Even though it was cloudless and sunny on Saturday, Oct. 20 when the Paladins took on Western Carolina for Homecoming, it seemed as if a dark storm cloud hung over the heads of the Paladin football team. The lack of offensive production and mistakes elsewhere resulted in a 52-20 defeat for the Paladins, putting them at 2-5 on the season and 1-2 in Southern Conference play.
The most notable issue the Paladins faced during the game was the lack of offensive production. Furman head coach Clay Hendrix was visibly frustrated by this in his post-game press conference after the game, visibly frustrated. “It has been a struggle to find something we can do consistently,” Hendrix said.
The Paladins struggled to effectively run the football throughout the game, running for 55 total yards. Although they reduced the number of turnovers on offense, running the ball for so little severely limited playcalling. The inability to run the ball forced the Paladins to throw, allowing Western Carolina to scheme toward blitzing freshman quarterback Trey Hedden.
Hedden had to endure numerous hard hits and sacks as the Catamounts relentlessly overwhelmed the tackle box with powerful linebackers or defensive backs. Despite the adversity, Hedden threw for two touchdowns and 239 yards on 22/34 passing. Colton Hinton was his top receiver, with nine catches for 114 yards — both career highs for the sophomore. Hinton even notched an incredible 96-yard kickoff return touchdown in the second quarter.
The Furman offense’s inefficiency and frequent punts left the Paladin defense little time to rest on the sideline. Widespread injuries on the Paladin defense, including senior bandit/linebacker Luke Clark and several usual contributors in the secondary, resulted in a successful showing for the Western Carolina offense. Junior WCU QB Cole Gonzales passed for a draw-dropping 620 yards, the seventh most single-game passing yards in Football Championship Subdivision history and the most in a game by any Western Carolina QBever.
In what has been a rough start of the season for Furman football, there is still plenty to hope for. The large amount of young talent seeing the field will pay dividends in the future as they build experience. Additionally, the Paladins will enjoy a bye week next week and will return to action on the road at VMI on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Dins will then return to Paladin Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9 as they face their fiercest rival Wofford, where they will look to avenge their disappointing loss from last season.
