The Citadel Football kicked off the 2009 season with lots of optimism and high hopes for what was ahead in the upcoming weeks. With 10 seniors returning, including All-America wide receiver Andre Roberts and first team defensive lineman Terrence Reese, the Bulldogs were expected to finish the season in the upper half of the Southern Conference.

The Citadel players collected a number of preseason accolades, as Roberts racked in the most. The Bulldog wide receiver was named for the second consecutive season to the Walter Payton watch list announced by The Sports Network and received the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Bobby Richardson Sportsman Award for exemplifying excellence on and off the various fields of play while displaying the utmost in sportsmanship.  The Columbia native was also selected as an FCS preseason All-American by The Sports Network, earning a first team selection on offense at wide receiver, while also being tabbed a preseason first team All-American by Consensus Draft Services.

Four players were named to the preseason All-Conference team in Phil Steel's College Football Preview. Offensive lineman Dan DeHaven and Roberts were named to the first team, while Reese and defensive lineman Dewitt Jones were named to the second team.  Roberts was also named a first team specialist.
The coaches voted The Citadel to finish tied for sixth with Samford among the league's nine teams, while five players received preseason honors. Roberts and Reese again were named to the All-Conference first team, while DeHaven, offensive lineman Thomas Suggs and defensive back Cortez Allen received second team honors. The media agreed with the coaches that the Bulldogs would finish ahead of Western Carolina and Chattanooga, but selected the Bulldogs to finish seventh behind Samford.

Bulldogs Face FBS Opponent in Season-Opener
The Bulldogs opened the 2009 schedule, which consisted of five home games, on the road at No. 21 North Carolina. After a preseason scare with starting quarterback Bart Blanchard and Roberts suffering ankle sprains, both were ready to play in the season-opener. At running back, the depth chart consisted of two walk-on freshmen. After losing seven running backs to either transfer or injury, running back coach Everette Sands was forced to start freshman walk-on Remi Biakabutuka (youngest brother of Tim), backed up by freshman walk-on Bucky Kennedy.  As a result, the Bulldog running game totaled 30 rushing yards. Before a crowd of 58,000 at Kenan Memorial Stadium, The Citadel recorded a 40-6 loss to the Tar Heels. The Citadel scores came from 42-yard and 28-yard field goals by Sam Keeler. Redshirt freshman transfer Joseph Boateng led the Bulldog defensive effort with seven tackles and two interceptions. The young defensive back earned SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors for his impressive debut against the FBS opponent.

First Trip to the Garden State a Memorable One
The Citadel then took an early bye week as they prepared for their first trip to New Jersey on Sept. 19 to take on the Princeton Tigers. At the Patriot League school is where the Bulldogs would find their only road win of the season. The Citadel scored 38 unanswered points to defeat Princeton, 38-7, and claim their first win of the 2009 season at Princeton Stadium before a crowd of 7,885. Wide receiver Scott Harward led the Bulldog offensive effort with a career-performance of seven catches for 99 yards, while the running back duo of Terrell Dallas and Van Dyke Jones, who both made season debuts after injuries kept them sidelined for game one, totaled 22 carries and combined for 99 yards. The Bulldog defensive effort was highlighted with two interceptions by Jonathan Glaspie and Jeremy Buncum for a total of 90 return yards.

Capers' Career Comes to an End
After junior linebacker Mel Capers was not listed on the depth chart and sidelined for the season-opener, bad news surfaced out of the Bulldog training room. Soon after suffering a couple of injuries during fall camp, it was discovered that Capers has a condition known as congenital spinal stenosis - the narrowing of the space around the spinal cord. A second opinion by a neurologist  determined that it was unsafe for Capers to participate in any collision sports and football career would come to an end. Capers decided it would be for the best for him to sit out immediately but lead his teammates from the sideline for the rest of the season.

