2019 Football, Game 7: The Citadel vs. Western Carolina

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Sandlapper Spike

The Citadel vs. Western Carolina, to be played at historic Johnson Hagood Stadium, with kickoff at 2:00 pm ET on October 12, 2019.

The game will be streamed on ESPN3. Kevin Fitzgerald will handle play-by-play, while former Bulldogs quarterback Dominique Allen supplies the analysis. Emily Crevani is the sideline reporter. 

It is also part of this week’s “ESPN College Extra” package, available on some cable/satellite systems. On DirecTV, the game will be broadcast on Channel 792.

The contest 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. 

Luke Mauro (the “Voice of the Bulldogs”) calls the action alongside analyst Ted Byrne.

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The Citadel Sports Network — 2019 radio affiliates

Charleston: WQNT 1450 AM/92.1 FM/102.1 FM (Flagship)
Columbia: WQXL 1470 AM/100.7 FM
Sumter: WDXY 1240 AM/105.9 FM

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Links of interest:

– Preview from The Post and Courier

– “Jeff’s Take” from The Post and Courier

– Game notes from The Citadel and Western Carolina

– SoCon weekly release

– “Gameday Central” on The Citadel’s website

– Game preview on Western Carolina’s website

– Brent Thompson’s weekly radio show (10/9)

– Brent Thompson’s weekly press conference (10/7)

– The Dogs:  Episode 7

– Noah Dawkins signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

– The story behind the memorial

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Brief thoughts on the game against VMI…

The Bulldogs’ performance was dispiriting; there was very little that was positive about it, result aside. The fact that it happened in front of one of the larger crowds in recent years to see a game at Johnson Hagood Stadium just seemed to make it worse.

The early TD drive may have been fool’s gold, because it suggested that The Citadel could successfully move the ball by throwing it on a regular basis. That proved not to be the case.

The offense completely got away from what it does well, and what it has to do. The Citadel is not going to beat anyone, including VMI, if it does not control the ball, loses the turnover battle, and has more pass plays than rushes (if you take sacks into account).

The defense wasn’t much better. VMI averaged six yards per play, and did not commit a turnover. Reece Udinski completed 71.4% of his passes.

Incidentally, I don’t really want to hear about how tall the Keydets’ receivers are, either. Short or tall, they were open more often than not (that was especially true on VMI’s final pass play).

It was all very frustrating.

Maybe some of the Bulldogs did not understand the nature of the rivalry between the two military colleges. However, I’m going to guess that over the next twelve months, they are going to find out just how important it really is.

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Okay, let’s talk about this Saturday’s game. The opponent is Western Carolina. The Catamounts are currently 1-4, 0-2 in the SoCon.

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Key statistics for Western Carolina (through five games):

WCU Opponents
Points per game 20.8 38.2
Yards per rush (sacks taken out) 5.18 6.12
Rush attempts (sacks taken out) 194 210
Comp-Att-Int 95-147-4 (64.6%)
62-115-3 (53.9%)
Average per catch 8.8 14.5
Yards per pass attempt (sacks included) 4.66 6.95
Total plays 355 333
Yards per play 4.94 6.43
Fumbles-Lost 6-3 1-1
Penalties-yards 35-259 25-226
Penalty yards per game 51.8 45.2
Punts-yards 32-1260 22-916
Net punting average 33.0 37.5
Time of possession/game 31:24 28:36
Offensive plays per second 26.54 sec 25.77 sec
3rd down conversions 32/82 (39.0%) 25/62 (40.3%)
4th down conversions 7/11 (63.6%) 4/8 (50.0%)
Sacks by-yards 8-44 14-85
Red Zone scoring (13-17) 76.5% (18-19) 94.7%
Red Zone TD rate (11-17) 64.7% (13-19) 68.4%
Turnover margin -3 +3

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WCU’s game results:

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– The season didn’t start off well for Western Carolina. Mercer ran the opening kickoff back to the WCU 18-yard line and scored three plays later. After a three-and-out by the Catamounts, the Bears returned the ensuing punt back 38 yards and Mercer scored on the next play.

