GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Coming off a dominating 35-7 season opening home victory over Western Carolina on Saturday, the Stats Perform 10th-ranked Furman Paladins hit the road to face VMI this Saturday at Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium in Lexington, Va.

Kickoff for the ESPN+ streamed event sponsored by Carolina Ford Dealers is set for 1:30 p.m.

Fans can follow the game over flagship ESPN Upstate and any of its four powerhouse stations: 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, and 97.1 FM/950 AM in Spartanburg.  Broadcasts can also be accessed via RADIO.COM, the fastest growing digital audio app in the U.S., as well as through FurmanPaladins.com and Tune-In.

StatBroadcast live stats will be provided thru FurmanPaladins.com.

Furman (1-0, 1-0 SoCon) will be hard pressed to top the performance registered in its triumph over Western Carolina, which represented the program's first game following a 448-day hiatus due to the pandemic.  In rushing for 320 yards and passing for 213 yards, the Paladins tallied a Paladin Stadium record 33 first downs, clicked off 91 plays, and controlled 41:09 of game clock.  That offensive power play was matched by a defensive dominance Furman has rarely recorded, evidenced in the fact that Western Carolina managed just five first downs, only 109 yards in total offense, and a stadium record low 36 snaps on just 18:51 of possession time — another facility standard that spans 235 games dating from 1981.

Headlining the Paladins' offensive exploits against Western Carolina was a 10-ball carrier ground attack paced by senior All-Southern Conference tailback Devin Wynn, whose 106-yard rushing effort helped him become the 13th player in program history to top the 2,000-yard plateau.  The Greensboro, Ga., native, who has 2,063 career rushing yards, will look to continue the success he's posted in Furman's last two clashes with VMI that have seen him combine to rush for 214 yards and seven touchdowns while also catching a touchdown in 49-13 and 60-21 triumphs over the Keydets in 2018 and '19, respectively.

The play of quarterback Hamp Sisson against Western Carolina put to rest any concerns as to what the Paladins can expect from their new starting signal caller.  The redshirt sophomore bounced back from an early first quarter interception to complete 14-of-22 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns against the Catamounts, including four connections for 84 yards and a 27-yard scoring strike to redshirt sophomore flanker Zach Peterson, who was making his career starting debut.  Like Wynn, Sisson owns success against VMI, having passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns in 2019 in the first start of his Paladin career.

Furman's offensive line, headed up by senior guards Reed Kroeber and Jordan Harris, and center Evan Jumper, had its way with Western Carolina and will look for another strong outing against VMI.

It's rare for a team's leading tackler in a college football game to be credited with just four stops, but that was the case for Furman against Western Carolina as cornerback Darius Kearse and inside linebackers Evan DiMaggio and Nick Kuzemka topped the tackle chart due, in large measure, to Furman's brutal and dominating defensive efficiency against the Catamounts.

Set to face the challenge VMI quarterback Reece Udinski, the SoCon's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, is sure to present is a veteran defensive front that includes senior end Landon Lawrence, juniors Matt Sochovka and Adrian Hope at tackle and bandit, respectively, and sophomore nose guard Cameron Coleman.

The Paladins will hope to limit Udinkski's effectiveness with a trio of proven performers in the secondary, including cornerbacks Darius Kearse and Travis Blackshear, along with strong safety DiMarcus Clay.

Head coach Clay Hendrix's program has now posted six second half shutouts in its last 13 regular season games.

Saturday's game will represent the 2021 spring season opener for VMI (0-0, 0-0 SoCon), which had its scheduled opener at Chattanooga canceled due to Covid concerns with the Mocs' program.

Furman has captured the last five meetings and won 26 of the 27 clashes with the Keydets, running from 1980 thru the 2019 campaign.