WCU Preseason Preview: Game #7 - Furman

For the Catamount's seventh game of the season, Western Carolina travels to Traveler's Rest, SC to face the Furman Paladins for the 2024 football edition of The Battle for Purple Supremacy. Furman has this game scheduled as their "Homecoming".

Game #7  Furman Paladins

The Paladins are coming off a 10-3 season overall and a 7-1 conference record in 2023, as well as, a SoCon Championship. The Cats have dropped the last two games to Furman.  

When: Saturday, October 19, 2024

Time:  2:00 pm EST
Where: Paladin Stadium, Traveler's Rest, SC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network

     -announcers:  Gary Ayers, Daniel Hooker, Jeff Bryson
TV/video: ESPN+ 

Furman Message Board:  GoPaladins

The Series:  The Cats are 13-36-2 overall against the Paladins in the series that started back in 1972. The Cats had lost 5 in a row to the Paladins, a string that was broken in the 2021 season with a 43-42 win in Whitmire Stadium.  The Cats are 6-19-1 in games played in Paladin Stadium

The last game played vs. Furman:  Oct. 21, 2023 - Catamounts Drop a 29-17 Decision in Battle of SoCon Unbeatens - Cole Gonzales tossed a pair of touchdown passes and Richard McCollum connected on a season-long 43-yard field goal, but #3/4 Furman posted a pair of passing scores and tallied two rushing scores including the second inside the game's final minute in dealing #14/8 Western Carolina a 29-17 setback in Saturday's battle of Southern Conference unbeatens at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

Head Coach: Clay Hendrix - Introduced as Furman’s new head football coach on December 19, 2016, Clay Hendrix in seven 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.

Hendrix vs. Western Carolina: 6-1

Bell vs. Furman:  1-2

Last Season's Record (Furman 2022): 10-3 overall, 6-0 home, 4-3 away, 7-1 in the SoCon 

Offensive Formation:  Multiple 

Starters: Returning: 3

  (Ben Ferguson (WR/8), Joshua Harris (WR/35), Luke Petit (OG/6))

Defensive Formation:   3-4

Starters: Returning: 3

  (Luke Clark (BAN/26), Evan DiMaggio (ILB/7), Xavier Stephens (NG/13)

The Paladins were picked to finish second in the SoCon preseason polls, behind Chattanooga, and just ahead of the Cats, and 8 total Paladins picked up preseason all-conference honors (coaches).

Offense - The Paladins return 3 starters from last year’s championship squad that went two rounds into the playoff. 

Defense - The Furman defense return 3 starters from last season team.  

On the offensive side of the ball, the Paladins lost starting QB Tyler Huff, their top running back and four starting offensive linemen. While the Paladins lost a lot to transfers and graduation, they picked up a lot in the transfer portal. Most notable are, Joshua Burrell a TE from Florida State, Jalen Tate a DB from Georgia State, and Isaac Ward a QB from USC.  Carson Jones,  the SoCon’s Co-Freshman of the Year Award returns at quarterback. Jones played in six games last season and filled in for injured Huff, starting two games.  Furman’s top three receivers also all returned, Colton Hinton, Joshua Harris, and Ben Ferguson. The Paladins will have to replace 4 offensive linemen.

Defensively, the Paladins biggest question mark will be refilling their top three safeties and top three cornerbacks. Overall, Furman only returns three of their top fifteen tacklers on defense. The Paladins maybe very vulnerable on the defensive side of the ball.  

2023 Furman Statistics  (13 games)
Rushing Offense: 2046 yards
Yards per game: 157.4
Yards per rush: 4.2 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 112
TDs rushing: 24
Passing Offense: 2562 yards or 189 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 10.8 yards
Passing 1st downs: 120
Passing Att-Comp-Int: 409-244-98TDs Passing: 17

Total Offense: 4508 yards or 247 ypg
3d Down Conversions: 80 of 199  (40%)
4th Down Conversions: 8  of  19  (42%)
Field Goal-Attempts  19 of 26
On-side kicks: 0 of 1
Red Zone Scores: 48 of 55 

Red Zone Touchdowns: 34 of 565
Avg per punt:  40 yards
Fumbles-Lost: 7-2