Sept. 28, 2003

Charleston, SC - The Citadel beat Appalachian State from A (the alien tattoo on offensive tackle Lew Dawson's massive left bicep) to Z (kicker-punter Travis "Crazy Legs" Zobel).

Dawson scored Saturday on a most unlikely two-point conversion to give The Citadel momentum going into halftime. Zobel's 20-yard dash on a fake punt gave the Bulldogs a big lift when things looked bleak in the fourth quarter.

Combined, the two plays by the two seniors helped turn disappointment into a 24-21 Southern Conference victory at Johnson Hagood Stadium, and might have saved the season.

Zobel sees momentum carrying The Citadel, 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Southern Conference, into next week's home game against Elon and beyond.

"This changes everything," Zobel said. "We have to prepare for Elon, but this was a big win and it will be a big swing for us."

Dawson agreed. "Once we get this train rolling," he said, "it's going to be hard to stop."

DEBUNKING STEREOTYPES

Sometimes your team is a bug on the college football windshield, and sometimes you get to celebrate with smiles that last until Tuesday.

One minute you're a left tackle slugging it out in the bruising trenches of dirty work. The next minute you're in the end zone with, of all things, a football.

Dawson, 6-6, came to The Citadel from Fayetteville, N.C., weighing 330 pounds and has molded himself into a 265-pound NFL prospect. He had never scored a point at any level of football, the only organized sport he has ever played. But Dawson did his best Priest Holmes imitation to give The Citadel a 14-7 lead after Willie Simmons' pass for Bud Pough was tipped in the air, intercepted by cornerback Jay Lyles and popped loose by Citadel fullback Porter Johnson.

"I was trying to make the tackle (on Lyles) and I saw the ball in the air," Dawson said. "I just grabbed it and dove into the end zone. All my teammates were jumping on top of me -- it felt great. I've never felt like that about anything in my life."

And the tattoo?

"I'm just a little weird; I like aliens a lot," Dawson said. "My mom didn't like the tattoo very much."

Zobel is odd, too -- by kicker stereotypes: He's 6-4, 215 and craves violent collisions with enemy football players.

ZOBEL ZAPS APP STATE

"I love running the ball," said Zobel, a James Island High School graduate. "I'm not so much the fastest guy, and I get a hard time about that, but I love running that play. I was on the sideline all game asking if we could run it."

Appalachian State was thoroughly fooled as Zobel ran through a huge gap on the left side to The Citadel 48. Four plays later, Scooter Johnson scored on a 44-yard end-around and Blake Vandiver's extra point tied the game at 21-21 with 9:34 remaining.

Dawson kept blocking.

Zobel kept coming up big, making the game-winning 26-yard field goal with 1:16 left.

The Citadel's seniors enjoyed only their fifth Southern Conference win since the start of the 2000 season. Appalachian State had won nine straight games in the series.

This time the Bulldogs were better and luckier and, on one play as "weird" as an alien tattoo, they were both.

Gene Sapakoff may be reached by e-mail at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com, by phone at 937-5593 or by mail at 134 Columbus St., Charleston, S.C., 29403.