The Citadel 37, Samford 34 (OT).
Links of interest:
– Game story, The Post and Courier
– School release from The Citadel
– Samford’s first-half highlights package (video)
– Samford’s second-half and post-game highlights package (video)
– Game story, The Birmingham News
– The Citadel’s post-game notes
– Nick Jeffreys, versatility personified
– Here is a little video (via Twitter) of Brent Thompson’s own crowd-surfing ability
– Game highlights (video)
– On-field end-game videos via the Facebook page for The Citadel Sports: Video 1, Video 2, Video 3
– That page on Facebook also has a video clip of the seniors being recognized prior to the game
– Mike Legg and Lee Glaze call Cam Jackson’s ridiculous 63-yard run
– Mike Legg and Lee Glaze call Cody Clark’s game-tying field goal
– Mike Legg and Lee Glaze with the end-of-game call
—
I hardly know where to begin.
Well, I guess I could start by saying that I was surprised by quite a few things that happened on the field on Saturday…
While talking to a couple of people before the game, the subject of Samford’s defense came up. I suggested that because of SU’s “Bear” front, which tends to clog up the middle of the line, Tyler Renew would probably not have a big game.
Renew proceeded to have one of the greatest rushing days in The Citadel’s long gridiron history. He made me look like a dope. (I’m glad he did.)
I also wasn’t expecting Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges to turn into a dual-threat star. Hodges had entered the game with only 71 net rushing yards all season. Even if you take out sacks, he still had less than 240 yards on the ground, and had not carried the ball for more than 12 yards on any play.
However, you have to give Samford’s coaching staff credit for taking advantage of an opportunity and making an adjustment in the game plan. As a result, Hodges scored two rushing touchdowns (one for 57 yards) and had two other short runs for first downs.
He was clearly athletic enough to run, including a Houdini act late in the first half that turned a would-be sack into an eight-yard pickup, setting up a field goal.
Then, I wrote in my preview that turnovers would be a critical factor in the game. Naturally, neither team committed a turnover.
The one thing I got right had nothing to do with any type of intellectual analysis.
When asked before the game whether or not I thought The Citadel would prevail, I basically went with the theory that while Samford was a difficult matchup, the Bulldogs had found a way to win all season, and that maybe it was just their year.
They did find a way to win again, and it is their year. It is also a season for the ages.
—
Random thoughts from an increasingly frazzled fan:
– The atmosphere on Saturday was fantastic. The crowd was into the game from the opening kickoff, despite the delay in clearing the field after the Corps of Cadets and all the reunion classes marched into the stadium. It also took a little time for some of the fans in the East stands to get to their seats.
I was a little concerned when the third quarter began, because I noticed a lot of people had left, presumably to go to their respective tailgates. However, when I looked around a few minutes later, the home stands were packed once again.
By the numbers, it wasn’t one of the larger crowds in the history of Johnson Hagood Stadium (though it was the most-attended game at The Citadel since 2009). However, there was an unusual intensity in the stadium that could be felt by anyone who was there.
I’ve been to a lot of games over the years at JHS. I’m not sure how I would rank that one in terms of an all-around experience.
My top-ranked game in that respect has always been the 1988 contest against Marshall. I probably wouldn’t put Saturday’s matchup on that level, but it was close. Very close.
– When you look at the statistics, it’s a little surprising the game went to overtime. The Citadel dominated time of possession (as expected), ran many more plays (89 to 67), rung up 542 yards of total offense, and held Samford to 280 passing yards (on 46 attempts). As mentioned, there were no turnovers.
However, Samford had a few things go in its favor.
For one thing, SU placekicker Reece Everett had a good game. While he may have missed the fateful 44-yard attempt in overtime, Everett also made two long field goals during the game, from 51 and 44 yards. Prior to Saturday, Everett’s longest made field goal of the season had only been 36 yards.
Samford also benefited from an advantage in field position. This was partly because of a four-yard edge in net punting, but mostly due to stopping The Citadel twice on fourth-down conversion attempts, including one at The Citadel’s own 40-yard line in the fourth quarter. That was a gamble by Brent Thompson which did not pay off. Hey, it happens.
Getting points from your kicker without having to advance to the Red Zone, taking advantage of good field position, and those big run plays by Hodges…they all added up for Samford, and put it in position to win the game.