Mercer led that game 42-14 at halftime.

– Against North Carolina State, the Catamounts only managed 106 yards of total offense (including just one yard in the second half). Four WCU players, including star quarterback Tyrie Adams, were suspended for the contest and didn’t play.

– Adams didn’t see the field against North Greenville, either, and Western Carolina was fortunate to escape with a victory. The Crusaders were only 3 for 17 passing, but one of those three completions was a 72-yard TD that gave NGU the lead late in the third quarter. WCU scored the game-winning touchdown with 5:04 to play.

That broke a 10-game losing streak which dated back to last season. Western Carolina is currently on a nine-game losing skid in SoCon play.

– The Catamounts trailed Chattanooga 7-6 after the first quarter of that matchup. At halftime, the score was 37-21 Mocs. The first half featured scoring plays of 28, 24, 69, 73, and 36 yards — four of those by Chattanooga.

Then WCU rallied to get within 44-36 after three quarters, but UTC scored 16 points in the final period.

– Gardner-Webb converted a 33-yard field goal on the game’s final play to beat Western Carolina. G-W actually committed one more turnover than WCU, but the Runnin’ Bulldogs outgained the Catamounts en route to the upset victory.

The one thing you can say for Western Carolina is that it has some very loyal supporters. In three home games, the Catamounts are averaging 9,874 fans. There were 11,865 spectators in attendance for the game against Gardner-Webb.

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Team rankings comparison in select statistical categories:

– Time of possession: The Citadel remains first in FCS (36:54 per game). Western Carolina is 29th nationally.

– Turnover margin: The Bulldogs are tied for 88th, while the Catamounts are tied for 91st. Both are at -3 for the season, but Western Carolina has played one fewer game.

– Offensive 3rd down conversion rate: The Citadel is 32nd (at 42.3%), while WCU is 60th (39.0%).

– Defensive 3rd down conversion rate: Western Carolina is 72nd; The Citadel is 76th (40.8%).

– 4th down attempts: The Citadel is tied for 5th nationally, with 17 fourth down attempts (the Bulldogs’ 11 successful conversions is tied for 4th). WCU has 11 fourth down tries, which is tied for 40th-most in FCS. The Catamounts have made seven of those.

– Yards per rush (does not account for sacks): The Citadel is 86th in FCS (3.50), obviously not good enough for the Bulldogs. Western Carolina is tied for 45th (4.42).

– Net punting: The Bulldogs are 8th (41.28), while WCU is 98th (33.03).

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Tyrie Adams (6’2″, 185 lbs.) was the preseason SoCon Offensive Player of the Year. The redshirt senior quarterback from St. Petersburg has started two games this season (Mercer and Gardner-Webb) and entered in relief against Chattanooga.

For the season, Adams is completing 66.7% of his passes, averaging 6.8 yards per attempt (not including sacks), with four touchdown tosses against three interceptions.

Last year against The Citadel, Adams was 12 for 21 passing for 148 yards and a pick. He also added 74 yards rushing. In the 2017 matchup at Johnson Hagood Stadium, Adams threw three TD passes.

Starting running back Connell Young (6’0″, 210 lbs.), a senior from Greensboro, had 217 rushing yards against Chattanooga. His backup, redshirt junior Donnavan Spencer (5’10”, 190 lbs.) had 122 rushing yards last season against the Bulldogs, including a 75-yard TD.

Redshirt junior wide receiver Daquan Patten (5’6″, 185 lbs.) leads WCU in receptions, with 22. He is also the Catamounts’ primary punt and kick returner. The native of Columbia (Blythewood High School) is the son of former WCU and NFL wideout David Patten (who earned three Super Bowl rings while with the New England Patriots).

