Paladins Wake Up the Echoes in Remarkable Win (Part 1)

Saturday was 1978 all over again.

Nearly 35 years to the day, Furman earned their first-ever Southern Conference football championship during that remarkable inaugural season under Coach Dick Sheridan. On Saturday, the Paladins pulled off an even more mind-boggling--and record-setting--13th championship.

They beat the Wofford Terriers, their oldest and perhaps most annoying rival, in order to get it. After finishing their part of the job, the post-game scoreboard watching paid off. Samford engineered a miracle comeback to beat Elon and give the Paladins their first automatic playoff bid since 2004, and first playoff appearance since 2006.

It was a terrific day, partially spent greeting old friends with whom I played during my brief and relatively forgettable (at least to everyone else) Furman career. I spoke with Brian Bratton, who was part of the last SoCon championship in 2004; and a winner of the Grey Cup as part of the Montreal team.

I also shook hands with some of the same men that won Furman's first conference title in '78, including current Furman coaches Bruce Fowler, Tim Sorrells and Jimmy Kiser; and former coach Bobby Johnson. I saw a slew of other players that I had once chased around the field for autographs after every Furman game.

I was seven years old at that first championship game. I trudged up the hill to sit on the scratchy concrete bleachers of the old Sirrine Stadium in downtown Greenville, ready to cheer on these college students who seemed like giants to me. Even in those days, Sirrine was a relic, with its rickety wooden field houses and cinderblock steps. It fit the surrounding landscape of a downtown area that was deteriorating and falling behind the times along with Furman's football venue.

This was in the shadow of the plot of land that once housed Furman University, the version that my parents and grandparents once new. It fit into a disappearing world when students could walk to the stadium after visiting Belk Simpson or Meyers-Arnold on what was once a vital Main Street. With the mills closing down and the stores moving out to Haywood Mall, downtown needed something good to happen. Why not a Southern Conference Championship?

I was decked out in whatever purple I had to wear. Affordable Furman merchandise was even harder to come across in those days than it is now. We actually took food into the game with us (Can you believe this was ever allowed?).

For every minute of that day in 1978, I sat on the edge of those concrete bleachers, hoping that Furman would beat their arch-rivals, The Citadel, for the first time in seven years to have a shot at the conference title. We saw Citadel fans wearing t-shirts that said, "Beat the Doo-Doo Out of Furman" as we walked in, forever cementing my spite for the Bulldogs.

(Side note:  I remember my mother being appalled at those t-shirts and that awful language. Yes, even in the 70s, it was a much more genteel time when southern ladies still clutched their pearls at such things. We might be relieved these days if that was the worst thing we heard or saw at a game).

The Paladins had come out of nowhere, under first-year head coach Dick Sheridan, to go 7-3. They needed help to win the conference, but they had to take care of business first.

Across the field was their despised rival and their former head coach, Art Baker. He left Greenville for the head coaching position at The Citadel, an act of treason punishable by making you an outcast at the wine and cheese tailgates of the Furman faithful.

Baker followed the "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy when he made the move. He didn't win a single game against the Bulldogs while coaching the Paladins, and changing sidelines would not change his luck. Not today.

Halfway through a somewhat lackluster game (this was in the days when football still involved defense), Furman President Dr. John E. Johns left the press box, walked down to the cheerleader microphone stand, took of the purple jacket and grabbed the mic. Apparently, he had enough of the fans saying Bravo! and clapping gently, because he looked at the crowd and said, "We're gonna make some noise!"

He went well beyond the "FU One Time!" cheer. He kept the microphone in hand until Furman's last fateful play.

The Paladins had taken a 17-13 lead on the backs of an old-school defense and methodical offense. But The Citadel had the ball for one final drive, and masterfully moved the ball to a point where they could only become a part of Furman football history.

Furman stopped the 'Dogs on the final play of the game that wasn't the final play of the game. A penalty gave The Citadel the ball at the one-yard line for one more chance with no time left on the clock. An oh, by the way, they had one of the best running backs in the nation in future Pro Bowler Stump Mitchell.

That's when it happened. The Stand.

They didn't exactly have HD in 1978...

Everyone in the stadium new who was getting the ball, and that included Steve Botkin. He was the center of the storm that greeted Mitchell before he even sniffed the goal line, along with just about everyone else. The Furman defense overwhelmed the Bulldogs and made a goal-line stand for the ages. The sidelines and the stadium erupted, players and students rushed the field, and Furman football history changed forever.

