GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Winners of five straight, including a 29-17 road triumph over FCS No. 8 Western Carolina on Saturday, No. 3 and SoCon front runner Furman (6-1, 4-0 SoCon) returns to Paladin Stadium at 2:00 p.m. this Saturday to face East Tennessee State to highlight Homecoming weekend.

Some Paladin Pointers heading into the week:

Furman's 27-19 win over Western Carolina extended the Paladins' Southern Conference winning streak to 10 games, the second longest in program history and trailing only the program record 13 consecutive league victories recorded over a three-season span (1988-90).

Furman is 13-1 in its last 14 Southern Conference contests.

The last time Furman won six of its first seven games in a season was 2005, when the Paladins went 7-1 out of the gate en route to an 11-3 campaign.

The last time Furman started 4-0 in Southern Conference play was 2006 (finished 6-1/2nd place).  The Paladins' last 5-0 SoCon start came in 2001 (finished 7-1/1st place).

Furman is 9-1 in its last 10 FCS road games.

Furman is 18-4 in its last 22 games, with two of those losses coming to FBS then fifth-ranked Clemson (35-12) in 2022 and South Carolina (47-21) in 2023.

The victory over Western Carolina improved the Paladins to 7-1 in their last eight clashes with the Catamounts.

In defeating FCS No. 8 Western Carolina, Furman knocked off its highest ranked road foe since the 2001 season, when the Paladins beat then No. 2 Georgia Southern, 24-17, in Statesboro in FCS semifinal playoff action, halting the Eagles' 39-game home winning streak.

Prior to Saturday's win over Western Carolina, the last time the Paladins beat a higher ranked regular season opponent on the road was 1988, when Furman knocked off No. 3 Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., on the way to a 13-2 campaign and national championship.

Furman's 27-19 win over FCS No. 8 Western Carolina represented the Paladins' second triumph over a FCS ranked opponent this season (38-14 win over then No. 17 Mercer on Sept. 23) and improved the Paladins to 8-2 versus FCS ranked foes over the last two-plus seasons (2021-present). The Paladins' last loss against a ranked foe was a 41-38 road setback against fifth-ranked Incarnate Word in 2022 second round playoff action.

Furman registered three sacks in the win over Western Carolina, giving the Paladins 12 takedowns in the last two games (wins). Prior to Saturday the Catamounts hadn't surrendered a sack since their season opener vs. Arkansas.

Furman's nine sacks recorded in the 27-21 win over Samford two weeks ago tied for the most by a FCS team this season and marked the second highest tally in program history, last achieved in a 34-17 FCS second round playoff victory over Lehigh in 2001.

A week after Furman's defense limited Samford to 337 yards in total offense — a season low by the Bulldogs vs. six FCS foes — and almost 100 yards below Samford's season average of 436.0 ypg entering the contest, the Paladins did the same against Western Carolina, limiting the Catamounts to 353 total yards, 178.1 yards below their FCS leading 531.0 ypg entering Saturday's contest.

Furman limited Western Carolina's rushing game to 84 yards on 24 carries (3.5 ypc) after the Catamounts entered the contest averaging 220.0 rushing yards per game.  Two weeks ago in the 27-21 win over Samford,the Paladins limited Samford to just 51 rushing yards on 31 carries (1.64 ypa) after the Bulldogs entered the contest averaging 128.2 rushing yards per game.  Samford running back Jay Stanton, who had rushed for 423 rushing yards (5.6 ypc) through six games, managed just 15 yards on seven carries (2.1 ypc) versus the Paladins.

Over the last 13 games (11-2), Furman has yielded only 92.4 yards per game rushing and 2.88 yards per rush to the opposition.

In recording a pair of interceptions against Western Carolina, the Paladins upped their takeaway tally to 43 (26 INTs, 17 FRs) over the last 20 games, including a FCS leading 29 takeaways (17 INTs, 12 FRs) last year.  Furman has followed up the 43 opponent turnovers by scoring 166 points on the ensuing possessions, including five "pick sixes."

Furman leads the SoCon and currently ranks third in the FCS in turnover margin (+1.29): 5 giveaways (1 fumble, 4 INTs) and 14 takeaways (5 FRs, 9 INTs).

Furman's 334-yard rushing performance against Western Carolina marked a season high and was its highest tally since rolling up 426 yards in a 47-40 win over the Catamounts last year in Greenville.

The 334 rushing yards versus WCU marking the third time in the last four games the Paladins have run for 200+ yards.  The outlier in the four-game span: 199 yards in a 28-14 win over The Citadel on Oct. 7.

Since the return of All-America offensive guard Jacob Johanning following a three-game absence due to injury, Furman has averaged 241.5 yards per game rushing (vs. 123.0 ypg in first three games).

Furman All-SoCon running back Dominic Roberto extended his domination of Western Carolina with a career-high 31 carry, 154-yard performance that included a nine-yard scoring run.  In four games versus WCU (3-1), Roberto has rushed 91 times for 656 yards (7.2 ypc) and eight touchdowns.

