Clemson, S.C. The Citadel Football team lost to Clemson in a 45-17 final before a crowd of 76,000 on Saturday in Memorial Stadium. Andre Roberts recorded nine catches for 153 yards and a touchdown while Bart Blanchard was 22-for-35 with three interceptions and a touchdown pass to Roberts in the game.
The attendance tied for the sixth all-time largest crowd to witness a Citadel game. The first was when the same two teams met on Sept. 2, 2000 at Memorial Stadium when the 17th-ranked Clemson Tigers topped The Citadel, 38-0.
The Bulldogs came out strong in the first half, as The Citadel defense made two quick Clemson stops. However, a dominating running game for the Tigers took over in the second half, finishing the game with 252 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
To start off action, the Tigers received the ball first, driving it 69 yards before Bulldog junior linebacker Jordan Gilmore forced a James Davis fumble on the 3-yard line on 2-and-goal. Senior captain defensive back Jonathan Vest recovered the ball for the Bulldogs, marking only the second lost fumble for Davis in his career and the first career forced fumble and recovery for Gilmore and Vest.
The Bulldogs took over on their own 3-yard line but was unable to produce a score on the drive. Clemson's second possession started on the 50-yard line, but once again the Bulldog defense put a stop to the Tigers' running game and forced a turnover on downs on their own 25-yard line.
On the Bulldogs' next possession, redshirt sophomore quarterback Bart Blanchard found All-American junior wide receiver Andre Roberts for a 42-yard pass; however a clipping penalty on the Bulldogs' next play put The Citadel back 15-yards. Unable to make up the yardage, Sam Keeler attempted a 48-yard field goal that came up short with 1:20 left in the first quarter.
Clemson immediately took advantage of the time left on the clock and drove the ball 69 yards in three plays and 1:10 off the clock to put the first points on the board, giving Clemson a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Citadel's next possession was highlighted by a 39-yard pass from Blanchard to Roberts to put the Bulldogs in Tiger territory. A couple of incomplete passes brought Keeler back out to attempt a 39-yard field goal. The kick was no good and the Bulldogs remained scoreless at 12:31 in the second quarter.
Plagued by penalties in the quarter, the Bulldog defense gave up two more Tiger touchdowns. Clemson extended their lead to 21-0 at 4:25 in the third after three offsides penalties by The Citadel in one drive.
The Citadel got back in the game on the next possession when Blanchard found senior receiver Josh Haney for a 37-yard completion. Two plays later, Blanchard found Roberts again for a 41-yard completion and a touchdown at 1:42 left in the half, making the score 21-7 going into halftime. The Bulldogs' 79-yard drive was completed in five plays and 2:38 off the clock.
At the end of the first half, The Citadel totaled 32 plays for 257 yards of total offense, while Clemson recorded 34 plays for 303 yards. Blanchard completed 14-of-21 passes, one touchdown and an interception for 229 yards, while Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper completed 10-of-14 passes for 127 yards. Roberts finished the half with 140 yards on six catches.
Opening the third quarter, Blanchard earned his second interception of the game, causing the Tigers to regain possession on The Citadel's 19-yard line. However, the Bulldog defense forced the second lost fumble of the game when Jeremy Buncum knocked the ball loose from Tiger Tyler Grisham. Rod Harland recovered the ball for the Bulldogs, who took over on their own 18-yard line. Once again, The Citadel came up short and was forced to punt the ball.
The Tigers then took over the game, putting 14 more points on the board in the third; one a 17-yard run by C.J. Spiller and the other a 26-yard pass from Harper to Michael Palmer. The score was 35-7 with 4:09 left in the third. The fourth quarter was dominated by the Tigers, who managed to put 10 more points on the board.
Redshirt freshman Sam Keeler made the third of three field goal attempts late in the game to make the score 45-10. With 1:17 to go in the game, Cam Turner hit Luke Caldwell for a 50-yard touchdown pass, marking the second straight game that Turner has hit Caldwell for a score. With Keeler's point after, the Bulldogs cut the deficit to a 45-17 Clemson advantage.
For more information on Bulldog Football or The Citadel Athletics, go to the official website for Bulldogs Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