The Paladins beat The Citadel in 12 of the next 13 match-ups. They also proceeded to win 11 more conference championships and a national title, things never envisioned before Nov. 18, 1978.

I pulled my mom and dad and somewhat disinterested sister onto the field as fast as I could. I ran with my game program to get autographs from Russell Gambrell and David Kelly (whose injured arm could barely write). Then I found quarterback David Henderson, who said, "Here, want a sweatband?" He tossed it to me like Mean Joe Greene tossing a jersey to some kid with a Coke bottle. And with that fateful toss, his least important of the day, he cemented my eternal passion for Furman football.

The deal was not quite sealed at that point. There was scoreboard watching to do. For some reason, WLOS-13 carried the Western Carolina-Appalachian State game that evening, a game that Furman needed Appalachian to win in order to make their first championship official. I glued myself to our 13-inch screen inside of our wooden console television, hooked up to the stack antenna on the roof. With mom yelling at me to get up and clean my room, I refused to budge until I knew the trophy was officially coming to Greenville.

On Nov. 24, 2013, I was a 42-year old who was once again 7 going on 8. The stadium is on campus rather than downtown, with field turf and a modern, updated facelift being added. But many of the original championship players from the relic of Sirrine were still there, including Furman coaches Bruce Fowler, Tim Sorrells and Jimmy Kiser. I shook hands with Steve Williams, Bruce Lancaster, and Charlie Anderson, the same guys that I chased for autographs after every Furman game when they wore the diamond F. I also had the honor of shaking hands with guys like Don Clardy, Fred Sturgis, and Kevin Welmaker, with whom I wore the uniform during my brief and relatively uneventful career.

This time, I sat on the edge of my metal-backed seat, and took pictures with my iPhone as someone unveiled the numbers "2013" on the field house, under the sign heading that said "Southern Conference Championships". And I followed ESPN Game Cast as I sat at the restaurant, waiting for confirmation that Samford would beat Elon, giving Furman the title and the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.

I don't think I was one bit less excited than I was in 1978. And I am forever grateful to that group of players who tolerated annoying little kids and overcome everyone's lack of expectations to begin a history that culminated in the unlikeliest of championships last Saturday.

Like the Originals, the 2013 edition of Furman football came out of nowhere to earn a championship, to prove that they had grit and perseverance beyond anyone's expectations. This group continues the legend of the 1978 Paladins by simply refusing to believe that it can't be done.

Paladins Need to Drop their Bad Wildcat Habit

What started as a nightmare has turned into a potentially glorious season for Furman football. For only the second time in the last seven years, the Paladins will play games in November that count for something more than pride.

With their Homecoming win over 20th-ranked Samford, the Southern Conference frontrunner, Furman moved itself into position to potentially win the conference title. It was a win that no one would have anticipated as late as October 18, and it demonstrated the marked improvement of almost every area of this very young team.

Every area except the offensive game plan, which still includes the Wildcat. Furman needs some help from other teams to earn their first conference crown since 2004. They can do a lot to help themselves by losing the Wildcat.

In their usual display of school apathy, the Furman student body cleared Paladin stadium as soon as the Homecoming winners were announced on Saturday. They could do everyone a favor by taking that momentum-killer formation out the gate with them.

Plenty of people will point to the fact that the Wildcat has had some success this season for Furman. They scored one touchdown out of the formation, and actually completed a pass from it as well. The problem is not that the Wildcat is never successful at making positive yards. The problem is that its success is mitigated by the way that it kills the rhythm of the offense under quarterback Reese Hannon.

The ever-ambiguous "eye test" says that Hannon is at his best when he is in the game and running the offense. At LSU, where the Paladins used their "supplemental" offense very sparingly, Hannon looked incredible at ease and effective against a superior opponent. In spite of some good play against Georgia Southern and Samford, Hannon seemed off when exiting and re-entering the game.

The offense was absolutely stagnant for the majority of the second half last Saturday. Hannon looked completely out of sync and uncomfortable dropping back to pass on third down after running quarterback Richard Hayes III and tailback Hank McCloud were stopped for short gains on spread option plays.

This didn't cost the team in the game, thanks to stellar efforts by the defense. But eventually, it will. If Reese Hannon is the quarterback for this team, then he needs to be the quarterback. Let him win or lose the game running the offense that is suited for him. If he's ineffective or cannot get the job done, then use the Wildcat.

