The Citadel
2-3 , 0-2
South Carolina State
5-1 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Citadel | 7 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 34 |
| South Carolina St. | 10 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
Garcia Ground Attack, Kiely Heroics Pace The Citadel past No. 15/12 SC State, 34-31
10/3/2026 6:17:00 PM | Football
Notably, Evan Kiely drilled a 31-yard field goal as time expired to clinch the win, good for his second of the game. The Citadel last topped a ranked adversary in 2022, outlasting then-No. 8/9 ETSU via a 20-17 mark within the friendly confines of Johnson Hagood Stadium; further, the Bulldogs' most recent ranked victory on the road came back in 2015 at then-No. 9 Coastal Carolina, ousting the Chanticleers behind a 41-38 decision in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs.
POSTGAME PRESSER
We caught up w/ HC @KoachDrayton postgame to discuss his first victory over a ranked opponent since taking over the program 🫡
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
Full interview ⤵️#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/2JIr3Rq1AF
We checked in w/ Evan Kiely in the wake of his game-winning 31-yard field goal, clinching the upset victory for your Bulldogs 🏈✅
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
Full interview ⤵️#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/nGYrFu2mjO
Gavin Garcia spoke w/ the media postgame after registering 167 rushing yards plus a trio of TDs, helping guide The Citadel to a MAJOR ranked victory 🔥🎥
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
Full interview ⤵️#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/Af2azKCbWW
KEY NOTES
-- The Citadel outgained SC State for the game via a 448-to-346 margin; notably, the former compiled a balanced attack on the ground and through the air, finishing with 244 rushing yards for a pair of touchdowns plus 204 passing and another two scores
-- On the ground, Garcia set the tone with a season-high 167 yards on just 18 carries, scoring a pair of TDs and breaking off his longest rush of the year -- a 44-yard bounce outside -- in a critical moment on the final drive of the game to set up the eventual Kiely game-winning field goal; Hayes contributed 56 yards on 11 carries as well, including a 60-yard sprint up the seam to position The Citadel for the team's first touchdown of the day midway through the first quarter
-- Through the air, Hayes finished 7-of-12 passing for 127 yards and two scores; Nick Billoups tacked on 2-of-3 for for 56 yards as well, highlighted by a 34-yard dime to Michael Lorino up the right side late during the game-winning drive
-- For the receiving corps, six different wideouts pulled down catches on the day with Damir Abdullah headlining the group behind a three-reception, 84-yard performance, notably plucking a 55-yard toss from Hayes out of the air for his first touchdown catch of the season; Whit Hobgood and Lorino added a pair of receptions each for 59 and 36 yards, respectively; finally, Garcia notched one catch on the day, dodging and weaving his way for eight yards and a score late in the second quarter
-- Defensively, The Citadel managed to hold the nation's fifth best offense and second best rushing attack to just 346 total yards, stuffing the ground game to the tune of 91 yards in the process; entering the contest, the host Bulldogs averaged 478.4 total yards per game as well as 280.6 rushing yards per game, not to mention an FCS-best 47.0 points per game
-- Individually, Zyion Brown led the way once again with 8.0 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss with 1.0 logged as a sack; Khaleb Bridges and DK McGruder contributed 6.0 tackles apiece as well while J'hari Mosley and Jalen Wright each added 5.0 tackles, including another 1.5 tackles-for-loss for the latter
-- For the special teams, Jack Weil posted a 48.0 yards per punt average on five attempts, sending two kicks over 50 yards -- including a season-long 56-yarder -- while pinning South Carolina State twice inside the 20-yard line; Kiely, meanwhile, concluded the day a perfect 4-for-4 on PATs plus a 2-for-2 mark on field goals, hitting from 30 and 31 yards
GAMEDAY SOCIAL SYNC
Locked in for our business trip to Orangeburg 💼
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
📸: Aaron Beswick#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/R9GeZBhOoK
The calm before the storm 🌪️⚡️
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
📸: Aaron Beswick#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/270TbNSCQ5
QUENTIN HAYES DOWN THE SEAM!!!
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
The QB option PAYS OFF for your 'Dogs as Hayes slices off a 60-yard gain, setting up an eventual one-yard TD Bank score 🫡
💻: MEAC Network / https://t.co/31ZDbxFbLq
🎙️: 102.1 FM / https://t.co/z21BNXJeoU#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/y3MfgA9eZj
TERRANCE WELLS JR. W/ THE SACK!!!
