BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Evan James' 30-yard touchdown catch with under five minutes to play lifted visiting Furman over Campbell 28-24 on Saturday in the Camels' 2025 home opener at Barker-Lane Stadium.
Furman moved to 2-1 on the season with the win, while Campbell fell to 0-3.
James' go-ahead TD finished off a 9-play, 80-yard drive for the Paladins, who scored on each of their final four full offensive drives, including three touchdowns.
In a game that featuring seven lead changes, Campbell went out front 24-18 with 14:24 to go in the fourth quarter on
JJ Cowan's second rushing touchdown of the day.
Furman answered on its next possession with an Ian Williams 28-yard field goal to cut the Campbell lead to 24-21 at the 11:59 mark, and after a Camel punt, drove for the go-ahead score with 4:50 to play.
The Camels marched as far as the Furman 10 yard line, using 16 plays, but Joshua Stoneking sacked CU QB
Kamden Sixkiller on fourth-and-goal, turning the ball over on downs with just 16 seconds remaining.
James hauled in 10 passes for a game-high 134 yards for the Paladins, notching four catches for 76 yards in the fourth quarter alone. Ja'Keith Hamilton also added 105 yards on seven catches, with QB Trey Hedden completing 26-of-35 passes for 314 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Luke McLaughlin tallied 11 tackles for Furman, with Billy Lewis posting 10 stops, including a tackle for loss. Stoneking, meanwhile, recorded 2.5 sacks for the Paladins.
Sixkiller paced Campbell with 294 yards and a touchdown on 34-of-43 passing, including 13 completions to
Randall King, who finished with 105 yards through the air.
Parker Jones tacked on 56 yards on four grabs, while Cowan rushed for 53 yards on 15 carries with two scores.
Brandon Guzman and
Kalen Villanueva each recorded seven tackles for the Camels, while
Chase Arrington gathered two tackles with a second quarter interception.
Next up, the Camels will continue their three-game homestand with matchups against new CAA foe Bryant on September 20 (6:00 p.m.) and Western Carolina on September 27 (3:30 p.m.).
Single game, mini-plan and season ticket options for the 2025 football season are still available at
GoCamels.com/Tickets and by phone through the CU Athletics Ticket Office, at 1-877-GO-HUMPS.
