Game Review, 2016: Gardner-Webb

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Sandlapper Spike

Links of interest:

– Game story, The Post and Courier

– School release

– Game story, The Shelby Star

– Photo gallery, The Shelby Star

– Video from WCSC-TV

– Box score

– Post-game notes

– DeAndre Schoultz’s punt return for a TD

– Dominique Allen’s big fourth-quarter run

—

Normally, I don’t post a game review if I wasn’t in attendance, but as the Bulldogs are entering their bye week, I decided to make a quick post about the victory over Gardner-Webb anyway.

Once the game was over, my initial reaction was as follows: “Phewwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

—

The Citadel rushed for 419 yards (averaging 6.3 yards per carry), was 9 for 18 on third-down conversions, 2 for 3 on fourth-down conversions, had an edge in time of possession of over three minutes, only committed two offensive penalties…and yet, at times the offense seemed to really struggle. Why?

Well, only completing one pass (in seven attempts) was one reason. So was one of the two aforementioned penalties, a 15-yarder that took the Bulldogs from 1st-and-goal on the 2-yard line to 1st-and-goal on the 17 — followed immediately by a lost fumble.

The Citadel also was not quite as efficient on first down as it would like to be. The Bulldogs ran 31 first down plays (30 runs, 1 pass). On 13 of those plays, The Citadel gained three yards or less. It’s hard to consistently pick up first downs when faced with 2nd-and-long or 3rd-and-long (the Bulldogs had nine of those), especially when the passing game isn’t in sync.

Sure, the final number says The Citadel converted third downs at a 50% clip, but they weren’t consistently picked up throughout the game. Three of the nine conversions came on the game-winning TD drive, and another was a 33-yard scramble on 3rd-and-18 by Dominique Allen that set up the Bulldogs’ second touchdown.

The Citadel had eleven possessions in the contest. There was a five-possession sequence (last drive of the first half, all four drives of the third quarter) in which the Bulldogs ran only 20 offensive plays from scrimmage for a total of 61 yards.

That highlights just how big DeAndre Schoultz’s punt return really was. His TD scamper came after those five possessions, and basically wiped out the advantage Gardner-Webb had built up in the third quarter.

On the other hand, for a third game in a row the offense came through when it had to score. This time, it was a 10-play, 72-yard drive that decided the game, with Allen’s 41-yard run on 3rd-and-7 the key play.

—

The defense’s performance during the game was a bit uneven. Gardner-Webb was held to a third-down conversion rate of 35.7%, which is excellent. However, the Bulldogs allowed four scoring drives of 61 yards or more, including one for 91 yards on the possession that immediately followed Schoultz’s punt return.

The Citadel did not force a turnover, and 57 minutes into the contest had not recorded a sack. Those last three minutes, though…

Gardner-Webb’s final six plays on offense:

  • Five-yard loss on a sack by Jonathan King
  • Two-yard run, with Dee Delaney and company stopping the action right there
  • Ten-yard loss on a sack by Noah Dawkins
  • Incomplete pass
  • Incomplete pass
  • Nine-yard loss on a sack by Kevin Graham

That’s how you finish.

– Quick note: Kailik Williams has made 26 tackles in the last two games. He is starting, finishing, and doing a whole lot in between.

—

The Citadel has won three games by a combined 13 points. The Bulldogs trailed with less than three minutes to play in all three of them.

While it is more than fair to suggest that The Citadel must get better on both sides of the ball if it plans on adding to the win total, there is definitely something to be said for having the mental fortitude (and physical endurance) to come through when the game is on the line. Being in those situations will probably be beneficial down the road, too.

The Bulldogs haven’t been at their best so far this season, but they’ve been tough enough to win all three of their games anyway. That inner resolve is perhaps best exemplified by senior linebacker Dondray Copeland:

On Friday morning, Dondray Copeland was at his mother’s bedside as she died at the way-too-young age of 48.

On Saturday night, Copeland took the field with his Citadel teammates and played a major role in the Bulldogs’ 31-24 win at Gardner-Webb before 6,850 fans at Spangler Stadium.

Copeland had seven tackles in the game, tied for second-most on the team.

—

The Bulldogs now get a well-deserved bye week. The Citadel’s next game is at Western Carolina on October 1.

I’m also taking a week off — well, more like ten days off. My preview of the WCU game will probably be of the abbreviated variety (not necessarily a bad thing), and it won’t be posted until a week from Thursday, or maybe the following Friday morning.

(Hey, at least I scheduled my break for the bye week.)

—

Go Dogs!

Filed under: Football, The Citadel | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

2015 Football, Game 6: The Citadel vs. Samford

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Sandlapper Spike

The Citadel at Samford, to be played at Seibert Stadium in Homewood, Alabama, with kickoff at 3:00 pm ET on Saturday, October 17. The game will not be televised.

The contest will be streamed on ESPN3.com, with Mike Grace providing play-by-play and Chad Pilcher supplying the analysis. Caroline Saunders will report from the sidelines.

The game can be heard on radio via the various affiliates of The Citadel Sports Network. WQNT-1450 AM [audio link], originating in Charleston, will be the flagship station. WQNT will have a two-hour pregame show. 

Mike Legg (the “Voice of the Bulldogs”) will call the action alongside analyst Lee Glaze. Jay Harper will report from the sidelines; he will host the first hour of the pregame show as well.

It is also possible to listen to the action with a smartphone, using a TuneIn Radio application.

—

Links of interest:

– Preview of The Citadel-Spurrier (oops, I mean Samford)  from The Post and Courier

– Game notes from The Citadel and Samford

– SoCon weekly release

– Mike Houston on the SoCon teleconference

– Chris Hatcher on the SoCon teleconference

– Mike Houston’s 10/13 press conference (with comments from Dominique Allen, Tevin Floyd, and Dondray Copeland)

– The Mike Houston Show (radio)

– Chris Hatcher post-practice interview on 10/12 (he begins his summation with “We had a good day, very businesslike…”)

– Chris Hatcher post-practice interview on 10/13 (he begins his summation with “We had a good day, I tell ya, very businesslike…”)

– Chris Hatcher post-practice interview on 10/14 (“We need to develop us a physical swagger about ourselves…”)

– Chris Hatcher post-practice interview on 10/15 (“We didn’t have a whole lot of pep about us…”)

– Tevin Floyd named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Wofford

– Dominique Allen is “growing into his job”

– The Citadel’s defense to be tested by the “Hatch Attack”

– Game highlights against Wofford

—

Like every fan of The Citadel, I was pleased with the Bulldogs’ performance against Wofford. The only negative was that I didn’t get to watch the game in person.

