A Historical Look Back at the Furman and Presbyterian Series

Furman and Presbyterian will play each other for the first time since the 2014 season, as the Palmetto State battle will mark the 57th all-time meeting between the two schools. Furman holds a 43-12-1 all-time series edge, and it will also mark the second-straight season in which the Paladins have faced a team from Pioneer Football League, having knocked off Stetson, 48-7, last season.

The Blue Hose went to Mercer last Saturday and stunned the Bears, defeating the 11^th-ranked team in FCS, 15-10, to end what had been an eight-game losing streak against ranked opposition for the Blue Hose, which dates back to a 10-7 win by the Blue Hose over No. 12 back in 2014.

Significant Series Moments…

(1979-2014)

Presbyterian Upsets Furman (Sept. 13, 2014)

In a game delayed by storms and fog, the Blue Hose took advantage of the big opportunity and shocked the Paladins, using a defensive effort that would end up limiting the Paladins to just seven points and just 214 yards of total offense en route to getting the 10-7 win.

At this time, the Blue Hose gave scholarships and played as a member of the Big South Conference. Recent upsets over both Wofford (W, 23-20/2023) and last week vs. No. 11 Mercer (W, 15-10) last week would rank as bigger upsets than the win over Furman in 2014. PC is the only Pioneer Football League to ever defeat a Southern Conference program on the gridiron. 

The win would be the first in program history over a the Blue Hose, which had moved up to the NCAA Division I FCS foe, as the Blue Hose made the jump to the NCAA Division I FCS level originally as a scholarship program back in 2007 as members of the Big South Conference. The Blue Hose would enjoy membership in that conference affiliation until the end of the 2019 season, joining the Pioneer Football League just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The winning points would come from the Blue Hose midway through the fourth quarter, as Presbyterian trailed the 12th-ranked and defending SoCon champion Paladins 7-3. However, Blue Hose quarterback Heys McMath connected with tight end Kris Hurley with 8:15 left, which brought the cowbells out at Bailey Memorial Stadium.

The PC defense would do enough over that final 8:15 to hold the three-point advantage. The night to Furman must have seemed bizarre, while to PC, it remains one of their seminal achievements as an NCAA Division I football program, and until last weekend's win at Mercer, was the first and only win over a ranked FCS foe. 

For the Paladins, they warmed up, but a bad thunderstorm came up quickly just prior to kickoff, and the game would be delayed one hour and forty-seven minutes, and instead of remaining dressed and in the locker room, Furman went back and got on the four charter busses it had taken to Clinton. That surely made for an uncomfortable two hours.

However, that probably felt comfortable in comparison what was to come that night. A strange fog descended over Bailey Memorial Stadium shortly after the storm moved through. It was almost like an ominous sign in the heavens for the Paladins, but for PC, it was a little black magic it had conjured just for this very in mid-September of 2014.

Furman had a backup quarterback under center--Dillon Woodruff--who played the entire contest as he had done a week earlier in Furman's SoCon-opening win against Mercer, 25-20, in what marked the Bears' first game as a Southern Conference member in the brand new Five Star Stadium. Furman's starter coming into the 2014 campaign had been Reese Hannon, who helped lead the Paladins to the 2013 SoCon title, which marked the 13th championship in program history. 

However, Hannon broke his ankle in the first half of Furman's season-opening, 13-10, win over Gardner-Webb at Paladin Stadium, immediately altering the plans and the course of Furman's title defense.

The Paladins took the lead towards the end of the first quarter when Chad Scott hauled in a 43-yard pass from Woodruff to put the Paladins ahead 7-0 with just 1:24 to go in the opening quarter. The long pass play concluded what had been an eight-play, 98-yard drive.

That would remain the score until just before the half when Brett Wilson connected on a short, 20-yard field goal with just seven seconds remaining in the opening half of play, trimming Furman's lead to just four points at the intermission. 

The Blue Hose were desperate for points in a game that would see only a combined 17 and would convert a 4th-and-2 play, as McMath hooked up with Hurley for a 15-yard pass play to put the ball at the Paladin 11. From there, Wilson knocked through the short field goal to give the Blue Hose life heading to the half. 

