The Citadel 26, Furman 7
In what was the 100th meeting between The Citadel and Furman, the Bulldogs' opportunistic special teams unit blocked a punt, and recovered a Paladin mishap on the ensuing kickoff in the final two minutes of the opening quarter to build a 13-0 lead, and then a ball-control offense and a dominant defense were able to keep the Paladins in check for the remaining three quarters en route to a 26-7 Southern Conference win over their bitter rivals from the Upstate at an overcast Johnson Hagood Stadium.
In the past two meetings combined, the Bulldogs have out-scored the Paladins 43-17, and out-gained the Paladins 678-469, including out-gaining the Paladins 286-254 on Saturday. The win marked the first time since 2016 that the Bulldogs defeated both Furman and Wofford in the same season. The Paladins were limited to just 129 rushing yards for the game, with 44 of those yards coming on the final rush of the game by Jeff McLveen.
With the win, the Bulldogs claimed their second-straight win following a school-record 11-game losing streak, dating back to 2019, as the Bulldogs improved to 2-9 overall and 2-5 in Southern Conference play, while Furman finished out the spring with a 3-4 mark and a 3-4 record in Southern Conference play.
It was another afternoon which would see the Paladin offense struggle, as the Paladins failed to reach 300 yards of total offense in the final four games to close out the spring season, losing three out of their final four games. In the final 12 quarters of football in the 2020-21 season, Furman has scored 39 points and gained 666 yards.
The Bulldogs would get on the board midway through the opening quarter, thanks to two plays made by The Citadel's special teams. The first came on a blocked punt, as Timmy Bleekrode had his punt blocked on a 4th-and-9 play at the Furman 21, and the ball would eventually be recovered in the end zone by Hayden Johnson, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 10:57 to play in the opening quarter.
This rivalry has seen a lot of plays over the 100 meetings between the two, but the ensuing kickoff by The Citadel brought back memories of the 2009 clash between the two in Charleston, as Furman mishandled the kickoff and failed to judge the trajectory correctly, and the Bulldogs' Ryland Ayers recovered the football at the Furman 25.
In 2009, a mis-handled Jordan Painter kickoff by Furman's Derek Murray led to a Bulldog recovery at the 23. It would eventually lead to a 14-0 lead following a Miguel Starks 3-yard scoring run and subsequent recovery of his own fumble to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead in that game.
In 2020-21, the Bulldogs signal-caller would call his own number once again, and it would result in a Jaylan Adams 25-yard scoring run to make it a 13-0 lead following a missed PAT by Colby Kitner.
The Paladins were the only team to get on the board in the second quarter, as he tossed his league-leading 12th scoring pass of the season, connecting with tight end Ryan Miller for his league-leading sixth scoring catch of the spring, making it a 13-7 game following a Bleekrode PAT with 10:57 remaining in the half. It would turn out to be the lone points of the day for the Paladins.
The Paladin defense turned away The Citadel twice inside Paladin territory prior to the half, however, and the Paladins entered the halftime locker room trailing by just six.
It appeared that the Paladins might be ready to take the lead on their first possession of the second half, moving the ball 74 yards in 10 plays to get all the way to The Citadel 1, however, the Bulldogs held on downs, stopping Wynn twice, and then Sisson's pass on fourth down fell incomplete on fourth down to end Furman's most promising scoring threat of what would be the second half.
Neither team would score in the third quarter, however, The Citadel would seal its 37th win in series history in the final quarter. Wilson Hendricks intercepted a Hamp Sisson pass with `just over six minutes remaining. It didn't take long for The Citadel offense to capitalize, as Jaylan Adams called his own number, keeping the football and scampering 43 yards for a touchdown with 5:16 remaining, making it a 19-7 contest following a failed two-point conversion attempt.
The Paladins were then forced to put the ball in the air to try and get back into the contest, and the Bulldog defense was able to bring the house on every play against Sisson, as he faced relentless pressure on Furman's second-to-final possession of the football.
