Saturday's Furman-Western Carolina game is a Southern Conference contest.
Tickets for Saturday's Furman-Western Carolina game are available for $14, $12, and $5. The $5 ticket is for children 17 and under. 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 21-14 Furman win in Greenville, Furman holds a 14-8-2 advantage over Western Carolina and enters Saturday's game having captured the last two meetings.
In Greenville: Furman leads 7-5-1 In Cullowhee: Furman leads 7-3-1
Furman: Bobby Johnson (Clemson '73)
Western Carolina: Bill Bleil (Norhwestern College '81)
Furman: Multiple I
Western Carolina: Multiple '97
Furman: 43
Western Carolina: 43
FURMAN (2-1, 1-0 Southern)
WESTERN CAROLINA (1-2, Southern 1-1)
FURMAN downed VMI, 35-14, in Greenville behind the passing of quarterback Brent Rickman, who completed 19-of-25 passes for a school freshman record 335 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start. Named Southern Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Week, Rickman also rushed for another score to pace a Furman offensive attack that rolled up 505 yards against the Keydets. Furman's defense, meanwhile, limited VMI to only 25 yards rushing in helping the Paladins to their 16th straight win over the Keydets.
WESTERN CAROLINA took an early 3-0 lead but wilted under a 21-point East Tennessee State offensive barrage in the second quarter on the way to dropping a 28-18 decision to the Buccaneers in Johnson City.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (Oct. 5, 1996) -- Fullback Marq Cerqua rushed for 120 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead a powerful Furman offense that rolled up a season high 573 yards in a 45-30 win over Western Carolina in front of 11,215 fans at Paladin Stadium.
Furman, which raced to an early 7-0 lead following a 21-yard touchdown catch by Cerqua, added 21 second quarter points with a pair of touchdown runs by Cerqua covering 1 and 78 yards, and a 22-yard scoring strike from quarterback Braniff Bonaventure to Josh Cole to take a 28-6 halftime lead. In the second half, Furman used a 43-yard Jason Wells field goal and scoring runs by Cerqua and backup fullback Parrish Clark to maintain a comfortable lead en route to the Paladins' second straight win over the Catamounts.
Quarterback Braniff Bonaventure also fashioned a fine afternoon, completing 12-of-16 passes for 255 yards and a two touchdowns on the afternoon.
FURMAN BOUNCES BACK...With the bitterness of a 17-6 loss to South Carolina State lingering in the minds of Furman coaches and players for two weeks, Furman returned to action this past Saturday with an impressive 35-14 Southern Conference win over VMI in the Paladins' 1997 home season opener. While getting the Paladins off to a undefeated start in Southern Conference play, the win helped ease the memories of an embarrassing performance turned in by the Paladins' offense in the 17-6 loss to South Carolina State on Sept. 13th in which Furman generated only 139 total yards and lost despite a defensive effort that held South Carolina State to only 24 total yards and no first downs in the second half. The win over VMI featured 505 yards in total offense and marked the Paladins' 16th straight win over the Keydets dating back to 1979.
RICKMAN CARRIES THE DAY...When quarterback Brent Rickman (Rome, Ga.) took the field Saturday against VMI, he became the first true freshman quarterback to start for Furman since 1991 and the first Paladin freshman signal caller to ever throw for 335 yards. In completing 19-of-25 passes against the Keydets, Rickman placed his named in Furman's record book in several categories. As mentioned, his 335 passing yards established a new Furman freshman single game record, as did his 319 yards in total offense. The 335 yards marked the fifth best overall passing performance in school history, and his 19 completions were the sixth most in Furman football's history. Rickman's four touchdown responsibilities against VMI, which included scoring strikes of 24, 35, and 60 yards, and a 2-yard run, were also the most ever by a Paladin freshman quarterback. Rickman's experience prior to the VMI game had included two late series' in the Paladins' 29-10, season opening win over Samford, and an unimpressive 8-for-31 performance (66 yards) in the Paladins' 17-6 loss to South Carolina State on Sept. 13. His work in the win over VMI earned him Southern Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors.
WADE ENJOYS CAREER HIGHS...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 last Saturday against 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 11 receptions and two touchdowns, Wade hooked up with freshman quarterback Brent Rickman for a 35-yard touchdown catch in the win over VMI and now has 195 yards in receptions through three games (17.7 yards per catch). In addition to his fine work as a receiver, Wade continued his solid contribution as Furman's punter, averaging 34.5 yards/punt on four attempts Saturday. One of those punts was a 21-yard "pooch" kick that led directly to Furman's first score of the afternoon when VMI running back Avi Hopkins' fumble was picked up by Paladin defensive tackle Leroy Davies-Venn (Atlanta, Ga.) and returned five yards for a score. Wade's 39.1 yards per punt average ranks him second in league in punting.