I have some regrets about that (a weather-related decision), but given the events in and around Columbia during the previous week, I was a little gun-shy when it came to the roads (and the rain). As it happens, unrelated events later in the day made me feel a little better about staying home.

On the bright side, I did get to watch the game on ESPN3. While I enjoyed the action on TV (Roku is my friend), it wasn’t the same as being there. I really missed the gameday experience.

It reminded me that when it comes to improving attendance at Johnson Hagood Stadium, attracting first-timers to the game is extremely important. We need to get more people hooked on the fun that is a football game at The Citadel.

—

Some quick observations about the victory over the Terriers:

– Wofford actually had a time of possession edge of almost six minutes. At the end of the first half, in fact, the Terriers had held the ball more than twice as long as The Citadel, despite the Bulldogs’ 21-6 lead.

That is why The Citadel’s first drive of the second half was important. Sixteen plays, eighty yards, 6:36 off the clock, and a TD to cap it off.

The Bulldogs were 3 for 3 on third down conversion attempts on that drive, including twice moving the chains on 3rd-and-5. The other third down conversion came inside Wofford’s 10-yard line.

Oh, and the drive began on the 20 after the Bulldogs fumbled the kickoff, but recovered. That could have been a game-changer in the worst way. Malik Diggs should get his fair share of credit for recovering the fumble and making a big save.

– The Citadel averaged 5.11 yards per rush, and 12.5 yards per pass attempt (seven completions in ten attempts). The Bulldogs committed no turnovers.

Those are the kinds of numbers that win lots of games.

– The defense held Wofford to 2.43 yards per rush (Lorenzo Long: 9 carries, 21 yards). The Citadel also forced two turnovers. The Terriers were only 2 for 13 converting third downs.

I thought the Bulldogs played “fast” on defense, especially early in the contest. It set a tone.

– The Citadel looked fresh and extremely well-prepared. The coaches did a fine job during the bye week.

The offensive playcalling was excellent. There were “special” plays designed for Cam Jackson, but they were within the flow of the offense. Tyler Renew was used in a way that took advantage of his strengths as a runner.

Dominique Allen was outstanding, and made certain play calls look really good, none more so than the 2nd-and-2 pass on the Wofford 24-yard line in the third quarter. Brandon Eakins was open, but he wasn’t that open. Allen had to clear the safety with the throw, and he did so, hitting Eakins in stride for the touchdown.

– The Bulldogs won the battle of special teams with room to spare.

—

Watching the game on ESPN3 also gave me an opportunity to confirm that SoCon officiating leaves a lot to be desired — and yes, I know I’m criticizing the officiating in a game The Citadel won 39-12. It doesn’t matter.

The targeting penalty on Quinlan Washington was a joke, and I don’t care if some ivory tower panel later rubber-stamped the ruling. As Mike Houston said later when asked if he thought it was targeting: “I don’t think anybody does.”

Basically, Washington was thrown out of the game for making a good play. The official didn’t like that Washington hit the Wofford quarterback so hard, and decided to eject him. It was as simple as that.

That call was followed by another officiating bungle on the very next play. Wofford fumbled on the 2-point conversion attempt, and the ball was picked up by a Bulldog player who began running down the field for a 2-point defensive score, only for the play to be blown dead.

The Terriers’ last offensive snap of the game resulted in a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by The Citadel’s Dondray Copeland that was eventually nullified, a play that featured a plethora of flags and a meeting between the referee and several Wofford players. Why, I have no idea.

Luckily, the Bulldogs dominated the game. Imagine if it had been close, though, and the officiating had affected the game’s result. Actually, you don’t have to imagine it — that’s what happened in last year’s matchup.

I don’t enjoy harping on the officials. I know it’s perceived in some quarters as whining. However, it’s the elephant in the SoCon’s little room, and it can’t be ignored.

Other SoCon fan bases complain about the officials, too. Many of those complaints are valid. Heck, The Citadel’s supporters were angry with the officiating after a 27-point victory.

The players and coaches who give it their all each and every week in the league deserve better.

—

As always when writing about The Citadel and Samford, I have to define some terms (as this is a Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs matchup).

In this post, “Bulldogs” refers to The Citadel, while “Birmingham Bulldogs”, “SU”, or “Baptist Tigers”* will serve as references to Samford.

*From a historical review of Samford football:

The Howard College [later to be renamed Samford] team was known originally as the “Baptist Tigers.” However, rival Auburn also had “Tigers” as a nickname. Howard’s teams went by “Baptist Bears” until Dec. 14, 1916, when the student body voted two-to-one for the “Crimson Bulldog” over the “Baptist Bears.” Students decided that a bulldog could eat more Birmingham-Southern Panther meat than a bear could.

Picking a mascot for its gastronomical qualities seems like a reasonable thing to do, though I think the students were selling the typical appetite of bears a little short.

—

Chris Hatcher was a well-regarded Division II coach, who in seven years at Valdosta State (his alma mater) won 76 games and the 2004 national title. That’s when Georgia Southern hired him and gave him two objectives: win, and don’t be like Brian VanGorder.

Hatcher successfully avoided the VanGorder comparison, but couldn’t quite get over the hump in the wins category. In three seasons in Statesboro, he was 18-15, which wasn’t good enough for that program.

He was let go after a win over The Citadel at Paulson Stadium to close out the 2009 season. Following a 13-6 victory, Hatcher worked his coach’s TV show, then was fired immediately afterwards.

Hatcher didn’t stay out of work long, as Murray State hired him to revitalize a program that had gone 13-43 in the previous five seasons. He would coach at the Kentucky school for five years, compiling a record of 27-30.

His worst season at Murray State was his last one, as the Racers finished 3-9 in 2014. It came as a bit of a surprise when Samford then hired him to take over for the retiring Pat Sullivan.

However, Sullivan was a fan of the hire:

“He has experienced winning on and off the field, he’s won a national championship, he’s a Hall of Famer,” Sullivan said. “And, more than anything, he’s a good man.”

—

Prior to his arrival at Samford, Hatcher ran an offensive system he called the “Hatch Attack”:

“We want to be a fast-paced offense,” he said. “It will be an exciting brand of football.”

In his five years at Murray State, Hatcher’s offense topped Division I-FCS in several categories. Last season, the Racers ranked second in the nation in passing offense averaging 327.2 yards per game and 15th nationally in total offense at 468.3 yards per game.

In his prior job as coach at Valdosta (Ga.) State [note: the article skipped over his three years at Georgia Southern], Hatcher led the Blazers to the 2004 Division II national championship and tutored quarterback Dusty Bonner to two Harlon Hill Trophies — the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

Hatcher said his offensive philosophy is to get the ball into the hands of playmakers and to also run the ball effectively.

“You have to be able to run the ball when you want to,” he said, “and you have to then be able to stop the run.

“We want to get the ball in space to people who know how to move, and to do it quickly,” Hatcher added.

Hatch’s offense at Samford this season looks a lot like the one Pat Sullivan ran last year, though. That isn’t by accident.

Samford may have a new head coach, but the offensive coordinator (Travis Trickett) was a holdover from the old staff. Actually, the new staff is the old staff; Hatcher retained most of Sullivan’s assistants, including Trickett and defensive coordinator Bill D’Ottavio.

With a talented, veteran team returning, Hatcher didn’t change a lot of on-field concepts. As the coach said during the SoCon media teleconference, he “left the schemes pretty much the same on offense and defense”.

The transition wasn’t seamless (“it wasn’t all peaches and cream,” said Hatcher), but ultimately Samford has many of the same players from last season playing for most of the same coaches from last season, and employing a similar style on both sides of the ball.

—

The next few sections include statistical team/conference comparisons for all games (unless otherwise indicated). This isn’t ideal for comparative purposes, but as each team has only played two league games, and 2015 statistics at this point are surely more valid than the 2014 totals, I’m using these numbers.

Samford has played five games, three at home (against Central Arkansas, Florida A&M, and Chattanooga) and two on the road (Louisville and VMI). SU is 3-2 overall, beating Central Arkansas, Florida A&M, and VMI.

The Citadel is 3-2 as well, having played Davidson, Western Carolina, Charleston Southern, and Wofford (all at home), along with Georgia Southern (in Statesboro).

—

In its five games, Samford’s offense has thrown the ball 190 times and run the ball 190 times. It really isn’t a true 50-50 run/pass mix, though, because ten of those rushing plays are sacks.

Passing yardage accounts for 65.8% of SU’s total offense. During his radio show, Mike Houston mentioned that about one-third of Samford’s pass plays are screens.

Among SoCon teams, Samford leads in scoring offense (35.2 ppg, 18th nationally in FCS) and is second in total offense, and is also second in the league in yards per play (6.1). The Citadel is tied for second in total defense and is allowing 5.2 yards per play. The Bulldogs are second in scoring defense (20.6 ppg).

SU leads the league in passing offense, averaging 304.2 yards per game (good for 12th in all of FCS, and the only SoCon team to average more than 300 yards per game through the air). Samford is also first in the conference in passing efficiency, with ten touchdowns and six interceptions. Nationally, Samford ranks 23rd in offensive pass efficiency among FCS teams, one spot ahead of…The Citadel.

The Citadel leads the conference in pass defense and pass defense efficiency (3rd nationally), allowing only 5.37 yards per pass attempt. Opponents are completing passes at a 54.5% rate against the Cadets, also the low for league teams.

SU quarterbacks have been sacked ten times, third-most among conference squads. The Citadel’s defense has recorded seven sacks (fifth in the SoCon) and nine interceptions (second).

The Birmingham Bulldogs have averaged 38 pass attempts per game. VMI (41.2) is the only SoCon squad to have averaged more.

Samford is averaging 8.01 yards per pass attempt, which is second in the SoCon to The Citadel, which is averaging 10.67 yards per attempt (obviously with a lot fewer throws).

The Baptist Tigers are sixth in rushing offense (4.2 yards per carry), averaging 158.4 yards per game. Samford has ten rushing touchdowns.

The Citadel is next-to-last in rushing defense, and is allowing a league-worst 5.1 yards per rush. Incidentally, that was also the case when these two teams met last season, only at that time the Bulldogs were giving up 6.2 yards per rush (league games only).

Samford is third-best in offensive third down conversion rate (47.9%). The Citadel is second in defensive third down conversion rate (34.8%).

SU has a red zone TD rate of 58.5%, sixth-best among SoCon squads in the league. The Citadel’s red zone defensive TD rate (57.1%) ranks third in the conference.

Samford has attempted the fewest fourth-down conversion attempts among SoCon teams (going 1 for 4). Opponents of The Citadel have tried twelve fourth-down attempts, converting eight times.

—

Samford is fifth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 25.2 points per game. SU is next-to-last in total defense (5.4 yards allowed per play) and sixth in rushing defense (4.4).

The Citadel is third in total offense (averaging 6.4 yards per play) and leads the league in rushing offense (a category in which the Bulldogs currently rank third nationally, trailing Cal Poly and Kennesaw State). The Bulldogs are next-to-last in passing yardage per game; as mentioned above, however, The Citadel is averaging a league-best 10.7 yards per pass attempt.

Samford is currently next-to-last in pass defense, but that is misleading. SU is second in the SoCon in pass efficiency defense, and leads the conference in interceptions with ten. Samford has 13 sacks, second among league teams behind Chattanooga.