Nate Mullen (5’9″, 185 lbs.) is currently second on the team in catches, with 15. Mullen, a redshirt senior who began his college career at Charlotte, caught 55 passes last season.

Tight end Owen Cosenke (6’3″, 235 lbs.) was an all-SoCon performer in 2018 after catching eight touchdown passes. This season, the junior from Aldie, Virginia has 11 receptions, two for TDs.

The projected starters on the Catamounts’ offensive line average 6’4″, 300 lbs. Junior left guard Grady Thomas (6’5″, 305 lbs.), who went to Spartanburg High School, has started 16 games for WCU.

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Jarquavius Wortham (6’1″, 225 lbs.) is a senior who lines up at defensive end, though he played linebacker last season for the Catamounts. The transfer from Georgia Military leads WCU in sacks, with 2 1/2.

Junior linebacker Trevor Childers (6’1″, 215 lbs.) leads Western Carolina in tackles, with 46. His 5 1/2 tackles for loss is also tops for WCU.

Michael Murphy (6’2″, 200 lbs.) is listed as a linebacker on the depth chart, but the redshirt junior (another Spartanburg High School product) played in the Catamounts’ secondary last year. He returned a fumble 48 yards for a TD against The Citadel (one of two defensive touchdowns Murphy scored in 2018). This year, he has 29 tackles (fourth-most on the team), an interception, and a forced fumble.

Redshirt senior JerMichael White (6’1″, 190 lbs.) is second on the roster in stops (with 45). The native of Johnson City, Tennessee was injured most of last season.

John Brannon III (6’2″, 195 lbs.), a senior from Charlotte, has 25 tackles from his cornerback spot. He also has a fumble recovery and two interceptions, including a pick-six against Mercer.

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Western Carolina has used two punters and three placekickers this season (and for what it is worth, WCU also has an “or” situation on its two-deep at long snapper).

Redshirt sophomore Caleb Ferguson (5’11”, 185 lbs.) had a 69-yard TD run off a fake punt against Chattanooga (in which he outran the Mocs’ return man). It was definitely one of the highlights of the season for WCU. Not surprisingly, Ferguson is listed as a running back on the roster.

Fort Mill’s Brandon Dickerson (5’11”, 195 lbs.) has actually had the most punts for Western Carolina this season. Dickerson attended Indian Land High School.

One of the three placekickers employed this year by the Catamounts is no longer on the roster. That leaves either Richard McCollum (5’9″, 170 lbs.) or Julian Pletz (5’10”, 190 lbs.) to do the job.

Pletz is listed as the starter this week; he is 5-5 on PATs this season, but has never made a field goal in his short career at WCU (0 for 1).

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Odds and ends:

– The weather forecast for Saturday in Charleston, per the National Weather Service: sunny, with a high of 82 degrees. The low temperature on Saturday night is projected to be 68 degrees.

– Per one source that deals in such matters (as of Wednesday evening), The Citadel is a 17-point favorite over WCU, with an over/under of 64 1/2.

– Other lines involving SoCon teams: Samford is a 7-point favorite at VMI. That’s it, that’s the list. Five SoCon teams are off this week.

– Also of note: Elon is a 3 1/2 point underdog versus Delaware; Charleston Southern is a 24-point underdog at Kennesaw State; and Towson is an 11-point favorite against Albany.

Georgia Tech is a 17 1/2 point underdog at Duke.

In games between FCS schools, the biggest spread is 29, with Princeton the big favorite over Lafayette.

– Massey Ratings: The Citadel is ranked 64th in FCS, falling 25 spots from last week, the largest drop in FCS. The Catamounts are 108th.

Massey projects the Bulldogs to have a 85% chance of winning, with a predicted final score of The Citadel 38, Western Carolina 24.

The top five teams in Massey’s FCS rankings this week: North Dakota State, Montana, South Dakota State, James Madison, and Dartmouth.

