The Furman Paladins traveled to Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Aug. 31 to face the sixth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels, and were defeated, 76-0. Despite the hard loss, Furman looks ahead to a promising 2024 season with 11 games remaining.
What truly set the two teams apart was the offensive efficiency of the Rebels and the inefficiency of the Paladins. The Paladins struggled to contain Ole Miss’ Heisman-hopeful quarterback, Jaxson Dart, who threw for five touchdowns on top of 418 passing yards. There was not much the Paladins could do on defense except be as physical as possible.
Any slight errors the Paladin defense made were amplified by the success of Dart and his wide receivers. “I told our team we could play Ole Miss a hundred times, and I’m not sure that will be much different. Our kids held on and fought hard, and we will regroup. We won’t see a team this talented the rest of the way,” Furman head coach Clay Hendrix said after the game.
The Paladins’ “rest of the way” begins Sept. 7, against Charleston Southern, which will be far more important than the game against Ole Miss. It will be Furman’s home opener at Paladin Stadium, where the football squad will look to redeem themselves after their first loss.
The game will kick off a three-game Football Championship Subdivision non-conference stretch that includes Stetson and William & Mary. Losses, aside from ones at the hands of Football Bowl Subdivision opponents such as Ole Miss, could cost the team significantly.
The Paladins’ next opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are coming off of a season-opening 22-21 loss to their fierce rival, The Citadel, in the Lowcountry Boil Bowl on Aug. 31.
The Bucs and the Paladins will be looking to remedy the inefficiencies they both faced in their season openers. The running game obstructed the Paladin offense against Ole Miss, mustering only 26 total rushing yards. The Paladins will need to rethink their blocking schemes to open up holes for senior running back Myion Hicks, as well as find other contributors when Hicks is not on the field.
On defense, the Paladins will need to pressure Buc’s QB Rob McCoy Jr. when he drops back to pass, sending more after him than just defensive lineman. The Paladins should draw up cornerback or safety blitzes — high-risk, high-reward plays which will make a difference. If the Paladins can take away explosive plays in the secondary by playing man defense instead of complex zone schemes, they could be staring victory right in the face.
The Paladins will play the Buccaneers at home at 6 p.m. this Saturday.
