GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Coming off its 26-7 FCS second round playoff victory over Chattanooga on Saturday, Southern Conference champion and No. 7 seed Furman (10-2) advances into the playoff quarterfinals to face Big Sky Conference champion and No. 2 seed Montana (11-1) this Friday in a 9:00 p.m. ET clash (7:00 MT) at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont.

The winner of the ESPN2 televised contest will advance into the semifinal round to face the winner of the South Dakota vs. North Dakota State quarterfinal.

10TH ADVANCE INTO THE PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS
Furman's 26-7 win over Chattanooga in Saturday FCS second round playoff action advanced the Paladins into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2005 and 10th time in the Paladins' playoff history.  Furman posted a 24-20 road win over Richmond in 2005 in its last quarterfinal round contest and sports a 7-3 overall record in its 10 final eight round matchups.

FURMAN MAKES 20TH FCS PLAYOFF APPEARANCE
Furman's appearance in this year's FCS Playoff is the 20th in program history — tops among current Southern Conference schools — and fourth under head coach Clay Hendrix (2017, '19, '22, '23).

FURMAN PLAYOFF RECORD
Furman owns a 21-18 all-time playoff record, which includes a 13-7 mark in Greenville, 7-9 road worksheet, and 1-2 ledger at neutral sites.  The Paladins have appeared in three national championship games (1985, '88, '01) and won the 1988 national championship (13-2) — the first Southern Conference school and first private school to accomplish the feat.

CLAY HENDRIX: PLAYOFF VETERAN
Head coach Clay Hendrix has been part of 36 of Furman's 39 FCS playoff games over the years as a player (1982-85), assistant coach (1988-06), and head coach (2017-present).  The Paladins are 20-16 in playoff matchups with him representing the purple and white.

FURMAN VS. THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
Furman is 3-3 versus Big Sky Conference schools, all of which have come in FCS playoff action.  It includes a 13-6 loss to Montana in the 2001 national championship game played in Chattanooga, Tenn. — the only football meeting between the Paladins and Grizzlies.  Furman split a pair of playoff contests against Nevada (at the time a Big Sky Conference school), beating the Wolf Pack, 35-12, in Greenville in the 1985 semifinals before falling, 42-35, in a triple overtime quarterfinal in Reno in 1990.  In 1988 Furman rolled Idaho, 38-7, in Greenville in the FCS semifinals, and in 1996 beat Northern Arizona, 42-31, in Flagstaff in first round action.  The Paladins' last clash with a Big Sky Conference school was in 2006, when it dropped a 31-13 verdict at Montana State in a first round contest.

FAMILIAR FACE
Furman and Montana share one notable connection in Justin Roper, the Paladins' second-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.  A 2012 graduate of the University of Montana with a degree in sociology, Roper played quarterback for the Grizzlies for the 2009-10 seasons, passing for 1,888 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior.  In addition to football, he also played basketball at Montana, helping the Grizzlies to the 2010 NCAA Tournament.  Prior to Montana, he spent two years at the University of Oregon, where he passed for four touchdowns in a 56-21 victory over South Florida in the 2007 Sun Bowl.

DOUBLE DIGIT WINS, AGAIN
For the second consecutive season Furman has reached double-digit wins, notching its 10th victory with the 26-7 triumph over Chattanooga.  It's the 10th double-digit winning campaign in program history and ninth since 1983, a year after Furman's (and the Southern Conference's) reclassification to FCS (formerly I-AA).

10 STRAIGHT AT HOME
Furman's 26-7 win over Chattanooga extended its home winning streak to 10 games — its longest since reeling off 14 straight victories over three seasons (2005-07).

NICE RUN OF SUCCESS
Furman is 22-5 in its last 27 games, with two of those losses coming to FBS then sixth-ranked Clemson (35-12) in 2022 and South Carolina (47-21) in 2023.

