Stoneking Shuts Door on Campbell With Game-Clinching Sack; Furman moves to 2-1

Furman defensive end Joshua Stoneking sacks Campbell QB Kamden Sixkiller to clinch the win (photo courtesy of Furman athletics)

Furman quarterback Trey Hedden connected on 25-of-36 passes for 316 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while freshman wideout Evan James hauled in 10 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown, as the Paladins held off Campbell in its 2025 home opener before a crowd of 4,314 on-hand at Barker Lane Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

With the win, Furman improved to 2-1 with both wins coming against CAA foes through the first three weeks, while Campbell fell to 0-3. The Paladins also defeated William & Mary, 23-21, to open the 2025 season. It also marked Furman's first win on the road vs. a CAA foe since 2017, which saw the Paladins take down Elon, 28-27, in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs. 

Furman used an Evan James 30-yard scoring catch from quarterback Trey Hedden with 4:50 remaining to give Furman a 28-24 lead, and the Paladin defense would make that lead stand up, turning away the Campbell on 4th-and-5 with 21 seconds left, as Joshua Stoneking provided the game-clinching sack to allow the Paladins to hold off their second CAA opponent in the first three games of the season.

The Paladins were able to overcome a 24-18 deficit by scoring the game's final 10 points after Campbell opened the second half with a pair of scoring drives to seemingly take momentum of the game away from the Paladins, which had led the game 11-10 at the half.

The Paladins would score all 10 of those points in the fourth quarter to come from behind for the win, while the defense would make the lead stand up by holding the Camels without points on their final two offensive possessions of the afternoon. In addition to James' 30-yard scoring catch from Hedden in the fourth quarter, Ian Williams also added his 12th-consecutive field goal--a 34-yarder with just under 12 minutes to play--to help the Paladins inch closer on the scoreboard to the Camels. 

Campbell finished the night holding a slight edge in total offense, as the Camels outgained the Paladins 389-384. 

Not to be outdone on the offensive side of the ball is wideout Ja'Keith Hamilton, who joined James in going over the century mark in receiving yards on the afternoon. The redshirt sophomore wideout finished the game with seven catches for 104 yards, which included a 28-yard catch and run on a slip-screen, setting up a Jay'Quan Smith 1-yard scoring plunge, which gave the Paladins an 18-17 lead with under four minutes left in the third quarter. 

In addition to what both Hedden, James and Hamilton did on the offensive side of the football, defensive end Joshua Stoneking made a strong case for SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting six tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks. Stoneking was part of a Paladin defense, which collectively finished the night with 11.0 tackles-for-loss.  

The Paladin defense would end up being led by Luke McLaughlin, who started in place of Ryan Earl, who is out for the remainder of the season, as he ended the contest with 11 tackles. Safety Billy Lewis added 10 stops and a tackle-for-loss.

Campbell got a nice effort out of McNeese State transfer quarterback Kamden Sixkiller, who finished connecting on 34-of-43 throws for 294 yards, while his favorite target was Randall King, who ended up hauling in 13 catches for 105 yards and a score. 

The Camels were led defensively by Kalen Villanueva and Brandon Guzman, who finished with seven tackles apiece, while Chase Arrington recorded the lone turnover of the day, picking off Furman wideout Evan James on a trick play.

How It Happened:

Furman would get on the board on its opening drive of the game, as Ian Williams would connect on a 23-yard field goal to give the Paladins a 3-0 lead, completing a 10-play 70-yard drive. On the second play of the second quarter, however, Kamden Sixkiller connected with Randall King to give the Camels a 7-3 lead on a beautifully thrown four-yard fade route. It would complete an 11-play, 80-yard drive for the Camels. 

On the ensuing drive, Furman had a promising drive thwarted after trying a trick play on a wide receiver pass from Evan James, which was picked off by Camels defensive back Chase Arrington to end the scoring opportunity. 

With just under six minutes remaining in the half, Furman stopped Campbell on a 4th-and-1 at midfield to take over the football in tremendous field position.

The Paladins would drive the ball into the Camels red zone late in the half, and on 3rd-and-6 from the Campbell 24, Trey Hedden found Jackson Pryor for a 24-yard strike, as the Paladins would re-take the lead 11-7 after a successful two-point conversion by Jay’Quan Smith with 1:26 remaining in the half. 

Campbell would mount a furious drive in the final 1:26, aided by a Sixkiller 30-yard completion to wideout Barry Tate to get the Camels into Furman territory. Campbell would reach the Furman 26 before having to settle for an Alex Crabb 34-yard field goal, trimming the Paladin lead to one, at 11-10, as the two teams headed to the halftime locker room.

Furman held a slight 137-126 in total yards at the half.

In the second half, Campbell opened with the football and would re-take the lead with an impressive scoring drive, as JJ Cowan scored on a 4-yard run to complete a 14-play, 77-yard drive, giving the Camels a 17-11 lead.

The Paladins would drive right back, however, and would mount a nine-play, 84-yard drive, which was capped by a 1-yard plunge from Smith and with the Williams PAT, the Paladins would retake the lead, 18-17, with 3:36 left in the third quarter.

The Camels marched right back, however, driving deep into Paladin territory once again and would remain perfect on offensive scoring drives in the second half, as Cowan bounced outside for a six-yard scoring run and following Crabb's PAT, the Camels would retake the lead, 24-18, with 14:24 to play in the game. It was the Camels' second-straight 75-yard scoring drive to start the second half. 

The Paladins would march right back into the Camels red zone; however, the drive would stall at the 11-yard line and Ian Williams came on to boot through his 12th-straight made field goal dating back to last season, getting the Paladins to within 24-21 with 11:59 remaining.

Furman's defense finally forced a Campbell punt and then on Furman's next possession, it appeared the Paladins would have to punt it back to the Camels; however, a substitution infraction gave the Paladins an automatic first down to extend the drive. 

The result would be Furman's offense making Campbell pay dearly for the miscue, as Hedden found his favorite target Evan James for a 30-yard TD pass with 5:10 left, giving the Paladins a 28-24 lead.

The Camels would drive to the Furman 11 on their final possession, however, on 4th-and-5 with 21 seconds left, however, Joshua Stoneking bull-rushed wrapping up Sixkiller and in the process, notched the Paladins' third sack of the day, but more importantly preserving Furman's second win in their first three games to start the season. 

Furman will now have an off week before opening Southern Conference play on Sept. 27, as the Paladins will be in Homewood to face off against Samford. The Paladins haven't played Samford since a 26-21 win at Samford back in 2023, as the 2024 meeting was scrubbed due to Hurricane Helene.