Furman heads to William & Mary Saturday

Furman (1-2) at No. 12/13 William & Mary (2-1)

Series: Furman leads 8-7

Coaches: Furman-Clay Hendrix (52-31/8th season)/William & Mary Mike London (31-22/6th Sseason)

Furman and William & Mary meet for the first time in 24 years

Game Overview:

Fresh off its first win of the 2024 season, defending Southern Conference champion Furman (1-2) returns to action Saturday afternoon at No. 12 William & Mary (2-1) for its final non-conference game of the season.

The game is one that represents what once was a thriving Southern Conference gridiron rivalry between a pair of programs that put an emphasis on academic excellence, with both institutions being two of the very best academic schools on the East Coast. 

 William & Mary called the Southern Conference its membership conference for four decades, fielding athletic teams in the nation's fifth-oldest intercollegiate athletics conference from 1936-75. 

Over the past three seasons, the Paladins have been solid against ranked FCS competition, facing 13 ranked foes over the past three campaigns, and the Paladins have gone 10-3 in those games. 

This will be the ninth time the Paladins have officially faced off against a team from the Coastal Athletic Association, which was founded in 2005. The Paladins have defeated Hofstra (W, 44-41/2 OTs/2005 regular-seaosn), Richmond (W, 24-20/2005 FCS Quarterfinals), Delaware (W, 23-21/2008 Regular-Season) at Elon (W, 28-27/First Round of 2017 FCS Playoffs) and vs. Elon (W, 31-6/First Round of 2022 FCS Playoffs).

The three losses in that span for the Paladins have come at Hofstra (L, 17-32/2007 Regular Season), at Elon (L, 7-42/2018 Regular Season) and vs. Elon (L, 31-34/2017 Regular Season). 

Series Info and Other Notable Meetings:

The Paladins and Tribe first met on the gridiron in 1959, with Furman coming up with an 8-7 win in Williamsburg.

The 2024 meeting between the Paladins and Tribe will mark the 16th in the series, with the Paladins holding the narrow 8-7 series edge by virtue of winning the last two between the two programs.

1959–Furman 8, William & Mary 7 (Williamsburg, VA)

—The Paladins used what was a SoCon-leading defensive unit to go on the road and take a 8-7 victory over the William & Mary Indians. The Southern Conference clash was part of what was a 4-6 season for William & Mary, while the Paladins finished the season with a 3-7 mark.

1994–William & Mary 28, Furman 26 (Greenville, S.C.)

William & Mary, who came ranked sixth in Division I-AA football, handed the Paladins a 28-26 setback, which would be the first of four-straight setbacks the Paladins had to endure during the 1994 season after starting the season 1-1 with a loss at Clemson (L, 6-27) and a home opening win over SC State (W, 26-21) If the heartbreaking loss to the Tribe wasn’t bad enough, the Paladins lost starting signal-caller Philly Jones to a broken wrist, ending his season prematurely. It certainly changed the trajectory of the campaign for an already young Paladin team, which would finish with just a 3-8 overall mark, which was the first below .500 season since a 5-6 campaign in 1979. The Tribe was led by quarterback Shawn Knight and would roll up 464 yards of total offense in garnering a hard-fought 28-26 win. Despite losing quarterback Philly Jones to a season-ending wrist injury, the Paladins would see backup Braniff Bonaventure come in and help the Paladin offense amass 467 yards of total offense, utilizing a balanced attack, with 225 yards on the ground and 242 yards through the air. 

1999-Furman 52, William & Mary 6 (Williamsburg, VA)

—The Paladins rolled up 509 yards on the ground—one of the biggest rushing afternoons in program history—handing William & Mary one of its largest home defeats in history, rolling to a 52-6 win over the Tribe. Practice had been limited during the week for the Tribe, and the status of the game was in question for much of the week following heavy rains and bad weather brought by Hurricane Floyd, which hammered the Carolinas and Virginia coastlines.

The meeting between Furman and William & Mary will mark the first clash between the two in 24 years and the 16th overall in the series. 

