. Carson Hatchett (49 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks) highlights the returnees along the defensive front and he will likely be a preseason all-league selection. KJ Pierce (24 tackles) will return alongside Hatchett on the defensive front for the Bulldogs this fall.
Two starting linebackers will have to be replaced for the Bulldogs, with both Blount and Kyler Estes (60 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF) having moved on. The lone returnee coming back for the Bulldogs in the defensive backfield will be Hasan Black (82 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks, 2 PBUs, 1 QBH). Black, a senior, was a SoCon All-Freshman selection in 2019, and like Hatchett, will be a prime candidate to finish with all-conference accolades in 2023. Black was a second-team All-SoCon selection at season’s end last fall. Junior Je’Mazin Roberts (5 tackles) also returns to compete for time as a starter at linebacker this fall.
On the back end the Bulldogs’ defense, the unit returns one of the top cornerbacks in the Southern Conference, with the return of All-America candidate Dominick Poole (48 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 3 INTs, 2 FFs, 2 FRs). This secondary, however, is one that was hit hardest by graduation, and will be the greenest unit heading into the 2023 season for The Citadel.
The Citadel’s special teams unit will be highlighted by Poole, who is an outstanding punt return threat, having averaged 10.3 YPR last season, which included setting up Colby Kintner’s winning field goal in an early-season win over East Tennessee State last season. Junior running back Jay Graves-Billips (21.7 YPR) is slated to handle the kick return duties heading into fall camp. Kintner is slated to handle both the field goals (9-of-11 on FGs in 2022, 56-yd field goal was longest) and kickoffs (50.6 KO avg) once again for the Bulldogs this fall, while junior James Platte (38.0 YPP avg in 2022) returns to handle the punting duties in 2023.
Brief Recap of the last meeting: Furman 21, The Citadel 10 (Oct. 8, 2022/Johnson-Hagood Stadium)
Furman opened the game with an impressive drive, as Huff led the Paladins on a 70-yard, 11-play drive, which culminated with a 3-yard touchdown run from Devin Abrams to give the Paladins a 7-0 lead with 10:18 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Citadel had the ball inside Furman territory on its opening two possessions of the game—one on a 34-yard pitch-and-catch from quarterback Ahmad Green-to-wideout Christian Hilton, however, the Paladins held on a 4th-and-1 play, as Kam Brinson came up and made the stick on Green, who called his own number on a quarterback keeper.
The next Citadel series inside Paladin territory was set up the next time by a Dominic Poole interception and returned to the Furman 40, however, the Paladins stood strong again on fourth down—this time on a 4th-and-4 play after the turnover–as the Paladin defense broke through the line and stopped Green for a loss.
The Paladins would hold the Bulldogs on their third possession of the game, holding the Bulldogs to a three-and-out, and after a heavy rush on The Citadel punter was only just avoided by James Platte, the Paladins got the ball back at midfield late in the opening quarter.
Late in the half, the Bulldogs drove deep inside Furman territory, however, after reaching the Paladin 5-yard line, the Paladin defense again did its job, holding Bulldogs to a 22-yard field goal from Colby Kintner 22-yard field goal, ending a scoreless drought of nearly 10 quarters and making it a 7-3 contest with 3:12 remaining in the opening half.
The Paladins drove inside The Citadel territory just before half, threatening to score for a fourth-straight game on their final possession of the half, however, for a second time on the afternoon, Huff was picked off by Destin Mack to thwart the scoring opportunity, and Furman went to the half leading the rivalry game 7-3.
In the second half, the Paladins would essentially put the game away in the third quarter, and it was the defense that gave the Paladin offense possession in great field position.
On the first third down of the second half, it looked like the Paladins were going to yield their first touchdown of the day after The Citadel quarterback Ahmad Green connected with Ricky Conway for a 29-yard gain on 3rd-and-8 to move the ball to out to the Bulldog 36 to bring The Citadel crowd to its feet and bring The Citadel cadet corps to its feet.
The first turnover caused by the ‘Dins came courtesy of the preseason All-SoCon cornerback Blackshear, who delivered a big hit on Bulldogs A-back Cooper Wallace, and the ball was recovered by Furman defensive lineman Bryce Stanfield to set the Paladin offense at the 32. Blackshear had a couple of opportunities to pick of his first pass of the season and ninth of his career, however, his play against the run this season on the perimeter continues to be exceptional. Blackshear, of course, tied with The Citadel’s Mack for the league lead with five INTs last season.
It didn’t take long for the Paladin offense and Roberto to capitalize on The Citadel miscue. After picking six yards on the first play of the drive, Roberto gashed the Bulldog defense for 26 yards and a Paladin touchdown, and with Axel Lepvreau’s PAT made it a 14-3 Paladin lead.
On The Citadel’s next possession, the Paladin defense came up big again, Green completed a short pass to Wallace, with Kam Brinson coming up to make the stick and then the ball came free, and he pounced on the loose ball as well, giving the Paladins great field position once again at The Citadel 19.
It took Furman just two plays to find the end zone and take a 21-3 lead, and it was Roberto’s number that was called twice, as Roberto gained 14 and 5 yards, with the latter of which producing his second scoring run in 95 seconds to give the Paladins the 18-point lead with 9:25 remaining in the third quarter.
After back-to-back three and outs by the Bulldogs and Paladins, The Citadel got the football back with 5:43 remaining in the third. It would end up seeing The Citadel snap an 11-quarter drought without scoring a touchdown, as Green avoided being sacked twice as he dropped back to pass, and then scrambled towards the Furman sideline before tossing a perfect 26-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone to Conway on a 3rd-and-9 play to make it a 21-10 game following Kintner’s PAT.
That would turn out to be the final points of the contest, as the Furman defense would do the rest shutting the door in the fourth quarter, not allowing the Bulldogs to cross midfield in the final quarter, and the Paladins held The Citadel on two more fourth down plays, as the Paladins totaled four stops on the decisive down in Saturday’s win.
The Prediction: As many can attest, rivalry games are seemingly always close, hard-fought, physical battles and that’s not just a cliché’ when it comes to the Furman-The Citadel rivalry—it’s the reality of it. This game will be a tricky one for the Paladins given the Bulldogs have a completely new staff, made up of several former Bulldogs and one former Paladin, in offensive coordinator Patrick Covington. Look for Furman to capture a close one, capturing a third-straight win in the rivalry and move to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in SoCon action…Paladins win 28-24.

Oct. 14 at Samford (TBA)—The mid-October trip to Birmingham will mark a date that most around the Southern Conference will have highlighted on their respective schedules coming into the season, as a matchup that could potentially not only decide the 2023 Southern Conference title, but also a game that could be for a seed in the FCS playoffs in the fall.
Like Furman, Samford figures to be right in the mix for an FCS playoff bid and figures to be a team that will compete for a Southern Conference regular-season title once again this fall, as the Bulldogs return most of its top talent from a year ago.
The Bulldogs went through Southern Conference play by finishing a perfect 8-0 against league competition, marking the first Samford team to capture an outright conference title on the gridiron since 1939 when the Bulldogs claimed the Dixie Conference title with a 5-3-1 record under the direction of William “Billy” Bancroft.
With its 8-0 league mark in 2022, the Bulldogs joined some pretty elite company in terms of teams that have finished a SoCon regular-season undefeated with an 8-0 league mark. It marked just the 10th time in 101 seasons that a team has finished the SoCon slate with an 8-0 ledger. In the modern era of the league, the Bulldogs became the eighth team to complete the feat, joining The Citadel (2016), Appalachian State (2008, ’09 and 1995), Marshall (1996), Georgia Southern (8-0) and Wofford (2003).
The Bulldogs are under the direction of head coach Chris Hatcher, who of course, heads into his ninth season as head coach of the Bulldogs’ football program. The Paladins and Bulldogs will be getting together on the college football gridiron for the 26th time this fall in a series that first commenced on the gridiron back in 1961, with the Paladins getting a 21-14 win in Greenville.
The Furman-Samford rivalry is one that has gained some traction since the Bulldogs joined the Southern Conference as an official member in 2008. It is not only appealing due to the respect both should command nationally heading into the 2023 season, but also for some individual matchups that have us in the media absolutely salivating.
The quarterback matchup is one that sticks out for most when looking at the matchup, as both have two of the premier signal-callers returning to the fold in FCS football, with Furman’s Tyler Huff and Samford’s Michael Hiers ranking among the nation’s best.
Furman, which suffered its lone regular-season FCS defeat to the Bulldogs, with a 34-27 setback to the visiting Bulldogs last season, probably remember that matchup for all the wrong reasons.
A controversial call, which overturned a clear Furman interception inside Samford and somehow awarded forward progress to the Samford receiver on the play changed the complexion of a game the Paladins led by 10 points early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs would use it as momentum to score 24 unanswered points and would end up posting a huge, 34-27, road win of the season. The win would see the Bulldogs get within a game of the Paladins in the all-time series, with Furman holding the slight 13-12 edge in the all-time series.
It would have been hard to gauge just how significant that win was for the Bulldogs at the time, and how the loss likely cost Furman a seed in the playoffs and a regular-season SoCon title, as the two met in early October, and while the call wasn’t the reason Furman loss by any means, it certainly did alter the momentum of the football game.