Home-Opener, 294-Night
The Bulldogs then returned to Johnson Hagood Stadium to host their home-opener against Presbyterian on Sept. 26. The only night game of the season welcomed 13,034 to witness the 46-21 dominance by the Bulldogs. Blanchard led The Citadel by tying a school and Southern Conference record for passing touchdowns in a game with six, while Roberts moved up the charts in the SoCon record book. The Citadel finished the game with 414 yards of total offense, 151 on the ground and 263 in the air. Blanchard completed 20-of-30 passes with two interceptions for 263 yards and six touchdowns. Blanchard was named co-SoCon Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Roberts finished with 12 receptions for 184 yards and four touchdowns, also a school single-game record. He increased his career receiving yards to 3,221 improving him to third all-time in the Southern Conference, while his 233 catches improved him to second all-time in the SoCon. Jordon Gilmore led the defense with nine total tackles, with one sack for a loss of four yards. Allen had an impressive defensive performance as well with five total tackles, one fumble recovery, one interception and one pass breakup.

So Close
The Citadel then hosted No. 10 Appalachian State in one of the most exciting Bulldog performances of the season. The Bulldogs scored 10 unanswered points in the conference-opener before going into the half with a 13-7 lead. A Van Dyke Jones 69-yard touchdown run gave the Bulldogs a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter, but a Mountaineer field goal tied the game with 8:30 on the clock. The Citadel continued to fight as Blanchard found Luke Caldwell for a 29-yard touchdown pass, putting the Bulldog fate in the hands of the defense for the next 5:18. However, just two plays into the next Mountaineer possession, Armanti Edwards found Brian Quick for a 74-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at 27 with 4:28 on the clock.  Both teams would remain scoreless in the last few minutes of regulation and the game went into overtime. However, Appalachian State's defense made a huge stop in overtime and the dynamic offense took advantage with a Vitaris 29-yard field, leaving the Bullogs to suffer a heartbreaking 30-27 overtime loss. Jones was named SoCon Freshman Player of the Week after his 100-yard performance against the Mountaineers, marking the third of four games the Bulldogs earned a SoCon Player of the Week award.

The Hangover
The Citadel did not recover as quickly as the coaches would have liked as they traveled to No. 10 Elon the next week. Not scoring until the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs claimed only their third loss in program history to the Phoenix, 43-7. The sole Bulldog score was a 5-yard touchdown pass from Blanchard to Kevin Hardy with 7:52 left in the game. The Citadel, plagued by penalties, was held to 120 yards of offense, including only 18 on the ground, and allowed 29 Phoenix first downs.  Roberts was limited to one catch for 13 yards.

Things continued to go sour for the Bulldogs as they extended their road trip in North Carolina, this time to take on the winless Western Carolina Catamounts. Clearly the favorite to win the game, the Bulldogs went into halftime with a 10-0 lead. However, the game took a turn for the worse and The Citadel allowed 14 unanswered points by the Catamounts who claimed a 14-10 homecoming victory before a regional television audience. The win broke a seven-game losing streak for the Catamounts which dated back to the 2008 season and became the only conference win for WCU in 2009.

Record-setting Debut
The Bulldogs had a three-game home stretch coming up next which consisted of Parents Day against rival Furman, a Halloween game against Samford and homecoming against Wofford. The games would also mark the final home appearances for The Citadel in 2009.

Blanchard, who had started at quarterback for his last 20 of 21 games, suffered a turf toe injury against Western Carolina and was sidelined against the rival Paladins for Parents Day. This left redshirt freshman Miguel Starks to start at the leading role... and what a successful debut it was. Starks led the Bulldogs to a 38-28 Parents Day victory over Furman in his first collegiate start before a crowd of 14,403 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The young quarterback was responsible for 327 yards of offense and five touchdowns, while the Bulldogs totaled a season-high 296 yards on the ground.

The Citadel maintained the lead for the entire game as Starks went 14-of-19 with no interceptions for 183 years and one touchdown in the air. He also added 144 yards on the ground, rushing for TDs on four occasions, tying the SoCon season single-game scoring high. Jones also recorded his first 100-yard rushing performance, carrying the ball 11 times for 102 yards. His long was a 40-yard run that put the Bulldogs in Paladin territory and set up The Citadel to extend the lead to 38-21 with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Jones averaged 9.3 yards a carry and also caught two passes for 10 yards.  The rushing performances by Starks and Jones marked the first time two players rushed for 100 yards since the overtime victory against the Paladins in 2007. The two earned SoCon Player of the Week honors, Starks for offense and Jones for freshmen for the second time this season.

