Courtesy of The Citadel Athletics
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel football team dropped their third straight game on Saturday afternoon as they fell, 28-10, to Chattanooga in front of 13,044 on Parents Day at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
The Bulldogs won the toss and elected to receive first.
Starting the drive on their own 31-yard line, The Citadel drove the ball 40 yards before a Sam Martin fumble was recovered by UTC's Joshua Williams at the 50-yard line.
The Mocs then advanced the ball to the Bulldogs' 23-yard line, but an attempt on fourth-and-12 was unsuccessful, giving the Bulldogs the ball back on their own 15-yard line.
After a Citadel punt, Chattanooga started their second drive of the game on the Mocs' 39-yard line. A B.J. Coleman 46-yard pass to Garrett Hughes put the Mocs in scoring territory on the 2-yard line before Keon Williams ran the ball in for the score with 4:04 on the clock, putting Chattanooga up, 7-0.
The second UTC score came early in the second quarter when the Mocs drove the ball 61 yards yard in eight plays, capped off by a Coleman post pass to Sloan Allison for a 7-yard touchdown with 12:03 on the clock. The score gave Chattanooga a14-0 advantage.
Quarterback Matt Thompson entered the game for an injured Martin in the Bulldogs' first possession of the second quarter. The Citadel, struggling to advance the ball, brought out the punt crew on fourth-and-11 on the Citadel 41-yard line. However, a trick play sent punter Cass Couey up with the middle for a 33-yard rush, earning the first down on the UTC 26-yard line. On third-and-4, fullback Terrell Dallas rushed for an 8-yard touchdown run, putting the Bulldogs on the board with 6:58 left in the first half.
The Citadel maintained possession for the last 5:29 in the first half, collecting six first downs and driving the ball 50 yards to the Chattanooga 2-yard line. However, the Bulldogs were unable to get in the end zone and brought out the field goal crew on fourth-and goal on the UTC 2-yard line. Ryan Sellers' 20-yard field goal attempt was good and The Citadel was within four at the half, 14-10.
The Citadel defense came out strong opening the second half. Defensive tackle Quintin Turner forced an Erroll Wynn fumble on the second play of the opening drive. Linebacker Rod Harland recovered, giving the Bulldogs possession on the UTC 47-yard line. The Bulldog offense, led by Martin, completed eight plays, advancing 23 yards, before Martin attempted a 30-yard pass to a well-covered Domonic Jones in the end zone. The ball, bobbled between Jones and his defenders, landed in the hands of Chattanooga's Kadeem Wise for the interception in the end zone.
Chattanooga capitalized off the Bulldog turnover, driving the ball 80 yards for their third score of the game. The touchdown came on a 21-yard pass from Coleman to Joel Bradford with 3:03 on the clock in the third quarter, putting UTC up, 21-10, at the end of the third.
After exchanging a pair of punts, Chattanooga used a 16-play drive that spanned 88 yards in 9:35 to seal the win as Williams punched in his second touchdown of the day on a 2-yard run to put UTC in front, 28-10. The Citadel would drive into Mocs territory one last time, but a fumble on fourth down gave Chattanooga back the ball and they ran out the clock for the 28-10 win.
The Citadel totaled 263 yards, 238 of which were on the ground. Dallas led the rushing attack with 67 yards on 16 carries, while Thompson went 2-for-5 with 25 yards passing and an interception. Chattanooga gained 379 total yards, 222 of which were on the ground. Williams gained 101 yards on the ground and scored twice. Coleman completed 13-of-21 for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
The Citadel returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Appalachian State for a 6 p.m. kickoff.