>> GAME NOTES
>> LIVE VIDEO STREAM
>> LIVE STATS

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel opens its 107th season of intercollegiate football on Saturday when first-year head coach Mike Houston leads the Bulldogs onto the field at Johnson Hagood Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff against nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina.

The Bulldogs and Chanticleers will meet on the football field for the first time ever as The Citadel opens its season at Johnson Hagood for the fifth consecutive year. The Chanticleers enter the contest ranked sixth in the FCS Coaches' Poll and seventh in The Sports Network Poll.

The Citadel is coming off a 5-7 season (4-4 Southern Conference) which ended with a three-game winning streak against FCS foes, while Coastal Carolina's 2013 season culminated with a 48-14 loss to eventual FCS champion North Dakota State in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

In over a century of football, Saturday will be just the third game The Citadel has ever played on August 30. The Bulldogs are 2-0 on the day, outscoring opponents by a margin of 118-17.

In 2003 the Bulldogs beat Charleston Southern by 54 points (64-10) in what still stands as the largest margin of victory over an FCS team in school history. Five years later The Citadel topped Webber International at home by a score of 54-7.

A "NEW LOOK" BULLDOG TEAM

Expect to see some unfamiliar faces on Saturday both on the field and the sidelines. When Houston was named the 24th head coach in Citadel history in January he immediately went to work assembling a staff of assistants.

Of the 10 position coaches, six worked under Houston at Lenoir-Rhyne last season. The defensive coordinator, Maurice Drayton, received his bachelor's degree in physical education from The Citadel in 1998 and master's degree in education in 2007.

He spent a total of 12 seasons at The Citadel as a player, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

The only returning coach from last year's staff is wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator J.P. Gunter, who is a 2007 graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne.

On the playing field, the Bulldogs feature 15 freshmen (true or redshirt) on the depth chart for Saturday's game against Coastal Carolina. That includes redshirt freshmen and projected starters Isaiah Pinson and Kyle Weaver on the offensive line and slot back Jonathan Dorogy.

LISTEN AND WATCH THE GAME

RADIO FLAGSHIP: Sports Radio 1450 AM (WQNT)
LIVE VIDEO STREAMING: http://www.socondigitalnetwork.com/thecitadel

Saturday's game vs. Coastal Carolina can be heard throughout South Carolina on The Citadel Sports Network beginning with The Citadel Tailgate Show at 4 p.m.

A FREE live video stream can be found on the new Southern Conference Digital Network at the link provided above.

New "Voice of the Bulldogs" Mike Legg will be joined in the booth by former Bulldog standout Lee Glaze (Class of 1986), who spent the past two seasons as the broadcast's sideline reporter. Glaze starred in baseball and football at The Citadel, was the 1986 Southern Conference Athlete of the Year and was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 1996.

Longtime local radio personality Ted Byrne will host the tailgate show two hours before each football game. Jay Harper will produce the broadcasts and report on other college football action from the studio.

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS AND TICKET INFORMATION

* Ashley Furniture Fan Appreciation Night presented by Coke Zero

  
        - The first 2,000 fans will receive a stadium cup courtesy of Ashley Furniture.

        - Upon exiting the stadium, fans can pick up a Citadel football magnet schedule courtesy of
          Overhead Door of Charleston.

        - The 'Share a Coke' team will be onsite from 12-4 pm, personalizing Coca-Cola bottles.
 

Fan photos can be submitted throughout the day for a chance to get on the video board during the game. Submit your fan photos to SportMarketing@Citadel.edu. Be sure to use #TheCitadel in your social media posts.

The Kids Zone will be open at 4:30 p.m. and is located inside the stadium next to visiting team locker room on the East Side of Johnson Hagood.

To order tickets online go to etix.com or call 843-953-DOGS. At halftime, there will be a special performance by the Burke High School marching band.

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.