The Paladins hold what is an 8-7 all-time series edge, including having won the previous two meetings between the two programs. The Paladins were able post a 34-10 win in Paladin Stadium on the strength of a 232-yard rushing performance by Louis Ivory back in the 2000 campaign.

Previewing Saturday's Matchup:

The Paladins were a 48-7 winner over Stetson last time out, while the Tribe was down in Southern Conference country where it had to squeak out what was a 28-21 win at Wofford. 

The Paladins will face their most challenging opposition since the season-opener at No. 5 Ole Miss, as the Paladins were soundly defeated, 76-0, in that contest. 

Needless to say the Paladins, who have also dropped a 24-20 home game to Charleston Southern, which ended an 11-game home winning streak at Paladin Stadium, have been humbled a bit as a program to start the 2024 campaign.

Furman would drop out of both national FCS polls for the first time in almost exactly two years, as the Paladins had a streak of 22-straight weeks come to an end in the aftermath of the four-point home opening loss to Charleston Southern. 

A win Saturday against the Tribe would go a long way in helping the young Paladins return to that elite distinction, but that will be a tall order, as the Tribe are easily one of the most talented teams on Furman's 2024 regular-season slate. 

The game will mark William & Mary's third-straight game against a team from the Palmetto State, having already faced Wofford and Coastal Carolina this season. The Chanticleers are responsible for handing the Tribe its only loss of the season, posting a 40-21 win over the Tribe two weeks ago in Conway. 

Like the city in which it is located, William & Mary's football program is one that is steeped in tradition, having won football games for a long time at the FCS level. The Tribe have been nearly unbeatable in recent times against non-conference competition, as the Tribe have won 43 of their past 45 matchups against non-conference FCS competition. 

That includes a win over a pair of Southern Conference teams, with victories over VMI (W, 41-7) and last week's aforementioned win over the Terriers. The only two losses in that span have come against a pair of Patriot League teams, with the Tribe falling in 2012 to Lafayette and in 2018 to Colgate. 

Interesting of note in that 23-0 loss to Colgate back in 2018, the Tribe played the Raiders a couple of weeks after they were supposed to have faced Furman, which had to cancel its game with Colgate due to Hurricane Florence.   The Tribe is 46-3 against non-conference foes dating back to the 2002 season. The Tribe have won eight of their previous 10 home games heading into Saturday's contest.

While Furman is young on both sides of the football, the Tribe will be a veteran unit on both sides of the football. William & Mary is under the direction of sixth-year head coach Mike London (31-22), who is no stranger to success. He led the Tribe to the 2022 CAA Title and finished the season with an impressive 11-2 record and to the FCS Quarterfinals. 

The Tribe's offensive unit is led by quarterback Darius Wilson (40-of-63 passing, 540 yds, 3 TDs, 0 INTs/35 rush att, 95 yds, 2 TDs, 4.5 YPC), who is a dual threat, but has been much more of a threat as a passer in this year's Tribe offense. Wilson became one of just two players in the rich football history of the Tribe to throw for more than 5,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 in a career.

The other is David Corley Jr., who just happened to be the quarterback the last time these two teams met back in 2000.Wilson currently ranks eighth in school history in total offensive yards (6,976 yds) and ranks ninth in program history in passing yards (5,565 yds) and 10th in total touchdown passes thrown (34). 

Wilson has been solid this season and has yet to throw an INT through the first three games of the season. He's the Tribe's first four-year starter under center since 2008. The 

He has plenty of weapons around him as well, with an All-America caliber running back to hand the ball off to, in graduate student Bronson Yoder (). Yoder, who missed most of last season after suffering a season-ending lower body injury in a win at Maine, has been as good as advertised this season. 

The preseasons STATS Perform All-America selection has posted thirteen 100-yard rushing performances, which ranks him sixth in that category in program history. Yoder currently ranks second in program history in all-purpose yards (4,623 yds), seventh in rushing touchdowns (28), and is currently seventh in rushing yards (2,900).  He was sensational last time out in the win at Wofford last weekend, with 142 yards on 21 carries, which included two scoring runs of 19 and one yards, respectively. He also hauled in three passes for 40 yards.

