Furman’s football team faced the Bulldogs of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday, Sept. 27. This was the first game between the teams since 2023, as their matchup last season was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene’s effects on the Upstate of South Carolina.
During the first possession of the day, Furman’s sophomore quarterback Trey Hedden tossed a 34-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Evan James on second and 10, keeping the Paladin drive alive.
A few plays later, James rushed to the right for a 17-yard touchdown, where he went into the endzone untouched, putting Furman up 7-0.
With 3:24 left on the clock in the first quarter, Furman failed to convert on third-and-1. The Dins then ran the same play again on fourth down and were successful in converting. It was the first time this season Furman had attempted to go for it on a fourth down.
To cap off the 11-play drive, graduate tight end Joshua Burrell came out of the flat, caught a laser pass from Hedden and took it to the endzone to put Furman up 14-0.
In the second quarter, Furman’s defense had 30-yards of penalties, which allowed Samford to march down the field and get their first touchdown of the game. This left the Bulldogs trailing only 14-7.
Then, with a minute left in the quarter, Furman challenged the spot of the ball on fourth down. The call was overturned, and the Dins elected to punt.
On the second play of Samford’s ensuing possession, Furman redshirt sophomore linebacker Raleigh Herbert batted away a pass and caught the ball before speeding down the field for a Furman touchdown.
With 48 seconds left in the half, it looked as if Samford was going to score. On their field goal attempt, Furman sophomore defensive end Joshua Stoneking leaped up and blocked the kick, helping Furman to continue to lead 21-7 going into halftime.
Samford got the ball to begin the third quarter, and then Dins stopped them on fourth down.
On Furman’s next possession, Hedden tossed the ball into the endzone, and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ja’Keith Hamilton nabbed it for his first catch of the day — a touchdown.
As Furman now led 28-7, Samford’s offense had another brutal mistake.
After a successful pass, the ball popped out of sophomore wide receiver Jaden Gibson’s arms, and Furman’s redshirt junior safety Tre McLeod jumped on the ball to regain possession for Furman.
With 1:15 left in the third quarter after reclaiming possession, graduate kicker Ian Williams made a 40-yard field goal to extend the Paladin lead 31-7.
Furman’s defense allowed Samford to score with 11:52 left to play in the fourth quarter, and the Bulldogs failed to successfully convert on their two-point attempt, trailing 31-13.
The Paladin defense held strong for the rest of the fourth quarter as defensive lineman Garrison Butler intercepted a Samford pass with under two minutes to go in the game, sealing the victory for Furman.
Hedden finished the game with 272 yards passing, completing 28-of-41 passes. Furman’s offense produced 377 yards of total offense.
James caught seven passes for 88 yards, pacing all Paladin receivers.
The Furman defense was the true hero of the game, sacking Samford’s quarterback seven times and forcing three turnovers. Redshirt senior linebacker Luke McLaughlin led the Paladin defence with 11 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
Following the victory over Samford, Furman will return home to Paladin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Dins will house East Tennessee State University for Family Weekend. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
