Mar. 1, 2003

Charleston, SC - The Citadel's first spring practice was highlighted by a running game looking to leave its mark on the Southern Conference. All-Southern Conference tailback Nehemiah Broughton (128 on 13 carries) and Ern Mills (97 on 16 carries) combined for five touchdowns, four of which came behind the Bulldogs' returning offensive line.

"The first scrimmage was what we expected out of our men," commented head coach Ellis Johnson. "There was progress made on both sides of the ball, but there is a lot of work left."

Passing-wise, James Reiter was 6-of-7 for 47 yards with two touchdown strikes, while Justin Hardin was 7-of-10 for 78 yards. Hauling in the majority of the tosses was All-American Scooter Johnson (4 for 37) and Chris Franklin (3 for 29). Broughton and Porter Johnson found the end zone as a result of Thc Citadel's passing attack.

"There is a lot of good things going on for our quarterbacks, yet there is a lot to be done," Johnson said. "We need someone to step up, because we've got to find an answer at this position."

Defensively, the secondary showed valuable improvement as Demaj Wiley hauled in two picks, while Corinthius Dunbar and Andrew Henderson both had one interception. Defensive end Alonzo Bethea recorded four sacks and two tackles for loss. Defensive tackle Fred Townsend had a sack and a handful of tackles as did Julian West including two for loss.

"We are looking at a four man front with a stack linebacker," Johnson added. "Next week we hope to work in a few more defensive schemes and see what we have to work with on that side of the ball."

The Citadel has a scrimmage scheduled for next Saturday, March 8 at Johnson Hagood Stadium.