GREENVILLE, S.C—When Bruce Fowler returned to Furman last December to become the 22nd head coach of the Furman football program, fans were quick to remind folks around the league on various message boards that it was Fowler who was defensive coordinator when the Paladins upended two-time defending national champion Georgia Southern, 24-17, in the Division I-AA semifinals to end GSU's 39-game winning streak at Paulson Stadium and unbeaten, 27-0 record in playoff games in Statesboro.
Furman will be taking on a No. 1 foe for the ninth time in school history on Saturday, holding a 2-6 mark all-time against top-ranked competition at the FCS level. Furman faced a top-ranked Appalachian State club last season, dropping a 37-26 decision for the Mountaineers in Boone.
Five of what will now be nine meetings against a top-ranked FCS foe in the Furman football annals have come against Georgia Southern. The Paladins hold a 1-2 all-time mark against top-ranked Eagle teams, with the only win coming in 2000 in Greenville. The three losses against top-ranked GSU teams came in 1998 (45-17) and 1999 (41-38).
The only time Furman posted a No. 1 ranking coming into a regular-season matchup with the Eagles was in 2005, when GSU was able to knock off the top-ranked Paladins, 27-24, in Paulson Stadium, as the Eagles were able to keep their playoff hopes alive on that particular afternoon.
It was Fowler's defense that held the Eagles to just 283 yards of total offense and limited arguably the greatest running back in Division I-AA history, Adrian Peterson, to his lowest career-rushing total (68 yds.) in his final game as a Eagle.
While Fowler brings a team with less talent than that 2001 squad, which featured the likes of quarterback Billy Napier and wide receiver Bear Rinehart on offense, and disciplined defenders like linebackers Will Bouton and cornerback Richie Jackson on defense, Furman will no doubt offer the top-ranked Eagles a challenge on Saturday afternoon in a key Southern Conference showdown.
The Eagles and Paladins will be squaring off for the 23rd time in series history on Saturday afternoon, with the Eagles holding a 14-8 series edge, including a 32-28 win in the regular-season finale at Paladin Stadium last season.
Head coach Jeff Monken knows what to expect from the Paladins. After all, Monken was an assistant on Paul Johnson's staff back in 2001, which dropped that heartbreaker to the Paladins. It's a Furman team that will look and play very similar to that 2001 squad that visited Statesboro, especially on defense, under Fowler's watchful eye.
Monken's Eagles had their hands full last Saturday against the Chattanooga Mocs, as GSU picked up a 28-27 win over the 24th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs to remain unbeaten, at 5-0 overall and 4-0 in Southern Conference play.
Meanwhile, Fowler's Paladins head into Saturday afternoon's contest coming off their first league loss, which was a 26-21 setback to Samford last Saturday at Paladin Stadium. The Paladins only other loss came in the season opener, when they dropped a 30-23 decision at Coastal Carolina to open the campaign.
Furman will face maybe the most formidable Georgia Southern team since 2004, when the Eagles' high-powered attack, led by sensational quarterback Chaz Williams, rolled into Paladins Stadium with the nation's No. 2 national ranking, but dropped that meeting 29-22 to the seventh-ranked Paladins.
The Eagles come into Saturday's matchup leading the SoCon in 10 statistical categories. Offensively, GSU post the league's top scoring output (42.8 PPG), top rushing offense (374.8 YPG) and total offense (475.0 YPG). The Eagles also come into Saturday's contest leading the nation in rushing offense (6.65 YPR) and rank third in total offense.
Furman's defense has played well at times this season, but last week wasn't one of those times, yielding 181 yards to the Bulldogs in the five-point loss. The Paladins currently rank sixth in the league in total defense (354.6 YPG), fourth in rushing defense (160.8 YPG) and seventh in pass defense (193.8 YPG).
Both teams have quarterbacks personified by much different traits, yet both have proven to be winners. Georgia Southern's Jaybo Shaw (25-of-47 passing, 460 yds., 5 TDs, 0 INTs/ 66 rush att., 216 yds., 4 TDs, 3.3 YPC) isn't flashy, but his toughness and decision-making have been two major reasons the Eagles have seen a resurgence over the past couple of seasons. Shaw has compiled a 14-5 record as a starter coming into Saturday's contest.
Chris Forcier (76-of-108 passing, 1,027 yds., 15 TDs, 3 INTs/46 att., 164 yds., 1 TD, 3.6 YPC) is in his first season as a full-time starter for the Paladins, and is putting up big-time numbers. Forcier comes into Saturday's contest off of a record-setting passing performance. Forcier's 15 TD passes are a league high, setting a SoCon record for TD passes in a single game with seven earlier this season in a 62-21 win over Presbyterian.
