With a gritty defensive performance, the Paladin football team pulled off an upset win on Saturday, Nov. 16, knocking the Buccaneers out of the national rankings. The Paladins showcased determination despite a disappointing season, proving rankings are just numbers on paper.
A key difference maker in their victory was Furman’s defensive backs — redshirt freshman safety Billy Lewis, senior cornerback Mo Perkins and junior safety Caleb Williams.
These three Paladins each intercepted senior ETSU QB Gino English, setting up Furman’s offense with excellent field position, which yielded a touchdown and a field goal that made the difference in the end.
Furman also improved offensively compared to previous weeks. Following forced turnovers by the Paladin defense, they displayed an aggressive passing attack. Freshman quarterback Trey Hedden threw for 210 yards and two touchdown passes — one to sophomore wide receiver Colton Hinton and another to junior Ben Ferguson. His efficiency was complimented by his 82% completion percentage. Furman’s poor offensive execution seemed to be a thing of the past as the Paladins properly set up their play-action passing game following handoffs in Pistol or Shotgun formations to junior running back Myion Hicks. He finished the game with 21 carries, 65 yards rushing and one touchdown.
With one game remaining, the Paladins can continue their upset streak on the road against #9 Mercer. The Bears are the outright Southern Conference champions and have earned an auto-bid in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. They are looking to close out their regular season with a convincing victory. The Bears have the 17th-ranked statistical defense in the country by yards, so scoring for the Paladins will be at a premium. Furman can still emerge with a win, it could have considerable implications on Mercer’s seeding for the FCS postseason. The game will kickoff at 3 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.