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Paladins riding high

There is an excellent chance the Furman Paladins could be riding into the Division I-AA playoffs - not clad in medieval armor atop a trusty steed, but upon a victory against Georgia Southern.

The two rivals in the Southern Conference regularly bounced around in the rankings of the Sports Network poll throughout the season, but things came to a head Saturday in Greenville, S.C.

The third-ranked Paladins squared off against number two Georgia Southern in front of more than 17,000 rabid fans at Paladin Stadium. A 29-22 Furman victory ensued and the polls began to rumble.

The loss dropped Georgia Southern to sixth in the polls and vaulted Furman back into second behind only the SIU Salukis, brightening its post-season hopes considerably.

Barring losses in the final two games of the season, the Paladins have essentially locked up a spot in the playoffs.

Furman University, a private liberal arts college with an enrollment barely surpassing 2,600, holds the honor of being the only private Division I-AA football team to win a national championship.

They will attempt to do it again this season with an offense that undeniably produces results.

Scoring 33.9 points per game and holding opponents to little more than 15 has led to the Paladins' 7-2 record.

Furman likes to attack from both the air and on the ground. The Paladins have gained 2,066 yards off the running game compared to 2,068 passing yards.

Despite the similarity between passing and rushing yardage, Furman head coach Bobby Lamb said the Paladins, like almost every team in the SoCon, has an offense built around the running game.

"We always try to be balanced, and we're about as balanced as you can get," Lamb said. "We've always been a run-first team, but we just happen to have some other weapons." One weapon Lamb referred to was quarterback Ingle Martin.

The junior transfer from Florida averages 211.1 yards a game, and has amassed 1,900 of the Paladins' 2,068 passing yards in the 2004 season. But he might not put up such high numbers without the rush opening up his opportunities.

The Paladins have a three-back rotation with each of them totaling 80 or more rushing attempts. Junior Daric Carter leads the pack with 525 yards and three touchdowns on 89 attempts. Freshman Cedric Gipson trails right behind him with 518 yards and three touchdowns as well. Junior Brandon Mays rounds out the trio, and has contributed three more touchdowns to the team.

"I wish I could roll them all up into one," Lamb said. "But they're doing a pretty good job."

Of course, the Salukis have senior Brandon Jacobs and sophomore Arkee Whitlock leading the charge for SIU. Combined, they have totaled 1,578 rushing yards and an obscene 25 touchdowns.

Should Furman and SIU meet in the postseason, the game would closely resemble a train collision.

Lamb said he would have to rely on his defense to stop the duo. The Paladin defense was ranked fourth in the nation last season and had nine returning starters this season.

But stopping Jacobs, who stands at 6-4, 260, would probably pose a bit of a problem for Lamb's Paladins. In a classic understatement, Lamb said Jacobs was "a big guy."

There would also be junior quarterback Joel Sambursky for Furman to worry about. With Sambursky's 1,815 yards and 15 touchdown thus far in the season, the Salukis wouldn't hesitate to drop bombs on the Paladins.

But with games remaining in the regular season, speculating on the details of an SIU-Furman bout is purely hypothetical fun.

Great upsets are never ruled out in the world of sports. There is still a slim chance Furman could lose its two remaining games against Wofford and Chattanooga, knocking them out of the playoff field.

That probably won't happen, and the Salukis have already clinched a playoff berth.

Seeing the Salukis take on the Furman Paladins will simply be left up to the post-season gods - and a group of people in a room deciding which teams play against each other. For SIU head coach Jerry Kill, the thoughts of the playoffs are buried in a corner of his Sycamore-obsessed mind.

"We haven't looked ahead, really," Kill said. "I don't know about anybody but our conference and Indiana State right now.