That said, it turned out to be a positive for Furman, who wouldn’t let some of the game’s extra-curriculars become a factor in any of its remaining games in the 2022 season. The most notable fix was how Furman learned to respond to adversity in the remaining games on its schedule.
For teams picked to finish fourth (Furman) and sixth (Samford) in the Southern Conference coming into the campaign, the 2022 season was a major win for both, proving the SoCon didn’t have to have recent successful programs Chattanooga and East Tennessee State necessarily be strong to get the attention of the FCS nation. Unfortunately, the league still didn’t get the credit it deserved last season, and with both Furman and Samford expected to be strong this fall, the hope is that both will be able to carry the torch of the league nationally at least as well and hopefully even better in the postseason than they did a year ago. Both the Paladins and Bulldogs performed admirably in the FCS postseason.
Samford got a bye in the opening round and then posted an impressive 48-42 overtime win over Southeastern Louisiana in the second round of the playoffs and moved on to face eventual national runner-up North Dakota State in Fargo. Despite not having starting quarterback and SoCon Player of the Year Michael Hiers due to injury to start the game, the Bulldogs performed valiantly against an exceptional NDSU Bison defense. The Bulldogs played tough, with a less than 100% Hiers entering the game in the second half to try and spark the normally explosive Bulldogs offense, and it would cut the Bison lead to 24-9 in the fourth quarter before running out of time in their comeback efforts.
Furman of course, won its first round game over Elon (W, 31-6) and then went to Incarnate Word and put up a fight, taking the lead late before seeing the Cardinals score a touchdown with just under two minutes remaining, as Walter Payton Award winning quarterback Lindsey Scott tossed a scoring strike to Kole Wilson on a 32-yard strike, helping UIW re-take the lead, 41-38. An acrobatic interception of Huff by defensive back Elliott Davidson at his own nine yard line helped seal the win for UIW.
With all that said, the matchup between the Bulldogs and Paladins in mid-October is likely the one most will point to as the “Game of the Year” on the SoCon gridiron this fall. The two should both be ranked highly at the start of the season, and there’s a strong potential for that to be the case when the two meet mid-season at Seibert Stadium. Samford came to Greenville ranked 16th last season, while Furman was right on the outskirts of the STATS FCS Top 25.
Samford’s win in Greenville last fall snapped a three-game winning streak in the series for the Paladins. Furman holds a slight 8-7 series edge since the Bulldogs joined the Southern Conference as an official gridiron member. The series has had just about everything, including referee controversy, blowouts on both sides, and thrilling, down-to-the-wire finishes.
So what do the Bulldogs return for the 2023 season as they go in search of an encore? The reigning Southern Conference champions, who finished an impressive 11-2 last season, which included an 8-0 Southern Conference mark, welcome the return of 15 regulars with starting experience, including nine on the offensive side of the ball. One of the real interesting things about Samford’s offense last season is that it was suited most to help accentuate Hiers’
overall skill set as a quarterback. The Bulldogs had the ability to go up-tempo on offense, or they could also string together multi-play drives that could eat up time off the clock. That’s ability or tweak to the already explosive Samford offense proved to be a big-time asset for Samford, as the Bulldogs would find themselves in several close games in last season and found themselves in situations in which they needed to run precious time off the clock. Prior to last season, the “Hatch Attack” had a negative effect in some respects because it actually helped the opposition either get back in the game or come from behind to get the win.
Hiers led a Samford offense that ended up closing out the 2022 season ranking 27th nationally in scoring offense (32.8 PPG), 20th in total offense (434.7 YPG), sixth in passing offense (304.4 YPG), 81st in rushing offense (130.3 YPG), ninth in third down conversion percentage (.485) and tied for 32nd in red zone offense (.851). Hiers put up some gaudy numbers last season, leading the Southern Conference in passing. He finished the campaign completing 353-of-461 passes for 3,544 yards with 36 touchdowns and only four INTs.
Hiers suffered a minor hand injury in the last game of the regular-season against Mercer in what was an overtime win and it came on Samford’s first play of the extra session, as Judd Cockett hauled in a perfectly thrown side-armed Hiers delivery on the run, bringing the ball down between two Mercer defenders for the score, giving the Bulldogs a 44-37 lead in the extra session. Hiers took a pretty hard hit as he let go of the football, and the off week allowed Hiers to heal a little more than he normally would have. The good news is the Bulldogs are in good hands when Hiers exercises the rest of his eligibility, the Bulldogs are in a great hands it appears, with Quincy Crittendon set to take over as soon as Hiers departs.
Not only was Hiers highly effective throwing the football, but he managed to be pretty proficient in the running game for Samford, finishing as the Bulldogs’ third-leading rusher last fall. He finished the campaign by rushing for 165 yards and three touchdowns on 109 attempts.
Crittendon was excellent last season, leading the Bulldogs to the round one win over Southeastern Louisiana. He ended the night by completing 26-of-40 passes for 314 yards, and four touchdowns, while adding 94 yards on the ground, which included the game-winning touchdown, as Samford held off a Southeastern Louisiana team that had defeated Idaho, 45-42, a week earlier in Hammond. Crittendon also posted the game-winning, 25-yard touchdown run against Mercer on the final day of the 2022 regular-season, capping off what was Samford’s most regular-season since 1991, when the Bulldogs matched this season’s record with a 10-1 regular-season mark as an FCS Independent under the direction of Terry Bowden.
Crittendon came up big for the Bulldogs when he had during the 2022 campaign, and he ended up finishing off the season by completing 38-of-63 passes for 413 yards, with four touchdowns and no INTs. Crittendon was most a threat with his legs. He finished the season rushing for 124 yards and a couple of touchdowns on 29 rush attempts, averaging 4.3 yards-per-carry.
At running back, Jay Stanton (176 rush att, 775 yds, 5 TDs, 4 TDs) and Jaylan Thomas (108 rush att, 612 yds, 7 TDs, 5.7 YPC) return as the primary ground threats for the Bulldogs. Samford ranked as the SoCon’s seventh-best rushing offense last season, averaging 130.3 YPG. Stanton and Thomas caught the ball well coming out of the backfield, with Stanton hauling in 35 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown in 2022, while Thomas caught 33 passes for 220 yards and four scores last season.
Both Stanton and Thomas had a profound impact in Samford’s win in Greenville a year ago. It was Stanton who would get the Bulldogs going against the Paladins, as he would haul in 36-yard pass from Hiers to get the Bulldogs started on a run of 21-straight points to take control of the football game. That Stanton touchdown reception was followed by a pair of Thomas touchdown runs, as he found the end zone on 28 and 14-yard runs to help the Bulldogs turn the 10-0 deficit into a 21-10 lead. Later in the game, Thomas would end up scoring his third rushing touchdown on a 44-yard scoring run.
As you most already know, Samford is a program known for its tremendous wide receiver options, and this year it should be another strong contingent for the Bulldogs. Leading the way in 2023 for Samford will be both Chandler Smith (100 rec, 1,071 yds, 11 TDs, 1 TD) and Judd Cockett (36 rec, 399 yds, 4 TDs, 11.1 YPR). The third option in the passing attack for the Bulldogs this fall will be another player that factored in big-time last season is D.J. Rias (51 rec, 588 yds, 6 TDs, 11.5 YPR). The biggest loss to the receiving corps heading into the 2023 season is Kendall Watson, who has exercised his eligibility. Ty King (20 rec, 249 yds, 1 TD, 12.5 YPR), who has battled injuries the past two seasons, is another homerun threat in the passing game for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs return four of five starters along the offensive line heading into the 2023 season. The lone loss is at right guard, where second-team All-SoCon selection Gavin Orr has moved on. The good news is the Bulldogs return Austin Gayse (LT), Chris Noble (LG), Jabari Brooks (C), and Luke Byrne (RG) to the offensive front for the 2023 campaign. They were a big reason why the Bulldogs once again fielded an offense that was among the nation’s best last fall.
While the Samford offense will once again be a potent unit and among the most exciting in FCS football once again this fall, it was the Bulldogs’ improvement on the defensive side of the football that had everything to do with why the Bulldogs had one of the best seasons in program history last fall. The Bulldogs, who ranked as the worst defense in all of FCS football in 2021, saw significant improvement under its new/former defensive coordinator, in Chris Boone last fall. Boone, who previously was the defensive backs coach for the Bulldogs in 2013—a season which saw the Bulldogs tie for the Southern Conference regular-season title, which was later vacated due to ineligible players—and he would return and provide the Midas touch to a defense, which returned plenty of talent, but needed new leadership.
The 2022 season would see the Bulldogs finish 45th nationally in scoring defense (25.4 PPG), 101st in total defense (435.2 YPG), 111th in passing yards allowed (261.5 YPG), and 80th in rushing defense (173.6 YPG). The rankings and numbers don’t necessarily do the improvement on that side of the ball justice, as the Bulldogs were aggressive, getting after opposing quarterbacks more regularity than the previous year, as well as turning over the opposition with much more frequency. The Bulldogs finished the 2022 season ranking in the FCS 13th in turnover margin (+.69) and 85th in team sacks (22.0/1.69 SPG).
