Furman RB Brown returns for stretch run

Not many teams could absorb the loss of a preseason all-conference running back without missing a yard or two.

But Furman, 3-2 heading into this week's game with Samford, has come close.

Junior Mike Brown was named to the preseason All-Southern Conference team this year, and with good reason. The 5-8, 191-pounder was the third-leading returning rusher among SoCon running backs after totaling 823 yards and five touchdowns for the Paladins last season, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

But Brown has not carried the ball once for the Paladins so far, sidelined with a sprain of the subtalar joint in his ankle. The subtalar joint occurs at the meeting of the talus and calcaneus bones.

Don't worry. Bobby Lamb is not sure where that is, either.

"It was some kind of weird ankle sprain," the Furman coach said Tuesday. "The doctors said it would be three to six weeks, and sure enough it turned out to be about six weeks."

Lamb said Brown is now "100 percent" healthy and ready to play Saturday against Samford, which is second in the SoCon in rushing defense, allowing just 76.2 yards per game.

But the question of how many snaps and carries Brown will get is open, because of the emergence of true freshman Jerry Williams, a 5-11, 185-pounder from Prattville, Ala.

Williams has rushed for 249 yards and a touchdown through five games, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Together with fullback Tersoo Uhaa (286 yards, seven TDs), they have helped Furman rank third in the SoCon in rushing offense, averaging 156.6 yards per game, up 10 yards per game from last season.

"Jerry has taken all the snaps Mike would have taken," Lamb said. "Coming from Prattville High School, which is a 6-A program in Alabama, he's used to good competition and has filled in nicely for Mike."

No matter how much Brown plays, having two quality running backs can only help Furman as it faces Samford, The Citadel, App State, Auburn, Georgia Southern and Wofford down a difficult homestretch.

"We'll even look at getting Mike and Jerry in the game at the same time," Lamb said. "Having two guys with a lot of speed can only help us."

Watch out

--S.C. State better watch out for LeRoy Vann in its MEAC showdown with Florida A&M. Vann, a 5-9, 185-pound senior, leads all of FCS in punt returns, averaging 23.9 yards per return with four touchdowns already. "Unheard of," says A&M coach Joe Taylor.

--Coastal Carolina better watch out for former South Carolina QB Tommy Beecher in its Big South showdown with Liberty. Beecher, who transferred to Liberty after an ill-fated turn as Steve Spurrier's starter last season, now is starting for Gardner-Webb (3-2, 1-0 Big South). He suffered a concussion last month, but has hit 61.3 percent of his passes for 551 yards with four interceptions against one TD pass. "I faced a lot of adversity down there," Beecher said of his time at USC.

--Wofford just better plain watch out against Appalachian State. When the third-ranked Terriers played No. 2 App State on Halloween night last year, the Mountaineers were scary good in a 70-24 rout. This year, the 1-4 Terriers are struggling, and App State still has Armanti Edwards.

Said Wofford coach Mike Ayers: "We found out that if you get into a shootout with App State, you may not have enough bullets."