Furman hosts East Tennessee State in Huge Conference Tilt

History of the Series:

Last season, Furman was having a rough season when it traveled for its penultimate road game of the season, and it was the Paladins that pull the 24-21 shocker over the 20th-ranked Bucs.

Coming into the 2025 season, however, the Bucs had a lot of question marks, but also a lot of talent. Furman also entered the season with a lot of talent, yet plenty more question marks coming off a 2024 season that saw the Paladins have one of their worst in recent memory, as the Paladins finished 3-8 overall and just 2-6 in SoCon games. Both of Furman's SoCon wins came away from Paladin Stadium a year ago, knocking off both The Citadel (W, 17-16) and of course, the win at East Tennessee State ().

Both teams come into Saturday's 40th all-time clash in the series on different ends of the spectrum, with the Paladins having gotten off to a 3-1 start to the season, which includes a 31-13 win over Samford to open Southern Conference play on the road on Saturday afternoon. 

The Bucs were involved a game that was called by some before the season as a game that could decide the Southern Conference title coming into the 2025 season, and yet it was just the first SoCon game for the Bucs. ETSU dropped a heartbreaking 38-34 contest on its home turf to Mercer. 

With ETSU's four-point loss this past Saturday, the Bucs have already gotten conference play off to a precarious start, and coupled with a loss to West Georgia, which the Bucs let slip away, the game against the Paladins becomes paramount. 

Furman entered the season picked to finish sixth in the SoCon by the league's head coaches, while the Bucs came into the season picked to finish fourth in the SoCon coming into the season, despite the fact that the Bucs had a pair of quarterbacks that transferred in from power four programs.

That said, the two programs meet early in conference play, yet it almost seems like the stakes are a little higher than they might be normally, and that's due in large part to the league being a little weaker than it normally is, and the great fear is that the SoCon may be indeed be playing for just one bid to the FCS Playoffs again this season.

A Series Dominated By Close Games...

The Bucs and Paladins have a history of playing games that have left the decision until late in the game, especially since the Bucs restarted their football program back in 2015, joining the Southern Conference as an official member a year later.

In fact, there have really only been two games in the series that have gotten out of hand since the Bucs brought the football in 2015, and those would be the 2016 and '17 seasons, respectively.

The 2016 season had been a tough one for the Paladins, which entered the clash at Science Hill High School having started the campaign 0-6, however, the Paladins would make up for lost time in the 2016 season, giving the Bucs a rude welcoming back to the league by claiming a 52-7 win over the Carl Torbush-led Bucs.

In that win, Furman posted its biggest margin of victory in a Southern Conference game in 15 years, as Paladin quarterback Reese Hannon amassed 267 passing yards and four touchdowns to lead the Paladins to their first of what would turn out to be three wins on the season, as it would be the swan song for former head coach Bruce Fowler. 

A year later under Clay Hendrix, the Bucs did hang tough, as Austin Herink seemingly endured hit after hit, as the Paladins sacked Herink six times in the game, however, he still managed to throw for a school-record 434 yards and three scores and no INTs in the 56-35 loss. Herink completed 24-of-37 passes in the game, and his 434 passing yards were all part of an afternoon, which saw ETSU roll up 456 yards, however, it was Furman's offense that more than complimented its defensive efforts.

The Paladins would roll up 609 yards of total offense en route to scoring 56 points, as Paladin quarterback PJ Blazejowski connected on 17-of-22 throws for 301 yards and three scores in the win. Volunteer State wideout Logan McCarter finished the afternoon by hauling in seven passes for 178 yards and a touchdown.

The 2018 clash would be the first meeting between the Paladins and Bucs in the Randy Sanders era, and it would also mark the first time the Paladins would ever play a game at the picturesque William B. Greene Stadium.

The '18 meeting would end up going down as one the best in series history, and it featured a Bucs come-from-behind win that will stand the test of time in stories told, as well as in the ETSU record book for years down the road. 

It would be a night that senior quarterback Austin Herink would come off the bench and write him as one of the heroes to forever be remembered in the history for ETSU football.

With ETSU trailing Furman 27-6 midway through the third quarter, and the game seemed to be comfortably under control for the Paladins. However, that assessment couldn't have been more wrong. 

Herink came off the bench in relief of starting quarterback and Temple transfer Logan Marchi, and he would single-handily pass the Bucs back into the game. He would finish his heroic night by connecting on 9-of-14 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown to lead ETSU's comeback efforts. 

After trailing by 21 points with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, Matt Thompson's 1-yard scoring plunge with 2:23 remaining in the contest would see the Bucs draw even, at 21-21 ,after JJ Jerman's PAT.

On the ensuing kickoff by the Bucs, DeJuan Bell downed the ball at the 3-yard line without signaling for a fair catch, putting the Paladin offense in an extremely precarious situation. With all the momentum in its corner, the Bucs defense would come up to provide the game-deciding play, as Paladin running back and Nashville native Darius Morehead was tackled in the end zone for a safety, giving the Bucs their first lead of the night, at 29-27, with a little over two minutes left.

Following the free kick to the Bucs after the safety, the Paladin defense would do its job, getting ball back to the Furman offense near midfield at its own 48 with 1:38 remaining. 

Furman would reach the ETSU 41 before Paladin quarterback Harris Roberts was sacked at the 46, and following that crucial play, Roberts' final three passes of the evening would fall incomplete and the Bucs would take over on downs, taking three-straight kneel downs to clinch a remarkable win. 

The win would send the Paladins to an 0-3 start to open the season, including an 0-1 start in Southern Conference play. The Bucs, meanwhile, would improve to 2-1 overall and remained perfect in 2-0 in SoCon play. 

