GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman continues its challenging early season road football schedule this Saturday when it travels to face Kennesaw State in a 5:00 p.m. ESPN+ streamed contest at the Owls' Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

The Paladins (1-1), who fell to South Carolina on Saturday, 47-21, face their second FBS opponent of the 2023 season in the Owls (1-1), who are coming off a 27-20 road loss at Chattanooga. It will mark only the second football clash between the two programs, who first squared off in 2016 in a game Kennesaw State won, 52-42, at Paladin Stadium. 

The contest at Kennesaw State was originally slated for the 2019 season, as part of a two-game series, but was rescheduled for 2023 at KSU's request to accommodate the Owls' desire to play a FBS opponent (Kent State) in 2019.

Kennesaw State is officially in transition this year from the FCS Atlantic Sun Conference to the FBS Conference, a process that allows the Owls to operate above the 63-scholarship limit of FCS.  KSU will be the fourth FBS transition foe the Paladins have faced.  In 2013, Furman defeated both Appalachian State (27-10) and Georgia Southern (16-14), who were both transitioning from the SoCon to the FBS Sun Belt Conference.  In 2016 Coastal Carolina knocked off Furman, 41-21, in the Chanticleers' FBS transition year on the way to the Sun Belt.

Head coach Clay Hendrix's squad head into Saturday's game ranked 7th/8th in this week's Stats Peform and AFCA FCS Polls, announced on Monday, dropping from last week's consensus No. 6 following the setback at South Carolina.

Furman, which is 13-2 in its last 15 games versus FCS opposition and sports a 6-1 slate in its last seven road contests in the sub-division, will look to field a balanced attack against Kennesaw State, led by quarterback Tyler Huff, running back Dominic Roberto, and wide receiver Joshua Harris.

Huff, coming off an impressive 2022 campaign that saw him pass for 2,199 yards (15 TDs) and rush for a Paladin quarterback record 694 yards (8 TDs), completed 14-of-25 passes and a touchdown against South Carolina after throwing for 172 yards and adding 42 yards on the ground against Tennessee Tech. 

Roberto, who rushed for 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago en route to landing All-SoCon honors, has tallied 20 touchdowns in the last 18 games. 

Harris, meanwhile, heads up an experienced and deep Paladin receiving corps with seven catches through two games.  The Paladin junior caught 48 passes for 667 yards and five touchdowns in 2022.

Furman's offensive front is paced by All-SoCon left tackle Pearson Toomey and center Wyatt Hughes.

The Paladins' defense will look to bounce back this week behind tackle Matt Sochovka and defensive end Jack Barton.  Linebacker Braden Gilby, with 271 career tackles to his credit, appears poised to soon crack Furman's Top 10 all-time tackles ledger.

Furman's veteran secondary, boasting a combined 112 starts at the two cornerback and safety positions, will look to continue the Paladins defense's run of takeaways, which stands at 36 (24 INTs, 12FRs) over the last 15 games.  A year ago Furman paced the FCS with 29 takeaways (18 INTs, 11 FRs), and in the season opener versus Tennessee Tech registered six turnovers in the 45-10 win.

All-SoCon cornerback Travis Blackshear (10 career INTs) and free safety Hugh Ryan (204 tackles, 8 INTs) are the leaders.

In addition to the ESPN+ stream, the game 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.  Broadcasts can be secured via Audacy.com, as well as through FurmanPaladins.com.

Fans may also follow the action through StatBroadcast live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com, and receive timely updates through the "X" platform.