His 356 yards passing in a loss last Saturday tied Cleve Hightower's identical passing yardage mark set back in 1969 against Wofford. His 380 yards of total offense surpassed Hightower's mark of 374 yards of total offense, established against Mississippi College also in 1969. Forcier enters Saturday's matchup leading the nation in passing efficiency (190.53), having completed 70-percent of his passes this season.
Forcier leads a Furman offense that enters Saturday's contest ranking third in total offense (415.2 YPG) and scoring offense (33.8 YPG), while ranking fourth in the league in rushing offense (197.8 YPG) and fifth in passing offense (217.4 YPG).
The similarities continue at running back, where both teams bring two of the league's top running backs into Saturday's matchup, and both run behind experienced offensive lines. Furman's Jerodis Williams (98 rush att., 559 yds., 4 TDs, 5.7 YPC) comes into Saturday's matchup as the SoCon's third-leading rusher, while GSU sophomore running back Robert Brown (74 rush att., 603 yds., 3 TDs, 8.1 YPC) leads the SoCon in rushing.
Williams enters the contest against the Eagles on Saturday as a solid a receiving option coming out of the Paladin backfield on Saturday. Though he hasn't seen many passes thrown his way, he has proven reliable when catching the football out of the Paladin backfield. He has five catches for 19 yards this season.
There are other components to the Paladin passing attack as well coming into Saturday, as Hank McCloud (40 rush att., 171 yds., 1 TD, 4.3 YPC) is an impressive, young compliment to Williams in the Furman backfield, while Tersoo Uhaa (18 rush att., 66 yds., 1 TD, 3.7 YPC) is a dual threat veteran, that has served the Paladins well in short-yardage situations in his career.
Uhaa has hauled in five passes for 41 yards (8.2 YPR) and a TD this season. He caught his first TD pass of the season in last week's loss to Samford, a 13-yard scoring pass from Forcier late in the fourth quarter.
Brown is coming off a 169-yard rushing performance in GSU's win over Chattanooga, garnering SoCon Offensive Player of the Week accolades. Of course, GSU is much more diverse in its rushing attack in the flexbone ground attack, and have gotten good production from both the fullback and slotback positions this fall.
Dominique Swope (30 rush att., 200 yds., 3 TDs, 6.7 YPC) is having a sensational freshman season backing up Brown at fullback. Swope had a nice 22-yard scamper in the win over the Mocs last Saturday.
Slotbacks J.J. Wilcox (28 rush att., 291 yds., 3 TDs, 10.4 YPC/3 rec., 83 yds., 1 TD, 27.7 YPR) and Jonathan Bryant (4 rec., 116 yds., 1 TD, 29.2 YPR ) will start at the respective "A" and "C" back positions on Saturday. Back up quarterback Jerrick McKinnon (3-of-5 passing, 37 yds., 1 TD/30 rush att., 247 yds., 5 TDs, 7.9 YPC) is the normal starter at "C" back position, and is expected to play Saturday, despite a nagging arm injury.
Both teams have experienced offensive lines, with the Eagles starting four seniors and returned five starters up front, led by tackles Dorian Byrd and Brett Moore. The Paladins brought back three starters for the 2011 season, and its front is also anchored by all-league offensive tackles, in the all-league tandem of Ryan Lee and Dakota Dozier.
Though GSU doesn't pass the ball all that much, the Eagles bring one of the most-versatile athletes in the Southern Conference to the matchup on Saturday, in J.J. Wilcox. The speedy Wilcox has 374 yards of total offense this season, amassing 283 on the ground and 83 receiving yards. Wilcox hauled in a short pass and scampered 20 yards for a score , eluding UTC would-be tacklers for his first receiving score of the 2011 season.
Kentrellis Showers (5 rec., 91 yds., 1 TD, 18.2 YPR), Mitch Williford (2 rec., 20 yds., 10.0 YPR) and Patrick Barker (3 rec., 37 yds., 12.3 YPR) will also be significant parts of the GSU passing attack on Saturday. Showers is a deep threat with his speed, while Barker and Williford are both sure-handed, but with their size, will act as more of blocking presences on the perimeter for the Eagles on Saturday.