Malachi Imoh (21 rush att, 95 yds, 2 TDs, 4.5 YPC) gives the Tribe one of the best one-two punches in the FCS in terms of a ground attack. Imoh was a preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention selection. He ranks just outside the school's all-time Top 10 lists in career rushing yards (2,204 yds) and career rushing TDs (19), and is averaging an impressive 7.0 YPC so far this season. He has rushed for 100 or more yards seven times in his career for the Tribe.

The top rushing/receiving option and a player that serves as a hybrid, H-back type player is Hollis Mathis (13 rec, 162 yds, 1 TD, 12.4 YPR). The former quarterback can do it all for the William & Mary offense needs 435 more receiving yards to become the second player in college football history to record 1,000 yards passing, 1,000 yards and 1,000 yards rushing in a career.

Isaiah Lemmond--a transfer from VMI--Damian Harris (7 rec, 105 yds, 15.0 YPR) --a transfer from Bucknell--will be the top downfield threats for the Tribe, and with Furman's young secondary, will probably get a lot of passes thrown their way Saturday evening. Sean McElwain (3 rec, 10 yds, 1 TD, 3.3 YPR) and Trey McDonald (3 rec, 18 yds, 6.0 YPR) offer two viable down field options in the passing game for the Tribe at tight end. 

The experience on the offensive side of the football is perhaps best personified in one player, which is left tackle Charles Grant, who is maybe the best at his position in all of FCS football. Grant is a STATS Perform, FCS Football Central and Phil Steele's Preseason All-American selection and will be making his 33rd-career start Saturday for the Tribe. He allowed just one sack in 334 snaps last season and finished the season grading out at 92% and posted 40 pancake blocks. 

Teaming with Charles Grant along the Tribe's offensive line this fall will be center and team captain Ryan McKenna, right guard Bart Francois, left guard Kadin Lynch and right tackle Greg Klingensmith.

It's a collection of five starters along the offensive front for the Tribe that has been able to help the William & Mary offense average 397.7 YPG, including an impressive 196.7 YPG on the ground. The Tribe's balance on offense is almost distributed evenly, as William & Mary is averaging 201.0 YPG through the air. It's an offensive that has surrendered just five sacks through the first three games.

William & Mary very much resembles Furman's offense from a year ago, as the Paladins and Tribe posted an identical total of just a combined 10 turnovers last season. Those 10 turnovers by both teams last fall were tied for sixth nationally in the FCS. The Tribe has done a nice job of taking care of the football once again this season, turning over just three times so far through the first three games, including having yet to throw an INT in 2024. 

On defense, the Tribe was a little more senior-laden last season, as William & Mary came into the season with just four starters back on the defensive side of the football and have been solid through the first three games of the season.

The Tribe utilizes a 3-4 defensive alignment, and much like other good defenses the Paladins face in the Southern Conference, such as Chattanooga or Mercer, William & Mary doesn't do anything all that tricky on that side of the ball, as they are physical and just line up and play teams mano-y-mano. Even though Mike London is the head coach, he's known as one of the top defensive minds in FCS football.  

Leading the defensive front through the first three games of the season are a pair of talented defensive ends, in senior Mike Malone (7 tackles, 0.5 TFL) and transfer Davin Dzidzienyo (14 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 QBH). In the middle at nose tackle, Gerald Williams (7 tackles, 0.5 TFL), who had four tackles in the 40-21 loss at Coastal Carolina and in the Tribe's only loss in week two, as well as had a half-tackle-for-loss in last week's win at Wofford, rounds out a solid front three for William & Mary. 

The three starters along the defensive front for the Tribe have totaled 2.5 of the team's 14 tackles-for-loss this season. Dzidzienyo's half-a-sack is part of what has been a total of five sacks totaled by the Green and Gold's defense through the first three weeks of the 2024 campaign.

