Division I-AA no easy win

Head coach Walt Harris will try to avoid becoming the third Division I-A coach in as many… Head coach Walt Harris will try to avoid becoming the third Division I-A coach in as many weeks to lose to a Division I-AA team at home when the Panthers welcome the Furman Paladins to Heinz Field on Saturday.

The Paladins are ranked fourth in the country among I-AA schools. Last week, New Hampshire upset Rutgers in New Jersey, and Maine beat Mississippi State on Saturday in Starkville.

“Furman is a football team that has to be reckoned with,” Harris said Monday at his weekly press conference. “A lot of people see that they are an I-AA team and think they are a pushover, but I am sure Greg Schiano at Rutgers and Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State don’t believe that.”

The Paladins (3-0), who return 10 starters on both sides of the ball, are averaging 45 points per game, over 500 yards of total offense and have outscored their first three opponents, 135-23.

They are led by quarterback Ingle Martin, a transfer from Florida, who has thrown for 602 yards and six touchdowns in the three contests. His favorite target is Brian Bratton, whose 15 catches are twice as many as the next receiver. Bratton is averaging over 17 yards per catch and has scored three touchdowns. The Paladins leading rusher is Brandon Mays, who is averaging almost six yards per carry and has found the end zone twice in three games.

“Furman has an offense that features a great quarterback,” Harris said. “They will run the option, and a lot of times he’s the runner because he is so big and fast. Their bread and butter is throwing the ball, but Martin can run. He is a tremendous athlete.”

Harris stressed Monday that before the Panthers can worry about being beaten by Furman they must first worry about beating themselves. The Panthers have committed five turnovers in their first two games, including two interceptions and a fumble that allowed Nebraska to start drives inside the Panthers’ 10-yard line.

“We were our own worst enemy,” Harris said. “I thought defensively we played well enough to win the game, but offensively we had two turnovers in the red zone that made it difficult for us to win. In the second half I think it would have been real easy to fold, but we didn’t. We gave ourselves a chance to get back in the game. It could have gotten ugly but it didn’t.”

Making just his second start of his career, sophomore quarterback Tyler Palko struggled early, throwing three interceptions in the first half. However, in the second half, the offensive line gave him more protection and his receivers did a better job of getting open, leading to Palko’s second touchdown pass of the year to receiver Greg Lee. Palko was 13 of 27 for 158 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in the second half, an improvement that Harris says is encouraging.

“Our quarterback took a lot of hits, but I thought he came through when we gave him a chance. I thought he played well. He has to do a better job with the turnovers, but I thought he fought back.”

On defense the Panthers will be without starting defensive end Azzie Beagnyam, who suffered an ankle injury against Nebraska. Beagnyam will be out indefinitely, opening the door for red shirt sophomore Charles Sallet to make the start.

The Panthers have forced four turnovers in their first two games and have allowed an average of fewer than 300 yards per game. Harris says there is one big difference between this year and the defense a year ago that struggled especially against the run.

“We had some busts where guys made mistakes and some people who weren’t doing what they were asked to do. I think we settled down in the game but the best thing we are doing in comparison to last year is that we are tackling better.”

After an inconsistent first week, the kicking game had an excellent outing against Nebraska on Saturday. Punter and Kick-Off specialist Adam Graessle averaged a career-best 47.8 yards per punt and placed three punts inside the Cornhuskers’ 20. In just two games, he has seven punts downed inside the opponents’ 20. Kicker Josh Cummings remained perfect on the season making all five of his PATs and two field goals.

Kickoff between the Panthers and Paladins is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.