Bulldog Go Hollywood
The momentum carried into the next week as the Bulldogs hosted Samford for Halloween. Starks got the starting nod again, but left the game with an ankle injury, leaving third team freshman walk-on Tommy Edwards to take over late in the first half. After being down 10-0, Edwards and The Citadel defense led the Bulldogs in a second half rally and claimed the 28-16 victory before a crowd of 8,317. The Citadel defense held Samford scoreless for almost three quarters, totaled 11 tackles for a loss of 41 yards, recorded two interceptions for 112 yards (both by defensive back Cortez Allen), and blocked a punt to hold Samford to 35 rushing yards and extend the Bulldogs' winning streak.  Edwards completed 10-of-20 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. His long was a 55-yard touchdown pass to Jones and he did not throw an interception nor was sacked. Allen's picks of 30 and 82 yards marked the second-highest single-game total in SoCon history and earned him SoCon Defensive Player of the Week. Edwards also earned SoCon Freshman Player of the Week.

The Quarterback Shuffle
Wofford was up next and with the Bulldog momentum from the last two wins and the Terriers coming off a 34-6 loss to No. 6 Elon with a 2-6 overall and 1-4 SoCon record, Bulldog fans were expecting the win streak to continue on. However, things did quite work out in the Bulldogs' favor. The Citadel coaching staff looked to three quarterbacks to lead the Bulldogs back from a 22-10 halftime deficit against the Terriers. The Citadel started No. 1 QB Bart Blanchard for the first time since losing to Western Carolina on Oct. 17, but all three quarterbacks made appearances in the second half, looking to get back into the game. However none of them could get the job done as the Bulldogs fell, 43-17. The Citadel recorded their 11th consecutive loss to the Wofford before a SportSouth televised homecoming crowd of 15,155.

Despite the loss, two Bulldogs had record-setting performances against the Terriers. Roberts moved to No. 2 all-time in the Southern Conference for receiving yards. The standout wide receiver, who totaled eight receptions for 50 yards, only needed 16 yards going into the game to pass Mike Barber (Marshall, 1985-88) for second place. He finished the game with 3,555 career receiving yards. Blanchard broke the school record for the most passing touchdowns in a career at The Citadel when he found Alex Sellars for a 6-yard TD pass in the second quarter, marking the 38th of his career.

Hollywood Get Starting Role
The Bulldogs were 4-5 overall with two SoCon wins heading into their last two games of the season. The first was a trip to Chattanooga, Tenn. to take on the Mocs of UTC. At the time, Chattanooga was 5-4 overall and 3-4 in the SoCon and experiencing their most successful season since 2005 when they went 6-5.
Edwards earned his first start at quarterback for the Bulldogs as Blanchard and Starks continued to suffer with injuries.  The Citadel dominated the game in the first half, outnumbering the Mocs in first downs, 14-5, while totaling 184 yards of offense to their 112 yards. The Bulldogs rushed for 80 yards, while the defense held UTC to only 18 yards on the ground. Edwards completed 13-of-20 passes with no interceptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns. However, The Citadel gave up a 21-3 halftime lead as Chattanooga's quarterback B.J. Coleman led the Mocs to a 31-28 come-from-behind victory over the Bulldogs. Coleman totaled 258 yards and three touchdowns in the second half to finish the game with a career-high 356 yards. The Citadel finished with 311 total yards of offense, 214 yards passing and 97 rushing yards, while Chattanooga totaled 373 of which 356 were in the air. Edwards went 21-of-37 for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Roberts caught 10 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns, while Allen finished with 13 tackles to lead the Bulldog defense.

