CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel head football coach Brent Thompson has announced the format to the 2020 Spring Game that will include player coaches and several of the rules from the XFL. The game will be on March 7 at noon on Summerall Field.
 
Thompson, along with offensive coordinator Lou Conte, defensive coordinator Tony Grantham and special teams coordinator Turner West will have a hands off approach.
 
Instead, Brandon Rainey will serve as the head coach for one team, while Willie Eubanks III will coach the other team. Prince Howard-Whitaker will serve as an assistant coach for Rainey, and Raleigh Webb will be an assistant for Eubanks.
 
The rest of the coaching staff will be selected by the two head coaches. Each will need to fill their staff with an offensive and defensive coordinator. They will then select the remaining assistant coaches to their staff.
 
The player draft will be held Sunday night. Eubanks will have the first pick. The format will be to select players by position groups.
 
The game itself will feature four 12-minute quarters, utilizing many rules from the XFL. The most noticeable differences will be on special teams. The Bulldogs will use the XFL kickoff rule where the kicker will kick from the 35-yard line with the coverage team lining up at the return side 35-yard line. The return team lines up at the 30-yard line and neither team can moved until the ball is caught by the returner.
 
There will also be no kicking of extra points. After a touchdown, the teams will have the option of running a play from the 2, 5, or 10-yard line, worth 1, 2, or 3 points. If the defense is able to force a turnover and return it to the end zone, the resulting score is equal to the number of points the offense was attempting to score on its PAT.
 
One of the more unique features for this game will be the option for the double-forward pass. The offense has the opportunity to throw two forward passes, as long as the first pass is behind the line of scrimmage.
 
If the game goes to overtime, the Bulldogs will use the shootout style overtime. Overtime consists of five rounds with each team getting one play to score from the 5-yard line. If the teams are tied after five rounds, then rounds will continue until one team is leading at the end of a round.
 
For more information on The Citadel football, follow @citadelfootball on twitter or visit CitadelSports.com.
 
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