That aggressiveness on the defensive of the football helped set up a key touchdown for the Bulldogs in Greenville as part of their 34-27 win over Furman in Paladin Stadium last October. With Furman having a little bit of momentum following a defensive stop and trailing 27-17 late in the third quarter, however, took over the football deep inside its own territory following a Brad Porcellato punt down to the Paladin 16.
With the Paladins deep in their own end, Boone dialed up a blitz, as All-SoCon linebacker Nathan East came free on the perimeter and got a clean hit on Furman quarterback Jace Wilson’s blind side, forcing the ball to pop loose and it would the ball was recovered at the Furman 8-yard line by nose guard Joshua Mathiasen. It took the Samford offense just three plays to double up the score, as Hiers found a wide open J.R. Tran-Reno in the back of the end zone on a 6-yard pass, as the Bulldogs went ahead 34-17. In a game of momentum shifts, it was that blitz and play made by the Bulldog defense that perhaps help seal the key road win for Samford.
There are a few more replacements to be made on the defensive side of the football for Samford heading into 2023, however, there is talent at all three levels returning for the upcoming season. The Bulldogs are slated just four starters for the upcoming season.
Up front, the Bulldogs will miss both Seth Simmer and Tay Berry, who have both moved on. However, Joshua Mathiason (20 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2 QBHs, 1 FR) returns as one of the potential starters along the defensive front, and Elijah Rawlins—one of a total of 10 (FCS and FBS) transfers brought in during the offseason could provide some immediate support. Rawlins comes to Samford from Mississippi Valley State, but the player to watch up front might be Joseph Mera (25 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 6 PBUs, 7 QBHs, 2 FFs, 1 FR), who has all-conference talent.
The good news for the linebacking unit is that it appears to be the most veteran unit for Samford heading into the 2023 campaign, with the return of Noah Martin (92 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 INT, 3 QBHs, 1 QBH) and Thomas Neville (36 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 3 PBUs, 1 QBH), which helps at least off-set the departure of Nathan East.
Traditionally, Samford has had good secondaries during its time as a Southern Conference member, as evidenced by guys like James Bradberry, Corey White and Jaquiski Tartt all going on to represent the Bulldogs in the NFL in recent seasons. The lone returnee for Samford on the defensive back line from a year ago is Fred Flavors (53 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 QBH, 1 FF, 2 blkd kicks) at cornerback. The good news for the Bulldogs is Kameron Smith—a transfer cornerback from Charleston Southern—will have a chance to come in and make an immediate impact this fall. Smith was an All-Big South selection last season after posting 37 total tackles, with 13 pass breakups and a forced fumble. His forced fumble came on a big hit against Furman last season in a game that the Paladins had to come from behind on the road in order to secure a 25-19 win.
The Bulldogs should in good shape on special teams, with the return of place-kicker Zach Williams (24-of-29 on FGs/51-of-53 on PATs) for his graduate season, while Brad Porcellato (42.6 YPP) also returns to handle the punting duties. Judd Cockett (23.0 yards per kickoff return/3.3 yards per punt return) once again figures to handle the primary kick return duties, while Chandler Smith (6.0 yards per punt return) and Cockett will be the candidates for punt return responsibilities once again this fall.
Brief Recap of the last meeting: No. 16 Samford 34, Furman 27 (Oct. 1, 2022/Paladin Stadium)
Jaylan Thomas rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 16 Samford converted a pair of Furman turnovers into 14 points, as the Bulldogs snapped a three-game losing streak in the series against the Paladins, with a 34-27 Southern Conference triumph before 9,507 fans at Paladin Stadium.
Things looked good through a little over a quarter of action in Saturday’s SoCon showdown between Furman and No. 16 Samford, as the Paladins held a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter, however, Samford found its offensive momentum midway through the second quarter, and out-scored the Paladins 34-7 to double up the score, leading 34-17 entering the fourth quarter.
With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Southern Conference play—their best start since 2016. The Paladins fell to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in league action.
Thomas was outstanding all day, whether catching the ball out of the backfield, or running the ball. He finished the contest rushing for 104 yards on just five carries, with three touchdowns. He ended the contest averaging a whopping 20.8 yards-per-carry.
Samford quarterback Michael Hiers, who was the reigning Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week, finished the contest connecting on 29-of-38 passes for 228 yards with a pair of touchdown passes and an INT.
His favorite target was once again Chandler Smith, which hauled in 11 passes for 83 yards. Kendall Watson hauled in five passes for 41 yards in the win.
The Paladin defense was able to limit leading running back Jay Stanton to just 17 yards on eight rush attempts, however, Stanton broke free to score in the second quarter on a 36-yard scoring reception on a wheel route.
All told, Stanton hauled in three passes for 66 yards, and has now posted two huge plays in the opening two league games for the Bulldogs. Along with a 36-yard scoring catch today, Stanton broke off a 49-yard scoring run in last week’s win over Western Carolina, which capped off a 35-12 win over the Catamounts.
Furman was led under center by Jace Wilson, who made his first start of the season under center for injured starter Tyler Huff, completed 38-of-59 passes for 329 yards, three touchdowns and no INTs. Wilson also rushed for 38 yards on 14 attempts and got sacked three times. All told, the sophomore from Missouri City, TX., accounted for 367 yards of total offense.
Wilson’s favorite targets were Kyndel Dean, who turned in his best game as a Paladin, and two-time All-American tight end Ryan Miller. Both hauled in 10 passes. Dean made 10 catches for 97 yards, while continued his outstanding season to-date, hauling in 10 passes for 87 yards and a TD. Joshua Harris, who caught six passes for 43 yards, hauled in his first two scoring passes of the season.
The Paladins ended being led on defense by safety Kam Brinson’s eight tackles, while Jalen Miller’s first quarter INT was Furman’s ninth as a defense this season, and Miller’s second in three-week span. The INT by Miller was his second in a three-week span, and the redshirt junior has shined as a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball this season. He also forced a key fumble in last week’s win at Charleston Southern.
The Paladin defense recorded five sacks and seven tackles-for-loss in Saturday’s loss. Luke Clark finished the contest with two of the team’s five sacks and totaled six tackles.
The Paladins out-gained the Bulldogs 457-360 in the contest, while holding big advantages in total plays (97-66), first downs (26-16), and time of possession (37:34-22:23).
Two Reviews…One Play
While the play below didn’t decide Saturday’s contest, as a decision made by an officiating crew never really does, it without question changed the momentum of the contest. Furman’s response defensively to the adversity was not the type of response that a team in hopes of winning a Southern Conference title should have.
That said, despite the decision rendered by the officiating crew following an unheard of “double-review” and a 20-plus minute stoppage of play, Samford won the game on its merits, playing an excellent football game on both sides of the ball. So, you be the judge of the play below. I think it speaks for itself.
Furman opened the game in a much different fashion against No. 16 Samford than it did against a winless Charleston Southern last Saturday, as the Paladins scored 10 points in the opening quarter, with Axel Lepvreau splitting the uprights on a 19-yard field goal for the first points of the afternoon, while Joshua Harris hauled in his first TD pass of the season on a 10-yard strike from Jace Wilson, and the Paladin defense would hold the Bulldogs scoreless in the opening quarter, which included forcing their first turnover of the day on Jalen Miller second INT in a three-week span.
Early in the second quarter, Ivan Yates appeared to intercept a second Michael Hiers pass in the contest, however, after the initial review gave the ball to the Paladins at the 28, another replay gave the football back to the Bulldog offense, nullifying the Paladin offensive possession just outside the Samford red zone, and that would give the Bulldog offense the momentum they needed to find their first points of the afternoon.
Hiers then tossed his first scoring pass of the afternoon on a 36-yard pass to Jay Stanton out of the backfield with 10:35 remaining in the half. Matt Sochovka blocked the Samford PAT, keeping the Paladin lead at four.
After a Wilson fumble gave the ball back inside Furman territory at the Paladin 44, the Bulldogs would assume a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish for the remainder of the afternoon.
Two plays later, Thomas found the end zone for the his first of three times in the contest, bolting 28 yards for a score, giving the Bulldogs a 13-10 lead with 7:05 to play in the opening half.
Following another Paladin punt with a little over six minutes remaining in the opening half, the Bulldogs would take over at their own 30 following a 38-yard punt by Furman’s Ryan Leahy.
The Bulldogs made the most of the possession, to find the end zone for the second time in the second quarter, as Thomas scored on a 14-yard run to give Samford a little bit of a cushion with a 20-10 lead with 2:36 left in the opening half.
Following a 21-yard return by Wayne Anderson Jr. on the ensuing kickoff, the Paladin offense made the most of its final possession of the opening half. Wilson engineered an 11-play, 70-yard drive, which he capped by tossing a perfectly lofted 4-yard pass to Ryan Miller with just five seconds left in the half, and the Paladins went to the locker room trailing 20-17.
With the ball to start the second half, the Bulldogs needed just five plays to stretch their lead back out to double digits. The final 44 yards of the drive came from Thomas, who was untouched as he raced through the middle of the Paladin defense to give the Bulldogs a 27-17 third quarter lead.
The Paladins officially playing catch-up.
The Samford defense held the Paladin offense on their next two offensive drives of the second quarter, and then on Furman’s third offensive drive of the third quarter, the Bulldogs came up with another big play from their defense to force Furman’s third miscue of the day.
