Saturday's Furman-Georgia Southern game has Southern Conference regular season title and NCAA I-AA playoff implications for both teams. With a win, Georgia Southern will clinch the 1997 Southern Conference title outright. Furman needs a win to stay alive in the conference race and also maintain its playoff chances.
All tickets for Saturday's Furman-Georgia Southern game are reserved and are $15. Tickets can be purchased at the Furman University Ticket Office (second floor of the Paladin Stadium Press Box) through Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Ticket office hours are 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and the telephone number is (864) 294-3097.
In a series that got its start in 1985 with a 44-42 Georgia Southern win in the NCAA I-AA national championship in Tacoma, Washington, Georgia Southern holds a 5-2 series advantage over Furman. The Eagles enter Saturday's game having whipped the Paladins in four of the last five meetings, but last year Furman topped Georgia Southern 21-14 in Greenville. The last time the two schools met in Statesboro, the Eagles prevailed 27-20 in 1995. Furman's other win over Georgia Southern came in the 1988 NCAA I-AA national championship contest in Pocatello, Idaho, by a 17-12 score. Overall Furman is 0-2 vs. Georgia Southern in Statesboro; 1-2 vs. the Eagles in Greenville; and 1-1 vs. Georgia Southern in neutral site contests.
In Greenville: Ga. Southern leads 2-1
In Statesboro: Ga. Southern leads 2-0
Neutral Sites: Tied 1-1
Furman: Bobby Johnson (Clemson '73)
Ga. Southern: Paul Johnson (Western Carolina '79)
Furman: Multiple I
Georgia Southern: Spread
Furman: 43
Georgia Southern.: 43
FURMAN (5-3, 3-2 Southern)
GEORGIA SOUTHERN (7-2, Southern 6-1 Southern)
FURMAN rolled up 365 yards on the ground and used a 17-point fourth quarter outburst to down Elon 38-20 at Paladin Stadium.
After racing to a 14-0 lead behind redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Hill, the Paladins watched Elon covert an interception into one touchdown and halfback Derrick Thomas score on an 80-yard run to knot the game at 14-14 with 4:04 left in the first half. The Fightin' Christians then recovered an on-side kick and moved 21 yards to set up a 31-yard Austin Boone field goal to take a 17-14 lead into the locker room.
Furman regained the lead for good at the 10:37 juncture of the third period when tailback Mark Moore scored on a 13-yard run to successfully end an eight-play, 61-yard drive. After Elon narrowed Furman's lead to 21-20 with a 42-yard field goal, Furman reeled off 17 straight points with a 26-yard field goal by Jason Wells, a 20-yard touchdown run by fullback Derek Russell, and a 38-yard scoring tally by reserve tailback Stuart Rentz.
Tailbacks Ernest Crosby (114 yards) and Mark Moore (103 yards) paced Furman's ground attack with the first double 100-yard single game rushing performances of the season by the Paladins.
Furman's 365 rushing yards were the most by the Paladins since the 1992 season, and the game also marked the first career start at quarterback for Justin Hill. The Paladin defense, meanwhile, held Elon's high-powered wishbone attack to only eight first downs and 177 yards on the ground, 139 yards below the Fightin' Christians' season average.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN scored a major victory and guaranteed its program at least a share of the 1997 Southern Conference championship by downing East Tennessee State 38-30 in Johnson City, Tenn.
Trailing 17-7 late in the second quarter, the Eagles got a major boost when Corey Joyner gathered in a kickoff and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown with 26 seconds left in the first half to pull Georgia Southern to within three points at 17-14.
The momentum carried over into the third quarter, where the Eagles scored 10 points on a 30-yard field goal by Eric Meng and a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Greg Hill to take a 24-17 lead.
The host Buccaneers battled back, however, scoring twice on touchdown catches by B.J. Adigun to claim a 30-24 advantage early in the fourth quarter. But Georgia Southern answered East Tennessee State with a 17-yard touchdown strike from Hill to Joyner with 2:01 left and a 23-yard Larry Rogers interception return for a touchdown at the 1:28 mark for the game's final points.
East Tennessee State outgained Georgia Southern in total offense 445-398, but the Eagles' balanced attack (219 rush, 179 pass) and strong special teams played a key role in the win.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (Nov. 9, 1996) -- Furman quarterback Braniff Bonaventure passed for 174 yards and three touchdowns, and broke two NCAA I-AA national records in the process in leading the Paladins to a 21-14 win over Georgia Southern in front of 11,616 fans at Paladin Stadium.
In attempting 23 passes without an interception, Bonaventure set national season (190) and career (202) marks for consecutive attempts without a pickoff in leading the Paladins to only their second win over Georgia Southern in seven meetings.
After falling behind 7-0 early, Furman rallied with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended on a 15-yard touchdown passe from Bonaventure to reactivated junior tailback Mark Moore with 3:10 left in the third quarter.
Furman took the lead in the third period when junior flanker Josh Cole slipped behind Georgia Southern's secondary for a 52-yard scoring strike from Bonaventure at the 1:29 mark.
