GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Deep South’s oldest football rivalry will be renewed today when the Furman Paladins play host to the Wofford Terriers in a Southern Conference clash at Paladin Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
The contest will mark the 100th football meeting between the Upstate South Carolina schools, who played the first football game in state history on Dec. 14, 1889, in Spartanburg.
Furman (2-3, 1-0) leads the all-time series 56-36-7 and owns a 35-12-5 record against Wofford in Greenville. The Paladins sport a 13-4-1 worksheet versus the Terriers at Paladin Stadium but dropped the last meeting there, 19-13, in 2024.
Wofford (2-3, 1-2) has claimed the last three clashes, including last year’s 31-13 verdict in Spartanburg.
The Paladins and Terriers are both coming off losses. Furman dropped a 19-13 road decision to 19th-ranked Richmond last Saturday while Wofford fell to Tennessee Tech, 42-38, in Spartanburg.
A win by Furman on Saturday would back up a Sept. 12, 20-13 road triumph over two-time defending SoCon champion Mercer and keep the Paladins squarely in the SoCon race.
Nothing would satisfy Wofford more than playing spoiler to that goal while ending their own three-game losing skid that followed season opening wins over The Citadel (42-14) and Gardner-Webb (17-13).
Eyes will be on head coach Clay Hendrix’s squad after the 10th-year head coach handed the Paladins’ offensive reins to Dru Dudzik last Sunday. Dudzik, who coached the Paladin wide receivers his first four years with the program, took over quarterback coaching duties this year. He’s already had to deal with a change in signal caller, with junior Connor Ackerley taking over Jake Garcia, who suffered a shoulder injury against South Carolina State two weeks ago.
Dudzik’s task will be to help breathe some life into a Furman offense that has scored six touchdowns in five games and is averaging only 15.0 points per game.
Furman’s offensive struggles have been contrasted by solid, oftentimes stellar play by Furman’s defense, which registered four takeaways in the loss to Richmond, including an interception at the Spiders’ 24-yard line with 2:28 remaining that the Paladin offense turned over on downs four plays later.
Defensive coordinator Chad Byers’ troops rank among the best in the FCS in several categories, including third down conversion percentage defense (7th/.265), interceptions (T2nd/8), and turnovers gained (2nd/13), which has contributed significantly in Furman’s turnover margin (8th/+1.20).
Furman will look for its experienced and deep defensive front to play a big role on Saturday, led by consensus All-American end Joshua Stoneking (17 tack., 2 TFL, 1.5 sacks), tackle Demetrius Baldwin, Jr. (11 tack., 2 PBU), and bandit Eli Lipscomb (25 tack., 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 FR).
The Paladins lost starting inside linebackers Raleigh Herbert and Caleb Ellison to injury in the second half of their victory over Mercer. While they look to return to action soon, Furman has gotten solid efforts from their replacements, Ryan Earl (29 tack., 2 FRs) and Nick Simmons (14 tack.).
Cornerback Caleb Easterling, who has three interceptions already this season, has emerged as a playmaker in his first full season of action. Safety Joshua Tarver, a graduate transfer from Yale, claimed his second interception of the season last week against Richmond.
Despite the lack of success in finding the end zone so far this season, Furman has demonstrated a solid kicking game headed up by Nathan Chapman, who has converted 11-of-14 field goal attempts, including eight from 40+ yards — the most by any kicker in both the FCS and FBS.
—story and photo are courtesy of Furman Athletics