The 2010 season for The Citadel Football was one that saw the most change since head coach Kevin Higgins took over the helm in 2005. After a mediocre finish in 2009, the Bulldogs welcomed nine coaching changes as they switched offenses to the triple option.

With the new offense in place, several all-conference selections, the experience of the 18 returning starters and the promise of a freshman class to provide more size, strength, speed and depth, Higgins and his staff were optimistic about the upcoming season. However, they knew they would face many challenges throughout the transition, especially with three freshmen in the depth chart to quarterback the new offense.

The Bulldogs opened the 2010 season at home against first-time opponent Chowan on Sept. 4, quickly putting the school on Southern Conference season superlative lists with statistics that would remain at the top throughout the season. The Citadel defense, led by defensive back Cortez Allen and safety Demetrius Jackson, scored 18 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 56-14 victory over the Hawks.
The offense was led by freshmen quarterbacks Ben Dupree, who started for the Bulldogs, and Matt Thompson, who took over in the second quarter. Turnovers plagued Chowan as the Bulldog defense scored off of four-of-five Chowan miscues in the first half, sending The Citadel into halftime with a modern era record of 49 first half points. The Citadel scored 28 points in 91 seconds, as Hawk quarterback Cameron Stover accounted for all four turnovers.

The Citadel's new triple option offense totaled 374 yards for the game, going 5-of-6 for 127 yards in the air and 258 yards on the ground on 52 carries. The Bulldog offense turned the ball over twice, while the Hawks suffered on the offensive end with six turnovers.
 Allen and Jackson each recorded a pick-six, while defensive end Erik Clanton got his sack count off to an early start, recording three for a loss of 18 yards against Chowan. The Citadel freshmen posted impressive numbers led by quarterback Matt Thompson, who completed 5-of-6 passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns with eight carries for 70 yards and a TD. Thompson's collegiate debut earned him SoCon Freshman of the Week for Week 1, marking the third consecutive season the Bulldogs have earned a Player of the Week recognition for their season-opening performance.

The Citadel then traveled to No. 23 Arizona to meet a Pac-10 school for the first time in program history. Traveling the furthest distance of any Bulldog team (over 2,000 miles) and competing against a school from the state of Arizona for the first time, the Bulldogs were anxious to play against their only FBS opponent of the 2010 season. Holding a record of 1-4 in games played on Sept. 11, the odds were not in the Bulldogs' favor as they fell to the Wildcats, 52-6, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson.

The Bulldogs' performance was highlighted by a 39-yard field goal by Sam Keeler, marking the first offensive points scored against Arizona in the 2010 season. Junior running back Terrell Dallas was the leading rusher with 11 carries for 53 yards.  Jeremy Buncum led the Bulldog defense with 10 total tackles, while linebacker Tolu Akindele earned his first career interception.

The Citadel returned home the following weekend to host Presbyterian on Sept. 18 for the second consecutive season. Adding another dominating performance to the season, the Bulldogs rushed for 359 yards, their most since 2003, en route to a 26-14 win over Presbyterian.

Inclement weather caused a 40-minute rain delay, but did not slow down action on the field. Both the Bulldogs and Blue Hose's running games got off to a quick start as touchdown runs by Dallas for 37 yards and Trendon Dendy for 43 yards quickly tied the game at 7-7 with 7:54 on the clock in the first quarter. However, the Citadel would soon take control of the game with the next three scores. Dallas, who led the Bulldogs' running game with 16 carries for a career-high 172 yards and two touchdowns, extended the lead to 21-7 on an 80-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The touchdown remained the second longest rush for any SoCon team during the regular season. The Bulldogs went up 24-7 early in the fourth quarter and sealed the win with their first safety in two years, making the score 26-14 and extending their season record to 2-1.

Unfortunately, the win would be the last for the Bulldogs for several weeks as they went on a seven-game losing streak, starting with the conference-opener at No. 23 Furman. The Paladins opened the game with 17 unanswered points. It was not until the fourth quarter that The Citadel put their first points on the board, a 3-yard touchdown run by Thompson. Freshman running back Terrance Martin accounted for the second touchdown, a 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, and the Bulldogs fell, 31-14.

Western Carolina followed with a 24-13 victory over the Bulldogs at Johnson Hagood Stadium the next week. The Citadel outscored the Catamounts in the second half, but could not overcome a 17-3 halftime deficit. Highlighting the game was a career-long Cass Couey punt that went 68 yards, marking the longest punt of the season in the SoCon.