After Furman took over the football at its own 16 following the Brad Porcellato punt, All-SoCon linebacker Nathan East came free on a blitz and got a clean hit on Wilson’s blind side, forcing the ball to pop loose and it would the ball was recovered at the Furman 8-yard line by nose guard Joshua Mathiasen.
It took the Samford offense just three plays to double up the score, as Hiers found a wide open J.R. Tran-Reno in the back of the end zone on a 6-yard pass, as the Bulldogs went ahead 34-17.
Furman concluded the third quarter the same way it the second, which is by scoring the final points of the frame. After 42-yard return by Wayne Anderson Jr., the Paladins took over the football in great field position at their own 45. However, the Bulldog defense was able the Paladin offense out of the end zone, forcing the Paladins into a Lepvreau 34-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Trailing by 14, the Paladin defense would give its offense some good opportunities to come back in the final frame, holding an opponent scoreless in the final frame for the fifth-straight game to start the season.
The Paladins only score came late in the game, as Wilson tossed his third scoring strike of the game, with Harris being on the end of his second TD reception, as he hauled in a 2-yard pass with 2:03 left to conclude what was a 15-play, 90-yard drive that got the Paladins within a touchdown, at 34-27.
That would end up being the final score, however, as Furman opted to kick off with a pair of timeouts to work with, but the Bulldogs were successfully able to run a minute off the clock, forcing Furman to burn both of its remaining timeouts. From there, the Paladins took over at their own 22-yard line, however, the Paladins turned it over on downs after gaining just nine yards in four plays, effectively ending any chance at a game-tying touchdown. The Bulldogs took the final knee of the game, running off the final three seconds to snap a three-game skid against the Paladins.
The Prediction: The Paladins and Bulldogs should be set to deliver us another outstanding football game when the two get together in the middle of October in a game that could very well decided the 2023 Southern Conference champion. With that said, I think Furman has a point to prove, and I think Tyler Huff provides just what the Paladins need on the road in getting a crucial league road win…Paladins 35, Bulldogs 31.

Oct. 21 at Western Carolina (TBA)—Next up for the Paladins is a trip to Cullowhee in what could be a tricky road game for head coach Clay Hendrix’s Furman Paladins. Trips to Catamount country are certainly never easy games, and it was the Paladins who pulled out a wild 47-40 win over the Catamounts last season in Greenville in a game in which the Paladins nearly squandered what seemed to be a comfortable fourth quarter lead, as the Paladins needed a stop late, as Ivan Williams stopped WCU wideout Censere Lee at the five and the clock expired as Paladin fans breathed a collective sigh of relief following what was quite literally a near disastrous occurrence.
With that said, the Paladins and Catamounts have played a couple of down-to-the-wire, high-scoring affairs in each of Kerwin Bell’s two seasons at the helm of the Western Carolina football program. When the Catamounts and Paladins get together on the gridiron, the rivalry has normally been referred to as the “Battle for Purple Supremacy” due to the fact that both teams sport their primary color as purple.
The rivalry, which has largely been dominated by Furman, has seen a resurrection of sorts under Bell, who helped lead Western Carolina to a 43-42 win over the Paladins in his first season at EJ Whitmire Stadium, which snapped what had become a five-game losing skid in the series for Western Carolina.
The 2023 meeting between the Catamounts and Paladins will mark the 51st all-time clash between the two football programs, with the Paladins holding what is a commanding 35-13-2 record all-time in the series between the two. The Paladins dominance in the series can be noticed with one glance at the all-time series results between the two programs, with Furman having won 22 of the past 27 meetings between the two programs, dating back to 1996. The Catamounts and Paladins first met on the college football gridiron back in 1971, with the Paladins taking what was a 21-14 in Greenville.
The Catamounts’ 1983 win over the Paladins in the Division I-AA semifinals remains one of the biggest wins in program history. The Catamounts handed the ’83 regular-season Southern Conference champions a 14-7 setback on the home turf, and in what might be the first occurrence of a visiting team tearing down a home team’s goalposts, that would be exacly what happened in Greenville as Catamount fans celebrated in sheer jubilation.
Without having ever won a Southern Conference regular-season crown since joining the SoCon in 1976, the win over the Paladins afforded the Catamounts a trip to the national championship game to meet Southern Illinois at Johnson-Hagood Stadium in Charleston, and by default, remains one of if not the biggest win in program history. With an 0-62 all-time mark against FBS competition, I think it would be hard to argue another win with as much significance to Catamount football fans as the one that occurred against a very good Furman team back in 1983. The Catamounts ended up being on the wrong end of a 43-7 setback to the Salukis, however, the 11-win ’83 season remains the best in school history and is the only time the Catamounts have qualified for the FCS playoffs.
While there hasn’t been much of a tradition set in winning championships in the mountains of Cullowhee, N.C., it could be argued that the Purple and Gold is a program that has been at the doorstep of a conference title and a postseason invite only to squander that seeming opportunity late in the season more than any other program in FCS football.
Thinking back to even the Steve Hodgin era, the Catamounts squandered either a chance at a Southern Conference title or a potential at-large trip to the FCS playoffs for three-straight seasons from 1992-94. The 1992 team, which finished 7-4 overall and 5-2 in league play only needed to beat arch-rival Appalachian State in its final game of the regular-season to claim a share of the Southern Conference title along with The Citadel. However, the 14-12 loss to the Mountaineers in the regular-season finale saw the Mountaineers, who posted an identical 7-4 record and 5-2 mark in SoCon play chosen for the playoffs over the Catamounts.
In recent years, the Catamounts produced seven-win campaigns in 2014, ’15 and ’17, but like that string of three-straight seasons in the early-mid 1990s, faltered late in the season to miss out on a potential playoff invitation. In Furman head coach Clay Hendrix’s first season as the head coach of the Furman Paladins, it was the Paladins’ 28-6 win during a driving rain in Cullowhee, which was seemingly the beginning of a late-season swoon that saw Western go on lose two of its remaining three games of the season to finish on the outside of the FCS playoff bubble. The loss to the Paladins was damaging, however, a 35-33 home loss to Mercer proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the 2017 campaign.
For head coach Mark Speir, who had a beginning much like Bell has had in his two seasons at Western Carolina, helping turn the program around and create a winning culture, however, what Speir and so many others have failed to do since Bob Waters took the Catamount football program to unprecedented heights during the decade of the 1980s before tragically seeing his life cut short due to Lou Gehrig’s disease on May 30, 1989, is help the program take the next step from improved to a championship contender and a playoff qualifier. The Catamounts have had some good coaches, as well as some not so good ones give it a try in the years since Waters roamed the sidelines, including both Speir and Hodgin, who had arguably as much or more success as anyone since. Bill Bleil lead the Catamounts to a 7-4 mark in 2001 before being fired following a “lack of institutional control” following the fallout from the Toren Gordon incident at a local night club in Cherokee, N.C.
Kent Briggs would end up leading the Catamounts to a pretty successful 2005 season, with the Catamounts having a game canceled with Nicholls State during Hurricane Katrina, and with only 10 games scheduled, Western Carolina would finish with a 5-4 record. Had the Catamounts been able to defeat Appalachian State in Boone in the regular-season finale, the Catamounts could have forced a four-way tie atop the Southern Conference standings between Furman, Western Carolina, Georgia Southern and App State, which could have potentially seen the Catamounts included in the FCS playoffs. However, the point was made moot when App State delivered a 35-7 beat down in Boone and what had been a potentially noteworthy season, which included a 41-21 win over No. 2 Furman, ended on a sour note.
That would ultimately be the peak for Briggs during his time as head coach, and like Hodgin and Bleil, never could manage to get the Catamounts to that next rung on the ladder of conference success. Briggs was succeeded by Dennis Wagner, who was easily the worst coach in recent history for Catamount football, finishing his three seasons in Cullowhee with a 8-36 record. Speir had to almost build the program from scratch when he assumed the reins of the program in 2012 and had made a turn similar to what Bell had in two seasons, however, could never get past the seven-win threshold. That is now the challenge for Bell, which is get the Western Carolina program past the seven-win threshold, which no coach has been able to do since Waters.
There is a feeling that under the direction of Bell, however, the Catamounts might be able to finally be able to kick through what most seem like a steel door that has been closed on their playoff aspirations ever since that ’83 appearance. The Catamounts ended the 2022 season as one of the hottest teams in FCS football, winning their final three games to finish up 6-5 overall and 4-4 in SoCon play. Western Carolina produced its 13th win all-time against a ranked FCS foe and first since 2017, downing No. 15 Chattanooga, 32-29, in the final home game of the regular-season, capping what was a three-game winning streak.
Nine players return from an offense that was among the most prolific in the FCS last season, however, the Catamounts will have a new starter under center, as Carlos Davis has moved on to become the new UMass starting quarterback. The Catamounts ranked sixth in the nation in total offense, averaging 485.4 YPG last season. The Catamounts finished the season with 43 offensive touchdowns and averaged 31.9 PPG, finishing the season ranking 31st nationally in scoring offense last season. Western Carolina finished the season ranking seventh nationally in passing offense (301.1 YPG).
