It is November, and I guess it's a good time to talk some preseason predictions(?).
I'm bullish on the season. Furman ended last season as both the league's top offense and top defense. I think we will be better on both sides of the ball this season.
WCU (W) - WCU played two games this fall and didn't look particularly good. The defense gave up all sorts of yards to a not-very-good Eastern Kentucky team. I'd expect WCU to look a lot like WCU does most seasons - talented athletically, potential for some potent offensive games, not particularly physical, weak on defense.
@VMI (W) - The Keydets ran an almost middle-schoolish 5-3 defense against us this past fall. It didn't help. They are typically a scrappy bunch, but we should physically handle them. One concern might be inclement weather, playing in the Virginia mountains in February. We don't have a great track record in less-than-ideal conditions.
Samford (W) - Samford was no match for Furman's offense last season. They were steamrolled. The Hatch Attack ran a bunch of plays, but for short yardage and Furman's defense didn't expose the end zone. They return their same QB tandem, but, I think, are going to have to vastly elevate their play in Greenville.
@ETSU (W) - The Bucs are a bit of an enigma. Won the SoCon title two years ago. Finished last in 2019. They were still respectable on defense in 2019, but have graduated a few of their best players. They still feature two excellent running backs. I expect a scrappy team that Furman will need to put away late. Like VMI, I think the Bucs can hang around if you let them.
UTC (W) - I think this will be Furman's toughest test. The Mocs are well coached and sound defensively. They'll return most of their offense and nearly all of the offensive line. They have an excellent RB in Ford and WR in Nunnelly. QB is still a question mark. They looked good in their lone fall game against Western Kentucky (an FBS school) and should have beaten them. I would expect a four quarter fight.
@Mercer (W) - Cronic will have this team heading in the right direction, but I don't think he inherited a lot of depth from Lamb. I watched some of their games this fall. They look more disciplined, especially on defense, but are still a mixed bag at QB. I'd put Mercer in the same bag as teams like Samford and WCU right now. In a rebuilding season, we will be their biggest game and certainly biggest home game. They'll be up for knocking us off.
@the Citadel (W) - The Citadel on the road is always tricky. They run a unique offense and have essentially two playmakers on offense and a stud on defense we have to deal with. Last year's game was an abomination and easily the worst I've seen Furman play under Hendrix. If Furman plays it's game, we're the better team. Like WCU, they lost to a not-great Eastern Kentucky team at home. Under Thompson, though, the Bulldogs are typically good to upset at least one team a year. Last year it was us. This year let's make it not us.
Wofford (W) - The Terriers have been the final boss for Furman in its push back to national relevancy. They lost a ton of players off last year's team (something like nine of eleven starters on offense) and we are really going to see how Conklin and his staff handles the first season where most of Mike Ayers players are finally gone. Lot of unknowns for Wofford this year, but we'll see them in Greenville, we'll have just seen an option team, and we will know a great deal more about them by the season's last game.
There it is - a not-terribly-common 8-0 SoCon season en route to a playoff seed. Don't disappoint me.
Remember - there really is no backdoor for the SoCon this season. Win the conference, or go home. Every game is monumentally important. No off days.
I'm bullish on the season. Furman ended last season as both the league's top offense and top defense. I think we will be better on both sides of the ball this season.
WCU (W) - WCU played two games this fall and didn't look particularly good. The defense gave up all sorts of yards to a not-very-good Eastern Kentucky team. I'd expect WCU to look a lot like WCU does most seasons - talented athletically, potential for some potent offensive games, not particularly physical, weak on defense.
@VMI (W) - The Keydets ran an almost middle-schoolish 5-3 defense against us this past fall. It didn't help. They are typically a scrappy bunch, but we should physically handle them. One concern might be inclement weather, playing in the Virginia mountains in February. We don't have a great track record in less-than-ideal conditions.
Samford (W) - Samford was no match for Furman's offense last season. They were steamrolled. The Hatch Attack ran a bunch of plays, but for short yardage and Furman's defense didn't expose the end zone. They return their same QB tandem, but, I think, are going to have to vastly elevate their play in Greenville.
@ETSU (W) - The Bucs are a bit of an enigma. Won the SoCon title two years ago. Finished last in 2019. They were still respectable on defense in 2019, but have graduated a few of their best players. They still feature two excellent running backs. I expect a scrappy team that Furman will need to put away late. Like VMI, I think the Bucs can hang around if you let them.
UTC (W) - I think this will be Furman's toughest test. The Mocs are well coached and sound defensively. They'll return most of their offense and nearly all of the offensive line. They have an excellent RB in Ford and WR in Nunnelly. QB is still a question mark. They looked good in their lone fall game against Western Kentucky (an FBS school) and should have beaten them. I would expect a four quarter fight.
@Mercer (W) - Cronic will have this team heading in the right direction, but I don't think he inherited a lot of depth from Lamb. I watched some of their games this fall. They look more disciplined, especially on defense, but are still a mixed bag at QB. I'd put Mercer in the same bag as teams like Samford and WCU right now. In a rebuilding season, we will be their biggest game and certainly biggest home game. They'll be up for knocking us off.
@the Citadel (W) - The Citadel on the road is always tricky. They run a unique offense and have essentially two playmakers on offense and a stud on defense we have to deal with. Last year's game was an abomination and easily the worst I've seen Furman play under Hendrix. If Furman plays it's game, we're the better team. Like WCU, they lost to a not-great Eastern Kentucky team at home. Under Thompson, though, the Bulldogs are typically good to upset at least one team a year. Last year it was us. This year let's make it not us.
Wofford (W) - The Terriers have been the final boss for Furman in its push back to national relevancy. They lost a ton of players off last year's team (something like nine of eleven starters on offense) and we are really going to see how Conklin and his staff handles the first season where most of Mike Ayers players are finally gone. Lot of unknowns for Wofford this year, but we'll see them in Greenville, we'll have just seen an option team, and we will know a great deal more about them by the season's last game.
There it is - a not-terribly-common 8-0 SoCon season en route to a playoff seed. Don't disappoint me.
Remember - there really is no backdoor for the SoCon this season. Win the conference, or go home. Every game is monumentally important. No off days.