The Citadel played at home again the following week for an Oct. 9 Parents Day matchup against Chattanooga. The Bulldogs were defeated by the Mocs, 28-10, but a good day for punter Cass Couey earned him SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week. Averaging 44.5 yards per kick, including a 51-yarder and two placed inside the 20, Couey converted a fake punt in the second quarter when he ran 33 yards up the middle to keep the Bulldogs' drive alive. The Citadel capped off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run by Dallas to cut the deficit to 14-7. However, Chattanooga capitalized off two Bulldog turnovers, scoring on both and sealing the win for the Mocs.
During the week, Clanton and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Derek Douglas were named to the 2010 Southern Pigskin Mid-Season All-Southern Conference team. Clanton, who had emerged as the defensive player to watch, ranked first on the team in sacks and tackles for loss, second in the soCon and sixth nationally in sacks with 7.0 for 37 yards. He was also ranked second in the SoCon and seventh in the FCS in tackles for loss with 11 for a total of 50 yards. Douglas ranked ninth on the team in tackles. However, he was second in tackles for loss with 5.5 for 38 yards, including 3.5 sacks for 31 yards, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. His stats placed him eighth in the SoCon in sacks and tied with teammate Quintin Turner for 11th in tackles for loss.

No. 1 ranked and eventual SoCon co-champions Appalachian State was up next for the Bulldogs. In a cold and windy night game on Oct. 16 at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C., The Citadel was the first to put any points on the board. However, before the sixth largest crowd in school history of 29,519, the Mountaineers took control and claimed a 39-10 ASU victory. Thompson scored the only touchdown for The Citadel on a 1-yard quarterback keeper, while backup kicker Ryan Sellers connected on a 47-yard field goal to open the second half. However, the Bulldogs could only tally 197 yards of offense, which were all on the ground as The Citadel did not complete a pass for the first time since 1995. Linebacker Rod Harland led the defense with a career-high of 12 total tackles. 

Turnovers plagued the Bulldogs in their matchup against Georgia Southern at home on Oct. 23. The Citadel committed nine turnovers and was shut out for the first time since playing Maryland in 2003. The Eagles topped the Bulldogs, 20-0, and The Citadel was held to a season low 160 total yards. Four Bulldogs, however, recorded double-digits in tackles including Clanton who totaled 16. GSU recorded 286 yards, all on the ground. Their zero passing yards marked the first time The Citadel held an opponent without passing yards since 1973.

The Bulldogs then traveled to No. 9 Wofford in what ended up being their second consecutive shutout of the season. The Terriers topped the Bulldogs, 35-0, while recording 362 yards of offense to The Citadel's 143. Thompson and Sam Martin both completed 1-of-4 passes each for a total of 11 passing yards, leaving the remaining 132 yards on the ground. Dallas led the Bulldogs once again with 56 net yards. Harland and Akindele led the defense with 10 and nine total tackles, respectively, with Akindele adding two forced fumbles. However, the defensive effort was not enough to stop a Terrier team that would eventually share the SoCon championship title with Appalachian State.

The Citadel returned home for their final home game of the season, a homecoming matchup against Elon on Nov. 6. Still searching for their first SoCon victory since defeating Samford at home in 2009, the Bulldogs switched things up a bit, returning freshman Ben Dupree to the starting role for the first time since the season-opener against Chowan.  The move proved to be refreshing as it was believed to be the best performance by The Citadel in weeks. A career-long kickoff return of 87 yards by Keith Gamble set the Bulldogs up for a touchdown that gave The Citadel a two-point lead in the third quarter, 16-14. However, a late rally by Elon could not be stopped as Brandon Newsome ran for two touchdowns to seal the 27-16 win for the Phoenix in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs totaled 300 yards of offense, 228 of which were on the ground. Leading the ground attack was Dupree who gained 85 yards on top of his 4-for-7 completions for 61 yards passing. Dallas added 64 rushing yards of his own and a touchdown. The defense was led by Akindele with a season high of 13 total tackles. Clanton added another sack for a loss of seven yards, securing his top 10 national ranking in sacks. The Bulldogs outnumbered the Phoenix in first downs, total yards and time of possession.

After a late bye week the following week and heading into their final game of the season with a record of 2-8 overall and 0-7 in conference action, The Citadel was desperately looking to end their SoCon road losing streak, which dated back to 2007, with a win in Birmingham. And they got their wish.

A fourth quarter rally powered the Bulldogs to their first SoCon victory of thes eason and road conference win in three years in a 13-12 win over Samford in the season finale. Down 12-7, a double-reverse play that included a 55-yard pass from junior wide receiver Luke Caldwell to redshirt junior running back Rickey Anderson, setup a Dupree 8-yard touchdown run to give The Citadel the 13-12 lead. The Bulldogs' two-point conversion failed, and with three minutes on the clock they were forced to stop a Samford offense that raked in a total of 446 yards. Akindele and Jackson led the defensive effort, first with a hurry by Akindele and a pass breakup by Jackson, causing a turnover on downs. The Citadel got the ball back with 31 seconds left to claim the victory.

