GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Coming off a two-game venture against FBS opposition, Furman returns home and to FCS play this Saturday when it plays host to Mercer in the Paladins' Southern Conference season opener.

Kickoff for the ESPN+/Nexstar Network broadcast event, which will highlight Hall of Fame and Family Weekend at Furman University, is set for 1:05 p.m. at Paladin Stadium.

Ranked 15th in this week's AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, Furman (1-2, 0-0 SoCon) enters the clash with Mercer (2-1, 1-0 SoCon) having dropped a 48-42 decision to Georgia State two weeks ago and a 17-14 verdict to Virginia Tech last Saturday.  The Paladins led the Panthers 20-3 at halftime in Atlanta, Ga., and took a 14-3 lead into intermission against the Hokies in Blacksburg, Va., before being overtaken in the second half of both contests.

Mercer kicked opened its 2019 campaign with a 49-27 SoCon triumph over Western Carolina, but the Bears stumbled last Saturday against Austin Peay, falling 48-34 at home.

Furman, winners of five straight and seven of its last eight FCS encounters, knocked off Mercer, 35-30, in last year's season finale, a verdict that earned head coach Clay Hendrix's squad a share of the 2018 SoCon Championship but proved to be not good enough to net the Paladins an at-large FCS playoff bid.

The Paladins last won a SoCon opener in 2015 and have only kicked off league play once at home since 2011.

Saturday's game will pit Hendrix against Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb, his former Commerce (Ga.) High School and Furman teammate.  The duo played a key role in the Paladins winning three SoCon championships during their playing tenure (1982, '83, '85) before coaching alongside each other for 19 seasons (1988-06) at their alma mater.

Furman defeated Mercer, 28-21, two years ago in Paladin Stadium and holds a 9-6-2 edge in the all-time series, which resumed in 2014 after Mercer restarted the sport.

The Bears and Paladins rank 1-2 in the SoCon in total offense, averaging 432.3 and 426.0 yards per game, respectively, and both teams sport dynamic young quarterbacks in Mercer sophomore Robert Riddle (273.0 ypg, 11 TDs) and Furman redshirt freshman Darren Grainger (172.0 ypg, 5 TDs).

Both squads also boast solid running backs, with Furman paced by junior Devin Wynn (7.4 ypc), who has run for 792 yards and six touchdowns over the last seven games, and Mercer freshman Deondrae Johnson, who is also averaging a stellar 7.4 yards per rush.  That type of production has helped the Paladins and Bears claim the top two spots in the league in red zone conversion percentage with Furman cashing in a perfect 11-of-11 (100.0%) and Mercer 13-of-14 (92.9%).

Mercer's David Durden (16 rec., 257 yds., 3 TDs) and Furman's Thomas Gordon (17 rec., 249 yds., TD) rank No 2 and No. 3 in the league in receiving yards per game.  Gordon became the fifth player in program history to top 2,000 receiving yards last week against Virginia Tech.

Furman bounced back with a solid defensive effort against Virginia Tech with several new faces in the lineup, chief among them redshirt freshman inside linebacker Braden Gilby, who tallied 12 tackles, including one for-loss, and a forced fumble, in his starting debut that netted him SoCon Defensive Player of the Week laurels.

Joining Gilby as a first-time starter last Saturday was true freshman strong safety Hugh Ryan, who posted six assists and a pass breakup.

Grayson Atkins, Furman's junior All-America kicker, looms as a potential pivotal factor this Saturday.  He converted a 22-yard field goal against Virginia Tech to set a new school standard for makes (13), but his stellar work on kickoffs, where he has deposited 12 of 17 efforts out of the end zone this fall, could prove most critical given Mercer's FCS leading 36.0 kickoff return average thru three games.

One of the highlights of the weekend will come Friday evening when Furman enshrines former offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell '76 and soccer All-American Matt Goldsmith '02 into the school's athletic hall of fame in ceremonies in downtown Greenville. 

Caldwell, a three-year Paladin letterman as a center from 1973-75, was named offensive line coach in 1978 under first-year Furman head coach Dick Sheridan and proved instrumental in the Paladins' winning six SoCon championships and posting consecutive triumphs over South Carolina (1982), Georgia Tech (1983), and N.C. State (1984 & '85) in an eight-year span, culminating with a 12-2 campaign and national runner-up finish in 1985.  He accompanied Sheridan to N.C. State, where he coached for 14 seasons before moving on to North Carolina (2000-01) and Vanderbilt (2002-09).  He served as the Commodores' interim head coach in 2010 before assuming offensive line coach duties at Clemson in 2011.   Over the last eight seasons the Pageland, S.C., product has further burnished his reputation as one of the top line coaches in America by playing a critical role in the Tigers winning multiple bowls and 2016 and '18 national championships.  

Goldsmith starred for Furman on the pitch in one of the most successful periods in program history (1998-01) underscored by a 71-15-1 overall record and 31-1 SoCon mark.  A four-time All-SoCon selection as a midfielder, he helped key the Paladins to four consecutive league regular season championships, three conference tournament championships, and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a school-best Elite Eight showing in 1999 that featured tournament victories over North Carolina and Wake Forest en route to a No. 3 ranking in the final Soccer America poll.  A two time America pick by the NSCAA, the Roswell, Ga., native holds Furman career standards for games played (91) and starts (91) and later played for the United States Youth National Teams at the U-18 and U-20 levels and was a first round selection by the Charleston Battery in the 2002 United Soccer League Draft.

The Game: Furman Paladins (1-2, 0-1 SoCon) vs. Mercer Bears (2-1, 1-0 SoCon)
Site: Greenville, S.C. (Paladin Stadium, on the campus of Furman University)
Kickoff: 1:05 PM ET
Video Stream: ESPN+/Nexstar Network, Pete Yanity (pbp), Jared Singleton (color)
Radio: Van Wagner/Furman Sports Network (Fox Sports 1440; SidearmSports @FurmanPaladins.com, TuneIn.com): Dan Scott (pbp), David Cobb (analyst); Marcus McMorris (sideline)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast, accessible thru FurmanPaladins.com
Tickets: $25 Available (FurmanPaladins.com); Children 38 inches and shorter admitted free; Timmons Arena, East Stands
Box Offices Open: 11:00 AM
Gates Open: 11:30 AM

Pre-Game/Post-Game Activities:
  8:00 AM    --    Debbie Southern Tennis Invitational (Mickel Tennis Center)
                   --    Parents' Program Fun Run (Lay Physical Activities Center)
  9:00 AM    --    Family Weekend Pickup/Registration Begins (Daniel Chapel)
10:00 AM    --    Trolly Tour/Furman Bookstore Opens
11:30 AM    --    Paldin Club Zone Opens
11:30 AM    --    Paladin Club Zone Opens*
                   --    Hospitality Zone Opens (End Zone)
                   --    Paladin Stadium Gates Open
11:40 AM    --    Paladin Regiment March/Concert (Timmons Arena to PAC Circle)
12:04 PM    --    Champions Walk (Paladin Stadium)
  1:05 PM    --    Furman vs. Mercer (Paladin Stadium)

*Paladin Club Zone is located in the area between the home stands and field house.

Halftime:
Furman University Paladin Regiment

Other Saturday Events
    7:00 PM    --    Men's Soccer vs. USC Upstate (Stone Stadium)