4-0 VERSUS RANKED FCS FOES IN 2023
Furman has gone 4-0 versus ranked opponents this season: d. No. 17 Mercer, 38-14; d. No. 8 Western Carolina, 29-17; d. No. 13 Chattanooga, 17-14; d. No. 18 Chattanooga, 26-7. 

10-2 VERSUS RANKED FCS FOES THE LAST THREE  SEASONS
The Paladins are now 10-2 versus FCS ranked foes over the last three seasons (2021-present), its last loss against a ranked foe being a 41-38 road setback against fifth-ranked Incarnate Word in 2022 second round playoff action.

CHATTANOOGA: TAKE TWO
Furman backed up its 17-14 road win over Chattanooga on Nov. 4 with a second win over the Mocs on Saturday — this time by a 26-7 score at Paladin Stadium.  The driving force in both victories was defense, and the Paladins brought it to bear on Chattanooga again on Saturday, limiting UTC to only 200 total yards, including just 42 total yards in the second half while intercepting two passes that were converted into 10 points.  Chattanooga entered the game averaging 29.1 points and 399.9 yards per game.  Furman also got a boost from the return of quarterback Tyler Huff, the 2023 SoCon Player of the Year, who completed 18-of-29 passes for 192 yards while rushing seven times for 32 yards in his first action since exiting the Nov. 4 game at Chattanooga with a shoulder injury.  His play sparked Furman to 383 yards of balanced offense (191 yards rushing, 192 yards passing), which included two Dominic Roberto touchdown runs and four field goals by Ian Williams.

15TH CHAMPIONSHIP
Furman's 37-3 win over VMI on Nov. 11 earned the program the outright 2023 Southern Conference Championship — its 15th title (1978, '80, '81, '82, '83, '85, '88, '89, '90, '99, '01, '04, '13, '18, and '23) and the most in league history. It also marked the second crown for Clay Hendrix (2018), now in his seventh season as head coach at his alma mater.  As a player (1982-85), assistant coach (1988-06), and head coach (2017-present), Hendrix has been part of 11 of Furman's 15 SoCon championships.

HENDRIX WINS NO. 50
Furman's win over VMI marked the 50th career victory for head coach Clay Hendrix (51-28, .641).  Combining the now 51 wins with the 155 he had a hand in as Paladin assistant coach for 19 years (1988-06) and 39 registered during his playing tenure (1982-85), Hendrix been part of 245 Furman triumphs over 30 years (8.1 wins/year).

OURS
Furman's outright 2023 SoCon championship is its first since 1990 (6-1 league record).  The Paladins' conference titles in the interim — 1999, '01, '04, '13, and '18 — were all shared.  Eight of Furman's 15 SoCon championships have been outright crowns (1980, '81, '82, '83, '95, '89, '90, '23).

RUGGED DEFENSE
Furman's defense has been a major reason for the Paladins' success in 2023, as reflected in numbers and SoCon/FCS rankings in multiple categories

Category    Value    SoCon Rank    FCS Rank
Rushing Defense    92.7    1st    3rd
Total Defense    312.7    1st    19th
Scoring Defense    16.8    1st    7th
Sacks    36    1st    T6th
Tackles For Loss    6.8    2nd    25th
Third Down Percentage Defense    .331 (49x152)    1st    20th
Fourth Down Percentage Defense    .385 (10x26)    1st    14th
Red Zone Percentage Defense    .682 (15x22)    1st    6th
Interceptions    17    1st    T2nd
Turnovers Gained (FR/INT)    26 (9/17)    1st    T2nd
Turnover Margin (Gained/Lost)    +1.42 (+26/-9)    1st    1st

MOST SACKS IN A REGULAR SEASON
Furman's 36 sacks in the regular season are the most in program history.  In 1989 Furman recorded a school record 39 sacks over 14 games, with the final eight takedowns registered over three playoff contests.  In 2017 Furman finished the season with 34 sacks in 13 contests, with the final three takedowns coming in two playoff games.

