Charleston, S.C. The Citadel Bulldogs football team will attempt to retain the coveted Silver Shako on Saturday as they host VMI for their 961th football game and the 65th against the Keydets. Kick-off of the Military Classic of the South on Homecoming weekend is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the contest will be broadcast live on The Citadel Sports Network ESPN/WTMZ 910 AM and through Bulldog Insider on www.CitadelSports.com.
The Citadel leads the overall series 32-30-2 against VMI and has won five of the last seven contests. The Bulldogs were able to retain the Silver Shako after a 22-14 victory over the Keydets in Lexington, Va., last season. Senior Nuru Goodrum led The Citadel in that contest as he rushed for a career-high 175 yards on 32 carries. The Dogs are 20-10 against VMI in Charleston and have come out on top in six of the last seven games at home, including the last three.
The Bulldogs (3-6, 3-3 SoCon) will try to bounce back from a 42-13 defeat at the hands of No. 1 Appalachian State last Saturday. A bright spot for the Cadets was junior Tory Cooper as he continued to run the ball well with 81 yards on 16 carries. Cooper also caught five passes for 39 yards and is now second in the Southern Conference in all purpose yards, averaging 120.4 a game.
VMI (1-8, 0-3 Big South) is coming off a 35-31 loss to Gardner-Webb on Oct. 28. The Keydets have lost eight in a row after defeating Davidson 20-19 in the season opener on Sept. 2. Senior running back Sean Mizzer leads VMI with 999 all purpose yards on the season, averaging 111 per contest. Mizzer has gained 771 yards on the ground on 163 carries and has caught 14 passes for 121 yards.
For live audio of Saturday's contest against VMI, tune into WTMZ 910 AM. A live audio broadcast and live video can also be viewed through Bulldog Insider at www.CitadelSports.com. For more information contact The Citadel Media Relations Office at (843) 953-5120.
More Notes:
“Silver Shako” Turns 30!: In 1976 the meeting between The Citadel and VMI was termed “The Military Classic of the South” by The Citadel President Lt. Gen. Seignious. As recommended by the president, Col. Jake Burrows '40, former Business Manager and Faculty Athletic Representative, came up with the idea of using a shako, a military item both schools had in common, as the trophy to be awarded to the president of the school which won the game each year. With the assistance of Whit Cline '59, a respresentative of the L.G. Balfour Company, the “Silver Shako” was born, paid for by both schools. Unfortunately, The Citadel was not the first school to earn the rights to the “Silver Shako” after losing that year, 30-14. Since then, the Bulldogs have been presented the trophy on 18 occasions, while VMI took the trophy home eight times. The Citadel has held on to the “Silver Shako” for the last two years and looks to celebrate its 30th birthday by keeping it at it's place of birth, The Citadel.
In Chucktown's Favor: The series between The Citadel and VMI favors the Bulldogs when the game is played in Charleston. The Citadel leads the series 30-20 when played in their hometown and 17-10 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The Citadel has defeated VMI in the last three consecutive Johnson Hagood games and won six of the last seven played in Charleston. Of those six, the Bulldogs defeated the Keydets by 20 or more points in four, while edging them by one point in the other two. The only loss in Charleston in the last 15 years was in 1995 when the Citadel was defeated 34-7.
The Last Time: The last time The Citadel defeated VMI was in 2005 in Lexington, Va. The Bulldogs topped the Keydets, 22-14 for their second consecutive victory over VMI. Nuru Goodrum led the Bulldogs with 175 yards rushing on 32 carries, a career high, and two touchdowns. Goodrum's running game against the Keydets was one of two 100-plus performances in his career.
Game Statistics VMI CIT
First Downs 14 16
Total Offensive Yards 189 288
Rushing Att.-Yards 32-31 47-207
Passing Yards 158 81
Pass Att-Comp-Int. 29-17-1 22-11-0
Fumbles-Lost 3-2 1-0
Punts-Avg. 7-37.4 6-38.5
Penalties-Yards 11-110 6-70
Time of Possession 26:17 33:43
Late Bloomers: VMI's offense tends to put on their points late in the game as the Keydets have scored 64 of their 146 points this season in the fourth quarter. The Keydets have only scored 52 points in the first half this year, putting up 29 on the board in the first quarter and 23 in the second quarter.
