THE WORD

Furman is making a rare midseason change on offense after a 2-3 start. Justin Roper is out, while quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Drew Dudzik will take over play-calling duties for the remainder of the 2026 season.

After stops at Miami, Missouri, East Carolina and Michigan, Jake Garcia has landed at Furman. Head coach Clay Hendrix joins FCS Nation to talk Garcia’s development, the Paladins’ identity and what’s ahead in the SoCon.

Week 2 brings the first multi-game conference slate of the 2026 SoCon season, headlined by Furman’s trip to two-time defending champion Mercer. We break down every matchup, key player and prediction across the Southern Conference.

Blowouts, an FBS upset, lightning and a nonconference game between league foes highlight Week 1. Week 1 of Southern Conference football had nearly everything. It was indeed almost all here, even if the tagline of the former commissioner for the league is looking for new employment. Even though everyone had already played a game, the first full week of the season saw the league go 5-5 (including the nonconference game between Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech as 1-1), which would