The linebacking unit might be the strength of this William & Mary defense coming into the 2024 season. Leading the second line of the Tribe's defense this season has been Jonathan Hammond (14 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF), as the transfer from Davidson has had an impact for the core of the Tribe's defense so far in 2024. 

He was a four-time All-Pioneer Football League selection prior to his arrival in Williamsburg this fall. Hammond logged action in 41-career games with the Wildcats over the previous four seasons, posting 183 tackles, 37 tackles-for-loss, 22 sacks, 11 PBUs, forced four fumbles, recovered two fumbles, registered two INTs and blocked a kick. 

Along with Hammond, seniors Quinn Osborne (16 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 PBU) and Alex Washington (17 tackles, 2.0 TFL) provide even more experience to the unit. Redshirt freshman Elijah Rainer (9 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 QBH) has looked good in his first season as a starter at inside linebacker, while sophomore Christian Hamm (7 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 QBH), who has been a reserve this season through the first three games at outside linebacker, was one of the premier playmakers on the defensive side of the ball at linebacker as a freshman in 2023.

The secondary has also been solid through the first three games of the season, led by senior All-CAA safety Marcus Barnes (17 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PBUs), who also just happens to be the Tribe's top tackler entering Saturday evening's contest. Barnes is coming off a six-tackle, one pass breakup performance in the seven-point win at Wofford. 

Barnes will team with redshirt freshman free safety TJ McGill (15 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs), while junior Jalen Jones (17 tackles, 5 PBUs) and senior Jaedon Joyner () round a veteran unit at the respective cornerback positions. Jones has a streak of 25-straight starts at corner for the Tribe.

All told, the Tribe have surrendered 22.7 PPG and 350.3 YPG through the first three games of the season, which are both solid totals for a defense that has been a tough nut to crack through the first three games in 2024. In fact, Wofford is the only team to score a second half offensive touchdown against the Tribe through the first three games this season. That's a sign that the Tribe's staff do an outstanding job of making the necessary adjustments in the halftime locker room. 

Furman has an offense capable of being explosive through the air but has yet to show the ability to run the ball consistently between the tackles. A lot of that has to do with inexperience, with just three starters returning and was a unit that entered the season with much less overall experience than the Paladin defense, which also welcomed three starters back. however, had much more experience spread throughout its reserves than did the offense entering the 2024 season.

Highlighting Furman's overall youth this season has been the fact that, through the first three games, the Paladins have had 14 first-time starters, including 10 first timers in the season-opener against No. 6 Ole Miss. Talk about a trial by fire! 

Leading the offense and expected to make his second career start for the Paladins under center Saturday is talented true freshman Trey Hedden (37-of-61 passing, 487 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT). The rookie quarterback from Tampa is the reigning STATS Perform Freshman of the Week after connecting on 20-of-27 passes for 267 yards and two TDs, while also posting a 13-yard scoring run in the second half to account for three touchdown responsibilities in the contest.

His 267-yard passing performance also garnered Hedden SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors, as his performance ranked as the fifth-highest passing yardage total ever recorded by a Paladin true freshman, with Brent Rickman (19-of-25 passing, 335 yds, 3 TDs vs. VMI in 1997), PJ Blazejowski (20-of-29 passing, 307 yds, 3 TDs at The Citadel in 2014/15-of-15 passing, 305 yds, 2 TDs vs. Wofford in 2014), and Jace Wilson (13-of-24 passing, 269 yds, 2 TDs vs. VMI in 2021) are the only true freshman performances to rank better than that of Hedden's performance against Stetson in Furman's 48-7 win this past Saturday. 

Hedden, who was a three-star recruit coming out of Tampa Catholic High School, had touchdown passes covering 50 and 51 yards in the 48-7 win over Stetson last Saturday, which Furman never accomplished in the same game last season. In fact, Furman has had more chunk passing plays through the first three games this season than it totaled the entire 2023 season.

Furman also had a 64-yard pitch, catch and run vs. Charleston Southern, and eight pass plays of more than 30 yards through the air in the first three games of the 2024 season. 