Furman has spread the ball around pretty well to its deep, sure-handed receiving corps coming into Saturday's clash with its arch-rival. Thankfully for Monken and the Eagles, they won't have to deal with Furman's all-time leading wideout Adam Mims, who had a big day against the Eagles last season, with seven catches for 111 yards and a TD.
Mims has graduated, but the Paladins have some reliable options to throw to in the passing attack, which include junior tight end Colin Anderson (22 rec., 281 yds., 4 TDs, 12.8 YPR) and senior wide receiver Tyler Maples (21 rec., 359 yds., 3 TDs, 17.1 YPR).
Anderson will remind Eagle fans of former Paladin tight end Trent Sansbury, who seemingly had good games catching the ball against the Eagles in his career, but more athletic. Anderson's 281 yards receiving and four TDs leads all SoCon tight ends this season.
Maples is more of the deep threat, and is joined in that regard by Sederrik Cunningham (8 rec., 142 yds., 2 TDs, 17.8 YPR) Daniel McFadden (5 rec., 101 yds., 2 TDs, 20.2 YPR). Cunningham has also proven to be dangerous in the return game (11 KRs, 293 YPR, 26.6 YPR). Rounding out the primary options at wide receiver will be split end Ryan Culbreath, who at 6-4, 225-pounds, will serve as a perimeter blocking threat and a sure-handed receiving option.
As expected, the area where the Eagles have really excelled this season has been on the defensive side of the football, bringing the league's top scoring defense (19.8 PPG) and top rushing defense (374.8 YPG) into Saturday's matchup against the Paladins. The Eagles are anchored by one of the best defensive lines in the country. GSU ranks fifth in the league in total defense (327.6 YPG) and ninth in pass defense (234.4 YPG).
Leading that defensive front for the Eagles is All-America defensive tackle and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Brent Russell (21 tackles, 7.5 TFLs , 3.0 sacks). Russell is nearly un-blockable on the defensive interior for the Eagles, and most teams have gone the route of double-teaming him this season. Russell will be joined by Roderick Tinsley (6 tackles, 2 PBUs) on the defensive interior. Tinsley also entered the season as an All-SoCon selection.
Tinsley might split time with Blake Riley (8 tackles, 0.5 TFLs, 1 FR) on Saturday, as he has given the Eagles solid depth this season on the inside, even starting three games.
The respective defensive end positions for the Eagles will be filled by John Douglas (13 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, 1 INT) and either Javon Mention (9 tackles, 3.0 TFLs) or Josh Gebhardt (9 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, 2 sacks) will start at the other bookend position for the Eagles. Douglas has been the key cog in the defensive front this season. His four sacks lead the Eagles, who come into Saturday's contest with a league-leading 16 sacks on the 2011 season.
Furman will counter with a defensive unit that enters Saturday's matchup ranking second in the league in scoring defense (20.8 PPG), while ranking fourth in rushing defense (160.8 YPG) and sixth in total defense (354.6 YPG). The Paladins also rank seventh in the SoCon in pass defense (193.8 YPG).
One of the areas the Paladins have seen the most improvement on the defensive side of the football this season is the defensive line, as the Paladins will bring a talented, athletic defensive front to Paulson Stadium for Saturday's contest. That defensive front is anchored by preseason All-SoCon selection Josh Lynn (17 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, 1 FR) at defensive end.
Lynn has been an active force along the Paladin defensive front this season, and enjoyed his best game at Western Carolina earlier this season, as he totaled five tackles and a couple of sacks in Furman's 47-21 road victory over the Catamounts.
Lynn will be joined at bookend by Shawn Boone (11 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks), who's off to a strong start in his sophomore season. Like Lynn, Boone is powerful and athletic, but undersized. Boone enjoyed his best outing of the 2011 season in the opener against Coastal Carolina, recording six tackles and a sack in that contest.
The two starters at defensive tackle for the Paladins this season will be Colton Keig (10 tackles) and Neal Rodgers (14 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack). Keig is coming off one of his best performances of the season, recording four tackles in Furman's loss to Samford last week. Rodgers turned in his best performance of the 2011 season in the season-opening loss to Coastal Carolina, recording five tackles and a sack.
Six of Furman's 10 sacks on the season have come as a result of its improved defensive front. The Paladins enter Saturday's showdown with the Eagles ranking tied for fifth in the league in sacks.
The Eagles might have the most underrated corps of linebackers in the Southern Conference coming into Saturday's matchup with its arch-rival. The Eagles' linebacking corps continues to be anchored by "MIKE" linebacker Josh Rowe (28 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 1 INT).
