Saturday's Furman-Appalachian State game is a key Southern Conference contest for the Paladins and Mountaineers that will highlight Parents' Weekend at Furman University.
All tickets for Saturday's Furman-Appalachian 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 1971 with a 0-0 tie in Greenville, Furman holds a 17-6-3 advantage over Appalachian State and enters Saturday's game having captured six of the past nine meetings between the two schools, including a 20-14 win last year in Boone. The Mountaineers claimed a 41-28 decision the last time the two schools met in Greenville.
In Greenville: Furman leads 9-3-1; In Boone: Furman leads 8-3-2
Furman: Bobby Johnson (Clemson '73)
Appalachian State: Jerry Moore (Baylor '61)
Furman: Multiple I
Appalachian State: Multiple I
Furman: 43
Appalachian State: Multiple
FURMAN (2-2, 1-1 Southern)
APPALACHIAN STATE (2-2, Southern 1-1)
FURMAN dropped a 17-16 decision to Western Carolina in Cullowhee when placekicker Jason Wells' 47-yard field goal attempt with just under a minute to play sailed just left of the upright.
The Paladins, who fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter following a pair of turnovers, battled back to take a 13-10 lead at intermission following a 41-yard field goal by Wells with 13 seconds left in the half. Wells' field goal followed a critical holding call on the Paladins, which wiped out a touchdown pass from quarterback Brent Rickman to split end Jody Wade.
Western Carolina responded on its first possession of the second half by moving 79 yards in 11 plays to take a 17-13 advantage following an 18-yard touchdown run by Tracy Biggs at the 9:06 juncture. Furman closed to within a point on the ensuing possession by marching 62 yards in 13 plays for Wells' third field goal of the afternoon, this time from 35 yards, with 3:12 remaining in the third period.
Furman's last possession of the game saw the Paladins move from their own 17-yard line to the Western Carolina 30, where Wells' field goal try, for what could have been the game winner, missed.
Furman generated only 287 yards total offense on the afternoon, while Western Carolina accounted for 333 total yards. The Catamounts dominated time of possession, however, holding the football for 37:05 to the Paladins' 22:55.
APPALACHIAN STATE surrendered 707 yards total offense, including 377 yards passing, in a 51-28 loss to East Tennessee State in Boone.
Paced by the strong arm of freshman quarterback Todd Wells, who accounted for all of the Buccaneers' passing yardage and four touchdown responsibilities, East Tennessee State punished the Mountaineers on the ground as well, rolling up 330 yards, including 141 by fullback Brian Edwards. Wide receiver B.J. Adigun caught 10 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown, and Anthony Stringfield added four catches for 138 yards and two scores to headline East Tennessee State's busy receiving corps.
The 707 yards in total offense was the most surrendered by Appalachian State since the 1978 season.
BOONE, N.C. (Oct. 12, 1996) Ñ Tailback Ernest Crosby rushed for a game high 155 yards and caught a pair of touchdown passes to lead nationally 13th-ranked Furman to a 20-14 Southern Conference win over the 14th-ranked Appalachian State Mountaineers in front of 12,111 fans at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
The win, the Paladins' fifth straight since a season-opening loss to Clemson, was Furman's first road victory over a nationally-ranked opponent since the 1990 season and its fourth win in its last six games against Appalachian State in Boone.
After watching Appalachian State cover 78 yards in eight plays for a touchdown on the game's opening possession, the Paladins answered on their first offensive possession with a 6-play, 80-yard scoring drive, which ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Braniff Bonaventure to tailback Ernest Crosby to tie the game at 7-7.
Appalachian State retook the lead early in the second period when tailback Damon Scott scored his second touchdown of the day on a 4-yard run to give the Mountaineers a 14-7 advantage.
Spurred on by a dramatic 69-yard run by Ernest Crosby on the Paladins' next possession, Furman answered the Mountaineers again with a 3-yard touchdown run by fullback Marq Cerqua to knot the game at 14-14.
In the second half, Furman's defense came up big, surrendering no points and only 80 yards in total offense. The Paladin offense, meanwhile, put together what proved to be a classic, game winning drive in the third quarter, when it embarked on a 17-play, 98-yard march that consumed 8:45 of clock before ending on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Braniff Bonaventure to Ernest Crosby.
Despite having the extra point blocked, Furman was able to hang on for the win with strong defensive play, which included a fumble recovery by defensive tackle Michael Brown at the Appalachian State 29-yard line with 2:17 left in the game.
On the day, Furman outgained Appalachian State in total offense, 385-295.
TYPICAL FU-WCU FINISH...Furman's 17-16 loss to Western Carolina on Saturday pretty much lived up to the series' strong tradition of nail biting finishes as the Paladins and Catamounts saw the 14th game in a 25-game series settled by a touchdown or less. Furman's bitter defeat was ensured after placekicker Jason Wells' game winning, 47-yard field goal attempt sailed just wide of the left upright with just under a minute to play. The loss was only Furman's fourth in 12 games in Cullowhee, where the Paladins still own one of the best records (7-4-1) against the Catamounts of any Southern Conference team.
