Princeton, N.J. - The Citadel scored 38 unanswered points to defeat Princeton, 38-7, and claim their first win of the 2009 season on Saturday 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 a season debut, totaled 22 carries for 99 yards. The Bulldog defensive effort was highlighted by two interceptions by Jonathan Glaspie and Jeremy Buncum for a total of 90 return yards.
Princeton received the ball first starting their opening drive on their own 28-yard line. The Bulldog defense, coming out strong, limited the Tigers to only nine yards and forced a punt after three plays and 2:14.
Sophomore running back Dallas entered the game for the first time since tearing his ACL against Florida and ran the first two plays in the Bulldogs' first possession of the game. After a 4-yard run, Dallas broke loose for a 14-yard rush and a first down on the second play. After a Bart Blanchard incomplete pass, Jones made his collegiate debut with a two-yard rush on second-and-10 at The Citadel 25-yard line. However, a false start penalty on the Bulldogs and a Blanchard sack for a loss of 10 yards made it fourth-and-23, forcing The Citadel to punt.
The next Princeton possession started on the Bulldog 42-yard line and consisted of penalties on both sides. The second penalty was against the Bulldogs giving the Tigers an automatic first down on The Citadel 17-yard line. Two plays later a Jordan Culbreath 10-yard rush gave the Tigers a first-and-goal on the five-yard line and Princeton followed with a Tommy Wornham pass to Jeb Heavenrich for the touchdown at 6:46 in the first. Ben Bologna's extra point was good, putting the Tigers up, 7-0.
The Citadel answered on the next possession as three consecutive rushes by quarterbacks Miguel Starks and Blanchard for seven, 12 and 11 yards, respectively, put the Bulldogs in Tiger territory for first-and-10 on Princeton's 39-yard line. A Blanchard incomplete pass followed by two short-yard rushes set Sam Keeler up for a 40-yard field goal that was good at 2:23 in the first quarter, making the score 7-3.
The Bulldogs started the second quarter with the ball on the Princeton 43-yard line at second-and-four. The Citadel racked up four first downs, putting them in scoring position at first-and-goal until a holding call pushed them back to the Tiger 13-yard line. Driving to the one-yard line on a Blanchard pass to Ryan Keiper, the Princeton defense made a huge stop forcing a turnover on downs after a one-yard loss on a Dallas rush. After driving the ball 58 yards in 15 plays and taking 8:15 off the clock, The Citadel offense came up scoreless with just under eight minutes left in the half.
The Bulldogs regained their composure on the next possession after an Andre Roberts punt return for 14 yards started their drive on the Princeton 46-yard line. Roberts rush for six yards on the second play, followed by a13-yard rush by Jones on third-and-one, giving The Citadel a first down and the ball on the Princeton 24-yard line. Two plays later Blanchard found Alex Sellars in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass, the first of the season for the Bulldogs, at 2:58 in the second quarter. Sam Keeler's kick was good and the Bulldogs went up, 10-7, for the final score of the half.
Starting the second half, the Bulldogs ran five plays for 16 yards but could not get out of Citadel territory. The next Princeton drive started at 13:39 and took 4:05 off the clock after driving 13 plays for 73 yards. However, the Tigers came up short as a Bologna 31-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright.
The Citadel's next drive started on the 20-yard line and the Bulldogs took it all the way down the field in 10 plays and 4:27. The drive, which consisted of a Roberts' 39-yard catch, ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Jones at 5:07 to put The Citadel up, 17-7.
Again, the Tigers were in scoring position on the next drive. But for the second consecutive Princeton possession, the Tigers came up short on a field goal attempt as defensive lineman Kyle Anderson blocked a 32-yard attempt by Bologna at the end of the third quarter.
The next two Bulldog scoring drives were completed with touchdown runs by Dallas. The first of the two drives included a 41-yard pass from Blanchard to Harward to put the Bulldogs in Tiger territory. Blanchard and Harward connected on two more passes for 14 and nine yards before Dallas made the one-yard run that concluded another 80-yard scoring drive for the Bulldogs at 10:01 in the fourth quarter. The second drive was setup by Jonathan Glaspie who intercepted a Wornham pass and returned it for 86 yards to the Princeton two-yard line. Dallas immediately scored on the run with 5:29 left in the game, extending The Citadel lead to 31-7.
The Bulldog defense did not let up as Jeremy Buncum intercepted a Wornham pass on the next drive and returned it for four yards to the Princeton 21-yard line. Starks rushed for two consecutive plays, a two-yard run and then a 17-yard run, to give The Citadel a first-and-goal on the two-yard line. Two plays later, Starks ran it in for the score with 2:47 left on the clock. Keeler's kick was good and the Bulldogs went up, 38-7, for the final points of the game.
The Citadel finished with 381 yards of total offense, 173 on the ground and 208 passing. Blanchard completed 16-of-26 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown, while Starks connected on one-of-two for 14 yards. Jones led the Bulldog running effort with 15 carries for 59 yards, while Starks rushed for 40 and Dallas for 36 yards. Harward led the Bulldog receiving effort with seven catches for 99 yards. Roberts caught three passes for 56 yards, rushed for 17 yards and returned two punts for 37 yards for a total of 110 all-purpose yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs were led by Jordon Gilmore with 12 tackles and one pass breakup. The Bulldogs totaled two interceptions for 90 return yards and held the Tigers scoreless for the second half.
Princeton totaled 347 yards of offense, 128 yards rushing and 219 passing. Wornham connected on 24-of-41 passes with two interceptions and one touchdown. Both teams recorded six penalties, The Citadel for 45 yards and Princeton for 49.
The Citadel (1-1 overall, 0-0 SoCon) will return to Charleston for their first home game of the season against Presbyterian on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. For more information on Bulldog Football, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