Back to the 'Bone: As The Citadel takes on VMI this weekend, the Bulldogs will see a familiar style of offense coming their way. The Keydets have a propensity to run the ball, similar to what Wofford, Furman and Georgia Southern tend to do. Wofford's wingbone offense has been the most prolific on the ground, garnering 157 yards on 34 rushes that resulted in three touchdowns. The Keydets this season have rushed for 1,697 yards in 398 attempts and are led by Sean Mizzer. Mizzer has carried the ball 163 times this season for 771 yards and five touchdowns, leading the team. Mizzer is a double threat as well, catching 14 passes for 121 yards and one touchdown. VMI has rushed the ball in 76% of their plays (398 attempts on 522 total offensive plays).
Cadets vs. Keydets at Homecoming: The Citadel's first homecoming was held in 1953 against VMI at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The Keydets defeated the Cadets, 14-0. Since then, The Citadel has played VMI for homecoming on 12 more occasions and have won nine games of those games. Holding a 33-20 overall homecoming record, the Bulldogs are 9-13 in homecoming games against the Keydets. The most recent time The Citadel played VMI for homecoming was in 2001 when the Cadets defeated the Keydets, 49-7. The largest margin of any Citadel victory over VMI on homecoming was a 50-0 blowout against the Keydets in 1992, the same season the Bulldogs went on to win the Southern Conference Championship, finishing with a record of 11-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference. The last time The Citadel lost a homecoming game against VMI was in 1995 when they defeated the Bulldogs, 34-7.
Homecomings Against VMI
1953 VMI 14, The Citadel 0
1955 VMI 14, The Citadel 7
1958 The Citadel 14, VMI 6
1962 VMI 16, The Citadel 7
1964 The Citadel 17, VMI 0
1984 The Citadel 27, VMI 24
1990 The Citadel 23, VMI 3
1992 The Citadel 50, VMI 0
1993 The Citadel 34, VMI 33
1995 VMI 34, The Citadel 7
1997 The Citadel 28, VMI 6
1999 The Citadel 7, VMI 6
2001 The Citadel 49, VMI 7
Players Taking Army Commitments Adds Extra Touch to Veterans' Day Game: The traditional rivalry between The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute that will be played out on Veterans' Day at Johnson Hagood Stadium will have an unusual twist. At the beginning of halftime, five Citadel football players will take an oath to join the Army.
The oath ceremony will add a new dimension to The Citadel's homecoming, an event already full of military symbols. The game with VMI, known as the Military Classic of the South will include the cadet march-down, a flyover of F-16s, skydivers delivering the game ball and a salute to World War II veterans. Having five athletes make the commitment to serve their country during the Veterans' Day game is a symbolic gesture that is certain to evoke memories from alumni on both sides of the field.
The five taking the oath include:
• Quarterback Duran Lawson, a junior from Conway, S.C.
• Defensive End Nick Fender, a senior from Culleoka, Tenn.
• Linebacker Chris Murray, a senior from West Haven, Conn.
• Linebacker Napoleon Dunn, a sophomore from Norcross, Ga.
• LS Jeffrey Hodish, a sophomore from Plantation, Fla.
Taking the oath is a commitment to join the Army when they graduate. The players will begin to receive monthly payments from the Army and will commit to the Army training program.
The ceremony was the brainchild of Offensive Line coach Kevin Olecki and Capt. Kenny Bath, an active duty ROTC instructor at The Citadel. Both are Citadel grads. Olecki serves as the military liaison for the football team.
“They will receive their commissions as officers when they complete summer camp after graduation,” Bath said. Because of athletic requirements, the football players cannot complete the training that other cadet contracts finish in time to be commissioned at graduation.
