Furman vs. Presbyterian Game Notes
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Coming off a season opening 23-21 victory over William & Mary, Furman will look to improve to 2-0 on the young campaign this Saturday when it plays host to Presbyterian in a 2:00 p.m. contest at Paladin Stadium.
The game, sponsored by the Greenville YMCA, will highlight Youth Day at Furman University.
A 2-0 start for Furman would be only the second under head coach
Clay Hendrix, whose program last won its first two outings in 2021, defeating North Carolina A&T (29-18) and Tennessee Tech (26-0). In five of Hendrix's eight seasons, the Paladins have faced a FBS foe in the first two weeks. Furman plays Clemson on Nov. 23.
To extend its early season momentum, the Paladins will have to turn back a Presbyterian squad that shocked the FCS world by beating 11th-ranked and reigning Southern Conference champion Mercer, 15-10, in Macon, Ga., on Saturday. The Blue Hose flex has been in the works since last year when PC won its final four games under fourth-year head coach Steve Englehart, whose record, if plotted on a graph as a stock price, would be the talk of Wall Street. From 1-10 in 2022, PC improved to 4-7 in 2023, and then to last year's 6-6 mark.
The win at Mercer was no fluke as the Blue Hose, who outgained the Bears 416-241, covered 80 yards in 13 plays to tally the game winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining.
Saturday's contest will mark the first meeting between the Paladins and Blue Hose since 2014. PC won that clash, 10-7, in Clinton after the teams waited out a one hour and 47 minute lightning delay, but series results, otherwise, have been unkind to the Blue Hose as Furman won 15 straight from 1980-2013. Furman sports a 13-0 mark versus PC in Paladin Stadium and holds a 37-8-1 all-time mark versus the Blue Hose in Greenville and 43-12-1 overall series worksheet.
Furman's season opening win over William & Mary can best be described as gutsy, as the Paladins rallied from a 21-14 third quarter deficit for the victory. While
Ian Williams' three second half field goals covering 50, 42, and 32 yards accounted for the game winning points, it was teed up primarily by the Paladins' own second half defensive flex, one that produced three of the Paladins' four sacks and limited the Tribe to just 22 total yards on their final three possessions. Headlining that effort were redshirt sophomore defensive end
Joshua Stoneking, who had two sacks over the final period, and graduate safety
Taylen Blaylock, who capped a brilliant performance in his Paladin debut with a critical four-yard tackle for-loss on third down and a pass breakup on the next play that gave Furman possession on downs with 1:56 remaining.
The stalwart play of Blaylock and Williams' lethal work as placekicker, punter, and kickoff specialist didn't go unnoticed as Blaylock, whose 43-yard interception return helped give Furman an early 7-0 lead, was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week, and Williams was tabbed both league and Stats Perform National Special Teams Player of the Week.
Ten players made their Paladin starting debuts against William & Mary, among them true freshman wide receiver
Evan James, who caught a game high seven passes for 68 yards, including a four-yard touchdown grab.
There were other notable performances, probably none more inspiring than that of running back
Jayquan Smith, who returned to the field after almost two years following a knee injury that kept him out for the 2024 season, in addition to spring practices in both 2024 and '25. Smith had six rushes for 21 yards against William & Mary, including a game clinching eight-yard run on a third-and-three play that gave Furman a first down at the Tribe 15, allowing the Paladins to run out the clock.
The Game: Presbyterian Blue Hose (1-0) vs. Furman Paladins (1-0)
Game Sponsor: Greenville YMCA
Date: Saturday, August 30, 2025
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.
