Furman Football 2014 Spring Preview: The Defense

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Furman Defensive Backs Jairus Hollman and Reggie Thomas Celebrate Big Play Against Wofford

GREENVILLE, S.C.-Just like any football program, a successful season is usually dependent upon whether or not the program can field a defense worthy of putting it in position to win a championship. 

Although Furman’s defense did not show up as a dominant defense statistically last fall–ranking 44th in scoring defense (24.3 PPG), 75th in total defense (404.6 YPG), 89th in rush defense (197.0 YPG) and 44th against the pass (204.6 YPG)–but you have to only glance at one number that tells the story of Furman’s defense in 2013, and that number is turnover margin (+0.9).

The Paladins finished the 2013 campaign finishing the season ranked ninth nationally last fall, causing 28 turnovers, while surrendering only 12 .

The 28 turnovers were among the most created in program history, and helped a team that were ranked just 3-5 entering the final month of the regular season into one of the most exciting in program history.

With 10 starters back, the Paladins have plenty of expectations entering the 2014 season, as the Paladins look to have one of the nation’s best defenses.

Great Defenses of the Past:

One of the real anomalies of Furman football is the 2003 season, which saw the Paladins finish ranked in the top five nationally in total defense, posting one of the best units in school history that season, but despite that success, the Paladins finished just 6-5 and well out of the Southern Conference title and NCAA FCS Playoff races.

Former Furman Defensive Back T.J. Wilson (1999-2002)

The Paladins posted a highly-ranked pass defense, but the statistic was a bit deceiving sense most of the league had run-dominated offenses, Furman’s defense that season had the likes of linebacker Mike Killian, safety Cam Newton and cornerback Paul Billingsley.

The Paladins also had some of the nation’s top defenses in the late 1980’s, including that ’88 title team, which saw the Paladins rank among the nation’s best in total defense and scoring defense. A year later, the Paladins posted the best defensive unit in school history, and some would even say the best team in the history of Furman football.

The Paladins turned in impressive numbers at the beginning of the new millennium, as the ’01 defense, which featured do-everything linebacker Will Bouton helped the Paladins rank tenth nationally at season’s end in total defense (220.7 YPG). The Paladins would make it all the way to the NCAA Division I-AA Title game before losing, 13-6, to Montana.

Among the memorable performances that season included Furman’s school-record nine sacks in a second round playoff win over Lehigh, and followed that performance by an even more impressive performance in the Division I-AA Semifinals, holding Georgia Southern to just 279 yards on the ground, which was the lowest an FCS opponent had limited the Eagles to in the Paul Johnson era (1997-2001), while limiting Adrian Peterson to less than 100 yards for just the second time in his career, limiting the senior FCS all-time leading rusher to a career-low 68 yards on 18 carries.

The challenge for the Paladin defense this fall will be living up to the lofty expectations that it enters the season with, which is bolstered by the fact that three of the top offenses with each passing season since 2007 have moved on to different conferences.

Previewing the 2014 Furman Defense:

The Paladins will miss its lone two starters it had to bid farewell to from last season, as both starters that have departed the Paladin defense come from the secondary, in both cornerback Austin Williams and safety Greg Worthy.

Both were experienced leaders on the defensive side of the ball last season, and Worthy seemingly could make plays when the Paladin defense needed them the most, including in the regular-season finale against Wofford, as his forced fumble helped change the complexion of a game that saw the Paladins trailing, 14-0, to the visiting Terriers.

Furman All-SoCon Nickelback Jairus Hollman

The Paladins have plenty of playmakers on the defensive side of the ball returning to help compensate for the loss of the All-SoCon safety Worthy, and in many ways, the 2013 season reminded a lot of the 1999 season, which saw the likes of Walter Booth and John Keith anchoring the Furman defensive unit.

The Paladins ranked an identical 75th nationally in total defense (375.8 YPG) and posted an eerily near identical +0.91 in turnover margin to finish 16th nationally at season’s end.