After Georgia Southern tied the game at 14-14 on a 2-yard run by quarterback Kenny Robinson at the 9:55 juncture of the final stanza, Furman used a 63-yard run by Moore down to the Georgia Southern 8-yard line to set up the game winning touchdowns, which came on the next play on an 8-yard bullet pass from Bonaventure to tight end Luther Broughton with 7:55 left.
Furman preserved its tenuous lead with a fumble recovery by Troy Strappy and an interception by Seth Ramaley on the Eagles' final two possessions.
Returning to action since being sidelined in the season's first game with a fractured and dislocated finger, Mark Moore led all rushers with 105 yards on 16 carries.
SOCON TITLE ON THE LINE...Furman's matchup with Georgia Southern in Statesboro this Saturday carries with it Southern Conference title and NCAA I-AA playoff implications for both the Paladins and Eagles. While Georgia Southern (7-2, 6-1 SoCon) has a virtual lock on a playoff bid and is clearly in the driver's seat as far as the league race is concerned, needing a win to secure the outright conference title, Furman (5-3, 3-2 SoCon), with a win, can muddy the waters, so-to-speak, and keep alive its chances for a share of this year's league crown and playoff berth. Should the Paladins upset Georgia Southern, it could lead to potentially a four-way tie for the league title.
JUSTIN TIME...Saturday's start against Elon for redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Hill (Greer, S.C.) marked the first of his career and followed several months of injury rehabilitation and illness. Selected as 1995 Shrine Bowl MVP following South Carolina's 17-14 win over North Carolina, Hill redshirted a year ago under Paladin All-Southern Conference quarterback Braniff Bonaventure. Then, following spring practice, he was forced to undergo surgery to repair a subacromial decompression in his right (throwing) shoulder, which sidelined him from throwing virtually the entire summer. Cleared to resume throwing full speed late in pre-season practice, Hill suffered a bout of reverse mononucleosis in the early season, forcing him to give way to true freshman quarterback Brent Rickman (Rome, Ga.), who stepped in for injured senior signal caller Chris Jonas (Birmingham, Ala.) after Jonas was sidelined with torn knee ligaments in the second series of the Paladins' 17-6 loss to South Carolina State on Sept. 13. Hill's performance in Furman's 38-20 win over Elon, while not statistically impressive (4-for-10, 67 yards passing, 2 interceptions, 14 yards rushing), was a notable success, because he helped ignite Furman's ground game, which racked up a season high 365 yards in the win over the Fightin' Christians.
BEST RUSHING TOTAL SINCE '92...Furman's 365 rushing yards in the 38-20 win over Elon marked the Paladins' highest rushing output since the third game of the 1992 season, when Furman rushed for 451 yards in a 43-7 win over Presbyterian. The 365-yard performance was also the first 300-yard rushing performance since the Paladins ran for 318 in a 45-30 win over Western Carolina last year in Greenville.
CROSBY, MOORE TOP 100...In rushing for 114 yards and 103 yards, respectively, in the 38-20 win over Elon on Saturday, tailbacks Ernest Crosby (Greenville, S.C.) and Mark Moore (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) became the first Furman duo to rush for 100 yards in a game this year and first Paladins to accomplish the feat since Stuart Rentz (Pickens, S.C.) and Marq Cerqua (Six Mile, S.C.) both ran for over 100 yards in Furman's 45-30 win over Western Carolina in Greenville last year.
BIG RUSH -- TEST II...This Saturday Furman will face its second straight opponent who does business -- and has enjoyed great success over the years -- via the ground game. Georgia Southern, which annually ranks among the nation's leaders in rushing offense, is holding true to form again this year as the Eagles, who are averaging a Southern Conference leading 277.7 yards per game on the ground, will surely test Furman's defense, which ranks third in the league in rushing defense, giving up 138.0 yards per game (3.2 yards per rush). Last Saturday the Paladins faced Elon's potent wishbone attack and gave up 177 yards, 80 of which came on one play. The Fightin' Christians, who entered the game averaging 316 yards on the ground, managed only 192 yards in total offense in the 38-20 loss to Furman. The big difference between Elon and Georgia Southern lies in the fact that the Eagles also pack a strong passing game, averaging 144.5 yards per game (11 TD passes) through nine contests. After Georgia Southern, the Paladins will return home to face another strong rushing opponent in Wofford, which ranks second only to Georgia Southern in the conference in rushing offense, averaging 271.9 yards per game.
BACK ON TRACK AT HOME...Furman's 38-20 win over Elon on Saturday marked the Paladins' ninth win in their last 10 home games dating back to the 1995 season. Furman, which had its eight game home winning streak snapped when East Tennessee State swamped the Paladins 58-28 on Oct. 25, now sports an 82-23-1 overall record (.778) in Paladin Stadium
TURNING THE TABLES...After being outgained in its previous four games, Furman finally turned the tables in an opponent in total offense. In Saturday's 38-20 win over Elon, the Paladins rolled up 432 yards in total offense while allowing Elon only 192 total yards. Still, Furman has been outgained in five of its eight games this year, and the Paladins enter this Saturday's showdown against Georgia Southern averaging only 308.9 yards per game -- the program's lowest total since the 1972 season when the Paladins averaged only 248.7 yards per contest.
