The SoCon's Past Two Champions Meet Saturday in Greenville

 

Former Furman QB Tyler Huff takes off against Mercer in the 2023 matchup in Greenville (photo courtesy of Furman athletics)

Furman and Mercer set for key SoCon tilt at Paladin Stadium Saturday

Fresh off its 24-14 win over arch-rival The Citadel last time out, Furman (5-3, 3-2 SoCon) will be back at home to face off against league-leading and No. 15/13 Mercer (6-1, 5-0 SoCon) at Paladin Stadium for a 2 p.m. kickoff against the reigning league champion Bears.

The Paladins and Bears are the past two SoCon champions, with Mercer claiming the 2024 crown--its first in program history and Furman won its league-standard 15th SoCon crown and first outright crown in 34 years two years ago--as the two look to remain in both the hunt for the SoCon and regular-season titles. For Mercer, it is looking to become the first back-to-back SoCon champion since Wofford won three in a row from 2017-19.

The Bears are coming off a 62-0 win at VMI on what a record-setting afternoon was, as the Bears posted a SoCon and school record of 829 yards of total offense in the dismantling of the Keydets. Keying the offensive surge over the past month-and-a-half has been freshman quarterback Braden Atkinson, who threw for a program record 538 yards on 29-of-35 passing, with five touchdowns and no INTs. The 62-0 rout of VMI saw the Bears improve to 5-0 in SoCon play for the first time in school history.

That moved Atkinson to seventh in the nation in total passing yards this season, as the talented rookie comes into Saturday’s contest against the Paladins with 2,053 passing yards in seven games this season.

The Bears have won six-straight since having their opener called off midway through the fourth quarter and then promptly losing to Presbyterian in their home opener. The Bears come to Greenville having won nine-straight SoCon games, dating back to last season. The Bears are 16-1 in their last 17 league outings dating back to 2023. Since the start of the 2021 campaign, Mercer has a record of 29-8 against SoCon foes. The Paladins have handed Mercer two of those eight losses. 

Meanwhile, Furman is 11-6 against ranked teams over the past four seasons (2021-present) and Furman's game against the No. 13/15 Bears marks the first time this season that the Paladins have faced a ranked foe. 

The Paladins, however, have lost four out of their last five to ranked foes, which includes each of their last two regular-season home contests against Top 25 opponents. Since the start of the 2021 season, the Paladins aren't too far behind that success rate of their opposition in SoCon games, having posted a 23-13 mark against league foes.

It's bizarre to have only faced one ranked foe all season, however, it could be a case of Mercer being the only ranked foe Furman will face all season during the regular-season, and that includes FBS foe Clemson. It gives you a little bit of an idea of just what kind of season it has been for the SoCon from a broad perspective.  

A win for Furman ninth-year head coach Clay Hendrix (59-40/9th Yr) this Saturday would be his 60th win in what will be his 100th game on the sidelines as the head coach of the 'Dins. 

Furman and Mercer started their rivalry against one another in 1914, and Saturday’s clash at Paladin Stadium will mark the 24th all-time clash between the two schools on the football gridiron, with the Paladins holding the narrow 12-9-2 all-time edge in the series. 

The Bears got ended what had been a two-game in the series last season, posting a 49-23 win over the Paladins at Five Star Stadium in the 2024 regular-season finale to clinch the SoCon title. 

In that matchup, Mercer true freshman quarterback Whitt Neubauer connected on 18-of-28 passes for 257 yards, with three touchdowns and one INT, as the Bears rolled up 503 yards of total offense en route to the 26-point win. 

Mercer's defense also played a big role in last season's win over the Paladins, forcing three crucial turnovers, which included a 35-yard fumble return for a score by Tommy Bliss. The Bears ended up limiting the Paladins to just 322 yards of total offense, sacking Furman quarterback Trey Hedden on four occasions. 

Mercer's win would see it complete its mission, which was a vision realized some 11 years earlier when the Bears played their first Southern Conference game in school history in 2013, as the Paladins spoiled that occasion, with a 25-20 win at Five Star Stadium on a fourth quarter pick-six by Gary Wilkins.

