Furman - The Battle for Purple Supremacy

No. 4 Furman at No. 8 Western Carolina

Huge SoCon title and seed implications in this one. The winner has a nice path to a Top 4 playoff seed if they go on to handle business, finish unbeaten vs. the FCS, and own 2-3 ranked wins.

My gut was telling me Furman earlier this week. My thinking was the Paladins will be more ready for the moment with a veteran squad that is used to high rankings and games with big implications. And I thought Furman could grind down WCU’s defense and control the clock and tempo of the game.

I’ve since changed my mind. Furman may be able to find success on the ground with Tyler Huff and Dominic Roberto. But I don’t know if it can keep pace with WCU.

The Catamounts are scoring 41.3 points per game, passing for 309.8 yards a game and rushing for 222. Cole Gonzales is lighting it up at QB with great weapons like Censere Lee and PFF’s top FCS WR AJ Colombo. But the ground game is excellent as well. Desmond Reid, who is listed No. 1 on the depth chart after leaving the game two weeks ago with an injury, is a top RB in the FCS with 847 rushing yards and 10 TDs. An unheralded part of WCU is a great offensive line that is graded as PFF’s 11th-best run-blocking unit in the FCS.

The OL goes:
6’6″ 315 lbs
6’5″ 320 lbs
6’2″ 295 lbs
6’2″ 330 lbs
6’8″ 310 lbs

Couple that offensive firepower with what should be an electric home environment, and beating WCU on the road will just be too big of an uphill battle for Furman.

Prediction: WCU 35-31