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
The junior BREAKS THROUGH on the opening play of the second period, ending the SC State drive via a nine-yard tackle-for-loss 🌪️🌊
💻: MEAC Network / https://t.co/31ZDbxFbLq
🎙️: 102.1 FM / https://t.co/z21BNXJeoU#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/lGSPFBW8lW
THE TIGHT END IS ALWAYS OPEN!!!
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
Quentin Hayes finds Whit Hobgood up the seam for a 38-yard gain, eventually setting up a 30-yard REV Financial field goal for the Bulldogs 🫡
💻: MEAC Network / https://t.co/31ZDbxFbLq
🎙️: 102.1 FM / https://t.co/z21BNXJeoU#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/z9Nsx8bQz9
Quentin Hayes breaks off a 22-yard chunk play for The Citadel as the senior brings the 'Dogs within a yard of a go-ahead touchdown 🏈🫡
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
💻: MEAC Network / https://t.co/31ZDbxFJAY
🎙️: 102.1 FM / https://t.co/z21BNXJMes#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/pCMQJYhfaa
GAVIN GARCIA MAGIC 🪄✨
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
The fifth-year running back bails out an under-pressure Quentin Hayes, dodging his way for an eight-yard TD Bank go-ahead score!!!
💻: MEAC Network / https://t.co/31ZDbxFbLq
🎙️: 102.1 FM / https://t.co/z21BNXJeoU#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/I8t6sbHRIf
THE HAYES-TO-ABDULLAH CONNECTION!!!
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
The senior signal-caller drops a DIME to Damir Abdullah up the seam for a 55-yard TD Bank touchdown, gifting the lead back to the 'Dogs 🫡
💻: MEAC Network / https://t.co/31ZDbxFJAY
🎙️: 102.1 FM / https://t.co/z21BNXJMes#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/cwegPVxYNR
GARCIA FINDS THE EDGE 🌊🦈
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
The fifth-year running back opened the drive w/ a 32-yard gash before collecting another TD Bank touchdown on this 19-yard scamper!!!
💻: MEAC Network / https://t.co/31ZDbxFbLq
🎙️: 102.1 FM / https://t.co/z21BNXJeoU#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/YT5yJGopd8
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐭❕
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
Evan Kiely drills the game-winner to send us home with a W! 🦴
#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/n74Pp1005p
𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐀 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐆! 🏆🤘🥳 #FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/yTyhMftgpK
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) October 3, 2026
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
CIT 0, SCS 3
SCS - Jackson,Jett 47 yd field goal 7 plays, 30 yards, TOP 03:12
CIT 7, SCS 3
CIT - Garcia,Gavin 1 yd run (Kiely,Evan kick), 5 plays, 65 yards, TOP 02:33
CIT 7, SCS 10
SCS - Maultsby,DJ 41 yd pass from Watson,Keely (Jackson,Jett kick) 4 plays, 82 yards, TOP 02:03
CIT 10, SCS 10
CIT - Kiely,Evan 30 yd field goal 9 plays, 63 yards, TOP 04:55
CIT 17, SCS 10
CIT - Garcia,Gavin 8 yd pass from Hayes,Quentin (Kiely,Evan kick) 5 plays, 45 yards, TOP 02:45
CIT 17, SCS 17
SCS - Pickett-Hicks,Mason 18 yd run (Jackson,Jett kick), 4 plays, 45 yards, TOP 01:13
CIT 24, SCS 17
CIT - Abdullah,Damir 55 yd pass from Hayes,Quentin (Kiely,Evan kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:09
CIT 31, SCS 17
CIT - Garcia,Gavin 19 yd run (Kiely,Evan kick), 4 plays, 76 yards, TOP 02:16
CIT 31, SCS 24
SCS - Pickett-Hicks,Mason 21 yd pass from Watson,Keely (Jackson,Jett kick) 9 plays, 65 yards, TOP 02:44
CIT 31, SCS 31
SCS - Shaw,Josh 6 yd run (Jackson,Jett kick), 12 plays, 80 yards, TOP 05:44
CIT 34, SCS 31
CIT - Kiely,Evan 31 yd field goal 7 plays, 85 yards, TOP 02:23