Furman Season Team Sacks
1989 - 39 (14g)
2023 - 36 (12g)
2017 - 34 (13g)
1997 - 32 (11g)
1988 - 31 (15g)
2022 - 31 (13g)

TWO OF TOP THREE SACK PERFORMANCES IN THE FCS IN 2023
Furman owns two of the two of the top three sacks performances registered in the FCS in 2023. The Paladins' nine sacks recorded in the 27-21 win over Samford ranks second, and the eight sacks Furman notched in the 37-3 victory over VMI is the third highest tally in the FCS this fall.  The two games also tied for No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on Furman's highest game sacks chart.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
Furman's 36 sacks this year have been registered among 14 players, with six Paladins owning at least three takedowns.  The leader is redshirt junior bandit Luke Clark (6.0 sacks).

BEST SCORING DEFENSE SINCE 2004
The current 16.8 ppg Furman is surrendering is the lowest by the Paladins since 2004 (16.6 ppg).

TURNING OFF THE SPIGOT
Furman has choked off scoring by seven of its last nine opponents (8-1), allowing only 117 points (13.0 ppg) over that span as evidenced by points allowed versus averages entering each contest.

Furman Opponent Scoring Last 8 Games (Points Allowed vs. Avg. Entering Game)
Mercer (14 vs. 24.0 ppg)
The Citadel (14 vs. 5.6 ppg)
Samford (21 vs. 31.0 ppg.)
Western Carolina (17 vs. 41.3 ppg)
East Tennessee State (8 vs. 17.1 ppg)
Chattanooga (14 vs. 33.6 ppg)
VMI (3 vs. 15.2 ppg)
Wofford (19* vs. 13.3 ppg)
Chattanooga (7 vs. 29.1 ppg)

*Six of Wofford's 19 points were scored on a fumble return vs. Furman's offense

TOUGH SLEDDING FOR OPPONENTS
Mirroring its impressive work in limiting scoring by its last nine opponents (8-1) is the stingy offense the Paladins have surrendered to opponents when compared to averages entering each game.  Furman has allowed only 266.1 ypg over that nine-game span.

Furman Opponent Total Offense Last 9 Games (Yards Allowed vs. Avg. Entering Game)
Mercer (267 vs. 323.7 ypg)
The Citadel (278 vs. 199 ypg)
Samford (337 vs. 436.0 ypg)
Western Carolina (353 vs. 531.0 ypg)
East Tennessee State (230 vs. 262.0 ypg)
Chattanooga (357 vs. 420.7 ypg)
VMI (189 vs. 305.2 ypg)
Wofford (184 vs. 254.8 ypg)
Chattanooga (200 vs. 399.9 ypg)

SHADES OF 1988
The 92.7 rushing yards per game Furman is currently surrendering is the second lowest season figure ever recorded by the Paladins, based on available records dating from 1973, trailing only the 92.4 ypg yielded in 1988, the year of the Paladins' national championship.

NO RUNNING ALLOWED
Furman has held six of its last eight opponents under 100 yards rushing, allowing only 74.8 rushing ypg over that span.

Furman Opponent Rushing Offense Last 8 Games (Yards Allowed vs. Avg. Entering Game)
The Citadel (39 vs. 128.4 ypg) 
Samford (51 vs. 130.2 ypg)
Western Carolina (84 vs. 222.0 ypg)
East Tennessee State (119 vs. 157.3 ypg)  
Chattanooga (68 vs. 148.4 ypg)
VMI (30 vs. 121.2 ypg)
Wofford (92 vs. 158.5 ypg)
Chattanooga (116 vs. 141.2 ypg)

RUSHING TDS ALLOWED RARE
Furman has allowed only two rushing touchdowns in its last seven games and just 12 rushing scores in 11 games this year.

OPPONENT THIRD DOWN BLUES
Furman's defense has limited its last five opponents — East Tennessee State, Chattanooga, VMI, Wofford, and Chattanooga (playoff) — to a combined 17-of-70 on third down conversions (.243). 

KEEP OUT
Not only does Furman lead the SoCon and rank eighth in the FCS in red zone percentage defense (15x22, .682), but the 23 red zone penetrations allowed by Furman are the fewest surrendered by any team in the FCS this season.

