Furman Football set to open SoCon play at home against Mercer
After a long two weeks on the road, the conquering Furman Paladins make their return to Greenville, S.C. tomorrow afternoon looking to hit the ground running with the start of Southern Conference play.
The Paladins (2-1) will host the Mercer Bears (2-1) at 1:00 PM EST in Paladin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Poll 7th ranked Paladins are riding high coming off of a dramatic 31-28 victory on the road against Kennesaw State. A late field goal from kicker Ian Williams gave the Paladins the edge against the Owls despite the Furman defense giving up a whopping 490 yards in the game.
Furman QB Tyler Huff was named Southern Conference player of the week after scoring 4 times on the ground to carry the Furman offensive attack against Kennesaw State, eventually leading to the Paladin victory.
“Tyler showed a lot of toughness,” Coach Hendrix told FurmanJoust in a press conference on Monday. “I don’t know if I would label him a running quarterback but he certainly has the ability to hurt people running the football, (Huff had) 4 rushing touchdowns. Tyler had a heck of a game.”
While the Paladins have every reason to be riding high with confidence, the reality of the beginning of SoCon play should quickly bring them back down to earth.
Coming out of an off week, Mercer’s most recent contest left a good taste in their mouth with a 48-22 win over Morehead State. The Bears will come into Greenville with two weeks of rest and the memory of a dominating victory buoying them against Furman.
One thing in particular that the Paladins are preparing to see is exotic offensive looks from the Bears as Mercer roars into Greenville.
“They’re like everybody, trying to get the ball to playmakers, and they’ve certainly got playmakers,” Hendrix said. “I’m sure we’ll see a few wrinkles. [Mercer head coach Drew] Chronic has done a great job, I’m sure we’ll see a few things we haven’t seen.”
Furman, the consensus preseason choice by league media and coaches to finish first in the SoCon, will no doubt have a target on their back in every conference game this season, including this match against Mercer. That said, the Paladins have every piece of the puzzle necessary to withstand the pressure of high expectations.
2023 statistics:
Furman Football
PPG: 32.33
Points allowed (per game): 28.33
Rushing Yards (team): 433 yds
Passing yards (team): 670 yds
Rushing leader: RB Dominic Roberto (152 yds, 3 TDs), QB Tyler Huff (136 yds, 4 TDs)
Passing leader: QB Tyler Huff (538 yds, 1 TD)
Receiving leader: WR Ben Ferguson (7 rec, 141 yds), WR Joshua Harris (13 rec, 129 yds)
Tackles leader: S Hugh Ryan (17 solo, 28 tot)
Mercer Football
PPG: 24.0
Points allowed (per game): 34.0
Rushing yards (team): 446 yds
Passing yards (team): 525 yds
Rushing leader: RB Al Wooten II (141 yds, 2 TDs)
Passing leader: QB Carter Peevy (521 yds, 2 TDs)
Receiving leader: WR Ty James (13 rec, 232 yds, 2 TDs)
Tackles leader: LB Ken Standley (9 solo, 19 tot)
Television information:
Nexstar Network/ESPN +, 12 PM CST/1 PM EST
Furman vs Mercer will be broadcasted both regionally on the Nexstar Network and nationally on ESPN+ at 1 PM EST on Saturday afternoon.
Radio broadcasts can be found on The Fan Upstate and its four main stations: 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, and 97.1 FM/950 AM in Spartanburg.
Additionally, radio broadcasts can be found on Audacy.com, as well as through furmanpaladins.com.
For more news and coverage of all Furman Paladin athletics, be sure to follow The Furman Joust podcast on twitter, or visit our website at furmanjoust.com.
