Clay Hendrix's Era at Furman Will be Defined by Perseverance (Part 2 of 4)

On Dec. 19, 2016, Clay Hendrix was named the 23rd head coach in Furman program history.

With Clay Hendrix announcing his retirement last week, it's time to take a look at yet another part of his unforgettable legacy as the head coach. Hendrix boasts a 62-50 mark as Furman's head coach, including a 46-28 ledger against SoCon foes. 

Furman (2-7, 1-4 SoCon) heads to arch-rival The Citadel (2-7, 0-5 SoCon) this weekend in what will be the final time for the Paladins head coach to square off against the Paladins' most bitter of rivals. No team in the nation has lost more one-possession games than the Paladins, who have six entering Saturday's showdown with the Bulldogs, including coming off a heartbreaking, 27-26, setback just last week against Western Carolina.  

Furman's six-straight losses have come by a combined 27 points, and the losing streak marks the longest under head coach Hendrix, and it's the longest losing streak by Furman's football program since losing nine-straight between the 2015 and '16 campaigns, respectively, under the direction of Hendrix's predecessor, Bruce Fowler.

The Paladins will likely be led under center once again by freshman signal-caller Trey Smith, who posted a Furman quarterback rushing record of 162 yards, which included a 79-yard scamper, in last Saturday's one-point setback to Western Carolina.  He leads an offense that has struggled all season, as the Paladins are posting their lowest scoring totals in 52 years, averaging just 16.3 PPG (129 total points), which is the lowest points total since Art Baker's second season in charge in 1974. The Paladins would finish 5-6 that season.

Furman's defense has continued to be staunch despite the offensive struggles, as Furman enters Saturday's contest 42nd nationally (352.0 YPG), as well as ranking 30th in scoring defense (21.75 PPG). 

The Paladins and Bulldogs represent the best rivalry on the SoCon gridiron and Saturday's clash between the two will mark the 106th meeting between the two programs. Furman holds a 65-37-3 lead in the all-time series. Furman will be looking to win its sixth-straight in the series Saturday, and should the Paladins accomplish that feat, it would mark the longest streak of wins in the series since winning nine-straight from 1982-90. 

Last week we took a look back at some of the great moments over the past decade of Clay Hendrix's career as the head coach of the Paladins, which is currently in its 10th season as he head coach of the Paladins' football program and will be taking part in his 33rd game against The Citadel as a player, assistant coach and head coach in his Paladin career.

The Paladins come into the matchup having lost five-straight games, but when they take the field against the Bulldogs on Saturday, the Paladins will be looking for their sixth-straight win in the series, which includes a 23-13 win by the Paladins in Paladin Stadium last season.

First, we want to look back to some memories enjoyed by Hendrix during his career as a head coach against the Bulldogs before diving back into the season-by -season journey.

Hendrix vs. The Citadel (2017-2025)

2017--Furman 56, The Citadel 20--No. 21 Furman made easy work of The Citadel, posting a 56-20 to clinch a seventh-straight victory, which marked the longest winning streak for Furman football since the 1999 campaign. The Paladins scored touchdowns on their first seven possessions of the game en route to improving to 7-3 overall and 6-1 in league play. Furman took a 35-0 lead into the halftime locker room and a 56-yard kickoff return by Thomas Gordon to open the second half would set up a a Kealand Dirks 26-yard scoring scamper a couple of plays later, as the Paladins padded their lead even more, at 42-0.  The Paladins delivered one of their more notable offensive performances under Hendrix, amassing 544 yards of total offense, which included a balanced effort of 283 on the ground and 261 through the air. Furman quarterback PJ Blazejowski finished the contest by connecting on 11-of-14 throws for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Antonio Wilcox 

2018--Furman 28, The Citadel 17--In 2018, Furman would meet the Bulldogs in a crucial late-October clash in Charleston, and it would be the Paladins that were able to come away with a crucial 28-17 triumph at Johnson-Hagood Stadium. The win by the Paladins came in somewhat an unlikely fashion, as the Paladins overcame a 17-14 deficit with just under 14 minutes remaining. Led by quarterback JeMar Lincoln put together a nine-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a four-yard option keeper to give the Paladins a 21-17 lead with 9:12 remaining. Then the Paladins would decide the outcome on the defensive side of the football, as Hendrix would improve to 2-0 against The Citadel as a head coach. After the two teams exchanged punts, the Bulldogs had the football back with 2:46 remaining at their own 28 and trailing the game 21-17. On the second play of the drive, redshirt freshman and Jerry Rice Award candidate Adrian Hope broke through The Citadel's line and sacked The Citadel's Jordan Black, forcing him to cough up the football, which would be recovered by fellow linebacker Donovan Perryman, who scooped up the loose football and returned it 20 yards for a score, giving the Paladins a 28-17 lead with 2:04 remaining, which effectively sealed the outcome.