Adding to those similarities was the fact that the Paladins weren’t all that highly thought of coming into the 1999 season, with the consensus projections for the Paladins being a middle-of-the-pack finisher in the league.

But the Paladins were young on defense, and outside of Booth and Keith, the Paladins graduated just one other starter from that ’99 unit entering the 2000 season, which was linebacker Marion Martin.

The 2000 team, like the ’14 Paladins, returned 17 starters from that breakthrough season of ’99.

One of the luxuries the Paladins will have in 2014 is having Shawn Boone (10 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack) back on the defensive line.

Boone missed the nearly the entire 2013 season with a torn ACL, which he suffered during practice in the week leading up to the home opener  against Presbyterian. The senior is one of the few remaining players brought in by Bobby Lamb.

Boone would burst onto the scene from the outset, becoming a key player on the Paladin defense as a true freshman, garnering SoCon All-Freshman honors. He helped get Furman back into the game against 13th-ranked South Carolina, batting a Stephen Garcia pass high into the hair on a short screen pass to the perimeter, however, Boone’s activity not only preventing the potentially big play from happening, it also got the Paladins into the end zone, as he caught his own deflected pass and proceeded to get to the end zone from two yards to record the “pick six.”

Boone is an All-SoCon caliber defensive end, and is one of the more athletically gifted members of that Paladin defensive line. In his Paladin career, Boone has been an integral part of the Furman defense during his career, having posted a total of 8.5 sacks in his Furman career.

Boone isn’t the only player to be excited about on the defensive line this fall, as the Paladins also return defensive end Gary Wilkins (79 tackles, 13 TFL, 5.5 Sacks, 4 PBU, 1 INT, 1 TD in ’13), who garnered All-SoCon honors last fall, and will be one of the ringleaders of the Paladin defense entering the 2014. The senior linebacker-turned-defensive lineman had a huge 2013 campaign, leading all Paladin defensive linemen in tackles last season.

Wilkins is one of the most athletic players on the Furman defense, and no one will soon forget his 98-yard interception return for a score in the Paladins’ 27-10 win over Appalachian State last season, changing the complexion of that football game in the second quarter. Wilkins has the size and speed to be a significant pass-rush threat heading into his final season as a Paladin, and will contend for All-Southern Conference honors once again this fall, as well as All-America honors.

Furman’s talent doesn’t end with the bookend tandem of Wilkins and Boone, either. The defensive tackle and nose guard positions should be as strong a position along the Furman defensive front as it has been in quite sometime. The tandem of Jordan Hawkins (22 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 Sack) and John Mackey (58 tackles, 4 TFL) will comprise the two defensive interior positions heading into the campaign.

Hawkins was one of Furman’s top signees from the 2013 class, and he expected to redshirt this season, but he was forced into action after Boone’s season came to an abrupt end in practice leading up to the game with PC, and he moved on to the defensive interior for the Paladins, while Ira McCune (47 tackles, 8 TFL, 2.5 Sacks, 4 FR) moved from defensive tackle to defensive end.

Furman Senior Defensive End Ira McCune

Hawkins enjoyed several strong performances for the Paladins last season, including a big game in Furman’s road loss at Chattanooga, registering three tackles, a sack and caused a fumble in the road loss. Hawkins recorded a season-high four tackles in his first start as a Division I college football player, recording four tackles in the Paladins’ win over PC.

McCune will remain at defensive end this fall, likely serving as a reserve along the defensive front. He started his junior season as one of the Paladins’ defensive tackles, however, he moved to defensive end after Boone’s injury, and would remain there for the remainder of the season. 

He would become one of the most important players on the defensive side of the football last season for the Paladins, as he recovered a pair of fumbles, as well as causing one, in the Paladins’ crucial, 16-14, win at Georgia Southern to begin the final month of the regular-season. His second fumble at the Georgia Southern 45, sealed the win for the Paladins.

Defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey, who might be the best defensive line coach in the SoCon and one of the top positional coaches in FCS football, will have more depth to work with this fall than any of his two previous seasons as the Paladins’ defensive line coach.

Danny Palmer (8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FR) ,  Brian Ross (7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FR) and Brad Minter (8 tackles) will serve as key reserves along the defensive line this fall, with all three seeing some quality time along the defensive front last season. Minter and Ross will provide depth at the respective defensive end positions this fall, while Palmer will serve along the defensive interior as a reserve at defensive tackle.

Linebacker has always been a strength for the Paladins, and last season, the position began to emerge to the level enjoyed in the first six years of the new millennium, with the likes of Bouton, Killian, Andrew Jones and William Freeman all apart of that impressive contingent of LBs in the early-mid 2000’s.

That linebacking corps includes the three top starters in the Southern Conference heading into 2014, with All-SoCon middle linebacker Carl Rider (137 tackles, 8 TFL, 2 Sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF) one of the two All-SoCon honorees returning in the Paladin front seven, which returns intact from a year ago. Rider was the league’s leader in tackles last season, posting 137 stops, while ranking second in the league in tackles-per-game last season, trailing Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year Justin Shade from Samford.

Furman All-Southern Conference Junior Middle Linebacker Carl Rider

Rider led the Paladins with a career-high 11 tackles in the win over South Carolina State in the opening round of the FCS playoffs, while he was also effective a week later in the Paladins’ season-ending loss to North Dakota State, as Rider posted an identical 11 tackles against North Dakota State.

Joining Rider at linebacker this season will be Cory Magwood (77 tackles, 2.5 TFL), who helped formed a great one-two punch at linebacker last season, playing alongside Rider.

Magwood, who was a redshirt freshman last season, turned in the top tackle performance by a freshman defensive player and posted the second-highest tackles performance by a defensive player in the Southern Conference last season, as he racked up 18 stops against in the season-opener against Gardner-Webb.

Magwood, a local product out of Wade Hampton High School, which is not all that far up the road from the Furman campus, was named the SoCon’s Defensive Player of the Week with a 16-tackle, 1 TFL performance in the regular-season finale win over Wofford.

Also set to contribute on the defensive side of the football at LB this season will be T.J. Warren (45 tackles, 4.5 TFL) and Byron Johnson (8 tackles). Warren was a solid contributor last season, and as was the case last season at so many other positions, Warren stepped up when injuries became an issue, and Magwood went down with a minor injury in the middle of the season.

In Furman’s first Southern Conference game on the road at The Citadel, Warren collected Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the Paladins’ momentum-building win in Charleston, as he posted seven tackles, three TFL and a sack.

Furman played a lot of 4-2-5 on defense last season, but at times and due to injuries, the Paladins played some 4-3 at times during the latter part of the season. One of the real assets on the defensive side of the football last season was having an athlete like Marcus McMorris (113 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 Sacks, 2 INT, 1 FR, 1 TD) on the defensive side of the ball, who could play multiple positions on the defensive side of the football, stepped in at weakside linebacker against No. 20 Samford on Homecoming and turned in a sensational performance, which included garnering National Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance.

In the win against the Bulldogs, McMorris finished the contest by recording 11 stops, two tackles-for-loss, a sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and 89-yard INT return for a score, sealing the Paladin victory in the waning moments of the game. His transition to outside LB by Bruce Fowler looked like a stroke of genius, but the All-SoCon caliber, do-everything defensive performer will likely see his transition back to the secondary this fall, likely to strong safety to replace Greg Worthy.

Furman Sophomore Defensive Back Trey Robinson

The free safety spot will be anchored by former Dorman High School standout quarterback Trey Robinson (41 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT), who really came on strong down the stretch last season.

