GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's challenging schedule continues this Saturday when the Paladins travel to Cookeville, Tenn., to take on the Southern Conference's newest member, FCS 15th-ranked Tennessee Tech, in a 3:30 p.m. clash at Tucker Stadium.

The Golden Eagles (4-1, 2-1 SoCon) represent the fifth ranked foe on the Paladins' (2-4, 1-1 SoCon) schedule this season — something no other FCS program can claim to date.

Tennessee Tech suffered its first loss of the campaign on Saturday, dropping a 44-20 road setback at Western Carolina.  Two weeks ago the Golden Gophers needed a second half rally to edge Wofford, 42-38, in Spartanburg.

Furman, meanwhile, has lost its last three outings, including a 32-25 setback at home to Wofford on Saturday in a contest that saw the Paladins fall behind 29-8 to the Terriers — a deficit that proved too much to overcome in the 100th meeting between the two Upstate rivals.

Head coach Clay Hendrix said earlier in the week that he is still looking for his squad's best game.  For that to materialize on Saturday the Paladins will have to continue to make progress offensively while also plugging leaks on defense that proved costly in the loss to Wofford.

Under the direction of newly minted offensive coordinator Drew Dudzik, Furman registered 387 total  yards against Wofford, including 264 thru a passing game featuring quarterback Connor Ackerley in only his second start as a Paladin.

Furman's ground attack netted 123 yards versus the Terriers, led by Ben Croasdale's 21-carry, 93-yard effort, but by game's end the Paladin offense had accounted for only 18 points.  Through six games Furman is averaging just 16.6 points per game.

While a more efficient and productive offense will certainly improve Furman's chance of success, the Paladin defense needs a bounce-back effort from its performance against Wofford that saw them surrender touchdown passes of 70, 80, and 71 yards.  Paladin fans have witnessed stretches of defensive dominance from their favorite squad this year, and more of it will be needed this weekend against a potent Tennessee Tech offensive unit that tops the SoCon in passing (289.6 ypg, 15 TDs) behind the accurate arm of quarterback Jax Leatherwood (1,448 yds., 15 TDs) and a number of quality receivers, led by Gabe Nunez (29 rec., 476 yds., 3 TDs).

Furman ranks second in the FCS in takeaways (14) and 10th in interceptions (8) — figures the Paladins hope to expand against Tennessee Tech, which suffered five turnovers in their loss to Western Carolina.

The Paladins hope to avoid a repeat of Saturday's costly special teams work that included failure to cover a short kickoff and an onside kick — both of which were recovered by Wofford and led to two touchdowns.

The work of Nathan Chapman continues to impress.  The junior has made eight straight field goal attempts and among his 12 makes this year in 15 attempts are eight from 40+ yards.

Furman leads its series with Tennessee Tech, 3-1, having won the last three meetings.  The last two clashes includes a 26-0 shutout in Cookeville in 2021 and 45-10 triumph in Greenville in the 2023 season opener for both teams.

Saturday's game will be 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 Tennessee Tech-driven live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com, and receive timely updates through the @FurmanPaladins "X" platform.