Though the Paladins would lose the game, they would end up rallying over the second half of the season to finish 6-4 overall and 6-2 in Southern Conference playing, finishing in a three-way tie for the league title along with Wofford (8-3, 6-2 SoCon) and ETSU (8-3, 6-2 SoCon). 

The tiebreaker would ultimately go to Wofford due to giving up less points than either Furman or ETSU during league games, giving the Terriers the auto bid to the FCS Playoffs. Ultimately, Furman would end up being the team left out of the postseason, due in large part to having to cancel a game against Colgate due to hurricane that threatened the entire state of South Carolina, as Hurricane Michael had reached category 5 status before the game was ultimately canceled. The two schools agreed that the hotel rooms that the Red Raiders were going to occupy in the Upstate should be donated to people that were displaced by the storm.

The 2019 season would see another big game between the two programs in Greenville, and it would be one that the Paladins would post a hard-fought, 17-10, win at Paladin Stadium in a game that was a defensive battle. 

The Paladins would end up getting out-gained 290-268 in the contest, and it would be a stark contrast from the previous three meetings, which all saw three previous meetings saw their share of both points and offensive yards put up, but in the matchup in 2019, yards were at a premium.

The Paladins held a narrow 171-167 advantage on the ground. ETSU came into the game with quarterback issues, with injuries and inconsistencies having mounted at the position coming into the game, it put the Bucs a little bit behind the eight-ball on that side of the ball coming into the clash.

However, the Bucs had their chances against the 15th-ranked team in FCS football but couldn't capitalize. With the game tied 10-10 late in the third quarter, the Paladins got the score, which would end up proving to be the game-winning score on the opening play of the final 15-minute frame, as Devin Wynn bowled in from a yard out to give the Paladins a 17-10 lead following the PAT. 

The Bucs had a chance to had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, as Trey Mitchell floated a beautiful deep ball down the seam of the Paladin defense to a Bucs receiver and Mississippi State transfer Jamal Couch, who dropped the wide open pass. It was the potential game-tying points that went by the wayside, as the Paladins held on for the win inside Paladin Stadium.

The 2020 meeting wouldn't occur until March of the year and it wasn't all that long after the conclusion of the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament in Asheville, as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed football season into the spring of the year. 

With limited fans allowed in sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, student-athlete's have had to find a way self-motivate all across intercollegiate athletics. Ranked 15th this time around as well, The Paladins would end up getting a 17-13 win; however, it wouldn't be easy as the Paladins went to the half having been blanked.

Trailing 10-0 at halftime to East Tennessee State, Furman found its motivation on the way to the locker room at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium, as ETSU's players stood and  excitidely greeted and reminded the Paladins of the halftime score, as they paused to wait the for the Paladins to proceed to their locker room before proceeding to head towards its own. The only problem for ETSU was Furman opted not to get on the Young buses parked outside its locker room and head for Greenville with the game only halfway completed. 

"We took it personally. That’s exactly what we needed,” Furman senior RB Devin Wynn said. “It got our blood pumping. Everybody just went out in the second half seeing red and ready to hit somebody in the mouth."

"He wants to carry the ball 100 times but I have to remind him we have other guys sometimes," Furman head coach Clay Hendrix added."  "You walk off the field at halftime and that bunch is lined up over there letting us have it the whole way through and if that doesn't stir us up...I know it was nothing to do with me and honestly I wasn't too happy the way we played in the first half," Hendrix added. 

The Bucs held a 10-0 halftime advantage on the strenght of out-gaining the Paladins 178-97 in the opening frame, which included holding a a 120-35 advantage in pass yards. In fact, Riddell, who finished the day completing 22-of-35 passing for 207 yds, with an interception, completed 11 of his 12 throws without a pick in the opening half of play. 

As has been the case since the start of the 2019 campaign, Furman second-year defensive coordinator Duane Vaughn made the necessary adjustments at the break, helping the Paladins limit the Bucs to  just 101 yards and three points in the final two quarters on Saturday. Through four games this season, the Paladins have allowed just 23 second half points, which averages out to a meager 5.75 points in the latter half in 2020-21.

 Furman's stingy second half defense dates back to 2019, has the Paladins limit foes to just 64 second half points in its last 16 games in the second half. Over that same span, the Paladins are yielding just 4.0 PPG since the start of the 2019 campaign. 

Furman's secondary again put in a gold star performance, and it was senior cornerback Darius Kearse, who recorded his third interception in four games this spring, that once again highlighted the Paladins' efforts on the back line Saturday.

"In practice we harp on being physical, and assert our dominance back there in the secondary," Kearse said. "We're not really big guys and the other team is going to see that and they're going to try and take advantage of that but we try to assert our dominance early and make the plays that come to us."

One of the play's that came directly to Kearse came directly after Furman took a 14-10 lead, as the Bucs took a shot deep on a 2nd-and-9 play from their own 26. Kearse picked off a deep ball from Riddell, which was intended for Julian Lane-Price, sealing off the talented pass-catcher and coming up with another key big play for the Paladin defense  at a critical point in a game during this unprecendented spring season. 

Additionally, Kearse added five tackles and a tackle-for-loss. Following his 12-yard return on the interception, ETSU was penalized for a horse-collar tackle, setting up the Paladins in an even better position. It would eventually lead to Timmy Bleekrode's longest field goal of his young career, as he knocked through a 47-yard attempt to give the Paladins a 17-10 lead with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter. It would prove to be the final points of the day, providing just enough cushion for the defense to help close out Furman's first road win of the 2020-21 spring campaign. 

It would be one of several key pass breakups recorded by the Furman secondary in the contest. Another came on a 2nd-and-8 at the ETSU 32, with a little less than eight minutes remaining, as Riddell's pass to Lane-Price appeared to be complete, however, similar to his pass breakup in the season opener against Western Carolina in a key moment in the spring opener, Furman 'spur' linebacker Dae'One Wilkins came in at the last moment to make a veteran play, poking the ball free from Price at the last moment, which nullified a drive-extending first down for the Bucs. Two plays later, the Bucs were punting the ball back to the Paladins. 

