This Saturday, the Furman football team will play for the first time in 2024 in Oxford, Miss., where they will face the sixth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels.
Despite a successful 2023 season, many new faces will appear on both sides of the ball in 2024, who will play a crucial role in Furman’s 2024 season and their journey to defend their SoCon title and return to the FCS Playoffs.
After the triumphs of 2023, the Furman community was devastated by the loss of junior defensive tackle Bryce Stanfield in February. His memory lives on in the phrase “STANFIELD STRONG,” plastered in bold letters on each player’s helmet as a call to his presence despite his absence as Furman’s “12th man.” The Furman Paladins are not just playing for victory in 2024 — they are playing for Stanfield.
The first game is on Aug. 31, when the Paladins travel to Oxford, Miss., to play their lone Football Bowl Subdivision opponent this season. Ole Miss will be the best team Furman will play this season and in the last six years. The last time Furman played a team ranked similarly in the Associated Press poll was in 2018 when they traveled to play the #2 Clemson Tigers, where the Paladins were defeated 48-7.
Aside from the Georgia Bulldogs, the Ole Miss Rebels are the favorites to contend for the Southeastern Conference title and possibly even a run at the national championship. Senior QB Jaxson Dart, who has made a name for himself as one of the top QBss in the nation, is at the helm of the offense. On defense, Ole Miss features the former number-one recruit of the 2022 class, defensive tackle Walter Nolen.
The elephant in the room for the Paladins going into this game is that the team will only be returning six of its 22 2023 starters. The Paladins will return QB Carson Jones, wide receiver Joshua Harris, linebacker Evan Dimaggio, nose guard Xavier Stephens and Bandit Luke Clark.
On offense, Furman must stick to fundamentals by establishing the running game and limiting turnovers. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford will be packed with rowdy members of the Ole Miss faithful, who will be keen to make it as difficult as possible for Jones to communicate.
Luckily for Jones, a new NCAA rule change allows one player on each side of the ball to wear an in-helmet one-way radio. This will undoubtedly be a game-changer for Furman, provided that Jones can still accurately communicate play calls to his offensive subordinates. The Rebels will be looking to lock down Furman’s “power spread” rushing attack, forcing Jones to throw into tight windows covered by experienced prospects they obtained through the transfer portal. Furman should also look to play a game of keep away, draining as much clock as possible while on offense and limiting the amount of possessions for the Ole Miss offense.
The Paladins will return to Paladin Stadium the following week, on Sept. 7, against non-conference FCS opponent Charleston Southern at 6 p.m. You can watch the game versus Ole Miss at 7 p.m. this Saturday on ESPN+.