2019--The Citadel 27, No. 8 Furman 10--After climbing as high as No. 8 in the nation and winning its first three SoCon games, including a 58-14 shellacking of Samford in Homewood two weeks earlier before a bye week, the Paladins crashed and burned back down to earth against The Citadel, who came to Paladin Stadium on a cold, rainy mid-October Saturday afternoon and handed the Paladins a 27-10 setback. It was Hendrix's first loss to the Bulldogs as a head coach, as well as being Furman's first loss of the SoCon season. As it would  turn out, this loss would turn out to be a rather significant one for the Paladins, who after such a dominant start to SoCon play, were never quite the same afterwards. The Bulldogs finished the contest with 360 yards on the ground behind quarterback Brandon Rainey, while The Citadel's defense limited Furman to just 216 yards in the entire game, as the Bulldogs ended the contest with a 392-216 advantage in total offense en route to the win to snap the mini two-game winning streak the Paladins had enjoyed in Hendrix's first two seasons at the helm.

2020-21--The Citadel 26, Furman 7--During the COVID-19 compromised season, the Bulldogs would hand the Paladins their largest margin of defeat in the rivalry-to-date with Clay Hendrix at the helm, as the game marked the 100th meeting between the two rivals, and it would be a memorable one for Bulldogs fans, as The Citadel demoralized Furman, 26-7, in Charleston. The Bulldogs got on the board first when Hayden Johnson recovered a Timmy Bleekrode blocked punt in the end zone for a score to make it 7-0 with just under a minute remaining in the first quarter. Then on the ensuing kickoff, Furman failed to field the kickoff properly, as the ball got caught in the Charleston beach breeze and it would be recovered by the Bulldogs courtesy of Ryland Ayers at the Furman 26. Two plays later, quarterback Jaylan Adams broke through for a 25-yard scoring run to make it a 13-0 Bulldogs lead on the final play of the opening quarter, as the two-point conversion failed. Furman's lone touchdown in the game came with just under 11 minutes remaining in the half, as Ryan Miller hauled in a 28-yard scoring pass from Hamp Sisson to make it a 13-7 game. The Bulldogs would tack on two scores late in the fourth quarter, as Adams scored on a 43-yard scamper with 5:16 remaining before Jay Smith capped the game with a 31-yard pick-six to set the final margin at 26-7 following a pair of failed two-point conversions.

2021--Furman 24, The Citadel 14--Hendrix and the Paladins would restore the order of the series, as Furman would get a big day from its bulldozer in the backfield--Dominic Roberto--rushed for 132 yards, which included a 90-yard scoring scamper in the opening half, as the Paladins got back on the winning track against The Citadel with a 24-14 win.  With the game tied at 7-7 late in the second quarter, Roberto broke through the line and dashed 90 yards to pay dirt for what accounted for the second-longest scoring run untouched for the second-longest scoring run in Furman history. Roberto's outstanding performance came on just 12 carries, which included four runs of 20 or more yards. With the game in the balance early in the fourth quarter, as Furman was clinging to a 17-14 lead, Furman linebacker Elijah McKoy batted a Bulldogs option pitch and eventually reovered the football at The Citadel 31. Devin Abrams plunged into the end zone from a yard out with 7:23 left to give the Paladins a 24-14 lead. It would prove to be the game-winning points for the Paladins in the rare night game between the two rivals. 