While Furman owned the ETSU in the second half, it was the Bucs who started the day by taking the game to the Paladins. 

ETSU got on the board on its second drive of the day, as Quay Holmes carried it 20 yards for the score, giving the Bucs a 7-0 lead with 1:48 remaining in the opening frame. The Bucs picked up a couple of key third downs on passing plays, with one of those being a 30-yard pitch and catch from Tyler Ridell-to-Julian Ware Price on a third-and-five play, getting the Bucs into Paladin territory for the first time in the contest. The 83-yard drive resulted in three chunk plays, with Holmes’ 20-yard scoring jaunt finishing off the first points of the day for either team. That would remain the score at the end of the first frame.

Late in the half, the Bucs were took over the football in their best position of the day, and got one first down to set up a 38-yard field goal following a nine-play, 25-yard drive to make it a 10-0 game, and that would remain the score as the two team's entered the halftime locker room.

Furman got the ball to open the second half, and made the most of the opening drive of the second frame, as the Paladins needed just four plays to drive 75 yards and get on the scoreboard with the first of two Devin Wynn third quarter touchdowns on an 11-yard scoring run. Wynn's second scoring run was indicative of the type attitude the Paladins adopted on both sides of the ball throughout the second half, which was one of a physically-imposing nature, taking the game to the Bucs. 

The senior from Greensboro, GA., trucked ETSU  Kalion Delince a good four yards deep into the end zone on a punishing five-yard rumble, which will surely draw comparisons to Jerome Felton's punishing run vs. Appalachian State in the 2005 FCS Semifinals, which saw the former Paladin and future Buffalo Bill and Minnesota Viking run over Mountaineer All-American and future Cincinnati Bengal Corey Lynch en route to a 31-yard  second quarter scoring run. Wynn's scoring run brought an end to an impressive, nine-play, 73-yard Furman scoring drive, which saw the Paladins take the lead for good, at 14-10, with 5:26 remaining in the third quarter.

Bleekrode's 47-yard field goal following the Kearse interception came with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter, closing out the Paladin scoring in the contest. The Paladin defense was able to do the rest, as it limited the Bucs to just a Tyler Keltner 30-yard field goal with 13:16 remaining to close out the scoring for the afternoon.

In a battle of the SoCon's top two running backs, Wynn got the better of the challenge, as he finished the contest by rushing for 113 yards and a pair of scores on 15 catches, while also hauling in two passes for 39 yards, including a key 27-yard catch, which helped set the tone for the second half on Furman's first second half drive. Wynn rushed for 90 of his 113 total yards in the second half alone. It was Wynn's third 100-yard rushing performance in four games this spring. 

Holmes, who got off to a quick start in the opening half for the Bucs after rushing for 46 yards and a score in the opening half, was held to 21 yards over the final two quarters of play. The talented All-SoCon Bucs junior running back also caught four passes for 21 yards. 

Paladin quarterback Hamp Sisson finished the afternoon completing  15-of-22 passes for 120 yards, with an interception. Sisson was almost an escape artist at times in the contest, eluding what was a ferocious ETSU pass-rush. 

As far as receiving was concerned, the Paladins were led by tight end Ryan Miller, who had three catches for 13 yards. Meanwhile, Zach Peterson hauled in a pair of passes for 24 yards. 

In addition to Holmes for the Bucs, Lane-Price hauled in two passes for a team-leading 41 yards, while running back Jacob Saylors made three grabs for 21 yards. 

The Paladin defense was once again led by Nick Kuzemka, who posted eight tackles, 1.5 TFL and a forced fumble, while cornerback Travis Blackshear and safety Hugh Ryan added five tackles alongside Kearse's aforementioned five stops. 

ETSU was paced defensively by Mike Price's game-high 10 tackles, while linebacker Donovan Monroe followed up his strong performance in the spring opener against Samford with six tackles, an interception and a quarterback hurry. 

The Bucs held a narrow 297-292 in total yards. 

In a second half that was highlighted by yellow laundry on the turf, the Bucs costs themselves in a big way in the second half of the contest, committed 12 of their 13 penalties in the second half alone. It cost ETSU 103 yards. Furman was penalized just three times for 26 total yards. 

“There’s no excuse,” ETSU head coach Randy Sanders said of his team's penalty yardage. “We’re young and we do some things, but honestly the penalties were some of our older guys. We’ve got to get our older guys, when you get in those situations, to perform right. I think they were trying to compete. They were trying to do the best they can to give great effort and be an example for the young guys. But giving great effort and getting a penalty isn’t a good example to set,” Sanders added. 

The 2021 would end up being a special one for the Bucs because it would mark just the third time in the series history that ETSU had defeated Furman and the first time since the Bucs posted one of the biggest wins in facility history--a 58-28 triumph back in 1997--as 14th-ranked ETSU got a 17-13 win over the Paladins on a late scoring strike from quarterback Tyler Riddell to wideout  Malik Murray with only nine seconds remaining to gain a four-point advantage and conclude what had been a massive 14-play, 80-yard drive that proved to be the game-winner. 

In what was a game almost identical to defensive battles of the previous two, the game marked the fourth-straight game in which the winning team had 17 points at the end of the game. 

In the win, Furman struggled to find anything on the ground against ETSU's stout defense, with Tyler Riddell winning a battle between two good young quarterbacks, as Jace Wilson made his second start under center for the Paladins. 