At 54.7%, The Citadel leads the conference (and is fifth nationally) in offensive third down conversion rate. Samford is fourth in the SoCon in defensive third down conversion rate, at 38.9%.

The Citadel has an offensive red zone TD rate of 69.6%, third-best in the league. Samford’s red zone defensive TD rate is 44.4%, which ranks second among conference teams (trailing only Chattanooga’s 33.3%).

The Cadets are 2 for 7 on fourth down so far this season. Samford’s defense has faced eleven fourth-down conversion attempts, and has prevented a first down on seven of those occasions, an excellent rate.

—

Samford is +4 in turnover margin (gained fourteen, lost ten), tied for the top spot in the league in that category. The Citadel is exactly even in turnover margin (gained twelve, lost twelve).

The Citadel has only attempted four field goals so far this season, making three of them. Samford has tried eight FGs, converting five.

Samford is last among conference teams in net punting (averaging 31.9 yards net per punt), while The Citadel is second (38.4). Samford and The Citadel rank 1-2 among SoCon squads in kickoff coverage.

While the military college is fifth-best in kickoff returns, Samford has the best kickoff return average in the conference (26.7 yards per return, including a 100-yard touchdown return by Karel Hamilton against Chattanooga).

SU is last in the league in time of possession (26:59). The Citadel is fifth in that statistic (29:57).

The Birmingham Bulldogs are averaging 76 offensive plays from scrimmage per game, second-most in the SoCon (only Mercer’s offense averages more). When combined with the TOP numbers, that comes out to about 2.81 plays per minute. It’s very much a hurry-up offense.

From Samford’s game notes:

In its first five games, Samford has had 13 scoring drives that have lasted less than two minutes, and seven that have lasted less than a minute. The times of those drives were: 0:20, 0:38, 0:39, 0:40, 0:45, 0:47, 0:47, 1:08, 1:24, 1:25, 1:45, 1:51 and 1:58.

The Citadel’s offense averages 65.8 plays per contest, with a 2.19 plays-per-minute rate.

One interesting tidbit: Samford is far and away the top team in the SoCon when it comes to opponents’ penalties and penalty yardage. Opponents are averaging committing eight penalties per game against Samford, giving up 87.8 yards per contest in penalty yardage.

The Citadel’s opponents have only been flagged for 5.2 penalties per game (40.0 yards), second-fewest in the league. Bulldog fans are not surprised by that.

—

This is Samford quarterback Michael Eubank’s second year in the program after transferring from Arizona State, where he played for three years (redshirting his freshman campaign).  The native of California is completing 70.5% of his pass attempts (an improvement over last season’s 63.3%), averaging 8.3 yards per attempt, with ten touchdowns against four interceptions.

According to Mike Houston, Eubank (6’5″, 250 lbs.) has a quicker, cleaner throwing motion this season. Houston theorized during his weekly press conference that Eubank’s improvement in that area could be attributed to instruction from Chris Hatcher.

Denzel Williams (5’10”, 215 lbs.) was a preseason first-team All-SoCon selection. Though he leads the team in rushing attempts and yards, he actually hasn’t started a game this season; instead, sophomore K’rondis Larry (5’6″, 150 lbs.) has started every game and has almost as many carries as Williams. Both Williams and Larry are averaging at least 5 yards per rush, and both are capable receivers out of the backfield.

In looking over some numbers from last season, I noticed that Williams has added almost 25 lbs. to his frame this year.

Speaking of weight, Samford has a large offensive line. The starters average 6’3″, 297 lbs.

Right tackle Gunnar Bromelow was a first team all-league pick by the league’s coaches last year. Left guard Hayden Naumann started eleven games last season for UAB before transferring to Samford; he lines up next to left tackle Wesley Carter, himself a former UAB player who transferred to Samford two years ago.

Karel Hamilton is only a junior, but he is second among all SoCon players in career receptions, yardage, and touchdown catches. This year he is averaging six receptions per contest (11.3 yards per catch). Last season, Hamilton (6’1″, 210 lbs.) was an all-league selection by both the coaches and media members after putting up a 55-877-6 line in eleven games.

He is one of several talented pass-catchers that line up for Samford. Emmanuel Obajimi, a part-time starter last season, has three touchdown receptions so far this year.

Freshman Kelvin McKnight (5’8″, 185 lbs.) caught a 66-yard TD against Central Arkansas in his first collegiate game, and has also carried the ball a few times for the Birmingham Bulldogs. He had a 37-yard touchdown run against Chattanooga.

Tight end Tony Philpot had 4 catches for 72 yards and a TD last year against The Citadel. He has six receptions so far this season.

—

Under defensive coordinator Bill D’Ottavio, Samford has generally featured a “Bear” front against The Citadel’s triple option attack, and has been successful doing so more often than not.

From 2010-12, The Citadel was only 6 for 39 on third-down conversion attempts against Samford (15.3%). That has changed slightly in the last two meetings, as in 2013-14 the Bulldogs were 15-36 converting third downs, a considerably more respectable 41.7%.

The Citadel has really struggled in the passing game against Samford in the last two seasons, however, with a combined total of just 115 passing yards (averaging a putrid 4.1 yards per pass attempt).

Samford’s strength on defense starts with defensive tackle Michael Pierce, a redshirt senior and probably the favorite for the SoCon’s Defensive Player of the Year award. He was big enough last year at 309 lbs., but he is now listed at 6’0″, 340 lbs.

Pierce, who has 6.5 tackles for loss this season (already more than he had all of last year), began his college career at Tulane. He is the older brother of Myles Pierce, a sophomore linebacker at The Citadel.

Michael Pierce had two sacks last week against VMI, and also added a two-yard touchdown run after lining up as a fullback on offense.

Middle linebacker Justin Cooper was a preseason all-league selection. He had 17 tackles last season against The Citadel, and leads Samford in tackles this season.

Free safety Jamerson Blount, a second team All-SoCon pick last year by the league’s coaches and by its media members, is second on the team in tackles. Cooper and Blount both have intercepted two passes this season.

