Saturday's Furman-Chattanooga game marks the regular season finale for both teams and carries with it a possible bid to the NCAA I-AA playoffs for the Mocs, who enter the contest ranked third in the Southern Conference with a 7-3 overall record and 4-3 league mark. Although Furman, which enters the contest with a 6-4 overall ledger and 4-3 conference mark, has been virtually eliminated from playoff contention, a win Saturday over Chattanooga would give the Paladins a third place finish in the Southern Conference.
In a series that got its start in 1928 with a 15-0 Chattanooga win in Greenville, Furman and Chattanooga are deadlocked 13-13. Furman enters Saturday's game having claimed the last two meetings and seven of its last nine encounters with the Mocs, including a 42-21 decision last year in Greenville. Two years ago in Chattanooga, the Paladins survived a last second Chattanooga field goal try that bounced off the crossbar and onto the field giving Furman a 23-21 win. Chattanooga's last win over Furman, a 34-20 verdict, came in 1994 in Greenville.
In Greenville: Chattanooga leads 7-6 In Chattanooga: Furman leads 7-6
Furman: Bobby Johnson (Clemson '73)
UTC: Buddy Green (North Carolina State '76)
Furman: Multiple I
UTC: Pro Set '97
Furman: 43
UTC: 50
FURMAN (6-4, 4-3 Southern)
CHATTANOOGA (7-3, 4-3 Southern)
FURMAN rolled up 320 yards on the ground and held Wofford's high-powered ground game in check in downing the Terriers 28-7 in front of 9,560 fans in Greenville. Making only his second career start, redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Hill rushed for 107 yards and one touchdown to key the Paladins' offensive attack that also included a 101-yard, one-touchdown performance by senior tailback Mark Moore. Junior tailback Ernest Crosby added 73 yards and touchdown, and freshman fullback Derek Russell accounted for the Paladins' fourth touchdown and 41 rushing yards. Hill's 107 yards marked the first 100-yard rushing performance by a Paladin quarterback since 1989 when Patrick Baynes ran for 138 yards in a 42-23 win over Youngstown State in NCAA I-AA quarterfinal playoff action. Hill, who also threw for 22 yards against the Terriers, scored what proved to be the game winning touchdown when he broke two tackles on a 31-yard run in the second quarter. Furman's defense, meanwhile, held Wofford's potent ground game in check, limiting the Terriers to only 233 yards, nearly 40 yards below their season average of 271 yards per game. The Paladins also picked off one of six Wofford pass attempts, and senior pre-season Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year Bryan Dailer picked up his league leading 10th sack. The loss was the worst of the season for Wofford, and it ensured Furman its third straight winning season.
CHATTANOOGA pulled off its biggest win of the year by downing nationally 20th-ranked East Tennessee State, 17-13, in Johnson City, Tenn. The Mocs built a 10-0 lead by the end of the third quarter, but East Tennessee State rallied to take a 13-10 lead with fourth quarter touchdowns. Chattanooga, however, scored the game winning touchdown when quarterback Brian Hampton hit Stefpon Hawkins on a 37-yard scoring strike with 3:10 remaining to cap a 9-play, 76-yard drive. Chattanooga's defense held East Tennessee State's high-powered offense to only 286 total yards.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (Nov. 23, 1996) -- Rush end Bryan Dailer headlined a stout defense with a school single game record six quarterback sacks to pace Furman to a 42-21 win over Chattanooga and ensure the Paladins a bid to the NCAA I-AA playoffs. Quarterback Braniff Bonaventure keyed the Paladins' offense attack by passing for 264 yards and three touchdowns as Furman raced to a 28-7 lead by the end of third period. The Paladins added on 14 points in the fourth quarter to post the win and finish the regular season with an 8-3 record. Furman rolled up 516 yards in total offense on the day, rushing for 256 yards and passing for 260. The win, Furman's second straight over UTC, gave the Paladins a perfect 6-0 home record for the 1996 campaign.
BIG STAKES??...Saturday's Furman-Chattanooga game may very well decide if the Mocs receive a bid to the NCAA I-AA playoffs. The host of this year's NCAA I-AA title game (Dec. 20), UTC, which currently stands 7-3 on the year and 4-3 in Southern Conference play, held on to its playoff hopes by defeating nationally 20th-ranked East Tennessee State 17-13 in Johnson City last Saturday. The Mocs need a win this Saturday over Furman to qualify for possible playoff consideration. A loss to Furman would not only dash UTC's playoff hopes but also drop the Mocs into a fifth place tie in the Southern Conference with The Citadel, leaving the Southern Conference with possibly only two qualifiers (Georgia Southern and Appalachian State) for this year's playoffs. Sporting a 6-4 overall record and 4-3 league mark, Furman was knocked out of the playoff picture two weeks ago when it dropped a 30-13 decision to Georgia Southern in Statesboro.
