GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Winners of its last two games, Furman will look to continue its new-found momentum Saturday when it entertains South Carolina State in a 7:00 p.m. non-conference clash at Paladin Stadium.The contest will mark the 17th meeting between the Paladins (2-2) and Bulldogs (2-1) but only the first in Paladin Stadium since 1999. S.C. State beat Furman, 17-7, last year in Orangeburg after the Paladins claimed a 30-20 NCAA FCS playoff game victory over the Bulldogs in 2013, also in Orangeburg.
Furman vs. South Carolina State Game Notes (PDF)
Furman holds an 11-5 lead in the series with S.C. State and is 7-1 versus the Bulldogs in Greenville, the lone defeat coming in the series' first meeting in 1982 in NCAA first round playoff action.
Furman's Athletic Hall of Fame will enshrine four former athletic greats and a long-time program fund-raiser/benefactor in 4:30 p.m. ceremonies at the Younts Center on campus. The 2015 class, which will be also be recognized at halftime, includes former head football coach Jimmy Satterfield, All-America cornerback Rodney Johnson '03, soccer greats Melissa Turner '02 and Jon Leathers '08, and honorary inductee Raymond Newsom '65.
Saturday's clash, which will be carried by ESPN3, will be radio broadcast over the Furman IMG Sports Network headed up by flagship station WGOG 101.7/Walhalla and FoxSports 1440/Greenville. It will also be available via stadium transmitter (96.7 FM) and audio streamed via TuneIn.com, which is also accessible through FurmanPaladins.com
Live stats will be available through FurmanPaladins.com and for mobile devices via Paladinslive.com
Fans can also follow the game via Twitter @PaladinFootball and @Furman Paladins
Tickets for Saturday's game and all Furman athletic events may be purchased online 24/7 at www.furmanpaladins.com at the Tickets tab, or by calling the Timmons Arena Box Office at 864-294-3099 between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. The Timmons Arena Box Office and the Paladin Stadium East Stands Box office open two hours prior to kick off of each home football game.
For a complete summary of game details and promotions, please see the bottom of this release.
After an 0-2 start with losses to now FCS top-ranked Coastal Carolina and Virginia Tech, Furman has rebounded with victories over UCF (16-15) and SoCon rival VMI (24-21) to even its season record.
Idle last Saturday, S.C. State has scored wins over Arkansas Pine-Bluff (35-7) and Florida A&M (36-0) around a 41-14 home loss to Coastal Carolina.
Head coach Bruce Fowler's Paladins will look to avenge last year's loss to the Bulldogs with a defense that has performed well the last two weeks, evidenced by the 274.0 yards per game allowed, six forced turnovers, and paltry 10 points surrendered in the second half in victories over UCF and VMI.
Leading the way defensively has been the stout threesome of linebackers Cory Magwood and Carl Rider, and safety Trey Robinson, who have combined to register 19 tackles apiece (57 total) in the last two games. In addition, defensive end Brian Ross contributed a sack, forced fumble, and critical blocked punt that he returned for a touchdown in the win over VMI en route to landing SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
Offensively, the Paladins seek another breakout performance similar to the 525-yard effort posted against Coastal Carolina in the season opener. Furman struggled to muster 125 yards rushing against VMI but managed to overcome that challenge with a 197-yard passing performance by quarterback Reese Hannon. The return to health of All-SoCon tight end Duncan Fletcher is a positive, as has been the early season work of freshman running back Triston Luke (35 att., 192 yds.).
Furman's kicking game has headlined the work turned in by the special teams. A week after booting a school record, 55-yard game winning field goal in the triumph over UCF, sophomore Jon Croft Hollingsworth delivered a 42-yard fourth quarter field goal that proved to be the difference in the Paladins' triumph over VMI.
The Game: Furman Paladins (2-2) vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs (2-1)
Game Promotion: Furman Athletic Hall of Fame Day
Site: Greenville, S.C. (Paladin Stadium, on the campus of Furman University)
Kickoff: 7:04 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN3: Chuck Hussion (pbp), Sam Wyche (color), Bob Mihalic (sideline)
Radio: Furman IMG Sports Network (WGOG 101.7/Walhalla, FoxSports 1440/Greenville, Stadium Transmitter 96.7): Dan Scott (pbp), David Cobb (color), Bob Mihalic (sideline)
Audio Stream: TuneIn.com accessible through FurmanPaladins.com
Tickets: Available (www.furmanpaladins.com); Timmons Arena, East Stands Box Offices Open 5:00 p.m.
Gates Open: 5:30 p.m.
Game Sponsor: Mast General Store
Pre-Game Activities:
1:00 p.m. -- Softball Fall Game (Pepsi Stadium)
1:30 p.m. -- Men's Soccer vs. UNCG (Stone Stadium)
5:30 p.m. -- Paladin Club Zone Opens (Paladin Stadium)
5:45 p.m. -- Paladin Regiment March/Concert (Timmons Arena)
6:17 p.m. -- Champions Walk (Paladin Stadium)
Special Promotions/Giveaways:
+ Paladin Club Zone, located in the area between the home stands and field house, opens 90 minutes prior to kickoff and will include a Paladin Kroakies giveaway, free bounce houses for kids, and food/drinks sponsored by Ingles.
+ The "Champions Walk" will commence approximately 50 minutes prior to kickoff. Approximately 250 hand sanitizers, courtesy of Available Technology, along with 2,000 phone wallets and 1,000 shakers, courtesy of Ingles, the exclusive grocer of Furman Athletics, will be presented to fans.
+ Paladin Pet of the Week. Fans can submit a picture of their game-day-ready pet for a chance to win four passes to the Greenville Zoo, a Furman prize pack, and have their pet featured on the videoboard during the game.
+ Farm Bureau 2016 Furman Season Ticket Giveaway. Fans have a chance to win two (2) 2016 Furman football season tickets, season parking pass, and two (2) Furman football shirts by registering.
In-Game Promotions:
McDonalds Cheeseburger in Paradise, Mast General Store T-Shirt Toss, GSP International T-Shirt Toss, Hardee's Hyped-Up Fan Cam, Farm Bureau Insurance Fanatic Fan of the Game, Family Dental Health Smile Cam, Available Technology Tweet Your Seat, ScanSource Student Athlete of the Month, Ingles Show Us Your Ingles Card, Ingles Kicking Hunger Promotion, Greenville Heritage Federal Credit Union Take Away Give Back, Children's Museum of the Upstate Tiny Tailgater of the Game.
Halftime:
Furman University Paladin Regiment
2015 Furman Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees Recognition
In-Game Recognitions:
Quarter 1 Break -- Women's Golf, SoCon Championship Team
Quarter 2 Break -- Stephanie DeVita, New FU Women's Soccer Career Scoring Leader
Quarter 3 Break -- ScanSource Student-Athlete Leader of the Month
Post-Game:
+ Bojangles Mystery Gift Cards. Fans exiting Paladin Stadium following the game can pick up a Bojangles Mystery Gift Card.
+ Paladin Power Hour at the Dive & Boar Restaurant Post-Game Call-In Show (hosted by Chuck Hussion and Tom Van Hoy)
Furman IMG Sports Network (WGOG 101.7/Walhalla, FoxSports 1440/Greenville)
COURTESY Hunter Reid, Furman Sports Information
No comments:
Post a Comment