Back to back wins has our Clemson Tigers football team one win away from going bowling.
It wasn’t pretty last Friday night in Louisville, but the Tigers did just enough to beat Louisville. I thought this was a great win because of just how bad the Cards beat Clemson last season. That game a year ago was the furthest thing from a competitive match-up.
Last Friday was a battle, but one that our Tigers gutted out regardless of trying to give the game away late.
Senior Day in Death Valley awaits us on Saturday afternoon. In the bitter-sweet annual occurrence, the Tigers will take on the Furman Paladins in the home finale.
Here is a look at everything you will need to know about the Tiger’s Week 13 Opponent, the Furman Paladins:
Furman Paladins
School Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Game Location: Clemson Memorial Stadium
Time: Saturday 11/22 4:30PM; The CW
2025 Record – 6-5; (4-4 Southern Conference)
Wins Against: William & Mary; Campbell; Samford; East Tennessee State; The Citadel; VMI
Losses against: Presbyterian; Western Carolina; Wofford; Mercer; Chattanooga
Head Coach: Clay Hendrix – 9th Season
Coach Hendrix coaches Furman like a man who still believes football should be played with grit, heart, and maybe a little Appalachian stubbornness. His teams are disciplined, annoyingly well-drilled, and built around a run game fueled by fundamentals and sheer willpower. Hendrix loves developing tough linemen, leaning on their fundamentals, and turning overlooked recruits into successful Paladin football players. And every season, Furman plays with that familiar “don’t forget about us” chip on their shoulder. He isn’t flashy, but he’s steady, smart, and keeps the Paladins punching above their weight with a brand of football that feels both old-school and quietly dangerous.
Offense
Offensive Coordinators: Drew Dudzik (Passing Game) – 4th Season; Matt McCutchan (Running Game) – 2nd Season
Coaches Drew Dudzik and Matt McCutchan are basically the offensive Odd Couple of Furman football, and somehow it works. Dudzik runs the passing game like a guy who secretly believes every play could be a breakout chunk play. His routes are sharp, his timing is crisp, and he loves giving quarterbacks just enough freedom to feel dangerous without actually scaring the coaching staff. McCutchan, meanwhile, treats the run game like a blue-collar art form as he’s an offensive line coach by trade. He builds it on toughness, pad level, and the belief that there is no problem in life that a well-blocked A-gap dive can’t fix. Together, they make Furman’s offense balanced, creative, and a whole lot of fun.
Furman has averaged 25.7 points in their eleven games on the season (61st – FCS) with 104.5 yards rushing per game (113th – FCS) and 254.4 yards through the air (19th – FCS) for a total of 358.9 yards of offense per game through eleven games (68th – FCS)
Here is a look at the projected starters for the Furman Paladins from their released depth chart as well as their 2025 statistics through their eleven games:
| Quarterback | Trey Hedden | Sophomore | #8 | 265-381; 69.5%, 2788 yds, 16 TDs, 12 Ints | |
| Running Back | CJ Nettles | Freshman | #26 | 81 attempts; 357 yds, 2 TDs | 12 catches, 61 yds |
| Wide Receiver | Evan James | Freshman | #16 | 5 attempts; 51 yds, TD | 59 catches, 760 yds, 6 TDs |
| Wide Receiver | Kerry King | Graduate | #7 | 37 catches, 334 yds, TD | |
| Wide Receiver | Ja’Keith Hamilton | RS Sophomore | #9 | 38 catches, 521 yds, 5 TDs | |
| Tight End | Joshua Burrell | Graduate | #11 | 32 catches, 251 yds, 2 TDs | |
| Left Tackle | Davis Watson | Graduate | #75 | ||
| Left Guard | Luke Petit | RS Senior | #51 | ||
| Center | Chris Luna | RS Sophomore | #72 | ||
| Right Guard | Ryan Lamb | RS Senior | #79 | ||
| Right Tackle | Jaydon Collins | Graduate | #77 |
Defense
Defensive Coordinator: Duane Vaughn – 13th Season
Coach Vaughn runs the Furman defense like a guy who wakes up every morning choosing chaos in the best possible way. His units are fast, aggressive, and play with a kind of swagger that suggests they genuinely enjoy ruining an opposing coordinator’s Saturday. Vaughn mixes pressure and discipline, turning overlooked defenders into really good FCS defenders. The Paladins fly around, hit hard, and always look like they’re having way too much fun making offenses uncomfortable.
The Furman defense has given up 29.7 points through their eleven games (87th – FCS). They have given up an average of 171.3 yards on the ground (84th – FCS) and 239.7 yards through the air (93rd – FCS). The Paladins are giving up a total of 411 yards thus far (96th – FCS).
Here is a look at the projected starters for the Paladins on defense along with stats from the their eleven games:
| Defensive End | Joshua Stoneking | RS Sophomore | #95 | 73 tackles, 20 TFLs, 13.5 sacks, 2 FFs |
| Nose Guard | Ty Kauserud | Sophomore | #0 | 8 tackles |
| Defensive Tackle | Demetrius Baldwin | RS Freshman | #94 | 28 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, sack |
| Bandit End | Tanner Schuck | RS Sophomore | #41 | 40 tackles, 3 TFLs, sack |
| Inside Linebacker | Raleigh Herbert | RS Sophomore | #24 | 69 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, Int, FR |
| Inside Linebacker | Luke McLaughlin | RS Senior | #23 | 65 tackles, TFL, sack |
| Cornerback | Jordan Miller | RS Freshman | #18 | 26 tackles, Int, FF, TD |
| Safety | AK Burrell | RS Sophomore | #3 | 49 tackles, 3 TFLs, Int |
| Safety | Billy Lewis | RS Sophomore | #21 | 63 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 Ints, FR |
| Safety | Taylen Blaylock | Graduate | #1 | 73 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 Ints |
| Cornerback | Eddie Jackson III | Junior | #15 | 10 tackles, TFL |
Special Teams
Here is a list of the specialists for the Paladins along with statistics from the 2025 Season:
| Kicker | Ian Williams | Graduate | #83 | 10-16; long of 51 yds |
| Punter | Ian Williams | Graduate | #83 | 44.4 yd avg; long of 66 yds |
| Punt Returner | Taylen Blaylock | Graduate | #1 | 7.9 yd avg; long of 35 yds |
| Kick Returner | Devin Hester, Jr. | Sophomore | #19 | 22.8 yd avg; long of 75 yds |
Turnovers
Furman is Minus-3 (-3) in turnover margin on the season, having lost 5 fumbles and having thrown 13 interceptions. They have forced 3 opponent fumbles so far while intercepting 8 opponent passes. Furman has 18 turnovers to their opponents 11 through 11 games.
Summary
The Tigers rough season has been on the up-tick the last two weeks. With bowl eligibility on the line this weekend in the Valley, the fans should be excited at the prospect of a post-season for this group of seniors.
There won’t be a national championship run for this group, but I believe this team will be looked at fondly going forward from the way they dealt with adversity. The results are not what the fans wanted, but we must take the positives where we can find them. Winning four in a row to end the season would be a great start!
Enjoy the game. Beat the Paladins!
Let’s go. Spot the ball!
Go Tigers!
