GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman gears up for its final Southern Conference road challenge of the 2025 season when it travels to Chattanooga for a noon showdown this Saturday at Finley Stadium.

In addition to ESPN+ streaming and Nexstar Network linear broadcast options, the contest 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 may also follow the action through Chattanooga-driven Sidearm live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com, and receive timely updates through the @FurmanPaladins "X" and Furman Football Facebook platforms.

In Chattanooga (4-5, 3-2 SoCon), Furman (5-4, 3-3 SoCon) faces an improving Mocs' squad that came within a whisker of taking down Western Carolina at Finley Stadium on Saturday in a 35-28 loss.  The Mocs have played the SoCon's toughest non-conference schedule this season, facing nationally ranked FBS Memphis and FCS poll heavyweights Tennessee Tech and Tarleton State.

Last year Chattanooga put an end to Furman's modest three-game series winning streak with a decisive 41-10 triumph at Paladin Stadium.  That result surely gave UTC head coach and former Paladin assistant Rusty Wright a little revenge for 2023 when the Paladins claimed a 17-14, SoCon title clinching win over the Mocs in Chattanooga, and later a 26-7 triumph in FCS second round playoff action at Paladin Stadium.

Furman head coach Clay Hendrix hopes this year's Paladin edition can keep alive Furman's tradition of success in Chattanooga, where the Paladins have posted an 18-9 mark over the years, including an 11-3 record in Finley Stadium, spiced by an 8-0 run from 1997-2011.

To find the victory column on Saturday and double its three-win tally from a year ago, Furman will need to produce more than the eight first downs and 227 yards in total offense it generated in its 52-28 loss to Mercer.  A bright spot was the rushing of true freshman CJ Nettles, who posted the first 100-yard performance (105 yards) of his career, including a 67-yard touchdown burst that gave Furman a short-lived 13-0 lead.

The Paladins' top two receivers, true freshman Evan James (45 rec., 544 yds., 3 TDs) and redshirt sophomore Ja'Keith Hamilton (28 rec., 396 yds., 5 TDs), will no doubt be keys to any Paladin success versus UTC.  James, a Jerry Rice Award Watch List selection, is just six receptions shy of Furman's freshman season record despite missing three games due to injury.

Furman's defense will no doubt be determined to bounce back from a rough outing against Mercer, and the flag bearer will be redshirt sophomore defensive end Joshua Stoneking — the FCS leader in tackles for loss (19.0) and sacks (12.5).

A repeat of the special teams performance registered by the Paladins against Mercer would be welcomed.  The headliner was a 100-yard kickoff return by true freshman Caleb Easterling — the eighth of that distance in program history.  In Ian Williams, a preseason first team All-America placekicker, Furman likely has the best three-way specialist in the FCS.  Williams has converted 11-of-14 field goal attempts (53x70 career), averaged 43.6 yards punting, and registered 35 touchbacks on 45 kickoffs this season to easily pace SoCon specialists in that area.