In line to start for Western Carolina under center this fall will be Cole Gonzales (102-of-161 passing, 1,336 yds, 11 TDs, 7 INTs), who had a pretty effective outing against the Paladins last season, played exceptionally well over the latter half of his freshman campaign. Gonzales was responsible for helping get the Catamounts back in the game in the second half after Davis exited in the third quarter with an injury following a big hit by Bryce McCormick. Gonzales came in and completed and was a big part of the 462-yard passing day, as he finished the contest by connecting 12-of-16 passes for 253 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Gonzales will again have a good contingent of receivers to throw the football to, even without the services of All-SoCon wideout Raphael Williams, who has transferred to San Diego State. Gonzales will have some talent speed merchants to rely on in 2023, however, with Censere Lee (36 rec, 634 yds, 6 TDs, 17.6 YPR), Calvin Jones, and David White Jr. (20 rec, 384 yds, 5 TDs, 19.2 YPR) slated to return this fall. Lee ended up having a huge day against the Paladins last season, hauling in a career-best five passes for 164 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Central Florida transfer Terrance Horne Jr. also figures to be in the mix as a big-play threat for the Catamounts. The overall depth the Catamounts possess at the receiving corps in the Southern Conference is unmatched, and while both Mercer and Samford have more prolific options among their starting wideouts, neither team possesses the depth at the position that the Catamounts have.
As for the running game, the Catamounts will have one of the SoCon’s top ground threats in 2023, with the return of Desmond Reid (), who claimed the SoCon’s Freshman of the Year honor, according to the league’s head coaches last season. Reid was a dual threat in that he was also a threat in the passing game for Western Carolina, hauling in 21 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown last fall, averaging 10.1 yards-per-reception.
Ajay Bellanger (20 rec, 176 yds, 1 TD) returns as the Catamounts’ primary tight end, and he has a chance to establish himself as one of the league’s premier pass-catching tight ends this season.
The other good news for Western Carolina is they should have one of the most talented offensive fronts in the Southern Conference this fall. Returning to the offensive front for head coach Kerwin Bell this fall will be four of five starters, highlighted by a player, in Tyler Smith at left tackle, that should compete for the Jacobs Blocking Award in the SoCon this fall. The 6-8, 300-lb rising redshirt senior is one of the most physically-imposing offensive linemen in the Southern Conference.
Smith will team with Christian Coulter (RT), Neyland Walker (LG), and Blake Whitmore (C) along the offensive front this fall, with the lone player the Catamounts need to replace along the offensive front being right guard Dalton Tomlison, who has moved on. It’s an offensive front that will also be one of the largest in the Southern Conference this fall, averaging 305 lbs among the four starters returning this fall. The Catamounts ranked 32nd in the FCS in rushing offense last season, averaging 184.3 YPG on the ground last season.
The area where the Catamounts must improve is on the defensive side of the ball, and in 2022, towards the latter half of the season, the Catamounts certainly made some inroads in that particular area, however, there is much work to be done. For instance, in the previous six seasons under Clay Hendrix, the Paladins have had their leading rusher go for 100 or more yards on five occasions, including twice for over 200 yards. Furman’s leading rusher in the Clay Hendrix era against Western Carolina is going for an average of 159 yards, with Dominic Roberto putting together one of the best rushing performances in program history last season against the Catamounts, finishing with 253 yards and a pair of TDs on 25 rush attempts. The rushing effort by Roberto was the third-highest in program history and highest in 22 years since Louis Ivory rushed for 301 yards in a 45-10 win over top-ranked Georgia Southern.
Even before Hendrix took over as the head coach of the Furman football program in 2017, the Paladins have been feasting on WCU defenses via the ground attack for quite some time. Back in 2016, the Paladins had a pair of 100 yard rushers, with Kealand Dirks going for 171 and Antonio Wilcox 105 en route to a 387-yard effort on the ground, as the Paladins blitzed the Catamounts, 49-21, in Bruce Fowler’s last season as the head coach of the Paladins.
However, as a whole, the Catamounts were much improved on the defensive side of the football last season, and that point was proven by the fact that the Catamounts finished the season only nine places lower in the final season statistical rankings in the FCS for total defense, as the Catamounts ranked 71st nationally in total defense last season, surrendering 390.5 YPG. The Catamounts steadily improved on the defensive side of the football as the season progressed in 2022. The Catamounts were decent against the run a year ago, but still have plenty of room for improvement, as the Purple and Gold finished the season ranking 91st in total defense (182.7 YPG). The Catamounts were a little better against the pass last fall, completing the season ranking 43rd nationally in passing yards allowed (207.7 YPG) last season.
The Catamounts have much more to replace on the defensive side of the football heading into the 2023 season, however, but there is still enough continuity and talent returning at all three levels for defensive coordinator Chazmon Scales. One of the strengths of the Catamount defense a year ago was its defensive front, and it’s a unit that ended up ranking second in the Southern Conference in total sacks last season, posting 32 quarterback takedowns (2.91 SPG), which ranked 11th nationally and second to only Chattanooga (35 sacks/3.18 SPG) last season.
Western Carolina will utilize a 4-2-5 alignment on the defensive side of the football once again this season, which served the Catamounts well last season, especially in the final four games of the season. The one major loss from the defensive front heading into the 2023 season is do-everything, All-SoCon defensive end KJ Milner, who has moved on after a 2022 campaign, which saw him post 45 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, and six sacks. The Catamounts will look to some new blood to fill Milner’s position this fall, with rising senior Jayelin Davis (7 tackles) most likely being the one to step into that role this season.
Also returning along the defensive front for the Catamounts will be nose tackle Marlon Alexander (25 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 FR)—a player that has a chance to garner all-conference honors in the middle of that Catamount defensive front this fall—as well as Jaquarius Guinn (21 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 PBU, 3 QBHs, 1 FR) and Micah Nelson (35 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 4 QBHs, 1 PBU), who return at defensive tackle and ‘bandit’ respectively.
At linebacker, the Catamounts return both of their big hitters in the middle of the defensive unit, with Va Lealaimatafao (52 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 2 FFs, 1 PBU) and EJ Porter (31 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 QBH) return to the fold, as does Hayward McQueen III. McQueen might have been the most talented linebacker on the Catamount squad last season, finishing out the season with 59 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, one sack and three quarterback hurries. His 59 stops ranked second on the Catamount defense in 2022. McQueen was named to the SoCon’s All-Freshman team last season, finishing the season with a career-high 10 tackles in the upset win over Chattanooga, which was good enough for an honorable mention nod for FedEx FCS Freshman of the Week, which is awarded weekly by STATS FCS.
Western Carolina has one of the up-and-coming defensive backfields in FCS football, and that unit is slated to be anchored by junior Andreas Keaton (72 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 2 INTs, 5 PBUs, 7 PDs), who returns as the hard-hitting safety and a player that could compete for SoCon Defensive Player of the Year honors this fall. Joining Keaton on the Catamounts’ defensive back line will be Samaurie Dukes (33 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 FR, 1 FF), who plays as a nickel defensive back/linebacker and was a SoCon All-Freshman team selection last fall. The Catamount depth in the secondary will be somewhat be altered with the loss of Jacob Harris (36 tackles, 1 INT), who has opted to transfer to Valdosta State.
The special teams unit will be in great shape with the return of Richard McCollum (17-of-19 on FGs last season/40-of-41 on PATs) from the transfer portal. The rising senior place-kicker will likely compete for All-America honors this fall. Western Carolina must find an adequate replacement for Brandon Dickerson at punter (43.7 YPP in 2022), with Paxton Robertson, who handled to kickoff duties for the Purple and Gold last fall, expected to compete for the job.
Brief Recap of the last meeting: Furman 47, Western Carolina 40 (Oct. 15, 2022)
When Ryan Miller hauled in his second TD pass of the game on a 14-yard strike from Tyler Huff and Axel Lepvreau’s PAT with 46 seconds left in the third quarter, it looked like Furman would coast to its fifth victory of the season and third Southern Conference win, as the Paladins led 44-20 and with the Catamounts relying on freshman quarterback Cole Gonzales having to replace an injured Carlos Davis under center, it certainly didn’t look good for Western Carolina.
But things looked a lot worse last Saturday in Macon, when Western Carolina trailed 42-0 at the half against No. 11 Mercer. Kerwin Bell even quipped to Mercer head coach Drew Cronic following that contest that he wished the Catamounts could have just one more half against the Bears. With the way things were going down the stretch in Greenville on Saturday at Paladin Stadium, just five more minutes might have been enough to escape with a win.
Just as the Catamounts did last season in Cullowhee to charge back from an 11-point deficit to garner a 43-42 win over Furman at E.J. Whitmire Stadium, these Cats coached by Kerwin Bell proved they have nine lives and were going to use every one of them once again.
Following Miller’s 14-yard scoring catch, which increased Furman’s advantage to 24 late in the third quarter, the Catamounts, who were now led by Gonzales, would scratch the scoreboard for the first of three scores in the fourth quarter when TJ Jones scored on a 9-yard jaunt to make it a 44-27 game and conclude an 8-play, 75-yard drive with 12:42 remaining.
After allowing one first down on Furman’s ensuing drive, Western Carolina would get the football back following a Ryan Leavy 43-yard punt gave the ball back to the Catamounts at their own 44. Gonzales needed just two plays to get Western Carolina to within 10 points with just under eight minutes to play, with both passes going to Lee.
