For the ninth game of the season, the Cats host the Furman Paladins for this year's fourth home game and what is definitely the SoCon Game of the Week. It's also Homecoming weekend in the valley.
The Cats dropped a 28 point loss to the Paladins in last season on the road after winning 48-19 at home in 2015. Both Furman and Western are on the upswing this season and with both teams sharing first place with Wofford, both teams need a win to stay in contention for a share of the SoCon title.
When: Saturday, October 28 at 3:30 pm
Where: E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
- Talent: Gary Ayers (pxp), Greg McLamb (color), Jeff Bryson, Dan Gibson (sideline)
TV/video: ESPN3
- Talent: Daniel Hooker (pxp), Kyle Rush (color) & Katie Miller (sideline)
Fan Message Board: TheUnofficialPaladianFootballPage
Game Notes: Western Carolina - Furman - SoCon Weekly Release
Head Coach: Clay Hendrix (Furman, ‘86) First Year
Record at Furman: 5-3, 4-1 SoCon
Career Record: Same
Basic Offense: Multiple
Basic Defense: Multiple
Lettermen Returning / Lost: 38 / 27
Starters Returning / Lost (O/D/S): 11 (4/4/3) / 15 (7/7/1)
Series History: WCU trails 12-30-2 (L-1); Last Mtg 2016 - The Cats have won the two of the last three games, but are only 12-30-2 overall against the Paladins in the series, and 6-14-1 in games played in Cullowhee.
Last Season's Game vs. Furman (Nov. 12, 2016) Camount Football Drops Road Game at Furman, 49-21 - Greenville, S.C. - Junior tailback Detrez Newsome rushed for a pair of first half touchdowns and receiver Spearman Robinson capped a double-digit reception day with a score, but it was not enough as Furman pulled away from Western Carolina in the second half, handing the Catamounts a 49-21 loss Saturday evening at Paladin Stadium.
Last season's Record (Furman): 3-8 overall, 1-4 home, 2-4 away, 3-5 conference (conference wins over ETSU, VMI, & WCU)
- Wofford (away) - Terriers hold off Furman in season opener, 24-23
- Elon (home) - A field goal in the final 5 seconds by the Phonix lifts them over Furman, 34-31
- NC State (away) - State rolls over the Paladins, 49-16
- Colgate (away) - Colgate strong arms the Paladins, 45-14
- ETSU (home) - The Paladins runs past the Bucs, 56-35
- Chattanooga (away) - The Paladins roll past the Mocs, 41-17
- VMI (home) - Furman handles the Keydets, 42-10
- Mercer (home) - The Paladins hold off the Bears to win, 28-21
Key Personnel Returned: Offense - Terrell Bush (OG), Matthew Gordon (WR), Logan McCarter (WR), Matthew Schmidt (C) Defense - Aaquil Annoor (S), Joe Farrar (S), Chinedu Okonya (DE), Jaylan Reid (DT)
Furman was the seventh place pick in the Southern Conference coaches preseason poll, and four Paladins were named to preseason all-conference teams. Furman garnered 26 points in the coaches poll to place seventh, finishing ahead of East Tennessee State (17) and VMI (12). Paladin senior center Matthew Schmidt was the Paladins' lone representative on the preseason all-conference first team. Earning second-team accolades were senior fullback Antonio Wilcox, redshirt junior nose guard Jaylan Reid, and junior safety Aaquil Annoor.
The Paladins have exceeded everyone's expectations this season, much like Western Carolina. In eight games this season, the Cats and Paladins rank 1 & 2 (in that order) in scoring offense in the SoCon and 4 & 5 (in that order) in scoring defense. In total offense, they are 1 & 2, while in total defense, the Cats are at #4 while the Paladins are #7. In rushing, they are 3 & 4 (with the Cats on top), and in rushing defense, the Cats are at #5 while Furman comes in at #2.
2017 Furman Statistics (8 games):
Scoring: 35.2 PPG
Rushing Offense: 1824 yards
Yards per game: 228
Yards per rush: 4.4 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 98
TDs rushing: 23
Passing Offense: 1588 yards or 199 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 10.6 yards
Passing 1st downs: 70
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 94-150-2
TDs Passing: 13
Total Offense: 3412 yards or 427 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 12 - 7
3d Down Conversions: 59 of 116 (51%)
4th Down Conversions: 12 of 16 (75%)
Field goal attempts: 6 - 9
PAT-Attempts: 36 of 36
On-side kicks: 0-1
Red Zone Scores: 29 of 33 (88%)
Red Zone Touchdowns: 25 of 33 (76%)
Punts - Yards: 28 - 1163 - Avg per punt: 42
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