GREENVILLE, S.C. – Coming off its first win of the season, Furman hits the road for a stern test this Saturday against FCS 12th/13th-ranked William Mary. Kickoff for the FloSports-streamed event is set for 6:00 p.m. at the Tribe's Zable Stadium.
In addition to the live stream, the contest 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 can also follow the action through William & Mary-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.
Furman (1-2) entered the win column on Saturday with a convincing 48-7 triumph over Stetson. William & Mary (2-1), meanwhile, claimed a 28-21 road verdict over Wofford on Saturday. In Furman, the Tribe will be facing its third SoCon foe of season, having knocked off VMI, 41-7, in the season opener in Williamsburg.
After showing promise two weeks ago against Charleston Southern, true freshman quarterback
Trey Hedden put together a strong performance in his collegiate starting debut versus Stetson, completing 20-of-27 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a 13-yard score. The Tampa, Fla., product's work earned him both SoCon Offensive Player of the Week and Stats Perform National Freshman of the Week laurels.
Hedden's favorite target against Stetson was senior wide receiver
Joshua Harris, who hauled in seven passes for a career high 164 yards and two touchdowns.
The Paladins ran for 171 yards against the Hatters, led by true freshman
Gavin Hall (10 rushes, 72 yds., TD), but the ground warfare challenge promises to be more intense against William & Mary.
After failing to notch a turnover against Ole Miss and Charleston Southern, Furman's defense came up with three interceptions against Stetson, including a pair by redshirt freshman safety
Billy Lewis and the other by redshirt senior linebacker
Evan DiMaggio, a preseason All-SoCon selection who leads the Paladins with 20 tackles.
Despite the overall statistical bludgeoning Furman absorbed from FBS sixth-ranked Ole Miss, it is apparent the Paladins haven't lost their effectiveness in defending the run — a quality Furman demonstrated the last two seasons en route to 10-win campaigns. That will have to remain true to be successful against the Tribe, whose potent ground attack, led by Bronson Yoder (240 yds., 6.0 ypc, 3 TDs), is averaging 196.7 yards per game this season.
Tribe quarterback Darius Wilson headlines an efficient William & Mary passing game, having thrown for 540 yards and three touchdowns (no interceptions).
Looking to complicate Wilson's plans on Saturday will be Paladin senior nose guard
Xavier Stephens, a Roanoke, Va., product who owns three of Furman's five sacks thru three games.
If Saturday's battle is decided on kicking, the odds could swing in Furman's favor given the fact that Paladins possess one of the top specialists in the FCS in redshirt senior
Ian Williams. That was demonstrated against Stetson when Williams converted field goal attempts of 48 and school record 57 yards while also depositing eight of nine kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. For good measure, the SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week pick averaged a 44.8 yards on five punts.
The Furman-William & Mary game will mark the resumption of a football series between former SoCon rivals that was last active in 2000, and which Furman holds a narrow 8-7 advantage, having won the last two clashes. The Paladins posted a 34-10 win over the Tribe on Sept. 16, 2000, behind a 232-yard, two-touchdown performance by Louis Ivory, who would go on to capture the Walter Payton Award (top FCS player) that season. The last time Furman and William & Mary squared off in Williamsburg (Sept. 18, 1999), the Paladins rolled to a 52-6 win — its most decisive in the series — on the strength of 509 rushing yards (9.4 ypc). The Paladins and Tribe battled in 1989 FCA (formerly I-AA) first round playoff action in a game Furman won, 24-10, at Paladin Stadium.