Other rankings this week of varied interest: Villanova is 8th, Sacramento State 11th, Towson 14th, Furman 17th, Kennesaw State 20th, North Carolina A&T 27th, Southeast Missouri State 32nd, Elon 40th, Wofford 43rd, Samford 45th, Columbia 51st, Chattanooga 54th, Georgetown 58th, Florida A&M 63rd, South Carolina State 66th, Drake 72nd, East Tennessee State 79th, Campbell 80th, VMI 82nd, Richmond 83rd, Mercer 91st, Charleston Southern 93rd, Davidson 94th, Gardner-Webb 96th, North Alabama 102nd, Howard 106th, Robert Morris 111th, Jacksonville 119th, and Presbyterian 126th (last).

– Western Carolina’s notable alumni include actor Sean Bridgers, comedian Rich Hall, and college basketball pioneer Ronnie Carr.

– WCU will play Alabama later this season. Next year, Western Carolina will play non-conference games against Liberty, Eastern Kentucky, and Gardner-Webb. Other future non-league opponents for the Catamounts include Oklahoma (in 2021), Georgia Tech (2022), Arkansas (2023), North Carolina State (2024), and Wake Forest (2025).

WCU also has home-and-home series in the future against Montana and Charleston Southern. You decide which one is stranger for Western Carolina — a two-game set in which it has to travel to Missoula, Montana, or one in which it plays at Buccaneer Field in North Charleston.

– Western Carolina’s game notes roster includes 54 players from the state of North Carolina. Other states represented:  Georgia (17 players), South Carolina (15), Florida (6), Tennessee (4), Alabama (2), Ohio (2), and one each from Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The 15 Palmetto State products on WCU’s squad represent 13 different high schools (two each from Spartanburg H.S. and Blythewood H.S.). However, in an incredible anomaly, none are from internationally renowned gridiron force Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. This bizarre oversight by Western Carolina’s coaches will prove the undoing of its football program for at least a generation (and probably much longer).

– The Citadel’s geographic roster breakdown (per the school’s website) is as follows: South Carolina (53 players), Georgia (29), Florida (8), Texas (5), North Carolina (3), Pennsylvania (3), Alabama (2), New York (2), and one each from Virginia, Nebraska, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Ohio, and Kentucky.

In addition, there are two Bulldogs with listed hometowns in other countries — junior tight end Elijah Lowe (Abaco, Bahamas), and freshman linebacker Hayden Williamson (Okinawa, Japan).

– This week’s two-deep for The Citadel is almost exactly the same as the one for last week. The only change is that Raleigh Webb is now listed as one of the kickoff returners.

– The Citadel has an all-time record of 5-8 for games played on October 12. (Note: the record book lists 14 games played on that date, but the Bulldogs’ 1946 matchup against Newberry was actually played on Friday, October 11.)

Among the highlights from past contests:

  • 1935: At the original Johnson Hagood Stadium, The Citadel defeated Wofford, 20-7. Arthur “White Top” Ferguson scored the first of three touchdowns for the Bulldogs. The other TDs were scored by Ed Hall and Claude McCredie (the latter on a 60-yard punt return; McCredie also made two extra points). Teal Therrell recovered two fumbles for The Citadel.
  • 1963: The Citadel shut out Presbyterian, 24-0, in the “Georgia Peach Shrine Game”, held at Beacon Memorial Park Stadium in Savannah, Georgia. It was a benefit for the Greenville Shriners Hospital. Jim Parker rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown (on only seven carries), with Bruce Whitney and Vince Petno also finding the end zone (Petno’s score came on a pass from Wade St. John). Pat Green added a 28-yard field goal and all three PATs.
  • 1985: The Citadel clubbed Davidson, 31-0, in a steady drizzle at Johnson Hagood Stadium before 8,741 fans. Kip Allen threw three TD passes, two to Lee Glaze and one to Tom Frooman. Warren McGrier rushed for 81 yards, and four different Bulldogs intercepted passes — Joel Thompson, Brian Graves, J.D. Cauthen, and Pete Long.
  • 1991: At West Point, New York, The Citadel defeated Army, 20-14, spoiling the Black Knights’ Homecoming game. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 20-0 lead behind touchdowns from Jack Douglas and Everette Sands, with Rob Avriett adding two field goals. Army attempted a comeback, but The Citadel’s defense forced five turnovers — an interception by Shannon Walker and four fumbles, recovered by (in order) Jim Wilson, Lance Cook, Geren Williams, and Lester Smith.
  • 2002: The Bulldogs won at home versus East Tennessee State, 26-7. Nehemiah Broughton scored twice and rushed for 99 yards, while Scooter Johnson caught five passes for 85 yards. Jeff Klein added a one-yard rushing TD, and Travis Zobel kicked two field goals (and also had a 43-yard run after a botched would-be punt). The defense sacked ETSU quarterbacks seven times; four of those sacks were authored by Cliff Washburn.

