Top Dogs

Saturday, November 10

Charleston, S.C.

2 p.m.

The Citadel

4-5 , 4-4

Samford

5-5 , 4-3

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Samford	14	10	3	0	27
The Citadel	0	7	14	21	42

Lorenzo Ward rushed for four touchdowns in the second half against Samford.

11/10/2018 8:20:00 PM | Football

Box Score Box Score (.pdf)Photos

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel got another strong performance from the defense and the offense found the ground game as the Bulldogs erased a17-point halftime deficit in defeating Samford, 42-27, in front of 11,145 fans on Homecoming.

Game Information
Score: The Citadel 42, Samford 27
Records: Samford 5-5, 4-3 SoCon), The Citadel (4-5, 4-4 SoCon)
Location: Johnson Hagood Stadium (Charleston, South Carolina)
Series: The Citadel leads 7-5

How it Happened

Samford jumped out to an early advantage as they took a 21-0 lead just under two minutes into the second quarter.
The Citadel finally got its offense going late in the second quarter as they took advantage of a short punt to find the end zone for the first time.
The six-play was capped by a Brandon Rainey 12-yard touchdown pass to Curt Nixon. It was the first touchdown pass of Rainey's career and the first touchdown reception for Nixon.
Samford responded with a late field goal and took a 24-7 lead into the halftime.
The Citadel fumbled on its first of the second half, but the defense held Samford to a field goal attempt that missed wide right.
The Citadel got the ball back and promptly found its running game. After moving into Samford territory, Rainey broke free on a 43-yard scamper.
On the next play, Lorenzo Ward went up the gut for a five-yard touchdown.
Samford answered back with a field goal.
The Citadel was forced to punt on their next possession, but on the first play on defense, Shawn McCord got free and stripped the quarterback and recovered the fumble.
That play quickly turned into another Ward score as he powered in from the one to make it a one possession game.
Samford drove into The Citadel territory on their next possession, but faced a 4^th-and-5 from the 30 yard line. SU went for it and the pass fell incomplete as freshman Joshua Bowers broke up the pass.
That would be the momentum shift needed as five plays later, Rainey went around the left side and broke a couple tackles on his way to a 60-yard touchdown. The Jacob Godek extra point gave The Citadel its first lead, 28-27.
Another defensive stop gave The Citadel the ball back deep inside their own territory. A 20-yard run from Rainey started the drive before Ward capped it with a 43-yard touchdown.
Another fourth-down stop by The Citadel resulted in the final touchdown of the day as Ward finished off the four-play drive with a four-yard touchdown, his fourth of the game.

Inside the Numbers

The game was a tale of two halves as The Citadel trailed 24-7 at the half, but outscored Samford 35-3 in the second half.
The Citadel has now outscored its opponents 63-3 in the second half over the past two games.
The Citadel, which rushed for just 55 yards in the first half, finished the game with 344 rushing yards.
Brandon Rainey finished with 217 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. He ran for 207 after halftime. He also threw for 88 yards and a touchdowns.
Rainey is the third quarterback in The Citadel history to rush for 200 yards in a game. In just two starts, he owns two of the top five rushing performances by a quarterback in school history.
Lorenzo Ward finished with 88 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries. He is the first player to rush for four touchdowns in a game since Ben Dupree rushed for five touchdowns against Old Dominion in 2013.
The Citadel's offense held the ball for 19:43 in the second half and finished with 35:01 of possession for the game.
The Citadel posted five sacks on defense. Shawn McCord led the way with two sacks, including a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Noah Dawkins had a team-high nine tackles, while Aron Spann, III added eight tackles and forced a fumble.
Joshua Bowers was credited with two pass break-ups, both coming on fourth down.
Joseph Randolph, II did not have a sack, but did have three quarterback hurries.