KITCHINGS "BIG PLAY" MAN...Sophomore flanker Des Kitchings (Wagener, S.C.) came up with another big play Saturday in the Paladins' 35-14 win over VMI when he hooked up with freshman quarterback Brent Rickman on a 60-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter to give the Paladins a 35-0 lead. For Kitchings, who in all caught three passes for 90 yards against the Keyets, the 60-yard touchdown catch only added to his "big play" reputation, which he established last year with a 70-yard touchdown catch and run in the Paladins' 42-31 win over Northern Arizona in NCAA I-AA first round playoff action. On the year Kitchings has 11 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
FURMAN STINGY AGAINST THE RUN...In limiting VMI to only 25 yards rushing (26 attempts), Furman yielded its lowest single game rushing total since 1987, when the Paladins held Davidson to only 18 yards on the ground in a 58-3 thrashing of the Wildcats. Two weeks ago in the Paladins' 17-6 loss to South Carolina State, Furman surrendered just 62 yards rushing to the Bulldogs on 36 attempts. Through three games, the Paladins have given up only 223 yards on the ground (74.3 ypg) and lead the Southern Conference in rushing defense.
BEHIND THE NUMBERS...Although Furman has officially yielded 41 points in three games this year, the Paladins' first team defense has actually been tagged for only 20 of those 41 points. In Furman's 35-14 win over VMI on Saturday, the first Keydet score was registered against Furman's offense, which surrendered a 60-yard fumble return for a touchdown after the Paladins had built a comfortable 35-0 lead. The next 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 13.7 points per game thus far, Furman is leading the Southern Conference in scoring defense.
MORE NUMBERS AND FACTS...Leroy Davies-Venn's 5-yard fumble return for a touchdown was the first by a Paladin since his 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 Saturday 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.
FURMAN GOES 7-0 AT HOME...Furman's 35-14 win over VMI on Saturday 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.
NEW STARTERS...In addition to quarterback Brent Rickman, redshirt freshman Mark Batluck (Carlisle, Pa.) received his first career start Saturday in the 35-14 win over VMI. Batluck, who took over for senior David Gibson, earned a winning grade of 1.92 (.875%) on 48 plays in the win over the Keydets. Senior nose guard Reggie Williams (Nashville, Tenn.) also gained his first start of the year Saturday against VMI after sitting out the season opener against Samford (29-10 win) and working as a backup to Mike Davis (Manning, S.C.) against South Carolina State (17-6 loss). Williams, who had been a regular in the Furman lineup for most of the past three seasons, did not gain academic clearance to play until the second week of the season.
SMERDZINSKI GAINING NOTICE...After only three 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). And in the Paladins' 35-14 win over VMI last Saturday, he had two punt returns for 32 yards and his first career pass reception, which covered seven yards. Currently ranked third in the league in punt returns with a 13.3 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.
FURMAN 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 seven sacks through three games. In the 35-14 win over VMI on Saturday, the Paladins picked up another sack when senior linebacker Bernard Scott (St. Augustine, Fla.) nailed VMI quarterback Robbie Chenault for a 6-yard loss in the first quarter.
HIGH ANXIETY...There is a strong probability this Saturday's Furman-Western Carolina game will be a close, down-to-the-wire affair and the winning team will have to manufacture a spectacular comeback before the game clock expires. That's because in the 24 previous meetings between the two schools, 13 games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Although last year's game (45-30 Furman win in Greenville) didn't fit the usual pattern, the last time the two schools squared off in Cullowhee (in 1995) the game was tied 14-14 at halftime before the Paladins went on to a 31-21 victory. In 1994, Western Carolina won by 11 points (35-24), but the Catamounts had to overcome a 24-7 third quarter deficit to claim the win. In 1993, in Cullowhee, Furman held a 20-10 second half advantage before the Catamounts rallied with 13 points over the game's final nine minutes to take a 23-20 decision. And, in 1992, Western Carolina almost let a 22-6 second half lead get away before holding on to a 29-27 win in Greenville.
WHAT HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE?...The Furman-Western Carolina series has produced its share of exciting games over the years and yielded a statistical anomaly in that the home team has consistently struggled to win. While Furman has pretty much roughed up the opposition in Paladin Stadium, going 80-22-1 (.781) overall since the facility's opening in 1981, the Paladins have struggled noticeably with Western Carolina, going 4-5 against the Catamounts in Greenville over that span. Conversely, Western Carolina has had its troubles with Furman in Cullowhee, going 3-7-1 against the Paladins over the years. Western Carolina's 5-4 record in Paladin Stadium and Furman's 7-3-1 mark in Cullowhee are the two best Southern Conference opponent records against the Paladins and Catamounts on their respective home fields.
