Saturday, October 19
Lexington, Va. / Foster Stadium
1:30 PM
The Citadel
3-5 , 1-4
13
at
10
VMI
0-7 , 0-3
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Citadel | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| VMI | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
The Citadel Grinds Out Road Comeback Victory, Edges Rival VMI 13-10
10/19/2024 5:11:00 PM | Football
LEXINGTON, Va. -- Bolstered by a strong defensive performance throughout as well as a clutch offensive surge down the stretch, The Citadel (3-5, 1-4 SoCon) took care of business against rival VMI (0-7, 0-3 SoCon) in the 80th edition of The Military Classic of the South, overcoming a late deficit en route to dispatching the Keydets via a decisive 13-10 victory Saturday afternoon at Foster Stadium.
KEY NOTES
-- Johnathan Bennett composed a solid performance under center, finishing a tight 4-for-6 through the air for 81 yards and the squad's lone touchdown of the day, good for the go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter; the graduate student also led the Bulldogs on the ground, generating 63 rush yards on 22 carries
-- Beyond Bennett, Johnny Crawford III and Javonte Graves-Billips also contributed significantly in the run game, tallying a joint 53 yards via four rushes apiece
-- Graduate student Tyler Cherry served as a one-man show for The Citadel receiving corps, pulling down three catches for a season-best 78 yards with one score, cruising in for the go-ahead touchdown off a 43-yard dime from Bennett
-- Per the usual, Thomas Wyatt paced the Bulldogs defensively, racking up 10 tackles on the day with seven coming solo along with a 0.5 tackle-for-loss; as a unit, the defense managed to put serious pressure on the VMI backfield, logging four sacks with one apiece coming from Giovanni Ricciardi, Chris Benton, Maurice Bonneau Jr. and Carson Arnold
-- James Platte compiled a monster game for The Citadel special teams, registering five punts for a 51.0 average to consistently flip the field for the Bulldogs, notably dropping a 59-yard bomb (69 yards with a 10-yard holding penalty) despite planting his heels on the back line of the end zone
-- Following a rough weekend at Western Carolina, Ben Barnes returned to his usual form with a key 2-for-2 day, drilling 35- and 48-yard field goals throughout the first half to keep the Bulldogs close early
-- For second-year head coach Maurice Drayton, the win serves as his first victory within Southern Conference play since taking the helm
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KEY NOTES
-- Johnathan Bennett composed a solid performance under center, finishing a tight 4-for-6 through the air for 81 yards and the squad's lone touchdown of the day, good for the go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter; the graduate student also led the Bulldogs on the ground, generating 63 rush yards on 22 carries
-- Beyond Bennett, Johnny Crawford III and Javonte Graves-Billips also contributed significantly in the run game, tallying a joint 53 yards via four rushes apiece
-- Graduate student Tyler Cherry served as a one-man show for The Citadel receiving corps, pulling down three catches for a season-best 78 yards with one score, cruising in for the go-ahead touchdown off a 43-yard dime from Bennett
-- Per the usual, Thomas Wyatt paced the Bulldogs defensively, racking up 10 tackles on the day with seven coming solo along with a 0.5 tackle-for-loss; as a unit, the defense managed to put serious pressure on the VMI backfield, logging four sacks with one apiece coming from Giovanni Ricciardi, Chris Benton, Maurice Bonneau Jr. and Carson Arnold
-- James Platte compiled a monster game for The Citadel special teams, registering five punts for a 51.0 average to consistently flip the field for the Bulldogs, notably dropping a 59-yard bomb (69 yards with a 10-yard holding penalty) despite planting his heels on the back line of the end zone
-- Following a rough weekend at Western Carolina, Ben Barnes returned to his usual form with a key 2-for-2 day, drilling 35- and 48-yard field goals throughout the first half to keep the Bulldogs close early
-- For second-year head coach Maurice Drayton, the win serves as his first victory within Southern Conference play since taking the helm
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-- #FireThoseCannons --
Players Mentioned
DL
/ FootballK
/ FootballQB
/ FootballDL
/ FootballDL
/ FootballWR
/ FootballRB
/ FootballWR
/ FootballP
/ FootballLB
/ FootballLB
/ FootballTeam Stats
CIT
VMI
Total Yards
188
227
Pass Yards
81
135
Rushing Yards
107
92
Penalty Yards
48
51
1st Downs
10
13
3rd Downs
0
2
4th Downs
2
1
TOP
30:17
29:43
1st Quarter
CIT 3, VMI 0
CIT - Barnes,Ben 35 yd field goal 16 plays, 58 yards, TOP 08:36
2nd Quarter
CIT 3, VMI 7
VMI - Rice,Hunter 2 yd run (Beck,Caden kick), 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 04:39
CIT 3, VMI 10
VMI - Beck,Caden 44 yd field goal 4 plays, yards, TOP 00:56
CIT 6, VMI 10
CIT - Barnes,Ben 48 yd field goal 6 plays, 36 yards, TOP 02:59
4th Quarter
CIT 13, VMI 10
CIT - Cherry,Tyler 43 yd pass from Bennett,Johnathan (Barnes,Ben kick) 5 plays, 66 yards, TOP 02:47
Game Leaders
CMP
4
TD
1
YDS
81
INT
0
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