This is not a scare piece. Furman is not walking into Neyland and leaving with a win. No matter what Vanderbilt grad and ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers would have you believe. That is not the point of this one.
The point is how they will try to survive Saturday, and which one of their guys can actually make Tennessee uncomfortable for a series or two.
Start with the transfer that matters. Jake Garcia.
He is not some random FCS quarterback. He threw for 1,426 yards at East Carolina in 2024, sat at Michigan last year, then showed up at Furman this summer and won the job. Thursday was his first live game in almost two seasons. It looked like it. 15 of 28. 183 yards. One pick. No touchdowns. He did run it nine times for 51 yards, so the legs still work.
If Tennessee gets him behind the sticks, that passing game is in trouble. Daniel Haughton, the Dartmouth transfer, was their best receiver against Anderson with 87 yards. That is not a room that should beat Ty Redmond and company down the field. Garcia is the only offensive addition that should make you look twice, and even he needs a clean pocket and a short field to matter.
The run game is how they want to live. CJ Nettles ripped off 99 yards on 10 carries Thursday, including a 47 yard burst. Ben Croasdale punched in two short scores. They ran for 268 yards on Anderson. That number is going to shrink in a hurry if Jim Knowles’ front does its job on first down. If it doesn’t, Furman will sit on the ball and hope the clock becomes their friend.
Now the one who can actually ruin a drive.
Joshua Stoneking.
Last year he was a consensus All-American at FCS. 14.5 sacks. 23.5 tackles for loss. League sack leader. That is not a ceremonial name. That is an edge rusher who wrecked people in his own league and now gets a Saturday against Tennessee tackles.
This is the matchup. David Sanders Jr. at left tackle. On the other side it is Ory Williams and Jesse Perry still fighting through that right tackle spot. Stoneking does not need to win every snap. He needs two or three. A true freshman quarterback’s first start is the worst time to have an edge guy beating your tackle and showing up in his face.
Eli Lipscomb already flashed in week zero with a sack and three tackles for loss. Demetrius Baldwin and Raleigh Herbert are the other names up front. But Stoneking is the one that matters. If he wins early against Sanders or whoever is at right tackle, you will feel it in the stadium even if the score is still ugly in Tennessee’s favor.
That is Furman’s whole plan. Run it. Hide Garcia. Let Stoneking hunt. Steal a possession. Leave Knoxville talking about how they hung around for a quarter.
Tennessee should blow that plan up. The front should crowd the run. The secondary should make Garcia throw into coverage he is not ready for. Brandon should never feel Stoneking if the tackles do their jobs.
Watch the edge anyway. That is the other sideline. Not the scoreboard. The one guy over there who can turn a clean opener into a messy one.