Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Football concluded their spring football season hosting the annual Blue and White Spring Game, presented by Coca-Cola, on Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The White team, led by quarterback Luke Caldwell, claimed the 10-7 victory before a crowd of 455.
Fans turned out to get their first peak of The Citadel's new offense as the Bulldogs transition to the triple option for the 2010 season. The scrimmage, a live game situation with no kickoffs returns or punts returns, consisted of four 12-minute quarters with a halftime.
The White team was first to score as Caldwell found wide receiver Alex Carr for a 41-yard touchdown pass with 4:11 on the clock in the first quarter. The White team went up, 7-0. Neither team was able to put any points on the board in the second as Sam Keeler missed a 34-yard field goal attempt for the Blue team and the White struggled on offense.
Going into halftime, the White team totaled 23 plays for 84 yards, while the Blue team recorded 30 plays for 64 yards. A Brian Hill pass attempt in the second quarter for the Blue team fell into the hands of White team's Keith Gamble who returned it for 58 yards for the longest play of the game.
Both teams remained scoreless in the third quarter; however, the White team opened the fourth quarter with a 25-yard field goal by Ryan Sellers to put them up, 10-0. Making a late fourth quarter rally, the Blue team quickly responded with their first score of the game on the next possession. Four consecutive rushes by quarterback Sam Martin was capped off with a 31-yard touchdown run with 6:55 on the clock, making the score 10-7.
The Blue team defense forced the White to punt on the next possession and Milford Scott recorded his second blocked punt of the game, giving the Blue team the ball back on the White 42-yard line. After the Blue team was unable to score, the White team regained possession but a Cass Couey fumble with less than two minutes left on the clock gave the Blue team good field position and another opportunity to score. Unable to move the ball, Jordan Panter attempted a 46-yard field goal to tie the game, but fell short with under a minute on the clock, making the final score 10-7 in favor of the White team.
The White team concluded the game with 10 first downs to the Blue team's seven. However, the Blue team recorded 53 plays for 170 yards to the White's 53 plays and 132 yards. The Blue team dominated the rushing game with 136 yards on 39 carries, led by Martin who totaled 95 rushing yards. The White team carried the ball 45 times for 81 yards. The White team's Quintin Turner and Blue team's Rod Harland led both defenses with 10 tackles each, while Chris Billingslea totaled two tackles for a loss of 13 yards for the White team.
The Bulldogs will break until the fall when they return for camp on Aug. 6. The Citadel will open the 2010 season at home against Chowan on Sept. 4 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. For more information on Bulldog Football, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.Citadelsports.com.
