Charleston, S.C. The Citadel football team racked up 257 yards on the ground, 150 of those by junior running back Tory Cooper, as the Bulldogs retained the coveted Silver Shako and won the Miltary Classic of the South convincingly by a final of 48-21 on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
Cooper's 150 yards came on 20 carries, and he also found his way into the end zone three times. Junior running back Montrell Lee added 62 yards on 12 carries and two scores. Junior quarterback Duran Lawson finished 14-22 for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Sean Mizzer led the Keydets with 85 yards and two touchdowns in 16 carries on the ground.
After both teams went three-and-out on their opening offensive possessions, The Citadel took the ball on their second drive and went 62 yards in seven plays to get on the board first, thanks in part to a 30-yard reverse run by junior wide receiver Ta'Mar Jernigan. Cooper capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run for his eighth score of the season. Senior Blake Vandiver knocked the extra-point through to give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 advantage with 8:30 left in the opening quarter.
The Citadel continued to chew up yards on the ground in their next possession. This time, Lee did the majority of the damage, carrying the ball three times for 27 yards on the nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Lee ran it into the end zone from 12 yards out to add to the Bulldogs lead, and Vandiver converted on the point after to make it 14-0 with 3:30 left in the first quarter.
After another VMI three-and-out, the Bulldog offense continued to scorch the Keydet defense as they quickly added on to their advantage in two plays. After a 22-yard pass from Lawson to Cooper, Lawson hit senior wide receiver Gary Domanski from 24 yards out for his first touchdown catch of the season. Vandiver's extra-point made it 21-0 with 59 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Keydets turned the ball over on their next offensive possession, as running back Sean Mizzer was stripped of the ball by sophomore safety Jonathan Vest and junior safety Josh Lawson recovered for The Citadel. The Bulldog offense again drove down the field with ease as Cooper capped off another scoring drive with a 26-yard gallop to the end zone. Vandiver nailed the extra-point to give the Bulldogs a commanding 28-0 lead with 11:22 left in the second quarter.
Another VMI turnover on the next offensive play gave The Citadel a chance to pour it on even more, as quarterback Jonathan Wilson had the ball knocked loose by junior defensive end Trevar Broughton and senior defensive end James Wilson fell on it for the Dogs. The Bulldogs took advantage on the first play of the drive as Lawson found senior running back Nuru Goodrum on a swing pass from nine yards out. Vandiver's extra-point gave The Citadel a 35-0 lead.
The Keydets were able to get on the board on an 80-yard, 10-play scoring drive on their next offensive possession. On a fourth-and-five play, running back Nat Jackson ran it in from 39 yards out. Barrett Way hit the extra-point to make it 35-7 with 4:26 left in the first half, and that was the score as both teams headed into the locker room. The 35 points were the most first-half points for a Bulldogs team in five seasons. The Citadel racked up 314 yards of total offense, 96 of which came on the ground from Cooper in 13 carries. Lawson went 13-20 for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
VMI took the second half kick-off and drove 80 yards again, this time in nine plays, to cut the Bulldog lead to 21. Mizzer capped the drive with a 24-yard touchdown run. Way's extra-point made it 35-14 with 11:05 left in the third quarter.
Cooper scored his third touchdown of the day with 2:23 left in the third quarter to give the Bulldogs a little more breathing room between themselves and the Keydets. After freshman wide receiver Andre Roberts gave The Citadel good field position with a 30-yard punt return to the 35 of VMI, Cooper ran it in from 14 yards out five plays later to extend the Bulldog lead. Vandiver drilled the extra-point to give the Cadets a comfortable 42-14 lead.
Lee added on another score for the Bulldogs with 9:39 left in the fourth quarter, running it into the end zone from two yards out to cap an 11-play, 45-yard scoring drive. Vandiver's extra-point was blocked by the Keydets, so the score remained 48-14. Lee's two touchdowns were his first two of the season and the second and third of his Bulldog career.
Mizzer added another score late for VMI as he dashed into the end zone from 25 yards out with 6:48 remaining in the contest. Way knocked the extra-point through to make it 48-21 and score the final point of the contest.
The Bulldogs have a chance next week to record their first winning record in the Southern Conference since 1992 when they travel to Elon for a 5 p.m. kick-off. The Keydets will close out their season by hosting Liberty at 1 p.m.