Three of those big plays belong to senior Joshua Harris (13 rec, 257 yds, 2 TDs, 19.7 YPR), who is a preseason All-SoCon selection and is one of the Paladins' most experienced players on either side of the ball, while the Newnan, GA., native continues to move up the overall receiving charts as a Paladin wideout. 

Harris alone has receptions of 58, 50, 30, and 39 yards alone through the first three weeks of the season.  The senior wideout currently ranks third in the SoCon in receiving yards (257), as well as ranking third in the league in receptions (13). 

Harris currently ranks eighth in career receptions (129), while his career-best 164 receiving yards, which helped him easily surpass his previous career-best of 146 established against Mercer back in 2022. All told, Harris has 1,599 career receiving yards, which currently ranks 13th in program history.

Ben Ferguson (8 rec, 199 yds, 1 TD, 24.8 YPR), who might have the best hands of the Paladin wideouts, gives Hedden another talented downfield option, as does Colton Hinton (14 rec, 64 yds, 1 TD, 4.6 YPR), who might be the fastest player on the roster and was a SoCon All-Freshman selection last season. Hinton really shined in Furman's playoff loss to Montana last December, hauling in a season-long 70-yard pass to set up Furman's first score in a 35-28 overtime loss to the Grizzlies. 

The Paladins normally throw a lot to the tight end, however, Florida State transfer, which was Furman's big-play option down the field and was going to be utilized to create matchup problems for the opposition, went down with a pretty significant lower body injury on Furman's opening series against Charleston Southern, and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. 

The Paladins do have the luxury of having plenty of depth at the position, however, with SoCon All-Freshman pick Brock Chappell (4 rec, 54 yds, 13.5 YPR) offering a reliable set of hands for Hedden to throw to. Each of Furman's previous two tight ends--Ryan Miller (2022) and Mason Pline (2023) -- have been undrafted free agent signees in the NFL, highlighting the Paladins' ability to utilize the position, particularly in the passing game, as well as anyone in the FCS.

Two big question marks have yet to really be answered for the Paladins through the first three games, and the two areas essentially go hand-in-hand, and they are the offensive line and the running game. 

While Furman has answered at least some questions at quarterback and about its passing game, which was expected to be a strength coming into the season, the ability to consistently establish the ground game has remained something that Paladins have yet to adequately do.

There are at least four capable ground-gainers that have shown flashes through the first three weeks, with Myion Hicks (25 rush att, 105 yds, 1 TD, 4.2 YPC), Grant Robinson (26 rush att, 50 yds, 1 TD ,1.9 YPC), and Bailor Hughes (16 rush att, 55 yds, 3.4 YPC) offering the most viable options.  

Gavin Hall showed some flashes in Furman's win over Stetson last weekend and scored his first touchdown as a Paladin on an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter. 

The Paladins have some experience along the offensive front, but the lone returnee with significant experience along the offensive front is left guard Luke Petit. Center Chris Luna is one of the most talented young offensive linemen, and right guard Ryan Lamb and right tackle Blake Hundley have also logged plenty of game action in their respective Paladin careers. 

Protecting Hedden Saturday will obviously be top priority. Through the first three games this season, the Paladins have already surrendered an alarming nine sacks, which by my rudimentary math, comes to three sacks yielded per game. The nine sacks surrendered is almost halfway to last season's 22 sacks surrendered through 13 games.

As an offense this season, the Paladins are averaging 22.7 PPG and 339.3 YPG, with roughly 240 yards coming through the air and 99 on the ground. 

Furman's defense was among the staunchest it has had in recent memory last season. Much of its front seven that is starting this season logged meaningful action last season. Furman is multiple on the defensive side of the football, and the Paladins are led by one of the best young and up-and-coming coordinators in FCS football, in Duane Vaughn.

Dating back to the start of last season, the Paladins have 43 sacks, with five quarterback takedowns through the first three games this season. Xavier Stephens (9 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks) and Jeremiah Jackson (6 tackles) both give the Paladins excellent leadership along the defensive line. 