| Total Offense | Total Defense | |
| 351 |
Furman/Samford |
317 |
| 139 |
Furman/S.C. State |
161 |
| 505 |
Furman/VMI |
274 |
| 287 |
Furman/Western Carolina |
333 |
| 287 |
Furman/Appalachian State |
354 |
| 227 |
Furman/The Citadel |
281 |
| 243 |
Furman/East Tennessee State |
473 |
| 432 |
Furman/Elon |
192 |
SPECIAL TEAMS SHINE...Furman's special teams have enjoyed a solid 1997 campaign and have been a big plus for a team that has not enjoyed a prolific offensive year. In eight games, Furman special teams have blocked three punts, returned one kickoff for a touchdown, converted 8-of-10 field goals, and averaged 40.0 yards per punt. In addition, Furman's kickoff and punt return teams have averaged 26.5 yards and 12.2 yards per return, respectively, and, in the process, have given the Paladins excellent field possession on a consistent basis.
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 120 stops (15.0 tackles per game) through eight games, and is coming off an Elon game in which he racked up 15 stops, in addition to registering several plays as a blocking back in short yardage situations. Thier's strong work against Elon 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 Thier Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors.
SCOTT, THIER MOVING ON UP...In recording 15 tackles apiece in the Paladins' 38-20 win over Elon 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 Georgia Southern, Scott ranks fourth on Furman's career tackles ledger with 404 stops, and Thier is sixth with 396 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- | 404 |
| 6) | Jay Thier | 1994- | 396 |
| 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 | Jerry Scott | 1977-80 | 348 |
| 11) | Orlando Ruff | 1995- | 344 |
ORLANDO RUFF (AND READY)...Junior All-Southern Conference linebacker Orlando Ruff (Winnsboro, S.C.) continued his impressive season of work on Saturday, recording eight tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and a batted pass in the 38-20 win over Elon. For Ruff, the strong play against Elon 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 eight games, he has totaled 93 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, a Southern Conference leading three interceptions (and 77 yards in returns), two caused fumbles, and three pass deflections on the league's second best defense. Ruff now has 344 career tackles and is on pace to crack the school's Top 10 career tackle chart this Saturday against Georgia Southern.
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 -- Jay Thier (Columbia, S.C.), Orlando Ruff (Winnsboro, S.C.), and Bernard Scott (St. Augustine, Fla.) -- have produced over the course of their careers. The numbers include: 1144 tackles, 78 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, and one 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 -- his second in two games. Osborne and Keith's strong play against The Citadel mirrored the performance the duo turned in two weeks ago 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. Last Saturday, in the Paladins' 38-20 win over Elon, Osborne and Keith accounted for 11 tackles, and Keith had an interception and a pass deflection. On the year, Keith has 63 tackles and Osborne has 68 stops heading into this Saturday's game against Georgia Southern.
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 18 sacks through eight games. Working against Elon's wishbone attack on Saturday, the Paladins had few chances for sacks, but Furman still managed to add to its season total when redshirt freshman Steve Kupchinsky (Kingsport, Tenn.) racked up the Paladins' only sack on the game's final play.
DAILER MOVING UP SACKS CHART...With three sacks in the Paladins' 58-28 loss to East Tennessee State on Oct 25, senior pre-season Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year rush end Bryan Dailer improved his career sack total to 25.5. 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 43 consecutive games over the past three-plus seasons and heads into this Saturday's game against Georgia Southern with 59 tackles and a team leading 14 tackles-for-loss and 7.5 sacks on the year.
FURMAN CAREER SACKS LEADERS
| Rank | Player | Years | Sacks |
| 1) | Kelly Fletcher | 1986-90 | 35.5 |
| 2) | Bryan Dailer | 1994- | 25.5 |
| 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 25 catches (394 yards) and four touchdowns through eight games, Wade now has 11 career TD catches, tying him for fourth on Furman's career touchdown receptions ledger. In addition to his fine work as a receiver, Wade continues his solid contribution as Furman's punter, averaging 40.7 yards/punt on 40 attempts this season. On Saturday, in the Paladins' 38-20 win over Elon, Wade averaged an impressive 41.5 yards per punt on two punts. Heading into this Saturday's game against Georgia Southern, Wade ranks third in the Southern Conference in punting with numbers that have been posted in real, oftentimes rainy weather this year, 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- | 11 |
| Adrick Harrison | 1992-95 | 11 | |
| Josh Cole | 1993-96 | 11 | |
| 5) | 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 1,923 yards and 12 touchdowns in almost four seasons of play. Moore, who ran 13 times for a season high 103 yards in the Paladins' 38-20 win over Elon on Saturday, currently stands 10th on the school's career rushing yards ledger. Next up in ninth place is former standout Steve Crislip (1969-71), who rushed for 1,938 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) | Steve Crislip | 1969-71 | 1,938 |
| 10) | Mark Moore | 1994- | 1,923 |
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.
Furman will depart Greenville via chartered bus on Friday at noon and will work out at Paulson Stadium at approximately 4:30 p.m. Furman will headquarter at the Quality Inn-Airport Savannah (912) 964-1421.
Coaches All-Southern Conference
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