Complete Game Notes (pdf)
This week’s game
The Terriers will host Furman in the final regular season game of 2008 for both teams. For Wofford, a win will solidify chances for a bid to the NCAA Playoffs for the second straight season. However, Furman comes in with wins in seven of the last nine contests against the Terriers. The game will be the 82nd meeting between the two teams, who met in the first college football game in South Carolina in 1889. Wofford faced Samford on Saturday and came away with a 28-7 win to improved to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference. Furman suffered a tough 17-10 loss at home to Georgia Southern last week and are 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the Southern Conference. The game will feature Wofford’s rushing offense, which is ranked first in the nation, but Furman is third in the conference in scoring defense. In the Sports Network Poll the Terriers are ninth, and in the FCS Coaches Poll the Terriers are ranked tenth. Wofford was picked to finish third in the conference by the SoCon Coaches. Furman has begun the season 7-4 overall and are 4-3 in the conference. They were picked to finish fifth in the preseason by the SoCon Coaches. Currently Furman is ranked 20th in the Sports Network Poll and 23rd in the FCS Coaches Poll.
About Wofford
Wofford enters the final game of the regular season 8-2 overall, with wins over Presbyterian, Charleston Southern, Georgia Southern, Chattanooga, Western Carolina, Elon, The Citadel and Samford. Losses were to South Carolina and Appalachian State. The Terriers have a 6-1 record in the Southern Conference and are locked in second place. After twelve weeks of the season, Wofford has the nation’s top-ranked rushing offense at 346.30 yards per game and the second ranked total offense in the nation with 473.70 average yards. The scoring offense is ninth in the nation, while the passing efficiency is fourth in the country. The rushing defense is 27th in the nation, allowing only 113.10 average yards, and the turnover margin is 12th in the nation. The Terriers are the 2008 defending Southern Conference Champions. Wofford returns 43 letterwinners from last season, including six offensive starters, four defensive starters and two specialists. In addition, six other players with at least two starts return for Wofford. Wofford finished the 2007 season 9-4 and were 5-2 in the Southern Conference. Wofford runs the wingbone offense, led by senior quarterback Ben Widmyer. The multiple defense is led by first team All-SoCon linebacker Seth Goldwire.
About Furman
Furman comes into this week with a 7-4 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the Southern Conference. They have wins over Mars Hill, Colgate, Delaware, Chattanooga, Western Carolina, The Citadel and Samford to go with losses to Elon, Appalachian State, Virginia Tech and Georgia Southern. Last season they finished 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the Southern Conference to tied for third place. Head Coach Bobby Lamb is in his seventh season in Greenville and has a 56-28 overall record. The Paladins return 10 starters from last year and 39 overall lettermen. Furman runs a multiple offense that features junior quarterback Jordan Sorrells and a 4-3defense anchored by Preseason All-Southern Conference defensive backs Thomas Twitty and William Middleton.
The Furman Series
Wofford and Furman have faced each other 81 times, with Furman holding a 49-25-7 lead in the series. In the first game played in the state of South Carolina, Wofford won 5-1 over Furman in 1889. Furman leads 8-2 in games played at Gibbs Stadium and is 19-16-2 in all games played in Spartanburg. Last season, Wofford defeated Furman 45-20 in Greenville. The Terriers have not defeated Furman in back-to-back seasons since 1970 and 1971, which was part of a six-game winning streak for Wofford. The last time the Terriers defeated the Paladins at Gibbs Stadium was in 1998.
Terrier Top Five
Here are the top five notes of interest heading into the Furman game:
• The offensive line has allowed only three sacks all season, best in the NCAA FCS
• Dane Romero leads the Southern Conference and is tied for fifth in the nation in scoring; he
also needs only 106 yards to reach 1,000 in a season for the first time
• Wofford is 6-1 in the SoCon and will finish second
• The Terriers have the nation’s top rushing offense at 346.30 ypg
• Wofford is first or second in the conference in eight stat categories, including sacks
Saying Good-Bye
The Furman game will be the final home game for 18 Wofford seniors. The group includes Fenn Allen, Layton Baker, Travis Boyd, Greg Gasparato, Seth Goldwire, Jason Leventis, Ben Miller, James Mitchell, Patrick Mugan, Matt Norcia, Brent Owen, Ben Quick, Dane Romero, Aaron Scott, Andy Strickland, Ben Widmyer, Derek Wooten and Ryan Young. Over their four seasons, Wofford has 30-15 overall record. They won the 2007 Southern Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.
Injury Update
Wofford opened the season without punter Chris Tommie (knee), offensive lineman Grant Duren (leg) and tight end Joseph Inman (knee). All three players are expected to take a medical redshirt and return in 2009. Players that will miss the remainder of the season due to injuries include running back Sean Lees (right knee), running back Matthew Boggs (left knee), safety Trey Diller (pelvis) and running back Jeremy Marshall (right knee). Players injured in The Citadel game included Blake Beeler (concussion) and Jonathan Sharpe (knee), both of whom missed the Samford game. There were no significant injuries in the Samford game.
Wofford in the national rankings
With one week to go in the regular season, the Terriers are looking good in the national rankings. The rushing offense leads the nation at 346.30 yards per game and the total offense of 473.70 yards per game is second. The rushing defense is 27th and the passing efficiency is fourth in the nation. Wofford is twelfth in the nation with a +1.00 turnover margin. The defense is fifth in the nation with 3.20 sacks per game, while the offense is first in the nation with just .30 sacks allowed per game. Dane Romero is 33rd in the nation with 89.40 rushing yards per game and Ben Widmyer is 69th with 62.20 yards per game. Romero is tied for fifth in the nation with 10.80 points per game, while Patrick Mugan is 54th with 6.80 points per game. Mike Rucker is 44th in the nation in all-purpose yards per game at 121.90. Seth Goldwire is 76th in the nation with an average of 8.00 tackles per game. Mitch Clark is tied for 12th in the nation with 0.80 sacks per game.
