Sept. 11, 2005

TALLAHASSEE, FL. - For one half of football Saturday night, The Citadel Bulldogs dared to dream.

No. 11 Florida State's 62-10 victory over the Division I-AA Bulldogs seemed inevitable to the 79,152 Seminoles fans in Doak Campbell Stadium and to the pundits who called this game the most lopsided mismatch of the college season.

But for 30 minutes, it was anything but. The Citadel's gutty defense forced four turnovers in the first half, and jaws must have dropped across the nation as this scoring update crawled across the TV screen -- The Citadel 10, Florida State 3.

That was the margin late in the first half after sophomore cornerback Vince Hill picked up a fumble and raced 70 yards for a touchdown as the Bulldogs' sideline erupted and a hardy band of 800 Citadel fans drowned out the stunned Seminoles faithful.

"What a tremendous, tremendous effort by our team in the first half," said Citadel coach Kevin Higgins, whose team is 1-1 and has an open date next week. "Our defense in particular stepped up toe-to-toe with a great team and made some huge plays. We said we needed some playmakers to step up if we were going to have any chance, and we had guys do that in the first half."

Said legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden, "They beat us for 28 minutes."

But the Bulldogs' dream crashed headlong into harsh reality after halftime.

The Seminoles (2-0), only five days removed from an emotional win over rival Miami, quickly righted their ship by scoring 59 unanswered points, including five touchdowns in the third quarter.

"Beating Miami was a big deal," Bowden said. "And then to only have four days of practice plays right into your opponent's hands. Whoever you play that next game is going to have the advantage. It all plays a role. The hardest thing to do was make this team believe that they could beat us."

Seeking an answer at quarterback, Bowden got mixed results from starter Drew Weatherford and backup Xavier Lee. Both threw interceptions in the first half. Weatherford finished 26 of 37 for 342 yards and two TDs, the first FSU quarterback to pass for 300 yards in a game since 2003. FSU's Lorenzo Booker, Leon Washington and Antone Smith each ran for TDs in the third quarter, and flanker Greg Carr caught TD passes of 40 yards from Weatherford and 10 yards from Lee. "In the second half, we realized we couldn't just show up and beat them," Weatherford said. "We knew we had to execute better because they were playing well on defense. Coming into this game, we wanted to establish the passing game. We have two great running backs and everybody knows we can run the ball. We have to be able to show teams that we can throw the ball as well."

By the time Lee danced in for a 24-yard TD and a 62-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, the rout had reached the dimensions most expected; FSU's 62 points marked the second-most ever allowed by The Citadel, surpassed only by a 76-0 loss to Georgia in 1958.

"In the third quarter, we made some turnovers on offense and the field position got us," said Citadel linebacker Andrew Rowell. "We started to get worn down by their speed and depth, and it just snowballed on us. They are a good team, you can't take that away from them. But we proved the point that we could play with them."

On defense, anyway. The Bulldogs' spread-option offense could find little room to breathe against FSU's speedy defense. The Citadel totaled just five first downs and 91 total yards on 59 plays, averaging only 1.5 yards per play. Quarterback Duran Lawson was sacked twice and hit 14 of 25 passes for 56 yards and one interception, but emerged with limbs intact.

"We heard about their defense, and we saw it on film," Lawson said. "But until you play against them, you don't know how fast they really are."

Seminole fans fell silent after Hill's fumble return turned FSU's fourth turnover of the first half into a shocking 10-3 lead for The Citadel.

Running a rare option play, FSU's Weatherford pitched the ball behind tailback Booker. As linebacker Shawn Grant belted Booker, Hill picked up the ball and raced untouched into the end zone. With 2:39 left in the half, the Bulldogs were up a touchdown and dreaming of the upset of the season.

"Shawn Grant made a great play and I just picked up the ball and ran," said Hill, a sophomore from Stone Mountain, Ga. "But I didn't feel too good after that run. I felt kind of sick."

FSU fans did too, until Weatherford quickly regrouped by hitting 7 of 9 passes for 71 yards, including a 5-yard strike to receiver Rod Owens for a tying TD with 1:08 left in the half.

The Citadel handed FSU its 13-10 halftime edge with a botched punt snap with four seconds to go, giving the Seminoles the ball at the Bulldogs' 30. Gary Cismesia hit his second field goal of the game, a 46-yarder, as time ran out.

