Game #9 - Furman Paladins

For the ninth game of the season, the Paladins travel up the mountain to face the Catamounts in the football Battle for Purple Supremacy. The Catamounts and Paladins currently are tied for 5th place in the conference standings with identical 2-3 conference records. 

The Cats have dropped five straight to the Paladins and are looking for a victory in Whitmire to improve on the 6-16-1 record against the Paladins in Whitmire Stadium. 

Game #9 - Furman Paladins

When: Saturday, November 6 

Time: at 2:00 pm

Where: EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcers:   Gary Ayers,  (play-by-play); Greg McLamb, (color)

-stations:  105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC (Sylva); 104.9 FM / 1050 AM WFSC (Franklin); 102.9 FM / 1310 AM WISE (Asheville); 970 AM WYSE (Canton); 95.3 FM WWCU (Cullowhee)

TV/video:  ESPN3

-announcers:  Kyle Rush and Phil Cox
Live Stats:  WCU Live Stats

Game Notes:   Western Carolina   -   Furman

Fan Message Board:  GoPaladins

The Series:  The Cats are 12-34-2 overall against the Paladins in the series that started back in 1972. The Cats have lost 5 in a row to the Paladins, with the last win coming in 2015 in Cullowhee, by a final score of  48-10.  The Cats are 6-16-1 in games played in Cullowhee and are 2-8 in the last 10 games against Furman. 

The last game played vs. Furman:  February 20, 2021 - Defense Forces Three Takeaways in Road Loss at Furman, Greenville, S.C. - Western Carolina's defense forced three takeaways with a trio of interceptions, the first leading to a Catamount touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. However, Furman used a run-oriented offense and strong defensive effort in scoring 35-unanswered points to claim the Southern Conference opener, 35-7, Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.

Games played by the Paladins this season before the WCU contest:  (8 games)  The Paladins opened their season with three out of conference games. Furman hosted Big South newcomer NC A&T, picking up a win in Greenville, then travel to Tenn Tech for their second OOC win. At NC State, they lost 7-45 before facing their first SoCon game with  Mercer., their second loss of the season.  Furman then traveled north on I-85 a few miles to face Wofford pocking up their first conference win, before a return home for two conference games. They hosted The Citadel picking up their second conference win, then hosted ETSU, for a 13-17 loss, before traveling to Chattanooga and a 3-13 loss at the hands of the Mocs.  

Head Coach: Clay Hendrix - Introduced as Furman’s new head football coach on December 19, 2016, Clay Hendrix in three seasons has reinvigorated a Paladin football program accustomed to success. Hendrix, a former standout Paladin offensive guard and assistant coach who returned to his alma mater following a decade as an assistant coach at the US Air Force Academy, directed Furman to an 8-5 campaign and Football Championship (FCS) playoff appearance in 2017, improving on a three-win 2016 season and defying a preseason No. 7 Southern Conference tab by playing for a share of league title in the regular-season finale en route to finishing a consensus No. 20 in two major FCS polls.

Clay Hendrix's record vs. WCU:  4 - 0

Kerwin Bell's record vs. Furman:  0 - 0

Last Season's Record (Furman): 3-4 overall, 2-1 home, 1-3 away, 3-4 in the SoCon 

This Season's Record (Furman): 4-4 overall, 2-2 home, 2-2 away, 2-3 in the SoCon

Offensive Formation:  Multiple (option - flexbone look)
Defensive Formation:   3-4
Starters returning/lost:    21  /  3

The Paladins completed the spring season with a 3-4 record, Three Paladins received All-Southern Conference football honors after the spring season and return for fall, offensive tackle Anderson Tomlin, tight end Ryan Miller, and cornerback Darius Kearse.

In the fall preseason, the Paladins were picked third in a football preseason poll of SoCon media and 5th in the coaches poll. Five Paladins garnered preseason all-conference honors, earning a first-team all-conference tab was fifth-year running back Devin Wynn. Named to the second team were redshirt junior offensive tackle Anderson Tomlin, fifth-year defensive lineman Parker Stokes, and redshirt junior cornerback Travis Blackshear. Timmy Bleekrode, a redshirt junior, landed second-team honors as both a punter and placekicker.

The Paladins will come to Cullowhee riding a two-game losing streak, with losses to ETSU and most recently at Chattanooga, dropping the Paladins to a 2-3 conference record, while the Cats won back-to-back road games to up their conference record to 2-3, for a two-way tie for fifth place in the conference standings.  

The Paladins are in last place in scoring offense, averaging just 18.4 points per game, but are in 3rd place in scoring defense allowing an average of just 18.9 points per game. Rushing, the Paladins are in 8th place at 144.2 ypg, and in 6th place in pass offense, putting up 177 ypg.  In third-down conversion, Furman has made 34 of 113 attempts (39%) and is 4 of 5 in 4th downs conversions.  In the red zone, the Paladins are 17 of 21 in scoring, and only 10 of 21 in touchdowns in the Red Zone. 

2021 Furman Statistics (Fall 8 games)

Scoring Points per game:  18.4
Rushing Offense: 1154 yards
Yards per game: 144.3
Yards per rush: 3.9 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 63
TDs rushing: 9
Passing Offense: 1417 yards or 177.1 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 12.7 yards
Passing 1st downs: 62
Passing Att-Comp-Int: 206-112-8

TDs Passing: 7
Total Offense: 2571 yards or 321.4 ypg
Punts - Avg per punt: 40.7 yards

3d Down Conversions: 34 of 113 (39%)
4th Down Conversions: 4 of 5 (80%)
Field Goal: 12 of 15
On-side kicks: 0 of 0
Red Zone Scores: 17 of 21
Red Zone Touchdowns: 10 of 21 

Fumbles-Lost: 11 - 4
Sacks: 7