Bandit linebacker Luke Clark (11 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) and defensive tackle Malachi Harrison (4 tackles) round out the starters along the defensive front for the Paladins. Joshua Stoneking (5 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs, 2 QBHs, 1 blkd kick), who has a blocked field goal last week vs. Stetson has helped provide good depth along the defensive front this season.  

Clark was named a preseason All-American by STATS Perform, garnering third-team honors by STATS Perform. He led the Paladins' pass rush, which posted a SoCon-leading 38 sacks last season, led the Paladins with six quarterback sacks. 

The Paladins have a strong linebacker's room as well, and a few adjustments have had to be made this season as a result of some injuries in the secondary, and some guys have been moved around as a result. Evan DiMaggio (20 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 INT, 3 QBHs) was a preseason All-SoCon selection this season and has certainly played like it. 

He makes life tough on the perimeter for teams to get the edge, especially opposing running backs, as he has excellent athleticism and is one of the biggest hitters on the defensive side of the ball for the Paladins. He's also been utilized effectively be defensive coordinator Duane Vaughn as a blitzing linebacker. DiMaggio's 20 tackles leads the Paladins with 20 stops this season. He also picked off a pass last week in Furman's 48-7 win over Stetson, 

Amaah Achina (13 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QBH) is one of the best athletes on the Paladins roster and will line up as Furman's starter at the weakside linebacker spot Saturday evening. Achina earned the starting job each of the previous two seasons as a part of the Paladin linebacking unit, but had season ending injuries end his season before week three in each of the past two campaigns. 

The secondary continues to biggest question mark for the Paladins, but the unit seems to be improving as the season has progressed.  A few too many PI penalties last week, however, the unit showed some marked improvement, albeit against what was an inferior opponent.  

The secondary is definitely the "greenest" unit on either side of the ball for the Paladins, and as a result, each of the previous three opponents this season have taken shots down field against the Paladins, knowing exactly that. 

Brandt Babin (3 tackles, 2.0 TFL) is set to make his second-straight start at the 'Spur' linebacker/safety spot. Babin was solid in the win over Stetson last Saturday, as the redshirt junior had a tackle and a tackle-for-loss last week in the 41-point home win. 

With both Justin Hartwell and AK Burrell going down with season-ending injuries before the season even started, the 'Spur' position has seen the most adjustments in terms of starters being moved and players getting their first starts at that position through the first three weeks of the season. 

Babin will get his second-straight start at the position, having made his first career start at the spot in last week's home win.  True freshman Javaris Jones has been impressive enough to garner a spot on the depth chart. He came to Furman as a cornerback, however, has been moved to 'Spur' as a result of those aforementioned injury issues.

Set to start at the two safety positions Saturday evening is both Caleb Williams (13 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs), who will start at the strong safety spot. Williams brings veteran leadership to the young unit and saw his first start last season in Furman's 27-21 road win at Samford. 

His backup, Billy Lewis, recorded the first two-INT game for the Paladins since Cally Chizik posted a pair of INTs in a road playoff loss at Incarnate Word back in 2022.  Lewis' start to his career is reminiscent of that of former Paladin All-America safety Hugh Ryan.

The free safety spot will be occupied Tre' McCloud (15 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs), who is another player in his first season as a starter in the Paladin secondary. He won the position during the off-season, and with those aforementioned injury issues to Hartwell and Burrell, won the job to be a starter in the Paladin secondary for a first time this season. 

Jaylan Moson (13 tackles, 1.0 TFL) and Midwestern State graduate transfer Mo Perkins (10 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 QBH) round out the starters on the Furman defense at the respective cornerback positions. 

Prediction and Thoughts:

Originally, I picked Furman to win this game in the preseason, however, the Paladins are still a work in progress, having to replace so many players from a year ago, and the Tribe are a veteran team with a four-year starter at quarterback, and so with that said, I think this will be a close game and a true measuring stick as to how far the Paladins have come, but I think the Tribe wins a close one. 

William & Mary 28, Furman 24