James Bradberry is in his fourth year as a starting cornerback at Samford. Bradberry has intercepted exactly two passes in each of his first three seasons for SU; he has none so far this year.

—

Anthony Pistelli is Samford’s placekicker, and also handles kickoffs. So far this season, Pistelli is 5 for 7 on field goal attempts, with a long of 37. Both of his misses have come from outside 40 yards.

Punter Austin Barnard is averaging 42.3 yards per boot, but as mentioned, Samford is last in the league in net punting. Barnard, who also holds for placekicks, began his college career at Miami (FL).

Karel Hamilton had that 100-yard kickoff return for a TD against UTC referenced earlier, but it was one of only two kicks he has returned this year. K’rondis Larry is the primary kick returner for Samford.

Kelvin McKnight and Gavin Sinclair (a fellow wide receiver) are the main punt returners for SU.

Per Phil Steele’s preseason rankings, Alec Hulmes is the SoCon’s top long snapper. Hulmes ranked 9th among all FCS long snappers, according to Steele.

Hulmes, a senior from Garner, North Carolina, was also a preseason All-SoCon second team choice on the offensive line. I am not sure how, as he has no career starts on the line (or, I suppose, at any position).

I assume there is a story behind that…

—

Odds and ends:

– Per one source that deals in such matters, Samford is an eight-point favorite over The Citadel. The over/under is 56.

– Seibert Stadium is named for Finley Page Seibert, Jr., who donated money for the completion of the facility in 1961 (adding stands on the west side). At the time, Bobby Bowden was the school’s head coach.

– Samford has 36 players from Alabama on its roster, the most from any state. Other states represented: Georgia (31), Florida (24), Tennessee (9), North Carolina (4), California (3), Kentucky (3), Mississippi (3), Texas (2), and one each from Oregon, Arkansas, and Alaska.

– The Citadel has five Alabama natives on its squad: Cam Jackson, James Riley, Tyus Carter, Myles Pierce, and Tyler Jackson.

– Samford has 15 transfers from other four-year universities on its roster, including 13 from FBS schools. Seven of them are in the Birmingham Bulldogs’ starting lineup.

– Saturday’s contest will be Samford’s first home game since September 19, a 31-21 loss to Chattanooga.

– I quoted this in the links section, but during one of his post-practice interviews Chris Hatcher made a reference to what he called “physical swagger”. I don’t remember hearing that expression before, but I kind of like it.

– The Citadel is apparently wearing yet another uniform color combination, this time what the equipment staff calls “summer leave” (white jerseys and those ugly, non-standard gray pants).

—

This game has an element of the unknown to it. Neither team has really played a similar opponent.

While The Citadel has excellent pass defense statistics, it is only fair to note that the Bulldogs have only played one team this season (Western Carolina) that had anything resembling a regular passing attack. (No, I’m not counting Davidson.)

On the other hand, Samford hasn’t faced a team quite as committed to the run as The Citadel.

The Citadel has to get pressure on Michael Eubank, or it will be a long day at the office for the defense. I think the secondary has been legitimately excellent for the Bulldogs this season, regardless of the opposition’s passing ability, but any coverage will eventually break down if the quarterback has all day to throw the football.

Being able to consistently tackle in space will also be important for The Citadel in this contest.

I wouldn’t be surprised if The Citadel’s offensive game plan resembles the one from last week. That includes the judicious use of the forward pass, particularly on short-yardage plays.

Tyler Renew had a good game against Samford last year (102 rushing yards), so he may get a chance to repeat his fine effort versus Wofford.  Another player to watch: Vinny Miller, who two years ago rushed for 95 yards against SU.

The Bulldogs were solid on special teams against Wofford, and that must continue against Samford. There may be an opportunity for The Citadel on that front, as the special teams outfit that arguably shined the most against the Terriers (the punt return squad) is matched up against what is on paper SU’s weakest special teams unit.

Over the past few years, this matchup has usually been close. I don’t expect that to change on Saturday.

Filed under: Football, The Citadel | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

2015 Football, Game 3: The Citadel vs. Georgia Southern

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Sandlapper Spike

The Citadel at Georgia Southern, to be played at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, with kickoff at 6:00 pm ET on Saturday, September 19. The game will not be televised.

The contest will be streamed on ESPN3.com, with Matt Stewart providing play-by-play and Wayne Gandy supplying the analysis.

The game can be heard on radio via the various affiliates of The Citadel Sports Network. WQNT-1450 AM [audio link], originating in Charleston, will be the flagship station. 

Mike Legg (the “Voice of the Bulldogs”) will call the action alongside analyst Lee Glaze. Jay Harper will report from the sidelines.

It is also possible to listen to the action with a smartphone, using a TuneIn Radio application.

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Links of interest:

– Preview of The Citadel-Georgia Southern from The Post and Courier

– Game notes from The Citadel and Georgia Southern

– SoCon weekly release

– Sun Belt weekly release

– Mike Houston on the SoCon teleconference

– Willie Fritz on the Sun Belt teleconference

– Mike Houston’s 9/15 press conference (includes comments from Dondray Copeland and Jorian Jordan)

– The Mike Houston Show (radio)

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When I was thinking about what to write for this week’s preview, what first came to mind wasn’t as much the upcoming contest, but rather Georgia Southern’s move from the SoCon to the Sun Belt and the long-term ramifications for that program and school.

That’s because, from a programmatic perspective, the matchup with the Eagles is arguably the most meaningless game The Citadel has played since the Bulldogs made a trip to face Wyoming in 2002.

I’ll explain what I mean by that later. First, a look at Georgia Southern. I’ve written about the school’s history before, but I think it’s worth revisiting.

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Georgia Southern was founded in 1907, and classes began the following year. It was originally known as the First District Agricultural & Mechanical School, but despite an initial focus on agriculture, the school would become a teacher’s college for the majority of its history.

There had been a football team at Georgia Southern as far back as 1924 (at that time the institution was called the Georgia Normal School), but the sport was dropped during World War II. By the early 1980s, the school had increased in size (it would be granted university status in 1990), and there was a groundswell of local and institutional support for reinstating football.

