GREENVILLE, S.C. — Coming off a 21-10 victory over The Citadel in Charleston, Furman returns home to face Western Carolina this Saturday in a key Southern Conference matchup that will highlight Military Appreciation Day at the university.
Kickoff for the ESPN+ streamed, Nexstar Network televised contest sponsored by Ingles is set for 2:00 p.m.
The game will also be aired over flagship The Fan 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, highlight clips, and notes on twitter @PaladinFootball.
Saturday's contest between the Paladins (4-2, 2-1 SoCon) and Catamounts (3-3, 1-2 SoCon) will mark the 50th meeting between the two programs, who first clashed in 1971. Furman holds a 34-13-2 series lead and has claimed 12 of the last 13 encounters in Greenville, including a 35-7 verdict in the spring of 2021. Last season the Paladins let a 42-31 late third quarter advantage slip away in an eventual 43-42 loss in Cullohwee.
Western Carolina will look to bounce back from a 49-6 loss at Mercer on Saturday.
The Paladins and Catamounts share two common foes thus far: Charleston Southern (52-38 WCU win; 24-19 Furman win) and Samford (35-12 WCU loss; 34-27 Furman loss).
Furman, which needs a win to keep pace behind undefeated league front runners Chattanooga, Mercer, and Samford, will look to hitch its offense to a ground game that proved to be a difference maker in the win over The Citadel. Headlining the effort was running back
Dominic Roberto, who ran for 133 yards and two third quarter touchdowns against the Bulldogs. Last year Western Carolina didn't want much to do with the 231-pound, Fayetteville, N.C., product, who ran for 196 yards and four touchdowns against the Catamounts in Cullowhee.
A big key for Furman will be getting more out of its passing game, which is back under the command of quarterback
Tyler Huff, who returned to the field after sitting out the Samford game due to injury. Huff has delivered solid play in stretches this season and will no doubt lean on a talented corps of receivers led by All-America tight end
Ryan Miller (42 rec., 417 yds., 5 TDs), who has moved into Furman's Top 10 in career receptions (121/T9th), receiving yards (1,801/10th), and touchdown receptions (21/2nd). Wideouts
Joshua Harris (24 rec., 2 TDs),
Kyndel Dean (24 rec.), and Wayne Anderson (23 rec., 2 TDs) provide balance and should keep the Catamounts from concentrating too heavily on Miller while looking to provide a desired bump to the Paladins' mid-to-deep-level passing attack.
Furman enters this weekend's action as the FCS's leader in takeaways (16), which includes seven fumble recoveries and nine interceptions. A pair of crucial third quarter fumble recoveries by Paladin defensive end
Bryce Stanfield and strong safety
Kam Brinson against The Citadel set up touchdowns that gave Furman a 21-3 lead en route to the triumph. Brinson tops the FCS with three fumble recoveries, while teammate
Jalen Miller has been equally productive of late from his SPUR position, notching two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a recovery in the last four games.
In addition to the takeaways figure, defensive coordinator
Duane Vaughn's unit has logged improvement in third down defense efficiency, slicing last season's 47.4 percent success rate to its current 33.3 percent clip. The Paladins have also been perfect in the fourth quarter this year, shutting out opponents in all six games.
A long-term commitment to putting a number of players on the field beyond its starting 11 has paid dividends for Furman, evidenced in the fact that nine players have combined on the squad's 13 sacks this year. The Paladins' leading tackler, senior linebacker
Braden Gilby who is coming off a season high 12-tackle outing versus The Citadel, has 36 stops on the season — seventh best among SoCon tacklers.
Western Carolina is averaging a league leading 499.7 yards per game and boasts the SoCon's top passing attack (321.8 ypg) under head coach Kerwin Bell, now in his second season at the helm of the Catamounts' program.
The Game: Furman Paladins (4-2, 2-1 SoCon) vs. Western Carolina Catamounts (3-3, 1-2 SoCon)
Promotion: Military Appreciation Day
Game Sponsor: Ingles
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Site: Greenville, S.C. (Paladin Stadium, on the campus of Furman University)
Kickoff: 2:02 PM ET
TV/Video Stream: ESPN+/Nextstar Network (Pete Yanity, pbp), Jared Singleton (analyst)
Radio: Van Wagner/Furman Sports Network (The Fan 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 online 24/7
HERE and 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
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, Wicked Weed Experience Opens
1:30 PM — Furman Fan Zone Closes
2:02 PM — Kickoff
