CHARLESTON, S.C. -- — Trey Hedden threw two touchdown passes in the final 5:39 and Furman stormed back to beat The Citadel 17-16 in the Paladins' Southern Conference opener on Saturday.

Furman (2-3) trailed 16-3 when Hedden connected with Ben Ferguson for a 10-yard touchdown. The Paladins defense forced a three-and-out and Hedden directed an 11-play drive, capping it with a 6-yard scoring toss to Jackson Pryor with 61 seconds left. Ian Williams' extra-point kick was the difference.

The Citadel (2-4, 1-2) took the opening kickoff and turned it into a 48-yard field goal by Ben Barnes. Johnathan Bennett connected with Dervon Pesnell for a 48-yard touchdown on The Citadel's next possession to give the Bulldogs a 10-0 lead that stood through halftime.

Barnes and Williams each had a field goal to account for the scoring in the third quarter.

Hedden completed 23 of 33 passes for 246 yards. The Paladins rushed for only 29 yards on 23 carries.

Bennett finished with 103 yards on 11-for-23 passing for The Citadel. Bennett was also the game's leading rusher with 48 yards on 16 carries.

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