THIS TAKEAWAY THING SPANS TWO SEASONS 
Furman now has 55 takeaways (34 INTs, 21 FRs) over the last 25 games, which includes a FCS best 29 takeaways (17 INTs, 12 FRs) in 13 games last year.

MAKING 'EM PAY
In its 12 games this year the Paladins have tallied 90 points (7.5 ppg) on possessions following 26 opponent turnovers.

19 PALADINS REAP ALL-SOCON RECOGNITION
Furman's 2023 SoCon championship netted the Paladins an impressive haul of All-SoCon awards and honors.  Quarterback Tyler Huff was named the league' offensive player of the year, offensive guard Jacob Johanning received the Jacobs Blocking Award, quarterback Carson Jones was tabbed co-freshman of the year, and Clay Hendrix was the consensus coach of the year selection in balloting by coaches and media.  All told, 19 Paladins landed All-SoCon recognition — a program record.

2023 Coaches All-Southern Conference Football Team 

Offensive Player of the Year – Tyler Huff, Gr., QB, Furman
Co-Freshman of the Year – Carson Jones, Furman 
Jacobs Blocking Award – Jacob Johanning, R-Sr., OL, Furman
Coach of the Year – Clay Hendrix, Furman

Wayne Anderson, Jr., RS    2nd Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
Jack Barton, DE    2nd Team Coaches
Travis Blackshear, CB    1st Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
Cally Chizik, SPUR    2nd Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
Luke Clark, DE    2nd Team Coaches/1st Team Media
Braden Gilby, LB    2nd Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
Tyler Huff, QB    1st Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
Wyatt Hughes, C    2nd Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
Jacob Johanning, OG    1st Team Coaches/1st Team Media
Mason Pline, TE    2nd Team Media
Dominic Roberto, RB    2nd Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
Hugh Ryan, FS    2nd Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
Matt Sochovka, DT    1st Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
Pearson Toomey, OT    1st Team Coaches/1st Team Media
Ian Williams, PK    2nd Team Coaches/2nd Team Media
AK Burrell, SS    All-Freshman Defense
Brock Chappell, TE    All-Freshman Offense
Colton Hinton, WR    All-Freshman Offense
Carson Jones, QB    All-Freshman Offense

FURMAN ALL-SOCON NOTES
Quarterback Tyler Huff became the eighth Paladin but first since 2001 to land SoCon Offensive Player of the Year accolades and first Paladin signal caller to earn first team honors since Chris Forcier in 2011.  Jacob Johanning is the 16th player in program history — a league all-time best — to honored with the SoCon Jacobs Blocking Award, and Carson Jones became the fourth Paladin to be named SoCon Freshman of the Year.  Clay Hendrix's SoCon Coach of the Year tab was the second in his now seven seasons as head coach at his alma mater and 10th by Furman mentors.

TYLER HUFF: WINNER
Furman has gone 19-3 in Tyler Huff's 22 starts at quarterback, 18-1 versus FCS foes (counting FBS transition Kennesaw State as FCS), and 14-0 against SoCon opposition.  He didn't play (injured) versus Samford in 2022 (34-27 loss) and was forced to exit games against Charleston Southern (24-19 win in 2022) and Chattanooga (17-14 win in 2022) due to injuries.  He did not dress versus VMI or Wofford this year.

HUFF CAPTURES ARMED FORCES MERIT AWARD
Furman quarterback Tyler Huff was named the recipient of the 2023 Armed Forces Merit Award, presented by the Football Writers Association of America, on Thursday, Nov. 9.  A 2022 graduate of Presbyterian (S.C.) College, where he was commissioned through ROTC as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves, which he serves through the 391st Engineer Batallion in Greenville, S.C., Huff was selected from among a field of 46 nominees for the prestigious award. He will also be recognized at the 2023 Lockheed Martin-Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 23, and is due to report to Fort Huachuca in Arizona on Jan. 9, 2024, for six months of training.

