The Paladins must be thinking the regular season is a waste of time. The 2017 season started with two losses; a one point road loss to Wofford and a three point home loss to Elon. The First Round saw Furman send Elon packing. Now they get the SoCon champions, Wofford again. Unfortunately, they don’t get this one at home, they have to pound the asphalt again. Life in the Carolinas though, doesn’t lead to overly long trips, just curvy ones. Being conference foes, they see each other every year, so there’s likely no real surprises. Remember that Furman is a very disciplined team. They’re the least penalized team in FCS and they’re one of the most efficient 3rd down and red zone teams offensively. A lot can be said for a team who makes the most of their opportunities.
Wofford knows as well as anyone how good Furman is. You wonder if they’d just as soon played Elon? They probably never admit it publicly, but teams like Furman are no fun to play. Having sat this last week, you know the Terriers potent run game will be strapped in and raring to go. The season finale at South Carolina had to leave a bad taste in their mouth. Despite it being a loss to a Southeastern Conference/FBS team, 31-10 is not what they built their season on. With eight of their eleven game decided by a touchdown or less, you know this one is going into the fourth quarter too.
This is a tough game to call. The week off only helps with health for Wofford. There’s no new gadget play or formation to unleash and they’ve got all the film on Furman before the playoffs began. Competitive, close rivals make for interesting playoff match-ups for those watching, but anguish for those coaching and playing.
Projection: Wofford 20, Furman 17
