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.

 
Up Next
The Bulldogs play their final road game of the season as they travel to face No. 1 Alabama. Kickoff is set for noon.