GREENVILLE, S.C. -- No team in the FCS has played four ranked teams in September except Furman, and this Saturday the Paladins will try to achieve a monthly split when head coach Clay Hendrix's squad travels to Richmond to take on the 19th-ranked Spiders in a 2:00 p.m. clash at Robbins Stadium.

Furman (2-2), which fell out of the Top 25 rankings after dropping a hard-fought, 20-17, contest to 16th-ranked South Carolina Stadium in Paladin Stadium on Saturday, will also play its third road game this month, following trips to FBS 18th-ranked Tennessee and FCS 14th-ranked Mercer (20-13 win).

Richmond (3-1), now in its second year as a member of the Patriot League following an extended tenure in the CAA, edged Georgetown, 24-21, on Saturday with a 49-yard field goal on the game's final play.  The Spiders also own wins over Bucknell (35-14) and Howard (28-21).

The Paladins and Spiders last met in 2005 when the two former Southern Conference rivals squared off in NCAA FCS (formerly I-AA) quarterfinal round playoff action in Richmond.  Furman won that contest, 24-20, and has captured the last three meetings.

What is apparent through four games is Furman sports quality defense, which the Paladin offense will need to better support if the Paladins, a preseason sixth place pick by SoCon head coaches, hope to claim a win in their final non-conference matchup and contend for the league title.

The road to better offensive efficiency will have to begin through new quarterback Connor Ackerley, who came off the bench in the third quarter against S.C. State for injured starter Jake Garcia.  A junior who threw for over 3,600 yards and 36 touchdowns the last two seasons at Western New Mexico, Ackerley provided much-needed spark, completing 10-of-18 passes for 164 yards and a late 67-yard touchdown strike to Luke Shields that helped pull the Paladins to within three points of the Bulldogs.

Furman's offensive struggles will be helped if its wide receivers can revert to the pass catching abilities displayed two weeks ago in the road victory at Mercer.  A rebound in the running game could also prove to be a big assist after the Paladins managed only 53 yards on the ground on 34 carries against a stout S.C. State defense.  Ben Croasdale (6.4 ypc., 3 TDs) is the leader there.

After yielding 14 points to S.C. State in the game's first eight minutes, Furman's defense buckled down and checked the Bulldogs in solid fashion the rest of the way, surrendering only a pair of field goals.  Another effort of that quality against Richmond could position the Paladins for victory, and set to help deliver is a talented and deep defensive front led by 2025 consensus All-American end Joshua Stoneking (14 tackles, 8 quarterback hurries), defensive tackle Demetrius Baldwin (9 tackles), and bandit Eli Lipscomb (20 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 FR).

Linebackers Ryan Earl (20 tackles, FR) and Nick Simmons (6 tackles, TFL) performed well in their first starts of the season against S.C. State, and Furman's secondary has shown noticeable improvement this year.  Leaders there include safeties Braylon Peebles (team leading 29 tackles) and AK Burrell (14 tackles, INT), and cornerbacks Caleb Easterling (20 tackles, 2 PBU, FF) and Jordan Miller (15 tackles, INT).

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 Richmond-driven StatBroadcast live stats, accessible via FurmanPaladins.com, and receive timely updates through the @FurmanPaladins "X" platform.