Furman at South Carolina State FCS Football 2013 Playoffs 1st Round Game Breakdown
Furman at South Carolina State, Saturday, 1:00
If you follow the playoff bracket, this game’s winner advances to play the top overall seed. This could lead some to believe that these two Palmetto State teams are among the worst teams in the bracket, but this is not the case. The Paladins travel to Orangeburg having won four consecutive games, and they will meet a Bulldog club who has also won four straight. Furman quarterback Reese Hannon threw for a career best 326 yards against Wofford this past weekend, but will face a tremendous South Carolina State pass defense. This puts a lot of pressure on all-around Paladin star Hank McCloud, who tallied over 1,000 rushing yards and 1,650 all-purpose yards. McCloud will face the top-ranked rush defense in the FCS. The Bulldogs allow just under 80 yards per game on the ground. SC State is not the flashiest offense in the FCS -- scoring aside -- but does feature its share of veteran leadership. Redshirt senior Richard Cue and senior wideout Tyler McDonald have hooked up for half of Cue’s 14 touchdown strikes through the air. Cue is also a dual threat, rushing for well over three yards per carry and five touchdowns. Backup quarterback Adrian Kollock has also become a threat for the Bulldogs of late, rushing six times for 26 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ 17-3 victory over Norfolk State last weekend.
To further underscore how evenly matched these two teams find themselves, one need only look at both teams’ results against their lone common opponent. Both teams played Big South champion Coastal Carolina early in the season -- SCSU in week one, Furman in week two -- with both losing by a touchdown. SCSU lost 27-20 in Orangeburg, while Furman lost 35-28 on Coastal’s home field in Conway. This game has all the makings of being decided in the last minute, with a trip to Fargo to take on top-ranked North Dakota State serving as the “reward” for whichever team emerges victorious.
Projected Score: Furman 20, SC State 17
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