Furman’s four-point setback to the Bucs was the exact reverse result to the one when the two met back in the spring, as the Paladins, who trailed 10-0 at the half of that contest, rebounded to get a 17-13 win powered by a strong ground game, mixed in with some timely passing from Hamp Sisson. Devin Wynn rushed for 113 yards and a pair of scores on 15 carries in that game. He also hauled in two important passes for 39 yards in the contest.

Wynn, an all-SoCon running back found little daylight against ETSU’s stout, large and physical defensive front, rushing 12 times for just 48 yards. 

The game would also turn out to be one of the best games of the career of late Furman defensive lineman Bryce Stanfield, as Paladin fans were introduced to the type of impact a guy like Stanfield could have along a defensive line that collectively was one of the most experienced in the SoCon at the time, sporting better than 40 starts across the starting two-deep, collectively. The 6-2, 252-lb defensive end from Ackworth, GA., had his breakout performance for the Paladins, posting four tackles, two sacks, and two tackles-for-loss.

Furman picked up what was a big win over defending Southern Conference champion East Tennessee State, downing the Bucs 27-14 in a game that was close throughout, with Dominic Roberto’s late touchdown rumble finally enough to give the Paladins the cushion they needed to escape with a two-score win.

urman got on the board first in the contest utilizing Hugh Ryan’s fifth-career interception off a tipped ball. That set up the Paladin offense at the ETSU 27. After three incompletions from Tyler Huff, Ian Williams came on and knocked through a 44-yard field goal to make it a 3-0 contest with 13:48 remaining in the first quarter.

On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, Furman brought an all-out blitz and the Bucs burned the Paladins for the longest play surrendered this season by the Paladin defense, as quarterback Tyler Riddell hooked up with Einaj Carter for a 75-yard score to give ETSU a 7-3 lead.

After three turnovers, two of which came from the Bucs on a Jalen Miller INT and a Kam Brinson fumble recovery forced by Ryan, the Paladins got their second field goal of the night early in the second quarter, as Williams knocked through a 43-yard attempt to get within a point with 12:20 left in the half.

Furman’s offense would squander one major second quarter opportunity to put more points on the board, getting stopped on a 4th-and-2 at the ETSU 17, as Dominic Roberto was brought down after gaining only a yard. Furman, which already had two long field goals from Williams on the evening, could have attempted a third, however, head coach Clay Hendrix instead opted to attempt it on fourth down instead of attempting a third Williams field goal. It left the Paladins behind by a single point with 6:38 remaining in the opening half of play.

ETSU saw the ensuing offensive possession end with a missed field goal of its own, as the Bucs drove the ball down to the Paladin 28, however, had to settle for a 45-yard field goal attempt from Tyler Keltner, which he missed wide left with 3:27 left in the half.

After both teams were forced to punt on their ensuing possessions, Furman would get the ball back with just 1:05 remaining in the half, with excellent field position at its own 47 following a 15-yard punt return from Cally Chizik. Huff completed a 20-yard pass to Wayne Anderson Jr. on first down and then hit Kyndel Dean on a 9-yard pass to get the Paladins to the Bucs 24-yard line with under a minute left.

Huff’s 9-yard got the Paladins deep in the Bucs red zone and down to the 15. Two plays later, Huff fired a 15-yard strike to Anderson for the Paladins’ first touchdown of the night, giving Furman a 13-7 lead following the Axel Lepvreau PAT with 22 seconds remaining in the half. The Paladins had stolen momentum and taken it into the locker room.

ETSU’s defense made notable adjustments at the break and came out and played some inspired football to open the second half. The Bucs halted Furman’s momentum it had carried into the half, forcing Furman into a three-and-out on its opening drive of the second half.

Furman’s defense was also strong to start the second half, forcing ETSU to punt the ball on its opening drive of the second half after the Bucs reached their own 45.

The Paladins would make the most of their next possession, as they increased their advantage to double digits for the first time all night. Furman used 14 plays to cover 89 yards, with Huff completing 7-of-10 passes for 66 yards on the drive, with the key completion coming to Harris on a 23-yard connection to get the Paladins a first-and-goal from the ETSU 3. On the next play, Huff found Miller for his second scoring toss of the night, giving the Paladins a 20-7 lead with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter.

The Bucs’ response would be swift, as they showed why they were the defending Southern Conference champions and had won nine games in a row in the friendly confines of William B. Greene Stadium. 

The Bucs, nine-play, 75-yard drive, would also be aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties—a personal foul and an unsportsmanlike penalty—which yielded a combined total of 30 of yards for what would be ETSU’s second trip to the end zone of the evening. Riddell capped the drive with his second scoring toss of the night, finding Carter for a second time, with this one coming on a beautifully lofted 11-yard pass to the left corner of the end zone, pulling ETSU to win six again, at 20-14, with 3:14 left in the third quarter.

It would ultimately turn out to be the final points the Bucs would score in the contest, as Furman’s defense did the rest, surrendering just 41 yards on ETSU’s final 23 plays of the game, which combined the Bucs final possession of the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter.

The Paladins would put the game away in the final two minutes. Trailing 20-14 and facing a crucial 3rd-and-9 play from its own 11, it appeared Riddell had completed a 22-yard pass out to the Bucs 33 to standout all-league wide receiver Will Huzzie, however Huzzie was flagged for offensive pass interference to negate the potential big play and first down. Riddell’s pass intended for Huzzie was dropped on the ensuing 3rd-and-19 play, and then on 4th-and-19, Furman cornerback Dominic Morris picked off Riddell’s pass at the ETSU 46 to give the Paladins the ball back with 59 seconds left.

On the first play on the ensuing possession, the Paladins put the game on ice, as Dominic Roberto took the hand-off from Huff, who also helped pave the way with a down field block, as the second-team All-SoCon selection Roberto rumbled 46 yards for a score to put the Paladins back up by two scores, providing the final margin.