2022--Furman 21, The Citadel 1o--Furman would claim its second-straight win in the series, as Clay Hendrix improved to 4-2 as a head coach against The Citadel, with the Furman defense helping pave the way to a win on a day when the offense struggled. The Paladins converted a pair of third quarter fumbles by the Bulldogs into a pair short Dominic Roberto touchdown runs and that would prove to be the difference in what was a 21-10 win at Johnson-Hagood Stadium. It was Furman's 62nd win in the 102-game rivalry between the two foes. Leading 7-3 early in the third quarter, Furman All-America cornerback Travis Blackshear forced a fumble, which defensive lineman Bryce Stanfield recovered at the Bulldogs' 32-yard line. Two plays later, Roberto bolted through the Bulldogs' defensive line for a 26-yard scoring run to make it 14-3 game. On The Citadel's ensuing possession, Paladin defensive back Jalen Miller forced The Citadel's Cooper Wallace to cough up the football at his own 27, as Paladin safety Kam Brinson recovered the football and returned it eight yards to The Citadel's 19. Two plays later, Roberto's number was called again, and again he delivered, this time taking the ball off left guard and into the end zone for a 5-yard scoring run to make it 21-3 Paladin lead with 9:25 remaining. Ricky Conway added a 26-yard touchdown run with just under three minutes left to set the final margin on the scoreboard.

2023--No. 4 Furman 28, The Citadel 14--In  what was somewhat of an underwhelming performance in front of a crowd of 12,157 fans on-hand at Paladin Stadium for Homecoming, Furman raced out to a 28-0 third quarter lead before holding off The Citadel for a 28-14 win over The Citadel  inside the friendly confines, as the Paladins claimed their third-straight win in the series. Furman senior quarterback Tyler Huff finished the day connecting on 19-of-24 for 146 yards and a pair of scores, while the Paladins held a substantial 199-39 advantage in ground yards en route to the 14-point win, as Furman improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in league action. Furman's defense was on-point all afternoon, holding the Bulldogs to just 278 yards of total offense in the win. 

2024--Furman 17, The Citadel 16--IIt was complete domination from The Citadel in the opening half of play, holding huge advantages in total yards (186-34), plays (43-17), and time of possession (21:49-8:11) and somehow only had a 10-0 lead at the half. The Paladins had just two first downs and never entered The Citadel territory in the opening 30 minutes of action. It was about as one-sided of a half that this rivalry has seen in quite sometime and was reminiscent of The Citadel’s last win in the series, which was a 26-7 triumph back in the spring of 2021knocked through to give the Bulldogs the 13-point, 16-3, lead with 8:22 remaining. That’s when Hedden and the Paladin offense went to work, and just as it had done in the waning stages of the third quarter, found a rhythm once again in the short-intermediate passing game. With Hedden getting a little more time to throw the ball, he dispersed the ball to six different receivers during what culminated in Furman’s first touchdown of the afternoon, and it was the sixth different option—Ben Ferguson—that after review saw the Paladins close the margin to within a TD after Ian Williams’ PAT,  as Ferguson hauled in Hedden’s 10-yard offering in the corner of the visitor’s side end zone to make it a 16-10 contest with 5:39 remaining. With momentum now having clearly shifted, the Paladin defense went about getting the ball back to Hedden and the Paladin offense as quickly as possible, and after a pair of rush attempts yielded only three yards, and an incomplete pass on third down, the Paladin offense would get the ball back with plenty of time to try and score the go-ahead touchdown. James Platte would make life tough for Furman’s offense, however, as he crushed a 65-yard punt, which this time Colton Hinton nearly pulled off a catch Willie Mays would have admired, as he was surprised from the Platte blast, however, he would chase it down and run across the field gaining as much yardage as he could before being swarmed by a host of Bulldog tacklers at his own 11. That’s where Hedden and the Paladin offense went to work with exactly four minutes left. The game-winning drive didn’t come without a scare or two, including one play in which on the final drive, the ball was knocked out of Hedden’s hand and was returned 32 yards for a touchdown by the Bulldogs, however, upon further review, it was deemed that Hedden’s arm was indeed moving forward, which overturned the touchdown.Though the Paladins weren’t that successful running the ball all afternoon, a pair of key runs that netted Hedden and the Paladin offense 16 yards during the game-winning drive proved especially vital. On a second-and-goal play from the six with 61 seconds left, Hedden found the ever-reliable Jackson Pryor for six-yard scoring strike, as Pryor dove to secure the catch in the back of the end zone to tie the game, 16-16. Ian Williams’ vital PAT gave Furman its first lead and it was on the verge of doing something rather remarkable.

