GREENVILLE, S.C. — Furman and Wofford, football rivals since 1889, are set to renew the Deep South's oldest gridiron disagreement this Saturday when the Paladins play host to the Terriers in a 2:00 p.m. Southern Conference contest at Paladin Stadium.

Sponsored by Bon Secours, the contest, which will mark Military Appreciation Day at Furman, 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 Furman-driven StatBroadcast 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.

This year's matchup will mark the 98th battle between Furman (2-6, 1-3 SoCon) and Wofford (4-5, 2-4 SoCon) in a series the Paladins lead 56-34-7.  Furman has won six of the last seven clashes in Greenville, where it holds 35-11-5 advantage, including a 63-28 verdict administered in 2022.  Wofford, however, captured last year's meeting in Spartanburg, claiming a 19-3 decision over a SoCon championship Furman squad that contended without the services of injured SoCon Player of the Year quarterback Tyler Huff, among others.

This year has been a completely different story for head coach Clay Hendrix's squad, which has struggled following the graduation of 40 veteran performers.  The contrast is most obvious in the (two-deep) depth chart, where last season at the 10-game mark the Paladins counted 35 players with graduate, senior, or junior eligibility status among their top 44 players on offense and defense.  This season 33 of the 44 are classified as freshmen and sophomores. This fall 24 Paladins have made their career starting debuts.

In a tough 21-17 road loss at VMI last week Furman rolled up 412 yards in offense, including a season high 195 on the ground, dominated the time of possession 39:35-20:25, and ran 87 plays to VMI's 43 — all while holding the Keydets to two first downs and 31 total yards while registering a second half shutout.  Still, the Paladins lost, victimized by their own inefficiency and three turnovers, one of which led to a short four-yard drive for a VMI touchdown.

Bright spots amid the frustration in Lexington, Va., was a ground game that delivered its best performance(195 yards) of the season, led by true freshman running back Gavin Hall (13 rushes, 121 yds., 9.3 ypg), the play of wide receiver Colton Hinton (8 rec., 88 yds., TD) and  the aforementioned work of Furman's defense, especially in the second half.

The Paladins have gotten solid play from redshirt senior linebacker Evan DiMaggio (78 tackles, 5.5 TFL), one of the few defensive holdovers from a year ago after senior nose guard Xavier Stephens suffered a season ending knee injury against The Citadel and bandit Luke Clark exited the lineup against Western Carolina with an injured shoulder.

Wofford is coming off a solid 17-13 road victory over Samford and has already doubled its win total from a year ago.  Redshirt freshman quarterback Amari Odoum, who recently returned from injury, threw for 203 yards in the win over the Bulldogs.

The Game: Furman Paladins (2-6,1-3 SoCon) vs. Wofford Terriers (4-5, 2-4 SoCon)
Game Sponsor: Bon Seours
Date: Saturday, November 9, 2024
Site: Greenville, S.C. (Paladin Stadium, on the campus of Furman University)
Kickoff: 2:02 PM ET
TV/Video Stream: ESPN+ (Brock Bowling, pbp), Cole Neely (analyst)
Radio: Van Wagner/Furman Sports Network (The Fan Upstate: 97.7 FM/1330 AM, Greenville; 97.1 FM/950 AM, Spartanburg); Audacy.com; FurmanPaladins.com: Dan Scott (pbp), David Cobb (analyst); Tom Van Hoy (spotter/pre-game & halftime host)
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online 24/7 at www.furmanpaladins.com, the Paladin Stadium Box Office, located at the Defenders Gate, and at the East Stands Box Office of Paladin Stadium beginning at Noon.  All tickets are mobile and fans should have their cell number ready when purchasing at the stadium. Tickets will be texted to walk-up buyers. Most major credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted. All ticket sales are final. No exchanges. No refunds.