GREENVILLE, S.C. -- After clinching at least a share of the 2023 Southern Conference championship and the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs with a 17-14 road triumph over Chattanooga, FCS No. 2 Furman (8-1, 6-0 SoCon) returns home to face VMI (4-5, 3-3 SoCon) this Saturday in a 1:30 p.m. contest at Paladin Stadium.

15TH CHAMPIONSHIP

Furman's 17-14 win over Chattanooga earned the program at least a share of the 2023 Southern Conference championship — its 15th title and the most in league history.  It also marked the second crown for Clay Hendrix (2018), now in his seventh season as head coach at his alma mater.  As a player (1982-85), assistant coach (1988-06), and head coach (2017-present), Hendrix has been part of 11 of Furman's 15 SoCon championships.

THERE FOR THE TAKING

Furman's 2023 SoCon championship can become an outright title with a win over either VMI (Nov. 11) or Wofford (Nov. 18).  The Paladins' claimed their last outright league championship in 1990 (6-1 league record).

BEEN AWHILE SINCE IT WAS ALL OURS

Furman's five most recent conference titles since 1990 (excluding this year) have been shared (1999, '01, '04, '13, and '18).

SEVEN STRAIGHT OVERALL

A winner of seven straight, the last time Furman posted eight consecutive wins was 1989, when it reeled off a school record 12 straight wins in a 12-2 season.

BEST SIX-GAME SOCON MARK SINCE 1989

Furman's current 6-0 SoCon record is the program's best six-game mark since 1989, when the Paladins went 7-0 (their last undefeated league season).

12 IN A ROW VERSUS SOCON

Furman's victory over Chattanooga extended its SoCon winning streak to 12 games, trailing only the program record 13 consecutive league victories recorded over a three-season span (1988-90). 

Furman is 15-1 in its last 16 SoCon games.

NEW STANDARD 

Furman has now won eight straight SoCon road games (2021-present) — a new program record — and is 10-1 in its last 11 league road contests.

IMPRESSIVE SOCON ROAD WINS

Furman's last four SoCon road wins have come over No. 14 Mercer (23-13, 2022), reigning league champion Samford (27-21, 2023), No. 8 Western Carolina (29-17, 2023), and No. 13 Chattanooga (17-14, 2023).

ON A ROLL AT HOME

Furman currently sports an eight-game home winning streak.

.833 WINNING PERCENTAGE = STOUT

Furman is 20-4 in its last 24 games, with two of those losses coming to FBS then fifth-ranked Clemson (35-12) in 2022 and South Carolina (47-21) in 2023.

WHENEVER 1989 IS REFERENCED, IT'S GOOD

Prior to this year the last time Furman opened a season 8-1 was 1989, when the Paladins went 12-1 in their first 13 games in a 12-2 campaign.

3-0 VERSUS RANKED FCS FOES

Furman's 17-14 win over FCS No. 13 Chattanooga represented the Paladins' third triumph over a ranked opponent this season (d. No. 17 Mercer, 38-14; d. No. 8 Western Carolina, 29-17) and improved the Paladins to 9-2 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.

HIGHEST RANKED FOE TO FALL SINCE 2001

In defeating then FCS No. 8 Western Carolina, 27-21, on Oct. 21 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.

1988 CATALYST WIN REPEAT?

Prior to the win over then FCS No. 8 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 nine straight wins, 13-2 campaign, and national championship.

SACK 'EM UP

Furman registered five sacks in the win over Chattanooga, giving the Paladins 19 takedowns in the last four games.  The Mocs entered the game having yielded just 12 sacks this season.

IMPRESSIVE DEPTH 

Furman now has 25 sacks on the season, registered among 12 players led by ILB Evan DiMaggio (4.0 sacks).

MOST IN THE FCS IN 2023

Furman's nine sacks recorded in the 27-21 win over Samford on Oct. 14 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.

TOUGH GOING FOR OPPONENTS

Furman's has choked off scoring by five of its last six opponents (6-0), allowing only 88 points (14.6 ppg) over that span as evidenced by points allowed versus averages entering each contest.  The Paladins lead the SoCon in scoring defense (19.2 ppg).

Mercer (14 vs. 24.0 ppg)
The Citadel (14 vs. 5.6 ppg)
Samford (21 vs. 31.0 ppg.)
Western Carolina (17 vs. 41.3 ppg)
East Tennessee State (8 vs. 17.1 ppg)
Chattanooga (14 vs. 33.6 ppg)

NO EASY TASK

Mirroring its impressive work in limiting scoring by its last six foes (6-0) is the total offense the Paladins have surrendered in five of the six contests when compared to averages entering each game.  Furman has allowed only 304.5 yards over that span.  