BIG GAME PERFORMANCE
Tyler Huff keyed one of Furman's biggest wins of the season — a road victory over FCS No. 8-ranked Western Carolina on Oct. 21 by running six times for 89 yards and a touchdown and connecting on 14-of-23 passes for 180 yards and two scores.  His 53-yard touchdown burst with a minute remaining sealed the win.

FOUR RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Tyler Huff's four rushing touchdowns in Furman's 31-28 road win over Kennesaw State on Sept. 16 tied the school single game record for rushing TDs by a Paladin quarterback (Frankie DeBusk vs. ETSU, 1989) and earned him his first of two SoCon Player of the Week honors this season.

HUFF ON THE CHARTS
In 22 games in a Furman uniform, quarterback Tyler Huff has already moved onto several career statistical ledgers, including rushing yards/quarterback (1,214/3rd), passing yards (3,880/10th), passing touchdowns (24/T9th), total offense (5,094/9th), and touchdown responsibilities (37/17th).

JONES DELIVERS IN WIN AT CHATTANOOGA
Redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Jones delivered one of the most impactful performances of the 2023 season against Chattanooga, coming off the bench in the second quarter for the injured Tyler Huff to complete 14-of-27 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the Paladins' 17-14 win over 13th-ranked Mocs on Nov. 4.  His connection with Wayne Anderson, Jr., on a nine-yard scoring strike with 1:44 left gave Furman its winning points and capped a nine-play, 50-yard drive that featured a pair of Jones third down conversion passes.  The victory over UTC earned the Paladins the SoCon championship and the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.  He was named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week.

JONES IMPRESSIVE STARTING DEBUT
Redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Jones followed up his outstanding play in the Paladins' 17-14 win over Chattanooga on Nov. 4 with an even more impressive performance in his first collegiate start against VMI on Nov. 11, leading Furman to the 37-3 triumph.  Against the Keydets he connected on 18-of-23 passes for 226 yards and four touchdowns — virtually all of it coming in the first half while helping the Paladins to a 34-0 lead.  His touchdown strikes covered 14, 34, 12, and 34 yards.

MR. VERSATILE: WAYNE ANDERSON, JR.
Wayne Anderson, Jr. is Furman's most versatile player.  He blocked a first half punt to set up a field goal and later scored the game winning TD on a nine-yard pass play with 1:44 to go in Furman's 17-14 SoCon title clinching road win over Chattanooga on Nov. 4 to land SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week honors.  He followed that up by rushing 14 times for 56 yards in the win over VMI, which clinched the outright league championship for Furman.  His effectiveness was evident in the Paladins' 29-17 road win over No. 8 Western Carolina, when he rushed eight times for 85 yards, including a 54-yard burst to set up a touchdown, and in Saturday's 26-7 win over Chattanooga he caught five passes for 53 yards and also had a 40-yard kickoff return to open the game.  Anderson, who made the switch from wide receiver to running back earlier this year after injuries took out key backups Grant Robinson and Jayquan Smith, caught 39 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns in 2022 as a wide receiver. His first three seasons he played running back.  He has rushed for 870 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 89 passes for 856 yards and five touchdowns in his career.  A two-time All-SoCon pick as a return specialist, he also owns a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Western Carolina (2022).

WELCOME BACK MR. ROBINSON
Furman got a big boost on Saturday with the return of redshirt sophomore running back Grant Robinson to action.  Sidelined in the South Carolina game on Sept. 9 with an ankle injury, Robinson delivered 13 rushes for 62 yards and also had a 19-yard reception in the win over Chattanooga.  Furman rushed for 191 yards against the Mocs — the Paladins' highest tally since running for a season high 328 yards versus Western Carolina on Oct. 21.

