Furman Plays Spoiler on Senior Day at No. 21 ETSU

 

Furman true freshman QB Trey Hedden Has passed for 1,557 yards and 12 TDs in 2024 (Photo Courtesy of Furman Athletics)

JOHNSON CITY, TENN--No matter what this season and year has brought, Furman's football team and its staff never wavered and never threw in the towel, and if all that hard work and dedication could pay off in one Saturday, it did in the penultimate Saturday of the 2024 football season, as Furman held off No. 21 East Tennessee State, 24-21, in front of 8,436 partisan Bucs fans on-hand at William B. Greene Stadium.

Furman's triumph allowed the Paladins to improve to 3-7 overall, including 2-4 in Southern Conference action, with one game remaining next Saturday at No. 10 Mercer. With the loss, the Bucs fell to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in SoCon action and will finish out their season next Saturday taking on VMI at Foster Stadium. With its third win, Furman avoids becoming the first team since 1972 to fail to win at least three games in a season. The Paladins also claimed their third-straight win over the Bucs in the series, improving to 30-9 all-time in series history.

The Bucs were trying for to post wins over the three Palmetto State SoCon programs (Furman, Wofford and The Citadel) for just the third time in series history, however, the Paladins ended the hopes of this ETSU team joining the 2021 Bucs and the 1986 ETSU teams as the only ones to record wins over all three in the same season over the aforementioned Sandlapper State opposition.

The Paladins' win over the Bucs also marked a milestone victory for the program, as Furman notched its 300th win in its 85th season of SoCon gridiron competition (540 all-time SoCon games). The Paladins improved to 300-229-11 in 85 seasons of league play. Furman is the all-time winningest program in Southern Conference history and has won a league-standard 15 SoCon titles, with the latest of those coming in 2023. 

ETSU head coach Tre Lamb did a lot of good for the Bucs in his first season in town, and whatever the result next week at VMI is, it should be remembered as such. But whether it ends 7-5 or 6-6 after next week, it will be a season that will most likely remembered for missed opportunities, with the most notable being a 38-35 home loss to current No. 1 North Dakota State in the third game of the season, and the five Bucs losses this season have come by a combined 19 points. Saturday's loss is likely the final nail in the coffin to ETSU FCS playoff hopes.  

The narratives of how the season's story is told depends on how you want to spin it, however, most Bucs fans would have likely taken a four-win improvement with a chance to win 11 out of 12 Saturdays if that deal had been offered prior to the season. Of course, the most recent loss, from an ETSU perspective feels a lot different than the one it had in the same stadium to current No. 1 North Dakota State by the same margin some 63 days ago. However, in the broad spectrum, it's largely been a success for the Bucs under its new, energetic leadership, who has a vision of title-winning success and gave Bucs fans enough of a taste in 2024 to come back wanting even more next fall. 

Furman knows well what the weight of a game of this sort has, with playoff hopes likely hanging in the balance, and what the potential has with a win. It's a lot of pressure. Rewinding the calendar backwards to 2011 in what was Bruce Fowler's first season as the head coach of the Paladins, Furman had wins over a pair of top five teams, in  No. 3 Appalachian State (W, 20-10) and No. 4 Wofford (W, 26-21), and all the Paladins had to do was win their final league game and home game before facing Florida in the final game of the regular-season against lowly Elon. 

The Phoenix did pose a bit more of a threat entering that game than the perceived threat posed by the Paladins some 13 years later at ETSU, however, as the Phoenix were 4-5 during that 2011 season. However, like ETSU this past Saturday under its then first-year head coach, faltered at a crucial point of the season, with a 41-34 loss to the Phoenix. 

Ultimately, following a 55-35 loss at FBS and SEC member Florida the following week saw the Paladins close out the 2011 campaign with a 6-5 mark, and that loss to the Phoenix seemed to overshadow all the work that Furman had done to build its resume during the campaign, which included a pair of wins over Top 5 ranked foes.

Furman now has a chance to build on this result into another one next weekend at Mercer, and a win there could really send the Paladins into the off-season with quite the momentum. The Paladins were led by freshman quarterback Trey Hedden, who finished the contest connecting on 23-of-28 passes for 210 yards and a pair of TDs and one INT. 

The Bucs held a sizeable 425-282 advantage in total offense, with ETSU amassing 225 yards through the air and another 200 on the ground, outgaining the Paladins 200-72 in rushing yards. The Bucs played three different quarterbacks in the contest, with Gino English finishing the contest connecting on 10-of-17 throws with one TD and three INTs. The Bucs have thrown six INTs in the past two games. Jaylen King also connected on 3-of-4 passes for 21 yards and Baylor Hayes completed the contest by connecting on 3-of-5 throws for 62 yards.

Hedden's favorite target in the contest was sophomore sensation Colton Hinton, who hauled in six passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Ethan Harris was also especially productive in the receiving department for the Paladins, hauling in three passes for 62 yards, while sophomore tight end Brock Chappell hauled in three passes for 26 yards. Junior Ben Ferguson finished his afternoon with two catches for 26 yards and a score. 

