CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel Bulldogs opened spring practice on Thursday afternoon with a two-hour workout in helmets on Maybank Triplets Practice Facility at Willson Field.

Third-year Head Coach Brent Thompson addressed the Bulldogs in a team meeting on Thursday morning to set the tone for the spring season and spoke to the media before practice. The Citadel's focus is returning to championship football in 2018, which begins with the basics - playing with toughness and determination - in early February.

"We have to get our edge back," Thompson told the media. "We've gotta have a little juice to us. We need to celebrate the wins, regain ourselves after the losses, and get out here and compete with one another. It's about fundamentals for the next month. We've got to get more guys on the ground on defense and on offense get back to physical, smashmouth Citadel football."

The Bulldogs are limited in their weekly practice time. The Bulldogs will practice on Friday and Saturday before a few days off, then moving to full pads next week.

The Citadel must replace quarterback Dom Allen, who started all but three games over the last three seasons. Junior quarterback Jordan Black has plenty of experience and was the starter in the three games Allen missed.

All Black did in his brief time was lead The Citadel to a 3-0 start, including a wild win in the '16 season opener at Mercer, and set the table for the best season in program history. Black rushed for two touchdowns and threw for six more in 2016, accounting for almost 1,000 yards of offense.

Spring Notes: 2017 SoCon All-Freshman Team selection at A-Back Brandon Rainey will move back to quarterback…The Citadel returns the offensive line intact, a group that will benefit significantly from spring ball, led by All-American center Tyler Davis…Defensive end Ja'Lon Williams, wide receiver Josh LeBlanc, and A-Back Rod Johnson all are full speed in the spring after missing significant time down the stretch of the '17 season with injuries…Sophomore cornerback Wally Wilmore will be relied upon heavily to take over a corner spot vacated by the graduation of three seniors. 

TD Bank Spring Game: The Blue & White Spring Game sponsored by TD Bank will be played at Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday, March 3 at 3 p.m. Admission is free and 2018 Citadel Football posters will be available to fans.

-CitadelSports-