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New coach trying to restore Furman’s winning culture

UTC's Alejandro Bennifield is tackled by Furman's Carl Rider at Finley Stadium on Saturday, October 10, 2015.
UTC's Alejandro Bennifield is tackled by Furman's Carl Rider at Finley Stadium on Saturday, October 10, 2015. UTC's Alejandro Bennifield is tackled by Furman's Carl Rider at Finley Stadium on Saturday, October 10, 2015.

By Gene Henley 5 min read

FURMAN

› 2016 record: 3-8, 3-5 in SoCon› Season opener: Sept. 2 at Wofford› Date against UTC: Oct. 7 in Chattanooga, 4 p.m.› Projected order of finish (coaches/media): 7/6› Coming Monday: Mercer

Clay Hendrix remembers the culture from his time as both a player and a coach at Furman.

So when he got an opportunity this offseason to become the new head coach at the Greenville, S.C., university, he jumped on it with intentions of bringing back a similar culture.

A much easier early-season schedule than the Paladins had last year should help.

They finished last season 3-8, with all wins coming in Southern Conference play. They started the season 0-6, with losses to then-ranked Football Bowl Subdivision team Michigan State and then The Citadel, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina, Kennesaw State and Samford – all teams that spent at least one week in the Football Championship Subdivision Top 25 last season.