2025--Furman 23, The Citadel 13--For Furman head coach Clay Hendrix, it was his 32nd as a part of the rivalry, serving in capacities as a player (1982-85), assistant coach (1988-2006) and head coach (2017-present) in the SoCon's oldest and preeminent rivalry, improving to 59-40 in 99 games as the Furman head coach. Furman improved to 65-37-3 in the all-time series and 16-6 in games played at Paladin Stadium. The Paladins dominated in all three phases.  On offense, Furman used a balanced attack behind the leadership of quarterback Trey Hedden and the return of wideouts Evan James and Ja'Keith Hamilton, which was balanced out by an effective ground attack, which gained 139 yards behind the solid duo of Ben Croasdale and Jay'Quan Smith, who accounted for a combined 136 yards and two scores and a key two-point conversion in the win. Hedden finished the day the model of efficiency after having suffered a combined seven INTs during the Paladins' offensive struggles in each of the past two games, as he connected on 16-of-22throws for 211 yards, with no INTs.  James, who was selected to the STATS Perform Jerry Rice Award list just last week, finished off his return from injury in style, as he hauled in eight passes for 126 yards, which included receptions of 36 and 38 yards, respectively, which positioned the Paladins for 10 of their 24 points in the win. Croasdale had a breakout performance for the Paladin ground attack, leading Furman with a career-high 84 yards on 18 carries, while Jay'Quan Smith added 52 yards and two touchdowns on 11 rush attempts, as well as a key two-point conversion to help power Furman's scoring punch inside the redzone. Croasdale answered the call when leading rusher Gavin Hall went down early in the game and did not return. It was a full-circle type moment for Smith, who suffered a career-threatening injury against the Bulldogs nearly two years ago to the day on the same turf. After missing the entire 2024 season and not returning until preseason camp, it was notable redemption for the talented redshirt sophomore running back. The final phase was the kicking game, and All-America place-kicker Ian Williams shined in the kicking game all afternoon, connecting on field goals of 46, 36 and 21 yards to stake Furman to a 9-0 halftime lead. As a punter, Williams booted six punts for a solid average of 41.6 yards-per-punt, with two of landing inside the 10 to flip the field at key moments in the game.  Finally, after not being able to put together two complete halves of football in losses to Wofford and Western Carolina each of the previous two weeks, order was restored by the Paladin defensive unit on homecoming. Furman limited the Bulldogs to 14 points and 337 yards, including just 161 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs came into the game averaging 223.3 YPG and ranking 10th overall in the country. Taylan Blaylock and Joshua Stoneking bookended the strong performance by the unit, as Blalock was tied for the team lead with 10 tackles, including behind the line of scrimmage. It was his big hit in the backfield on The Citadel quarterback Cobey Thompkins for what was a three-yard loss to set the tone.  If that set the tone, it was Joshua Stoneking's performance on the Bulldogs' final drive of the day that helped nail down the 65th win in the series by the Paladins, as his sack and strip fumble, which was recovered by linebacker Luke McLaughlin helped seal the win with just over a minute left.  All told, Stoneking, who led the nation in sacks and tackles-for-loss entering the contest, finished with four tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. His sack and subsequent forced fumble clinched the win. It marked the third time in conference play that Stoneking's ability as a pass-rusher helped influence the outcome of a game. The Citadel finished the day led by its two quarterbacks, in Quentin Hayes and Cobey Thompkins. Hayes connected 11-of-15 passes for 194 yards, two touchdowns and no INTs. He also led the ground attack with a hard-fought 39 yards on 13 attempts and was sacked twice. Thompkins finished the night connecting on 3-of-3 passes for 10 yards, while rushing six times for 21 yards. The Bulldogs' most-effective offensive weapon in the game was Jihad Marks, who caught three passes for 108 yards and a pair of scores, accounting for the Bulldogs' only points of the afternoon. Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by three players with seven stops, with linebacker Je'Mazin Roberts and defensive backs Bradlee Jones and Tyrik McDaniel all posted seven stops. The Citadel's defense posted four tackles behind the line-of-scrimmage and a pair of sacks. Furman finished the day with a 351-337 advantage in total offense.

2026 ??--In what will be Clay Hendrix's 33rd and final meeting against Furman's bitterest of rivals, he will be looking to finish on a strong note and snap what has become a six-game losing streak for Furman by winning his sixth-straight game in the series. The Bulldogs, who have yet to win a SoCon game, would love nothing more to notch Maurice Drayton's first win in the series in what will be his last game against Hendrix. Both coaches share a very deep respect for each other and how they approach their respective jobs. Both places mean a great deal to each head coach, with both having, at one time, suited up for their employer.