To re-start the program, the school hired longtime Georgia assistant coach Erk Russell, who was already a legend in the Peach State. He was, to say the least, a great hire.

Russell took the football program from club status to I-AA, fashioning an eight-year record of 83-22-1, with three national titles.  Beyond the win-loss record, the coach’s impact and influence on the school was immense.

Ludicrously, Russell is not in the College Football Hall of Fame. He is actually ineligible under current rules.

The shadow of Russell at Georgia Southern did have negative repercussions, inasmuch as he was an impossible act to follow. The redoubtable Paul Johnson was the only one of the head coaches who succeeded him to really measure up to Russell in the eyes of the fan base.

Tangent: speaking of Johnson and other former Georgia Southern head coaches, the most fascinating matchup this week in college football is the one between PJ’s Georgia Tech squad and Notre Dame, which employs Statesboro persona non grata Brian VanGorder as its defensive coordinator. The two men aren’t exactly fast friends, and that’s being polite.

The essential issue that coaches following Erk Russell faced — how do you top what he did? — could also apply, in a general sense, to Georgia Southern and the move to FBS. After a while, some supporters got restless. They had already sampled the pot of gold at the end of the FCS rainbow, and now they wanted to know if the gold at the end of the FBS rainbow was shinier, regardless of the consequences.

It took a while, but eventually the fan base started moving in the “we want FBS” direction. Those not so sure about the idea were eventually brushed aside. A new director of athletics with an “FBS or bust” attitude and mission, Tom Kleinlein, pushed things along. Eventually, Georgia Southern made the move to the Sun Belt.

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Now, Georgia Southern is an FBS school. Its first season in the Sun Belt was full of success, as it won the league with an 8-0 conference record. I’m not sure the Sun Belt was anticipating that, or if its administrators were really excited about having the league won by a program that had gone 4-4 in the SoCon the year before.

Despite winning an FBS conference, though, Georgia Southern didn’t get to go to a bowl game, because it was still in transitional status. That didn’t sit well with fans.

Kleinlein asked for a waiver (which was denied by the NCAA). In asking for the waiver, I suspect he went against the wishes of the league office:

Without the waiver, Georgia Southern’s only other option to become bowl eligible this year was to hope fewer than 76 teams reached six wins…

…Last month, Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson told USA TODAY Sports that even if Georgia Southern became bowl eligible through that route, they would be placed at the bottom of the league’s pecking order out of deference to the longstanding FBS members. Currently, the Sun Belt has four bowl eligible teams for three contracted spots.

Kleinlein is now arguing, however, that Georgia Southern (9-3) should be treated differently because it won the conference championship outright.

“If we were just a bowl eligible team, I get that argument,” he said. “But we’re conference champions, and that is what puts us ahead of everybody else. I didn’t make the argument to the NCAA when we won six games, I didn’t make it when we won seven or eight. I waited until we got at least a share of the conference title before I submitted my deal.”

Benson didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Of course Benson didn’t return Dan Wolken’s telephone call. He was probably on the horn with Kleinlein, asking him to at least wait another year before burning every bridge in the league his school had just joined.

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Now, about that “meaningless game” comment I made at the beginning of this missive. Mike Houston was asked about playing Georgia Southern at his weekly press conference:

The Citadel will be the first SoCon team to visit GSU since the Eagles left the SoCon, but don’t expect Georgia Southern to appear regularly on Bulldog schedules — not when games at ACC or SEC foes can bring much more money. This game was scheduled before Houston and athletic director Jim Senter were hired.

“If I’m the ones making the decisions, no,” Houston said when asked if he’d schedule games like this one in the future. “You are playing an FBS program that has more resources and scholarships than we have. And if you are playing those kinds of games, there needs to be financial restitution that matches that … It’s not ideal, especially if you are playing two FBS teams in one year.”

In other words, if Georgia Southern wants to schedule The Citadel again, the military college is going to demand a lot more cash. $175,000 isn’t going to be nearly enough; The Citadel is going to want more than twice that amount of money. Maybe more than three times that amount of money.

In a way, it illustrates a problem Georgia Southern now has as an FBS member when it comes to scheduling home games. Schools that pay FCS schools big bucks for a “guarantee game” can afford to make those payments, because they have large stadiums and huge budgets. That isn’t the case for the folks in Statesboro.

Georgia Southern may have expanded Paulson Stadium, but 25,000 seats is a far cry from the likes of the facilities at Florida State, or South Carolina, or even North Carolina (opponents of The Citadel last year, this year, and next year).

That also affects Georgia Southern’s ability to get home-and-home games (or two-for-one deals) with non-conference FBS foes, especially from major conferences. So far, GS hasn’t scheduled such a series with a P5 school.

Of course, if the Big 10 gets its way, the days of Power 5 conference schools scheduling FCS programs may be coming to an end. Even if that happened, though, it probably still wouldn’t be worth it for schools like The Citadel to play Group of 5 conference schools for less money.

The potential chain reaction that could occur if the entire P5 decided not to schedule FCS programs would likely be complicated (and a subject for another post). I think it is probable that The Citadel would simply not play any FBS schools, with the gridiron landscape possibly changing to such a degree that no FCS schools would.

All that said, the game on Saturday isn’t as unimportant to The Citadel as the 2002 game against Wyoming. For one thing, the program will make at least a little money. That Wyoming game, well…

The game against Division I-A Wyoming, which plays in the Mountain West Conference, has been on the Bulldogs’ schedule for years. [Ellis] Johnson talked to Wyoming coach Vic Koenning a year ago about getting out of the game…

…After chartering a flight to Laramie and spending a night there, The Citadel will just about break even on the trip, [Les] Robinson said.”Thank goodness for LSU [another FBS game The Citadel played during the 2002 season],” Robinson said. After securing the LSU game, Robinson offered to negotiate a settlement with Wyoming.”They didn’t want to negotiate,” Robinson said. “We couldn’t offer them $100,000 or anything like that. We couldn’t make it worth their while.”As it is, the Bulldogs will play 12 games without a week off this season. Johnson said his players might not even put on pads this week in practice in an effort to stay fresh.