Things, however, came full circle for the Bears some 11 years later against opponent, as the Bears went on to claim the lopsided win last November, and with that historic win, claim its first outright conference title 92 years! The previous title for Mercer came back in the 1932 season, as the Bears went on the claim the Dixie State Conference title that particular season. 

The win over the Paladins saw Mercer enter the FCS Playoffs with a 10-2 record, including having posted a 7-1 league ledger. The Bears were the only qualifier for the FCS Playoffs out of the SoCon, and after defeating Rhode Island (W, 17-10) in the opening round of the playoffs at Five Star Stadium, the Bears would eventually have to travel to Fargo in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs to face North Dakota State, where they would succumb to the eventual national title winners, 31-7.

Noting Mercer Entering Saturday's Matchup:

Mercer's trip to Paladin Stadium Saturday is a crucial one for second-year head coach Mike Jacobs and his Bears, as Mercer looks to become the first repeat champion in the Southern Conference since Wofford won three-straight from 2017-19.  Last season's SoCon crown for Mercer marked the sixth different SoCon champion. Each of the previous six SoCon title winners have also been outright champions.

The Bears have a tricky slate to navigate now, as their back half of the schedule in league play is arguably tougher than the first half, and with only one bid to the playoffs likely to be the automatic bid qualifier from the SoCon, meaning there is no margin for error for Jacobs' Bears, especially after Mercer had its season opener canceled, which was followed by a home-opening loss to Presbyterian (L, 10-15).

In fact, Furman and Mercer didn't do the SoCon any favors in terms of garnering any at-large bids to the postseason, with both dropping a game to non-scholarship No. 25 Presbyterian (7-1, 3-1 PFL).

Along with Furman this Saturday, Mercer has to navigate a tricky road ahead, which includes matchups on the road at Western Carolina (Nov. 8) and a Senior Day meeting with title-contending and suddenly hot Chattanooga (Nov.15) before closing out the regular-season on the plains of Alabama against FBS foe Auburn. 

By the time the Bears and Tigers meet, they'll already know their postseason fate. Mercer likely needs to win out to claim the 2025 SoCon title, and it will be arguably the toughest path forward of the teams in contention for the '25 league title. 

With all that said, it is fascinating that the Bears will have the opportunity to achieve such a feat with two different freshman starting quarterbacks, which might have never happened in the rich history of SoCon football.  Last season, it was Whitt Newbauer leading the charge for the Bears, while Braden Atkinson has been the main man leading the charge this season, as he was named the STATS Perform FCS National Player of the Week after connecting on 29-of-35 passing for 535 yards and five TDs, without tossing an INT. 

Other notable freshmen quarterbacks to lead their teams to titles in SoCon history include the likes of Furman's Dejuan Grainger (2019), Georgia Southern's Chaz Williams (2002), App State's Armanti Edwards (2006), Kam Bryant (2012) and Bobby Fuller (1987), and Marshall's Chad Pennington (1995) are just a sampling of some of the greats that have been able to lead their respective programs to a shared or outright SoCon title in their rookie campaigns.

There's no doubt that while the SoCon might be having a down year overall, but the league is not lacking in individually talented players, which is the case with Atkinson himself.

The Jerry Rice Award candidate under center for the Bears enters Saturday's contest against the Paladins ranking seventh in the nation in total passing yards (2,053 yds), while also having thrown 21 touchdowns with a 72.3% (151-of-209 passing) completion percentage. 

Atkinson has no shortage of weapons when it comes to targets in the passing attack, bringing a unit to Paladin Stadium, which rivals any the Paladins have faced to this point on the season. 

It all starts with Adjatay Dabbs (27 rec,485 yds, 4 TDs, 17.9 YPR), who really had his breakout performance of his career last season against the Paladins, having hauled in eight passes for 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 26-point home win. This season, Dabbs hasn't missed a beat and has been the leading target for Atkinson, especially when he is looking deep. 

Not too far behind Dabbs is Brayden Smith (41 rec, 434 yds, 6 TDs, 10.6 YPR), who along with Kendall Harris (21 rec, 289 yds, 1 TD, 13.8 YPR), offer a pair of reliable options with a good combination being sure-handed receiving threats in traffic, however, also possessing the ability to be deep threats like Dabbs. 