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There isn’t really much to say at this point. The Citadel needs to win this game.

Frankly, the Bulldogs should win this game. Western Carolina has had a difficult season, and the loss to Gardner-Webb could prove to be a backbreaker for the Catamounts.

That doesn’t mean this will be an easy game, though. Far from it. Nothing is easy at The Citadel, and that is before considering the way the last two games have gone for the Bulldogs.

The Citadel needs to start fast and not let up.

There is still hope for this season. That starts with a victory on Saturday.

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Game Review, 2018: Samford

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Sandlapper Spike

Links of interest:

– Game story, The Post and Courier

– Video from WCSC-TV

– AP game story

– School release (The Citadel)

– School release (Samford)

– Box score

– Game highlights, including postgame comments from Brent Thompson (video)

– ESPN+ replay of the game

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Why do people keep coming back to watch games year after year? Well, for a lot of reasons, of course.

However, one of the biggest reasons is that there is always a chance you will get to witness something special, something extraordinary, something that will cause you to pridefully say years from now, “I was there that day.”

I think Saturday’s game was like that if you are a fan of The Citadel. It was certainly one of the most memorable games in the history of Johnson Hagood Stadium.

It wasn’t a game that resulted in a championship for the Bulldogs. It didn’t set up another key contest, or even clinch a winning season. The fact there were no obvious stakes for the Bulldogs arguably made the game — including the on-field play and the general atmosphere  — all the more remarkable.

Ultimately, it was a tremendous advertisement for football at the military college, and for The Citadel as a whole.

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With 10:37 to play in the second quarter, Samford took possession of the ball at its own 33-yard line. To that point in the contest, SU had run 23 plays for 221 yards, scoring three touchdowns. The Citadel had only run 15 plays from scrimmage for a total of 49 yards, and had no points.

The game’s momentum started to change slightly over the next four possessions, two by each team. The Citadel scored on the second of its two drives in that sequence, but then Samford drove 65 yards late in the half, settling for a field goal and a 24-7 lead at the break.

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The third quarter didn’t start off very well for The Citadel either, as Bulldogs quarterback Brandon Rainey promptly fumbled the ball away. It would prove to be one of Rainey’s few missteps in a brilliant second-half performance, but Samford was in position to take an even more commanding lead.

That SU failed to do so is a credit to The Citadel’s defense. There was a key play that may have flown under the radar, but that I think is worth highlighting.

On third and six from the Bulldogs’ 25-yard line, SU quarterback Devlin Hodges threw a swing pass to Robert Adams. It looked like Adams was going to pick up the first down, but Aron Spann III defeated his blocker and then stopped Adams four yards short of the line to gain, forcing a fumble that rolled out of bounds.

Without that stop by Spann, the drive would have continued. Instead, Samford saw a 40-yard field goal attempt sail wide of the right upright (and that particular upright has not been kind to the Birmingham Bulldogs in their last two trips to Johnson Hagood Stadium).

Eight plays later, Lorenzo Ward was in the end zone for The Citadel, and the tide had begun to turn.

