Elon, N.C. - The Citadel Football took a hard loss to No. 10 Elon, 43-7, before a crowd of 7,524 at Rhodes Stadium in Elon, N.C. The Bulldogs, plagued by penalties, were held to 120 yards of offense and allowed 29 Phoenix first downs.
The Bulldogs got off to a slow start and the Phoenix took advantage, putting the first points on the board just 2:13 into the game and holding The Citadel scoreless until halfway through the fourth quarter.
The Citadel won the toss and chose to receive first. Elon's Adam Shreiner's 58-yard kickoff put the ball on the Bulldog 12-yard line. However, a false start against The Citadel on the first play of the game pushed the Bulldogs back to their own seven-yard line to start the opening drive. Unable to move the ball, The Citadel was forced to punt.
Phoenix Karlos Sullivan returned Cass Couey's 42-yard punt for 28 yards to the Bulldog 22-yard line to start Elon's first drive of the game. Another penalty on the Bulldogs gave the Phoenix field position on the Bulldog 17-yard line. Just two plays later Elon took the lead when quarterback Scott Riddle found Terrell Hudgins for a seven-yard touchdown pass at 12:47. The extra point by Shreiner was good and the Phoenix went up, 7-0.
The Bulldogs started their next drive on the 31-yard line after a 26-yard kickoff return by Hardy, but again The Citadel was unable to move the ball up the field for a first down. The Citadel punted again and on the first play of the next Elon drive Riddle found Sean Jeffcoat for a 55-yard touchdown pass, taking only eight seconds off the clock. The extra point was blocked by Bulldog Demetrius Jackson and the Phoenix took a 13-0 lead with 10:20 on the clock.
The Citadel continued to struggle on offense and Elon scored for the third time on their next possession. This time driving the ball 73 yards in 13 plays taking 4:54 off the clock, the Phoenix capped off the drive with a Brandon Newsome three-yard touchdown run at 3:51 left in the quarter. Elon held a 20-0 lead at the end of the first.
After spending a significant amount of time on the field, the Bulldog defense could not keep the Phoenix out of the Bulldog territory. Taking a 23-0 lead, Elon drove the ball 81 yards and scored on a 24-yard Shreiner field goal. The Citadel went three-and-out on the next drive and Elon drove the ball 71 more yards in 13 plays, capped off with a 27-yard field goal by Shreiner to lead 26-0 at the half.
The Citadel finished the first half with no first downs, one rushing and 26 total yards. Elon totaled 16 first downs, 287 yards of offense, 103 on the ground and 184 in the air.
Bulldog Jordan Panter kicked off the second half with a 69-yard kick to the Elon one-yard line, but a 24-yard return by Jamal Shuman started the Phoenix drive on the 25-yard line. Shuman rushed for 30 yards on the next play to put Elon in Bulldog territory on the 41-yard line. The Phoenix got as close as the Bulldog 26-yard line but back-to-back incomplete passes to Hudgins and Lance Camp brought out the Elon field goal unit. Shreiner attempted a 43-yard field goal that was good to increase their lead to 29.
Two Bulldog penalties on the next drive kept The Citadel once again out of Elon territory and from gaining a first down. Elon got the ball back on their own 22-yard line after a 52-yard punt by Couey and a nine-yard return by Sullivan. Advancing the ball to their 44-yard line, the Phoenix was forced to punt for the first time in the game.
All-American Andre Roberts, who had not touched the ball all game, dropped the catch on the return as a catching interference penalty was called on Elon. The Citadel got the ball on the 25-yard line and recorded their first first down of the game on the first play when Blanchard found Roberts for 13 yards to The Citadel 38-yard line. However, another penalty pushed the Bulldogs back 10 more yards for first-and-20. The Bulldogs were unable to make up the yardage and brought Couey out for another punt.
The Bulldog defense forced another Phoenix punt, followed by a failed field goal attempt on their next two drives. However, the second of Blanchard's back-to-back intercepted passes was returned by Sullivan for a 14-yard touchdown with 54 seconds left in the third quarter. The teams ended the third quarter with the score 36-0.
The Citadel ended their scoring drought midway through the fourth quarter after Phoenix A.J. Harris fumbled the ball on The Citadel 20-yard line. It was recovered by Jordon Gilmore on the 23-yard line and returned for 13 yards to the Bulldog 36. Blanchard rushed for 13 yards on the first play and moved their way to the Elon 25-yard line before a personal foul penalty against the Phoenix gave them a first down on the five-yard line. The Citadel ended the 64-yard drive in 12 plays with a five-yard touchdown pass from Blanchard to Kevin Hardy at 7:52 left in the game to make the score, 36-7.
Elon sealed the game with another touchdown as Thomas Wilson entered the end zone on a one-yard run with 44 seconds left on the clock to make the final score, 43-7.
The Citadel (2-3 overall; 0-2 SoCon) totaled 120 yards of offense. Blanchard completed 14-of-25 passes for 102 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. Van Dyke Jones led the Bulldog receiving effort with four passes for 29 yards. Hardy totaled 116 all-purpose yards, 102 in kickoff returns. Elon totaled 543 yards of total offense. Riddle went 18-of-33 for 220 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Hudgins completed the game with six catches for 65 yards and one touchdown, while Shuman carried the ball 25 times for 167 yards.
The Citadel will return to action next week when they travel to Cullowhee, N.C. for more SoCon action against Western Carolina on Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. For more information on Bulldog Football, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics atwww.CitadelSports.com.