The x-factor target in the passing game is Adonis McDaniel (27 rec, 337 yds, 4 TDs, 12.5 YPR), who has had a breakout season for the Bears in his first campaign in Macon after transferring in from Lenoir-Rhyne.

Like Furman, Mercer has a diversified passing attack, in that it utilizes its tight ends as more than just blockers. Both Samuel Albee (6 rec, 110 yds, 2 TDs, 18.3 YPR) and sophomore Apollos Cook (6 rec, 68 yds, 11.3 YPR) are utilized as downfield options. In last season's 49-23 win over Furman, injured tight end Sawyer Burt hauled in a 7-yard scoring pass from Whitt Newbauer. 

Mercer's ground game was dealt a big dose of adversity from the infamous "no-contest" game, as Charleston Southern transfer Autavius Ison suffered what turned out to be an unfortunate season-ending injury in the game that didn't count. 

In Ison's absence, others have stepped up to power the Mercer ground game, led by veteran CJ Miller (82 rush att, 521 yds, 6 TDs, 6.4 YPC/12 rec, 172 yds, 2 TDs, 14.3 YPR), who features a powerful running style, however, also has the versatility to be a big-play threat in the passing game for Mercer. 

The Bears' second-leading rusher is freshman Ty Doughty (36 rush att, 191 yds, 1 TD, 5.3 YPC), who wears No. 80 and actually came into the season as a wide receiver, however, since being moved into the backup role due to injuries at running back, he's become an effective option when for Atkinson to rely on not only as a ground option, but as an added luxury of being an extra safety valve in the passing game, as he has six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown so far this season.

Rounding out the offensive is an offensive line that, since the opening game against UC Davis, has looked like a much more polished and sounder unit collectively. In fact, the Bears have surrendered a league-low two sacks, and much of that has to do with the fact that Mercer has a quarterback that, much like PC's Colin Hurst and Western Carolina's Taron Dickens. In fact, entering Saturday's game against the Paladins, the Bears have gone four games without surrendering a single sack. 

The strength of the Bears' offensive front is along its right side, where the Bears have the all-conference tandem of right guard Tyler Murray (preseason 2nd Team All-SoCon selection) and right tackle Xavier Jennings (preseason 1st Team All-SoCon selection). The left side of the line, and in particular left tackle Amari Atchison, will be one to watch Saturday, as he draws the unenviable task of trying to block the nation's sack leader, in Furman's Joshua Stoneking.

All told, the Mercer offense enters Saturday's contest ranking second in the nation in total offense (496.6 YPG), as the unit was definitely bolstered by that SoCon record-setting day of 829 yards in last Saturday's demolition of VMI. 

Only Monmouth, which averages 520.1 YPG and is powered by nation-leading passer Derek Robertson ranks higher. The Bears also enter ranking 14th in the country in scoring offense (36.1 PPG) and the Bears place third nationally in passing offense (322.1 YPG) currently.

On the defensive side of the football, Mercer has been as good as advertised and the Bears enter the matchup against the Paladins ranking 10th in the nation in total defense (303.4 YPG), third in scoring defense (15.0 PPG), fourth in rushing defense (79.6 YPG) and lead the nation in total sacks (29.0/4.14 SPG). The only chink in the armor defensively is passing defense, which sees the Bears enter the contest ranking 70th nationally in passing yards allowed () per game.

With that said, like Furman, the Bears have one of the top defensive players in the country, in preseason All-SoCon and Defensive Player of the Year Andrew Zock (27 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks, 3 PBUs, 18 QBHs, 2 FFs). The sophomore has picked up right where he left off a year ago for the Bears and ranks fifth nationally in total sacks (8.5/1.14 SPG) and second in tackles-for-loss (13.5 TFL/1.86 TFLPG). 

Zock will team with sixth-year veteran nose tackle Jordan Swain (19 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks), who is Mercer's Matt Sochovka up front to give Furman folks a reference point. Swain has been a stalwart along the Bears offensive line and will no doubt end his career as the winningest player in the history Bears football. 

