CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Despite holding an advantage for a total 52:38 throughout the game and dominating the opening three quarters of play, The Citadel (2-4, 0-3 SoCon) stumbled down the stretch against in-state rival Furman (2-3, 1-0 SoCon), falling to the Paladins in a 17-16 barn burner Saturday afternoon at Sansom Field at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

KEY NOTES
-- Johnathan Bennett wrapped up the contest 11-of-23 through the air for 103 yards with one touchdown and one interception; the graduate student also managed to pace the Bulldogs on the ground, racking up 67 yards on 16 carries
-- For the running back corps, Corey Ibrahim led the group with 17 rushes for 35 yards while WR Javonte Graves-Billips played a key role via jet sweeps and pitch opportunities, generating 30 yards on three opportunities
-- Dervon Pesnell compiled a strong performance for the wideouts, pulling down four catches for 65 yards and the lone TD for The Citadel; Saul Diaz contributed a major 24-yard reception as well
-- Defensively, Thomas Wyatt served as the leader once again behind 7.0 total tackles, logging 2.0 tackles-for-loss with one recorded as a sack; Cale Williams, Evan Byrd and Dominick Poole trailed just behind with 6.0 total tackles apiece with the former picking up a big-time sack while the latter scored a pair of pass breakups
-- Per the usual, James Platte looked strong in the punt game, averaging 47.2 yards per attempt with two landing inside the 20 and one boomer dropping in at 65 total yards
-- In the kicking game, Ben Barnes recovered from a mediocre showing against ETSU last week with a 3-for-3 outing on field goals, drilling a 48-yarder in the first, a 30-yarder in the third and a 44-yarder in the fourth