SENIOR FAREWELL...Fourteen seniors will be playing the final game of their collegiate careers Saturday when the Paladins travel to Chattanooga to take on the Mocs. The 14 Paladin seniors include: LB Bernard Scott, QB Chris Jonas, TB Mark Moore, FS Jeremy Osborne, LB Jay Thier, NG Reggie Williams, OG David Gibson, DE Bryan Dailer, DT Phil Warren, OT Lee Drake, SE Jody Wade, DT Brian Cross, NG Mike Davis, and DT Leroy Davies-Venn. FurmanÕs seniors have played a key role in returning Paladin football to prominence, improving from a 3-8 record in 1994, to 6-5 in 1995, to last yearÕs 9-4 mark that featured the programÕs return to the NCAA I-AA playoffs. In addition, FurmanÕs 1997 senior class has helped re-establish the programÕs strong home winning tradition as the Paladins have won 13 of their 16 homes games over the past three seasons, including 10 of the last 11. All 14 Furman seniors have been spot starters or regulars in the Paladin lineup during their careers, and six have earned post-season recognition.
FU GROUND GAME WHIPS TERRIERS...While Wofford entered Saturday's game against Furman with potent ground game numbers, it was the Paladins' rushing attack that proved to much for the Terriers as Furman outrushed Wofford 320-233 en route to the 28-7 win. The 320 yards was 155 yards better than Furman's season average of 165.6 heading into the contest; and Wofford's 233 yards was 38 yards less than the Terriers season average of 271.3 coming into its game with Furman.
HILL STEPS UP...Starting in only the second game of his young career on Saturday against Wofford, redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Hill (Greer, S.C.) fashioned a solid game, rushing nine times for a game high 107 yards and one touchdown, and passing for 22 yards in leading Furman to the 28-7 win over the Terriers. For Hill, the 107-yard rushing performance marked the first 100-yard performance by a Furman quarterback since 1989 when Patrick Baynes ran for 138 yards in a 42-23 win over Youngstown State in NCAA I-AA quarterfinal playoff action. Hill's performance against Wofford also included a 31-yard touchdown run. In his only other start of the year, Hill directed Furman to a season high 365-yard rushing performance in a 38-20 win over Elon on Nov. 1 in Greenville. Hill's rise the last couple of weeks followed a frustrating late spring, summer, and pre-season in which he slowly recovered from surgery (in April) to repair a subacrominal decompression in his right shoulder. With Hill less than 100 percent until mid-season, the Paladins had no choice but to turn to true freshman quarterback Brent Rickman (Rome, Ga.) after senior quarterback Chris Jonas (Birmingham, Ala.) was sidelined with torn knee ligaments early in the Paladins' 17-6 loss to South Carolina State on Sept. 13. Rickman started in the next five games before giving way to Hill in the Elon game.
NOTING THE WOFFORD GAME...Furman's 28-7 win over Wofford on Saturday marked its third straight victory over the Terriers and fourth decision in the last five games over the formerly NCAA Division II Wofford program. In Furman's current three-game winning streak over Wofford, the Paladins have outscored the Terriers 99-10. Wofford's lone touchdown in Saturday's loss to Furman marked the Terriers' first offensive touchdown scored on Furman in the last five games. Wofford's two touchdowns in its 14-14 tie with Furman in 1993 came on a blocked punt and a fake field goal attempt. In rushing for 107 and 101 yards, respectively, in the win over Wofford on Saturday, quarterback Justin Hill (Greer, S.C.) and tailback Mark Moore (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) became only the second Paladin duo to rush for over 100 yards in a game this season. Moore (103 yards) and tailback Ernest Crosby (114 yards) turned the trick three weeks ago in a 38-20 win over Elon. Returning to
TAKING CARE OF THE FOOTBALL...While Furman's one turnover (interception) in Saturday's 28-7 win over Wofford was one more than head coach Bobby Johnson would have wanted, it did represent a dramatic improvement over Furman's performance the week before when the Paladins turned the ball over a season high seven times in a 30-13 loss to Georgia Southern. Counting the one turnover against Wofford, Furman has now turned the ball over 28 times this year compared to opponents' 23, thereby giving Furman an unimpressive -.50 turnover ratio. A year ago, Furman only turned the ball over 21 times in 13 games while going 9-4 and advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA I-AA playoffs.