Linebacker Anthony Britton Jr. was able to get heavy pressure on Sisson on a 3rd-and-18 play at Furman's own 17, and the redshirt sophomore from Birmingham, AL, saw his pass tipped in the air and picked off by Jay Smith and returned 31 yards for the score to put the final points on the board. Kitner's PAT provided the final point of the afternoon, as the Bulldogs finished off their most-impressive and most dominant performance of the season with a 19-point win.
Program low points and an offensive identity crisis:
Furman is obviously a football program with great pride and one that is the gold standard when it comes to current members of the Southern Conference. Of the current league membership, no team has won more games (619), or Southern Conference regular-season titles (14), and it is the only one of the nine football-playing members to have won a national title (1988).
However, it's obvious. Something is wrong with Furman football. Yes, it's been a tough year with COVID-19 and absolutely no one throughout FCS football has been able to navigate this crazy time of year football without hiccups along the way. But for those that have been fortunate enough to cover Furman football over the years, or cheer from the stands as fans, these "low points" are easily deciphered from afar due to the fact that Furman has been such a successful program over the years.
There are at least a few moments in the recent past, which any one that has followed the program or has some relationship to the program, whether media, fan or a member of the Furman Football Player's Association (FFPA), will easily recall. You only have to go back to the Bruce Fowler era to see some of these warning signs, and they were staggeringly similar to what seems to be happening now with Furman football.
One of the "low points" that certainly comes to mind right off the top of my head, and the first time there was something noticeably amiss with the program came during the 2014 campaign. Remember, the Paladins were a year removed from maybe the most remarkable Southern Conference title run in program history in 2013. Perhaps that 2013 season, as remarkable as it was, masked some of the problems that would ultimately lead to the unfortunate dismissal as Fowler as the Paladin head football coach.
The 2013 season was one in which Appalachian State and Georgia Southern were exiting the league, with neither being eligible for the league title due to the move to the Sun Belt and FBS football. Elon made its plans to become part of the Colonial Athletic Association the following season. It was a season of transition for the SoCon, and Furman capitalized. It was the 13th of Furman's 14 SoCon crowns, and it was arguably one of the most memorable, simply due to how unlikely it transpired over the latter part of that season.
It was a season that produced an unlikely 13th Southern Conference title, and it came in the most miraculous of circumstances, as the Paladins headed into the final month of season with just a 3-5 overall record. The Paladins played their best football in November, and got a little help from Samford, as the Paladins went on to forge a threeway tie atop the Southern Conference standings along with the Bulldogs and Chattanooga.
Back then, the SoCon tiebreaker rules were different, and since Furman claimed wins over The Citadel and Georgia Southern--two teams who beat Chattanooga and Samford and due to the fact that Furman's lone league losses were to Chattanooga and Elon, which finished lower than both The Citadel or Georgia Southern in the standings, it meant the Paladins were given the automatic bid to the postseason.
Had Elon beaten Samford on the final day of the regular-season, it wouldn't have taken a league title away from Furman, however, a Phoenix win would have given the automatic bid to the postseason to Chattanooga. The Mocs, who were easily the best team that season among the three to tie for the title, were ultimately left out of the postseason, with losses to Samford and Alabama in their final two regular-season games.
All that to say this. Furman's success that season was welcomed, but it was also about catching lightning in a bottle. The program hadn't reached the point of returning to the glory of the early-mid 2000s, as most remember how dominant the Paladins had been as a football program from 1999-2006. Following the 2006 campaign, success was not easy to come by, and a winning record was more attainable in some seasons than challenging either Appalachian State or Georgia Southern for a Southern Conference title, or even from making an FCS playoff appearance. From 2007-12, Furman's football program went from FCS national power-to-FCS mediocrity and obscurity.
The 2013 season was a blip. In some weird way, whenever we encounter these low points in the history of Furman football, it's usually not due to a problem defensively. In fact, it's always offensively.
