BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. -- In spite of a second-half offensive spike aimed to jumpstart a late rally, The Citadel (1-2, 1-0 SoCon) faltered in a competitive road test at RV/RV Gardner-Webb (2-1, 0-0 Big South), dropping a 23-13 final mark to the Runnin' Bulldogs on Saturday evening at Spangler Stadium.
"We oozed our way into the game during the first half and we're not that kind of outfit," head coach
Maurice Drayton said. "We have to come out of the blocks like full steam ahead likes it's the 100-meter dash. If we continue to ooze out of the blocks, it'll be more of the same. We can't wait until the second half to start playing football, especially against a team that, mark my words, will be in the playoffs."
KEY NOTES
-- Offensively,
Garrison Johnson Sr. paced the Bulldogs on the ground with 73 rushing yards off 13 carries, notably breaking off a 27-yard gain;
Cobey Thompkins tacked on 63 yards behind 18 rushes as well while
Javonte Graves-Billips registered 56 yards on just two carries, the latter a key 54-yard sprint down the right sideline courtesy of a Thompkins pitch to set up the initial Citadel score
-- Through the air, Thompkins notched a 6-of-10 evening for 97 yards and a touchdown
-- For the receiving corps, Brayton Knauth logged a career-best 44 yards on four catches with one score;
Malachi Taylor pulled down two catches of his own for 40 yards as well, the final of which set up the Bulldogs on the one-yard line late in the fourth quarter ahead of the eventual Knauth TD reception
-- Defensively,
Tyrik McDaniel set the tone for The Citadel with a team-best nine tackles -- including six solo -- while also posting 1.5 tackles-for-loss;
Cale Williams and
Jordan Marks each contributed seven total tackles as well
-- In terms of pressure in the passing game, the Bulldogs racked up five sacks on the night, including a pair from
Chris Benton and another solo courtesy of
Carson Arnold
"We had a really good game plan, the emphasis was to get in [Hampton's] face and make him uncomfortable," McDaniel added. "He's a big boy. Getting shots on him, getting in his face, I think took him a little bit out of his game. I'm really confident in our defense and what we're putting together."
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