Reflections on the Clay Hendrix Era (Continued)

2018: (SoCon Co-Champions/6-4 overall, 6-2 SoCon)

The 2018 season for head coach Clay Hendrix was filled with both "ups" and "downs" and it was a season that would see both exhilarating highs and some heartbreaking lows, and then there was just some moments that were downright bizarre.

The season started out with a trips to eventual national title winner Clemson and on the road at the same playoff qualifier the Paladins had faced the previous season--the CAA's Elon Phoenix, who were still coached by Curt Cignetti. Cignetti is of course the head coach of the 2025 reigning national champion Indiana Hoosiers.

Hendrix and the Paladins would be breaking in a new quarterback with the graduation of PJ Blazejowski, as senior Harris Roberts would get his first opportunity to be a starter for the Paladinsafter working patiently for three seasons, originally joining the program as a walk-on. 

An injury late in fall camp would keep Roberts out the first two games of the season against both the Tigers and Phoenix, meaning true freshman Dejuan Grainger would start both games. Grainger was a true freshman with true athletic gifts as a true dual-threat quarterback, but those gifts would take some time to fully develop, and he would be thrown to wolves so-to-speak, as the Paladins would face off against eventual national champion Clemson in the season opener, and Grainger would be given--as you might expect--a rude awakening, with the Tigers coming away with the 48-7 win.

The lone Paladin touchdown of the afternoon would come in late in the game, as Grainger would find Ryan DeLuca on a 16-yard scoring pass with 1:18 remaining, as the Paladins Clemson with at least a little bit of confidence from their season-opening performance. 

Furman started the season ranked 21st nationally and would remain No. 21 as it faced off against Curt Cignetti's 15th-ranked Elon Phoenix. Though the score would not be as bad as the season-opening loss at Clemson, it certainly seemed that way, as the Paladins dropped what was a 45-7 contest in a game between a pair of ranked teams, as Elon improved to 1-1 and kept Furman winless on the young season, dropping the Paladins 45-7 at Rhodes Stadium.

Elon scored all of its points in the lopsided win, as the Paladins finally found the end zone when JeMar Lincoln raced 12 yards around right end for a score with 6:20 remaining to provide the only score of the game for the Paladins. Elon out-gained Furman, 448-262 in total offense in the win.

Week three of the 2018 campaign would see the first of three scrapped games in the Clay Hendrix era, as the game with Colgate would be canceled due to impending Hurricane Florence, which was slated to be a category 5 storm by the time it made landfall. As fate would have it, the Raiders had one of their best teams in the modern era of the program, but if the Paladins could have found a way to win that game, it would have bolstered the playoff resume. 

With that said, the Hurricane fizzled before ever reaching the Upstate and didn't do a great deal of damage to the South Carolina coastline. To this day weatherman Chris Justus (WYFF) gets some teasing for his ominous prognostications for the storm. That being said, it's certainly understandable as to why the game was canceled. It would eventually prove devastating to Furman's FCS Playoff hopes.

Another devastating blow to those playoff hopes would come a week later at East Tennessee State. Everything seemed to be going well with Furman jumping out to what was a 27-6 third quarter lead, however, it would turn out to be a historic night for the Bucs, who rallied with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter to get what was a 29-27 win behind the heroics of backup quarterback Austin Herink. 

Herink finished the night by completing 9-of-14 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown to spark the come-from-behind win. At the time, it was the largest come-from-behind win in program history. 

The Bucs would tie the football game when Herink found Matt Thompson on a short 1-yard scoring pass and after JJ Jerman's PAT with 2:23 remaining, tying the football game, 27-27. On the ensuing kickoff return by Furman, Paladin return man DeJuan Bell, who was not familiar with the fair-catch rule implemented on kickoffs for safety reasons prior to the season, and he would take a knee at the Furman 3-yard line. Two plays later, Furman running back Darius Morehead was tackled in the end zone for a safety, giving the Bucs a 29-27 lead with just over six minutes remaining. Furman's defense would force a Bucs punt, getting the ball back with 1:38 remaining in good field position at its own 48.

