Furman vs. Samford Game Notes, Stats

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Idle this past weekend, Furman returns to action this Saturday when it kicks off Southern Conference play at Samford in a 3:30 p.m. ET contest at Pete Hanna Stadium.

The game will be live streamed via ESPN+ and 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 Samford-powered StatBroadcast live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com, and receive timely updates through the @FurmanPaladins "X" platform.

The Paladins (2-1, 0-0 SoCon) defeated their second Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) foe of the young season on Sept. 13 by edging Campbell, 28-24, in Buies Creek, N.C., after opening the campaign with a 23-21 home victory over William & Mary.

Samford (0-4, 0-2 SoCon) is coming off a 50-35 road setback at Western Carolina on Saturday.

Saturday's contest will mark the 27th meeting between Furman and Samford, who last year did not play after Hurricane Helene swept thru the Upstate and led to the contest's cancellation. The Paladins hold a narrow 14-12 advantage in the series and have won the last three clashes In Homewood, Ala., including a 27-21 verdict in 2023.  Furman is 8-4 all-time on Samford's home turf.

To extend its run of road success against Samford, head coach Clay Hendrix's squad will need another solid effort from its defense, whose timely play, in the form of a sack by redshirt sophomore defensive end Joshua Stoneking on a fourth down play at the Furman 17 with 16 seconds on the clock, preserved the win over Campbell.  Stoneking's work against the Camels, which netted him SoCon Defensive Player of the Week and a couple of national player of the week tabs, has headlined an improved Paladin defensive front in the early going.  He has 19 tackles, 8.5 tackles for-loss, and 4.5 sacks thru three games.

Furman's secondary will have its hands full against Samford, but its overall task should be helped with the likely return of a couple of injured players and a continued solid play of safeties Billy Lewis (20 tackles, 2 INTs) and Taylen Blaylock (18 tackles, 2 INTs), and cornerback Keon Jones (19 tackles).

Linebackers Raleigh Herbert (17 tackles, 2.5 TFL) and Luke McLaughlin, who registered a career high 10 tackles in his first career start versus Campbell, will help lead the way on Saturday.

Offensively Furman's passing game proved highly efficient against Campbell as quarterback Trey Hedden completed 26-of-35 passes for a career high 314 yards and two touchdowns (no interceptions).  Hedden's impressive work, which netted him SoCon Offensive Player of the Week accolades, was built around the strong performance of wide receivers Evan James (10 rec., 134 yds., TD) and Ja'Keith Hamilton (7 rec., 105 yds.).  James' outing, highlighted by what proved to be the game winning touchdown, a 30-yard catch with just under five minutes to go in the contest, helped earn him Stats Perform National Freshman Player of the Week honors.

The Paladin running game has yet to produce the numbers Furman has grown accustomed to over the years, but there have been flashes from sophomore Gavin Hall (151 yds., 2 TDs), freshman C.J. Nettles, and redshirt junior Jayquan Smith.  The anticipated season debut of graduate tackle Jaydon Collins, who has been sidelined since early in the preseason, could be a big boost for the Paladins.

Preseason All-America placekicker Ian Williams stands ready to deliver on the strength of 12 consecutive made field goals, effective punting (44.8 avg.), and solid work on kickoffs (15 touchbacks on 18 kicks).

Furman has won its last three SoCon season openers and is 5-1 in its last six league season debuts.