Saturday's Furman-East Tennessee State game will highlight Homecoming Weekend at Furman University and will mark a key Southern Conference matchup for the nationally 19th-ranked Paladins and nationally 14th-ranked Buccaneers.
All tickets for Saturday's Furman-East Tennessee State game are reserved and are $15. Tickets can be purchased at the Furman University Ticket Office (located on the second floor of the Paladin Stadium Press Box) through Friday 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 1957 with a 13-7 Furman win in Greenville, the Paladins hold a commanding 19-4 advantage over the Buccaneers and enter Saturday's game having captured nine of the last 10 meetings between the two schools. East Tennessee State, however, won last year, defeating Furman 21-19 in Johnson City for the Buccaneers' first win over the Paladins since 1986. The last time Furman and East Tennessee State squared off in Greenville, the Paladins captured a 21-15 verdict in 1995. Furman is 11-1 versus the Buccaneers in Greenville and 8-0 against East Tennessee State in Paladin Stadium since the facility's opening in 1981. The Buccaneers' lone win over the Paladins in Greenville was a 28-24 decision in 1979.
In Greenville: Furman leads 11-1 In Johnson City: Furman leads 8-3
Furman: Bobby Johnson (Clemson '73)
E. Tenn. St.: Paul Hamilton (Appalachian St. '81)
Furman: Multiple I
E. Tenn. St.: Multiple I
Furman: 43
E. Tenn. St.: 43
FURMAN (4-2, 3-1 Southern)
EAST TENNESSEE STATE (4-2, Southern 2-1 Southern)
FURMAN used strong special teams play to overcame a steady rain and a muddy field to down arch-rival The Citadel, 21-7, in Charleston.
After a scoreless first quarter, Furman broke through following senior linebacker Bernard Scott's block of a Citadel punt at the Bulldog 1-yard line. On the next play, fullback Marq Cerqua bulled into the end zone to give the Paladins a 7-0 lead at the 14:11 mark of the second period.
After holding The Citadel on downs, the Paladins' Zach Smerdzinski returned the ensuing punt 35 yards to the Bulldog 37, and two plays later freshman quarterback Brent Rickman connected with senior split end Jody Wade for a 36-yard touchdown pass to give Furman a 14-0 lead.
The Paladins put the game out of reach late in the third quarter when Rickman and Wade hooked up again, this time from nine yards out, to give Furman a 21-0 advantage.
The Citadel avoided the shutout when quarterback Stanley Myers' tipped pass on fourth down was gathered in by Nobert Akas, who dove into the end zone to complete a 14-yard pass play with 7:07 remaining in the game.
Although the Bulldogs won the battle of total offense, 118 of The Citadel's 281 yards in total offense came in the fourth quarter with Furman safely ahead 21-0. The win was Furman's third straight over its arch-rival, and second consecutive victory in Charleston.
EAST TENNESSEE STATE was idle after losing a 23-20 overtime decision to The Citadel in Johnson City on Oct. 11.
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. (Oct. 26, 1996) ‹ East Tennessee State quarterback Greg Ryan threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Buccaneers to a 21-19 win over Furman in front of 6,904 fans at the Memorial Center.
East Tennessee State's victory, the Buccaneers' first over Furman since 1986, wasn't ensured until late in the fourth quarter, when Furman failed to recover an on-side kick after Seth Ramaley pounced on a blocked punt in the end zone to cut the Buccaneers' lead to 21-19 with 1:42 left.
The Buccaneers' raced to a 14-0 first quarter lead following a 22-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Greg Johnson and a 54-yard Ryan strike to B.J. Adigun.
Furman answered in the second quarter with a 22-yard field goal by Jason Wells and a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Braniff Bonaventure to Jody Wade to make it a 14-9.
In the waning seconds of the first half, Furman was initially credited with a safety after the Buccaneers snapped the ball over punter Marcus Satterfield's head, but umpire Jim Allison later ruled he forgot to blow the whistle to put the ball in play, thereby nullifying the safety.
In the second half , mistakes short-circuited the Paladins' comeback attempt. The first critical error came in the third quarter when East Tennessee State, facing a third-and-10 situation at the Furman 19, used a dead ball personal foul penalty on the Paladins to overcome a holding call (on the same play) and gain a first down at the Furman 23, from which point they later scored to take a 21-12 lead. The other miscue came late in the fourth quarter, when Furman, trailing 21-12, missed a 32-yard field goal. The Paladins later scored on a blocked punt, but could not recover the ensuing on-side kick.
Offensively, Furman was paced by quarterback Braniff Bonaventure, who threw for 215 yards and a score. Tight end Luther Broughton, meanwhile, caught five passes for 38 yards to become Furman's all-time leading receiver.