The Paladins would move the ball down to the ETSU 41, but quarterback Harris Roberts, who was seeing his most significant action of the season after being injured in the first couple games, was sacked at the ETSU 46 after three-consecutive incompletions, which essentially sealed the outcome. 

Following the loss at ETSU to open league play, the Paladins finally opened the home slate on Sept.29, welcoming Western Carolina to Paladin Stadium for the home opener. Furman held off the feisty Catamounts to get what was a 44-38 win.

Once again, things were coasting along nicely in a Southern Conference game for head coach Clay Hendrix's team, which went to the half with a 31-10 lead. In the second half, however, the high-powered Catamount offense, which gained 577 yards on the day, kicked into high gear behind senior quarterback Tyree Adams, who completed 25-of-36 passes for 424 yards and five touchdowns in the loss. 

While Dejuan Bell's error on his kick return might have been costly in Johnson City a week earlier, his response to that adversity was to simply put together one of his best performances of his career in a Furman uniform, returning a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, while also hauling in a 45-yard scoring strike from Harris Roberts.

The Catamounts rallied from that 21-point halftime deficit to pull within seven, at 38-31, courtesy of a 49-yard scoring pass from Adams to wideout DaQuan Patten and a 9-yard strike from Adams to tight end Owen Cosenke midway through the fourth quarter. But Furman's response would also result in its first of six wins of the season, as Devin Wynn raced 50 yards for a score to make it a 44-31 game with 3:20 remaining. The PAT was blocked by WCU, leaving the door open for them potentially steal a one-point win

However, stopping Western Carolina's offense once they get in rhythm is easier said than done, and Furman's biggest ally on this day was the clock. The Catamounts covered 75 yards in 10 plays to get within six after Connell Thomas hauled in a seven-yard scoring pass from Adams with 1:41 remaining to make it a 44-38. 

Western Carolina's onsides kick attempt failed, however, and the Paladins took over the football, as Deon Sanders recovered the football at the Western Carolina 46. Furman ran out the remaining time on the clock to get the much needed win. 

Next up came a game against No. 4 Wofford and a game that without question was the biggest win of the Hendrix era-to-date, as the Paladins were able to come up with a 34-14 win over the top-five Terriers. 

It was a day to be remembered for Harris Roberts, who put the stamp on his senior season with a signature performance of his career, passing for 235 yards and three scores to lead the Paladins to the 20-point win. Roberts would complete a near-flawless afternoon by connecting on 16-of-19 passes for 235 yards and touchdown strikes of 14, 9 and 9 yards, while also rushing for 32 yards and accounting for two more scores with his legs.  

His one-yard scoring plunge early in the fourth quarter helped cap a mammoth 16-play, 71-yard drive that took over nine minutes off the game clock, hearkening back to old-school Furman football.

It was the kind of drive in a football game that demoralized an opponent. It was also the type of drive that brings a giant smile to the face of head coach Clay Hendrix. That score by Roberts would cap the scoring for the day for both teams and set the final winning margin at 20 for Furman.

The win also created some chaos atop the league, as it forged a three-way tie atop the Southern Conference standings. The following week Wofford would go post a 30-17 win over East Tennessee State to officially forge the three-way logjam atop the SoCon football standings. 

Statistically, the game was a little closer than the score was, as Furman held a narrow 365-352 advantage in total yards and actually snapped the football four less times (61-57) than the Terriers.  Wofford held a 264-144 advantage in yards gained rushing the football. Furman's Hendrix made it 1-0 against new Wofford head coach Josh Conklin--a coach hired that would get mixed reviews from the Wofford faithful, and got especially non-favorable reviews from former head coach Mike Ayers.

The following weekend brought Samford to town for Homecoming. On the Friday night before the game, freshman quarterback Darren "Dejuan" Grainger was out enjoying a little Paladin basketball madness and even getting some shots up. One of the Furman graduate assistants found Grainger out past curfew and told him how much trouble he could get into for being out and playing ball. "You're one snap away from being in the game." the assistant said. After he was scolded, Grainger understood. The next day, the graduate assistant's words proved prophetic.

Samford had a high-powered attack under Chris Hatcher. It was known as the "Hatch Attack." Young star quarterback, who would a legend after Hatcher's own offense's making, Devlin "Duck" Hodges, was the quarterback of the preseason SoCon favorite Bulldogs. Things had been far from normal for the Bulldogs in 2026, however, as the Bulldogs got off to a 1-4 start overall and an inauspicious 0-2 start in SoCon play meant the Bulldogs had to win out and hope for chaos themselves to even have a chance at the postseason. And that included winning some weird tiebreaker to garner the automatic bid.

