By MONTE DUTTON

By any measure, Furman’s game at the University of Montana on Friday night is a challenge.

Among the basic measures are the over 2,000 miles separating the two NCAA FCS quarterfinal foes and 2,225 feet, the difference in elevation of Missoula (3,209) and Greenville (984). It’s not so bad. Cullowhee, N.C., nestles at 2,156.

The forecast for Friday – the game begins, on ESPN2, at 7 p.m. MST, which is 9 EST – is a high of 37 and a low of 26, which could easily be a bit more extreme than it is. Furman head coach Clay Hendrix said one reason the Paladins hold spring practice in February is cold weather. (Another is that injured players have longer to recover.)

The crucial difference, as it should be, is between Montana, seeded second at 11-1, and Furman, seventh at 10-2.

“The biggest challenge is the team we play,” Hendrix said. “It’s a really good team.”

The Paladins flew to Missoula on Thursday because an upset loss to Wofford in the final game of the regular season caused a drop in their seedings. Furman acquitted itself nicely with a 26-7 victory over Chattanooga on Saturday shortly before Montana eliminated Delaware, 49-19.

The Paladins have played the Mocs 53 times. This is the second with the Grizzlies. In 2001, they played each other in the FCS title game in … Chattanooga .. and Montana won, 13-6.

Many of the current players were born.

Hendrix, his staff and players boarded the plane after careful study of their opponent. They were impressed but unintimidated. No bravado was in evidence. They were all matter of fact. They expect to win. They do not expect it to be easy.

“They’ve got to put 11 out there. We’ve got to put 11 out there,” said free safety Hugh Ryan. “We’re faily confident in our abilities. … It’s just about execution.

“[Montana] is confident in [its] abilities, too, but the big thing is just who’s going to execute the best. … I don’t think they have any specific advantage.”

Hendrix said, “We kind of believe the same things about what we need to be good at. Something’s got to give.”

Washington-Grizzly Stadium has a reputation for crowd noise. Over 20,000 will be there. Furman played at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia this year.

It’s a lot of people in Montana, a state with less than a quarter of South Carolina’s population but nearly five times its size.

“The only thing we can do about the crowd is play well,” Hendrix said. “That’s the only way we can affect the crowd.”

Been there, done it. There isn’t much this veteran Furman team hasn’t seen.

The Grizzlies are similarly deep and versatile. Five rushers have netted more than 100 yards, led by Eli Gilman with 899. Three quarterbacks have thrown for more than 200 yards, led by Clifton McDowell, who has completed 105/174 passes for 1,493 yards. Six receivers have caught 10 or more, led by Junior Bergen with 44 and Keelan White with 42.

Those numbers are quite similar to Furman’s. Five have rushed for more than 100 yards, led by Dominic Roberto with 755. Tyler Huff has rushed for 520 and passed for 1,681. Seven receivers have caught more than 20 passes, led by Joshua Harris with 40.

“After five years, I definitely feel better about handling it if something goes wrong,” said versatile running back Wayne Anderson of Ponder, Texas. “The game is not going to be perfect. We want the game to be perfect, but it’s never going to happen.

“You’ve just got to shake it off and go to the next play. Once emotions get into the game, then there’s just this big snowball effect, and that’s the last thing we want against a team like Montana. It’s about who executes the best between two similar teams.’

Ryan, from Irmo (and Dutch Fork High), added: “Nothing really changes for us. Mentally, it’s just having a good week of preparation. It’s one day at a time, one play at a time, and not really getting into the moment too much. It’s doing your job. I think we’ll be perfectly fine.”

“We’ve got a chance to play in one of the great venues of FCS football,” Hendrix said. “Somebody asked me Saturday, just tell us how they play. They play the way we try to play.”

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Thanks so much for the recent contributions.

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