Mercer (267 vs. 323.7 ypg)
The Citadel (278 vs. 199 ypg)
Samford (337 vs. 436.0 ypg)
Western Carolina (353 vs. 531.0 ypg)
East Tennessee State (230 vs. 262.0 ypg)
Chattanooga (357 vs. 420.7 ypg)

NO RUNNING ALLOWED

Furman limited Chattanooga's rushing attack to just 68 yards on 31 carries (2.19 ypc), marking the fourth opponent of the last five the Paladins have kept under 100 yards rushing: The Citadel (39), Samford (51), Western Carolina (84), and Chattanooga (68)

NUMBERS TELL THE STORY

Over the last 15 games (13-2), Furman has yielded only 92.6 yards per game rushing, 2.90 yards per rush, and just 11 rushing touchdowns to the opposition.  The Paladins lead the SoCon in rushing defense (97.1 ypg).

OPPONENT THIRD DOWN DOWNER

Furman's defense has limited its last two opponents, East Tennessee State and Chattanooga, to a combined 6-of-30 on third down conversions (.200). 

TURNING IT OVER ON DOWNS

Furman leads the SoCon and ranks seventh in the FCS in fourth down percentage defense (8x24, .333).

YOU GIVE, WE TAKE

In recording an interception in the win over Chattanooga, Furman now sports a season turnover differential of 18-6 (13 INTs, 5 FRs vs. 1 fumble, 5 INTs), giving the Paladins a +1.34 turnover margin, which ranks third in the FCS.

Furman leads the SoCon and ranks fifth in the FCS with 13 interceptions.

The Paladins now have 47 takeaways (30 INTs, 17 FRs) over the last 22 games, which includes a FCS best 29 takeaways (17 INTs, 12 FRs) last year.

MAKING 'EM PAY

Furman has followed up the 47 takeaways over the last 22 games by scoring 183 points (8.3 ppg) on the ensuing possessions, including five "pick sixes."  In its nine games this year the Paladins have tallied 62 points off 18 opponent turnovers (6.9 ppg).

JONES DELIVERS

Redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Jones came off the bench in the second quarter for the injured Tyler Huff and completed 14-of-27 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the Paladins' 17-14 win over No. 13 Chattanooga.  He connected with Wayne Anderson, Jr., on a nine-yard scoring strike with 1:44 left to give Furman its winning points and cap a nine-play, 50-yard drive that featured a pair of Jones third down conversion passes.

IT'S BEEN AWHILE

Carson Jones became the first Furman freshman quarterback  to come off the bench and account for a fourth quarter game winning touchdown (9-yard pass to Wayne Anderson, Jr., in 17-14 triumph over Chattanooga) since 2006 (Jordan Sorrells, 19-yard TD pass to Brantley Kendall vs. Jacksonville State, 17-13 win).

WHO'S THIS GUY?

Carson Jones' action time against Chattanooga was his first since Sept. 23, when he played the final two series (1x2, -3 yards passing) in a 38-14 win over Mercer.

TD NO. 2

Carson Jones' 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Colton Hinton against Chattanooga was his second of the season (16 yards to tight end Brock Chappel vs. South Carolina).

TOOMEY RETURNS

All-Southern Conference offensive tackle Pearson Toomey returned to the starting lineup at left tackle after sitting out the East Tennessee State game due to injury.

HE LIKES TO SEE THAT WESTERN CAROLINA PURPLE

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.

100-YARD GAMES

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

ROBERTO ON THE CHARTS

In rushing for 61 yards against Chattanooga, Dominic Roberto upped his career total to 2,788 yards, good for eighth on Furman's career rushing ledger.  Next up in seventh place is former teammate Devin Wynn (2,960 yds., 2017-21).

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).

FINDING THE END ZONE

Dominic Roberto has rushed for 23 touchdowns over the last 25 games, during which time Furman has gone 20-5.  Counting one touchdown reception in the span, it's 24 scores over the last 25 contests for Roberto.

ANDERSON DOES IT ALL

Wayne Anderson, Jr., blocked a first half punt to set up a field goal and later scored the game winning TD on a nine-yard pass play with 1:44 to go in Furman's 17-14 SoCon title clinching road win over No. 13 Chattanooga.  Anderson, who made the switch back to running back after injuries took out key backups Grant Robinson and Jayquan Smith earlier this season, had eight rushes for 85 yards, including a 54-yard burst, against Western Carolina (29-17 win).  He caught 39 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns in 2022 as a wide receiver. All told, he's rushed for 777 yards and eight touchdowns as a Paladin and also owns a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Western Carolina (2022).