GREAT "D' OBSCURED BY INCONSISTENT "O"...Just how well Furman's defense has played this year has been obscured by a Paladin offensive unit that, for much of the season, has struggled to hold on to the football and move it on a consistent basis. The latest frustration experienced by Furman's defense came two weeks ago in the 30-13 loss to Georgia Southern when the Eagles converted three of the Paladins' seven turnovers into 17 points. One touchdown came on a 62-yard interception return, and the other touchdown (with 0:19 remaining in the game) followed a Paladin fumble at the Furman 25. The Eagles' other three points came on a 47-yard field goal following a Furman fumble at the Paladin 34. Georgia Southern's interception return for a touchdown marked the fourth such return for a score by opponents this year. Through 10 games, opponents have initiated a total of 27 drives in Furman territory, including 20 following Paladin turnovers.
| Possessions | Furman | Opponents |
| Initiated Inside Opponent 50 | 32 | 27 |
| Inititated Following Turnovers | 13 | 20 |
BEST DEFENSE SINCE 1989...In yielding an average of only 288.1 yards per game through 10 games this year, Furman, from a statistical standpoint, is fielding its best defensive unit since the 1989 season, when the Paladins yielded an average of 272.3 yards per game in going 12-2, winning the Southern Conference (7-0), and advancing to the NCAA I-AA semifinal playoff round before bowing out.
DEBUSK WAS BIG KEY IN '89...Part of the reason for Furman's defensive success in 1989 was the stellar, often times dominating play of Furman's offense, which was headed up by quarterback Frankie DeBusk, who this Saturday will be coaching against his alma mater as Chattanooga's offensive coordinator. DeBusk, who arguably enjoyed his finest season as a Paladin in 1989 before a knee injury against William & Mary in NCAA I-AA first round playoff action ended his junior season, threw for 1,726 yards and 13 touchdowns (only two interceptions) that year and accounted for 2,000 yards in total
THIER LEADS SOCON TACKLERS...Furman senior linebacker Jay Thier (Columbia, S.C.), a pre-season All-Southern Conference selection, continues to lead the conference in tackles with 140 stops (15.5 tackles per game) through nine games, and is coming off a Georgia Southern game in which he totaled 20 tackles. Thier's strong work against Georgia Southern continued his recent string of outstanding performances that have included a career high 24-tackle performance in a 21-7 win over The Citadel and a 15-tackle outing in a 24-22 win over Appalachian State that also featured a tackle-for-loss, an interception, and a blocked extra point that proved decisive. His work in the win over Appalachian State earned him Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors.
SCOTT, THIER MOVING ON UP...In recording 20 tackles apiece in the Paladins' 30-13 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Furman linebackers Bernard Scott (St. Augustine, Fla.) and Jay Thier (Columbia, S.C.) continued their climb up the school's career tackle chart. Heading into Saturday's game against Wofford, Scott ranks fourth on Furman's career tackles ledger with 424 stops, and Thier is sixth with 416 career tackles.
FURMAN CAREER TACKLES LEADERS
| Rank | Player | Years | Tackles |
| 1) | Jeff Blankenship | 1985-88 | 580 |
| 2) | Kevin Kendrick | 1987-90 | 574 |
| 3) | Kota Suttle | 1989-92 | 556 |
| 4) | Milan Sterling | 1990-93 | 445 |
| 5) | Bernard Scott | 1993- | 424 |
| 6) | Jay Thier | 1994- | 416 |
| 7) | Steve O'Neill | 1978-81 | 389 |
| 8) | Bruce Gheesling | 1978-81 | 387 |
| 9) | Frank Moses | 1974-77 | 360 |
| Darryl Gardner | 1984-87 | 360 | |
| 10) | Orlando Ruff | 1995- | 355 |
ORLANDO RUFF...Junior All-Southern Conference linebacker Orlando Ruff (Winnsboro, S.C.) continued his impressive season of work on Saturday, recording 11 tackles and two tackles-for-loss in the 30-13 loss to Georgia Southern. For Ruff, the strong play against Georgia Southern followed several recent strong performances, including a 17-tackle outing in Furman's 24-22 win over Appalachian State that also included two tackles-for-loss, an interception, and a pass deflection. Ruff's interception (and subsequent 51-yard return) against the Mountaineers in the game's waning seconds literally saved the game for Furman, which had seen Appalachian State score 12 unanswered points to close to within two points before moving into Furman territory for what looked like an almost certain game winning score. Ruff, however, stepped in front of Mountaineer quarterback Bake Baker's pass to preserve the critical victory for the Paladins. The game saving interception against Appalachian State followed a pair of pickoffs by the Paladin junior the week before in a 17-16 loss at Western Carolina. Furman's leading tackler a year ago with 164 stops, Ruff is the Paladins' leader in the weight room, where in the spring he combined to lift 1,420 pounds in three exercises: bench press (435), squat (625), and power clean (360). Through nine games, he has totaled 104 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss (including one sack), three interceptions (and 77 yards in returns), two caused fumbles, and three pass deflections on the league's second best defense. Ruff now has 355 career tackles and is now ranked 10th on Furman's all-time list heading into Saturday's game against Wofford.
