# 2023 Furman Paladins football team

The 2023 Furman Paladins football team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Paladins were led by seventh-year head coach Clay Hendrix and played their home games at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina. The Furman Paladins football team drew an average home attendance of 10,467 in 2023.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | Tennessee Tech* | No. 6 | Paladin StadiumGreenville, SC | ESPN+ | W 45–10 | 9,827 |
| September 9 | 7:30 p.m. | at South Carolina* | No. 6 | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN+/ESPN+ | L 21–47 | 78,281 |
| September 16 | 5:00 p.m. | at Kennesaw State* | No. 7 | Fifth Third Bank StadiumKennesaw, GA | ESPN+ | W 31–28 | 6,993 |
| September 23 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 21 Mercer | No. 8 | Paladin StadiumGreenville, SC | ESPN+ | W 38–14 | 9,387 |
| October 7 | 2:00 p.m. | The Citadel | No. 5 | Paladin StadiumGreenville, SC | ESPN+ | W 28–14 | 12,157 |
| October 14 | 1:00 p.m. | at Samford | No. 5 | Pete Hanna StadiumHomewood, AL | ESPN+ | W 27–21 | 5,908 |
| October 21 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 8 Western Carolina | No. 4 | Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, NC | ESPN+ | W 29–17 | 10,736 |
| October 28 | 2:00 p.m. | East Tennessee State | No. 3 | Paladin StadiumGreenville, SC | ESPN+ | W 16–8 | 11,237 |
| November 4 | 1:30 p.m. | at No. 14 Chattanooga | No. 2 | Finley StadiumChattanooga, TN | ESPN+ | W 17–14 | 9,201 |
| November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | VMI | No. 2 | Paladin StadiumGreenville, SC | ESPN+ | W 37–3 | 9,277 |
| November 18 | 12:00 p.m. | at Wofford | No. 2 | Gibbs StadiumSpartanburg, SC | ESPN+ | L 13–19 | 3,722 |
| December 2 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 18 Chattanooga* | No. 7 | Paladin StadiumGreenville, SC (NCAA Division I Second Round) | ESPN+ | W 26–7 | 7,118 |
| December 8 | 9:00 p.m. | at No. 2 Montana* | No. 7 | Washington-Grizzly StadiumMissoula, MT (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal) | ESPN2 | L 28–35 $^{OT}$ | 20,884 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at South Carolina (FBS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Furman | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| South Carolina (FBS) | 7 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 47 |
at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina
* Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: SE 5 mph
* Game attendance: 78,281
* Referee: -
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | FU | SC |
| First downs | 16 | 25 |
| Total yards | 65–323 | 77–571 |
| Rushing yards | 31–80 | 39–108 |
| Passing yards | 243 | 463 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–34–1 | 32–38–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:07 | 31:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Furman | Passing | Tyler Huff | 14/24, 129 yards, TD, INT |
| Furman | Rushing | Jayquan Smith | 8 carries, 30 yards |
| Furman | Receiving | Joshua Harris | 6 receptions, 73 yards |
| South Carolina | Passing | Spencer Rattler | 25/27, 345 yards, 3 TD |
| South Carolina | Rushing | Dakereon Joyner | 11 carries, 42 yards, TD |
| South Carolina | Receiving | Xavier Legette | 6 receptions, 118 yards, TD |