A Look at Today’s Opponent: Furman

QUICK LOOK AT TODAY’S OPPONENT: FURMAN

u The Furman Paladins come to Cullowhee amidst a two-game slide in Southern Conference play including a road loss at Chattanooga last Saturday, 13-3, and a Homecoming loss to No. 14 ETSU, 17-13, on Oct. 23 ... the Paladins opened the season 2-0 with a home win over nationally-ranked

North Carolina A&T and an impressive blanking of Tennessee Tech on the road; u Chattanooga held Furman to just 157 yards of total offense last week – 104 yards rushing and just 47 yards passing coming on only 4-of-14 passing with an interception ... the Paladins only managed six first downs and were dominated in time of possession – 39:48 to 20:12; u Furman looks to avoid a three-game losing skid for a second-straight season as the Paladins dropped the final three games to end the spring 2021 season, finishing the abbreviated conference year 3-5; u The Paladins handed WCU a 35-7 loss in Greenville, S.C., to open the spring season back in February, limiting the Catamounts to just 109 yards of total offense (67 rushing, 42 passing); u Furman enters Saturday's road game at Western Carolina with the SoCon's lowest scoring offense, averaging just 18.0 points per game – but boasts the league's second-best scoring defense in limiting opponents to just 18.1 points against ... the Paladins will be tested by a Catamount offense which is averaing the fifth-most points in the conference at 28.2 points per game – and the thirdbest scoring offense in SoCon play at 32.8 points per game; u Paladin running back DEVIN WYNN ranks seventh in the SoCon in rushing at 79.5 yards per game and has four rushing touchdowns ... He rushed for 204 yards with a pair of touchdowns against

Upstate rival Wofford back on Oct. 9 and also had two scores on the ground in the early-season road win at Tennessee Tech; u Wynn ranks seventh in the SoCon with an average of 101.2 all-purpose yards per game; u Wynn has rushed for 291 yards and four touchdowns against Western Carolina the past three seasons including 106 yards and a score back in February ... He ran for 87 yards and two scores in his most recent appearance at Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee; u Furman tight end RYAN MILLER (pictured below) ranks 10th in the SoCon with 3.8 receptions per game this season, recording 30 catches with four touchdowns; u Junior defensive back TRAVIS BLACKSHEAR (pictured below) is tied for the most interceptions in the SoCon this season with five picks, matching UTC's Jerrell Lawson and Brandon Dowdell; u Furman was picked to finish in fifth place in the preseason coaches poll and were among a threeway tie for third in the media's preseason tabulations ... the Paladins put FIVE players on the 2021

Preseason All-Southern Conference team; u Furman's lone preseason All-SoCon first team member was fifth-year running back DEVIN WYNN ... ANDERSON TOMLIN (offensive line), PARKER STOKES (defensive line), TRAVIS BLACKSHEAR (defensive back) and TIMMY BLEEKRODE (placekicker and punter) each earned second team honors; u DID YOU KNOW: A familiar face in the Western Carolina–Furman series is Furman Director of

Ticket Sales, DWIGHT COVINGTON – who is a 1980 WCU graduate that also played football for the Catamounts along the offensive & defensive line under legendary head coach Bob Waters.

u DID YOU KNOW – PART TWO: The 2021 fall campaign marks the 116th season of football at Furman, which has played 1,153 games (623-492-38) in its history (began in 1889) ... Furman’s 623 victories are tops among all current Southern Conference schools.

ABOUT FURMAN

SCOUTING THE PALADINS QUICK FACTS:

Location: ...................... Greenville, S.C. Founded: ...............................1826 Enrollment: ............................ 2,700 Colors: ........................ Purple & White Conference: ........................ Southern Facility (Capacity): .......Paladin Stadium (14,518) President: .................. Dr. Elizabeth Davis Athletics Director: .............. Jason Donnelly Head Coach: .......... Clay Hendrix (Furman, 1986) Record at FUR: ................... 29-21 (4th yr) Overall Record: ........................ Same Basic Offense: ....................... Multiple Basic Defense: .......................... 3–4

2021 SCHEDULE:

Sept. 4 #24 NC A&T Sept. 11 at Tennessee Tech Sept. 18 at NC State Sept. 25 MERCER *

Oct. 9 at Wofford *

Oct. 16 THE CITADEL *

Oct. 23 #14 ETSU

W, 29-18 W, 26-0 L, 45-7 L, 24-3 W, 42-20 W, 24-14 L, 17-13 Oct. 30 at Chattanooga * L, 13-3

Nov. 6 at Western Carolina * 2 pm

Nov. 13 VMI * 2 PM Nov. 20 at Samford * 1 pm

HEAD COACH CLAY HENDRIX