By MONTE DUTTON

A football season is just an old song.

Up this hill and down / And up this hill again / It’s a might, mighty long road / What ain’t got no end.

Furman has thus far played two games, the former decided by two points and the latter by one. The Paladins won the opener, 23-21, over William & Mary, and fell in the second, 39-38, to Presbyterian in overtime. They dominated the second half against the Tribe and the first versus the Blue Hose. Both were at Paladin Stadium.

“There’s a lot of things we need to get better at,” head coach Clay Hendrix said on Tuesday. “That’s the big challenge for us going on the road.”

The first road game of the season is the first game ever against Campbell University of Buies Creek, N.C. The Fighting Camels never fielded a football program until 2008, began offering scholarships and joined the Big South Conference in 2018, then moved to the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023. This year’s team is 0-2, having fallen to Rhode Island, 31-20, and to East Carolina, 56-3.

In the first two games, quarterback Kamden Sixkiller has completed 35/68 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown. Sixkiller, from Norman, Okla., is a redshirt sophomore who spent two years at McNeese State in Lake Charles, La., whose favorite target to date is Randall King with seven receptions for 86 yards.

Campbell has finished 3-8, 5-6, 5-6 and 3-9 in the past four seasons. The Camels have won their last three games against Southern Conference opposition.

Furman faces Campbell this Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. clash at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek.

In Campbell the Paladins will take on their second Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) foe of the season after topping William & Mary.

To succeed against Campbell, Furman looks for more production out of its running game, which has sparked but is yet to flame.  The principals there are sophomore Gavin Hall (119 yds., 2 TDs) and redshirt sophomore Jayquan Smith (2 TDs), who has come back impressively after missing almost two full calendar years following injury.

Furman has gotten more out of its passing game, triggered by sophomore quarterback Trey Hedden (50/69, 442 yds., 2 TDs) and featuring five primary targets, including freshman Evan James (15 catches, 157 yds, TD), graduates Kerry King (9 rec.) and Joshua Burrell (9 rec.), redshirt sophomore Ja’Keith Hamilton (6 rec., TD) and sophomore Devin Hester, Jr. (6 rec.).

 Defensively, the lead story has been a Paladin secondary that has intercepted the first opposition pass attempt in both games. Safeties Taylen Blaylock and Billy Lewis already have two picks apiece.

Noseguard Caldwell Bussey, a redshirt sophomore from Hoover, Ala., said, “We have a really talented group, but we’re not there yet. If we continue to progress, we have a very good chance to have a great season.”

“I think we’ve got the ability to be as good as anybody in [the SoCon],” said Hendrix.

After Campbell, the Paladins take a week off before opening the conference schedule on Sept. 27 at Samford.

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