Furman 2013 FCS Football Playoff Capsule


Furman Paladins
SoCon

 

The season started a bit rough for the Paladins.  After six games, Furman had a 2-4 record and appeared to be headed for a lost season.  Losses at Gardner-Webb, Coastal Carolina and Chattanooga, coupled with a home loss to lowly Elon, brought out the grumbling in Greenville.  A home victory over Appalachian State spurred a Paladin run, as Furman won five of their final six games to take the SoCon crown and the league’s automatic playoff bid.  The only loss the team suffered in that stretch was a 48-16 loss at national power LSU, a game which Furman trailed just 20-16 at the half.  Furman’s 13th Southern Conference title is the most for any school in conference history.

2013 Record: 7-5, 6-2
Coach: Bruce Fowler

Big Wins: 11/2 at Georgia Southern (16-14), 11/9 Samford (35-17)
Bad Losses: 8/31 at Gardner-Webb (21-28), 10/5 Elon (25-28)

Strengths:
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.  Furman is a top-ten team in turnover margin, and this number gets a gigantic boost from the game that seemed to turn everything around for the Paladins this season.  The 27-10 Furman victory over Appalachian State in October that started the march to the playoffs for the Paladins saw eight Mountaineer fumbles in the game (four lost) and a wide receiver pass intercepted and returned 98 yards by defensive end Gary Wilkins, a game in which he hurdled a running back attempting to make a tackle.  Furman has a clutch kicker and punter in Ray Early, who has converted 19-of-24 field goals this season, with a long of 50.  Early also averages 43.6 yards per punt.  Paladin running back Hank McCloud has rushed for 1,020 yards and five touchdowns this season.  McCloud also leads the Paladins in all-purpose yards this season with 1,651.

Weaknesses:
Furman’s offensive numbers have been somewhat pedestrian throughout most of the year.  The Paladins were barely a top-75 FCS team in rushing during the season, and spent a lot of the year outside the top 100 passing teams in the FCS.  Furman struggled through their first six games of the season, and despite their momentum heading into the playoffs, one cannot be sure of which Furman team will appear in the postseason.

Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Hank McCloud, RB, 1,020 yards
Passing: Reese Hannon, QB, 1,456 yards
Receiving: Andrej Suttles, WR, 640 yards
Tackles: Greg Worthy, S, 117
Sacks: Gary Wilkins, DE, 4.5
Interceptions: Four tied with 2

2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 151.0 (75th in nation, 4th in conference)
Passing Offense: 160.7 (104, 4)
Total Offense: 311.7 (103, 7)
Scoring Offense: 23.1 (82, 4)
Rushing Defense: 182.6 (76, 4)
Pass Defense: 224.7 (73, 6)
Total Defense: 407.4 (79, 5)
Scoring Defense: 24.4 (45, 2)
Turnover Margin: 1.0 (7, 1)
Sacks: 1.36 (102, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 2.00 (63, 6)

Recent Playoff Appearances:
2006    First Round     Lost to Montana State
2005    First Round     Defeated Nicholls State
2005    Quarterfinals    Defeated Richmond
2005    Semifinals    Lost to Appalachian State
2004    First Round     Defeated Jacksonville State
2004    Quarterfinals    Lost to James Madison
2002    First Round     Lost to Villanova
2001    First Round    Defeated Western Kentucky
2001    Quarterfinals    Defeated Lehigh
2001    Semifinals    Defeated Georgia Southern
2001    Championship    Lost to Montana
2000    First Round    Lost to Hofstra
1999    First Round    Lost to Massachusetts
1996    First Round    Defeated Northern Arizona
1996    Quarterfinals    Lost to Marshall
1990    First Round    Defeated Eastern Kentucky
1990    Quarterfinals    Lost to Nevada
1989    First Round    Defeated William & Mary
1989    Quarterfinals    Lost to Stephen F. Austin
1988    First Round    Defeated Delaware
1988    Quarterfinals    Defeated Marshall
1988    Semifinals    Defeated Idaho
1988    Championship    Defeated Georgia Southern
1986    First Round    Lost to Eastern Kentucky
1985    Quarterfinals    Defeated Rhode Island
1985    Semifinals    Defeated Nevada
1985    Championship    Lost to Georgia Southern
1983    Quarterfinals    Defeated Boston University
1983    Semifinals    Lost to Western Carolina
1982    First Round    Lost to South Carolina State

*all team stats through 11/16

 

Playoff Central