Wide receiver Travis Ruff earned his first career touchdown in the last game of his career after fellow senior Milford Scott blocked a Bob Hooper punt deep in Samford territory, allowing Ruff to recover it in the end zone for the score late in the first quarter. The Bulldogs finished the game with 50 plays for 203 yards, 84 in the air and 119 rushing. Samford completed 77 plays for 446 yards, 286 passing and 160 on the ground. Dupree ended the game 3-of-5 for 29 yards with no interceptions, while rushing for 22 yards and one touchdown. Akindele led the defense with nine total tackles, followed by Jackson with eight.

The Bulldogs concluded the 2010 season 3-8 overall and 1-7 in the SoCon, ending their seven-game losing streak and 10-game SoCon losing streak. The Citadel concluded the season with two SoCon Player of the Week accolades as the conference named Jackson Defensive Player of the Week and Dupree as Freshman of the Week for their performances at Samford.

The SoCon media selected Clanton and Dallas to SoCon All-Conference teams, while a total of five postseason accolades were awarded to Bulldog football players by the SoCon coaches. Allen, Clanton and Dallas were named to first and second teams, while running back Terrance Martin and Douglas were named to the coaches' All-Freshman team.

Clanton was the only Bulldog named to the media and coaches first team, while Dallas was named to both second teams. Allen was named to the coaches second team.

Allen, a preseason All-Conference selection, tied for the most pass breakups of any Bulldog in 2010 with five, while also adding 22 total tackles and two interceptions for 18 yards. His season high was seven total tackles against Chattanooga on Oct. 9. Allen, who's two interceptions for 112 yards against Samford in 2009 marked the second-highest single-game total in SoCon history, concluded his collegiate career with 120 total tackles, 20 pass deflections and two fumble recoveries.

Clanton finished the regular season ranked tied for 12th in the FCS and second in the SoCon in pass sacks with 9.0, an average of .87 per game, while also placing third in the SoCon in tackles for loss with 14.0 for a loss of 61 yards. Clanton totaled the third highest amount of total tackles among the Bulldogs with 62. He also had one quarterback hurry, one fumble recovery for 40 yards and three forced fumbles. Clanton's best performance of the season came against Georgia Southern when he totaled 16 tackles, six solo and 10 assisted. He also recorded seven tackles, four for a loss of 22 yards and including three sacks for a loss of 18 yards, against Chowan in the season-opener.

Dallas started at fullback for the Bulldogs in their first season running the triple option. He finished the 2010 campaign with 135 carries for 665 yards and six touchdowns. His average of 60.5 yards a game ranked him sixth in the SoCon. Dallas recorded a career-high in rushing yards when he ran for a total of 172 yards and two touchdowns, including a TD run of 80 yards, against Presbyterian.
All-Freshman team selection Terrance Martin concluded his first collegiate season ranked fourth among the Bulldogs in rushing yards, netting 220 for an average of 20.0 yards a game. His best performances of the season came in back-to-back weeks against Presbyterian and at Furman when he totaled 49 yards and 47 yards and a touchdown, respectively. Martin also finished second on the team in all-purpose yards, with a total of 551 kickoff return yards.

Douglas, the other All-Freshman selection, finished sixth in total tackles among Bulldog defenders with 41, 7.5 for a loss of 43 yards, including 3.5 sacks for 31 yards, ranking him 13th in the SoCon in sacks. He also added one pass breakup, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and one blocked kick to his 2010 stats.

The Bulldogs concluded the 2010 season ranked second in the FCS in fewest penalties per game with 46 penalties in 11 games for a total of 372 yards, an average of 4.8 penalties a game and 33.82 penalty yards a game. These numbers also ranked The Citadel second in fewest penalty yards per game.

2010 Highlights/Accolades

• DB Cortez Allen Named to Phil Steele's Preseason All-SoCon Team
• DB Cortez Allen Named to SoCon Preseason First Team
• TE Alex Sellars Named to SoCon Preseason Second Team
• QB Matt Thompson Named SoCon Freshman Player of the Week for Week 1
• P Cass Couey Named SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 6
• QB Ben Dupree Named SoCon Freshman Player of the Week for Week 12
• S Demetrius Jackson Named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week for Week 12
• DE Erik Clanton Named to 2010 Southern Pigskin Mid-Season All-SoCon Team
• DL Derek Douglas Named to 2010 Southern Pigskin Mid-Season All-SoCon Team
• DE Erik Clanton Named to FCS Defensive Lineman of the Year Watch List by College Football Performance Awards
• DB Cortez Allen Named to SoCon Coaches Second Team
• DE Erik Clanton Named to SoCon Coaches and Media First Team
• RB Terrell Dallas Named to SoCon Coaches and Media Second Team
• Head Coach Kevin Higgins honored as one of five people for outstanding contributions made to The Citadel
• DE Erik Clanton ranked as high as third in the FCS in sacks and tackles for loss
• DE Erik Clanton finished the regular season ranked tied 12th in the FCS in pass sacks (14th including postseason).
• 2010 squad finished second in the nation in fewest penalties per game
• 2010 squad finished second in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game