FSU out-gained the Bulldogs by 267-37 in the first half, but the first 30 minutes belonged to The Citadel's defense.

Free safety Josh Lawson set the tone on FSU's first possession, blitzing Weatherford and forcing a fumble that he recovered himself. The Seminoles drove only 14 yards for their first score, a 38-yard field goal by Cismesia.

Citadel strong safety Avery Dingle picked off a pass by backup Lee to set up a career-long 45-yard field goal by Blake Vandiver, tying the game at 3-3 with 9:47 left in the half.

And Hill thwarted an FSU drive with an end-zone interception of Weatherford, running step for step with flanker Chris Davis.

HOW THEY SCORED

FIRST QUARTER

Florida State 3, The Citadel 0

Scoring play: PK Gary Cismesia 38 FG

Key plays: FSU takes over on The Citadel 35 after a punt, but QB Drew Weatherford throws incomplete in the end zone twice.

Drive: 7 plays, 14 yards in 2:15.

Time remaining: 5:12.

SECOND QUARTER

The Citadel 3, Florida State 3

Scoring play: PK Blake Vandiver 45 FG.

Key plays: Citadel SS Avery Dingle picks off a pass from FSU QB Xavier Lee and returns it 8 yards to the FSU 13. A bad snap on third-and-12 loses 13 yards and sets up Vandiver's career-long FG.

Drive: 4 plays, minus-15 yards, 1:33.

Time remaining: 9:47.

The Citadel 10, Florida State 3

Scoring play: CB Vince Hill 70-yard fumble return (Vandiver kick)

Key plays: Hill picks up a bad option pitch from Weatherford to TB Lorenzo Booker and runs for the TD.

Time remaining: 2:39.

The Citadel 10, Florida State 10

Scoring play: WR Rod Owens 5-yard pass from Weatherford (Cismesia kick)

Key plays: Weatherford hit 7 of 9 passes for 71 yards on the drive.

Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards in 1:27.

Time remaining: 1:08.

Florida State 13, The Citadel 10

Scoring play: PK Gary Cismesia 46 FG.

Key plays: FSU gets the ball on The Citadel 30 with :04 left after a bad punt snap.

Drive: 1 play, 0 yards, :04.

Time remaining: :00.

THIRD QUARTER

Florida State 20, The Citadel 10

Scoring play: RB Leon Washington 14-yard run (Cismesia kick)

Key plays: FSU FS Pat Watkins intercepts a Duran Lawson pass on the second play of the second half.

Drive: 4 plays, 38 yards in 1:07.

Time remaining: 13:36.

Florida State 27, The Citadel 10

Scoring play: RB Leon Washington 14 run (Cismesia kick)

Key plays: FSU takes over at The Citadel 24 after a 24-yard punt return by Fred Rouse.

Drive: 3 plays, 24 yards in :53.

Time remaining: 11:00.

Florida State 34, The Citadel 10

Scoring play: RB Antone Smith 1 run (Cismesia kick)

Key plays: Citadel punter Mark Kaspar fumbles, FSU's Mikhal Kornegay returning it 14 yards to the 2.

Drive: 2 plays, 2 yards in :44.

Time remaining: 8:36.

Florida State 41, The Citadel 10

Scoring play: FLK Greg Carr 40 pass from Weatherford (Cismesia kick)

Key plays: Weatherford passes 23 yards to Owens.

Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards in 1:53.

Time remaining: 4:38.

Florida State 48, The Citadel 10

Scoring play: Carr 10 pass from QB Xavier Lee (Cismesia kick)

Key plays: On third-and-5, Lee hits Rouse for 54 yards to The Citadel 10.

Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards in :59.

Time remaining: 2:22.

FOURTH QUARTER

Florida State 55, The Citadel 10

Scoring play: FB James Coleman 1 run (Goggans kick)

Key plays: Lee passes 54 yards to Carr.

Drive: 4 plays, 54 yards in :28.

Time remaining: 14:37.

Florida State 62, The Citadel 10

Scoring play: Lee 24 run (Cismesia kick)

Key plays: Lee passes for 16 yards and then for 9.

Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards in 1:57.

Time remaining: 10:38.