GREENVILLE, S.C. -- After opening the season with a 52-0 triumph over North Greenville last Thursday, Furman returns to action this Saturday when it makes the short trip to Clemson to do battle with the FBS fourth-ranked Tigers at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for the ACC Network televised game is set for 3:30 p.m.
The contest will 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 can also follow the action through StatBroadcast live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com and get timely updates on twitter @PaladinFootball.
Clemson kicked off its season by steamrolling Georgia Tech, 41-10, in Atlanta, Ga., on Monday.
The Furman-Clemson football series dates from 1896, when the two Upstate schools met for the first time, in Greenville, in a game the Tigers won, 14-6. Furman and Clemson have met 57 times over the years in a series the Tigers lead, 43-10-4. Clemson claimed a 48-7 win over the Paladins in 2018 in the last clash between the two programs.
Furman has dropped six straight games against FBS foes following a 16-15 win over UCF in 2015. The last time Furman defeated an ACC foe was 1999, when the Paladins downed North Carolina, 28-3.
Head coach
Clay Hendrix's Paladins scored on seven of their eight first half possessions in racing to a 45-0 halftime lead over North Greenville — its highest first half tally in a decade. The shutout was the first by the Paladins at home since 2003 and first season opening blanking since 1988.
Quarterback
Tyler Huff, a graduate transfer from Presbyterian making his first start as a Paladin, was superb in his Paladin debut, completing 10-of-12 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a team high 94 yards, punctuated by a career long 56-yard scoring run.
Huff had company in the superlatives department, including preseason All-SoCon running back
Dominic Roberto, who rushed for 53 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and two-time All-America tight end
Ryan Miller, who caught four passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Miller's 33-yard scoring grab opened the scoring for Furman and upped his career touchdowns receptions tally to 17, good for fourth in school history.
Furman faces a tall order in dealing with Clemson's talented defensive front, but there to compete will be a pair of All-SoCon tackles,
Anderson Tomlin and
Pearson Toomey.
The Paladins' defense fashioned a strong outing in the season opener, showcasing impressive depth, particularly in the secondary. Cornerback
Cally Chizik, who missed all of 2021 due to injury and doesn't appear in the Paladins' two-deep, made a statement in his return with a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Two current Paladin defenders, tackle
Matt Sochovka and linebacker
Braden Gilby, saw action in the 2018 game at Clemson. Sochovka completed his return from season ending injury a year ago with a start in the season opener. Gilby, meanwhile, owns 173 career tackles — tops among all Paladins in uniform.
