Greenville, S.C. – Quarterback Tyler Huff accounted for 250 yards of total offense and FCS No. 7 Furman limited No. 21 Mercer to just 267 yards en route to a 38-14 victory over the Bears in the Southern Conference opener for both schools on Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.
 
Dominic Roberto and Wayne Anderson Jr. rushed for touchdowns of nine and 13 yards, respectively, as Furman built a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. The Bears trimmed the deficit to 17-14 on Carter Peevy's eight-yard quarterback keeper with 8:02 to play in the third quarter before Huff led the Paladins on a 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped by Myion Hicks' one-yard touchdown plunge in the final minute of the period for a 24-14 advantage.
 
Huff connected with tight end Mason Pline on a 10-yard touchdown toss on the Paladins next possession, and Jayquan Smith rumbled 20 yards to paydirt on the following drive to extend the Paladins' lead to 38-14 with 8:04 to play.
 
Furman (3-1, 1-0 SoCon) recorded seven tackles-for-a-loss, including three sacks, to hold Mercer (2-2, 0-1 SoCon) to just 144 yards on the ground and 123 through the air. Braden Gilby paced the defense with 11 tackles and registered one sack.
 
Huff, the reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Week, went 20-of-24 passing for 168 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 82 yards on 11 carries.

The Paladins, aided by the return to action of All-America offensive guard Jacob Johanning from injury, rushed for a season high 222 yards and finished with 387 yards in total offense.

Roberto's touchdown run gave him 20 rushing scores in the last 20 games.

The Paladins' played turnover-free ball for a second consecutive contest and made Mercer pay for a muffed punt that Luke Shiflett recovered at the Bear 13-yard line in the second quarter.  Wayne Anderson raced around left end on the next play for a score that staked the Paladins to a 17-0 lead.

Furman now has 38 takeaways (22 INT, 16 FR) in its last 17 games.

The win marked the sixth straight home triumph for the Paladins, who are idle next Saturday before hosting The Citadel on October 7 at Paladin Stadium.