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It didn’t completely turn, though. Samford drove down the field for another field goal try, and this one was good. Then The Citadel had to punt after a seven-play possession.

That set up the next huge play by the Bulldogs’ defense, as Shawn McCord sacked Hodges on first down, basically taking the ball away from the quarterback in the process. It took the offense three plays to go 10 yards for its third TD (and the second by Ward) and close to within six points.

The next three possessions for each team…

  • Samford: 13 plays, 73 yards, one first down (on a 41-yard run by Hodges), no points
  • The Citadel: 19 plays, 202 yards, eight first downs, 21 points (including a scintillating 60-yard TD run by Rainey to take the lead, and two more TDs for Ward, including a 43-yard scamper)

The game was essentially decided. Samford drove 67 yards on its final drive against a prevent defense, but couldn’t punch it in for a TD, and at the final whistle the scoreboard, almost unbelievably, read 42-27 in favor of the home team.

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It was really incredible to see the change in fortunes of the two teams as the game progressed. The Citadel’s players and coaches have to be credited for that.

Essentially, a runaway train was plunging straight downhill. The Bulldogs managed to somehow stop the train, gradually turn it around, then push it in the other direction, where it careened downhill even more uncontrollably than it did before, even though that means it would have been going downhill both ways.

It makes no sense, even as a metaphor. Isaac Newton would have to rewrite at least two of his three laws of motion.

The comeback still happened, though.

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Assorted observations:

– I thought the corps of cadets richly deserved the overnights granted by Gen. Walters. As the game wound down, the chant “We want ‘Bama!” could be heard from that section of the stadium, one of several things I’ll always remember about this game.

– Then there was the money that started falling out of the sky after one of the Bulldogs’ second-half touchdowns. It was apparently thrown by someone in one of the suites. After another touchdown for The Citadel, more money appeared from the clouds on high.

I admit I would have been more impressed if the bills were 20s…

– The spontaneous “jump around” by the team on the sideline at the 6:11 mark of the fourth quarter led to a renewed burst of energy in the stands, and then that filtered back down to the team again, just repeating the cycle. It was kind of crazy.

– At the game, someone asked me about time of possession. I don’t know what the modern-day record for TOP is for The Citadel; it presumably is something in the 40-45 minute range. Saturday’s game wasn’t quite so lopsided in terms of time of possession, although The Citadel did have the edge in that area by over ten minutes (35:01 to 24:59).

That said, it was actually the smallest edge in time of possession The Citadel has had against Samford in the teams’ last six meetings:

  • 2018 — The Citadel 35:01, Samford 24:59
  • 2017 — The Citadel 36:52, Samford 23:08
  • 2016 — The Citadel 38:17, Samford 21:43
  • 2015 — The Citadel 35:15, Samford 24:45
  • 2014 — The Citadel 37:42, Samford 22:18
  • 2013 — The Citadel 35:42, Samford 24:18

Obviously, time of possession isn’t always indicative of dominance one way or the other (after all, SU won two of the games listed above). However, it seems to me that being on the short end of TOP on a regular basis puts a lot of strain on a team’s defense. Eventually, that can be a problem.

– Okay, a negative observation. The P.A. was too loud, sometimes painfully so. I also would have liked for the band to play more, but at least that unit got to play at halftime (a Homecoming tradition).

– The drill team outfits worn by some members of the Class of 1968, which were on display both at the parade and at the stadium march-on, were unique. I guess when you’ve been out of school for 50 years, you have had plenty of time to think of some fun things to do at your reunion.

I was amazed at how many ’68 alums were there. It was truly an impressive turnout for that class.

– It got rather cool during the second half, at least to me, but then my blood is unnaturally thin. Anecdotally, the cold weather appeared to improve beer sales, so I guess that was a positive.

All in all, I thought the crowd was great. Sure, some people went back to the reunion party tents for the second half, which always happens at Homecoming (not a criticism), but those who remained were into the game in a major way.

