GREENVILLE, S.C. — The “preseason” is over for the Furman Paladins. Saturday is go time in Macon, Ga.
Furman hits the road for a second straight week, facing host Mercer in the Southern Conference opener for both teams at 6:00 p.m.
The 14th-ranked Bears have won two straight over Furman (1-1, 0-0 Southern), while the Paladins will be looking for it’s fifth straight win to open SoCon play in the last five years.
Paladins head coach Clay Hendrix challenged his team this week by setting the stage ahead of Saturday night against the 2026 preseason pick to win the league.
“They were one of the ones people picked to win and I told our team yesterday, nobody thought much of us,” Hendrix said. “I’ve watched a little bit of everybody and I think it’s there for the taking for the team that can go play well.
“I think our guys are thrilled to be going to the defending champion, who were picked to win it this year, ranked and playing at their place. Those are the games that you need to go win.”
Mercer (2-0, 0-0) ran the table in the SoCon last year, going 8-0 including a 52-28 win over Furman in Greenville. The Paladins jumped out to a quick 13-0 lead last season, but the Bears stormed back with 24 unanswered points to take a 24-13 halftime lead.
The closest Furman got was 31-28 early in the third quarter before Mercer scored 21 straight points to close the game.
“We started really well a year ago. Then we just couldn’t defend them and the same old stuff kind of showed up,” Hendrix said. “We had two huge games against them in 2022 and 2023 and won both of those.”
Since Mercer restarted its football program with former Furman head coach and Paladin standout Bobby Lamb as its head coach in 2014, the two teams have split the 12 meetings. And Furman is 3-3 in games in Macon.
“They’re a talented group and it’s going to be great environment down there,” Furman quarterback Jake Garcia said. “Mercer is a great program, so I’m excited to get to go down there and be a part of it.”
While the Michigan-transfer wasn’t around for the two previous meetings, Garcia’s Furman teammates have been quick to point out the results in the locker room. But Garcia isn’t taking the bait and is more focused on the things he and his team can control.
“It’s a big one and why is it a big one, because it’s the next one,” he said. “This is the next opportunity for us. As for (Mercer’s) past success, we have tried to tune that out and go back to the fact that this is going to be 11 on 11. It’s going to be a good football game and great environment to take another step in the right direction.”
Despite the 56-9 loss at No. 20 (FBS) Tennessee last weekend, Hendrix left pleased with the performance of his team. Trailing 14-0 late first half, the Paladins came up empty on fourth and short inside the UT 35-yard line.
“Great call, great route, great throw and it’s dropped,” Hendrix said of the missed fourth down play. “To me, if nothing else, even if we run three more plays and kick a field goal, there’s about four minutes left in the half and it’s going to be 14-3. Instead, we go into the half down 28-0. I just think we’re a group that has a chance to get better and better.”
One of the reasons Hendrix is so optimistic about the Paladins’ upside this season is their overall depth and personnel. Another big reason is Furman’s ability to run the football, something Furman struggled to do over the last two seasons.
Last weekend against the Vols, Furman ran for 178 yards led by sophomore Isaiah Davis’ game-high 113 yards on just eight carries. Davis wasn’t even on the Paladins two-deep, depth chart going into the game against UT.
“We rushed for more yards against Tennessee than we did in any game last year,” Hendrix said, pointing out their inability to run the ball the last-two seasons. “It was just a real, real struggle. I think we’re better everywhere. Our guys up front are playing pretty good, we’ve got a little more depth, we’ve changed some things certainly and I think it’s our running back group.
“I think our receivers are doing a great job blocking there. I also think Jake’s been a huge part of it. His willingness to go in there and be decisive. In the last-two years, our QB position has produced minus 288 yards rushing and it’s no wonder we couldn’t run the ball.”
Despite Mercer’s reportedly “new” roster with almost 75 fresh faces from a year ago, Hendrix said one of the keys to getting out of Macon with a win revolves more around what his team has done a good job of this season. After two games, Furman has only turned the ball over once, an interception against Anderson University in the opener.
“Defensively, our adage is ‘stop the run’ and get after the quarterback,” Hendrix said. “I think offensively, get a little bit more balanced, while continuing to run the ball wall. Week 1 we just had too many opportunities. When you get into the red zone you have to score points. We’ve done a pretty good job staying out of some negatives, not turning the ball over and putting our defense in bad spots.”
Note: Furman’s Garcia was a backup to five-star Bryce Underwood at Michigan last season. He was on the team bus last Saturday evening, pulling back onto campus at Furman during the exciting finish to the Wolverines’ controversial 13-12 win at home against Western Michigan.
“I couldn’t get logged into YouTube TV on the bus, so I started watching it on somebody else’s phone,” Garcia said. “I saw the first Hail Mary get thrown and then we shut it off because we pulled up to campus.”
Like most, Garcia thought that the game was over and that the Broncos had pulled off the shocker. But something didn’t seem right getting off the bus.
“Coach was sitting up at the front of the bus and he was watching the game,” he said. “I peeked over his shoulder and saw a Hail Mary get thrown again and just thought he was behind.”
It wasn’t until they got back into the Furman Football Complex when an assistant coach came up to Garcia and asked what he thought about the ending that he found out what happened.
“I didn’t know they had won and had to go back and watch it. I’m happy for Michigan, the players that I was there with and want all the success for Bryce (Underwood).”