Furman vs. Samford Game Notes & Sats
(PDF)
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Coming off a 56-14 dismantling of Howard,
the Furman Paladins travel to Birmingham, Ala., this Saturday to
take on the Samford Bulldogs in Southern Conference football action
at Seibert Stadium. Kickoff for the SportSouth televised contest is
set for 2:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. CT).
Furman (3-2, 1-1 SoCon) and Samford (3-3, 1-2 SoCon) have
fashioned cliffhangers the last two years with the Paladins winning
both contests to extend their winning streak over the Bulldogs to
six games. Furman leads the all-time series 7-5 and won the last
three meetings in Birmingham.
Last year in Greenville defensive end Kyle McKinney blocked a
potential game winning 38-yard field goal on the game's final play
to preserve a 26-24 Paladin victory. Two years ago in Birmingham,
McKinney did the same thing, breaking through the line to deflect
the potential game-tying PAT in the final seconds of play to
deliver a 28-27 decision to Furman. Paladin rover Max Lerner
completed both plays by tackling Samford players who scooped up the
blocked kicks and attempted to advance the football.
While McKinney has graduated, Lerner, a senior and Hoover High
School graduate, is set to return to his hometown this Saturday
along with Paladin flanker Adam Mims, a
product of Birmingham's Spain Park High School.
Lerner, an All-SoCon performer with 38 tackles, an interception,
and three pass deflections this year, has seen action in 39 games
and registered 27 starts during his Paladin career, which includes
198 tackles and seven interceptions.
Mims, meanwhile, is putting together a solid senior campaign
with 29 receptions for 434 yards and three touchdowns. Three weeks
ago the All-SoCon performer caught 10 passes for a career high 202
yards and a 72-yard touchdown pass against then 13th-ranked South
Carolina. With each catch he extends his own Furman career
receptions standard (172 rec.) and now has 2,143 career receiving
yards, which ranks second all-time.
Last week the Paladins raced to an early 21-0 lead and cruised
to the victory over Howard, the 21st consecutive triumph by Furman
over non-conference regular season opposition. Senior quarterback
Cody
Worley passed for 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also
rushed for a third score in just two quarters of action against the
Bison.
Samford, meanwhile, notched its first SoCon win of the campaign
last Saturday with a 38-7 thrashing of Western Carolina in
Cullowhee, N.C.
The Furman-Howard game will be broadcast over Furman Sports
Network Greenville flagship station WOLT-FM 103.3 and also
available over Upstate affiliate WGOG-FM 96.3 and via stadium
transmitter FM 105.9. In addition, it will be presented online by
StretchAudio through www.furmanpaladins.com. Chuck Hussion, "The
Voice of the Furman Paladins," will call the play-by-play, and set
to deliver color commentary is former Paladin All-America center
Corey Stewart, with another former Paladin, David Cobb, handling
sideline reporting duties.
Livestats of Saturday's contest are free through
www.furmanpaladins.com. Fans can also follow live updates through
www.twitter.com/FurmanPaladins.
