CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Fueled by a trio of
Quentin Hayes-to-
Jihad Marks touchdown passes as well as a clutch fourth-quarter turnover from
Jeremiah Holmes, The Citadel (4-5, 3-3 SoCon) orchestrated a masterful rally behind 28 unanswered points in the final period -- including three touchdowns within the span of 7:55 en route to the Bulldogs' first lead of the day -- against long-time Southern Conference rival VMI (1-8, 0-5 SoCon), ousting the visiting Keydets via a decisive 35-24 mark Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hagood Stadium in the 81st edition of the Military Classic of the South.
POTENT QUOTES
-- "This was a full speed rollercoaster ride today," Holmes said. "The emotions were everywhere, but we came together to get the win."
-- "We showed what type of team, what type of offense we are in the fourth quarter," Hayes said. "It's grit. We've talked all week about resiliency. When you are in a game like this and you are down like that, the only thing that gets you out of it is grit and heart. You can't rely as much on talent as what's inside of you. I think at the end of the day, we as a team had to tap into a deeper level."
KEY NOTES
-- Offensively, the Bulldogs racked up a total 511 total yards on the day, including a solid 329 yards with two touchdowns in the ground game along with a key 182 yards through the air for three scores; notably, the fourth-quarter surge for The Citadel featured 269 yards on 23 plays, good for 52.6 percent of the team's overall production during just 34.8 percent of total plays
-- Under center, Hayes impressed with 175 yards passing on a 5-of-7 clip for three TDs while adding 73 yards on 15 rushes with another score on the ground;
Cobey Thompkins assisted with the offensive jumpstart as well, notching a team-best 101 rushing yards on 11 carries
-- For the running back corps,
Beau Herrington registered a notable outing with 88 yards off just 13 carries;
Garrison Johnson Sr. contributed 10 rushes 50 yards with one touchdown as well
-- On the day, Marks set the tone for the wideouts with four receptions for 168 receiving yards -- good for the eighth-best single-game showing in program history -- and three scores, matching the second-highest TD catch total for The Citadel and now serving as the best scoring performance since Andre Roberts pulled down four touchdowns in a victory over Presbyterian in 2009
-- Defensively,
Cale Williams led the unit with nine tackles, including five solo;
Tyrik McDaniel and
Mikey Rosa posted seven tackles apiece as well, the latter of whom logged one tackle-for-loss; Holmes, who collected three solo tackles on the day with one pass breakup, notably ran down VMI's Leo Boehling on a 70-yard gash up the middle to save a touchdown at the one-yard line before immediately capitalizing on a read-option fumble one play later to keep the Keydets off the scoreboard midway through the fourth
--
James Platte compiled another solid showing in the kicking game, finishing with four punts for an average of 47.0 yards a pop, notably pinning VMI inside the 20-yard line on two occasions
-- Finally, The Citadel celebrated the Senior Class of 2025 during the pregame, honoring the following 30 cadet- and student-athletes:
Jack McCall,
Melvin Ravenel,
Hayden Vasquez,
Je'Mazin Roberts,
Corey Moraux, McDaniel,
Drew Nyangweso,
JJ Hudson, Williams,
Joey Annetta,
Malachi Taylor, Johnson Sr.,
Nolan Jones,
Justice Gilliard,
Camden Gray,
Bryce Jamison,
Darryle Ware,
Tanner Johnson,
Mike Bartilucci,
Sawyer Whitman,
Matt Metrosky,
Jordan Marks,
Saul Diaz,
Jihad Marks,
Wilson Long,
Ben Barnes,
Kemani Brown, Platte,
Chris Iverson and
Phillip Collins
-- #FireThoseCannons --
