GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The consensus FCS 14th-ranked Furman Paladins hit the road this Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ESPN3 broadcast clash against Western Carolina at E.J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, N.C.

The contest will mark Furman's 500th Southern Conference game since joining the league in 1936.  The Paladins' 274 league victories and 14 SoCon championships are the most in conference history.

Furman (4-3, 3-1 SoCon) will look to return to the win column after dropping a 27-10 home decision to The Citadel last Saturday at Paladin Stadium.  The loss halted the Paladins' modest three-game winning streak and cost head coach Clay Hendrix's squad six spots in both the AFCA FCS Coaches and STATS FCS polls.

The lone SoCon program appearing in the FCS Top 25, Furman, which now finds itself a half game behind first place Chattanooga in the league standings, will attempt to bounce back against Western Carolina (1-6, 0-4 SoCon), which is coming off a 59-7 loss at Wofford on Saturday.

The Paladins have won the last three clashes with the Catamounts, including last year's 44-38 decision in Greenville.  Two years ago Furman used a powerful ground game to claim a 28-6 road verdict in a driving rainstorm.

Furman leads the overall series with Western Carolina, 32-12-2, and has won 11 of the last 14 meetings.

The Paladins' high flying offense, which amassed 647 total yards in a 58-14 thrashing of Samford on Oct. 5, faltered in the loss to The Citadel, managing just 216 yards, including just 44 through the air on 5-of-25 passing.  

Junior tailback Devin Wynn was one of the few bright spots for the Paladins against The Citadel, rushing for 81 yards and a touchdown to extend a solid string of performances that has seen him run for 1,232 yards and 10 touchdowns over the last 12 games.  The Greensboro, Ga., product has rushed for 720 yards and averaged a stellar 7.9 yards per carry on the season.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Darren Grainger will look to bounce back after a rough outing on Saturday.  The Conway, S.C., native has thrown for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for four scores.

Furman heads into the Western Carolina game as the nation's leader in red one scoring efficiency (95.8%, 23-of-24).

Strong work by Furman's defense fueled the Paladins' 3-0 start in league play before The Citadel rushed for 360 yards against the purple and white.  Despite the setback against the Bulldogs, Furman is still surrendering just 20.9 points per game and boasts a +5 turnover margin.

Senior spur Jordan Willis leads the squad with 51 tackles.  His teammates in front of him, paced by redshirt junior bandits Adrian Hope and Dru Seabrook, will attempt to jump start a pass rush that has yielded just one  quarterback takedown over the last three games.

Another player to watch for Furman is junior placekicker/punter Grayson Atkins, who carries a school record 17 consecutive made field goals into Saturday's action after nailing a 48-yard attempt versus The Citadel.  Atkins' run of consecutive makes has averaged 38.4 yards in distance and included nine conversions from 40+ yards, and four from at least 50 yards.