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Nerd stuff, comeback category:

  • The 21-point comeback by The Citadel was the largest by the Bulldogs in the history of Johnson Hagood Stadium. The previous mark was 20, which has happened twice — in 1973 against Chattanooga (when the Bulldogs trailed 20-0 but won the game 28-20) and 2007 versus Furman (a 27-7 deficit turned into a 54-51 victory in OT).
  • The biggest comeback in school history remains the 2011 game at Chattanooga, when the Bulldogs trailed 27-0 before rallying to win that contest 28-27.
  • Also worth mentioning in terms of comebacks is The Citadel’s 1989 game versus Western Carolina. The Bulldogs trailed WCU 22-0 but came back to tie the contest, 22-22. The game ended with that scoreline, the last time The Citadel played a football game that ended in a tie. That matchup was played at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia as a consequence of Hurricane Hugo.

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Nerd stuff, passing statistics category:

  • The 69 pass attempts by Samford’s Devlin Hodges on Saturday were the most ever thrown in a game by an opponent of The Citadel. The record for most completions in a game by an opponent remains 49, set earlier this year by VMI’s Reece Udinski in Lexington.
  • Hodges did set the Johnson Hagood Stadium record for pass completions (43) and attempts (69) in a game, by any individual.
  • The previous record-holder for pass completions and attempts in a game at Johnson Hagood Stadium was Jim Schumann, who threw 56 passes (completing 36) for Boston University against The Citadel in 1988. The Bulldogs won that game 24-13.
  • In case you were wondering, Kip Allen holds the JHS record for pass completions and attempts in a game by a Bulldog, as he was 34 for 53 versus Wofford in 1985, a 42-28 victory for The Citadel. His 428 passing yards in that contest remains a school record as well (regardless of venue).
  • Allen’s 34 completions against the Terriers is the all-time game record for The Citadel; the attempts record for the Bulldogs, also held by Allen, is 57, set at Clemson in 1986.

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Editor’s note: I will be travelling most of this week, and as a result my upcoming preview of the game between The Citadel and Alabama game will be A) much earlier than usual, and B) much shorter than usual. Apologies for that, but real life intrudes once in a while.

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I took pictures on Saturday, mostly bad ones. Many of them are of the review parade. As for the game pics, I started having battery issues late in the first half, and I also just struggled taking photos in general (not for the first time). Thus, there are no second-half action shots. I did take some pictures of the post-game on-field activity, however.

 

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Wofford, for the sixty-first time

Posted on November 7, 2008 by Sandlapper Spike

Well, after last week’s difficult loss, the Bulldogs get to travel to Spartanburg to take on the latest edition of Wofford football.  The Citadel has lost nine straight times to Wofford, which is not particularly surprising, since Wofford has been quite good for most of the past decade with one coach (Mike Ayers, who has been there for 21 years), while The Citadel has mostly struggled over the same time period with four different head coaches. 

It wasn’t always that way.  In fact, it usually hasn’t been that way.  The Citadel has a commanding 40-19-1 lead in the alltime series.  Many of the games have been played in Charleston, although Saturday’s game will be the fifteenth played in Spartanburg (The Citadel has won eight of the previous fourteen).  There have also been a fair amount of neutral site contests, including eight games played in Orangeburg (most of those occurred during the 1950s, with the games serving as sideshows for the Orangeburg County Fair).

One of the more notable games between Wofford and The Citadel occurred in 1987.  That was Charlie Taaffe’s first season as coach of the Bulldogs, and Wofford would be his first opponent.  The matchup was scheduled for Saturday, September 5th, but heavy rains in the days leading up to the game flooded the field at Johnson Hagood Stadium and resulted in the game being postponed until Sunday afternoon.  This made for a rather odd atmosphere (I don’t know of any other football game The Citadel has ever played on Sunday).  The conditions were still rather soggy, although the sun came out, and you had people in their Sunday best, along with people who looked like they had just rolled out of bed.  The Corps of Cadets marched over to the stadium wearing their duty uniforms, which was probably unprecedented. 

The Bulldogs won the toss and elected to receive.  On first down following the kickoff, Roger Witherspoon went up the middle for seven yards.  On the next play, Tom Frooman took the ball on a misdirection play and went to his left.  67 yards later, he was in the end zone, having not been touched.  The Citadel went on to win the game, 38-0, an auspicious debut for Taaffe’s wishbone offense.  Having an offense geared almost exclusively to the run was a complete 180-degree turn for the program, given that Taaffe’s predecessor as coach, Tom Moore, ran a pure passing attack (two years before, Kip Allen had thrown for 428 yards against Wofford, which is still the school record).  Bulldog fans learned to enjoy the finer points of the triple option, mainly (well, solely — let’s be honest here) because Taaffe’s teams were generally successful. 

Taaffe’s final victory as coach of The Citadel, in 1995, also came against Wofford.  He exited (less than auspiciously) as the winningest football coach in school history.

This year’s game features another team that runs the option, only this time it’s Wofford and its “wingbone” attack.  The Terriers lead the nation in rushing, averaging over 354 yards per game.  Wofford doesn’t pass much (which explains why the Terriers have only allowed two sacks all year), but because of the rushing dominance it still ranks second nationally in total offense.  The attack has produced points, too — Wofford is averaging 38 per game.  The Terriers usually don’t turn the ball over, although last week they coughed it up five times against Appalachian State.  Despite that debacle, Wofford still has a +10 turnover differential, which leads the conference and is fourth-best nationally.

Brief Digression:  in Appalachian State’s 70-24 beatdown of the Terriers last Friday night, near the end of the game Appy had the ball inside the Wofford 20.  The TV announcers, Bob Wischusen and Brock Huard, were talking about how the coaches were great friends, they sat together with their wives at coaches’ conventions, etc.  Instead of just taking a knee, though, the Mountaineers kept running the ball (albeit with their backup QB), and scored their 10th touchdown of the night.  Wischusen and Huard were a bit nonplussed by that.  Just imagine what App State would have done if the coaches hadn’t been such good friends…

Wofford’s defense is fourth in the nation in sacks, led by defensive end Mitch Clark, who has six in eight games.  Last week Appalachian State rolled up 620 yards of total offense (ouch) on the Terriers.  The Wofford D isn’t nearly that bad, obviously, but teams have had some success passing the ball against it.  Presbyterian had 351 yards passing, Georgia Southern 303, and then last week’s game featured 382 yards passing for Appy. 

Wofford’s net punting statistics are excellent (so are The Citadel’s).  Wofford has made seven of nine field goals this season, with a long of 43 yards (let’s not talk about The Citadel and field goals, at least not this week).

The site of Saturday’s game, Gibbs Stadium, is a very nice 13,000-seat stadium that was built in the mid-1990s.  Also built around that time was the Richardson Athletic Building, home base for Wofford athletics.  The building is named for Jerry Richardson, owner of the Carolina Panthers and a Wofford alum (and benefactor, as you might imagine).  The Panthers hold their summer training camp there.

This game will be on SportSouth.  Watching The Citadel play games on TV is still a little bit of a novelty.  Watching The Citadel win games on TV is an even bigger novelty, alas.  The announcers will be Tom Werme and Sam Wyche.  Wyche will undoubtably be in a good mood, since he was just elected to Greenville County Council.

The Summerall Guards are performing at the game, which seems only fitting, since there are 61 members of the Summerall Guards, and this is the sixty-first game between Wofford and The Citadel.

The Citadel could win this game.  After last week’s loss, though, I don’t know what kind of mindset the team will have as it travels up to Spartanburg.  I also don’t know how Wofford will react to giving up 70 points in its biggest game of the season.

We’ll find out at 3 pm on Saturday.

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