Also, the Bulldogs will have their fair share of fans at this game. It’s not the worst place in the world to play a game for recruiting purposes, either (Exhibit A being The Citadel’s starting quarterback, Dominique Allen, who grew up about an hour’s drive from Statesboro).

However, ultimately this matchup is unlikely to define the season for The Citadel in any way. It’s a game the Bulldogs would like to win, but it’s not a conference game, a home game, an in-state game, or a game against a high-profile opponent. It provides a limited benefit to the program from a financial standpoint.

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To be honest, I’ve always been a bit dubious about Georgia Southern venturing into the land of FBS, though not for reasons of on-field competitiveness. I don’t think any veteran observer of college football was shocked the Eagles dominated the Sun Belt last year. Mildly surprised, maybe, but not shocked.

However, this is a school that, even as it has grown, still has issues to overcome when it comes to big-money athletics. Its alumni base, while growing, is still much smaller than most FBS schools; the market demo is younger than many other areas (so there is less disposable income floating around); and the surrounding region doesn’t have a huge corporate base.

Also, Georgia Southern has to compete with numerous major-conference FBS programs within a 300-mile radius, including Georgia, Georgia Tech, Clemson, South Carolina, Florida, Florida State, and Auburn.

Hey, I could be wrong. I’ve been wrong before, and I’ll be wrong again. I just happen to think there is a good chance in about ten years, there might be more than a few Georgia Southern fans wondering what the administration was thinking when it decided to chase that other rainbow.

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Here is a comparison of The Citadel and Georgia Southern in select statistical categories for the 2014 season. The Citadel’s stats are for SoCon games only (seven contests). Those opponents: Wofford, Chattanooga, Western Carolina, Mercer, Furman, Samford, and VMI.

For Georgia Southern, I included eleven of the Eagles’ twelve games. After some consideration, I decided to remove the statistics from Georgia Southern’s 83-9 victory over Savannah State.

Thus, the statistics below are for the rest of the games the Eagles played last season, which came against the following opponents: North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, South Alabama, Appalachian State, New Mexico State, Idaho, Georgia State, Troy, Texas State, Navy, and ULM.

 

Georgia Southern The Citadel
Offense yards/pass attempt 7.8 6.8
Offense yards/rush attempt 6.81 5.35
Offense yards per play 7.00 5.56
Offense points per game 35.09 24.86
Penalties per game 4.9 5.3
Offense 3rd down conv % 47.1 46.3
Offense 4th down conv % 62.5 60.0
Offense Red Zone TD% 69.2 66.7
Defense yards/pass attempt 6.9 9.1
Defense yards/rush attempt 4.41 5.69
Defense yards allowed/play 5.62 7.02
Defense points allowed/game 24.72 25.86
Defense 3rd down conv % 40.5 41.5
Defense 4th down conv % 40.1 52.9
Defense Red Zone TD% 68.6 60.0
Time of possession 32:53 32:40

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Who will start at quarterback for Georgia Southern on Saturday?

As glad as [Georgia Southern head coach Willie] Fritz is to have Ellison back, he’s staying close to the vest when discussing how big of a role Ellison will play this weekend. With a full week of film study and practice still in front of the Eagles, Fritz wasn’t yet ready to say whether Ellison or [Favian] Upshaw take the first snap against The Citadel.

“Those guys are going to be trading reps all week and they’re both going to be playing Saturday,” Fritz said. “We don’t know if we’ll go by quarter, by series, or every two series. As the week goes on, we’ll get that plan in place.”

Ellison was suspended because of an academic issue dating back to the fall semester of last season. Ellison failed to accrue enough credits to satisfy the NCAA standard and was initially handed a four-game suspension.

By taking on additional classes over the spring and summer semesters – and by earning solid grades in those classes – Ellison was able to get his suspension reduced.

“It was a learning experience for me,” Ellison said. “School has to come first. I kind of overlooked that last year.
“Now I’m just glad to play for my school and to be able to go out there on Saturday.”

Ellison is hoping that this run-in with The Citadel is as successful as the last.

In 2013, Ellison was the star of the game as the Eagles pulled out a 28-21 win. Ellison passed for 138 yards, ran for 135 more and scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:59 to play.

Regardless of who starts at QB, Willie Fritz’s offense will look the same. It isn’t the triple option offense of Paul Johnson or Jeff Monken, but it is conceptually not dissimilar.

I’ll let The Birddog, triple option maven and proprietor of the superior Navy athletics blog of the same name, explain how it works:

Run primarily out of pistol formations, Georgia Southern uses more zone blocking as opposed to the inside veer that is the foundation of past GSU offenses. For the quarterback, it’s not too much of a change; he still progresses through his reads like he did before. Zone blocking is different for the offensive line, but it still favors quicker linemen that can get to linebackers quickly. That’s what GSU’s line was already built for under Monken. Besides, it’s not like they had never used zone blocking before. It’s just a different focus. The zone read is hardly a concept unique to Georgia Southern. Everyone runs it at least a little bit. What’s unique about Georgia Southern is more how committed they are to it. They are very much an option offense as opposed to an offense that dabbles in the option once in a while.

You can read a lot more about Georgia Southern’s offense in that post. In fact, you should. Education is the surest way to get ahead in life.

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In its eleven games last season against FBS competition, Georgia Southern threw the ball 20.3% of the time. Passing yardage accounted for 22.5% of the Eagles’ total offense.

Contrast that with Georgia Southern’s 2013 season (again omitting a game against Savannah State). That season, the Eagles threw the ball 14.0% of the time, and passing yardage accounted for 21.5% of Georgia Southern’s total offense.

So, despite a new coach and a different “style” of offense, there really wasn’t a big fundamental change in approach.

– Note: 2014 statistical references to follow are for all 12 games Georgia Southern played.

Kevin Ellison rushed for 1108 yards last season, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He completed 55.5% of his passes, with five touchdowns against three interceptions, averaging 7.6 yards per attempt.

