Aug. 2, 2003

Charleston, SC - The Citadel's 24-20 victory over No. 15 Delaware Saturday was its first over a ranked Division I-AA football opponent since 1998. And judging by the e-mails coming into the school Sunday, the Bulldogs might even get ranked themselves in this week's poll.

Will Saturday's victory be remembered as the day coach Ellis Johnson's rebuilding project turned the corner?

Maybe, is all the second-year coach will concede.

"It means a lot to the players right now from an emotional standpoint," said Johnson, who inherited a team with a two-year record of 4-18 and is now 4-8 at The Citadel. "But for the long range, it depends on how we take it and use it. What does it mean? It remains to be seen in the long run."

Said quarterback Jeff Klein, "Coach Johnson is doing a great job here. We just have to keep building week to week, and not really think about good years or good efforts. We need to build on wins. We need to think we can win each week."

Klein, the grad-student QB from Auburn, helped the Bulldogs put together some offensive numbers not seen in years at The Citadel. He hit 18 of 30 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown, the 219 yards the most by a Bulldog quarterback since 1985.

Junior Scooter Johnson caught 10 of those passes for 116 yards and a TD; the 10 catches were the most by a Citadel receiver sine 1985, and the 116 yards the most since 1989.

And senior tailback Nate Mahoney ran for a career-best 128 yards on 24 carries, and caught two passes for 41 more yards.

Said Klein, "Nate made a lot of things happen when they weren't really there."

THE GOOD

The offensive balance the Bulldogs showed Saturday - 155 rushing yards, 219 passing for 374 total and an average of 5.1 yards per play - is what Ellis Johnson had in mind when he steered The Citadel away from the option offense. Though Klein took some shots, he still has not been sacked or thrown an interception this season.

Elsewhere, Travis Zobel kicked a 27-yard field goal and is 2 for 2 this season.

THE BAD

The Bulldogs fumbled three times and lost two of them, were penalized 10 times for 54 yards and had a punt blocked. "The first half was terrible, so many turnovers and mistakes," Ellis Johnson said.

INJURY UPDATE

No serious injuries.

COMING UP

The Bulldogs face Western Carolina (2-1) in the SoCon opener for both teams. Western has beaten Liberty and West Virginia Tech, and lost by 56-0 to Auburn. "No rest for the weary," Johnson said. "This is a tough game. Western is very talented with good speed, and they will be a handful for us if we don't get ready."