Oct. 20, 2003

Charleston, SC - In the last month, Citadel football players have beaten Appalachian State and Furman for the first time in their careers.

They'll get a chance to add a couple of more first-timers to the list in the next two weeks, as they face 10th-ranked Georgia Southern this week and No. 8 Wofford on Nov. 1.

The Citadel has not beaten Georgia Southern since 1996, a string of six straight losses. And the Bulldogs have not bested Wofford since 1998, having lost four straight to the Terriers.

Saturday's 10-9 victory over No. 13 Furman, The Citadel's first over the Paladins since '98, put the Bulldogs squarely in the race for the Southern Conference championship and a Division I-AA playoff berth, and put a new spin on the games with GSU and Wofford.

"Definitely, those games are bigger now," said junior tailback Nehemiah Broughton, who rushed for a season-best 159 yards against Furman.

"It's not getting any easier, that's for sure. We have to stay up and be ready to battle."

The weekend's results did damage to the title and playoff hopes of Furman (4-3, 2-2) and Georgia Southern (4-3, 2-2), now tied for fourth place. The Eagles, who have won or shared six straight SoCon championships, lost by 28-21 at App State after leading 21-14 at the half.

"No doubt, we have to win out to make the playoffs, or even have a chance at the playoffs," Furman coach Bobby Lamb said. "But there are a lot of teams in the Southern Conference that could get in there."

Leaders in the SoCon title chase are first-place Wofford (6-1, 4-0), App State (4-3, 3-1) and The Citadel. Only once in the last 70 years has a team with more than one league loss claimed the SoCon title.

App State plays at Wofford Saturday, and The Citadel hosts Wofford on Nov. 1. The Terriers also still must face Furman Nov. 15.

Citadel coach Ellis Johnson said the Bulldogs can still play better. Quarterback Willie Simmons, victimized by a couple of drops, was 0 for 4 in the second half against Furman, and a couple of special-teams mistakes gave the Paladins some momentum after they trailed by 10-0 at halftime.

"There were times in the game when it looked like we were about to take the thing over," Johnson said.

"It just frustrates that you can't. The kicking game mishaps got them back in the game in the third quarter, and we have to eliminate that if we are going to win."