After an initial 14-yard catch along the Catamount sideline on the first pass to get Western Carolina to the Furman 42, Gonzales threw a deep spiral down the right sideline for a 42-yard score to make it a 44-34 game following Richard McCollum’s PAT with 7:54 remaining.
It still seemed to be a comfortable lead, however, for Clay Hendrix’s Paladins. Furman would use heavy doses of Dominic Roberto and Devin Abrams to drive inside Catamount territory and faced a 3rd-and-6 play from the Western Carolina 31. The Paladins would turn the ball over for their only turnover of the game, as Roberto coughed up the football after a hard hit by Jaylen Floyd and the ball would be recovered by Catamount linebacker Samaurie Dukes with 2:26 remaining.
On the first play from scrimmage, the Gonzales again found a streaking Lee behind the Furman secondary, and he ran under the perfectly thrown pass in stride for a 69-yard scoring connection, sending the visiting fans from Cullowhee into wild celebrations in the visiting stands—a small sample size of what it was probably like in 1983—as Western Carolina cut it to a four-point game following the six-point play, at 44-40, with 2:18 remaining.
Just as he did in helping the Paladins generate the game-changing momentum last week by forcing a turnover following a big hit at The Citadel, Furman All-SoCon cornerback Travis Blackshear broke through and blocked McCollum’s PAT, which could have cut Furman’s lead to just a field goal. His blocked PAT helped Furman keep intact a 44-40 lead.
The Catamounts lined up for an onsides kick on the ensuing kickoff and it was Blackshear who caught the ball off one bounce, showing why he was part of the Paladin “hands team” and after fielding the football cleanly off the bounce, he returned it 20 yards to the Western Carolina 25, which was crucial because it gave the Paladins the football in excellent field position.
The Paladin offense, which took over with 2:13 remaining, was able to use four plays and run 1:06 off the game clock and force the Catamounts to use all of their timeouts, as Ian Williams lined up for his second field goal attempt of the afternoon, which would be from a yard closer than his 38-yarder in the third quarter. He hit the ball cleanly, however, it caromed off the left upright, but down through the goalposts for a successful attempt, giving the Paladins a 47-40 lead with 1:07 remaining.
The Catamounts got the ball back with 1:03 left and no timeouts following a 13-yard return by Blue Monroe to the Western Carolina 36 following a squib kickoff by Williams.
A 1-yard rush by Gonzales on first down was negated by a holding penalty, and after a pair of incompletions, Western Carolina faced a 3rd-and-20 from their own 26. Gonzales completed a 19-yard pass to Raphael Williams to bring up a 4th-and-1 at the Catamount 45. Gonzales found Williams over the middle once again for a gain of 14 yards down to the Furman 41.
Gonzales quickly rushed to the line of scrimmage and spiked the football to stop the clock with 10 seconds remaining. His deep pass to the right corner of the end zone intended for Terrence Horne Jr. was incomplete, however, the Paladins were flagged for pass interference and a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down placed the ball at the 26 with three seconds remaining.
On the final play of the game, Gonzales connected with a leaping Censere Lee at the Paladin 5, however, Blackshear sealed the win for the Paladin with a sure tackle, providing the ending to what was a wild Saturday at Paladin Stadium.
Leading 27-20 at the half, Furman opened the second half in electrifying fashion, as Wayne Anderson Jr. took the opening kickoff of the second half and raced 97 yards for a score to highlight what would end up being a 17-point third quarter for the Paladins.
A little over midway through the third quarter, the Paladins would increase their lead to 37-20 when Ian Williams connected on the first of his two field goals, connecting on a 38-yard field goal with 6:36 remaining in the frame to conclude a 10-play, 59-yard drive which ate up 5:44 off the game clock.
Furman would force a Western Carolina punt on the Catamounts ensuing possession, and after a Brandon Dickerson punt was fair caught at the Paladin 6, Huff and the Furman offense went to work with 2:20 remaining and needed only three plays to cover the 94 yards. After runs of 32 and 48 yards from Roberto netted the first 80 yards of the drive, Huff found Miller on a short 14-yard scoring strike in the far corner of the end zone to make it a 44-20 Paladin lead. That would ultimately be the final points until Ian Williams’ field goal with a little over a minute left, which increased the Furman lead back to a TD after a furious fourth quarter rally, which saw the Catamounts score 20 unanswered points to make things interesting down the stretch.
Furman held jumped out to a 27-10 lead in the opening half of play before the Catamounts closed to within 27-20 at the half. The Paladins would win the opening coin toss and defer until the second half. The Catamount offense went to work on their record-setting offensive day against the Paladin defense almost immediately.
Western Carolina looked like it was going to put points on the board on its first possession of the afternoon, driving down to the Furman 10, the drive stalled to force a Western Carolina field goal attempt, however, Richard McCollum’s 25-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Matt Sochovka to give the Paladins the momentum and keep points off the board for the opening possession of the game.
On Furman’s first play from scrimmage, running back Dominic Roberto, who rushed for 196 yards and four scores in a 43-42 loss to the Catamounts a year ago, rumbled 62 yards on the Paladins’ opening play from scrimmage to make it a 7-0 Paladin lead following Axel Lepvreau’s PAT.
The Catamounts would respond behind quarterback Carlos Davis, driving back down the field to find their first points of the game and tie the football game in the opening quarter. as Davis connected on a 6-yard scoring strike to Raphael Williams., tying the game 7-7 and concluding an 11-play, 74-yard drive with 7:27 remaining in the opening quarter.
Both teams would be forced to punt on their next respective drives, and it would be Furman that would put the final points on the board for the opening quarter. Following a 75-yard punt by Brandon Dickerson, the Paladin offense would take over the football at their own 27.
Roberto found the end zone for the second time on the day and first time in his career via TD catch, as he hauled in a beautifully flighted pass from quarterback Tyler Huff for a 20-yard scoring connection to conclude a 5-play, 73-yard scoring drive to make it a 14-7 Paladin lead with 21 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Furman would force the first turnover of the afternoon, as Bryce Stanfield got pressure on Davis and forced a hurried, under-thrown pass, which was intercepted by Paladin safety Hugh Ryan and returned 39 yards to the Catamount 11. From there, the Paladins needed just three plays to cover the needed yardage and take a 21-7 lead on Roberto’s third TD of the day.
For the second-straight week down near the opposing goal line, a Furman running back took the direct snap in shotgun formation from center—last week Devin Abrams vs. The Citadel and this week Roberto—as the Paladins held a two-score lead following the redshirt junior’s 1-yard scoring plunge with 13:17 remaining in the opening half.
The Catamounts would answer on the ensuing drive by answering with a 10-play, 65-yard drive, however, had to settle for a Richard McCollum 20-yard field goal to cut the Paladin lead to 11, at 21-10, with 10:49 left in the half.
Furman’s final points of the frame would come on its ensuing offensive possession, as the Paladins used 11 plays to cover 65 yards, as Huff connected with tight end Ryan Miller for the first of the two touchdown connections between the two in the contest on a 13-yard touchdown scoring toss with 5:55 remaining in the half, giving the Paladins a 27-10 lead.
That lead would be brief, however, as the Catamounts needed just a one-play rebuttal, as Davis found David White Jr. in the flat, and he needed to outrun just one Paladin defender on his way to a 75-yard score, making it a 27-17 game just 12 seconds after Miller’s scoring catch for the Paladins.
Furman would put together a nice drive on its next possession—one that seemed it might yield points—however on a 4th-and-1 play from the Catamount 29, Dominic Roberto was stopped inches short of the first down marker, and the Paladins turned the ball over on downs with 1:38 remaining in the half.
From there, the Catamounts used 10 plays to cover 61 yards to set up a 27-yard McCollum field goal as the first half clock expired, getting Western Carolina to within a touchdown, at 27-20, at the half.
The Prediction: Games in Cullowhee are never easy, even though the Paladins hold a 16-7-1 record in games played in Cullowhee. The past two meetings between the Paladins and Catamounts have been decided by a combined eight points, which includes a thrilling 43-42 win by the Catamounts over the Paladins in 2021. It remains one of the most significant wins of Kerwin Bell era. This should be a tough test for Furman, and the Paladins should slide past this tricky challenge en route to a close, 31-27, win at EJ Whitmire Stadium.

Oct. 28 vs. East Tennessee State (TBA)— Furman will close out the month by celebrating homecoming on Oct. 30, as East Tennessee State will pay a visit to Paladin Stadium.When the Bucs arrive, a familiar face will be on the other sidelines, with former Paladin assistant coach George Quarles slated to lead the Bucs in his second season as the head coach of the ETSU football program.
Quarles, who took over for Randy Sanders on the heels of a historic 11-win season and SoCon title in 2021, had a tough act to follow, and in Quarles’ first season in Johnson City, the Bucs failed to live up to some lofty preseason expectations, with many predicting ETSU to repeat as Southern Conference champions last fall.
Despite 17 returning starters for the 2022 season, the Bucs would finish just 3-8 overall and posted just a 1-7 conference record. In eerily similar fashion to how ETSU followed up its 2018 SoCon title-winning campaign, the Bucs would go 1-7 in league play in 2019, losing many of its league tilts during that ’19 season by one score or less.
