Paladin Football traveling to Western Carolina for top 10 FCS showdown with major SoCon implications
The Furman Paladins will hit the road to take on the Western Carolina Catamounts in a pivotal top 10 FCS matchup on Saturday afternoon.
The Paladins (5-1, 3-0) are currently tied with the Catamounts (5-1, 3-0) atop the Southern Conference standings as the only two undefeated teams in conference play. With Furman coming in at #3 in the AFCA FCS poll and Western Carolina coming in at #8, the stage is set for the clash of the SoCon titans in a game that will have major implications for the remainder of the season.
With their only loss this season coming at the hands of FBS South Carolina, Furman has rolled out of the gate to begin the year. As the popular preseason pick to win the SoCon, the Paladins have lived up to the hype and more through the first 6 games of the season. A week ago, the Paladins downed an explosive Samford team on the road in Birmingham, AL, to pick up their 5th win. Led by their pounding run game with dual threat QB Tyler Huff and RB Dominic Roberto, the Furman offense has been fully up to the challenge thus far this season.
“I’m proud of how hard we played,” Furman Head Coach Clay Hendrix told the media including Furman Joust earlier in the week. “We did a lot of really good things. Certainly a lot of things that we’ve still gotta clean up. I think our best football is out there in front of us.”
While the Paladins haven’t been contained so far this season, Western Carolina will be no typical opponent, as the Paladins know full well from experience. A year ago, Furman pulled out the win in a 47-40 barnburner behind a career high 253 rushing yards from Dominic Roberto, but the Catamounts have only improved since their last meeting with the Paladins, as their national recognition in the AFCA poll suggests.
“We need to have a great week of prep for a really, really talented, good all-around football team in Western Carolina,” Coach Hendrix said. “I think it will take our very best effort to go up there and even have a chance.”
Furman leads the all-time series history by a 35-13-2 margin, including 16-7-1 on the road in Cullowhee. While the Paladins have won 6 of their last 7 games against the Catamounts, the last time Furman traveled to Cullowhee resulted in a loss.
With first place in the conference on the line and the eyes of the FCS nation on this game, Western Carolina-Furman has a chance to be one of the premier games of the still young season. By Saturday night one of these two teams will be a triumphant 6-1, while the other will be licking their wounds at 5-2. All that remains to be seen is who will come out on top at 2:30 PM EST in Cullowhee tomorrow afternoon.
2023 statistics:
Furman Football
PPG: 31.67
Points allowed (per game): 22.33
Rushing Yards (team): 1065 yds
Passing yards (team): 1186 yds
Rushing leader: RB Dominic Roberto (394 yds, 6 TDs), QB Tyler Huff (391 yds, 4 TDs)
Passing leader: QB Tyler Huff (1057 yds, 6 TDs)
Receiving leader: WR Ben Ferguson (15 rec, 219 yds, 1 TD) WR Joshua Harris (24 rec, 218 yds, 1 TD)
Tackles leader: S Hugh Ryan (40 tot, 27 solo)
Western Carolina Football
PPG: 41.33
Points allowed (per game): 28.67
Rushing yards (team): 1332 yds
Passing yards (team): 1859 yds
Rushing leader: RB Desmond Reid (847 yds, 12 TDs)
Passing leader: QB Cole Gonzales (1532 yds, 14 TDs)
Receiving leader: WR Censere Lee (22 rec, 421 yds, 6 TDs)
Tackles leader: S Andreas Keaton (27 tot, 19 solo), CB CJ Williams (27 tot, 22 solo)
Television information:
ESPN+ | 1:30 PM CST/2:30 PM EST
Furman @ Western Carolina will be available for streaming exclusively on ESPN+ at 2:30 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