While the Bulldogs offense was a notable juggernaut, it was the Bulldogs defensive work that caused literal damage to Furman's playoff hopes on this day. First, on Furman's second series of the day, it knocked out Furman's model of efficiency under center Harris Roberts, forcing Grainger into the most meaningful snaps of his career, which is exactly like what the young graduate assistant said could happen a little over 12 hours earlier.

Then it was the Samford defense that turned the game around in the third quarter, as it used a pair of forced turnovers to turn what had been a nine-point deficit en route to posting a 38-25 win over Furman and ruining Homecoming. Hodges connected on 40-of-52 passes for 402 yards and a pair of scores, while accounting for a rushing score and another 77 rushing yards to account for 479 yards of total offense all on his own. 

The one major highlight of the day came when Grainger found talented junior wideout Thomas Gordon on a 77-yard scoring strike to five the Paladins a 19-10 lead just five minutes into the second half. Furman appeared to be on its way to adding to their lead against the Bulldogs when Aaquil Annoor extended Samford's offensive frustrations by picking off a Hodges pass and returning to the Samford 37. 

After Devin Wynn gained 12 yards on a run to get the ball down to the Bulldog 25, Grainger fumbled on an option pitch and defensive lineman Ahmad Gooden scooped up the ball and returned it 58 yards for a score, which completely changed the trajectory of the game. Gooden's score ignited the Bulldogs, who went on to post four-straight touchdowns before the Paladins knew what hit them.

Hodges final scoring toss will go down in one of the more amazing plays made by an opposing quarterback in Paladin Stadium history, which unfortunately came on Hendrix's watch as the head coach. Hodges crossed the field alluding Paladin pressure on a couple of occasions, managing to keep his balance and stay upright before tossing the ball back across his body on the run all the way to the opposing corner of the Furman end zone more than 30 yards down field on the visiting side where Jairus Creamer went high to come up with the scoring grab in traffic and finish off the remarkable scoring strike to make it a 38-19 game with 13:17 left, which all but broke the Paladins.

Furman would tack on a consolation score with 18 seconds remaining, as Avery Armstrong hauled in a 5-yard pass from Grainger, setting the final deficit at 13--38-25 Bulldogs. 

The Paladins then headed for Charleston to take on The Citadel in a game that is chronicled above, with Donovan Perryman coming up with the key scoop and score following an Adrian Hope sack, as Furman did to The Citadel what Samford had done to them a week earlier, which is turn the game around in the second half on a defensive touchdown directly from a caused turnover. That allowed the Paladins to escape Johnson-Hagood Stadium with a 28-17 win.

From there, it was back to Paladin Stadium to face a defensively strong Chattanooga team under second-year head coach Tom Arth. On a day when offense came at a premium, Furman's ground game allowed it to find just enough, as Devin Wynn rushed for 96 yards, which included a 50-yard scoring run in the opening half, and Grayson Atkins provide the rest of the Paladin points on the day, booting three field goals through to allow Furman to cap off its home campaign with a 16-10 win over the Mocs. 

The win marked Furman's fourth in five games, as the Paladins improved to 4-4 overall and 4-2 in SoCon play. The Paladins would hold the Mocs to just 240 yards of total offense, which included stopping UTC on three separate fourth down conversion attempts en route to the win. Furman took a 13-0 lead into the half after Furman defensive back Aaquil Annoor set up Atkins' second field goal of the opening 30 minutes, picking off a Nick Tiano pass and returning 33 yards into Mocs territory before being brought down at the 44. 

In the second half, Chattanooga started well after Furman muffed the pooch kickoff, as Landon Lawrence's miscue was corralled by UTC's Jerrell Lawson at the Furman 45. However, after the Mocs moved the ball all the way down to the Furman 6, Chattanooga was forced to settle for a 23-yard Victor Ulmo field goal, which made it a 13-3 game.

Just as it had done against Wofford a couple of weeks earlier, it was time for one of those scoring drives that Hendrix loves the most. The Paladins drove the ball 64 yards on a season's long 20-play drive, which included converting four fourth downs to advance the ball to the Mocs 11, where Atkins connected on a 28-yard field goal to make it a 16-3 Furman lead with 10:06 remaining.