The Bears linebacking corps is also a talented unit, but was one of the major concerns and talking points coming into the season because of just who Mercer lost at the position from a year ago, as both Ken Standley Jr. and Isaac Dowling have moved on. The leader of the unit to have emerged this season have been both Drew Clare (52 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 3 QBHs, 2 PBUs, 1 FF) and Donovan Watkins (19 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 5 PBUs).  Julian Fox () has also done a nice job sealing off the edge at the other linebacker spot this season, as the Bears utilize a standard 4-3 scheme, but can be multiple on defense depending on the opponent.  

Both Watkins and Clare have provided solid run-support all season, dating back to the opening season game that wasn't, which saw the Bears surrender what is a season-high 206 yards on the ground if the stats had actually counted. Since allowing 118 yards on the ground in a 38-0 win over The Citadel, the Bears have not allowed a foe to rush more than 100 yards on the ground. 

In fact, if you throw out the game against the Aggies, the only two teams to rush for more than 100 yards in a game this season are Presbyterian (137) and The Citadel (118 yds). 

Another question mark coming into the season was the defensive backfield, as Mercer had one of the top secondaries in the country a year ago, with both Myles Redding and TJ Moore finishing off the 2024 season accounting for 16 of the team's 25 INTs. 

This season it's been a little of a weakness at times, but for the most part, Mercer has been solid on the back end. KJ Thomas (15 tackles, 6 PBUs) and Carmelo O'Neal (25 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.0 TFL) have been the two new starters at the respective cornerback spots, while Tommy Bliss (36 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 4 PBUs, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 1 FR) and Kaleb Hutchinson (42 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 PBUs, 1 INT) have done a nice job of making plays and providing run support at the respective safety spots. 

Bliss is a player that Paladin fans will remember, as he was responsible for one of Mercer's touchdowns in last season's 49-23 Bears win, as he recovered a fumble on a wild heave under pressure by Furman quarterback Trey Hedden and returned it 35 yards for a score with just 22 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, giving the Bears their first lead of the day, at 14-10, and it would be one Mercer wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the game. The Bears are a little off last season's pace, with just five INTs through the first seven games this season.

Noting Furman Entering Saturday's Matchup:

Furman's offense has been good at times in 2025, while at others have left a lot of meat on the bone. In the two-week span in which Furman was without some of its top receiving options in losses to both Wofford and Western Carolina, the Paladins struggled to generate any kind of positive momentum in either of those losses. 

However, despite not having top receivers Ja'Keith Hamilton (27 rec, 332 yds, 4 TDs, 12.3 YPR) and Evan James (40 rec, 505 yds, 2 TDs, 12.6 YPR) for a majority of those games in losses to the Catamounts and Terriers, the Paladins still managed to rack up decent yardage totals, finishing with 359 against Western Carolina in what was a 52-7 loss, while Furman actually outgained Wofford (329-325) in its 31-13 loss on the road to the Terriers a couple of weeks ago.

For quarterback Trey Hedden (201-of-292, 2,062 yds, 10 TDs, 9 INTs) and the Furman offense at least, things began to trend towards normalcy once again, with both James and Hamilton returning to the fold. Prior to last week in that two-week swoon vs. Western Carolina and Wofford, the Paladins turned the ball over eight times, which directly led to 38 points for the opposition, which is nearly double what Furman's offense was able to generate in terms of points (20) in that two-week span, which saw the Paladins drop two games in league play by a combined 83-20.

Hedden is somewhat quietly having one of the best seasons in the history of Furman football, and he is currently moving up the charts in several different categories. The sophomore signal-caller already has posted the third-most passing yards (358 vs. ETSU), fourth-most pass attempts (49 vs. ETSU) and second-most completions (36 vs. ETSU) in a single-game in school history. 

With Hedden having thrown for 2,062 yards this season, he's approaching the single season mark for passing yards. With 898 passing yards over the final four games, Hedden would break Ingle Martin's single season passing mark of 2,959 yards, which he accomplished in 14 games during the 2014 campaign. Hedden would need to average 224.5 yards passing per game to set a new single-season passing mark over the final four weeks of the season.

Furman went without turning the ball over once in the 24-14 win over the Bulldogs a week ago, and the offense played one its most sound games of the season in terms of execution in the ground game, however, in the opening half, the Paladins had to settle for three field goals instead. 

