The day after Bob Richey and men’s basketball ride a three-game win streak into the home Well, where another 3-0 team visits, Clay Hendrix and his football team visit Johnson City, Tenn., hoping to shine some light on a dim season,
It’s a tale of two teams, the best of times and the worst.
On Friday night at 7, Furman hosts the American Athletic Conference’s Tulane Green Wave.
It’s the second-ever meeting between the Paladins and Green Wave. Last season, Tulane took advantage of a three-shot foul with under a second remaining to hit three free throws and force overtime before prevailing 117-110 in double overtime.

PJay Smith tallied 23 points for the Paladins in last season’s encounter in New Orleans, La., while Davis Molnar posted nine points and nine rebounds.
Tulane, which returns just three players who combined for 14 minutes of playing time in last season’s meeting versus Furman, have posted double-digits wins over Louisiana Christian, ULM, and Alcorn State.
Both teams will see lots of new faces on the other.

Furman comes into Friday’s contest at 3-0 after rallying for a 78-69 victory over Jacksonville on Monday evening behind 25 points from 6-11 forward Charles Johnston. The Paladins held the Dolphins scoreless for a stretch of almost seven minutes midway through the second half and reeled off 14 straight points to take control. The 3-0 start marks the first for the Paladins since winning the first four games of the 2020-21 campaign.
Friday’s tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and can be heard on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, and via the Audacy app.
Following Friday’s contest, Furman concludes its three-game homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 20, when it hosts Oglethorpe at Legacy Early College’s Parker Gymnasium.

Football buses up and over the mountains to meet East Tennessee State at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium at noon.
Furman (2-7, 1-3 SoCon) attempts to halt a four-game losing skid East Tennessee State (6-4, 4-2 SoCon), which enters the game ranked No. 21 in this week’s Stats Perform FCS Poll. The Buccaneers, who are coming off a 24-21 home victory over Western Carolina last Saturday, are receiving votes in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
The Paladins hope to add to their edge in a series they lead, 29-9.

Furman has won the last two encounters and are 6-2 versus ETSU since the Buccaneers rejoined the SoCon in 2016. Two years ago Hendrix’s squad claimed a 27-14 win in Johnson City.
That was then, and this now.
In a span of one year Furman has gone from the SoCon’s most experienced squad to the youngest. In 2023 the Paladins’ 44-man (offense-defense) late regular season two-deep sported 35 players with junior, senior and graduate level-experience.

Furman’s current 44-man two-deep contains only 14 juniors, seniors or graduate-level players, along with 21 freshmen.
The Paladins have seen two quarterbacks, redshirt sophomore Carson Jones and true freshman Trey Hedden, split time this year. Jones, who owns three starts, has passed for 642 yards and three touchdowns, while Hedden has thrown for 1,347 yards and 10 scores. Their favorite target has been sophomore wide receiver Colton Hinton (44 rec., 478 yds., 3 TDs).

Injuries have exacted a toll on Furman’s defense, beginning with the tragic passing of rising senior and projected starting tackle Bryce Stanfield in February.
The Paladins lost projected sophomore starting safety A.K. Burrell and projected starting redshirt-junior spur Justin Hartwell with knee injuries in the preseason, senior preseason All-SoCon nose guard Xavier Stephens (knee) late in the fourth quarter of The Citadel game, and starting cornerback Jaylan Moson (broken collarbone) on the final play (interception) of The Citadel contest.

Furman, which ranked among FCS leaders in turnovers gained the last two years (29 in 2022; 27 in 2023), has gathered up only nine miscues this season and just one in the last 10 quarters.
One bright spot defensively has been the play of redshirt senior linebacker Evan DiMaggio (89 tackles, 5.5 TFL).
The contest will be broadcast in the Upstate over the Nexstar Network Channel CW62, streamed via ESPN+, and aired over flagship The Fan Upstate and its stations: 97.7 FM/1330 AM in Greenville, and 97.1 FM/950 AM in Spartanburg.

Furman volleyball coach Michelle Young has announced the addition of three newcomers who will be joining the Paladins beginning next season.
The 2025 newcomers consist of are Ashtan Dodson, Kacie Moore, and Amber Watson. The three arrive from the states of North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas, respectively.
“We are very excited to have these three talented young ladies joining us in 2025,” stated Young. “They are a very dynamic group that we think can make an immediate impact.”
Dodson is a 5-9 outside hitter from San Antonio, Texas, and two-time all-state selection.
Moore is a 6-2 middle blocker from Charlotte, N.C.
Watson is a 6-0 outside hitter from North Canton, Ohio.

Men’s and women’s cross country compete at the NCAA Southeast Regional on Friday at the Winthrop Farm in Rock Hill. The Paladins square off against Division I teams from South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.
The women’s 6K race begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men’s 10K race at 11:30.
The Paladin teams are each ranked fourth in the region and 22nd nationally. Furman’s Dylan Schubert won the men’s individual title, and the Paladin women finished second to earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships at last year’s regional meet.

The top two teams at each of the country’s nine regional meets will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, which will be held Nov. 23 in Madison, Wis. Thirteen at-large bids will be given to teams following this weekend’s regional competition.
After the competing teams have been determined, 38 additional individuals per gender will be selected to compete at the NCAA Championships.

In Thursday night’s instance, it was over before it was over.
Jayla scored 14 points, and East Carolina used a quick start to take a 67-51 win over Furman in women’s basketball in Greenville, N.C.
Hearp scored eight of her 14 points in the first quarter to help the Pirates (2-1) grab a 22-7 lead after 10 minutes of play.
The Paladins (2-2) answered with an 11-0 run to begin the second period to slice East Carolina’s lead to 22-18 following a Tate Walters layup, but ECU blunted the run by scoring the final six points of the half to take a 34-22 advantage into the break.

Walters and Kate Johnson paced Furman with 14 points apiece, but the Paladins were hurt by 24 turnovers.
Walters added six assists to up her career total to 349, moving her up to seventh on Furman’s all-time chart.
Freshman Clare Coyle grabbed a game high 13 rebounds, her fourth straight contest leading Furman on the boards.
Furman returns home to face USC Upstate next Tuesday in a 7 p.m. contest at North Greenville University’s Hayes Gymnasium.

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