WINCHESTER, Va. - Ferrum College used a three-touchdown fourth quarter to pull away from host Shenandoah and take a 34-13 USA South Conference football victory before 2924 Shentel Stadium fans Saturday night.

Ferrum (4-0, 1-0 USA South) became the first USA South Conference school to beat a Paul Barnes coached Shenandoah team at Shentel Stadium with the win.

Barnes, in his fourth season at the helm of the Hornets (2-2, 0-1) had won 10 straight USA South Conference contests at home coming into tonight's game.

The win also gives the Panthers two of the four victories by league opponents at Shentel. Ferrum, Greensboro and Chowan all defeated SU at home during the final year of program founder Walter Barr's tenure in 2001.

FC combined a powerful running game with a couple of big plays to get its first victory over Shenandoah since the 2002 season. With the score 20-13 in favor of the Panthers after the Hornets' Proteus Herring hauled in a 69-yard halfback option pass from junior Brandon Lacey, Ferrum seized total control of the contest when quarterback Jermaine Pitts broke loose for a 58-yard touchdown run on his team's first play from scrimmage following the SU score.

For Pitts, he was his second long TD run of the game. At the 11:34 mark of the third, Pitts raced 74 yards on a option around the right end to give his team a lead they would not relinquish.

Pitts finished the game with 143 yards rushing on just nine carries while adding another 83 yards passing on a 5 of 10 performance through the air. He also threw two interceptions.

Pitts' first pick, at the 12:32 mark of the second quarter, made SU junior Justin Mosser the co-career leader in interceptions. Mosser is currently tied with former All-American Gregg Anderson '02 with seven all-time.

Shenandoah had a golden opportunity to the tie the score following Pitts first TD run, but a wide open Lacey slipped in the endzone just before the pass from quarterback Jon Hoffman reached him.

The Panthers piled up 468 yards in offense. In addition to Pitts' production, running back Dustin Hamoy added 122 yards rushing on 18 carries and Terrel Mulford had 73.

Shenandoah is back in action next weekend at No. 25 in the nation Christopher Newport.