On UTC's next possession, Adrian Hope sacked Tiano on fourth down at the Furman 10, as the Paladin Stadium crowd erupted to its loudest decibel level all day. That halted the Mocs potential scoring possession that could have made it real interesting with five-and-a-half minutes remaining. 

Furman did manage a fumble deep in their own territory on the ensuing possession, which led to UTC's lone touchdown of the day that came on a Bingo Morton 5-yard from Nick Tiano to trim Furman's lead to 16-10, with 1:49 remaining. However, the Paladins would recover the onsides kick on the ensuing kickoff attempt, and the Paladins kept their SoCon title hopes alive in year two under Clay Hendrix.

The Paladins would be on the road for the final two games of the regular-season and had a chance to go above .500, but more importantly, stay alive for a Southern Conference title. Devin Wynn made sure of both, as he rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns, as the Paladin offense generated a season-best 590 yards of total output en route to a 49-13 win.

That led the Paladins to Macon where a SoCon title and an automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs hung in the balance, as Furman faced off against Mercer in the regular-season finale. In a strange interpretation of the SoCon rulebook, the fact that there was a three-way tie meant that since all three teams were 1-1 against each other, that the team with the least amount of points allowed in conference play would be declared the automatic bid qualifier to the FCS Playoffs in 2018.

That meant that Furman had to allow less than 17 points against Mercer while winning the game to gain automatic access into the FCS playoffs. Unfortunately for Hendrix and the Paladins, that did not happen. Furman did, however, claim a share of the SoCon title with a 35-30 road win over the Bears.

The Paladins got an outstanding performance from Harris Roberts, who capped his career in style, as he went out and finished the day 16-of-23 passing for 189 yards with five touchdowns and no INTs. It was one of the best performances by a Furman quarterback to win a championship in program history, as his performance allowed Furman's offense to flourish in what turned out to be the final game of his career and of his season for the Paladins, as the Paladins finished the afternoon with 424 yards of total offense en route to the win.

The Bears erased a 29-17 deficit in the game, posting consecutive touchdowns on a Marquise Irvin 11-yard scoring reception from Kaelan Riley and a 24-yard Riley connection with Tyray Devezin out of the backfield to put the Bears ahead 30-29 with 11:37 remaining. 

However, Furman would use nine plays to march 67 yards to get the winning score, which came on an 11-yard scoring pass from Roberts to tight end Jake Walker with just under seven minutes remaining, allowing Furman to go on top 35-30 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.

It was also a big finish to one of the best freshman campaigns turned in by a Furman defensive player in its history, as Adrian Hope finished off the season with 15 sacks, which was the most-ever by a Paladin freshman defender and third-most in a single-season in school history. He would come up being in the win over Mercer, posting 2.5 sacks and forced a pair of fumbles, as he would be especially instrumental in the season-ending win for Furman.

Following the game, there were a number of Paladin players interested in Furman's basketball game, which had the Paladins leading Villanova late in the game and the Paladins under then second-year head coach Bob Richey would go on to stun defending national champion and No. 8 Villanova, 76-68, in overtime, making the evening doubly sweet for Paladin nation. 

For Hendrix's football team, however, it would be a night to celebrate the 14th championship in program history and first of two SoCon titles in Hendrix's decade at the helm of the program. Furman was not selected for the FCS Playoffs the following day, but Colgate found its name among the playoff participants, as did Incarnate Word (6-4) and Northern Iowa (6-5). 

Furman's snub in 2018 had several contributing factors, with the foremost of those being a canceled game due to a hurricane that never materialized the way it was projected. The other was the fact that the Paladins ultimately did not make their own breaks along the way. The loss at ETSU was particularly detrimental to the playoff cause. It would be made increasingly frustrating by Samford, who came to Paladin Stadium and was opportunistic to overturn a game that seemingly saw Furman with all the momentum.

It was for the most part, however, a season to remember for many reasons even though it did not include a second-straight trip to the FCS postseason under coach Hendrix.

Stay tuned for part three next week, as we look back at the moments against Chattanooga and take a look back at the 2019-23 seasons, which were arguably the highlight of Hendrix's career as head coach, and in particular, 2021-23, which saw Furman's rise back to national prominence.