Charleston, S.C. No. 21 The Citadel suffered a tough loss to No. 6 Elon on Parents Day as they fell by a close 27-23 margin before a crowd of 12,585 at Sansom Field at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The Citadel falls to 3-3 on the season and 1-2 in Southern Conference action.
Both teams put points on the board quickly in the first quarter. On the opening possession, the Bulldogs drove the ball 11 plays for 57 yards in 5:58, ending with a 29-yard Sam Keeler field goal at 9:32 on the clock. Elon answered immediately on the next drive when, on the first play, Terrell Hudgins caught a 70-yard touchdown pass from Scott Riddle, making the score 7-3.
The Citadel looked to take the lead when Taylor Cornett caught a 67-yard touchdown pass at 13:22 in the second quarter only to have it come back because of a holding penalty against the Bulldogs. The next play The Citadel was 1st-and-20 at their own 23-yard line and was unable to produce a score on the drive. However, Mark Kaspar kicked a 60-yard punt which Phoenix Karlos Sullivan fumbled on the return. Demetrius Jackson recovered the ball at the Elon 5-yard line, setting up a 4-yard touchdown pass from Bart Blanchard to Andre Roberts at 10:40 in the second quarter. The Citadel took a 10-7 lead.
Later in the second quarter, redshirt freshman receiver Travis Ruff blocked an Elon punt, the first of his career, to set up another Bulldog touchdown. Cornett earned another change to score when connecting on a 4-yard pass from Blanchard to put The Citadel up, 16-7. In less than a minute before the half, Andrew Wilcox kicked two field goals to make the score 16-13 at halftime.
Coming out the half, Elon wasted no time putting points on the board and taking the lead for the first time since 7-3 in the first quarter. With 10:51 on the clock, A.J. Harris rushed the ball for 11 yards and a touchdown to put the Phoenix up, 20-16. Trading scores, the Bulldogs went back up when Roberts completed a 29-yard pass from Blanchard at 6:27 in the third, making the score 23-20. Elon came right back with a score when Bo Williamson caught a 10-yard pass from Riddle at 5:53 in the third, putting the Phoenix back up, 27-23.
With several close calls in the fourth quarter, both defenses put a stop to their opponents and the Bulldogs came up on the short end, 27-23 as the final.
Blanchard completed 21-of-35 passes with no interceptions and three touchdowns. Roberts recorded his third 100-yard receiving game of the season with eight catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Freshmen running backs Asheton Jordan and Terrell Dallas combined for 23 rushes and 96 yards. The Elon defense held the Bulldogs to 82 rushing yards. The Citadel totaled 239 passing yards for an offensive total yardage of 321.
Elon totaled 424 offensive yards. They were led by Brandon Newsome, who rushed for 134 yards on 14 carries and Hudgins with five catches for 130 yards. Riddle completed the game 18-of-32 with one interception and two touchdowns. Elon improved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the SoCon, extending their winning streak to six consecutive games for the first time since 1986.
The Citadel will travel to Greenville, S.C. for a Southern Conference matchup against Furman on Saturday, Oct. 18. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
For more information on Bulldog Football, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
