Charleston, S.C. -- Junior running back Tory Cooper ran for a career-high 204 yards on 36 carries and two touchdowns, including the winning eight-yard score in overtime, as The Citadel earned a dramatic 30-27 comeback victory over Western Carolina in Southern Conference action at Johnson Hagood Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Cooper's touchdown gave the Bulldogs (2-5, 2-2 SoCon) their first lead of the game and their third victory in a row over the Catamounts (2-5, 0-5 SoCon). It marked the first time since 2001 when Maurice Murphy ran for 209 yards against VMI that a Bulldog rushed for over 200 yards. Western Carolina led 14-0 in the second quarter and 17-7 at halftime, but the Bulldogs were able to tie the game at 17 in the final period. After the Catamounts regained a 24-17 lead, The Citadel again came back to tie the game and send it to overtime.
The Citadel defense kept Western Carolina out of the end zone on their first possession of overtime, forcing a field goal attempt. Jonathan Parsons drilled a 35-yarder to give the Catamounts a 27-24 lead.
The Bulldogs continued to ride the legs of Cooper in overtime, as he carried all four plays of The Citadel's offensive possession and gave them a 30-27 victory with an eight-yard run.
The Catamounts got the first big break of the day on the second Bulldog possession when linebacker Kadeem Morgan intercepted a Duran Lawson pass at The Citadel 24-yard line. The Western Carolina offense was able to capitalize four plays later as quarterback Bennett Swygert found wide receiver Michael Hines for a 9-yard touchdown. The extra-point gave the Catamounts an early 7-0 lead with 9:01 left in the opening quarter.
The Citadel offense got it going on their third offensive possession, jump started by a 42-yard reverse by freshman wide receiver Marquel Willis to the Western Carolina 14-yard line. The Bulldogs stalled at the three-yard line and senior Blake Vandiver pulled a 20-yard field goal attempt to the left to keep the score at 7-0 with 26 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Catamounts extended their lead with 12:56 left in the second quarter as the Western Carolina defense forced another Lawson interception, this one returned by safety Angelo Brown for a 45-yard touchdown. The extra-point by Parsons made it a 14-0 lead for Western Carolina.
The Bulldogs used some trickery on their next offensive possession to keep their drive alive on a fake punt as the snap went directly to linebacker Chris Murray on fourth and one as Murray rumbled five yards to The Citadel 48-yard line for a first down. The Bulldogs capped the 17-play, 77-yard drive that ran eight minutes and 45 seconds off the clock on a two-yard touchdown run by senior running back Nuru Goodrum. Vandiver's extra-point cut the Catamount lead to 14-7 with 4:11 left in the first half.
The Western Carolina offense answered back before halftime with a 10-play, 53-yard drive that ended on a 34-yard field goal by Parsons. The two teams went into the locker rooms with the Catamounts leading 17-7 despite the fact the Bulldogs had 130 more yards of total offense and held Western Carolina to nine yards rushing.
The Bulldogs nearly found the end zone late in the third quarter as Lawson found senior wide receiver Rontreal Tyler for a 10-yard touchdown, but it was negated by a holding penalty. They settled for a 29-yard field goal by Vandiver to cap a 10-play, 57-yard drive and cut the Catamount lead to 17-10 with 4:55 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Lawson and Cooper hooked up on a dramatic third down conversion as Lawson evaded a sack to find Cooper for a 14-yard gain on third and seven to the Western Carolina two-yard line. Cooper finished off a 15-play, 85-yard drive that took seven minutes and 24 seconds with a 2-yard touchdown run. Vandiver's extra-point tied the game at 17 with 9:34 left in the contest.
But the Catamounts countered with a 50-yard touchdown run by running back Darius Fudge on their next possession to break the tie. Parsons' extra-point made it a 24-17 Western Carolina lead with 7:51 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs answered with a seven-play, 67-yard drive and an 11-yard touchdown pass from Lawson to Tyler. Vandiver's extra-point again tied the contest, this time at 24 with 4:34 remaining in regulation. Both defenses held the rest of the quarter to send the game to overtime. It marked the second overtime game of the season for the Bulldogs and the second in a row for Western Carolina, who is now 0-2 on the season past regulation play. It also was the second overtime game in a row for The Citadel on Parent's Weekend, as the Bulldogs lost 39-31 to Furman in triple overtime at Johnson Hagood Stadium in 2005.
The Citadel stays at home to take on Georgia Southern in another Southern Conference match-up next Saturday, October 28. Kickoff at Johnson Hagood Stadium is slated for 2 p.m. Western Carolina continues on the road as they visit conference foe Wofford for a 1:30 p.m. tilt at Gibbs Stadium.