If we take a look back to the 2013 season, the seeds of what was to come would be planted in that season. Furman, which went on to an 8-6 finish in 2013, eventually losing to the North Dakota State machine, 38-7, in Fargo. That followed a seemingly major step in the right direction a week earlier, as the Paladins went to Orangeburg to battle an always-tough South Carolina State club, getting what was a 30-20 win.
What's amazing is the fact that Furman won a Southern Conferenec title in 2013 after averaging 318.3 YPG of total offense and scoring just 22.7 PPG. In terms of a breakdown of production in that 2013 season, we find that the Paladins averaged 147.9 YPG on the ground and 170.4 YPG through the air. One major issue the Paladins had to deal with the entire 2013 campaign was injuries at quarterback. Reese Hannon was the unquestioned starter coming into the season, however, a shoulder strain kept him out of the season-opener at Gardner-Webb.
With Hannon not able to go, it would allow Dillon Woodruff to become the first true freshman quarterback to start a season under center since the 1956 season. However, Woodruff's season wouldn't last past Furman's trip to Boiling Springs, as he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury.
One of the amazing things about the 2013 season was the ability of Furman to adapt to the hardships that season put beIfore it in 2013. It was also a case of next man up at the most important position on the field, as the Paladins played five signal-callers during the first five games of the season, and it wasn’t until the sixth game of the season against Appalachian State in which the Paladins would have a 100-percent Reese Hannon under center, as he would miss three of the first five games with injuries. And while there weren't any Ingle Martin or Billy Napier-like performances, the Paladins got enough from who they had.
It could be argued that a 24-17 win at The Citadel, in which Hannon suffered a concussion, forcing walk-on Duncan Fletcher into the lineup, as he would deliver a heroic performance in helping the Paladins to bring home a win, was a turning point to the season in 2013. The biggest factor during that 2013 season, and a stat that would allow the Paladins to overcome many offensive shortcomings, masking a lot of the offensive woes that particular campaign. The Paladins Furman finished the 2013 season ranking 13th nationally in turnover margin (+0.86). All told, the Paladins caused a total of 29 turnovers during that memorable season.
As bad as the 2020-21 season was, it wasn't all that much worse offensively, if at all, than the 2013 campaign for the Paladins. Furman finished out their seven games this spring, averaging 21.1 PPG and 339.1 YPG (180.4 yards passing per game/158.7 yards rushing per game). However, the problem was the Paladins didn't quite have a +0.86 turnover margin in the 2020-21 season like they did in that 2013 season.
From 2014-16 in Furman football, there were many low points. It mostly revolved around offensive identity. One of the best examples I have heard of this actually comes from Furman basketball coach Bob Richey. It's a look into why he's been successful, and this way of thinking holds true for any sport. I don't think coach Richey would mind me telling this story, which was on one of his "All Din Podcasts" following the 2018-19 season.
Shortly after Bob Hoffman was let go at Mercer, coach Richey and Furman play-by-play voice Dan Scott had a candid conversation about culture. Coach Richey didn't refer to Bob Hoffman by name, but referred to them as Mercer and went into how great of a coach Bob Hoffman was, however, he told Dan the reason there was a coaching change there had nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with identity.
Under Hoffman, Mercer had been in the business of developing four-year talent, and that was something that staff knew intimately. But then, there came some trouble, and instead of sticking with the recipe that had brought Mercer success and an NCAA Tournament win over Duke, they jumped into the unfamilar waters of the transfer portal. The moral of the story, if you don't know how to navigate something as a head coach, don't change who you are. Stick to how you have done it--through good and through bad--but don't go away from what's made you have an identity and what's made you successful just because the going has gotten tough.
In many ways, this is very applicable to Furman football. At the end of both the Bobby Lamb and Bruce Fowler coaching stints at Furman, both sold out to try everything to keep their jobs. We all get that to a degree and no one is casting blame. There's nothing wrong with that, however, both completely abandoned running the ball between the tackles. That had always been the life-blood of Furman football.
