Football 11/17/2018 5:16:00 PM

Dogs Earn Respect at Alabama

Box Score TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Citadel gained the respect of the nation as they gave No. 1Alabama more than they had hoped for Saturday afternoon in front of 101,681 fans inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Game Information
Score: Alabama 50, The Citadel 17
Records: The Citadel (4-6), Alabama (11-0)
Location: Johnson Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Series: Alabama leads 1-0

How it Happened

The Crimson Tide scored the game's first points in the first quarter on a touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa.
The Bulldogs answered back in the second quarter as they took advantage of a short punt and needed only one play for Dante Smith to race around right end for a 45-yard touchdown.
The Crimson Tide regained the lead late in the quarter on a short field goal. The Bulldog defense came up big as they made a pair of stops on running plays and then forced an incompletion on third down.
The Citadel had yet another answer as they used up the final 4:59 of the half and got a 48-yard field goal from Jacob Godek to tie the game, 10-10, at halftime.
An unsportsmanlike penalty following a 14-yard run from Brandon Rainey set up the field goal.
UA would open up the lead in the second half, but the Bulldogs came back again with another long touchdown run from Smith, this time from 44 yards out.

Inside the Numbers

Dante Smith rushed for a career-high 130 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries.
He scored on runs of 45 yards in the first quarter and 44 yards in the fourth quarter.
Dante Smith's 45-yard touchdown run was the longest allowed by Alabama since 2015.
The 130 yards are the most Alabama has allowed to a running back this season.
It is also the most rushing yards since Nick Chubb rushed for 146 yards on Oct. 3, 2015.
As a team, The Citadel rushed 60 times for 275 yards. It is the most yards allowed by Alabama since giving up 281 yards to Ohio State in the national semifinals on Jan. 1, 2015.
The 10-10 halftime score was the first time any team has been within 16 points at halftime against the Tide this season. The closest game so far was 16-0 against LSU on Nov. 3.
The 17 points scored against the Tide are more than Louisville (14), Arkansas State (7), Ole Miss (7), Louisiana (14), Missouri (10), LSU (0) and Mississippi State (0).
The Bulldogs' first score of the game was the first against the Tide defense in 179:00.
Quarterback Brandon Rainey ran for 79 yards on 25 attempts.
Jacob Godek tied the game on the final play of the first half with a career-long 48-yard field goal. The make was his ninth in a row.
Matthew Campbell kicked a career-long 68-yard punt on his way to averaging 45.2 yards on six punts.
Ken Allen blocked an extra point in the fourth quarter. It was his second blocked extra point of the season and the team's sixth block overall.
The Bulldogs forced a pair of fumbles in the game. Russell Hubbs stripped the ball from the wide receiver in the first half and Nkem Njoku forced a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half.
Chris Beverly led the defense with five tckles.
The Citadel dominated the time of possession as the held the ball for a season-high 36:23. The Bulldogs held the ball for at least eight minutes in every quarter, including for 10:37 in the opening quarter.