FURMAN
Last season: 8-5 (6-2 SoCon), lost 28-10 to Wofford in the second round of the FCS playoffsSeason opener: Sept. 1 at ClemsonDate against UTC: Nov. 3 in Greenville, S.C., 1 p.m.COMING FRIDAY: East Tennessee State
Furman players celebrate after intercepting a pass during their game against UTC at Finley Stadium last October.Furman’s football team was a little bit ahead of coach Clay Hendrix’s schedule in 2017.
The former Paladin wanted to be competitive in his first season back with the program, but he had no more specific expectations. It certainly didn’t help that the Paladins started off 0-3, although two of those losses were by a total of four points to eventual Southern Conference champion Wofford and Elon, which wound up making the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs out of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Furman’s coaches continued to sell the players on doing things their way, hoping for a breakthrough. It eventually came, and the Paladins went 8-2 the rest of the way, losing to Wofford in the second round of the playoffs.
For a proud program with a national championship on its résumé, the turnaround was a positive step.