CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel football team looks to bounce back following a heartbreaking loss to Wofford last week in Spartanburg when it celebrates Parents' Day with a 2 p.m. kickoff against Charlotte at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
The FREE webcast of the game be found at:
http://www.socondigitalnetwork.com/thecitadel.
Not near a computer? Catch the game on Sports Radio 1450 in the Charleston area, or at one of the Kirkman Broadcasting affiliates. A complete list of stations, including the area of coverage, can be found by visiting
www.kirkmanbroadcasting.com.
The Citadel (1-4, 0-1 SoCon) and Charlotte (3-3) meet on the gridiron for the first time in history. Charlotte inaugurated its football program in 2013 and is competing as an FCS Independent this season before moving to FBS' Conference USA next year.
A week ago at Wofford,
Aaron Miller fell inches shy of breaking the Bulldogs' 15-game losing streak to the Terriers.
The senior quarterback took a 4th-and-goal snap from the three-yard line with one second remaining and plunged forward before being stymied by Wofford linebacker Kevin Thomas.
The 49ers are coming off a 27-24 loss to Gardner-Webb last Saturday.
Miller has led the Bulldog rushing attack in each of the last four games, adding another 60 last week. The Clover, S.C., native now has 14 rushing touchdowns in his career, which is the fifth most by a Citadel signal caller since 1978.
Miller is sixth in the conference in rushing, averaging 76.2 yards per game on the ground, having carried the ball 95 times for 381 yards and three scores.
The Citadel defense has stymied its opponents in the backfield often in 2014. The Bulldogs are 22nd in the FCS and tops in the conference in sacks with 14 for a loss of 100 yards.
Tevin Floyd and
Justin Oxendine are tied for third in the SoCon with 3.5 each,
Mitchell Jeter is seventh with 2.5 and
Mark Thomas is tied for 11th with two.
The Bulldogs are also 34th in the FCS in tackles for loss with 35, and Floyd is third in the league with seven on the year. Two weeks ago the Bulldogs held Gardner-Webb to -2 yards on the ground, the fifth fewest allowed this season in the FCS.
JETER TABBED AS SOCON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Defensive tackle
Mitchell Jeter tallied a game-high 12 tackles, including two for loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, earning him Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The Rock Hill, S.C., native returned to the Upstate and continued his dominant junior campaign at Wofford on Saturday.
Jeter recorded eight solo stops and four assists and his two tackles for loss resulted in minus six yards.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Jeter dropped Wofford quarterback Evan Jacks in the backfield, forced a fumble and recovered the loose ball to give the Bulldogs possession at their own 33-yard line.
Jeter was also credited with a second fumble recovery earlier in the game and added a quarterback hurry in the loss.
Jeter, who has been a wrecking force all season, enters Saturday's game against Charlotte with 20 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss of 25 yards, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry.
PARENTS' DAY The Bulldogs are 32-29 on this annual event since 1953. The Citadel has won on Parents' Day the past two seasons, defeating Western Carolina 45-31 in 2012 and edging Appalachian State 31-28 a season ago.
As part of Parents' Day activities, the senior Cadets receive their coveted Citadel rings. The second big event during the football season is Homecoming, which takes place Nov. 8 against Furman.
VOTE FOR SPIKE IN THE CAPITAL ONE MASCOT CHALLENGE Spike, The Citadel's longtime mascot, has been chosen as one of only 16 in the country and the lone FCS representative in the 2014 Capital One Mascot Challenge. Spike is also the first Southern Conference mascot to compete in the challenge.
Driven exclusively by fan voting, the last mascot standing will be named the Capital One National Mascot of the Year at the conclusion of the college football season. This year's team represents eight college conferences and 14 different states, including three defending Capital One Mascot Challenge champions.
This year's voting structure provides fans three ways to catapult their mascot to victory. By clicking "vote now," fans earn one (1) point for their mascot. To go even further in expressing their enthusiasm, fans can complete weekly 50-point and/or 100-point challenges by posting clever entries on Twitter or Facebook using their mascot's unique hashtag. Voting opens Monday, August 25, 2014 at 12:00AM EDT and will continue weekly through Sunday, December 7, 2014. Fans can visit www.CapitalOneMascots.com for all voting information as well as engage with the mascots and other fans at www.Facebook.com/CapitalOne and www.Twitter.com/CapitalOne.
