Aug. 18, 2004

Charleston, SC - The Citadel's defense exuded its power over the offense to dominate play in the Bulldogs' first scrimmage of the 2004 season Wednesday afternoon in Johnson Hagood Stadium.

"Our defense is very experienced and plays with a lot of emotion," Citadel head coach John Zernhelt stated. "Overall we made a lot of the mistakes every team makes in their first scrimmage of the season."

The first team defense did not allow a touchdown during the scrimmage and applied a ton of pressure on quarterback Justin Hardin. Junior linebacker Shawn Grant posted an interception, blocked a pass and delivered a handful of stadium shaking hits. Senior defensive end Michael Ballentine and junior defensive tackle Fred Townsend both posted sacks. Freshman linebacker Andrew Rowell and freshman defensive tackle Jacob Bryant also received praise from the coaching staff. "Our offensive line needs to become more consistent and give our quarterbacks time to operate," Zernhelt pointed out. "All the positions across the line of scrimmage are open and players better start making some plays."

The Bulldogs' stable of running backs posted solid days as senior tailback Nehemiah Broughton rushed seven times for 41 yards and senior tailback Ern Mills posted a team-high 48 yards on nine carries. Starting quarterback Justin Hardin completed 9-of-18 passes for 42 yards and an interception against the first team defense, while backup Ryan Moody completed 6-of-9 passes for 64 yards. Freshman Duran Lawson was the most impressive of the first year quarterbacks as he completed 3-of-4 passes for 12 yards.

The Citadel opens the season on Saturday, September 4th against Charleston Southern at 7:00 pm in Johnson Hagood Stadium.