Last Chance for Road
Heading into the final game of the season at Georgia Southern, the Bulldogs were desperate for a road win. The Citadel had only won one out of the last 11 road games. The lone victory came earlier in the season against Princeton. However, the last SoCon road victory for the Bulldogs was in 2007 when they defeated Western Carolina, 37-31, in Cullowhee, N.C. Unfortunately, the win would not come in 2009 either.

A late fourth quarter rally fell short as The Citadel ended the 2009 season with a 13-6 loss before a crowd of 12,611 at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on three occasions and Georgia Southern took advantage to claim the season-ending victory. The Eagles held the Bulldogs scoreless for three quarters, while The Citadel defense stopped GSU from scoring in the third and fourth. However, the Bulldog offense was unable to capitalize and put its first points on the board with one minute left in the game.

Roberts ended his collegiate career leading the Bulldog offense with five catches for 81 yards and one touchdown, one rush for 12 yards, one punt return for nine yards and three kickoff returns for 66 yards for an all-purpose total of 168 yards. Reese, who also played his last game as a Bulldog, finished with seven total tackles, two-and-a-half for a loss of five yards. The Bulldogs totaled 359 yards of offense with 19 first downs, while Georgia Southern finished with 245 yards and 15 first downs. The Citadel rushed for 89 yards, while having passed for 270 yards. Edwards finished the game 23-38-2 for 213 yards and one touchdown. He carried the ball eight times and netted 19 yards after being sacked twice. Starks completed 5-of-9 passes for 32 yards and rushed three times for 17 yards. Rod Harland led the Bulldog defense with eight total tackles, seven of which were solo and one for a loss of one yard.

Post Season Accolades
The Citadel wrapped up the 2009 season with a 4-7 overall record and 2-6 in Southern Conference action. The Bulldogs finished in seventh place in conference standings ahead of Wofford and Western Carolina. A total of 11 postseason accolades were awarded to Bulldog football players by Southern Conference coaches. Ten players were named to the coaches' SoCon All-Conference team, including Roberts who earned selections for both wide receiver and return specialist. Roberts was the only Bulldog to be named to any first team, while DeHaven, tight end Alex Sellars, Reese and linebacker Jordon Gilmore were each named to the second team. The Citadel also had five freshmen named to the All-Freshman Team, including quarterbacks Edwards and  Starks as well as running back Van Dyke Jones on offense and defensive lineman Chris Billingslea and Boateng on defense. 

The SoCon media selected four Bulldog football players to the 2009 Media All-Conference teams. Leading the group was Roberts, who was honored at both wide receiver and return specialist. Sellars was named to the All-Conference first team, while Roberts joined him for his performance at wide receiver. The second team consisted of DeHaven as well as Allen and Roberts again for return specialist.

Roberts was also a finalist for the Walter Payton Award for the second consecutive season and finished 18th overall. The All-American was also invited to play in the 85th East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 23, 2010 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

2009 Quick Facts:

• The Citadel finished the season first in the SoCon in punt returns and second in kickoff returns
• Andre Roberts finished first in the SoCon in punt return average and sixth in the nation
• Jordon Gilmore finished tied for sixth in the SoCon in total tackles
• Terrence Reese finished tied for seventh in the SoCon in tackles for a loss
• Cortez Allen finished tied for eighth in the SoCon in passes defended
• The Citadel finished 10th in the nation in punt returns
• Andre Roberts and Miguel Starks tied for the most touchdowns in a game in the SoCon in 2009 (four)
• Sam Keeler kicked the second longest field goal in the SoCon with a 50-yarder vs. App State
• Cortez Allen and Keith Gamble had two largest single-game interception return yards in the SoCon
• The Citadel recorded top two interception returns in the SoCon (89, 86)
• The Bulldogs recorded an all-time high of seven SoCon Player of the Week awards
• Bart Blanchard tied a school and SoCon record with six passing touchdowns in a single game (PC).
• Bart Blanchard broke the school record for the most touchdowns passes thrown in a career with 38
• Cortez Allen's 112 return yards against Samford is second all-time in the SoCon
• Andre Roberts finished his collegiate career moving up to second in career catches (285) and career passing yards (3,743)