The Paladins had missed some golden opportunities go by the wayside in the opening half of play, with Jon Croft Hollingsworth missing a pair of field goal attempts, as his 43-yard attempt was blocked by the Blue Hose, while his 37-yard effort sailed wide left. Those six points the Paladins left on the field in the opening half would prove loom large, considering the final outcome. 

After gaining just four total yards in the opening quarter, the Blue Hose must have felt some renewed confidence heading into the half, as Wilson's field goal was, if anything, good for the Blue Hose psyche entering the final two quarters of football. 

The third quarter saw both offenses sputter, with neither team being able to do much in the way of gaining an edge, as the game got more physical with the two defensive units imposing their will on the game.

However, the fourth quarter would see a few more fireworks, and would be the PC offense that would own a majority of them. It would be the Blue Hose defense, however, that would set up what proved to be the game-winning score.

After Furman running back Hank McCloud gained eight yards and 2nd-and-5 to give the Paladins a first down at their own 35, DaRon Dickey swatted an option pitch by Woodruff and recovered the fumble at the Furman 35. 

From there, the Blue Hose used six-straight rushing plays with some success to reach the Furman six. The Blue Hose were flagged for holding, which negated a touchdown and would eventually lead to the Blue Hose facing a 3rd-and-goal from the Furman nine. McMath did a nice job of avoiding a heavy rush, with Gary Wilkins bearing down on the Blue Hose quarterback just before he lobbed an off-balance, yet beautifully accurate aerial earmarked for the corner of the end zone, allowing tight end Kris Hurley to run under the lobbed, touch-pass in the corner of the end zone just before running out of real estate in the corner of the end zone, giving PC the lead with just over eight minutes left.

Furman had a pair of chances to tie or take the lead, however, were forced to punt on its next-to-last possession and after converting a 4th-and-4 play with Woodruff connecting with tight end Duncan Fletcher for an 8-yard connection to reach PC 36 but then four-straight incompletions officially ended Furman's comeback efforts.

The win by the Blue Hose would mark their first over a Furman team since 1979, when the Blue Hose claimed what was a 17-10 win at Sirrine Stadium.

The Paladins were never quite the same after that loss for the better part of the next two seasons, as Furman would lose its next seven games and closed the campaign by dropping eight of its final nine games to finish 3-9 overall and 2-5 in Southern Conference play, as the defending league champions had followed up the title run of a year earlier with a sixth-place finish in the eight-team league. 

The Paladins only other win over the final eight games of the season came on Senior Day, as Furman downed I-85 rival Wofford, 31-14, at Paladin Stadium. 

It could be argued that it was never quite the same for then head coach Bruce Fowler after the loss in Clinton, as the Paladins went 8-23 over the next two-plus seasons, and that loss to the PC, though it couldn't be known at the time, would end up being the beginning of the end for Fowler as Furman's head coach. 

When the Blue Hose claimed that 10-7 win over the Paladins back in 2014, the program was in just its eighth season as  an NCAA Division I Football program and was under the direction of Harold Nichols.  Prior to the 2014 loss, the Paladins had won a commanding 15-straight games in the series against the Blue Hose. 

--A year prior to PC's near upset win, the Paladins needed a blocked field goal by the Paladins with 18 seconds remaining to escape with a 21-20 win. The win was able to help catapult the Paladins on to bigger and better things in 2013, as the Paladins went on to share the Southern Conference title along with Samford and Chattanooga, but it was Furman that garnered the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. 

--Furman came to Clinton and handed the Blue Hose a 31-21 and it would be one of just three victories in a season in which the Paladins found themselves in a transitional type season under head coach Bruce Fowler. 

--The Paladins storm to the halftime lead on the stength of three first-half TDs from Hank McCloud, which came as a part of a then career-high 78 yards on 12 carries, posting first-half TD runs of 45, 13 and seven yards. McCloud combined with All-SoCon running back Jerodis Williams to rush for 211 of the Paladins’ 261 rush yards on the day. In total, the Paladins would roll up a 456-313 advantage in total yards on the day.