The Citadel also got hurt by a double whammy of officiating decisions in the fourth quarter. The second of those was a pass interference call that was made by an official 20 yards away from the play, a dubious call exacerbated by the lateness of the flag.
However, that paled in comparison to a non-call made on the previous play, an obvious intentional grounding call that was ignored by the referee.
If that had been called, Samford would have had a 3rd-and-17 (if not longer), instead of the much more manageable 3rd-and-7 that led to the pass interference penalty.
During the game, Samford had five 3rd-down conversion attempts of longer than seven yards. It was 0 for 5 converting in those situations, with three incomplete passes and a sack.
As Jeff Hartsell of The Post and Courier tweeted after the game, “If Citadel doesn’t win, that no grounding/pass interference sequence goes down in Bulldog/SoCon ref lore”. Luckily for The Citadel (and the Southern Conference), the Bulldogs overcame that situation.
– One of those 3rd-and-long situations for Samford came in overtime. On 3rd-and-12, Devlin Hodges sat back in the pocket and waited…and waited…and waited…and moved to his right, then waited some more…and waited…and waited…and finally threw the football out of bounds.
The play seemed to take an eternity. It almost did. Hodges threw the ball 9.7 seconds after receiving the snap.
That’s an extremely long time for a QB to hold the ball and not find an open receiver. It was great downfield coverage by the Bulldogs, to say the least.
– I mentioned this on my Twitter feed on Saturday night, but I think it’s worth repeating here.
There is a cliché that gets tossed around all the time (usually from TV game analysts) that goes something like this: triple option teams can’t play from behind, mainly because they don’t pass the ball enough (or effectively).
On Saturday, The Citadel trailed by ten points with just 5:30 left in regulation and the clock running, and faced a 3rd-and-7 from its own 31-yard line. From that point forward through the end of the game, the Bulldogs did not complete a pass.
They still won.
– The Citadel clinched an automatic berth in the FCS playoffs with the win. It has not, however, won the “outright” SoCon title yet.
Not everyone seems to understand how that works. Just in case you weren’t sure:
The Citadel has clinched at least a share of the league crown. However, the automatic bid to the playoffs does not constitute an outright championship. Chattanooga can still tie The Citadel for the conference title if the Mocs beat Wofford, and The Citadel loses to VMI.
Last year, the situation was reversed. Chattanooga got the automatic berth in the playoffs by virtue of its victory over The Citadel, but shared the league title with the Bulldogs because the teams finished with the same conference record (the Mocs having earlier lost to Mercer).
In other words, it’s just another reason The Citadel needs to beat VMI next week.
—
Of course, The Citadel doesn’t really need another reason to beat VMI, not with the coveted Silver Shako at stake. It is the greatest trophy in all of sports, and it needs to stay in Charleston, where it belongs.
I’m glad the freshmen in the corps of cadets are making the trip to Virginia for the game. I’ll write more about VMI when I preview the matchup later in the week. For now, I’ll just say that any alumnus of The Citadel ought to visit VMI at least once, just to get an idea of the similarities and differences between the two schools.
The Citadel will be trying to win the outright league title while finishing undefeated in SoCon play for the first time ever, which strikes me as another good reason to make the trip.
—
I may have a separate post prior to the game preview that deals with the FCS playoff structure, which seems to be a source of confusion in some quarters (understandably so). If I have time, I’ll outline the basics, explain all the historical problems associated with the selections, mention a few things to watch, etc.
For now, I’ll close with the usual motley assortment of pictures. This week, I wanted to include some non-football shots, since it was Homecoming. I also wandered by the temporary museum in Daniel Library and took a few photos there. Most of the pictures are annotated.
Filed under: Football, The Citadel | Tagged: Brent Thompson, Cam Jackson, Cody Clark, Dee Delaney, Nick Jeffreys, Samford, SoCon, Tevin Floyd, The Citadel, Tyler Renew |
The Sports Arsenal 
Spike, Like you my heart rate has about calmed down from yesterday. I hope we crush VMI because it may not take another Wofford & Samford game. Just wanted to tell you that I got your post on earthlink and gmail. It don’t understand why but glad I got it both ways. Go Dogs! Chris Hoffman citadel1968@earthlink.net
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