Nov. 6, 2004

Charleston, SC - Citadel coach John Zernhelt spoke this week of "biting the bullet."

His Chattanooga counterpart, Rodney Allison, said he "put a bomb to this program, basically blew it up and started over."

The munitions metaphors describe two Southern Conference football teams in rebuilding mode as they meet today at The Citadel in the Bulldogs' homecoming game. And the evidence suggests that a year's head start for Allison, the former Clemson assistant hired by Chattanooga before last season, is paying off for the Mocs.

Chattanooga had suffered through five straight losing seasons, slipping to 2-10 in 2002, before Allison came aboard. The Mocs were 3-9 last year and lost their first six games this season, but have now won two games in a row. Their 59-56 win over Appalachian State last week likely knocked the Mountaineers out of the Division I-AA playoffs. "We started the whole program over, from academics to weight room to training room to equipment room," said Allison, who coached defensive ends at Clemson from 1999-2002. "We want to do it the right way and get to the level where we can get into the top three in this league."

A victory over The Citadel today would give the Mocs their first three-game win streak since 1997. Despite its struggles in recent years, Chattanooga has beaten The Citadel two years in a row and in five of the last six games.

A key difference between the programs this season is at quarterback, where senior Cedric Stevens, a transfer from Toledo, has stepped in to help the Mocs through a transition year. The Citadel, meanwhile, has gone with freshman Duran Lawson since the season's fifth game, with an eye toward building for the future.

"As coaches, you do have to bite the bullet sometimes with decisions you make to develop the team," Zernhelt said. "And we are still playing all the young guys offensively, which sometimes means inconsistency. I think we are good enough to put drives together, but we are not good enough to overcome a holding penalty or something that sets us back that way."

Stevens completed 29 of 45 passes for 515 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another score against App State last week. He ranks second in the SoCon with 232 passing yards per game, and has thrown 14 TDs against six interceptions. Receiver Alonzo Nix is his favorite target, with 41 catches and six touchdowns.

"We brought Cedric in to get us through this year, and that sounds bad, I guess," Allison said. "But he has come a long way. We wanted an experienced guy who knew the rigors of college football, and he has given us every bit of that."

The Mocs' defense, however, is the worst in the SoCon, surrendering 48.9 points per game. If The Citadel's struggling offense, also worst in the SoCon with 13.4 points per game, is ever to break out this season, today might have to be the day.