TURNOVERS COSTLY...In a game that saw offensive mistakes by both teams lead to points for the opponent, Furman was especially hurt by turnovers of its first three possessions, which resulted in 10 Catamount points. On its first offensive possession, Furman freshman quarterback Brent Rickman (Rome, Ga.) threw an interception of the Paladin 41. A 27-yard field goal by Ken Hinsley ensued, giving the Catamounts a 3-0 lead. On the next Paladin possession, Rickman was picked off again when his pass attempt was batted into the air and gathered in by Marcus Bradley, who raced 20 yards, untouched into the end zone for a touchdown. Furman's troubles continued on its third possession, when fullback Marq Cerqua, after taking a screen pass and racing 40 yards, fumbled as he was tackled, and the Catamounts recovered at the Western Carolina 38. The Paladins, however, gained a measure of revenge when, two plays later, linebacker Orlando Ruff (Winnsboro, S.C.) picked off a Josh Brooks pass and returned it to the Western Carolina 19, setting up a Jason Wells 27-yard field goal to make it a 10-3 game. In the second quarter, Ruff again stepped up big for the Paladins with his second interception of the game at the Western Carolina 28. Furman then capitalized on the Catamount miscue by scoring on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Rickman to flanker Desmond Kitchings, which tied the game at 10-10.
ROAD TURNS ROUGH...Furman's 17-16 loss to Western Carolina on Saturday marked the Paladins' second straight road loss after a season opening, 29-10 win over Samford in Birmingham on Sept. 4. The Paladins' dropped a 17-6 decision to South Carolina State on Sept. 13 for its first loss of the year. Furman, which has played three of its first four games on the road, in all sports six regular season road games on its 1997 schedule.
HOME HAS BEEN HEAVEN...Furman's 35-14 win over VMI on Sept. 27 extended the Paladins' home winning streak to seven 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 80-22-1 record (.781) in Paladin Stadium.
TWO OF THREE...Although Furman knocked off Appalachian State 20-14 in Boone a year ago, the Paladins enter Saturday's game having dropped two of their last three contests to the Mountaineers, and two of the last three meetings in Greenville. In 1995, Appalachian State bolted to a 35-0 early second quarter lead and sacked Furman quarterbacks a Furman opponent record 11 times en route to an impressive 41-28 triumph. In 1991, Appalachian State knocked off Furman 26-23 in Greenville, in triple overtime, in the first overtime game in Southern Conference history. Since 1987, when Appalachian State upended Furman 16-8 to gain its first-ever win in Greenville, the Mountaineers have captured three of the last five meetings between the two schools in Paladin Stadium.
BEHIND THE NUMBERS...Although Furman has officially yielded 58 points in four games this year, the Paladins' first team defense has actually been tagged for only 30 of those 58 points. In Furman's 17-16 loss to Western Carolina on Saturday, Western Carolina's first score was registered against Furman's offense, which surrendered a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown. Two 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 yielding 14.5 points per game thus far, Furman is leading the Southern Conference in scoring defense.
PASS RUSH STRONG...After pacing the Southern Conference with 34 sacks a year ago, Furman is off to a solid start this year with a league leading 10 sacks through four games. In the 17-16 loss to Western Carolina on Saturday, Furman notched two more quarterback takedowns, both of which were credited to Southern Conference Pre-Season Defensive Player-of-the-Year, senior Bryan Dailer (Winter Garden, Fla.).
DAILER MOVING UP SACKS CHART...With a pair of sacks Saturday in the Paladins' 17-16 loss to Western Carolina, senior pre-season All-America rush end Bryan Dailer moved ahead of Ryan Livezey (1990-93) into second place on the school's all-time sacks list with 20.5 quarterback takedowns in his career. 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 39 consecutive games over the past three-plus seasons and heads into this Saturday's game against Appalachian State with 20 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, and a team leading 2.5 sacks on the year.
FURMAN CAREER SACKS LEADERS
| Rank | Player | Years | Sacks |
| 1) | Kelly Fletcher | 1986-90 | 35.5 |
| 2) | Bryan Dailer | 1994- | 20.5 |
| 3) | Ryan Livezey | 1990-93 | 19.0 |
| 4) | Brian Pitts | 1986-89 | 17.0 |
| 5) | Dean Williams | 1987-89 | 17.0 |
RUFF AND READY...Junior All-Southern Conference strong side linebacker Orlando Ruff (Winnsboro, S.C.) fashioned one of the strongest games of his career on Saturday, totaling 12 tackles and a pair of interceptions in the Paladins' 17-16 loss to Western Carolina. Ruff's two interceptions (including one he returned 26 yards) led directly to a pair of Furman scores, which enabled the Paladins to turn a 10-0 first quarter deficit into a 13-10 halftime lead. 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 four games, he has totaled 31 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, and two caused fumbles on the league's leading scoring defense (13.5 ppg). Ruff now has 282 career tackles and is on pace to crack the school's career tackles chart later this year.
