By MONTE DUTTON

Progress. Its definition is a burning issue in election politics.

It’s simpler to process in college football. Progress means victory in Saturday’s 2 p.m. game between visiting Western Carolina and Furman at Paladin Stadium.

Furman didn’t fare well on the home turf last week in a 41-10 loss to Chattanooga.

“It hurts me to say that, physically, they got after us,” said Furman head coach Clay Hendrix of the Mocs. “For us, something we’ve taken pride since we came back here is relentless effort and playing with great physicality.

“That’s what we’ve got to get back to doing, and that’s going to be our goal this week.”

Kerwin Bell’s Catamounts have been erratic. They came reasonably close to upsets at North Carolina State, falling 38-21, and Montana (46-35).

Western Carolina arrives in Greenville after posting home league victories over Wofford (21-17) and The Citadel (30-16) the past two weeks. The Catamounts have also defeated Elon (24-17) and been beaten by Campbell (38-21).

Both the Paladins and the Catamounts were ranked in the FCS top 10 last season when Furman won, 29-17, in Cullowhee, N.C.

Furman quarterback Tyler Huff, who went on to be the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, accounted for 269 yards and three touchdown responsibilities, dashed 53 yards for a score with a little over a minute remaining.

The Paladin defense, led by linebacker Evan DiMaggio (10 tackles, 2 sacks) amassed three sacks and two interceptions in keeping WCU’s high-powered offense in check.

With Huff now starring at Jacksonville State and nearly all of last year’s Paladin supporting cast counted as graduates, head coach Clay Hendrix’s current squad faces a huge challenge against a WCU unit fronted by this season’s preseason SoCon Offensive Player of the Year quarterback, Cole Gonzales (145/230, 1,528 yds., 5 TDs) and star wide receiver A.J. Colombo (34 rec., 317 yds. 2 TDs).

The Paladins (2-4, 1-1 SoCon) are focused on rebounding from last Saturday’s 41-10 home loss to Chattanooga.  Five turnovers, including four interceptions, fueled Furman’s demise. This year’s squad has 29 players in its 44-man two-deep with sophomore or freshman status.

While 1-1 in the last two games – Furman won, 17-16, at The Citadel two weeks ago – the Paladins have been shredded in time of possession. The opposition’s edge was roughly 2/1 in both games.

“We didn’t have the ball because we kept losing possessions,” Hendrix said. “We haven’t been good at third downs on either side of the ball. We lose possessions, and we turn it over, too.

“It’s been tough, Tough times don’t last. Tough people do. We’re trying to hang in there.”

Quarterbacks Trey Hedden (77/130, 1,030 yds., 7 TDs) and Carson Jones (34/53, 303, 1), who both saw action against UTC, seek a lift from the Paladin ground game, which in recent years has enjoyed success against Western Carolina.

“We’ve got enough good players to compete every week,” said Hendrix. “We can play well enough to win big games. What we’ve got to do right now is just win the next one.”

Saturday’s contest is the 52nd meeting between the Paladins and Catamounts in a series the Paladins lead 36-13-2 with wins in seven of the last eight clashes. Two years ago, the Paladins and Catamounts lit up the scoreboard for 87 points and over 1,100 yards of combined offense before Furman held off a fourth-quarter Western Carolina charge for a 47-40 win.

It’s homecoming at Furman. The game is to be streamed via ESPN+ and aired over flagship The Fan Upstate and its four stations: 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, and 97.1 FM/950 AM in Spartanburg. Broadcasts can be secured via Audacy.com, as well as through FurmanPaladins.com.

“This something we can fix,” Hendrix said. “We can fix it in a week. We’re going to try.”

Wellpilgrim.com is trying its best – translation: I’m trying – to describe the highs and lows and avoid the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Highs and lows are inevitable because all the games have a loser and a winner, and  Wellpilgrim.com is trying its best – translation: I’m trying – to describe the highs and lows and avoid the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

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