Robinson is a supreme playmaker in the secondary for the Paladins, and though the Paladins will miss Worthy in the secondary this fall, Robinson brings the sort of hard-hitting tenacity the Bruce Fowler found in Worthy in his first season at the helm of the program in 2011.

Though Worthy remains one of the fastest players to ever suit up in a Furman uniform, Robinson isn’t much if any drop-off in athleticism at the position. With injuries forcing Robinson into action late in the season, he excelled in the Paladin secondary.

Robinson was a SoCon All-Freshman honoree last season, and posted a season and career-high nine tackles against South Carolina State in the playoffs, while recording four tackles and a crucial INT in the win over Samford.

The third safety for the Paladins this fall will be All-America candidate Jairus Hollman (112 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 3 INT, 7 PBU, 1 FR), who proceeded to steal the show in Furman’s first-round FCS playoff win over South Carolina State in Orangeburg, as he almost single-handily won the game by himself.

Hollman’s school-record 90-yard punt return for a score early late in the opening quarter changed the momentum of the football game, allowing the Paladins to gain their bearings.

In the second half, with SCSU threatening to steal the momentum from the Paladins, Hollman picked off a Richard Cue pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown, helping take the wind out of the Bulldogs’ sails, and gave the Paladins a 27-20 lead.

Hollman is an exceptional athlete and is a vicious hitter. He also has great speed, giving the Paladins one of the best starting safety duos or trios in FCS football heading into the season. Hollman was an All-SoCon selection last fall.  Hollman is versatile enough to play any one of three positions in the Furman secondary.

The Paladins lost Austin Williams to graduation, however, but welcome the return of junior veteran Reggie Thomas (63 tackles, 2 INT, 5 PBU), who has developed into one of the top corners in the Southern Conference. Thomas shocked LSU by returning an early Zach Mettenberger pass 74 yards for a score to give the Paladins a shocking early 7-0 lead over the 13th-ranked team in the land.

Thomas comes into the season with four career INTs, and he is a physical player that can come up and make plays against the run. Thomas might not be as polished as his predecessor Ryan Steed, but the Abbeville, S.C., product is every bit the athlete the former Mount Pleasant star was. Thomas is also one of the most physical players on the Furman defense, as he excels in coming up and making plays against the run.

Thomas will have a new starting mate this fall, which will be in the form of Jamarri Milliken (19 tackles, 1 FF). The 5-11, 186-pound redshirt sophomore saw limited action last season, but he is a player that has the type potential that did when Thomas arrived in Greenville. Milliken is physical and likes to mix it up on the edge. He is one of the Paladins’ more vocal players in the secondary.

Reserve support in the secondary will be provided by Richard Hayes III and Nick Miller (5 tackles, 1 INT)–two exceptional athletes with promising futures in the Purple and White. Hayes III was another one of those inordinate players that Bruce Fowler and his staff have seemingly picked up in the past two recruiting classes, which are players with the uncanny ability and athleticism to contribute at a number of different positions.

Hayes III proved vital for the Paladins last season in the tw0-quarterback system employed by the staff, as his Hayes’ redshirt was removed after Terry Robinson went down with a knee injury against Elon. Hayes, who played quarterback in high school in the Gate City of Greensboro, N.C., contributed in a big way on offense last season for the Paladins after coming in as a recruited defensive back. His 146 rushing yards against Western Carolina in a late-season Paladin win last season were the second-most in Paladin football history. Now, Hayes III has moved back to defensive back.

The Paladins will also have excellent depth at the respective safety positions, with Thomas Brown (1 tackle) and Rodney Anderson (13 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 PBU) having returned to the fold for the 2014 season, and ready for the torch to be passed to them next season, with the graduation of McMorris. Both Brown and Anderson can lay the lumber, as South Carolina State well found out on one particular punt return in the opening round play0ff game between the two last season.

Stay tuned to SaturdayBlitz.com for the third part of the Furman spring preview, which will take a look at the special teams and an in-depth look at the 2014 schedule.