Fabian Upshaw completed 70.4% of his throws (19-27), averaging 10.6 yards per attempt, with two TDs and one pick. Upshaw rushed for 385 yards, averaging 9.6 yards per carry.

While both Ellison and Upshaw are capable of making things happen, the biggest playmaker on the Eagles offense is running back Matt Breida, who rushed for 1485 yards last season and 17 TDs. He averaged 8.7 yards per rush attempt, leading the nation in that category.

During his press conference, Mike Houston stated that Breida also led the nation in “explosive plays”, i.e. plays of over 50 yards from scrimmage. He had seven last season.

Breida had his first “explosive play” of this season last week,  a 70-yard TD run against Western Michigan. He finished that game with 176 yards rushing (on only 11 carries) and four touchdowns.

He is joined in the backfield by fellow running back L.A. Ramsby, who rushed for 691 yards and 12 TDs last season. “L.A.” stands for “Little Al”. His father is Big Al.

Wide receiver B.J. Johnson led the Eagles in receptions last season with 23, averaging 13.6 yards per catch. Three of those receptions were for touchdowns.

Houston referred to Georgia Southern as being “huge up front”, and he wasn’t kidding. The Eagles’ starting offensive linemen average 6’4″, 305 lbs.

Left guard Darien Foreman, the lone returning starter on the offensive line, was a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt pick. Right guard Roscoe Byrd is a transfer from UAB.

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Georgia Southern runs a 4-3 base defense. Of course, teams often change things up when facing The Citadel’s triple option.

Last year against Navy, the Eagles started out defensively by running a 4-4 look with the safety taking the pitch, then adjusted as the game went on. If you want to see how that functioned, I again refer you to The Birddog (who also breaks down how Navy handled Georgia Southern’s offense in this post): Link

The Eagles have a great deal of size along the defensive line, including the imposing Jay Ellison (no relation to Kevin Ellison), a 6’1″, 310 lb. nose tackle. The Citadel’s offensive line will have its hands full with Ellison, a second-team preseason Sun Belt selection.

Darrius Sapp, listed as Jay Ellison’s backup on this week’s two-deep, started both of Georgia Southern’s first two games at defensive tackle. Sapp weighs 330 lbs.

Starting defensive end Lennie Richardson is 27 years old. Richardson began his collegiate career at Troy before transferring to Georgia Southern. After a year in Statesboro, Richardson enlisted in the U.S. Army and spent 3 1/2 years as a tank gunner before returning to GSU.

Linebackers Deshawntee Gallon and Antwione Williams both have fifteen tackles so far this season for the Eagles. Williams has already graduated from Georgia Southern (the same is true for Lennie Richardson).

Free safety Matt Dobson returned two interceptions for touchdowns last season. Dobson was a second-team preseason all-conference choice.

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Placekicker Younghoe Koo is an athlete, as this “trick kick” demonstrates. However, he’s coming off a one-week suspension after a DUI arrest. Alex Hanks handled placekicking duties last week for the Eagles and is listed ahead of Koo on this week’s depth chart.

Georgia Southern punter Matt Flynn is in his first year as the starter. Koo is listed as his backup this week, though the depth chart describes this as an “OR” situation.

Long snapper Jake Banta is another refugee from the currently shuttered UAB program.

Derek Keaton and Montay Crockett were the primary kick returners for Georgia Southern last season, and are back this year. Keaton also returns punts.

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Odds and ends:

– Georgia Southern’s “dress roster” includes 90 players from thirteen states. There are 68 natives of Georgia, 11 Floridians, five residents of South Carolina, three Texans, and one player each from Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Jersey, California, and Nevada.

– For the second straight week, The Citadel will play in a contest designated “Military Appreciation” Day (or Night). The game ball will be brought in by the Golden Knights Army Parachute Team. Georgia Southern players will have a Department of Defense decal on the back of their helmets.

An early contender for the title of most-asked question by fans in the stands on Saturday: “Hey, what does DoD mean?”

The Citadel last played Georgia Southern in Statesboro in 2013. It was Military Appreciation Day at Paulson Stadium for that game as well.

– The ESPN3 analyst for this game, Wayne Gandy, was a consensus All-American offensive tackle at Auburn in the early 1990s. Gandy had a 15-year NFL career with four different teams, starting 205 games.

– The sideline reporter for the Georgia Southern radio network is Danny Reed, who Bulldog fans remember from his three years as the “Voice of the Bulldogs”. Reed will become the play-by-play voice this season for the Eagles’ men’s basketball and baseball teams, and will take over gamecalling duties for football in 2016.

I think Reed will become the second person to work as the play-by-play voice for both The Citadel and Georgia Southern. Longtime Charleston radio man Ted Byrne also called games for both schools (and worked College of Charleston games at one point, too).

– Lainie Fritz, sports anchor/reporter for WCBD-TV in Charleston, is the daughter of Georgia Southern head coach Willie Fritz.

– Per the SoCon weekly release, The Citadel has the top two active sack leaders in the conference. Mitchell Jeter has 13.5, most among current SoCon players, while Mark Thomas is second with 11.5 career sacks.

– Mike Houston is undefeated against schools from the state of Georgia in his head coaching career. He is 2-0, with wins over Fort Valley State and Mercer.

– As of this writing, the National Weather Service forecast for Saturday in Statesboro: high of 87 degrees and sunny, with a low that night of 67. Weather should not be a factor during the game.

– Per one source that deals in such matters, Georgia Southern is a 25 1/2 point favorite over The Citadel this week. The over/under is 56.

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I think Saturday’s game will be competitive, assuming The Citadel doesn’t go into turnover mode on offense. The Bulldogs may have trouble stopping Georgia Southern’s high-powered attack, but I believe The Citadel can control the ball enough on offense to limit the total number of possessions and frustrate the Eagles.

Earlier in this post, I wrote that this game isn’t that important for The Citadel in the grand scheme of things. However, I fully expect the Bulldog players to give it everything they’ve got — and why not?

If you’re going to play the game, you might as well try to win.

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