THE BIG THREE...Furman's claim to have one of the best linebacking corps in the Southern Conference is underscored in the numbers the Paladins' three starting linebackers Ñ Jay Thier (Columbia, S.C.), Orlando Ruff (Winnsboro, S.C.), and Bernard Scott (St. Augustine, Fla.) Ñ have produced over the course of their careers. The numbers include: 1195 tackles, 80 tackles-for-loss, 10 interceptions, and nine fumble recoveries. A snap shot of their value to Furman's program came last month in the 24-22 win over Appalachian State when Furman's BIG THREE combined for 40 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, two pass deflections, a blocked extra point attempt, and a fumble recovery.
SUPER SAFETIES...Furman's defense is obviously the strength of this year's team, and, aside for the Paladins' linebackers, one of the strongest areas on Furman's defensive unit is the two safety positions, where two-time All-Southern Conference free safety Jeremy Osborne (Kingsport, Tenn.) and standout sophomore strong safety John Keith (Newnan, Ga.) reside. On Oct 18, in the Paladins' 21-7 win over The Citadel, Osborne racked up seven tackles, a fumble recovery, an interception, and a pass deflection. Keith, meanwhile, recorded nine tackles and an interception Ñ his second in two games. Osborne and Keith's strong play against The Citadel mirrored the performance the duo turned in the previous week in the Paladins' 24-22 victory over Appalachian State, when Osborne tallied a season high 13 tackles and had a critical pass deflection on a Mountaineers' two-point conversion attempt, and Keith had seven tackles, an interception, and a pass deflection. On the year, Keith has 67 tackles and Osborne has 78 stops heading into this Saturday's game against Wofford.
PASS RUSH STRONG...After pacing the Southern Conference with 34 sacks a year ago, Furman again sports one of the best pass rushes in the league with 21 sacks through nine games. Working against Georgia Southern's run-oriented ground attack last Saturday, the Paladins had only a few sack opportunities, but Furman managed to make the most of it by picking up three sacks, including two by Southern Conference sacks leader and league pre-season defensive player-of-the-year Bryan Dailer (Winter Garden, Fla.)
DAILER MOVING UP SACKS CHART...With two sacks in the Paladins' 30-13 loss to Georgia Southern last Saturday, senior pre-season Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year rush end Bryan Dailer improved his career sack total to 27.5. Dailer, now in his fourth season as a starter, notched 95 tackles and a league leading 24 tackles-for-loss and 14 sacks a year ago en route to earning All-Southern Conference honors. His strong pass rushing skills helped Furman improve from 13 quarterback sacks in 1995 to a league leading 34 sacks in 1996. A pre-season Sports Network and Sports Ticker All-American, Dailer has now started in 44 consecutive games over the past three-plus seasons and heads into this Saturday's game against Wofford with 69 tackles and a team leading 16 tackles-for-loss and 9.5 sacks on the year.
FURMAN CAREER SACKS LEADERS
| Rank | Player | Years | Sacks |
| 1) | Kelly Fletcher | 1986-90 | 35.5 |
| 2) | Bryan Dailer | 1994- | 27.5 |
| 3) | Ryan Livezey | 1990-93 | 19.0 |
| 4) | Brian Pitts | 1986-89 | 17.0 |
| 5) | Dean Williams | 1987-89 | 17.0 |
VERSATILE JODY WADE...Senior split end/punter Jody Wade (Waycross, Ga.), a pre-season All-Southern Conference selection as both a wide receiver and punter, fashioned a career best performance in Furman's 35-14 win over VMI earlier this year, catching a career high seven passes for another career high 141 yards and a touchdown. Furman's leading receiver with 28 catches for 434 yards and six touchdowns through nine games, Wade upped his career touchdowns catch total to 13 with a pair of scores covering 11 and 16 yards last Saturday in the 30-13 loss to Georgia Southern. Currently ranked fourth on Furman's career touchdown receptions chart, Wade has also been Furman's punter the last four seasons, and heads into Saturday's game against Wofford averaging 40.2 yards per punt on the year. Wade ranks third in the Southern Conference in punting with numbers that have been posted in real, oftentimes rainy weather, and not inside under climate controlled, 72 degree, bounce-friendly, Astro-Turf aided conditions.
