Full Game Notes (pdf)

This week’s game
The Terriers will travel to Furman on Saturday for the final game of the 2009 season ... Wofford is entering the game following a 27-24 loss to Samford at home ... Furman won 30-22 at Georgia Southern on Saturday ... The two teams played the first football game in the state of South Carolina on December 14, 1889 ... Wofford has the nation’s best rushing attack and are tied for fourth in the country in sacks allowed  ... Furman is first in the conference in net punting and the total defense is 116th in the nation... Injuries have been taking their toll on the Terriers this season and as a result Wofford has had 35 different players earn starts this season ... The Terriers are not ranked and the Paladins are receiving votes in the Sports Network Poll.

About Wofford
Wofford is 3-7 in the 2009 season and 2-5 in the Southern Conference with a loss at the University of South Florida, a win at home against Charleston Southern and a loss at Wisconsin in non-conference play. In the league, Wofford has losses to Chattanooga, Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Elon and Samford, plus wins over Western Carolina and The Citadel. Wofford returned 44 letterwinners from last season, including four offensive starters, five defensive starters and three specialists.  In addition, three other players with at least two starts return for Wofford. Wofford runs the wingbone offense, led by sophomore quarterback Mitch Allen and backs Mike Rucker and Sean Lees. The rushing offense is first in the nation with 273.10 yards per game, but the passing offense is next to last in the NCAA. The multiple defense is led by first team All-SoCon defensive lineman Mitch Clark and senior linebacker Gary Blount. Wofford had five players named to the Preseason All-SoCon Team. OL Pat Illig and DL Mitch Clark earned first team honors, while OL Trey Johnson, LB Gary Blount, DL Eric Eberhardt and DB Mychael Johnson were named to the second team. The Terriers were picked to finish second in the Southern Conference by the coaches and third by the media in the 2009 Preseason Polls.

About Furman
Furman is 5-5 on the season and 4-3 in Southern Conference play after a win over Georgia Southern last Saturday. Head Coach Bobby Lamb is in his eighth season as head coach with a 61-34 overall record at his alma mater.  The Paladins return 46 lettermen and 13 starters from the 2008 season in which the team posted a 7-5 record. They were 4-4 in SoCon play to finish tied for fourth. On offense, they are led by quarterback Jordan Sorrells who has 2065 passing yards on 187-of-298 with 15 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. He is fourth in the conference in total offense. Running back Tersoo Uhaa leads the team and is ninth in the SoCon with 497 yards on 119 carries with twelve touchdowns. Adam Mims is the leading receiver with 67 catches for 779 yards and three touchdowns to rank third in the conference in receiving yards per game. On defense, Kadarron Anderson leads the team with 119 tackles with six tackles for loss. Chris Wiley leads the team with two sacks, as the Paladins only have seven sacks on the season. Ryan Steed has four interceptions which is fourth in the conference.

The Furman Series
Wofford and Furman have faced each other 82 times, with Furman holding a 49-26-7 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 7-2-1 in games played at Paladin Stadium and are 30-9-5 in all games played in Greenville. Last season, Wofford defeated Furman 35-10 at Gibbs Stadium to win back-to-back games against the Paladins for the first time since a three-game stretch in 1969-71.

Wofford-Furman Last Year
Wofford defeated Furman 35-10 on November 22 at Gibbs Stadium. The Terrier defense stopped the Paladins on fourth down five times and Ben Widmyer scored two rushing touchdowns and added a passing touchdown for Wofford. Wofford was led by Dane Romero with 97 yards and one touchdown, while Ben Widmyer had 80 yards rushing with two touchdowns, plus 125 yards and a touchdown passing. The Wofford defense had two sacks and Jason Leventis led the team with nine tackles. Furman was led by Jordan Sorrells with 226 yards on 25-of-39 passing.
    Furman scored first on the opening possession of the game when Brantley Kendall went in from one-yard out. After trading punts, Wofford scored on a five-yard run by Dane Romero. Following a Furman punt, the Terriers drove 80 yards with a drive capped by a 19-yard run by Ben Widmyer. The Wofford defense stopped Furman on fourth down deep in Terrier territory and then drove 97 yards for a touchdown by Andy Strickland. Furman added a field goal for a 21-10 halftime score. In the second half, Wofford added touchdowns by Mike Rucker and Ben Widmyer as the Terrier defense Furman to turn the ball over on downs on all four drives in the second half.

Terrier Top Ten
Here are the top ten notes of interest heading into the Furman game:
    • The Terriers are first in the nation in rushing with 273.10 yards per game in 2009
    • Fourteen players made their first career starts at South Florida and a total of 22 players have            marked their first career starts this season
    • The Terriers have had only twelve players start all ten games this season
    • Linebacker Keaton Thompson has a tackle for loss in seven straight games
    • Wofford has six players among the top 23 rushers in the conference
    • The Terriers have been led in tackles by six different players in the ten games this season
    • Mike Rucker is second all-time in kickoff return yards with 1,870 and second in kickoff
       returns with 82
    • Wofford leads the SoCon in rushing and kickoff returns
    • The two FBS teams Wofford played this season, Wisconsin and South Florida, both were
       ranked in the USA Today Top 25 last week and the Badgers are now 14th
    • The offensive line is tied for fourth in the nation in fewest sacks allowed

Injury Update
Wofford opened the season without running back Jeremy Marshall, who is still recovering from a knee injury suffered in the 2008 Appalachian State game. Freshmen HB Cody Burris (clavicle) and TE Kenny Barnes (knee) will also miss the season after injuries in August camp. LB Ricco Braxton (knee, out for season), FB Eric Breitenstein (knee, out for season), HB Derek Boyce (knee, out for season), Hunter Hobson (knee, out for season), LB Mark Flott (knee, out for season), HB Lavadrick Farrar (concussion), HB Brad Nocek (foot, out for season), LB Sam Johnson (foot) and LB Mike Niam (knee, out for season) were out of the Samford game due to injury. During Samford game, LB Gary Blount (ankle) was injured, but is expected to play this week and Mitch Clark (ankle) re-injured his ankle after starting the game.