--The 2011 meeting between the Paladins and Blue Hose turned out to be a record-setting day for Furman quarterback Chris Forcier. In Furman's 62-21 win over the Blue Hose, Forcier tossed a SoCon record seven touchdowns to power the Paladins to one to a 41-point win. Forcier finished the contest by throwing scoring passes of 13, 39, 6, 20, 64, 10 and 20 yards in the win. For his efforts, Forcier was named the STATS Perform National Player of the Week. Forcier's strong offensive effort highlighted an afternoon that saw the Paladins amass 483 yards of total offense, as the out-gained the Blue Hose 483-290 in the contest. The win also marked Bruce Fowler's home coaching debut as the Furman head coach, with the Paladins opening the 2011 season with road tests at Coastal Carolina (L, 23-30) and The Citadel (W, 16-6).

--The Blue Hose came to Greenville in 2009 under in what the season-opener for both teams would was, and it was Furman that would go on to a 45-21 win over PC. The Paladins were powered by quarterback Jordan Sorrells, who tossed three touchdowns and finished 24-of-30 passing for 285 yards in the win. PC's Brandon Miley finished today solid in defeat, connecting on 18-of-34 passes for 237 yards with two scoring passes for the Blue Hose. It would be Harold Nichols' first game as the head coach, and it would be the start of a forgettable season for the Blue Hose, who finished the season 0-11. 

--The 2007 season would be a significant milestone for the Blue Hose football program, as it would be the first game for PC as an NCAA Division I program under the direction of Bobby Bentley. Sept. 1, 2007 was a significant day in Southern Conference history, as FCS No. 1 Appalachian State knocked off FBS No. 5 Michigan, 34-32, at the Big House earlier in the afternoon in a season that would turn out to be an especially strong one for Southern Conference football. In one of several night matchups, Furman, which came into the season ranked No. 11 in FCS, as the Paladins prevailed, 40-16, over the Blue Hose. It was a big passing night for Furman quarterback Renaldo Gray, who finished the evening connecting on an impressive 19-of-22 passes for 261 yards and our touchdowns, as the Paladins' powerful offense would go on to roll up an impressive 535 yards of total offense, while holding the Blue Hose to 336 yards in the contest.

--The 2004 clash between the Paladins and Blue Hose marked the final time the two would meet with Furman and Presbyterian being members of two difference NCAA subclassifications, as the NCAA Division I-AA Paladins claimed a 52-7 win over NCAA Division II PC Blue Hose before a crowd of better than 15,000 fans on-hand at Paladin Stadium. That game would end up being the debut of Florida Ingle Martin as Furman's starting quarterback, and he would finish the night passing 213 yards and a couple of touchdowns to pace the Paladins to the lopsided win. 

--The Paladins and Blue Hose had an impromptu meeting in the 2001 season. Due to the 9/11 tragedy, Furman had to cancel its trip to Liberty in '01 and was left with only 10 games on the slate. Furman and PC organized a matchup for the final Saturday of the 2001 college football season, and the Paladins had to come from behind to get the win. The Paladins trailed the game 33-28 at the half, as the nationally-ranekd NCAA Division II Blue Hose were led by Harlon Hill candidate Todd Cunningham, who completed 33-of-48 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns and would finish his career as the second all-time leading passer in NCAA Division II history with 10,937 yards and 111 touchdowns. Louis Ivory played his final regular season in front of the Furman faithful, rushing for 176 yards and four touchdowns in the Paladin win. 

--Furman would knock off the Blue Hose 43-7 in 1992 by rolling up 602 yards of total offense and the 600-yard output would mark the largest total offense output of the Jimmy Satterfield era, and only Furman's 676 yards in a 58-13 win at The Citadel in 1987 ranked as more yards gained in a game by a Furman team. Philly Jones made his second-career start under center for the Paladins and he would pass for 130 yards and rushed for 62 more in the lopsided Furman win. 

--On Sept. 21, 1991 Furman posted a seventh-straight win over the Blue Hose by posting 52-7 win before 12,511 fans at Paladin Stadium. The Paladins scored 31 second-quarter points, which was its most productive 15-minute frame since 1982 when the Paladins also recorded 31 second quarter points in a 63-14 win over Davidson. The Paladin defense allowed only 32 yards on 32 carries in the game. Highlighting that defensive effort was defensive back Venton Bell returned an INT 19 yards for a score, and it was one of two INTs returned for scores in the game by the Paladins. 