HINTON COMING ON

True freshman wide receiver Colton Hinton led Furman with four receptions for 61 yards and a 27-yard touchdown in the win over Chattanooga.  He has 11 catches for 149 yard and two touchdowns in the last three games.  Hinton's 24 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns thru nine games mirrors the true freshman campaign turned in by teammate Joshua Harris in 2021 (26 rec., 295 yds., TD).

HARRIS ON THE CHARTS

Joshua Harris stands 15th on Furman's career receptions chart with 108 catches.  Next up in 14th place is Josh Cole (110 rec., 1993-96).  Others within reach include Adrick Harrison (13th/111 rec., 1992-95) and Des Kitchings (12th/112 rec.,1996-99).

SHARING THE WEALTH

Furman's 172 pass completions this year have been distributed among 18 players.

TYLER HUFF: WINNER

Furman has gone 18-3 in Tyler Huff's 21 starts at quarterback, 17-1 versus FCS foes (counting FBS transition Kennesaw State as FCS), and 13-0 against SoCon opposition.  He didn't play (injured) versus Samford in 2022 (34-27 loss) and was forced to exit games against Charleston Southern (24-19 win in 2022) and Chattanooga (17-14 win in 2022) due to injuries.

BIG GAME PERFORMANCE

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 14-of-23 passes for 180 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).

SOCON PLAYER OF THE WEEK

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.

FOUR RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS

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.

INTO THE RECORD BOOKS IN 2022

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.

CAREER TOTALS

Tyler Huff's Furman career rushing and passing totals (21 games): 1,182 rushing yds./13TDs;  3,682 passing yds /24 TDs.

HUFF A FINALIST FOR ARMED FORCES MERIT AWARD

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.

QUALITY ADDITION

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.  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.

BLOCKING KICKS IS WHAT WE DO

Wayne Anderson's blocked punt against Chattanooga (second of his career) was Furman's second in consecutive weeks and third of the season.  The three blocked kicks this fall follow the FCS leading 10 blocked kicks (6 FGs, 2 PATs, 2 Punts) the Paladins posted in 2022, which included blocks in six consecutive games.  Jack Barton registered Furman's first blocked kick of 2023 when he deflected a 38-yard field goal attempt in the 38-14 win over Mercer on Sept. 23.  Barton picked up his second block this season when batted down a 43-yard attempt in the Paladins' 16-8 win over East Tennessee State.  He holds both Furman's season (4) and career record records (6) for blocked kicks.

GOING WHERE NO PALADIN HAS GONE BEFORE

Inside linebacker Braden Gilby made his 56th game appearance and 41st start of his career at Chattanooga.  The 56 games played is a Furman record.  In registering three tackles in the 29-17 win over Western Carolina, Gilby reached 300 career tackles (now 314) — the most among active Paladins.

BLACKSHEAR RETURNS IN STYLE

After missing the East Tennessee State game following minor hand surgery, cornerback Travis Blackshear returned to the field in the victory over Chattanooga, recording a pair of tackles, a pass breakup, and an interception he returned out of the end zone for 46 yards to set up a fourth quarter Furman touchdown.  The pickoff was his third of the season and 12th of his career (three "pick-sixes), tying him for eighth on school's career ledger.

HE MAKES PLAYS

Spur Cally Chizik recorded his team leading fourth interception of the season and seventh of his career in the 16-8 win over East Tennessee State.  He registered a career high 13 tackles in the Paladins' 27-21 road win over Samford and is tied for fourth in the FCS lead with four interceptions.

HE'S OUR JACK RYAN

All-SoCon free safety Hugh Ryan registered his 53rd game appearance and 41st start of his career against Chattanooga.  Has had nine interceptions and 239 tackles in his career.

BIG LEG

Ian Williams fashioned a stellar performance in Furman's 16-8 win over East Tennessee State, converting all three field goal attempts and depositing four of his five kickoffs out of the end zone for touchbacks en route to earning SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week honors.  Williams' nine points against the Buccaneers came on field goals of 23, 52, and 32 yards, with the 52-yarder marking a career best while also tying for the fifth longest in school history.

Ian Williams two games versus ETSU (2022 & '23), which saw him named SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week in both 2022 (17-14 win) and 2023 (16-8 win); 5x5 FGs, 9x11 kickoff touchbacks

Ian Williams' 37-yard field goal in the win over Chattanooga was his fifth straight made field goal.  He also recorded touchbacks on all four kickoffs against the Mocs.