“It feels really good to win one like this and it took every single body we brought up here and we made the trip up here today, which some people would say is not an easy trip, but our kids managed that really well and I thought our coverage was great and I was even going to let him kick the last one if would have run a little time, but we scored there and we were pretty solid kicking the football tonight…We came in and kicked those two field goals and I felt like that was huge…But I think there was a lot of adversity out there and it was kind of who’s going to blink…who’s going to flinch and our kinds didn’t flinch, they just kept playing,” Furman head coach Clay Hendrix said.

In the 2023 meeting between the two, Furman would ultimately struggle much of the day offensively, thanks to an outstanding performance on the defensive side of the football for the Bucs, as the third-ranked Paladins finally found a way to dispatch visiting ETSU, 16-8, in what was one of the uglier wins of that memorable 2023 season for Furman football. 

The win would both equal Furman's best start to a season in 18 years, as well as account for its best start to a season in SoCon play since '01, as the Paladins improved to 7-1 overall and remained unbeaten at 5-0 in league play with the eight-point win over the Bucs. 

Ian Williams connected on field goals of 23, a then-career-long 52, and 32 yards through the first three quarters to give Furman a 9-0 lead. Joshua Harris, who finished the contest with a career-high matching eight receptions (eight rec vs. ETSU last season) for 78 yards, added a 22-yard touchdown later in the third quarter, as Furman assumed a seemingly safe 16-0 lead heading into the final frame. 

Furman’s lone trip to the end zone on the afternoon came as a result of its third interception of Bucs quarterback William Riddle, which came from Micah Robinson, setting up the Paladin offense at the ETSU 42. 

Four plays later, Huff found Harris on a tunnel screen and he did the rest, racing 22 yards with 42 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give the Paladins a seemingly commanding lead.

The Bucs would certainly make things interesting in the final quarter, however, as Ton’Quez Ball returned a Ryan Leavy blocked punt eight yards for a score with just under 12 minutes remaining, making it a 16-6 contest. The Bucs wisely opted to go for the two point game to make it a one-score game, and Riddle found Xavier Galliardetz on the conversion, getting the Blue and Gold to within eight, at 16-8.

The Paladin defense, which held the Bucs at bay all afternoon, would hold serve the rest of the day, with a Braden Gilby sack of Riddle for a loss of eight yards on 4th-and-5 from the Furman 38 effectively ending the threat.

Roberto would rush it three times for 11 yards, forcing ETSU to burn its final timeout in the process, and Roberto’s final first down of the day allowed Huff and the Paladin offense to run off the remaining time on the clock en route to its seventh win of the season. 

The Paladins would finish the day holding a 300-230 edge in total offense, with the Bucs holding the 119-85 advantage in rushing yards. The Paladins held the 215-111 advantage in aerial yards. 

Recapping the 2024 meeting...

This brings us to last season's meeting in Johnson City, where Furman ended up claiming a 24-21 win over No. 21 East Tennessee State, producing one of the biggest shockers of the season with the win over the Bucs in Johnson City.

Though Furman would ultimately lose its final game of the season, 49-23, at No. 9 and SoCon champion Mercer, the win over the Bucs at William B. Greene Stadium on the penultimate Saturday of the 2024 football season .

The win last season would be enough to help build confidence for 2025 campaign in what was an otherwise dismal '24 season for Paladin football. For ETSU, the loss was devastating, as it brought an end to any hopes of claiming the SoCon title and put to rest any hopes of gaining an at-large invite to the FCS Playoffs.

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.

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.

In the Previous Era of ETSU Football

Ultimately, the Furman-ETSU gridiron series since the resurrection of football has been much different than they were in ETSU's prior era as a SoCon member, when the Bucs sponsored a football program. 

It was a series that featured more lopsided scores than many of the meetings that have taken place between the Paladins and Bucs over the past decade, although there were a few meetings that stand out in the late mid-late 1990s and even into the early 2000s between the two programs. The Bucs would ultimately end up discontinuing their football program following the 2003 season. 

The Bucs would enjoy a rare streak of three-straight wins in the series between the two from 1996-98, which included a pair of back-to-back ranked clashes between the two during that particular time period.

The '96 meeting would ultimately end up being one of the better games in the 39-game history of the series between the Paladins and Bucs, as it would come during a season in which both would end up making the FCS Playoffs--formerly referred to as the NCAA Division I-AA Football Playoffs--and it would end up being the Bucs' most successful season in the previous iteration of their football program, as the Bucs went on to win 10 games, which included an opening round win in the postseason over Villanova at the Memorial Center (Gentry Field).

The 14th-ranked Bucs would end up claiming what was a 21-19, mid-season win over the Paladins, marking ETSU's second win over a ranked NCAA Division I-AA Football foe to that point in the '96 season. The Bucs had already knocked off the No. 4 Appalachian State Mountaineers, who came into the Memorial Center as the defending Southern Conference champions, as the win by the Bucs over the Apps had ended an 11-game winning streak for Mountaineers in the mountain rivalry. 

The Bucs, who ranked No. 14 in the nation by the time they hooked up with No. 8 Furman in Johnson City for a late October clash, as the game carried with it both SoCon title and major FCS Playoff implications.

. A year earlier, Furman standout defensive back and Tri-Cities native Jeremy Osborne had ended a late ETSU scoring threat with an interception of talented ETSU signal-caller Greg Ryan, as the Paladins held on for a 21-19 win over the Bucs. 

However, the Bucs were one of the league favorites in 1996, and the two teams met in a crucial October clash as unbeaten foes in the Southern Conference race.

ETSU notched its fifth-straight Southern Conference win, which was its longest league winning streak since joining the league as an official member in 1979, with the narrow, 21-19, win over the Paladins. 

The win didn’t come at least without some controversy on the Furman side, as a botched snap went over the head of ETSU punter Jerry Chapman and the ball was fumbled out of the end zone, which should have been a safety for Paladins. 

However, the SoCon officiating crew failed to blow the whistle to start the play and render the play dead until doing so retroactively, and the botched punt play was nullified taking seven points off the board for the Paladins. In a league that has featured some memorable officiating blunders over the years, 

Late in the game, Furman trailed 21-13, but blocked a punt and Seth Rameley covered it for a TD, making it 21-19 with 1:42 remaining left following Jason Wells' PAT. From there, ETSU recovered the on-sides kick attempt by the Paladins to preserve its third win over a ranked foe that season. 

Ryan passed for 238 yards to break the 7,000-yard passing mark for his career. Running back Brandon Walker finished the contest with 134 yards and a TD on 23 carries in the contest, garnering SoCon Rookie of the Week honors. 

Furman and ETSU would go on to represent the SoCon in the FCS playoffs that season, with both winning opening round games. Furman captured a 42-31 win at Northern Arizona. 

The Bucs dropped only two games during the regular-season, which came against eventual Southern Conference and national champion Marshall 34-10 before a sell-out crowd at the Memorial Center, while also dropping a game to Division I-A foe East Carolina (45-21) in non-conference play. 

ETSU opened the playoffs with a win over a Villanova team that featured the nation’s top receiver, in Brian Finneran, getting a 35-29 win inside the dome. It would be Mike Cavan’s final season as the head coach of ETSU, following a 44-14 loss to eventual national finalist and unbeaten Montana in Missoula in the FCS quarterfinals. 

Cavan moved on to become the head coach at SMU. Furman would also bow out in the quarterfinals at the hands of SoCon and eventual national champion Marshall, 54-0, in Huntington, WVa.

The 1997 clash between the Bucs and Paladins would also be one that could be added to the collective memory banks for fanbases on both sides of the SoCon gridiron series for different reasons, as it would mark Furman's largest home defeat in Stadium history to that point, and it would also mark the Bucs' largest win in the history of the series, marking just the second time in Paladin Stadium history in which ETSU had tasted victory at Paladin Stadium. 

The Bucs came to Greenville ranked No. 13, while the Paladins entered the homecoming contest on a damp, rainy afternoon sporting the No. 19 ranking in Division I-AA, according to the latest SportsNetwork Poll. 

The Paladins would run out to a 28-10 second quarter lead and was seemingly in control of the game, however, the Bucs responded to score the final seven points of the opening half of football to carry the momentum into the halftime locker room, but it would not last, as the Bucs would own the second half of the football game en route to the win. 

The Bucs would out-score Furman 41-0 in the second half, including 34 in the fourth quarter en route to scoring more points on Furman than any other opponent in Furman football history on their home field. 

Bryan Edwards got the scoring started in the second half, with a 17-yard scoring pass from freshman quarterback Todd Wells. Then, Edwards scored on a 1-yard run to give the Bucs a 31-28 lead with 8:29 remaining in the game. It would only be the start of the onslaught in the final quarter, as the Bucs would score 27 points in the final eight-and-a-half minutes to record what was one of the more remarkable wins in the all-time series between the Bucs and Paladins. 

Edwards added a 33-yard run, while Wells had a 5-yard scamper. The Bucs would miss the PAT following Edwards’ long run, which came as the result of a bad snap. The defense would get into the act, with a pair of INTs returned for scores when the Paladins had to try and throw the ball to get back into the game late. 

The first INT returned for a score came from All-American linebacker Mario Hankerson, returning a Brent Rickman errant pass 39 yards for a score. Kendrick Gibson capped the scoring for the Bucs and set the final margin at 30, returning another Rickman pass for a score, covering 17 yards to set the final score at 58-38. 

All told, Furman got out-gained, 473-243, and Wells accounted for four TD responsibilities (3-rushing, 1-passing) and finished with 276 yards of total offense on the day, including 219 through the air on 13-of-27 passing. Furman’s Rickman went 6-for-19 for 93 yards and was picked off four times, including the aforementioned two miscues that were returned for scores.

When the two met in the Dome in '98, neither was having a season that would be in line with the previous two, especially Furman, which entered the clash off a devastating 25-24 loss to The Citadel on homecoming at Paladin Stadium in a game in which the Paladins had blown a 21-0 first-half advantage only to see The Citadel quarterback Stanley Myers re-write the SoCon record books to bring the visiting Bulldogs behind for a remarkable win at Paladin Stadium.

ETSU recorded its third-straight win over the Paladins, with a 22-19 Southern Conference win over Furman at the Memorial Center. Place-kicker Jerry Chapman kicked four field goals, including the game-winner on a 28-yarder in the second overtime--his second of the overtime period--which allowed the Bucs to escape with the win. 

It was not only the third-straight loss for the Paladins to the Bucs, but it was also the third-straight loss overall for the Paladins. The game ended when Buccaneer defensive back Keyandre Fenn intercepted Furman quarterback Brent Rickman in the second overtime. 

Chapman and Jason Wells kicked four field goals, which were career-highs for both kickers. Furman went to the halftime locker room holding a 13-9 lead following a pair of Wells field goals and an 8-yard scoring run by Pickens, S.C., native Stuart Rentz. 

Wells extended Furman’s lead to 16-9 when he connected on a 22-yard field goal with 13:57 remaining in the game. The Paladins had a chance go ahead by two scores, which would have effectively ended any chance of an ETSU comeback following a fumble recovery by Furman’s Hershal Pleasant at the ETSU 16 with 7:25 to play. 