SCOTT ON DECK...With two more tackles, Furman senior outside linebacker Bernard Scott (St. Augustine, Fla.) will move onto the school's top 10 career tackles list. A three-year starter who currently has 345 career stops, Scott, who paced Furman's defensive effort against Western Carolina with a career high 19 tackles and a tackle-for-loss, needs only two tackles Saturday against Appalachian State to tie Larry Anderson (1974-76) for 10th place on the school's career tackles ledger. The Paladins' leading tackler on the year with 57 stops, Scott also has three tackles-for-loss and a sack to his credit through four games this season.
FURMAN CAREER TACKLE 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) | Rock Hurst | 1981-84 | 364 |
| 8) | Frank Moses | 1974-77 | 360 |
| Darryl Gardner | 1984-87 | 360 | |
| 10) | Larry Anderson | 1974-76 | 347 |
| 11) | Bernard Scott | 1993- | 345 |
THIER KNOCKING TOO...Another Paladin linebacker who is on the verge of placing his name among the list of school career tackle leaders is senior weak side linebacker Jay Thier (Columbia, S.C.), who heads into this Saturday's Appalachian State game with 328 stops in his career. Thier, a pre-season All-Southern Conference pick who over the course of his career has registered several huge defensive plays, including the fumble recovery that led to the Paladins' dramatic, 42-31 win over Northern Arizona in NCAA I-AA playoff action last year, is second only to Bernard Scott in tackles this fall with 52 through four games.
LINEBACKER PRODUCTION...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 have produced over the course of their careers. The numbers include: 955 tackles, 70 tackles-for-loss, eight interceptions, and seven fumble recoveries.
THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED...Western Carolina's Marcus Bradley's 20-yard interception return for a touchdown on Saturday was the first by a Furman opponent since Marshall's Jermaine Swofford picked off a Braniff Bonaventure pass and raced 33 yards for a score in a 42-17 win over Furman during the 1996 regular season. Leroy Davies-Venn's 5-yard fumble return for a touchdown against VMI two weeks ago was the first by a Paladin since teammate Kevin Jackson (Daytona Beach, Fla.) recovered a fumble in the end zone for a score in a 33-3 win over Wofford last year. Ironically, the player who caused both fumbles was senior linebacker Jay Thier (Columbia, S.C.). VMI Kelly Cook's 60-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Furman on was the first by a Paladin opponent since last year when Clemson's Eric Bradford scooped up a fumble by Furman quarterback Braniff Bonaventure and returned it nine yards for a score in a 19-3 Paladin loss to the Tigers.
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 two 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. Currently tied with sophomore Des Kitchings (Wagener, S.C.) with a team high 15 receptions through four games, Wade hooked up with freshman quarterback Brent Rickman for a 35-yard touchdown catch in the win over VMI and, counting his 36 yards on four catches Saturday in the 17-16 loss to Western Carolina, now has a team best 231 yards in receptions through four games (15.4 yards per catch). In addition to his fine work as a receiver, Wade continued his solid contribution as Furman's punter, averaging 44.8 yards/punt on five attempts Saturday. Wade's 40.5 yards per punt average ranks him second in the Southern Conference in punting heading into this Saturday's contests against Appalachian State.
SMERDZINSKI GAINING NOTICE...After only four games, true freshman Zach Smerdzinski (Vienna, Va.) has already displayed he has what it takes to be a very effective punt returner. In the Paladins' 29-10 win over Samford on Sept. 3, Smerdzinski returned five punts for 53 yards, including one for 20 yards. In the Paladins' 17-6 loss to South Carolina State on Sept. 13, he proved to be one of the Paladins' few bright spots, returning seven punts for 88 yards to run his season totals to 12 returns for 141 yards (11.8 yards/return). In the Paladins' 35-14 win over VMI, he had two punt returns for 32 yards and his first career pass reception, which covered seven yards. And last Saturday against Western Carolina, Smerdzinski had three punt returns for 27 yards. Currently ranked second in the league in punt returns with a 12.5 per return average, Smerdzinski has continued the highly effective, straight-up-the-field return style, which Paladin fans had grown accustomed to seeing over the last few years in Smerdzinski's predecessor, All-Southern Conference return specialist Josh Cole.
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.
PALADIN POINTERS...Quarterback Brent Rickman's (19-of-25) 335-yard, three-touchdown passing performance in the Paladins' 35-14 win over VMI on Sept. 27 established a new Furman freshman single game record, as did his 319 yards in total offense. The 335 yards marked the the fifth best overall passing performance in school history. Rickman was named Southern Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Week for his work in the win over VMI.
Coaches All-Southern Conference
Southern Conference Coaches Defensive Player-of-the-Year
Sports Network All-America
Sports Ticker All-America
Southern Conference Pre-Season Polls