THE TITLE HUNT IS ON...Furman's 21-7 win over The Citadel and Appalachian State's stunning 24-12 upset of previously undefeated Georgia Southern on Saturday has made this year's league title hunt a wide open affair heading into the second half of the season. While Georgia Southern (5-2; 4-1) holds on to first place by percentage points, Furman (4-2; 3-1) is all alone in second place heading into this Saturday's showdown with East Tennessee State (4-2; 2-1), which is tied with Chattanooga (5-1; 2-1) for third. In addition to East Tennessee State (Oct. 25), the Paladins have also yet to face either Georgia Southern (Nov. 8) or Chattanooga (Nov. 22). Furman, which has claimed nine Southern Conference crowns in its football history, last captured the league title in 1990.
STREAKING AT HOME...Furman's 24-22 win over Appalachian State on Oct. 11 marked its second home win of the season and extended the Paladins' home winning streak to eight games. Last year the Paladins re-established their dominance at home by going 6-0 en route to a 9-4 campaign that included a trip to the NCAA I-AA playoffs (two rounds). Furman now sports a 81-22-1 record (.784) in Paladin Stadium.
PALADIN STADIUM PERFECTION...Since opening Paladin Stadium with a 21-0 win over East Tennessee State in 1981, Furman has posted a perfect 8-0 mark against the Buccaneers in the facility. The 8-0 record against the Buccaneers ties Furman's 8-0 ledger against VMI for the best mark against a league foe in Paladin Stadium. Overall, Furman is 11-1 versus East Tennessee State in Greenville, with the one loss coming in 1979 (28-24) in old Sirrine Stadium in downtown Greenville.
THREE IN A ROW...Furman's 21-7 win over The Citadel on Saturday marked the Paladins' third straight win over the Bulldogs and second straight decision in Charleston. Furman's current three-game winning streak over its arch-rival followed a four-game Bulldog run of success from 1991-94. Prior to that, Furman dominated The Citadel by winning nine straight from 1982-90.
WINNING THE WAR...Although Furman has been outgained in each of its last three games, the Paladins have posted two wins in those three games. On Saturday, The Citadel outgained Furman 281 to 227, but 118 of the Bulldogs' yards came in the fourth quarter after the Paladins had taken a insurmountable 21-0 lead. And two weeks ago, the Paladins were outgained 354-287 by Appalachian State, but Furman still won 24-22. In all, the Paladins have outgained only two of their six foes in total offense this year, but Furman has still managed to go 4-2 in those six contests.
SPECIAL TEAMS STEP UP...While special teams are critical in any game, they are probably most critical in games featuring poor weather and field conditions like the Paladins' experienced in Charleston on Saturday. The muddy field and steady rain, however, didn't keep Furman's special teams from shining, as all three Paladin scores were set up by strong special teams play. The first score followed a blocked punt by senior linebacker Bernard Scott (St. Augustine, Fla.) at the Citadel 1-yard line. The next two followed punt returns by freshman Zach Smerdzinski covering 35 and 19 yards, respectively. Furman's specialists, meanwhile, acquitted themselves well, with senior Jody Wade averaging 38.0 yards per kick on seven punts and sophomore placekicker Jason Wells handling all three PATs with perfection.
RICKMAN MATURING AT QB...Although he has had a few bumps along the way, few can deny that true freshman quarterback Brent Rickman (Rome, Ga.) has made steady progress as a signal caller since stepping in for injured senior Chris Jonas earlier this year. In what would have been a tough situation for any quarterback, much less a true freshman, Rickman paced Furman to the 21-7 win over The Citadel on Saturday by completing 9-of-17 passes for 104 yards and a pair of touchdown passes on a muddy field, soaked throughout the game by steady rain. Rickman, who in his first collegiate start threw for a Furman freshman record 335 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-14 win over VMI on Sept. 27, picked up his second Southern Conference Freshman-of-the-Week honor for his solid play Saturday in the win over The Citadel.
THIER GOES FOR CAREER HIGH...Furman senior linebacker Jay Thier, a pre-season All-Southern Conference selection, followed up his league defensive player-of-the-week performance against Appalachian State on Oct. 11 with another outstanding game Saturday in the Paladins' 21-7 win over The Citadel, totaling a career high 24 tackles. Thier's brilliant play against the Bulldogs followed his "monster" performance in the Paladins' 24-22 win over Appalachian State in which he starred on both sides of the football, registering 88 total play participations. On defense he tallied 15 tackles, a tackle-for-loss, and an interception, and also blocked an extra point attempt that proved decisive. Meanwhile, on offense he was utilized as a wing back on six plays, and was responsible for two key blocks on a touchdown run and a two-point conversion play.
SCOTT, THIER MAKE THEIR MOVE...In recording 24 and 19 tackles, respectively, in the Paladins' 21-7 win over The Citadel on Saturday, Furman linebackers Jay Thier (Columbia, S.C.) and Bernard Scott (St. Augustine, Fla.) vaulted up the school's career tackle chart. Heading into Saturday's important Southern Conference showdown with East Tennessee State, Scott stands seventh on Furman's career tackles ledger with 371 stops, and Thier is eighth with 367 career tackles. Thier currently leads Furman in tackles with 91, and Scott is second with 84 stops through six games.