Rowe is maybe the most active middle linebacker in the Southern Conference, and he was the player that got the final tackle on Terrell Robinson last Saturday on the potential game-winning two-point conversion. Rowe is big and athletic and getting him blocked is a key for each opponent that faces the Eagles. Rowe is coming off his best game of the 2011 season for the Eagles, posting 11 tackles in the win over Chattanooga.
Rowe will be flanked by a couple of more solid linebackers for GSU on Saturday afternoon, which include Michael Butler (23 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks) and Darius Eubanks (31 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 INT). Both players are solid on the outside and both have excellent athleticism. Eubanks is a legitimate all-league candidate and has recorded a season-high eight tackles in a couple of games this season, including last week's win over Chattanooga.
Look for Carlos Cave (10 tackles, 1 TFL) to also see a significant amount of playing time on Saturday afternoon for the Eagles. Cave is another athletic presence on the defensive side of the football. Cave posted his best performance of the campaign against Samford and Chattanooga, recording three tackles apiece against them.
Like Georgia Southern, Furman has a solid, athletic group of linebackers, led by the league's leading tackler, Kadarron Anderson (55 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 1.0 sack, 1 FF). Anderson is coming off a sensational performance this past Saturday, as he posted a career-high 20 tackles in the five-point loss to Samford.
Joining Anderson at linebacker for the Paladins on Saturday afternoon will be senior Chris Wiley (33 tackles, 1 PBU) and junior Mitch McGrath (38 tackles, 6.0 TFLs, 2 INTs, 1 FF), who can also drop and play safety. Wiley has had a solid career and season for the Paladins, and his disciplined, physical play is not unlike former Furman LB Marion Martin (1996-99). McGrath has a pair of double-digit tackle performances this season, recording 10 tackles against both The Citadel and Samford this season.
The matchup between the Eagles and Paladins will feature the league's top two corners, in Ryan Steed (19 tackles, 1 PBU) for Furman and LaRon Scott (24 tackles, 0.5 TFLs, 2 INTs) for Georgia Southern. Steed has been called by some as the top defensive NFL prospect at the FCS level, while Scott isn't too far behind.
Steed's INT totals probably won't approach what they have in previous seasons because offensive coordinators and QBs have kept the ball away from his side of the field. It was Steed who returned an INT 44 yards for a score in the Paladins' last trip to Paulson Stadium.
Scott is off to a strong start to the 2011 campaign after leading the Eagles with six picks a year ago, including he returned for a score against Scott Riddle and the Elon Phoenix. This season, Scott has already picked off two passes, including one last week in the win over Chattanooga. Scott is also a danger on special teams, as he heads into Saturday's game averaging 36.4 yards-per-kick return to lead the SoCon. He returned a kick 99 yards for a score in the opener against Samford.
Joining Scott at corner for the Eagles on Saturday will be Riyahd Jones (7 tackles, 1 FR), who's in his first season as a starter in the GSU secondary. Jones has good speed and athleticism and has had to handle a lot to handle with opposing teams more reluctant to throw to the other side with all-league member Scott on the other island.
Like Georgia Southern, Furman is also young at its other cornerback position, with sophomore Austin Williams (9 tackles, PBU) set to man the position for the Paladins. Like Jones, Williams has been picked on more due to teams throwing away from Steed. In fact, Samford tried a deep pass on the opening play of the game against Williams last week.
Georgia Southern has had injuries to overcome at safety, with starting free safety Derek Heyden suffering a neck injury three weeks ago against Western Carolina. Heyden has been replaced in the starting lineup by Deion Stanley (28 tackles, 5 PBUs). Stanley is second on the team in tackles and enjoyed his best game in the season opener against Samford, registering 10 stops in the 31-17 win.
Rounding out the starters on the defensive side of the ball for the Eagles will be Lavelle Westbrooks (16 tackles, 1 INT). Westbrooks is coming off his best performance of the season, as he posted six stops in the win over Chattanooga last week.
Furman probably brings the best tandem of safeties in the league into this week's matchup with the Eagles, as well as two of the most physical safeties in the SoCon. Greg Worthy (33 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 PBUs) will man the free safety position, while Nathan Wade (17 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FR, 1 PBU) will start at the strong safety spot.
Worthy picked off his second pass of the season in last week's loss to Samford, while Wade dished out a couple of "de-cleating" hits in his second game back in the lineup for the Paladins.
Georgia Southern has the most reliable kicker in the league, in Adrian Mora (6-of-6 FGs, 28-of-28 PATs) and should have a slight advantage on special teams. Mora is 51-of-60 on field goals (85%) in his career, and has connected on nine straight.