It doesn't seem to be as much of a problem if the Wildcat is used selectively, perhaps even on first down rather than second down. But it makes no sense to randomly run the starting quarterback to the sidelines in the middle of a series. It also doesn't help that Hannon is the only quarterback who is any real threat to throw the football. And Furman certainly can't afford to keep Hannon on the field in some decoy role, considering that he has missed time with injuries twice this season.

Here's the thing:  Furman has produced big plays on both sides of the ball in wins over Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Samford. They've also needed sustained drives at times in all of those games, and Reese Hannon is the man that produced those against all of those teams and against LSU. That's the long-term formula for winning offense and keeping a vastly improved defense rested.

If they plan to beat a much-improved Western Carolina team and the energy-draining, clock-consuming triple option of Wofford, they're going to do it with solid play from the starting quarterback. It's time to cut the cord for Reese Hannon, and let him be the quarterback/leader for the Paladin offense.

The Wildcat is a spare offense and should be used like a spare tire:  Only in the most critical and necessary situations. If Furman wants to make the most of their late season surge, they'll get it out of Paladin Stadium faster than the students.

SoCon Desperate for Furman, Citadel to Step Up

Nothing in the state of South Carolina will ever touch the intensity of the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry, particularly in the current era where both schools are nationally prominent. In the late 80s and early 90s, Furman-Citadel was about as close as you could get to a small school equivalent.

During those years, both games often occurred on the same Saturday in November. The Greenville News had a section on the sports page entitled "Braggin' Rights", where they would drown the front page in orange and garnet. From 1988-1992, they had a section called "Braggin' Rights Too", where they offered more coverage than ever to Furman and The Citadel.

In those five meetings, the Southern Conference title was on the line three times, with playoff births at stake four times. Both teams were ranked number one in the nation during these years. If the conference hopes to continue as a football power, they desperately need both teams to step back up to that level.

The ongoing carnage of the departures to FBS, the SoCon is counting on East Tennessee State, Mercer, and VMI to fill the void. That's two schools that didn't have football until 2013, one school that lost its football program, and three schools that have exactly zero conference titles and one playoff appearance in the last 30 years.

The Citadel has invested in significant facilities upgrades, and Coach Kevin Higgins has returned them to the triple option offense that led to their success in the early 90s. After last year's 7-4 campaign that included wins over scholarship-heavy Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, the Bulldogs have a chance to make a lot more noise in 2013.

It is a mystery to me why the Bulldogs were picked 4th in the preseason coach's poll and 5th in the media poll, unless it involves the heightened expectations at Samford and Chattanooga. I would not be at all stunned if the Bulldogs ended up with the second slot at the end of the season. Hopefully, that record will be enough to get them into the FCS playoffs.

Chalking up another round of wins at ASU, Georgia Southern or both would certainly help.

Furman is engaged in its own significant facilities upgrade. After a promising start to Bruce Fowler's tenure in 2011, Furman slid to 3-8 last season. Part of this can be attributed to the NCAA's peculiar--but not surprising--decision to deny Chris Forcier an extra year of eligibility. It can also be attributed to starting a freshman quarterback, and having a defense that regularly collapsed in the second half.

Will completing this project help Furman get back to the top?

Furman led in practically every game last season but couldn't close the deal. It remains to be seen if true sophomore Reese Hannon can learn to finish as well as he started. Much will also depend on how quickly the 13 defensive signees from last year's recruiting class can contribute.

While they found a gem in Hannon, the Paladins lost over 3000 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns (including kick returns) with the departure of WR Will King, TE Colin Anderson, and all-world/all-everything Jerodis Williams. (Side note:  Both Anderson and Williams are currently fighting for roster spots with the Minnesota Vikings).

There is cautious optimism that the Paladins can start climbing back up the ladder this year, although they are not expected to challenge for a conference title or playoff berth. But one thing is certain:  Coach Bruce Fowler knows Furman, knows the SoCon, and knows how to win. In the chaotic atmosphere of the changing of the SoCon guard, anything can happen. At the very least, Paladin fans are hoping that a renewed commitment to the football program will pay off sooner rather than later.

The Southern Conference is hoping for the same thing, kind of a "Back to the Future" deal with both of these schools. With the "big boys" (in their minds at least) leaving, someone needs to step up to keep the conference in the two and three-bid range in football. Chattanooga and Samford have yet to prove that they can be consistent. If Furman and The Citadel cannot step it up, then Wofford may be the only hope.

And Mike Ayers can't coach forever.  Can he?