GREENVILLE,S.C. -- Furman will look to put both hands on the 2023 Southern Conference Football Championship trophy on Saturday when it plays host to VMI in the final conference home game of the regular season. Kickoff for the Military Appreciation Day contest is set for 1:30 p.m. at Paladin Stadium.
Furman will also honor its senior and graduate players in pre-game ceremonies.
The Paladins (8-1, 6-0 SoCon), winners of seven straight, claimed at least a share of this year's league championship — the 15th in program history — last Saturday with a dramatic 17-14 road triumph over Chattanooga. A victory over VMI (4-5, 3-3 SoCon), or in the regular season finale at Wofford on Nov. 18, would secure the outright crown for the Paladins, who have won their last eight home games and are 15-1 in their last 16 SoCon matchups. The last time Furman earned an outright league championship was 1990.
If Furman is extend its winning ways, it will have to do so with a new signal caller at the controls in redshirt freshman
Carson Jones, who last week came off the bench for the injured
Tyler Huff to pass for 139 yards and a pair of critical touchdowns against Chattanooga. Jones' second strike, to wide receiver Wayne Anderson, Jr., came with 1:44 left to cap a nine-play, 50-yard drive and helped secure SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors for the Maryville, Tenn. product.
Like Huff, Jones will have a number of proven targets eager to help keep the Paladin air game in order, including
Joshua Harris (34 rec., 310 yds., 2 TDs),
Colton Hinton (24 rec., 276 yds., 2 TDs),
Ben Ferguson (21 rec., 265 yds. TD),
Kyndel Dean (18 rec., 249 yds.),
Luke Shiflett (17 rec., 196 yds., 2 TDs),
Mason Pline (17 rec., 179 yds., 2 TDs), and Anderson (14 rec., 98 yds., TD).
The Paladin offensive line, featuring tackles
Pearson Toomey and
Fred Norman, Jr., guards
Jacob Johanning and
Blake Hundley, and center
Wyatt Hughes, will look to kick-start Furman's ground game that has been attacked aggressively by Furman's last two opponents, East Tennessee State and Chattanooga.
Workhorse running back
Dominic Roberto (674 yds., 7 TDs) has gotten tough yards the last two outing and heads into Saturday with 2,788 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns to rank among the school's top all-time rushers.
What has been evident this season, and in particular the last several games, is the dominance of Furman's defensive unit, which has clearly played a central role in the championship. The Paladins have limited scoring (19.3 ppg), defended the run (97.1 ypg, 3.1 ypc), rushed the quarterback (25 sacks, including 19 takedowns in the last four games), and frustrated opponents on third down (6x30, .200 in its last two games). In addition, Furman has picked off 15 passes this year, ranking fifth in the FCS in the category.
Even more impressive is the Paladins have continued a penchant for making opponents pay for miscues, scoring 62 points (6.9 ppg) on possessions following 18 turnovers this season while posting a +1.34 turnover margin, which ranks third nationally.
The list of defenders delivering top shelf play in 2023 is longer than space allows, but it starts with a deep and experienced front. The principals include nose guard
Xavier Stephens, tackle
Matt Sochovka, end
Jack Barton, a bandit
Luke Clark, and their relief corps —
Sirod Cook,
Bryce Stanfield,
Jeremiah Jackson, and
Alex Maier. It's notable that Furman's 25 sacks are spread among a cast of 12 players.
The emergence of
Evan DiMaggio (48 tackles, team leading 6.5 TFL, 4 sacks) at inside linebacker, along with the play of
Braden Gilby, who has 314 career tackles and has appeared in more games (56) than any player in program history, has proven large.
Furman's secondary has also delivered stellar play. After sitting out the win over East Tennessee State following minor hand surgery, All-SoCon cornerback
Travis Blackshear returned to register the 12th interception of his career in the win over Chattanooga. A year ago he had a 41-yard "pick-six" in the Paladins' 41-3 road triumph over VMI.
Blackshear has had plenty of big play company, including fellow cornerbacks
Micah Robinson and
Ivan Yates, and spur
Cally Chizik (team leading 4 INTs). Free safety
Jack Rhodes delivered notable play against Chattanooga in
Hugh Ryan's absence, making Blackshear's pickoff possible in the end zone with excellent defense.
Paladin special teams again proved to be an asset in the win over the Mocs, with Wayne Anderson, Jr., notching Furman's third blocked kick (punt) of the season to set up a 37-yard
Ian Williams field goal — his fifth consecutive make. Williams (9x14 FGs) has also been solid on kickoffs, recording 35 touchbacks after teeing it up 50 times this fall.
Furman leads the all-time series against VMI, 30-10, and is 17-3 in Greenville, where the Keydets haven't won since 1977 in Sirrine Stadium. Though VMI is winless in Paladin Stadium (0-14), Furman head coach
Clay Hendrix knows his program was fortunate to come away with a 37-31 win against VMI two years ago.
The game will be ESPN+ live streamed and also 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. Broadcasts can be secured via Audacy.com, as well as through FurmanPaladins.com.
Fans may follow the action through Furman's StatBroadcast live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com, and receive timely updates through the "X" platform.