It was seemingly like that for the Bucs and first-year head coach George Quarles last season. The Bucs were in a lot of fourth quarter games a year ago, including ones against both upper echelon finishers Furman and Chattanooga last season. After dropping their league opener on the road at The Citadel (L, 17-20), the Bucs opened their home SoCon slate against rival Furman at William B. Greene Stadium, only to see the Paladins avenge the heartbreak of what was a late game-winning drive by ETSU, which saw them leave Greenville with a 17-14 win in 2021 en route to a SoCon title, as the Paladins posted a 27-14 win in 2022 in Johnson City.
The Paladins and Bucs have enjoyed a solid rivalry with the Paladins having been dominant in the rivalry since its start back in 1957, with Furman holding the 28-9 all-time series edge. Despite the dominance the Paladins have exhibited, the rivalry between the Paladins and Bucs has yielded some outstanding football games. The Bucs also hold the distinction of handing Furman its second-largest margin of defeat in a homecoming game in program history, with only the 45-0 setback to Samford (2014) eclipsing the 58-28 thrashing the Bucs handed the Paladins back in 1997.
ETSU’s last appearance on homecoming at Paladin Stadium came just two years ago, getting the aforementioned 17-13 win over the Paladins on homecoming. ETSU also holds the unique distinction of being Furman’s first-ever opponent in Paladin Stadium history, as Furman opened its new facility on Sept. 19, 1981 by blanking the Bucs, 21-0, in Greenville. In the 37 previous meetings between the two, 12 have been decided by a touchdown or less, including four of the last five, with only Furman’s 13-point win in Johnson City last season being the exception. The four-point win a couple of years ago by ETSU in Greenville marked just the third win all-time in Greenville for the Bucs, and it was the first win over the Paladins in Greenville since that blowout win back in 1997.
Other than winning in 2021 and 1997, the only other ETSU win in Greenville came back in 1979, as the Bucs handed the Paladins a 28-24 at their former home of Sirrine Stadium. That was a year following Furman’s first-ever Southern Conference title season of 1978 and also marked ETSU’s third season as a member of the SoCon.
Most of ETSU’s football success has come since bringing football back, as the Bucs resurrected their football program following a 12-year hiatus in 2015 before re-joining the Southern Conference a year later. The Bucs football program has already claimed more titles (2/2018 and ’21) and playoff appearances (2) in its seven seasons back in the SoCon than it did in its 27 seasons as a league member previously. In fact, only the 1996 Bucs, which won 10 games and finished second overall in the league and managed an at-large invite to the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) was the one season which Bucs fans can look back to with a measure of comparable success in ETSU’s first stint as a league member.
With the expectations now at an all-time high for the program since its reinstatement, the pressure on Quarles to win and win now in 2023 will be increased. The Bucs should be in pretty good shape to do that this fall, despite the departure of a 1,000-yard rusher for a second-straight season on the offensive side of the ball. However, on defense, significant losses due to the portal will make veteran defensive coordinator Billy Taylor’s job all the more difficult.
Just three starters return for the Bucs on defense, with seven starters slated to return on the offensive side the ball. The Bucs won’t have Jacob Saylors, who finished up his ETSU career this past fall, finishing his career in strong fashion, rushing for 1,307 yards and 15 TDs. After eclipsing the 3,000-yard rushing plateau for his career, it led to Saylors signing a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals following April’s NFL Draft.
The good news is the Bucs do get quarterback Tyler Riddell (151-of-279 passing, 1,950 yds, 15 TDs, 11 INTs) back under center. Riddell, who returns as the veteran-most quarterback in the SoCon returning for the 2023 season, initially tested the transfer portal before opting to return to ETSU for another season. In his ETSU career, Riddell has passed for well over 5,000 yards in his Bucs career, and his savvy and know-how in the Bucs offense will be key this fall. Riddell will have his head coach calling the offense this season, with Quarles firing offensive coordinator Adam Neugebauer. The Bucs were at times too predictable on the offensive side of the football last season.
ETSU finished the season with a very mediocre offense, following a campaign which saw them rank among the nation’s top ground attacks. The Bucs ranked 68th nationally in total offense (364.0 YPG), which by comparison to the Bucs offense, which ranked in the top third of FCS football last season, was a disappointment. The 11 INTs thrown by Riddell last season were six more than he threw in two more games in during ETSU’s 11-win campaign in 2021. In terms of rushing offense, the Bucs finished the 2022 season ranking 42nd nationally in rushing offense (170.4 YPG).
The Paladins did a solid job against the Bucs ground attack last season, limiting ETSU to just 80 yards on the ground, which included holding leading running back Jacob Saylors to just 54 yards on 19 carries, which was one of his lowest rushing totals of the 2022 season. Riddell ended up being a decent threat to run the football a year ago, as he finished the season rushing for 161 yards on 50 attempts.
The big question mark heading into the 2023 season for ETSU offensively is who replaces Saylors as the main rushing threat for the Bucs. Junior Bryson Irby appears to be the main candidate to step into that role this season for the Bucs, and he comes off a 2022 campaign in which he was ETSU’s second-leading rusher. Irby finished off the 2022 season by rushing for 155 yards and a pair of scores on 35 attempts. Others that could figure into the mix at running back for ETSU this coming fall could be Amir Dendy or Trey Foster. Dendy and Foster both saw some limited action last season, with Dendy completing the season with 68 yards on 15 carries, while Foster completed the 2022 campaign with 14 carries for 34 yards. University of Idaho transfer Zach Borish is one to keep an eye on in the ground game for the Bucs this fall as well.
One of the best playmakers returning on the offensive side of the football and certainly Einaj Carter (30 rec, 436 yds, 4 TDs, 14.5 YPR). Carter, who transferred into ETSU from Savannah State, and in his first season with the Bucs, ended up being a threat as both a runner and a receiver with his tremendous speed in his rookie campaign with ETSU. Carter also posted 46 yards and a touchdown on just three rush attempts last season. Against Furman last season, Carter was the one offensive threat the Paladin defense seemingly had no answer for. Early in the game, Carter posted one of ETSU’s biggest offensive plays of the season, as hauled in a 75-yard scoring pass from Tyler Riddell to give the Bucs an early 7-3 lead in that contest. Carter finished the game against the Paladins hauling in three passes for 87 yards and a pair of scores and it remains one of his best games to date as a Bucs player. He will line up at as the ‘W’ wide receiver for ETSU once again this fall.
Joining Carter at wide receiver will be Will Huzzie (42 rec, 541 yds, 6 TDs, 12.9 YPR). Like his quarterback, Huzzie had originally entered the transfer portal before deciding to return to ETSU. With another big season, Huzzie is on pace to finish his outstanding career in the Blue and Gold as the school’s all-time leading receiver and already has 1,980 receiving yards in his Bucs career. In his final season with the Bucs, Huzzie will need 823 receiving yards to set a new career receiving yards record, surpassing the 2,802 receiving yards recorded by ETSU Hall-of-Fame wideout BJ Adigun. His 148 receptions over the past four years means he needs just 25 catches this fall to surpass Adigun’s career mark of 172 career grabs. His 16 career scoring grabs are 10 less than Adigun’s school-record of 26, which he established from 1994-97. Against Furman last season, Huzzie ended up hauling in four passes for 65 yards.
With Isaiah Wilson having transferred out of ETSU to Richmond, there are several candidates to step in and fill the role at the X receiver. One of those is Southern Illinois transfer wideout Tanner Corum. The redshirt sophomore had to sit out last season, however, will be ready to go this fall and could be one those in line to replace Wilson. Quinn Caballero (8 rec, 130 yds, 1 TD, 16.2 YPR) also returns to the fold and should be in the running for a starting job at wideout this fall for the Bucs.
The good news for Quarles and ETSU is the fact that Noah West (10 rec, 128 yds, 1 TD, 12.8 YPR) returns at tight end. Quarles knows how to use a tight end with some effectiveness on the offensive side of the ball, and that can be evidenced by how he was able to use Ryan Miller during his time at Furman. Miller, of course, parlayed that into a free agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. West has good hands and look for him to be an even more utilized asset within the Bucs offense this fall with Quarles now at the controls of the ETSU offense.
The offensive line will have a new leader this fall, as Jay Guillermo comes over from the University of Virginia where he was an offensive grad assistant last season. Prior to that, Guillermo was a standout offensive lineman for Clemson, and during his prep career, played for Quarles at Maryville High School. Guillermo takes over as the offensive line coach for Dru Duke, who was the offensive line coach for the Bucs last season after coming over from Furman.
The Bucs lost some key pieces along their offensive front from a year ago, including Blake Austin and Fred Norman Jr., who have both decided to move on. The good news for Bucs fans is that Joe Schreiber returns along the offensive front for the Bucs this fall at center, as does Cason Setzkorn, who returns as the starter at right tackle. Those offer two solid building blocks for Guillermo as he takes over controls of the Bucs’ offensive line this fall. Western Kentucky transfer Luke Slusher could get some immediate aid to the offensive line this fall.