The Paladins could only muster 72 yards on the ground in the contest, with Myion Hicks being the most effective ground option for the Paladins, as he rushed it 21 times for 65 yards and a score.

ETSU's leading option in the passing game was AJ Johnson, who hauled in six passes for 106 yards. Xavier Gaillardetz's lone catch of the afternoon resulted in a 42-yard scoring reception in the third quarter, which gave ETSU its only lead of the afternoon, at 21-14. Karim Page finished with five catches for 37 yards.

On the ground, the Bucs were led by speedy Devontae Houston, as he finished the contest with 103 yards, which included a 64-yard touchdown, on 12 rush attempts. Bryson Irby finished up the afternoon with 14 rush attempts for 38 yards.

Defensively, the Paladins got three INTs from Billy Lewis, Maurice Perkins, and Caleb Williams. Lewis ended the day with nine tackles to go with that INT. It was no surprise, then, that the SoCon's leading tackler--Evan DiMaggio--led all tacklers in the game, with 13 stops and 2.5 tackles behind the line-of-scrimmage. Senior bandit linebacker Luke Clark finished his day with eight tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and Furman's lone sack. He now has 15 sacks in his Paladin career and will close out what has been an outstanding five years in a Paladin uniform next Saturday at Mercer.

Furman, which has had trouble creating turnovers this season, with only nine created this season and only one in its previous 10 quarters coming into Saturday's showdown with the Bucs, used a three INTs in the game that led to a crucial 10 points, which was enough to notch its biggest win of the 2024 season.

The Bucs were paced defensively by linebacker William McRainey and Ray Coney, who comprise one of the best linebacking units in the SoCon. McRainey and Coney contributed 12 tackles apiece in the Senior Day loss, with McRainey adding two tackles behind the line-of-scrimmage. Coney's lone tackle-for-loss in the contest came as a result of the Bucs lone sack on the afternoon.

How It Happened:

Furman hasn't been offered all that many opportunities to take an early lead this season, however, the Paladins matched their strong start of a week ago against Wofford, taking a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, however, unlike last Saturday, which saw the Paladins convert the game's opening drive into points, this time around it was a case of the defense setting up the offense after ETSU received the opening kickoff of the day.

The Paladin defense stopped ETSU on 4th-and-1 at its own 34-yard line when linebackers Evan DiMaggio and Hysan Dalton stonewalled ETSU linebacker Teddy Wilson for no gain, giving the Paladins the early momentum in the game, which is something that, with the exception of a lapse in the third quarter when ETSU assumed the lead, the Paladins were able to maintain throughout a majority of the contest.

Trey Hedden, who started his first game in three weeks, was able to engineer a short scoring drive, as he completed a key nine-yard pass to freshman running back Gavin Hall on a 3rd-and-9 play to extend the drive and get the ball to the Bucs 12-yard line, and then after Hall lost a yard on a rush attempt, Hedden found veteran wideout Ben Ferguson for a 13-yard touchdown, with Ferguson doing the most of the work on his own, hauling in the Hedden aerial, and then somehow avoided five ETSU defenders on the wide side of the field, using a nice block from Ethan Harris in the process to find the corner pylon of the end zone and an early 7-0 lead for the Paladins following the Ian Williams PAT with 11:18 remaining in the opening quarter.

Much like the last time Furman traveled up to Johnson City in 2022, which saw the Paladins convert an INT by former defensive back Hugh Ryan into an Ian Williams 44-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead and then got an Einaj Carter 75-yard scoring catch on very first play of the next possession and the third play of the game, the Bucs wasted little time to tie the 2024 contest with another big play, and the ETSU offense would do so this time on its sixth play of the afternoon. After quarterback Jaylen King gained 11 yards on the first play of the drive, Devontae Houston used his tremendous speed to scamper 64 yards for a score to tie the game, 7-7, with 10:31 remaining in the opening quarter.

Both defenses would settle in from that point, and the only score of in the remainder of the half coming following a momentum-changing INT from Caleb Williams, as he picked off a Gino English pass at the Furman 5-yard line and proceeded to return it 35 yards to the Paladin 40 and set up the Furman offense in great stead with 9:45 remaining in the half.

The Paladin offense would take full advantage, as Hedden engineered a 13-play, 60-yard drive, which included the Paladins converting a 4th-and-1 on a Myion Hicks 1-yard run at the ETSU 3, and then on the next play, Hicks found paydirt from two yards out to give the Paladins a 14-7 lead following Williams' PAT with three minutes left in the half. 

ETSU used a 42-yard completion from Baylor Hayes-to-AJ Johnson to help set up first-and-goal, and a great effort and tackle by Furman freshman safety Billy Lewis made all the difference, as it looked the Bucs might tie the game. However, courtesy of the Lewis takedown, the Bucs were penalized for holding after Bryson Irby scored and then Ewan Johnson's 27-yard field goal was no good with two seconds left in the opening half, which allowed Furman to take a seven-point lead, and a great deal of momentum to the halftime locker room.

