Furman Finds 'Complete Game' in Homecoming Triumph Over Bitter Rival The Citadel

Furman true freshman wideout and Jerry Rice Award candidate Evan James

GREENVILLE, S.C.--After getting outscored 83-20 in a two-week span on the road against Western Carolina and Wofford in league play, Furman returned home looking for a 'complete game' against heated rival The Citadel in a homecoming battle, and that was more than enough motivation to get the season back on course, as the Paladins dominated all three phases of the  game in downing The  Citadel, 24-14 in the 105th renewal of the rivalry.

Furman improves to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in Southern Conference action, while the Bulldogs fall for the second week in a row, falling to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in league action. 

The Paladins have now won five-straight in the series against the Bulldogs, which is the longest streak by Furman in the series since winning a series standard nine-straight from 1982-90. 

For Furman head coach Clay Hendrix, it was his 32nd as a part of the rivalry, serving in capacities as a player (1982-85), assistant coach (1988-2006) and head coach (2017-present) in the SoCon's oldest and preeminent rivalry, improving to 59-40 in 99 games as the Furman head coach. Furman improved to 65-37-3 in the all-time series and 16-6 in games played at Paladin Stadium. 

The Paladins dominated in all three phases. 

On offense, Furman used a balanced attack behind the leadership of quarterback Trey Hedden and the return of wideouts Evan James and Ja'Keith Hamilton, which was balanced out by an effective ground attack, which gained 139 yards behind the solid duo of Ben Croasdale and Jay'Quan Smith, who accounted for a combined 136 yards and two scores and a key two-point conversion in the win. 

Hedden finished the day the model of efficiency after having suffered a combined seven INTs during the Paladins' offensive struggles in each of the past two games, as he connected on 16-of-22throws for 211 yards, with no INTs. 

James, who was selected to the STATS Perform Jerry Rice Award list just last week, finished off his return from injury in style, as he hauled in eight passes for 126 yards, which included receptions of 36 and 38 yards, respectively, which positioned the Paladins for 10 of their 24 points in the win. 

Croasdale had a breakout performance for the Paladin ground attack, leading Furman with a career-high 84 yards on 18 carries, while Jay'Quan Smith added 52 yards and two touchdowns on 11 rush attempts, as well as a key two-point conversion to help power Furman's scoring punch inside the redzone. Croasdale answered the call when leading rusher Gavin Hall went down early in the game and did not return. 

It was a full-circle type moment for Smith, who suffered a career-threatening injury against the Bulldogs nearly two years ago to the day on the same turf. After missing the entire 2024 season and not returning until preseason camp, it was notable redemption for the talented redshirt sophomore running back. 

The final phase was the kicking game, and All-America place-kicker Ian Williams shined in the kicking game all afternoon, connecting on field goals of 46, 36 and 21 yards to stake Furman to a 9-0 halftime lead. As a punter, Williams booted six punts for a solid average of 41.6 yards-per-punt, with two of landing inside the 10 to flip the field at key moments in the game. 

Finally, after not being able to put together two complete halves of football in losses to Wofford and Western Carolina each of the previous two weeks, order was restored by the Paladin defensive unit on homecoming. Furman limited the Bulldogs to 14 points and 337 yards, including just 161 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs came into the game averaging 223.3 YPG and ranking 10th overall in the country.

Taylan Blaylock and Joshua Stoneking bookended the strong performance by the unit, as Blalock was tied for the team lead with 10 tackles, including behind the line of scrimmage. It was his big hit in the backfield on The Citadel quarterback Cobey Thompkins for what was a three-yard loss to set the tone. 

If that set the tone, it was Joshua Stoneking's performance on the Bulldogs' final drive of the day that helped nail down the 65th win in the series by the Paladins, as his sack and strip fumble, which was recovered by linebacker Luke McLaughlin helped seal the win with just over a minute left. 

All told, Stoneking, who led the nation in sacks and tackles-for-loss entering the contest, finished with four tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. His sack and subsequent forced fumble clinched the win. It marked the third time in conference play that Stoneking's ability as a pass-rusher helped influence the outcome of a game. 

All told, Stoneking announced his candidacy for inclusion on the STATS Perform Buck Buchanan Award list, as he now has 47 tackles, 18.0 tackles-for-loss, 12.5 sacks, seven quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, a blocked kick and a pass breakup after Saturday's result was rendered. 

Blaylock noted in the press conference after the game, the Lindenwood transfer had yet to face an option offense in his career. His 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss keyed the Paladin defensive performance, helping set a decisive tone from the start of the game until its ultimate ending. He posted seven solo stops in the win. 

AK Burrell turned in yet another strong performance safety, as he posted 10 tackles and half-a-tackle-for-loss. Along with its two sacks, Furman's defense also recorded nine tackles behind the line-of-scrimmage.

The Citadel finished the night led by its two quarterbacks, in Quentin Hayes and Cobey Thompkins. Hayes connected 11-of-15 passes for 194 yards, two touchdowns and no INTs. He also led the ground attack with a hard-fought 39 yards on 13 attempts and was sacked twice. 

Thompkins finished the night connecting on 3-of-3 passes for 10 yards, while rushing six times for 21 yards.

The Bulldogs' most-effective offensive weapon in the game was Jihad Marks, who caught three passes for 108 yards and a pair of scores, accounting for the Bulldogs' only points of the afternoon.

Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by three players with seven stops, with linebacker Je'Mazin Roberts and defensive backs Bradlee Jones and Tyrik McDaniel all posted seven stops. The Citadel's defense posted four tackles behind the line-of-scrimmage and a pair of sacks.

Furman finished the day with a 351-337 advantage in total offensive output.

How It Happened:

Furman opened the game with football after The Citadel deferred its option to the second half. 

The Paladins opening drive of the day was a promising one and yielded points. After Furman reached The Citadel 28, highlighted by a 36-yard pitch-and-catch from Trey Hedden-to-Evan James to put the Paladins at the doorstep of the red zone. However, The Citadel's defense held, forcing an incomplete pass on 3rd-and-2 following a review, and the Paladins settled for a 45-yard field goal from graduate senior All-American place-kicker Ian Williams and a 3-0 lead with 11:43 left in the opening quarter.

Furman’s defense did its job on the opening drive of the afternoon for The Citadel, holding the Bulldogs offense to a three-and-out, highlighted by a tackle-for-loss by Garrison Coleman on a counter-option play, which forced the Bulldogs to have to punt it away.

Furman’s second drive was promising, but bogged down once again on a 3rd-and-6 play when Ben Croasdale at the Bulldogs 25, however, he was stopped for no gain and the Paladins had to settle for another Williams field goal—this time from 36 yards out—giving the Paladins the 6-0 lead with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter.

That’s how the opening quarter would end, as the Paladins dominated the opening 15 minutes of the 105th renewal of the rivalry, out-gaining the Bulldogs 97-12.

The Citadel’s most promising drive came early in the second quarter, when Taylen Blaylock stopped The Citadel receiver Javonte Graves-Billips short of the first down sticks on a 4th-and-2 play, and the Paladins took over at their own 30 to thwart The Citadel's threat.

However, Furman’s offense went three-and-out after Evan James was stopped two yards short of the first down marker on a 3rd-and-6 after alluding one Bulldogs defender but not another, the Paladins had to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs with 7:20 left in the half.

After limiting the Bulldogs to two first downs and a punt on the ensuing possession, the Paladins got the ball back with just under six minutes left in the first half.

Furman would reach The Citadel's 8 before the drive once again bogged down. Following a Hedden incompletion on 3rd-and-6, the Paladins opted to take the sure thing and instead of going for it on 4th-and-1, which they had initially lined up to do, Williams trotted on following a Bulldog timeout and provided his third field goal of the half, giving the Paladins a 9-0 lead after converting the short 21-yard attempt. Furman took a 9-0 lead into the halftime locker room.

Furman dominated the opening 30 minutes of football, out-gaining the Bulldogs 203-88 and outrushing the No. 10 rushing offense in the country coming into the matchup, the Paladins owned a 28-yard advantage in rushing yards (90-62).

The Paladins faced its first adversity of the game from the outset of the start of the second half, as the Bulldogs hit back with two big pass plays--both to Jihad Marks from quarterback Quentin Hayes to storm to a 14-9 lead, as his two 46-yard scoring receptions on identical plays saw the Bulldogs tanke the five-point lead with 9:43 remaining in the third quarter, stunning the Paladins for the first time all afternoon.

Although Furman had been punched in the mouth, in direct contrast to the previous two weeks and much like their last home outing against East Tennessee State, the Paladins offered a swift response, although not on the drive following the Bulldogs' go-ahead score.

Late in the third quarter, Ian Williams launched a beautiful 46-yard punt to pin the Bulldogs at their own 3-yard line. It allowed Furman to flip the field and after The Citadel was forced to punt it back to Furman, the Paladins would have great field position at the Bulldogs 40.

Hedden used completions of 20 and 16 yards to Devin Hester Jr. and Evan James to get the Paladins down to the The Citadel 4 before Jay'Quan Smith provided the go-ahead touchdown two plays later on a 2-yard scoring plunge with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter.

Smith then rammed through the Bulldogs defensive line on the two-point conversion on a 1-yard plunge following an offsides infraction against the Bulldogs, allowing the Paladins to increase their advantage to a field goal, at 17-14.

In the fourth quarter, the Paladins would put together an old-school, patented Furman drive that caused flashbacks to the late 1980s and early '90s, as the Paladins bled almost six minutes off the clock, utilizing a key Evan James reception for 38 yards on the first of the drive to help set the tone.

Eight plays and 35 yards later, it set the stage for Smith's second scoring plunge of the afternoon, as he rushed seven yards off left tackle to give the Paladins a double-digit lead following Ian Williams' PAT, making it a 24-14 contest with 3:21 remaining. All told, the drive used 10 plays and covered 80 yards, taking a precious 5:39 off the clock.

The Paladins would end any hopes of Bulldogs miracle at their own 34 with a little over a minute remaining, as on 1st-and-10, Hayes dropped back to pass and the pocket collapsed due to a strong bull-rush off the edge by Stoneking, who wrangled Hayes to the ground and forced the ball free in the process, which was pounced on by Raleigh Herbert to seal a fifth-straight win in the series.

Up Next:

Furman will continue its homestand next Saturday, hosting league-leading and defending SoCon champion Mercer (6-1, 5-0 SoCon) at Paladin Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. EST. The Citadel returns to action in another rivalry matchup, hosting VMI in the "Battle for the Silver Shako" with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. EST at Johnson-Hagood Stadium.

Postgame Press Conference: