The Sports Arsenal

Advanced stats from The Military Classic of the South, though the game itself was not exactly a classic:

–

Housekeeping regarding the above stats:

• The Citadel’s final possession (a two-play kneel-down) is not included in any of the categories, except for time of possession and TOP/offensive play.
• VMI was 1 for 3 on 4th down, but that does not include a 4th down attempt that was converted due to a pass interference penalty (the play which preceded the critical goal-line stand by the Bulldogs’ D).
• VMI’s final play of the first half advanced the football inside The Citadel’s 40-yard line, but the Keydets had no time left to run another play; thus, that does not count as a possession inside the 40.
• The Citadel was 2 for 3 on 4th down, per actual and advanced statistics, but that includes the bizarre play when punter James Platte was ruled to have been down before getting the punt off. The ruling came from the replay review booth and was, to put it politely, not well communicated to the press or public. That play is not reflected in the net punting category (since it wound up not being a punt), but was a de facto turnover (if not a technical one); it did result in part of VMI’s significant advantage in starting field position.

—

Very random observations:

– The Bulldogs’ defense played well. There were a few missed tackles, and The Citadel was unable to force a turnover (though the Keydets actually had a higher expected TO rate for the game than the Bulldogs), but on the whole it is hard to find much to complain about on that side of the ball.

Ten tackles for loss (including four sacks), only two big plays given up, less than one point allowed per possession. That will work more often than not.

– The defensive stand when VMI was up 10-6 and had first-and-goal on the Bulldogs’ 2-yard line was massive. It was arguably the pivotal point of the contest.

Should VMI have kicked the field goal on 4th down? Maybe. Going for it was definitely the correct move by the book, and I can’t really fault Danny Rocco’s decision. It was a bit of a logic vs. instincts situation, and I naturally vote for logic most of the time, but that call might have been an exception.

– The Citadel’s offense did not play well:

• The Bulldogs were 0 for 11 on third down conversion attempts.
• The Citadel had two turnovers, both giving VMI possession in Bulldogs territory.
• The offense went 3-and-out (or worse) on seven of eleven drives.
• On third-and-long plays, Johnathan Bennett completed one pass for 3 yards and was sacked four times.
• Counting sacks, The Citadel had 64 net passing yards. The two big plays the offense had in the game were passes from Bennett to Tyler Cherry for 68 total yards, which means that aside from those completions, the Bulldogs had -4 net passing yards in eight drop-backs (four passes, four sacks).
• The Citadel ran the ball on more than 80% of its offensive plays but only averaged 3.20 yards per rush, even when sack-adjusted.
• Of The Citadel’s 51 offensive plays (again, not counting the end-of-game kneel-downs), 26 of them resulted in a gain of 2 yards or fewer.
• It should not be forgotten that VMI had a defensive TD negated by a substitution infraction penalty, either.

And yet, the coveted Silver Shako is returning to its home in Charleston anyway. Despite the offense’s travails, it did produce the one huge play that ultimately won the game. The 43-yard touchdown pass from Bennett to Cherry was a really nice throw-and-catch, well executed on both ends. It makes you wonder why the Bulldogs can’t conjure up similar plays more often.

– I liked the color-on-color matchup with The Citadel wearing its light blue and VMI decked out in red. My personal preference is for the jerseys to be those colors with the pants being white (Bulldogs) and gold (Keydets), but yesterday’s look was solid.

– From The Roanoke Times:

VMI true freshman quarterback Brady Hammonds, making his third straight start, left the game with a knee injury early in the second quarter. But he returned to action — wearing a knee brace — for VMI’s final two series.

“He’s had this knee issue for about three weeks,” Rocco said. “He takes a shot and…he can’t really go out there and function and protect himself in the pocket, he can’t move. But then as it wears off, he’s able to get back into the game.”

…With VMI down 13-10, Hammonds returned to action for VMI’s penultimate series…Hammonds left the game [on VMI’s final drive] after being sacked and was again replaced by Wilson.

“(Hammonds) didn’t look very good getting up off the ground,” Rocco said.

But Rocco is optimistic Hammonds will be available to play next weekend.

You have to appreciate Hammonds’ toughness. When he re-entered the game, he could hardly move (though Hammonds somehow managed to scramble for 13 yards on a 3rd-and-8 play).

I really don’t know if he should play next week at Chattanooga, however.

– I was glad to see a small group of cadets dressed in summer leave were at the game. That is always a good thing, as it is when an assortment of keydets make their way to Charleston when the contest is held at Johnson Hagood Stadium. When the game returns to Foster Stadium in two years, I would like to see even more cadets in attendance.

– The Citadel has scored 13 points in each of the last two matchups against VMI. This time, that was enough for the victory. Next time, let’s score several touchdowns more.

—

Saturday, the Bulldogs return home to face a Samford team which just put 55 points on the board against Mercer, handing the Bears their first loss of the season. That will be a challenge.

I’m sure there will be some discussion in the tailgating areas about the recent article in The Post and Courier about the department of athletics (and the school in general). I’ve already given my take.

—

I’ll close this out with an unrelated tidbit, in case anyone is still reading and would like some (more) random information. I recently made my annual FOIA request for contracts of The Citadel’s upcoming non-conference football games. I have been informed that no new contracts were signed in the past 12 months, so there have been no additions on that front. 

Thus, the slate of future non-conference games remains as listed below.

2025: North Dakota State (8/30), at Mississippi (9/6), at Gardner-Webb (9/13)

2026: at Charlotte (9/5), Charleston Southern (9/19)

2027: at Navy (9/4), at North Dakota State (9/18)

2028: Gardner-Webb (9/2), at Clemson (9/16)

2029: at Army (10/6)

2033: at Army (11/19)

Worth noting: 2025 is another year in which, due to the calendar, FCS teams are allowed to schedule up to 12 regular-season games. That means there is an opportunity for The Citadel to schedule one more non-conference matchup for next season.

It could be that before adding another game, though, The Citadel might need to first hire a new AD…

Filed under: Football, The Citadel | Tagged: Danny Rocco, James Platte, Johnathan Bennett, SoCon, The Citadel, Tyler Cherry, VMI | Leave a comment »