But the college football landscape has changed drastically over the past two decades, unfortunately to the detriment of smaller private FCS schools with high academic standards like Furman. I always say, however, as long as Villanova and Richmond are good in FCS football, there is not a reason why Furman should not be.
I remember how Furman's offense was so much different during the 2009 and '10 campaigns under Lamb than it had been prior. Obviously, Furman had great success with the likes of Billy Napier, Ingle Martin, Renaldo Gray and Jordan Sorrells primarily under center from 2002 (Lamb's first yeaar)-2009.
A year later, the offense, which appeared to be utilizing a two-quarterback system, with both UCLA transfer Chris Forcier and backup Cody Worley, however, those plans were ultimately undercut by a season-ending shoulder injury to Forcier in the second game of the season, which was a valiant 38-19 loss to No.13 South Carolina.
However, while Adam Mims would go on to become Furman's all-time leading receiver, the Paladins finished a dismal 5-6. Then head coach Bobby Lamb was fired a day before the regular-season finale against Georgia Southern--a game which Furman lost 32-28 at Paladin Stadium.
Running backs like Brandon Mays, Jerome Felton, Daric Carter, Hindley Brigham, and later, Jerodis Williams, just made the Paladins tough when it came to running between the tackles. However, following a first-round exit with a blowout loss on the road to Montana State in 2006, and then the introduction of the spread option/no-huddle craze which was all the rage in 2007, it was not only many program's that faced an identity crisis of decision making, but also the entirety of college football was in one way or another affected by what Appalachian State did at Michigan.
Furman was no different, as no COVID-19 mask from the CDC could have prevented Tim Sorrells and Bobby Lamb from catching this bug, which was brought on by pressure to win and win immediately, and after missing out on the postseason in both '07 and '08, and having been beaten by an emerging Wofford and The Citadel in '07, and Wofford again in '08, the heat had been turned up in Greenville.
After losses to The Citadel, Appalachian State and Auburn in quick succession, playoff hopes were once again out the window. It was Jordan Sorrells' senior season as the Paladins' signal-caller, and he would help rally the Paladins down the stretch of that season, helping quell a little bit of that heat surrounding Lamb with impressive wins at Georgia Southern (W, 30-22) and vs Wofford (58-21) to close out the regular-season. Sorrells finished out his career as Furman's all-time leading passer.
However, Sorrells, who was a redshirt freshman on the Furman team that went all the way to the 2005 FCS semifinals before losing 29-23 at Appalachian State, was only a part of one playoff team in his four years of field action for the Paladins, and that came as a freshman in 2006.
At most places, being the program's all-time leading passer probably coincides multiple playoff berths and conference titles, however, at Furman that is simply not the mode of operation. Furman finished the season averaging 230.6 YPG through the air, while completing the campaign averaging just 142.0 YPG on the ground.
There were a myriad of low points during that 2014-16 window of Furman football, which saw the Paladins post a humbling 10-24 record, which included a nine-game losing streak. Of the "low points" I vividly remember were a 45-0 homecoming loss to Samford in 2014 and trailing Kennesaw State 49-14 at Paladin Stadium at the half in what would turn out to be a wild, 52-42, win for the Owls. The 0-6 start to that 2016 season was a bigger low point than Saturday's 26-7 loss to The Citadel. However, while Saturday's loss isn't the lowest of lows Furman football has seen in the recent past, it's most certainly a cross-roads and a decision-making time for head coach Clay Hendrix and staff.
This is just the first blog of several to follow, but Saturday's loss was a low point. But it's not the first and it won't likely be the last. The question before Clay Hendrix and Furman football over the off-season has everything to do with offensive identity. Somewhere between Drew Cronic moving on to be a head coach following the 2017 season, and breaking in a new quarterback and new offensive coordinator, in George Quarles, the Paladins will need to use the off-season to re-tool and figure out what they want to be their offensive identity.
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