1985 Furman Paladins football
SoCon champion
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record12–2 (6–0 SoCon)
Head coach
CaptainGene Reeder, Chas Fox, Bobby Lamb
Home stadiumPaladin Stadium
Seasons
← 1984
1986 →
1985 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. T–2 Furman $^ 6 – 0 – 0 12 – 2 – 0
No. T–12 Appalachian State 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
Chattanooga 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Marshall 3 – 3 – 1 7 – 3 – 1
The Citadel 2 – 4 – 1 5 – 5 – 1
Western Carolina 2 – 4 – 1 4 – 6 – 1
VMI 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 7 – 1
East Tennessee State 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 10 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1985 Furman Paladins football team was an American football team that represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their eighth year under head coach Dick Sheridan, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a conference mark of 6–0, winning the SoCon title. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Rhode Island in the quarterfinals, Nevada in the semifinals, and were upset by Georgia Southern in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 7at South Carolina State*
W 38–31[1]
September 14Newberry*
L 21–24[2]
September 21at Western Carolina
W 31–2712,635[3]
September 28at NC State*No. 18
W 42–2036,600[4]
October 5at Davidson*ANo. 10
W 58–74,000[5]
October 12No. 7 MarshallNo. 9
  • Paladin Stadium
  • Greenville, SC
W 34–311,072[6]
October 19East Tennessee StateNo. 5
  • Paladin Stadium
  • Greenville, SC
W 35–31[7]
October 26No. 15 Appalachian StateNo. 5
  • Paladin Stadium
  • Greenville, SC
W 21–712,224[8]
November 2Mars Hill*No. 2
  • Paladin Stadium
  • Greenville, SC
W 34–1013,854[9]
November 16at The CitadelNo. 2
W 42–029,592[10]
November 23ChattanoogaNo. 2
  • Paladin Stadium
  • Greenville, SC
W 28–013,134[11]
November 23No. 7 Rhode Island*No. 2
W 59–159,454[12]
December 14at No. T–2 Nevada*No. T–2
  • Paladin Stadium
  • Greenville, SC (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)
W 35–1210,461[13]
December 21vs. No. 9 Georgia Southern*No. T–2
L 42–445,306[14]
A.^ Before the start of the season, Southern Conference directors elected to make this game count as a conference game for Davidson, but not for Furman.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Furman comeback tops S.C. State". Anderson Independent-Mail. September 8, 1985. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Newberry shocks Furman". The State. September 15, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Furman escapes with close victory over Catamounts". The Charlotte Observer. September 22, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Furman breezes past Wolfpack, 42–20". The News and Observer. September 29, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Furman trounces Davidson 58–7". The Charlotte Observer. October 6, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Furman rolls in 34–3 rout of foe Marshall". The Times and Democrat. October 13, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Bucs get 31 first downs, but still lose to Furman". Kingsport Times-News. October 20, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Paladins cruise past Mountaineers, 21–7". The Greenville News. October 27, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Paladins rip Lions, 34–10". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 3, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Bagwell propels Paladins past hapless Citadel, 42–0". The Times and Democrat. November 17, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Paladins display their championship form, 28–0". The Greenville News. November 24, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Ian Thomsen (December 8, 1985). "URI is thrown out of play-offs, 59–15". The Boston Globe. p. 74 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Furman more than semi-tough". Reno Gazette-Journal. December 15, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Erk's Eagles land with a title". The Atlanta Constitution. December 22, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "The Lineup: Furman vs. Davidson". The Columbia Record. October 4, 1985. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
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