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) | Steve O'Neill | 1978-81 | 389 |
| 6) | Bruce Gheesling | 1978-81 | 387 |
| 7) | Bernard Scott | 1993- | 371 |
| 8) | Jay Thier | 1994- | 367 |
| 9) | Rock Hurst | 1981-84 | 364 |
| 10) | Frank Moses | 1974-77 | 360 |
| Darryl Gardner | 1984-87 | 360 |
RUFF AND READY...Junior All-Southern Conference linebacker Orlando Ruff (Winnsboro, S.C.) continued his impressive season of work on Saturday, recording 18 tackles and a fumble recovery in the Paladins' 21-7 win over The Citadel. For Ruff, the strong play against the Bulldogs followed an outstanding performance two weeks ago against Appalachian State, when he notched a team leading 17 tackles, 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 six games, he has totaled 66 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, three interceptions (and 77 yards in returns), two caused fumbles, and two pass deflections on the league's second best defense. Ruff now has 317 career tackles and is on pace to crack the school's career tackle chart later this year.
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: 1056 tackles, 74 tackles-for-loss, 10 interceptions, and nine fumble recoveries. A snap shot of their value to Furman's program came two weeks ago 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.
CROSBY COMES UP BIG...Although junior tailback Ernest Crosby fumbled once in the first half of Saturday's 21-7 win over The Citadel, the Greenville native managed to bounce back despite adverse field conditions and finish with a game high 79 yards rushing on 21 carries against the Bulldogs. Crosby's play against The Citadel followed his best performance of the year two weeks ago in the Paladins' 24-22 win over Appalachian State, when he rushed 20 times for a season high 128 yards and two touchdowns. Named Southern Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Week for his work against the Mountaineers, Crosby's two scoring runs against ASU covered 4 and 53 yards, and he also accounted for what proved to be a decisive two-point conversion run, giving him 14 of the Paladins' 24 points on the afternoon. Crosby's 100-yard rushing performance against Appalachian State was the first 100-yard outing of the season by a Paladin running back. In two games against the Mountaineers, he has run for 285 yards and four touchdowns.
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 Saturday, 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. Keith has 51 tackles and Osborne has 50 stops heading into this Saturday's game against East Tennessee State.
BEHIND THE NUMBERS...Although Furman has officially yielded 87 points in six games this year, the Paladins' first team defense has actually been tagged for only 52 of those 87 points. In Furman's 17-16 loss to Western Carolina on Oct. 4, the Catamounts' first score was registered against Furman's offense, which surrendered a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown. Three weeks ago, in a 35-14 win over VMI, the first Keydet score came against Furman's offense, which gave up a 60-yard fumble return for a touchdown after the Paladins had built a comfortable 35-0 lead. The second Keydet score came midway through the fourth quarter following a 98-yard drive against Paladin reserves. The other touchdown given up by Furman defensive reserves this year was in the season opener against Samford, when the Bulldogs scored a meaningless touchdown with just over a minute to go in a 29-10 Furman victory. In Saturday's win over The Citadel, Furman's defense, having helped build a 21-0 fourth quarter lead, yielded a touchdown on a fourth down pass attempt that was deflected but which found the hands of another Citadel receiver 10 yards downfield.
PASS RUSH STRONG...After pacing the Southern Conference with 34 sacks a year ago, Furman is off to a solid start this year with 14 sacks through six games. In the 21-7 win over The Citadel on Saturday, Furman notched three more quarterback takedowns, with one going to Southern Conference Pre-Season Defensive Player-of-the-Year selection rush end Bryan Dailer (Winter Garden, Fla.), and the other two going to senior defensive tackle Leroy Davies-Venn (Atlanta, Ga.) and backup junior tackle B.J. Pate (Inman, S.C.).
DAILER MOVING UP SACKS CHART...With a sack Saturday in the Paladins' 21-7 win over The Citadel, senior pre-season All-America rush end Bryan Dailer improved his career sack total to 22.5. 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 41 consecutive games over the past three-plus seasons and heads into this Saturday's game against East Tennessee State with 37 tackles and a team leading eight tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks on the year.
FURMAN CAREER SACKS LEADERS
| Rank | Player | Years | Sacks |
| 1) | Kelly Fletcher | 1986-90 | 35.5 |
| 2) | Bryan Dailer | 1994- | 22.5 |
| 3) | Ryan Livezey | 1990-93 | 19.0 |
| 4) | Brian Pitts | 1986-89 | 17.0 |
| 5) | Dean Williams | 1987-89 | 17.0 |
DOUBLE DUTY 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 three weeks ago in Furman's 35-14 win over VMI, catching a career high seven passes for another career high 141 yards and a touchdown. Furman's leading receiver with 22 catches (344 yards) and four touchdowns through six games, Wade hooked up with freshman quarterback Brent Rickman for a pair of touchdown passes covering 36 and 9 yards in the Paladins' 21-7 win over The Citadel in the rain on Saturday. The two touchdowns receptions give him 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 39.5 yards/punt on 34 attempts this season.
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 1,795 yards and 11 touchdowns in almost four seasons of play. Moore, who ran nine times for 39 yards in the Paladins' 21-7 win over The Citadel 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- | 1,795 |
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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