FURMAN CAREER TOUCHDOWN RECEPTION LEADERS
| Rank | Player | Years | TDs |
| 1) | Chas Fox | 1982-85 | 28 |
| 2) | Billy Risher | 1979-83 | 19 |
| 3) | Robbie Hahn | 1966-67 | 16 |
| 4) | Jody Wade | 1994- | 13 |
| 5) | Adrick Harrison | 1992-95 | 11 |
| Josh Cole | 1993-96 | 11 | |
| 6) | Paul Siffri | 1988-91 | 10 |
MOORE ON THE CHARTS...Senior tailback Mark Moore (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) has moved into Furman's Top 10 career rushing chart, having rushed for 1,939 yards and 12 touchdowns in almost four seasons of play. Moore, who ran three times for 16 yards in the Paladins' 30-13 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday, currently stands ninth on the school's career rushing yards ledger. Next up in eighth place is former standout Dwight Sterling (1986-89), who rushed for 1,983 yards in his career.
FURMAN CAREER RUSHING LEADERS
| Rank | Player | Years | Yards |
| 1) | Carl Tremble | 1982-85 | 4,746 |
| 2) | Stanford Jennings | 1980-83 | 4,016 |
| 3) | Robbie Gardner | 1982-86 | 3,213 |
| 4) | Larry Robinson | 1973-76 | 3,038 |
| 5) | Mike Glenn | 1978-80 | 2,446 |
| 6) | John Bagwell | 1984-88 | 2,183 |
| 7) | Dinky Williams | 1981-84 | 2,100 |
| 8) | Dwight Sterling | 1986-89 | 1,983 |
| 9) | Mark Moore | 1994- | 1,939 |
| 10) | Steve Crislip | 1969-71 | 1,938 |
CERQUA DISMISSED...Head coach Bobby Johnson announced last Thursday that sophomore fullback Marq Cerqua (Six Mile, S.C.) had been permanently dismissed from the football program for violation of team rules. Cerqua started in Furman's first six games this year and rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns prior to his dismissal. He was also Furman's kickoff returns leader, averaging 29.2 yards on 12 returns through eight games.
FOUR PALADINS ENTER HALL...Former Paladin football standouts Frankie DeBusk '91, Steve Duggan '91, Andrew Burr '91, and Carl Tremble '93 highlighted a class of six former Furman athletic greats who were inducted into the school's athletic hall-of-fame in ceremonies on Sept. 26. DeBusk, a three-year starter and 1989 Southern Conference Player-of-the-year, quarterbacked Furman to three straight league championships and, in 1988, became the first quarterback in league history to lead his team to a national championship. The Greeneville, Tenn., native is Furman's all-time passing (5,851 yards) and total offense (6,726 yards) leader. Duggan, a three-time All-Southern Conference selection at center, was a consensus 1990 NCAA I-AA All-America pick and winner of both the state and Southern Conference Jacobs Blocking Award. During the Sumter, S.C., native's tenure, the Paladins won three league championships and posted the best four-year record in school history (41-12). Holder of 18 school records, tailback Carl Tremble of Jacksonville, Fla., ranks as Furman's all-time leading rusher and scorer, having totaled 4,746 yards and 50 touchdowns in his career. A 1992 Associated Press All-America selection, Tremble rushed for 100 yards in 25 games in his career and was part of three NCAA I-AA playoff squads. Atlanta, Ga., product Andrew Burr was a two-sport standout at Furman, having starred in both soccer and football. In soccer, the 1990 Southern Conference Player-of-the-Year scored a school record 50 goals and was a three-time All-South selection. In his only year of football, Burr led the Southern Conference in scoring 1991 after converting 14-of-16 field goals and 45-of-46 PATs, thereby becoming the first athlete in league history to lead the conference in scoring in two different sports in consecutive years. DeBusk, Duggan, Tremble, and Burr were enshrined in Furman's Hall-of-Fame along with former Olympic gold-medal swimmer Angel Myers '90 and late Furman swimming coach Howard Wheeler.
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