GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman will look to salvage some season pride this Saturday when it returns home to entertain Southern Conference foe VMI in the Paladins' final home game of the 2021 campaign.

Kickoff for the ESPN+ live streamed Bon Secours sponsored event, which will highlight Hall of Fame Weekend at Furman, is set for 2:05 p.m.

Saturday's contest will be live streamed via ESPN+ and aired over flagship ESPN Upstate and its four powerhouse stations: 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, and 97.1 FM/950 AM in Spartanburg.  The broadcast can also be accessed via Audacy.com, as well as through FurmanPaladins.com.

Fans may also follow the action through StatBroadcast live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com and get timely updates on twitter @PaladinFootball.

For a complete guide to Furman Football Game Day information, fans are encouraged to click HERE.

Twelve Paladin seniors are scheduled to be honored in pregame ceremonies on Saturday as they take field for the final time at Paladin Stadium.  In addition, former Furman head coach Bobby Johnson, who spent 23 years as a member of the Paladin coaching staff, including eight seasons as head coach (1994-01), during which he time he compiled a 60-36 record, will be enshrined into Furman's recently created Ring of Honor. Johnson directed Furman to a pair of SoCon Championships and NCAA I-AA (FCS) national runner-up finish in a 13-2, 2001 campaign.

The Furman Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020, whose induction was postponed due to the worldwide pandemic, will be enshrined in a ceremony in downtown Greenville on Friday following a keynote address by Paladin football great and current Furman Trustee Stanford Jennings '84.  The class, which includes longtime men's golf head coach Willie Miller, All-America and SoCon Jacobs Blocking Award winning offensive tackle Joel Bell '09, and women's golf standout Stefanie Kenoyer DeGreco '11, will also be honored during Saturday's halftime ceremonies.

Furman (4-5, 2-4 SoCon), which suffered its third consecutive loss last Saturday in a 43-42 setback at Western Carolina, needs wins in its last two games to salvage a winning campaign and put to rest 2021 calender year football that will total 18 games over the last 10 months.

If series history is any barometer of success, Furman should have a chance for victory on Saturday against VMI.  The Paladins have posted 14 consecutive wins over the Keydets in Greenville, dating back to 1980, and are 13-0 versus VMI in Paladin Stadium, with the latest clash, a 60-21 Furman victory, coming in 2019.

While overall series also has a distinct purple tint to it, as Furman sports a decisive 28-10 edge, observers know — and as the Paladins learned in the spring — the last two editions of VMI football are seismically different than what was put on display for many years. That difference first acquired notoriety on Feb. 27, 2021, when VMI edged 10th-ranked Furman, 14-13, in Lexington, and only grew as the Keydets proceeded to march their way to the SoCon championship — their first since 1977 and first playoff appearance in program history. It has continued this year as VMI (6-3, 4-2 SoCon) comes to Greenville ranked 20th and 21st, respectively, in AFCA and Stats Perform Top 25 Polls.

A year ago VMI rode the experienced arm of senior quarterback Reece Udinski (now at the University of Maryland) to great success.  This fall Udinski's replacements, sophomore Seth Morgan and freshman Collin Ironsides have combined to pass for 2,178 yards and 13 touchdowns.  Their chief targets have been the outstanding veteran trio of Jakob Herres (47 rec., 500 yds., 5 TDs), Leroy Thomas (48 rec., 492 yds., 2 TDs), and Michael Jackson (38 rec., 518 yds. 3 TDs)

The Keydets, who average 404.9 yards per game in total offense, sport a worthy running game led by senior Korey Bridy (654 yds., 8 TDs).

While VMI's offense a year ago earned most of the spotlight, it was the Keydet defense that had as much as anything to do with the Keydets' complete turnaround.  While graduation removed some of the key performers from a year ago, VMI boasts All-America linebacker Stone Snyder, the SoCon's top tackler (96 stops).

As football coaches know all too well, seasons can often turn on a couple of plays.  Head coach Clay Hendrix's squad has certainly learned that to be true this year as the Paladins have suffered two crushing losses in their current three-game slide. Opportunities for victory against ETSU (17-13 loss) three weeks ago went awry, as did chances for a road triumph at Western Carolina (43-42 loss) last Saturday.

The encouraging news is the Paladins appear to be making strides in improving their rushing game, evidenced by redshirt sophomore Dominic Roberto's 196-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Catamounts that earned him SoCon Player of the Week honors.  Roberto's effectiveness comes in the face of senior All-SoCon performer Devin Wynn's continued absence due to injury.  Wynn has only seen duty in one game since rushing for 204 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-20 win over Wofford on Oct. 9.

Junior All-America tight end Ryan Miller (36 rec., 552 yds., 5 TDs) has been the leader in a Paladin air attack that is witnessing the emergence of solid young performer in true freshman Joshua Harris (23 rec., 257 yds., TD).

Cornerback Travis Blackshear kept up his productive final campaign as a Paladin last week, recovering a fumble to give him seven takeaways on the season (5 INTs, 2 FRs).  

The Game: Furman Paladins (4-5, 2-4 SoCon) vs. FCS No. 20/21 VMI Keydets (6-3, 4-2 SoCon)
Game Sponsor: Bon Secours
Date: Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021
Site: Greenville, S.C. (Paladin Stadium, on the campus of Furman University)
Kickoff: 2:05 PM ET
Video Stream: ESPN+, Bryant Lambert (pbp), Cole Neely (analyst)
Radio: Van Wagner/Furman Sports Network (ESPN Upstate: 97.7 FM/1330 AM, Greenville; 97.1 FM/950 AM, Spartanburg); Audacy.com; FurmanPaladins.com: Dan Scott (pbp), David Cobb (analyst); Marcus McMorris (sideline); Tom Van Hoy (spotter/pre-game & halftime host)
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased at the Timmons Arena Box Office, located in the lobby of Timmons Arena, and at the East Stands Box Office of Paladin Stadium beginning at Noon.  All single game credit card transactions are charged a 2.5 percent convenience fee online, over the phone, or at the box office. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges, no refunds. 

Furman GameDay Schedule Of Events (vs. VMI)
10:00 AM — Parking Lots Open
11:00 AM — Furman Fan Zone Opens (Live Music Begins at Noon)
Noon — Box Offices Open
12:30 PM — Furman Band & Spirit Perform (Ingles Concert Stage)
12:30 PM — Paladin Stadium Gates Open, Champions Walk Begins
1:30 PM — Furman Fan Zone Closes & Wicked Weed Endzone Experience Opens
2:05 PM — Kickoff