GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Jayquan Smith scored a pair of second half touchdowns and a two-point conversion to help power Furman past The Citadel, 24-14, in Southern Conference football action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.

The win was the fifth straight for Furman (5-3 3-2 SoCon) over The Citadel ( 3-5, 2-3 SoCon) in the 105th meeting between the longtime SoCon rivals. The Paladins lead the all-time series 65-37-3.

After Furman saw a 9-0 halftime lead evaporate following a pair of 46-yard touchdown catches by The Citadel's Jihad Marks within a four-minute span in the third quarter, the Paladins regrouped to take a 17-14 lead on a Smith two-yard scoring run and two-point conversion with 3:30 to go in the period.

Smith, who suffered a season ending injury in the 2023 contest against The Citadel, an injury that sidelined him for the 2024 campaign, capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a seven-yard scoring burst with 3:21 remaining to extend Furman's advantage to 24-14.

Smith finished the game with 11 carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns.  Ben Croasdale led all rushers with 18 carries for 84 yards, helping Furman finish with 140 yards on the ground — its second highest tally of the season.

Ian Williams accounted for all scoring in the first half with field goals covering 45, 36, and 21 yards.

Trey Hedden connected on 16-of-22 passes for 211 yards to headline Furman's passing game, which enjoyed a boost with the return of freshman wide receiver Evan James, who tallied eight receptions for 126 yards.  James missed three games after sustaining a shoulder injury in a 31-13 win over Samford on Sept. 27.

James' 38-yard reception on the first play of the Paladins' final scoring drive gave Furman a first down at The Citadel 42. Nine plays later Smith took a handoff from Hedden and covered seven yards off left tackle for the touchdown and a 24-14 lead following Williams' PAT.

Furman's defense, which limited The Citadel to just 17 total yards in the first quarter, saw the Paladins' 9-0 halftime advantage erased when Quentin Hayes twice found Marks open behind Furman coverage for identical 46-yard touchdown passes in the third quarter that put the Bulldogs up 14-9.

An Ian Williams 46-yard punt to the 3-yard line led to a Citadel punt that gave Furman the ball at the Bulldog 40 with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter.  Hedden used a 16-yard connection to James and 20-yard hook-up with Devin Hester, Jr., to the Bulldog 4, where two plays later Smith scored on a two-yard run for a 15-14 lead.  Smith made it 17-14 following a one-yard conversion run following an offsides penalty on the The Citadel.

Taylen Blaylock and AK Burrell paced Furman with 10 tackles apiece, and defensive end Joshua Stoneking, the FCS leader in tackles for-loss and sacks, had four stops, including two for losses of 14 yards, two sacks, and a caused fumble.

Furman plays host to Mercer next Saturday in a 2:00 p.m. SoCon clash at Paladin Stadium.