However, Rickman was sacked on consecutive plays by the ETSU field goals, and Wells missed a 39-yard field goal attempt. The Bucs took over the football with 3:58 to play in the game, putting together an 11-play, 78-yard drive, and tied the game when Brian Edwards ran it in from three yards out, ultimately sending the game into the extra session. 

The 1999 clash would finally see Furman restore some order, knocking off 48-21 in Greenville to emphatically end the Bucs' three-game winning streak in the series. Furman, which was ranked No. 14 in the nation, ultimately went on to claim a share of the Southern Conference crown that season, tying both Appalachian State and Georgia Southern for the regular-season crown. 

Sophomore running back Louis Ivory rushed for a then-career-high 203 yards and a pair of scores, and quarterback Justin Hill completed all nine of his passes for 156 yards and a pair of TDs to lead the 14th-ranked Paladins to the win. Furman rolled up a season-high 553 yards, out-gaining the Bucs, 553-406, in total yards in the game. The Paladins out-rushed the Bucs 358-148 in rushing yards.

The Bucs got a little magic from their special teams unit in the 2000 meeting between the two programs and would produce one of the more memorable upsets in the history of the Memorial Center, as ETSU stopped the sixth-ranked Paladins cold inside the friendly confines of the Memorial Center, claiming a 23-21 win on the third Saturday of October.

The win by the Bucs put Furman’s FCS (formerly Divi sion I-AA) playoff hopes in serious jeopardy, as it was Furman’s second Southern Conference loss. Junior place-kicker Con Chellis connected on a 26-yard field goal to give ETSU its first home win over a ranked opponent in the regular-season since the Bucs knocked off No. 8 Furman, 21-19, on Oct. 26, 1996. 

Senior quarterback Todd Wells enjoyed one of the premier performances of his ETSU career, throwing for 336 yards on 23-of-44 of passing, including a pair of scoring passes. Wells also rushed for 65 yards on nine carries and a TD. The Bucs ended up outgaining the Paladins, 448-352, in total yards. 

The game was the first-ever start for Furman quarterback Billy Napier completed 8-of-20 passes for 73 yards, with three INTs. Louis Ivory had a big day running the football for the Paladins, finishing the contest with 227 yards and two TDs on a school-record 41 attempts. 

Furman drove down to the ETSU 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter lead the game, 21-14, but Ivory fumbled and ETSU’s Lee Neisz recovered at the six. From there, ETSU drove 94 yards on 8-yard scoring run from Wells with 7:43 left to seemingly tie the game, however, Chellis missed the PAT, leaving the Paladins with a 21-20 lead. 

Forced to punt the ball away late in the game, it was defensive back Keyandre Fenn’s 51-yard return of a Lee Willis punt that helped set up the winning points for the Bucs. Fenn’s 51-yard return helped ETSU set up shop at the Furman 13, and would set up the game-winning, 26-yard kick from Chellis. It was ETSU’s third-straight win over Furman in Johnson City.

The Bucs were still a foe that caused problems when it came to being a stumbling block in terms of the long-term SoCon championship hopes so many time before, including a season earlier. During the 2000 campaign, Furman’s loss in Johnson City nearly de-railed its Division I-AA (now FCS) playoff hopes. 

Despite a day that saw Louis Ivory have one of his patented 200-yard rushing performances, the Paladins fell on a late field goal by Con Chellis. That game had been the first start for Billy Napier under center. Now considered a seasoned veteran at the helm of the Paladin offense, Napier would help the Paladins, it would prove to be another extremely efficient afternoon of football for the Furman offense, which put up 366 yards of total offense in the 31-6 win. 

Unlike the previous season, Napier also had a more comfortable game in his eighth start as a Paladin quarterback than his first, completing 15-of-23 passes for 166 yards, with one interception. In the two-point loss in the mini-dome a year earlier, which saw the Paladin signal-caller toss three interceptions. 

The ground attack was in great form again behind a seasoned offensive front, and once again the calling card for most of the day against a solid ETSU defense was No. 34. The All-American Ivory went on to finish the afternoon with 146 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. While the game might have been close in Johnson City a year earlier, that certainly was not the case a year later on a sun-splashed late October afternoon at Paladin Stadium. 

As impressive as the offense had been in another balanced effort, it was the defense that did once again stole the show, holding the Bucs to just 199 yards of total offense, including just 107 through the air. The Paladins used their talented special teams unit to set up the first score of the day, as reserve running back Hindley Brigham broke through the Bucs line to block a punt out of bounds at the ETSU seven. 

On the second play of the ensuing drive, Ivory rumbled in from seven yards out to give the Paladins what was a 7-0 lead with 10:34 remaining in the opening quarter. Furman would not look back from there, as only field goals of 37 and 42 yards would be allowed by the stout Paladin defense. 

Leading 17-3 at the half, Furman would put the game away in the second half with a pair of scoring runs of five yards from Eric Emerson and Al Means, respectively, as the Paladins improved to 6-1 overall and remained a perfect 5-0 in Southern Conference play.

Furman's final trip to Johnson City in the Bucs' former era of football would come in 2002, and the Paladins left Johnson City with a 25-0 win over ETSU. 

In that final trip to the mini-dome, Bear Rinehart returned a punt 66 yards for a TD, and Furman recorded its first shutout since 1999 with the 25-0 win over the Bucs. 

Furman went to the locker room with a 12-0 lead following Rinehart's return for a score inside the final minute of the first half. 

To open the second half, the Paladins received the football and moved 76 yards in 11 plays to tack on another score, as Eric Emerson plunged over the top and into the end zone for a score to make it 19-0. The final score of the day came when Billy Napier snuck it in from a yard out to complete an 11-play, 80-yard drive, which took eight-and-a-half minutes off the clock to push across the final score. 

