GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Furman Paladins return to action this Saturday when they travel to Charleston to take on The Citadel Bulldogs in the 104th meeting of the Southern Conference's most contested football rivalry. Kickoff for the game at Johnson Hagood Stadium is set for 2:00 p.m.

Furman (1-3, 0-0 SoCon), which holds a commanding 63-37-3 lead in the series that began in 1919, has won the last three encounters, including last year's 28-14 verdict in Greenville.  Two years ago the Paladins claimed a 21-10 win in Charleston. Furman owns a 25-22-2 record against The Citadel (2-3, 0-2 SoCon) in Charleston.

For the Paladins, Saturday's contest unexpectedly represents the SoCon season opener after last Saturday's scheduled league clash at Paladin Stadium versus Samford was postponed when Hurricane Hellene intervened with winds and rain that knocked out power for many in the Upstate, including Furman, which remains closed thru Friday. Coach Clay Hendrix, whose program has suffered three cancelations — all home games — over the last seven-plus years, was forced to rearrange preparation and practice earlier in the week.

Furman's last outing, a 34-24 road loss two weeks ago at FCS 12th-ranked William & Mary, while disappointing for the Paladins, offered continued flickers of promising play to give Hendrix reason for optimism heading into league action.  Making only the second start of his career, true freshman quarterback Trey Hedden passed for 264 yards and two touchdowns, including an 84-yard connection to true sophomore Colton Hinton for the ninth longest pass in program history.  True sophomore tight end Brock Chappell had four receptions, punctuated by a one-handed 14-yard touchdown grab that earned the No. 2 play on ESPN's Football Final show, and his backup, Jackson Pryor, another true freshman, made his career debut with two catches for 88 yards.

Defensively, Furman suffered a rare bullying in the ground game, yielding 384 yards to the Tribe, but the continued commitment to play a number of young defenders, particularly along the front, should pay dividends.  Three sacks and a pair of forced turnovers helped keep the game's outcome in question until the closing minute, and that followed a pair of unlikely field goal misses from 27 and 29 yards that could have put the Paladins in front late.

Saturday's game will be streamed via ESPN+ and 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 can also follow the action through The Citadel-driven Sidearm live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com, and receive timely updates and in-game video highlight clips through both the @FurmanPaladins "X" and Furman Paladin Football Facebook platforms.