On the defensive side of the football, the 2022 season for the Bucs could best be described as one that was topsy-turvy. The Bucs finished the 2022 campaign ranking 85th nationally in total defense (411.1 YPG) and 81st in scoring defense (30.4 PPG). Those numbers were significantly increased from a 2021 season, which saw the Bucs surrender just 22.7 PPG and just 383.0 YPG, and when you consider the Bucs had seven starters returning on defense, the Bucs should have been better, especially when it comes to scoring defense.
The Bucs were pretty good against the run in 2022, ranking 39th nationally, surrendering just 138.8 YPG on the ground, which was actually better than the 153.8 YPG the Bucs had given up in their 2021 championship season. The drastic drop-off came in the passing defense department, which was an area the Bucs surrendered 229.2 YPG through the air in 2021, but last season, ended up surrendering 271.5 YPG through the air, ranking 114th out of 123 teams in FCS football.
Veteran defensive coordinator Billy Taylor will have some key pieces returning on the defensive side of the football, however, when it comes to losses, the Bucs had some significant ones to the transfer portal as well as graduation, which includes the four leading tacklers from a year ago, in linebacker Chandler Martin (99 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 4 PBUs), linebacker Erek Campbell (61 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU), defensive back Alijah Huzzie (59 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 6 INTs, 16 PBUs) and defensive back Sheldon Arnold II (53 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 4 PBUs, 2 INTs). Other significant losses to the portal include defensive lineman Davion Hood (23 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 5 QBHs, 1 FR, 1 FF), defensive lineman Rodney Wright and linebackers Jalen Porter (34 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 2 PBUs, 3 QBHs, 2 FFs) and Stephen Scott (40 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 PBU, 4 QBHs) have all decided to move on as well.
Billy Taylor’s 3-4 defensive scheme will be getting a massive overhaul to say the least. The good news is the Bucs will be getting some help from the transfer portal, as its not just all outgoing talent. The Bucs will get a talented defensive lineman, in Hot Rod Fitten, who comes over from South Carolina, as well as a couple of DBs that have a chance to make some noise right away, in Khalil Anderson (Pittsburgh) and Jamison Collier (Ohio University).
The Bucs do have some talent returning to the fold as well, in guys like Mike Price (43 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 5 PBUs, 1 INT) and Chris Hope (48 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 6 PBUs, 1 INT, 1 FR) at the two safety positions, while Max Evans (34 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2 FFs) and Deven Brantley (14 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks ) are slated to return along the defensive line.
As far as the special teams unit is concerned for the Bucs, it is much the same scenario as on defense, with ETSU needing to replace Tyler Keltner (17-of-23 on FGs/38-of-38 on PATs) at place-kicker. Ewan Johnson is set to try and replace the all-conference Keltner, while Trace Kelley (40.6 YPP) returns to handle the punting duties for the Bucs.
Brief Recap of the last meeting: Furman 27, No. 18 East Tennessee State 14 (Sept. 17, 2022/ Greene Stadium)
Furman picked up what was a big win over defending Southern Conference champion East Tennessee State, downing the Bucs 27-14 in a game that was close throughout, with Dominic Roberto’s late touchdown rumble finally enough to give the Paladins the cushion they needed to escape with a two-score win.
urman got on the board first in the contest utilizing Hugh Ryan’s fifth-career interception off a tipped ball. That set up the Paladin offense at the ETSU 27. After three incompletions from Tyler Huff, Ian Williams came on and knocked through a 44-yard field goal to make it a 3-0 contest with 13:48 remaining in the first quarter.
On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, Furman brought an all-out blitz and the Bucs burned the Paladins for the longest play surrendered this season by the Paladin defense, as quarterback Tyler Riddell hooked up with Einaj Carter for a 75-yard score to give ETSU a 7-3 lead.
After three turnovers, two of which came from the Bucs on a Jalen Miller INT and a Kam Brinson fumble recovery forced by Ryan, the Paladins got their second field goal of the night early in the second quarter, as Williams knocked through a 43-yard attempt to get within a point with 12:20 left in the half.
Furman’s offense would squander one major second quarter opportunity to put more points on the board, getting stopped on a 4th-and-2 at the ETSU 17, as Dominic Roberto was brought down after gaining only a yard. Furman, which already had two long field goals from Williams on the evening, could have attempted a third, however, head coach Clay Hendrix instead opted to attempt it on fourth down instead of attempting a third Williams field goal. It left the Paladins behind by a single point with 6:38 remaining in the opening half of play.
ETSU saw the ensuing offensive possession end with a missed field goal of its own, as the Bucs drove the ball down to the Paladin 28, however, had to settle for a 45-yard field goal attempt from Tyler Keltner, which he missed wide left with 3:27 left in the half.
After both teams were forced to punt on their ensuing possessions, Furman would get the ball back with just 1:05 remaining in the half, with excellent field position at its own 47 following a 15-yard punt return from Cally Chizik. Huff completed a 20-yard pass to Wayne Anderson Jr. on first down and then hit Kyndel Dean on a 9-yard pass to get the Paladins to the Bucs 24-yard line with under a minute left.
Huff’s 9-yard got the Paladins deep in the Bucs red zone and down to the 15. Two plays later, Huff fired a 15-yard strike to Anderson for the Paladins’ first touchdown of the night, giving Furman a 13-7 lead following the Axel Lepvreau PAT with 22 seconds remaining in the half. The Paladins had stolen momentum and taken it into the locker room.
ETSU’s defense made notable adjustments at the break and came out and played some inspired football to open the second half. The Bucs halted Furman’s momentum it had carried into the half, forcing Furman into a three-and-out on its opening drive of the second half.
Furman’s defense was also strong to start the second half, forcing ETSU to punt the ball on its opening drive of the second half after the Bucs reached their own 45.
The Paladins would make the most of their next possession, as they increased their advantage to double digits for the first time all night. Furman used 14 plays to cover 89 yards, with Huff completing 7-of-10 passes for 66 yards on the drive, with the key completion coming to Harris on a 23-yard connection to get the Paladins a first-and-goal from the ETSU 3. On the next play, Huff found Miller for his second scoring toss of the night, giving the Paladins a 20-7 lead with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter.
The Bucs’ response would be swift, as they showed why they were the defending Southern Conference champions and had won nine games in a row in the friendly confines of William B. Greene Stadium. The Bucs, nine-play, 75-yard drive, would also be aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties—a personal foul and an unsportsmanlike penalty—which yielded a combined total of 30 of yards for what would be ETSU’s second trip to the end zone of the evening. Riddell capped the drive with his second scoring toss of the night, finding Carter for a second time, with this one coming on a beautifully lofted 11-yard pass to the left corner of the end zone, pulling ETSU to win six again, at 20-14, with 3:14 left in the third quarter.
It would ultimately turn out to be the final points the Bucs would score in the contest, as Furman’s defense did the rest, surrendering just 41 yards on ETSU’s final 23 plays of the game, which combined the Bucs final possession of the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter.
The Paladins would put the game away in the final two minutes. Trailing 20-14 and facing a crucial 3rd-and-9 play from its own 11, it appeared Riddell had completed a 22-yard pass out to the Bucs 33 to standout all-league wide receiver Will Huzzie, however Huzzie was flagged for offensive pass interference to negate the potential big play and first down. Riddell’s pass intended for Huzzie was dropped on the ensuing 3rd-and-19 play, and then on 4th-and-19, Furman cornerback Dominic Morris picked off Riddell’s pass at the ETSU 46 to give the Paladins the ball back with 59 seconds left.
On the first play on the ensuing possession, the Paladins put the game on ice, as Dominic Roberto took the hand-off from Huff, who also helped pave the way with a down field block, as the second-team All-SoCon selection Roberto rumbled 46 yards for a score to put the Paladins back up by two scores, providing the final margin.
“It feels really good to win one like this and it took every single body we brought up here and we made the trip up here today, which some people would say is not an easy trip, but our kids managed that really well and I thought our coverage was great and I was even going to let him kick the last one if would have run a little time, but we scored there and we were pretty solid kicking the football tonight…We came in and kicked those two field goals and I felt like that was huge…But I think there was a lot of adversity out there and it was kind of who’s going to blink…who’s going to flinch and our kinds didn’t flinch, they just kept playing,” Furman head coach Clay Hendrix said
The Prediction: Furman finishes off a tough four-game stretch against East Tennessee State in a game that will see George Quarles make his first return to Paladin Stadium since becoming the ETSU head coach in 2022. Quarles, who both played and coached at Furman, saw his Bucs drop what was a 27-14 contest in the first meeting with his alma mater as Bucs head coach last season. I expect the Bucs to come in and give Furman all they can handle for three quarters, however, I think Dominic Roberto and the Paladins eventually wear down the Bucs in the fourth quarter en route to a 31-17 win.
August-September Predicted Record: 7-1, 5-0 SoCon— While Furman’s record might look impressive at the end of October, as I predict they will have just one blemish on their record her entering the final month of the regular-season, I also predict it will be a 7-1 record in which the Paladins wouldn’t be going and running over the competition either. Furman will likely win all four games in the month of October in close fashion, with none of the teams the Paladins are slated to face from Sept. 23-Oct. 28 having seen the Paladins defeat by more than two scores a year ago, while Samford actually defeated the Paladins last season. Nonetheless, it looks as though the Paladins could enter the final month of the regular-season potentially ranked as a top five team in FCS football.