Gainesville, Fla. The Citadel ended their 2008 season before the largest crowd to ever see a Bulldog team play in the history of the program on Saturday at “The Swamp” in a 70-19 loss to No. 3 Florida.
The Bulldogs, who scored three touchdowns in the game, are only the third team to reach the end zone from the ground and from the air against Florida this season, joining the ranks of LSU and Ole Miss.
Cam Turner was 15-for-30 for 169 yards passing as he relieved an injured Bart Blanchard after the Bulldogs' second offensive series. Turner threw one touchdown pass and two interceptions.
Asheton Jordan recorded 267 all-purpose yards, including 200 yards on eight kick returns in what is believed to be a school record for kick return yardage. Jordan also led the ground game with 37 yards rushing on eight carries.
Special teams was the highlight of the day as The Citadel held Florida to only 31 yards on six punt returns as the Gators averaged only 5.17 yards per punt return. Mark Kaspar averaged 41.5 yards per punt in the game.
The Citadel recorded 317 offensive yards in the game and recorded 18 first downs. A Higgins-led team has only recorded more first downs on an FBS opponent once when The Citadel recorded 23 first downs at No. 7 Wisconsin last season.
Florida won the toss and deferred to the second half, giving The Citadel the first opportunity to score. However, the opening possession led to a Gator touchdown as Bart Blanchard's pass on third-and-seven was intercepted by Janoris Jenkins. Six plays and 2:13 later, Tim Tebow connected with Louis Murphy for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Florida went up 7-0 with 10:34 left in the first quarter.
On the Bulldogs' next possession, they went three-and-out after two incomplete passes by Blanchard followed a two-yard rush by running back Terrell Dallas.
Taking only 1:24 off the clock on the next Gator possession, Florida added seven more points. In just five plays, the Gators drove the ball 61 yards and concluded with a 7-yard touchdown run by running back Chris Rainey at 8:07 to put Florida up, 14-0.
Bulldog quarterback Cam Turner came in for an injured Blanchard on the next Citadel drive. His first play was a 9-yard pass to Joshua Haney on the Citadel 27-yard line. On third-and-one, Turner threw a 5-yard pass to Scott Flanagan for a Bulldog first down on The Citadel 34. However, the Bulldogs were unable to turn the drive into a score, punting on four-and-six on the 33-yard line.
The Gators showed no mercy on the next drive when Tebow threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper. Pass interference was called on the Bulldogs but declined by the Gators. The drive was completed again in five plays, taking 1:29 off the clock. Florida went up, 21-0.
The Citadel received the ball one more time before the end of the first quarter but punted again after only being able to produce one first down. Florida got the ball back just before the end of the first quarter. The first play of the drive was a 53-yard pass to Percy Harvin, followed by another Gator first down two plays later. However, the quarter ended during the Gator drive at first-and-10 on the Citadel 24-yard line. Florida opened the second quarter finishing the drive with a Harvin 11-yard touchdown rush at 14:51 to put the Gators up, 28-0.
Florida scored on two more occasions before the Bulldogs put their first points on the board. The first score came after Turner threw an interception, intended for Andre Roberts, on the Florida 46-yard line. Will Hill returned the interception 23 yards to the Bulldog 31-yard line and in just one play and eight seconds, Tebow connected on a 31-yard pass to Deonte Thompson for the score at 13:16. On Florida's next possession, Gator Kestahn Moore recorded a 2-yard rush at 9:46 in the second to take a 42-0 lead.
The Bulldogs' then recorded their best drive of the first half which ended with career-firsts for both Turner and Flanagan. In 10 plays the Bulldogs moved the ball 78 yards and scored on a trick play that consisted of Flanagan passing to Turner for a 29-yard touchdown pass. Sam Keeler missed the extra point, making the score 42-0 with 5:14 remaining in the half.
Gator quarterback John Brantley then entered the game for Florida and Moore scored on a 22-yard run with 1:52 left in the half. The Gators went into the half, leading 49-0.
In the first half, the Bulldogs totaled 41 plays for 154 yards and one touchdown. They collected a total of 27 rushing yards on 20 carries, while completing six of 21 passes with two interceptions for 82 yards. Haney led The Citadel with two catches for 24 yards, while Turner had 27 yards rushing and a 29-yard reception for a touchdown. Freshman running back Asheton Jordan recorded five kickoff returns for 146 yards with a long of 41 in the half.
Florida totaled 35 plays for 512 yards in the first half. The Gators collected 298 yards rushing on 21 carries and 214 yards in the air. Tebow left the game connecting on 9-of-11 for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
Opening the second half, Florida took 4:24 off the clock ending in another Gator touchdown with 10:36 left in the fourth quarter. Florida went up, 56-6. However, the Bulldogs answered with their second scoring drive of the game. In 14 plays and 7:34, The Citadel drove the ball 74 yards and scored on second-and-goal when Jordan rushed to the right side for a 1-yard touchdown. Keeler's extra point was good and the Bulldogs were down, 56-13, with 3:02 left in the third quarter.
Two more touchdowns gave Florida a 70-13 lead as Nelson caught a 12-yard pass from Brantley with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter and Moody's 5-yard run with 9:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs fought to the very end as Turner orchestrated a 12-play, 77-yard drive spanning almost five minutes late in the game as The Citadel reached the end zone for the third and final time. Turner's 15-yard pass found Taylor Cornett deep in the end zone as the Bulldogs scored. A failed PAT by Sam Keeler sealed the 70-19 score for the final.
The game closed out the 2008 season for The Citadel. The Bulldogs finished the season 4-8 overall and 2-6 in Southern Conference action. For more information on Bulldog Football or The Citadel Athletics, go to the official website for Bulldogs Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