The Bucs would tie the game early in the third quarter after the Furman offense went three-and-out on its first possession, and a short 37-yard punt by Williams set up the ETSU offense in great field position at its own 42.  The Bucs would avoid near disaster driving deep inside Furman territory after Billy Lewis forced running back Devontae Houston to fumble, however, he recovered his own mishap at the Furman one. On the next play, Gino English plunged over the top for a touchdown to tie the game, 14-14, following Ewan Johnson's PAT with 10:52 remaining in the third quarter.

The Bucs had now seized all the momentum in the contest, and after the two teams exchanged punts, the Bucs were able to further the belief of another come-from-behind win when Trey Hedden was picked off by Jaden Woods at the ETSU 43 with 8:05 remaining in the quarter. The ETSU offense didn't need much time to punch the ball into the end zone for the third time in the contest and assume a 21-14 lead when English tossed his lone scoring pass of the day, finding a wide-open Xavier Galliardetz for a 42-yard scoring strike with 6:13 left in the third.

However, just as ETSU had offered quick replies on Furman's scores all afternoon, it was time for Hedden and the Paladin offense to turn the tables, using a bounce-back drive of their own to tie the game. With just over a minute-and-a-half remaining in the third, Hedden found elusive wideout Colton Hinton on a quick slant, and he cut across the field, avoiding two ETSU would-be tacklers in the process to help the Paladins tie the football game, 21-21, with just 1:36 left in the third.

Then to open the fourth quarter, the Paladins intercepted ETSU's English on consecutive possessions, thwarting ETSU scoring opportunities. Billy Lewis, who was shaken up after his INT early in the fourth quarter, intercepting English's pass on a 2nd-and-4 play at the Paladin 45. 

Furman's offense was grounded as a result of a chop block infraction, which eventually forced Ian Williams to punt the ball back to the Bucs. This time, Furman transfer defensive back Maurice Perkins, who transferred into the program from Midwestern State, anticipated English's progression perfectly, stepping in of a Bucs wideout to easily intercept the ill-advised English aerial at the 40 and Perkins' 18-yard return set up the Paladin offense in excellent position at the ETSU 24 with 11:09 left.

Although the Paladin offense wouldn't find the end zone, it would do enough to set up a vital short Ian Williams field goal attempt, which allowed the Paladins regain the lead. Williams' 21-yard field goal staked the Paladins to a 24-21 lead with 9:08 left.

The Bucs got the ball back with 9:08 remaining after the touchback, however, few could have anticipated that it would be their final possession of the contest. Furman's defense rose to the challenge and was a unit that was seemingly getting better as the game wore on, as running lanes that existed earlier in the day for the ETSU offense, were either not there, or closing almost as quickly as they had initially opened. 

With Jaylen King now in at quarterback, he would rush for two yards on first down and that would be followed up by a five-yard rush by Bryson Irby on second down. Facing a crucial 3rd-and-3 at its own 32, Paladin linebacker Ryan Earl made one of the biggest plays of the afternoon on a beautifully designed run blitz, as the redshirt freshman from Peachtree City, GA, stuffed King for a loss of a yard, as the Paladin defense erupted in celebration. ETSU was forced to punt the ball back to Furman and the Paladin offense took over at their own 24 with 7:18 left. 

The Paladins would put together maybe their most impressive non-scoring drive of the season to close out the road win over a ranked foe. The Paladins would snap the ball 14 times, with the final one being in the victory formation, as the Paladins celebrated in unison on their sideline at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium as the clock hit triple zeroes. 

The biggest play of the drive and one of the gutsiest and most well-designed plays of the 2024 season was dialed up by Furman offensive coordinator Justin Roper, as the Paladins faced a 4th-and-3 play at the ETSU 31. 

Rather than attempt a long field goal and allow the Bucs to get the football back with a chance to win the game with a touchdown, the Paladins took a timeout to talk things over. Instead of taking a shot downfield, the design was to get the ball to one of Furman's best playmakers in space, in Colton Hinton, who came free in motion underneath  a short dump pass with space and some space to operate, and the sophomore wideout zigged one way to leave the first Bucs would-be tackler grasping for air, and then almost immediately zagged immediately to force a second to partially miss. 

ETSU defensive back Jimmy Bowdry, who was the second defender to try and stop Hinton short of the sticks, was able to grab Hinton's ankle as he scampered past, but it was too late as the speedy and elusive wideout from Ashburn, VA., was able to lunge forward another yard and cover the needed distance to gain a first down with two minutes left. The two minute timeout was the final one of the day, and the Paladins were able to run out the remaining two minutes to clinch the road win.

Furman will return to action next Saturday when it closes out the regular-season against SoCon regular-season champion and FCS Playoff automatic bid qualifier Mercer (9-2, 6-1 SoCon) at Five Star Stadium in Macon, GA. Kickoff for that contest is slated for 3 p.m. EST. ETSU finishes out its 2024 season looking to finish off Lamb's first season with seven wins, which would be a stark improvement over the previous two seasons, which saw the Bucs win a combined six in the previous two campaigns. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. EST at Foster Stadium in Lexington, VA.