The Paladins led 9-0 over their arch-rival at the half, however, things quickly escalated in the third quarter when The Citadel's offense produced two big plays, and Furman was left shellshocked. However, Furman responded by netting a pair of trips to the end zone, which included a key 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a Jayquan Smith () seven-yard scoring run with 3:21 left to give Furman a two-score advantage, as the Paladins ultimately found their way back into the win column. Hedden went on to finish the day with solid numbers, completing the game connecting on 16-of-22 passes for 211 yards and no INTs. 

Furman has been able to respond much better to adversity at home than on the road this season. In fact, the only time in which Furman has surrendered a lead or faced adversity it has not overcome in a home game came in the 39-38 overtime loss to No. 25  and Pioneer Football League member Presbyterian--a commonality both the Paladins and Bears share.

Like the Bears, Furman's passing game has been prolific when it has been in rhythm and fully healthy this season, and the Paladins currently rank 19th nationally in passing offense (259.1 YPG) and 62nd in total offense (361.9 YPG), while ranking tied for 66th in the nation in scoring offense (24.4 PPG).  

Furman's 259.1 YPG through the air per game would rank second in school history if the season ended today, which would be second to only the 2016 Paladins, which averaged 265.5 YPG passing.

The only real bugaboo for the offense has been running the football, as the Paladins have been weak running the ball for the better part of the past two seasons, however, they are slowly but surely improving in that area. Furman enters its game against one of the nation's top rushing defenses ranking 111th (102.8 YPG) out of 126 teams in the FCS in rushing offense. 

Adding a little more of a challenge is having to do it without leading rusher Gavin Hall (118 rush att, 437 yds, 3 TDs, 3.7 YPC), who went down early in the opening quarter of last week's win vs. The Citadel and did not return to the game. While no timetable or injury status was provided this week by head coach Clay Hendrix at his weekly press conference, it has been speculated that the injury might be significant enough to end Hall's season prematurely. 

The Paladins had a couple of running backs step up and shine last week in the win, with one having a breakout performance. Furman's games with The Citadel have seen that as a common occurrence in some recent meetings, with Dominic Roberto coming to mind after his performance in 2021 in Furman's home win over The Citadel.

While there were no 90-yard scoring sprints from Furman's unlikely ground attack hero this time around against The Citadel like the one Roberto enjoyed during the 2021 meeting, there was a name that wasn't a household name to many Paladin fans leading the charge. 

Along with Smith, who fittingly scored the game-winning TD against the Bulldogs after overcoming a career-threatening injury two years ago against the same opponent, it was Ben Croasdale (27 rush att, 166 yds, 6.1 YPC) that stepped in for Hall and led the Paladin ground attack, as he rushed for a career-best 84 yards on 18 carries. 

The good news for Furman is that Furman will see talented freshman running back CJ Nettles (43 rush att, 150 yds, 3.5 TPR) return to the backfield this week after missing the game against The Citadel due to a minor injury. Nettles is shifty, and he's not only elusive as a rushing threat, he has some of the best hands of any receiving target on the team and is a weapon that Hedden can check down to if he needs to. Nettles has hauled in five passes for 32 yards so far in 2025.

As far as Furman's wideouts go, the Paladins have a unit that could rival any one receiving unit in the SoCon, and for that matter, in the nation. In fact, Furman's unit likely goes as being underrated by most, which when we think of some of the big-time units in the SoCon like at Western Carolina and Mercer, that's understandable. However, what's also likely not widely known is that the Paladins' receiving corps is every bit as good as the one the Bears and Catamounts roll out each Saturday. They've had to be, and that's because the ground attack has seen so many struggles since the start of the season.

It starts with James, who like Mercer's Atkinson, is a STATs Perform Jerry Rice Award candidate, which is given to the top freshman player in the FCS each season. James' effect on Furman's offense is huge, and he's one of those receivers that can be a big-play threat, but it's not that aspect of his game that makes him so vital to Furman's offensive production. 

His effect on the game is comparable to that of a guy like Marvin Harrison from say 1999-2007, in which there was a distinct difference between Peyton Manning had him as a part of the Indianapolis Colts offense, as to when he didn't have him. 

Like Harrison, James has an uncanny knack of being able to get open on third down or when Furman needs a big play to generate some momentum, it's usually the true freshman from Apopka that is getting open. 