Furman finished the game with a 397-290 advantage in total offense in the win. Furman's trio of running backs--Hindley Brigham, Toreico O'Neal and Lamar Rembert--combined to power a Paladin ground game that finished the day with 175 rushing yards.

The final meeting between the Paladins and Bucs before ETSU canceled its football program for 11 years came in the 2003 season at Paladin Stadium, as Furman would end up picking up a 30-10 win in that contest.

The next meeting between the two wouldn't be until 13 years later when the Bucs had brought football back and rejoined the SoCon. 

Furman backup signal-caller Josh Stepp got his first-career start against East Tennessee State, starting for injured Bo Moore, and led the Paladins to a 30-10 win. 

Stepp finished the day by connecting on 10-of-14 passes for 208 yards and a TD, while rushing for 25 yards and a score on 10 rushes. The Paladins would out-gain ETSU 399-174 in total offense. Josh Godfrey would give the Bucs the early 3-0 lead following a 42-yard field goal. 

Furman would score the next 17 unanswered points to take control of the game, and the Paladin defense, which finished the season ranked third nationally and was one of the best in program history.

Overall, Furman holds a 30-9 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1957, with the Paladins getting a 13-7 win in Greenville. The Bucs were the first opponent that Furman ever played in Paladin Stadium back in 1981, as the Paladins picked up a 21-0 win before an inaugural crowd of 12,070 fans on Sept. 19, 1981. The Paladins are 191-68-1, as Furman plays in its 45th season inside the friendly confines. 

The Paladins have lost their last three games at home against SoCon foes, having been outscored 112-43 against SoCon foes in the friendly confines last season. Furman has won 14 of the 16 meetings played inside Paladin Stadium, with three losses in Greenville to the Bucs all-time. 

The Paladins dropped games in 1997 and 2021 to the Bucs, while the only other loss to ETSU in Greenville came on Sept. 29, 1979, when the Bucs came to Greenville and left with a 28-24 win over the Paladins at Sirrine Stadium.

A Brief Look at Saturday's Clash...

Saturday's 40th meeting between the Bucs and Paladins marks an outstanding quarterbacks matchup, with ETSU's Cade McNamara (91-of-136 passing, 973 yds, 6 TDs, 6 INTs) facing off against Furman signal-caller and Trey Hedden (104-of-145, 1,028 yds, 6 TDs, 2 INTs) have been two of the league's best and most efficient passers this season.

McNamara, who transferred into ETSU from Iowa, had a career day passing the football in last Saturday's 38-34 loss against Mercer, as the graduate transfer quarterback put together one of the best passing afternoons of his career, as he finished off the contest against the Bears by completing 29-of-46 passes for 398 yards, with four touchdowns and a pair of INTs. McNamara ranks 31st in the nation in completion percentage (65.5%) and ranks 27th nationally in total passing yards (973 yds). 

Against Elon in what was a 26-16 ETSU home win, McNamara completed 30-of-45 passes for 268 yards and an INT in another efficient passing effort, as he helped the Bucs to a key non-conference win. In the win over the Phoenix, McNamara also had a rushing touchdown and has been the lone quarterback as a part of the Bucs offense over the past couple of weeks, with North Carolina transfer Jacolby Criswell () sidelined with a concussion. 

Criswell split the action with McNamara during the first three games this season. All told, in each of the past couple games, McNamara has completed 59-of-91 passes for 666 yards, with four TDs and three INTs. McNamara also has a pair of rushing touchdowns in the past two weeks, giving him a total of six touchdown responsibilities in the past two games for ETSU.

All told, McNamara has passed for over 5,000 yards over his career, having spent time at Michigan, Iowa and ETSU in what is his seventh season of college football, having served as the Wolverines signal-caller from 2019-22, and prior to his arrival at ETSU for his final season of college football, he played the 2023 and '24 seasons at Iowa. 

Hedden comes into Saturday's game against the Bucs already inching up the school's passing charts in his second season as the program's starting quarterback, as he currently ranks 18th in program history in career passing yards, with 2,795 yards in roughly 1.5 seasons as the Furman starter. 

He has completed 255-of-393 passes over 13 games in which he has seen action in his career, including 12 as a starter, and has thrown 19 scoring strikes, with 11 INTs.  He is 6-6 as Furman's starting quarterback in his young career, with five of those losses, of course, coming as a true freshman last season.

Hedden currently ranks as the nation's sixth-most efficient passer, having completed 104-of-145 passes (71.7%) through four starts this season. Hedden also ranks 21st nationally in total passing yardage (1,028 yds)

In last Saturday's 31-13 win at Samford, Hedden finished out the contest by connecting on 28-of-41 passes for 272 yards with a pair of scores and no INTs. 

ETSU-Furman Connections

Both ETSU offensive co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Patrick Covington and defensive coordinator Chad Staggs have ties to the Furman football program.

Covington served as an All-SoCon and All-American offensive guard for the on two of the best teams in program history, which were the 2004 and '05 seasons, while having been a starter for three-straight seasons and a key piece of the Paladin offensive front from 2002-05. 

As for Staggs, he was part of head coach Clay Hendrix's original staff in Greenville, when Hendrix took over as the head coach in 2017, serving as the Paladins' defensive coordinator in 2017 and '18 before leaving to accept the same post at FBS Coastal Carolina. 

In two seasons as the Paladins' defensive coordinator, Staggs helped the Paladins to an FCS Playoff appearance and opening round win in 2017, while the '18 season would the Paladins claim a share of the SoCon title along with ETSU. Staggs is in his first season as the Bucs' defensive coordinator.

As for Furman offensive line coach Matt McCutchan, he served as the Bucs' OL coach prior to his arrival at Furman with the same coaching responsibilities, as he was a part of Randy Sanders' staff from 2018-21, which included helping the Bucs win a pair of Southern Conference titles.