Furman vs. Western Carolina Game Notes

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Winners of three straight, including a 31-22 comeback triumph over East Tennessee State on Saturday, Furman hits the road to take on Western Carolina this Saturday in a key Southern Conference showdown of league unbeatens at E.J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, N.C.

Kickoff for the ESPN+ streamed and Nexstar Network televised game is set for 2:30 p.m.

The Paladins (4-1, 2-0 SoCon) and Catamounts (3-3, 2-0 SoCon), along with Mercer (4-0 SoCon), are the SoCon's remaining unbeaten teams near the midway point of the regular season, and the ranks of the league unblemished will fall to two this weekend with the Bears taking on Princeton in a non-conference battle.

Furman will out to erase the bitterness of last year's 52-20 loss to the Catamounts in Greenville — the Paladins' largest margin of defeat in the 52-game series that Furman leads, 36-14-2.  To exact revenge head coach Clay Hendrix's squad hopes there will be some residual mojo still present from two years ago when the Paladins, ranked No. 3 nationally at the time, rode a strong defensive effort to a 29-17 triumph over the No. 7-ranked Catamounts in Whitmire Stadium, where Furman sports a 17-7-1 record all-time and has won seven of the last nine meetings.

The main challenge the Paladins face will be figuring out how to limit the effectiveness of dynamic Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens, who last week against Wofford completed a NCAA record 46 consecutive passes as part of three-touchdown performance in a 23-21 win over the Terriers and third straight triumph for the Catamounts, who started the campaign 0-3.

Though just shy of the midway point of the 2025 season, Furman has demonstrated improved play in nearly all areas from a year ago, notably its ability to win the fourth quarter.  In three of its four victories — versus William & Mary, Campbell, and ETSU — Furman erased fourth quarter deficits to post victories. Against the Buccaneers on Saturday, the Paladins trailed 22-7 in the third quarter before scoring 24 unanswered points for the win.

The fuel behind Furman's improved play this year, which has already seen the Paladins improve on last year's win tally, has come primarily from its defense — specifically a pass rush that ranks among the best in the FCS.  Headlining that effort is redshirt sophomore end Joshua Stoneking, whose 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for-loss lead the FCS and are part of unit that owns 18 sacks through five games.  A year ago Furman registered only 20 sacks over 11 contests.

While Stoneking has been the clear leader, what is also apparent is the Paladin defensive line has demonstrated quality depth this fall with eight players logging significant action at the nose guard, tackle, and end positions.

The play of Luke McLaughlin (28 tackles, sack) and effective work of Raleigh Herbert (23 tackles, INT), have  helped the Paladins weather the loss of starting linebacker Ryan Earl to injury.

Furman's secondary, led by redshirt sophomore safety Billy Lewis (32 tackles, 2 INT), has seen contributions from a number of players this season, including cornerback Jordan Miller, who delivered both a game saving pass breakup in the end zone and game ending 95-yard interception return — Furman's third "pick-six" this year — in the final minute against ETSU.

A big key to the Paladins' potential success on Saturday will be its rushing attack, which produced its best performance of the season versus ETSU with 142 yards, led by sophomore Gavin Hall's 101-yard (TD) effort.

Despite not having dynamic freshman Evan James available against the Bucs, Furman's passing game, triggered by sophomore quarterback Trey Hedden, proved it is no one-trick pony as wide receivers Ja'Keith Hamilton (11 rec., 141 yds., 2 TDs) and Ethan Harris (11 rec., 81 yds.) combined to record the first double-double receiving performance in Furman history.  In addition, tight ends Jordan Burrell and Luke Clyburn contributed seven receptions.

Hedden's 358-yard passing performance versus the Buccaneers, the third highest in program history, saw him complete 36-of-49 attempts and two touchdowns.  He has completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 1,386 yards and eight touchdowns on the year.

In a league sporting solid specialists, Furman boasts perhaps the best in All-SoCon performer Ian Williams, who has converted 8-of-11 field goal attempts, averaged 44.2 yards on punts, and deposited 23-of-29 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks (79.3 percent).

In addition to television and streaming options, Saturday's game will be aired over Furman 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 Western Carolina-powered Sidearm live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com, and receive timely updates through the @FurmanPaladins "X" and Furman Football Facebook platforms.