James wears No. 16, and he has a skill-set a little bit like former Paladin all-time great Isaac West's (2000-04) in him, and fittingly West also wore No. 16 also and finished his career ranking fourth in school history in receiving yards (2,338 yds), fifth in receptions (140) and tied for fifth in career TD catches (16). 

West also posted the best single-season for a wide receiver in Furman football history in receiving yards, hauling in 60 passes for 1,006 yards and six touchdowns in what was a 10-win season for the Paladins, which saw the Paladins season end a lot sooner than expected in the FCS postseason, as the No. 2 seeded Paladins lost at home to eventual national champion James Madison, 14-13, in the friendly confines of Paladin Stadium. 

West is also the only Paladin to have ever worn that particular jersey number in the modern era. He might become the first of two after the season is complete. James' return to the lineup last week saw Furman's offense begin to hum with some efficiency again, and it even had an effect on the Paladins having better success running the football against the Bulldogs last week. 

Despite missing starts against East Tennessee State, Western Carolina and Wofford, the freshman standout James returned against the Bulldogs and didn't miss a beat, finishing the game with eight catches for 126 yards. James has 40 catches for 505 yards and a pair of scores in only five appearances this season. 

Teaming with James and Hamilton as a part of that talented group are others like Kerry King (30 rec, 261 yds, 8.7 YPR), Devin Hester Jr. (23 rec, 313 yds, 1 TD, 13.6 YPR) and tight end Joshua Burrell (24 rec, 172 yds, 2 TDs, 7.2 YPR), which comprise one of the more versatile Furman receiving units in recent memory. That's not to even mention Ethan Harris (21 rec, 223 yds, 10.6 YPR), who was Furman's leading option in the passing game last season and he will likely miss Saturday's game against the Bears with an injury.

Furman's done a solid job along the offensive front through the first eight games of the season of protecting quarterback Trey Hedden this season, and they'll be asked to do that at least one more time on Saturday when the Paladins face off against a Mercer club that enters the contest leading the nation in total sacks (29.0 SPG). 

Furman comes into the game, ranking tied for 55th nationally in sacks allowed so far this season, having yielded a total of 15 sacks (1.88 SPG) through the first eight Saturdays this season. The offensive line has been anchored this season by preseason All-SoCon selections Eli Brasher (LT) and Thomas Petit (LG), while Jaydon Collins (RT) has been a nice addition to the unit since transferring into Furman from Wake Forest.

On defense, the Paladins, other than a two-week span against Wofford and Western Carolina, in which Furman put together two halves of solid work over that span, the Paladins have been pretty solid defensively this season. 

Furman enters the game against No. 13/15 Mercer ranking 76th nationally in total defense (390.0 YPG), 73rd in pass defense (226.2 YPG), 73rd in rush defense (163.8 YPG), 13th in team sacks (22.0/2.75 SPG) and 58th in third down efficiency defense (.394).

It all starts up front for the Paladins, and like Mercer, Furman brings one of the very best defensive lines in all of FCS Football into Saturday's clash at Paladin Stadium. The Paladins are aggressive and powerful along the defensive front, which like Mercer, will be a 4-3 base, with other packages mixed in throughout the course of the game depending on the opponent. With Mercer's prolificness in its passing game, a fifth defensive back will likely be deployed in key situations on Saturday. 

Leading the way all season is sophomore defensive end Joshua Stoneking (47 tackles, 18 tackles-for-loss, 12.5 sacks, 7 QBHs, 2 FFs, 1 blkd kick), who enters as the nation's leader in both sacks (12.5) and tackles-for-loss (18).  Stoneking has sealed at two wins this season, with a game-ending sack in Furman's non-conference win over Campbell, while just last Saturday, his strip-sack of The Citadel's Quentin Hayes, which was recovered by the Paladins to close out a win over the Paladins' biggest rival. 

Stoneking is the type of player that occupies attention on virtually every play, and it will he will have a challenge solving the puzzle along the Mercer offensive line, as the Bears bring in a top pass-blocking unit in all of the FCS this season. 