--In 1990, Furman registered its sixth-straight win over Presbyterian, and it came in one of the highest scoring outputs by Furman in the modern era, as the Paladins outscored the Blue Hose 63-7 in what tied a school record for the most points ever scored in a game at Paladin Stadium. Jeff Coleman's 25-yard INT return for a touchdown was the first by a Furman player since the 1988 season. The Paladins would out-gain the Blue Hose 460-213 in the lopsided win. 

--Furman moved above .500 for the first time in 1989 with its 59-17 win over the Blue Hose when the Paladins used a big day on both sides of the ball, posting 481 yards of total offense, while holding the Blue Hose to just 266 yards of total yards in the win. Bobby Daugherty led the ground game for the Paladins, posting 72 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 attempts. Furman quarterback Frankie DeBusk finished 7-of-9 passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the win. The 1989 Paladins would go down as one of the greatest in school history, as the Paladins finished 12-2 overall and 7-0 in league play, collecting their eighth SoCon title in dominant fashion. The Paladins would see their hopes of repeating their national title run of a year earlier with a heartbreaking 21-19 setback in the NCAA Division I-AA Semifinals to Stephen F. Austin.

--The 1988 season would be played in a quagmire, as the Furman and Presbyterian played in a deluge, with Furman eventually blanking Presbyterian, 21-0. The game featured a combined 13 fumbles and seven turnovers, and the game would by nature as a result of mother nature, would turn into a game of running the ball inside the tackles. The Paladins did a pretty good job in its ground attack, rolling up 326 yards by 11 different rushers, while the Furman's defense held the Blue Hose to season-low 12 rushing yards, and PC had just 109 yards of total offense. Furman's Jeff Blankenship finished with 16 tackles and the Blue Hose, while Brad Stephens blocked a pair of punts. Furman went on to win the 1988 national title becoming the first private school in NCAA Division I (FBS or FCS) to win an officially recognized national title. The Paladins finished 13-2 and 6-1 in SoCon action, defeating arch-rival Georgia Southern, 17-12, to win the national title. 

--The Paladins used a strong defensive effort in a game that saw points hard to come by, as Furman downed Presbyterian, 23-3, in the second game of the 1987 season. The Paladins outgained the Blue Hose 339-297, but PC held a slight 137-136 in rushing yards. Like the meeting a year later, the Paladins and Blue Hose had to deal with wet, rainy conditions in their gridiron battle, leading to a lower score, with the game being influenced by both defenses, with both teams entering the matchup being elite on that side of the ball. A tough ground effort was led by Furman running back John Bagwell, who finished with 44 yards on 10 carries. 

--The meeting between Furman and PC in 1986 came in a rare November clash, as the Paladins went on to outlast the visiting Blue Hose 45-31 at Paladin Stadium. Robbie Gardner was instrumental in the win for the Paladins, as he rushed 132 yards on 16 carries to power a Paladin ground that posted a 267-126 advantage in rushing offense. It would mark the first meeting between the Paladins in six years. The '86 clash was the first-ever meeting between Furman and PC at Paladin Stadium.

--Furman got a big day on the ground from Mike Glenn, who posted three of four Furman rushing touchdowns and the Paladins went on to a 28-7 win over Presbyterian. Furman finished with 476 yards on the ground. Glenn scored on runs of 63, 5, and 65 yards, and finished with 261 yards on 18 attempts, delivering one of the best rushing performances in Furman history. Furman's other rushing TD was its longest of the day, as Brothel Cole raced 67 yards with 5:47 remaining in the game.  It would be the last meeting between the Paladins and Blue Hose at Sirrine Stadium.

--Presbyterian's last win at Furman came in 1979 when the Blue Hose shocked the Paladins at Sirrine Stadium, defeating Furman, 17-10. The Paladins came into the game as the defending SoCon champions, which was its first in program history, as Furman was under the direction of legendary head coach Dick Sheridan.

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