ROBERTO RETURNS
After sitting out the Wofford game due to injury, two-time All-SoCon running back Dominic Roberto returned to rush for 51 yards and two touchdowns in the 26-7 win over Chattanooga.  He has now rushed for 2,869 yards in his career, good for eighth on Furman's rushing ledger.  Next up in seventh place is former teammate Devin Wynn (2,960 yds., 2017-21).  His two touchdowns give him 30 for his career, which ranks ninth in program history, just one behind his former teammate Devin Wynn (2017-21) and Tersoo Uhaa (2008-11).

PLINE A FACTOR
Furman graduate All-SoCon tight end Mason Pline, all 6-foot-7, 260 pounds of him, has become a force for the Paladins over the second half of the season.  He has 22 catches for 213 yards and three touchdowns, his latest a 14-yard scoring grab that started the scoring in a 37-3 win over VMI.  His key third down grab earned Furman a critical first down on the Paladins' nine-play, 50-yard game winning touchdown drive in a 17-14 road win over Chattanooga, and he got Furman's scoring started with a 10-yard touchdown catch in a 29-17 road victory over Western Carolina.  Pline played three years of basketball at Ferris State (Mich.) before switching to football, where he was a member of two D2 national championship teams.

HARRIS ON THE CHARTS
Junior wide receiver Joshua Harris is tied for 12th on Furman's career receptions chart with 114 catches.  Next up in 11th place is Justin Stepp (118 rec., 2003-06).

MANY HANDS
Furman's 229 pass completions this year have been distributed among 18 players, and nine Paladins own touchdown catches.

BLACKSHEAR AGAIN
After missing the East Tennessee State game following minor hand surgery, three-time All-SoCon cornerback Travis Blackshear returned to the field at Chattanooga on Nov. 4, recording a pair of tackles, a pass breakup, and an interception he returned out of the end zone for 46 yards to set up a fourth quarter Furman touchdown in the 17-14 Paladin victory.  He came up big again against the Mocs on Saturday, securing a third quarter interception that he returned 29 yards to the UTC 2 to set up a touchdown that staked Furman to a 17-7 lead.  It was his fourth pickoff the season and 13th of his career, which includes three "pick-sixes." His 13 interceptions ties him with Lavern Barrs (1964-66) for sixth all-time at Furman.

BLOCKED KICKS
Furman has blocked four kicks this season (2 FGs, 2 Punts), ranking 10th in the FCS.  The four blocked kicks in 2023 follow the FCS leading 10 blocked kicks (6 FGs, 2 PATs, 2 Punts) the Paladins posted in 2022, which included blocks in six consecutive games.  Jack Barton registered Furman's first blocked kick of 2023 when he deflected a 38-yard field goal attempt in the 38-14 win over Mercer on Sept. 23.  Barton picked up his second block this season when batted down a 43-yard attempt in the Paladins' 16-8 win over East Tennessee State.  He holds both Furman's season (4) and career records (6) for blocked kicks.

GOING WHERE NO PLAYER HAS GONE BEFORE
All-SoCon inside linebacker Braden Gilby made the 59th game appearance and 44th start of his career against Chattanooga.  The 59 games played is a Furman record.  He is the owner of 343 tackles, which ranks 16th in program history.  Next up in 15th is Jerry Scott (348, 1977-80).

THIS GUY MAKES PLAYS
All-SoCon spur Cally Chizik recorded his team leading fifth interception of the season and eighth of his career against Wofford.  He registered a career high 13 tackles in the Paladins' 27-21 road win over Samford.

HE'S OUR JACK RYAN
Two-time All-SoCon free safety Hugh Ryan registered his 56th game appearance and 44th start of his career against Chattanooga.  He has nine interceptions and 254 tackles in his career.

WILLIAMS ON TARGET
All-SoCon placekicker Ian Williams booted a Furman playoff record four field goals (4x4) in the 26-7 win over Chattanooga, connecting from 44, 31, 37, and 20 yards to give him a run of 14 made field goals in his last 15 attempts and 18 for 24 for the season. Equally impressive he continued his outstanding work on kickoffs, depositing six of his seven kickoff out of the end zone for touchbacks. On the season he's recorded 51 touchbacks on 69 kickoffs.