Stoneking has registered all but four of the team's sacks total. He will need to have some help along the defensive front if the Paladins hope to pull off the upset. With six sacks in his final four games this season, Stoneking has a chance to surpass the all-time single-season mark of 17.5 sacks in a season, which was set by Bryan Dailer in 11 games back in 1997. There are a lot of similarities between No. 64 and Stoneking.

He will team with Demetrius Baldwin (24 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 QBH, 1 FF), Caldwell Bussey (22 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 QBH, 1 blkd kick) and 'Bandit' linebacker Tanner Schuck (30 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 QBH) will round out a talented unit. Both Garrison Butler (9 tackles, 1 INT, 1 QBH) and Malaki Dobbins (6 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sack) could also play key roles as reserves along the defensive line for the Paladins Saturday. 

Furman has been without preseason first-team All-SoCon selection Ryan Earl for most of the season, as Earl went down with a season-ending injury in Furman's second game of the season, which was the 39-38 overtime loss to Presbyterian. Coeur D'Alene, Idaho product and redshirt senior Luke McLaughlin (45 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FF) has stepped in and provided solid play in Earl's absence, teaming with Raleigh Herbert (43 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1.5 sack, 1 INT, 1 TD, 3 PBUs, 3 QBHs, 1 FR) at inside linebacker. 

The secondary started the season strong but has seen its share of struggles in surrendering the big play in the passing game since the start of SoCon play. The Paladins have surrendered eight scoring passes of 25 or more yards in five SoCon games this season, including two last Saturday on blown assignments in the win over The Citadel. The Paladins better be ready to see the Bears throw it deep and they will likely go to the well often on Saturday.  

The only game in of the five in which the Paladins didn't give a up big play in the passing game to an opponent was against East Tennessee State, which saw the Paladins do a nice job of limiting the big play in the passing game, however, did manage to surrender a 75-yard scoring run to ETSU running back Devontae Houston on the first play of the second half in what would ultimately turn out to be a 31-22 win for the 'Dins. It was fitting that freshman cornerback Jordan Miller sealed the win with a 95-yard INT return for a score as time expired in the game. 

The final play against the Bucs, which saw ETSU on the doorstep of the Furman red zone, saw Duane Vaughn's Furman defense working in perfect unison, with the pressure applied by both Stoneking and Garrison Butler helping lead to an errant pass, landing well short of its target and into the waiting arms of  Miller, and he would sprint 95 yards to the house for the game-clinching play.

While Furman has struggled in giving up the big play, the Paladins have been much improved over the product they were a year ago. 

Leading the back end of the Furman defense has been a trio of safeties, in Taylen Blaylock (46 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 PBUs, 2 INTs, 1 TD), AK Burrell (35 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU), and Billy Lewis (team-leading 50 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 INTs, 1 PBU) that have been as good as any safety duo or trio in the SoCon this season. 

Furman has seen a majority of those eight big passing plays in SoCon play occur in one-on-one situations, which has seen a Furman corner beat by either a double move or just simply a blown responsibility. Set to start at the respective cornerback spots for the Paladins Saturday will be both true freshman Jordan Miller (15 tackles, 3 PBUs, 1 INT, 1 TD) Prairie View A&M transfer Keon Jones (33 tackles, 3 PBUs, 1.0 TFL). 

With the game likely to be close Saturday, it could come down to the special teams' units for one side or the other and both Mercer and Furman have some of the best specialists in the SoCon.

Mercer relies on the consistency of field goal specialist Reice Griffith (10-of-13 FGs/31-of-31 PATs), while punter John McConnell (46.8 YPP) has done a nice job in helping the Bears play the field position game when needed this season, having posted the league's second-highest punting average, which includes nine downed inside the 20. 

The Paladins are led by Ian Williams, who handles both the kicking and punting duties for Furman. Williams is on pace to finish out his career as one of the best in school history and currently has 51 points this season, going 11-of-14 (78.6%) on field goals and a perfect 18-for-18 on PATs. Williams also handles kickoffs and has kicked off 42 times this season, with 32 going for touchbacks, while in action as the Furman punter this season, he's averaged 43.8 yards-per-punt, with 11 of those landing inside the 20. 

This should be an exciting contest, with it likely to come down to the fourth quarter, as the winning margin should probably be by a touchdown or less. Expect a close on in Greenville Saturday.