Front Porch Football

Wofford vs Furman 2019 Preview

by Joe James, Guest Writer

Showdown in the Upstate. The Battle of I-85. The Old South’s REAL Oldest Rivalry. The One Game Season. Whatever you want to call it, Furman and Wofford are facing off on the gridiron as they did 130 years ago. This time, a Southern Conference title and playoff position is on the line. The winner gets hardware. As if Wofford vs Furman need any more excitement to it.

Furman’s trying to leave No Doubt.

Last season, the Paladins finished the season 6-4, including winning six of their last seven games. One of their games, against future-playoff-seed Colgate, was canceled, leaving the Paladins with less of an opportunity to strengthen their resume. 

The playoff committee passed on them, and ever since then, the Paladins have played by the motto of “Leave No Doubt.” They don’t want to leave their playoff hopes in the hands of a committee. They want the automatic bid, and they’ve been working for this opportunity for almost a year.

Through eight FCS games, Furman has beaten seven of their eight opponents by an average margin of 27 points. More impressive, they played two FBS teams, Virginia Tech and Georgia State, led them by two scores at certain points, and only lost to those teams by seven points or less.

Led by two redshirt freshmen quarterbacks, a running back fast approaching the century mark, a veteran offensive line, and a suffocating defense that sometimes bends but almost never breaks, the Paladins are coming to Spartanburg looking for their first unshared Southern Conference title since 1990 and to clinch their first playoff seed since 2004.

Wofford’s Seeking Redemption

A few weeks ago I wrote a piece for Front Porch Football, which documented how Wofford has turned around their season this year. After beginning the year with a disappointing 0-2 start, the two-time defending Socon champions have won six consecutive FCS games by an average of 26 points. The Terriers have done it by getting a little better each week, improving weaknesses, and slowly progressing into an offense that can pass the ball.