Dominic Roberto's 154-yard rushing performance versus Western Carolina represented the ninth 100-yard outing of his career.  Two weeks ago he ran for 128 yards and a touchdown in the Paladins' 27-21 road triumph over Samford.

In rushing for 154 yards against Western Carolina, Dominic Roberto moved up to ninth on Furman's career rushing yards ledger with 2,662 yards, eclipsing Jerome Felton (2,652 yards, 2004-07) for the spot.  Next up in eighth place is Cedrick Gipson (2,666 yards, 2004-07).

Dominic Roberto has rushed for 23 touchdowns over the last 23 games, during which time Furman has gone 18-5.  Counting one touchdown reception in the span, it's 24 scores over the last 23 contests for Roberto.

Dominic Roberto's 28 career rushing touchdowns are just one shy of the 10th most (29) in Furman history, currently shared by Mike Glenn (1978-80) and Jerodis Williams (2009-12).

Wayne Anderson Jr., had eight carries for 85 yards, including a 54-yard run, in the win over Western Carolina.  The 85 yards represented the second highest tally in his career (90 vs. Charleston Southern in his collegiate debut in 2019). Anderson had only three rushes for 23 yards in 2022 after making the move to wide receiver, where he caught 39 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns a year ago.

Furman has gone 16-3 in Tyler Huff's 19 starts at quarterback, 15-1 versus FCS foes (counting FBS transition Kennesaw State as FCS), and 11-0 against SoCon opposition.  He didn't play (injured) versus Samford in 2022 (34-27 loss).

Tyler Huff's 480 rushing yards through seven games ranks fourth among FCS quarterbacks, and he ranks 10th in completion percentage (.681).

During Furman's current five-game winning streak Tyler Huff has rushed 63 times for 423 yards (6.71 ypc) and five touchdowns, while connecting on 95 of 130 passes (.731) for 930 yards and seven touchdowns (2 INTs).

Tyler Huff keyed Furman's road win over FCS No. 8-ranked Western Carolina by running six times for 89 yards and a touchdown and connecting on 13-of-22 passes for 205 yards and two scores.  His 53-yard touchdown burst with a minute remaining sealed the win and marked his second longest run as a Paladin (56 vs. North Greenville, 2022).

Tyler Huff captured his second SoCon Player of the Week scroll of the season after passing for 205 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 79 yards in the Paladins' 27-21 road win over Samford on Oct. 14.

Tyler Huff's four rushing touchdowns in Furman's 31-28 road win over Kennesaw State on Sept. 16 tied the school single game record for rushing TDs by a Paladin quarterback (Frankie DeBusk vs. ETSU, 1989) and earned him his first SoCon Player of the Week honor of 2023.

Tyler Huff rushed for a Furman quarterback season record 694 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022, headlined by a career high 132-yard performance in a 24-20 win over then FCS seventh-ranked Chattanooga.

Tyler Huff's Furman career rushing and passing totals (19 games): 1,174 rushing yds./13TDs;  3,430 passing yds /23 TDs.

A 2022 graduate of Presbyterian (S.C.) College, where he was commissioned through ROTC as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves, Tyler Huff is among the "Elite 11" finalists for the prestigious Armed Forces Merit Award, presented by the Football Writers Association of America.  The winner will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 9, on ESPN SportsCenter.

Tight end Mason Pline led Furman in receiving in the 29-17 win over Western Carolina, catching four passes for 88 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown grab that gave the Paladins a 7-0 lead.  It was the second scoring grab of the season for Pline, a graduate transfer from Ferris (Mich.) State, where played on two NCAA Division II national championship teams and three years of basketball prior to switching to football.

True freshman wide receiver Colton Hinton collected his first career touchdown with a 16-yard grab in the first quarter of Furman's win over Western Carolina.

Inside linebacker Braden Gilby made his 54th game appearance and 39th start of his career at Western Carolina.  The 54 games played is a Furman record.  In registering three tackles in the win over Western Carolina, Gilby reached 300 career tackles — the most among active Paladins.

Inside linebacker Evan DiMaggio accounted for two of Furman's three sacks against Western Carolina, giving him four takedowns over the past two games, including two in the Paladins' 27-21 road triumph over Samford.

All-SoCon cornerback Travis Blackshear's 47 career starts is a Furman standard.  He's played in 53 games as a Paladin and owns 11 interceptions, including three "pick-sixes."

All-SoCon free safety Hugh Ryan registered his 51st game appearance, 39th start, and ninth interception of his career on Saturday at Western Carolina.  He has 230 tackles in his Paladin tenure.

Coming off a career high 13-tackle performance in the Paladins' 27-21 road triumph over Samford on Oct.14, spur Cally Chizik notched his team leading third interception of the season in the third quarter against Western Carolina to halt a scoring threat.  It was Chizik's seventh career pickoff.