DAILER HEADLINES DEFENSE...It's no secret that Furman's consensus pre-season No. 1 pick in the Southern Conference was due in large measure to the Paladins' defense, which returned eight regulars from a year ago. And, accordingly, it's no real surprise either that the top player on Furman's veteran defensive unit, senior rush end Bryan Dailer (Winter Garden, Fla.), was named by Southern Conference head coaches as the league's pre-season defensive player-of-the-year. Dailer, who is 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 a year ago. Ranked third on the school's career sacks ledger with 18.5 quarterback takedowns, Dailer, a pre-season Sports Network and Sports Ticker All-American, has now started in 38 consecutive games over the past three-plus seasons and heads into this Saturday's game against Western Carolina with 15 tackles and four tackles-for-loss on the year.
FURMAN CONSENSUS NO. 1...In separate polls conducted by Southern Conference head coaches, media, and sports information directors, Furman was the consensus pre-season No. 1 pick to win the Southern Conference. A year ago, Furman finished third in the conference, posting a 9-4 overall record and 5-2 league mark. The Paladins, who finished the year ranked ninth nationally, advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1996 NCAA I-AA Playoffs before losing to eventual national champion and 1996 Southern Conference champion Marshall.
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?...Veteran Furman senior linebackers Jay Thier (Columbia, S.C.) and Bernard Scott (St. Augustine, Fla.), and junior Orlando Ruff (Winnsboro, S.C.) can collectively answer guitar wizard Jimmy Hendrix's famous question with a resounding "yes." In a group that boasts eight letters, five years of starting experience, and a 1996 campaign that saw the Furman trio combine for 456 tackles, 37 tackles-for-loss, five fumble recoveries, five sacks, and five interceptions, Furman's starting linebacking corps clearly ranks as one of the Southern Conference's best units. Jay Thier, the Paladins' weak side linebacker who is now in his third season as a starter, last year racked up 142 tackles after overcoming an early season injury (strained hamstring). A pre-season second team All-Southern Conference selection who paced Furman with 16 tackles in the season opening, 29-10 win over Samford, Thier last year had the key fourth quarter fumble recovery that led to the game winning touchdown in the Paladins' 42-31 playoff win over Northern Arizona. Bernard Scott is again manning the outside linebacker slot after totaling 150 tackles and a pair of interception returns for touchdowns in 1996. He had 15 stops in the Paladins' victory over Samford, and came back with a team leading 14 stops and a tackle-for-loss to pace a fine defensive effort against South Carolina State. Orlando Ruff, Furman's strong side linebacker and leading tackler a year ago with 164 stops, was named to the pre-season All-Southern Conference first team and Sports Network pre-season All-America third team. At 248 pounds, Ruff ranks as the Paladins' strongest player in the weight room, having gained the title in the spring after combining to lift 1,420 pounds in three exercises: bench press (435) , squat (625), and power clean (360). With solid 1997 campaigns, Scott (326 career tackles), Thier (312 career tackles), and Ruff (270 career tackles) should finish the year ranked among Furman's all-time tackle leaders. Former standout Larry Anderson (1974-76) currently ranks 10th on the school's career tackle chart with 347 stops.
FOUCH ARRIVES IN TIME..The graduation of All-America tight end Luther Broughton, Furman's all-time leading receiver (135 rec., 1,659 yds, 6 TDs) and fifth round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, left a big void in the Paladin offense, but junior Kenya Fouch (Hartwell, Ga.) has stepped in and started the first three games after joining the Paladin program late in the pre-season after spending one year at Middle Georgia Junior College in Cochran, Ga. A year ago Fouch appeared ready to become a Paladin after transferring from Georgia Tech, where he spent two years and played sparingly as a freshman in 1994. After joining Furman's pre-season camp, Fouch was soon declared ineligible and withdrew from school after it was determined he lacked the number of credit hours to maintain eligibility. A year at Middle Georgia College ensued, where he accumulated the necessary hours to regain his eligibility before rejoining the Furman program in late August of this year.
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 last Friday. 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 Friday afternoon for Cullowhee and will work out at E.J. Whitmire Stadium at approximately 5:00 p.m. The team will headquarter at the Holiday Inn-Cherokee (704) 497-9181. The Paladins will return to Greenville immediately following the game.
SE Mark Rucker -- fractured hand in practice (out six weeks)
QB Chris Jonas -- torn knee ligaments vs. South Carolina State (out 6-8 weeks)
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