Charlie Edwards (41.8 YPP) will handle the punting duties on Saturday, and he comes in ranking third in the SoCon in punting average.
Handling the kicking duties for the Paladins on Saturday will be either Chas Short (4-of-7 FGs, 15-of-17 PATs) or Ray Early (0-of-1 FG, 4-of-5 PATs). Short had been kicking well for the Paladins, but missed a pair of 35-yarders last week. Short also handles the punting duties for the Paladins and he enters the contest ranking ninth in the league in punting averaging, posting a clip of 34.4 yards-per-punt.
While I think Fowler's Paladins will give the Eagles all they can handle on Saturday, the truth is that the Eagles are extremely tough to beat in Paulson Stadium and that will be the difference as GSU pulls away a bit in the fourth quarter for a 38-27 win.
No. 7 Appalachian State (3-2, 1-1 SoCon) at The Citadel (2-3, 1-3 SoCon)
Appalachian State gets back into action this week after a week off, looking to regroup after a 28-14 loss at Wofford a couple of weeks ago. The Mountaineers will look to get their offense going this week, as the normally prolific Black and Gold attack has been less than spectacular so far this season, ranking just seventh in the SoCon in total offense (347.0 YPG) as we head into the weekend.
ASU will be facing a tough Citadel defensive unit, which enters the important league clash ranking fourth in the league and 30th in the FCS in total defense (324.8 ypg). Traditionally, the Apps have have seen some tough battles in the Low Country, posting a hard-fought 30-27 overtime win at Johnson-Hagood Stadium in ASU's last trip to the facility.
The Mountaineers have won seven of their last eight trips to Charleston, with the only loss during that time period being a 24-21 setback in 2003. This one will be a little closer than expected, but I expect a new dedication to the ground attack will yield ASU's most solid offensive performance of the season in a big SoCon road win.
Could this be the year Samford knocks off Elon as a SoCon foe? Well, the Bulldogs might have their best team since joining the league in 2008, continuing to be led by the league's most underrated signal-caller, in Dustin Taliaferro (101-of-163 passing, 1,158 yds., 10 TDs, 3 INTs).
His counterpart, Thomas Wilson (145-of-212 passing, 1,542 yds., 11 TDs, 11 INTs), has helped Elon post one of the nation's top passing attacks ranking 25th in the nation, averaging 258.2 YPG through the air. Wilson has one of the best receivers in the FCS, Aaron Mellette (59 rec., 819 yds., 6 TDs, 13.9 YPR), to toss the football to.
Samford counters with one of the nation's most opportunistic defenses, ranking sixth nationally in turnover margin (+7). Elon leads the league in interceptions this season, with 12 picks through the first six weeks. The Phoenix, led by linebacker Joshua Jones (53 tackles, 7.0 TFLS), bring the league's second-ranked defense to Seibert Stadium on Saturday.
However, Samford could be angling to be the darkhorse in the SoCon race this fall, and I expect the versatility and balance of the Samford offense to give the Phoenix problems defensively, and I expect SU running back Fabian Truss (77 rush att., 398 yds., 3 TDs, 5.2 YPC) to be the "X" factor on Saturday.
Western Carolina (1-4, 0-3 SoCon) at Chattanooga (2-4, 0-3 SoCon)
Some are saying that Chattanooga is the best 0-3 team in Southern Conference history. It's hard to argue with that, as the Mocs have lost three league games by a meager total of four points.
After facing back-to-back triple-option foes, the Mocs' league-leading defense (292.7 YPG) will face a premier passing attack this week, as the Catamounts rank second in the SoCon and 26th nationally in pass defense (257.4 YPG). The Mocs counter with the nation's top-ranked pass defense (111.8 YPG), but have faced mostly run-oriented teams so far this season.
B.J. Coleman (111-of-186, 1,295 yds., 6 TDs, 6 INTs ) returns under center after suffering a shoulder injury in the first quarter of last week's one-point loss at top-ranked Georgia Southern. WCU's Brandon Pechloff (82-of-154, 1,203 yds., 7 TDs, 7 INTs) leads the WCU pistol offense, and could be the next pro quarterback prospect in the SoCon after Coleman graduates.
In a matchup where two teams go in search of their first Southern Conference victory, I expect Chattanooga to come out and make a statement on homecoming in a big way on Saturday afternoon at Finley Stadium. UTC posts its third-consecutive win in the series.
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