2012 The Citadel Bulldogs football team

2012 The Citadel Bulldogs football
Conference	Southern Conference
2012 record	7–4 (4–3 SoCon)
Head coach	Kevin Higgins (8th year)
Offensive coordinator	Bob Bodine
Offensive scheme	Triple Option
Defensive coordinator	Denny Doornbos
Base defense	4-2-5
Home stadium	Johnson Hagood Stadium (Capacity: 21,000)

The 2012 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs were led by eighth year head coach Kevin Higgins and played their home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium. They are a member of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 7–4, 4–3 in SoCon play to finish in a three way tie for fourth place.

Preseason

Recruiting

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Harrison Davis OG	Marietta, GA	Walton High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Oct 27, 2011
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 45
Preston Durham OLB	Inman, SC	Chapman High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	201 lb (91 kg)
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Brent O'Neal ATH	St. Petersburg, FL	Canterbury School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jan 22, 2012
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 74
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "ESPN – Citadel Football Recruiting 2012". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 20, 2011.  "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 20, 2011.

Polls

The Citadel was picked eighth in the nine team Southern Conference by both the media and coaches.^[1]

All-SoCon selections

Five Bulldogs were selected to the All-Conference teams by the coaches. C Mike Cellars, P Cass Couey, and DE Chris Billingslea were named to the first team while DT Derek Douglas and FB Darien Robinson were second team selections.^[1]

Schedule

For the second year in a row, home games in September are scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff rather than the traditional 2:00 p.m. kickoff.

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:00 PM	Charleston Southern*		Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC	BI	W 49–14	14,264
September 8	6:00 PM	No. 3 Georgia Southern		Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC	BI	W 23–21	12,299
September 15	3:30 PM	at No. 8 Appalachian State	No. 21	Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC		W 52–28	24,137
September 22	6:00 PM	at NC State*	No. 10	Carter-Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC	ESPN3	L 14–52	55,145
September 29	6:00 PM	Chattanooga	No. 11	Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC	BI	L 10–28	13,878
October 6	3:00 PM	at Samford	No. 19	Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL		L 7–38	5,872
October 13	2:00 PM	Western Carolina		Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC	BI	W 45–31	12,578
October 27	1:30 PM	at No. 7 Wofford		Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC	ESPN3	L 21–24	9,658
November 3	2:00 PM	Elon		Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC	BI	W 38–24	14,853
November 10	1:30 PM	at VMI*		Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA (Military Classic of the South)		W 27–24	7,863
November 17	1:30 PM	at Furman		Paladin Stadium • Greenville, NC (Rivalry)	ESPN3	W 42–20	8,127
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

^[2]

Game notes

Charleston Southern

The Citadel's season opened at home against Charleston Southern. The Bulldogs and Buccaneers met for the sixth time, with The Citadel holding a 4–1 advantage in the all-time series. The Citadel won the last meeting 35–14 in the 2007 opener. Charleston Southern claimed its only victory over the Bulldogs in 2006, a double–overtime win that is also the only home-opener loss for The Citadel under coach Kevin Higgins. The cross-town rivals have squared off to open the season three previous times, with The Citadel winning all three games.^[3]

As a result of six fumbles, two lost, the teams were tied at halftime despite The Citadel dominating all phases of the game. After the half, the Bulldogs scored four touchdowns in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. QB Ben Dupree rushed 17 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns, Rickey Anderson had 10 carries for 80 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Darien Robinson had 12 rushes for 120 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs passed just six times, completing three of them. QB Aaron Miller was 3 for 5 passing, completing passes to three different receivers. The Citadel did not punt in the game, missing one field goal. Charleston Southern QB Malcolm Dixon completed 6 of 14 passes for 123 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Chase Jones had two catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Georgia Southern

The Bulldogs hosted #3 Georgia Southern in the SoCon opener for both schools. The two teams return two of the top three rushing attacks in the country (and the conference as Wofford is the other) and run the same Triple Option scheme on offense. The Eagles entered with a commanding 174 record against The Citadel, including a pair of playoff victories over the Bulldogs in 1988 and 1990. Last year, Georgia Southern held off The Citadel 14–12 in Statesboro as the Bulldogs missed a field goal in a swirling wind with seconds remaining. The last Citadel victory in the series was a 24–21 win in Charleston in 2006. Georgia Southern had won five in a row, but four of those were by less than a touchdown. The Citadel had lost nine consecutive home conference games.^[4]

The Citadel forced two turnovers in the first quarter, converting both fumbles into touchdowns for a quick 14–0 lead. Georgia Southern scored three touchdowns, while The Citadel kicked a pair of field goals to trail 21–20 late. Thomas Warren kicked a 37-yard field goal for a 23–21 lead with 35 seconds remaining, nearly the identical situation to the 2011 meeting when Warren missed a 37-yard attempt with 13 seconds left which would have won. Georgia Southern returned the ensuing kickoff into Bulldog territory, but missed their own 31-yard field goal attempt as time ran out, sealing The Citadel's win. The Bulldogs entered the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings for the first time since 2008.

Appalachian State

The Citadel made its first road trip of the season to Boone, NC, where the Bulldogs had not won since their last SoCon championship season of 1992. The Mountaineers entered claiming eight victories in a row and 17 of 18 against The Citadel. This was the second game of a daunting three game stretch for The Citadel, playing the teams picked to finish first and second in the league followed by a trip to FBS NC State. Last season, Appalachian State raced to a 49–14 lead in the third quarter before The Citadel stormed back with four unanswered touchdowns led by QB Aaron Miller before running out of time, losing 49–14.^[5]

The Bulldogs raced to an early 24–0 lead, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions before being limited to a field goal on their fourth while holding App State scoreless. The Mountaineers punted again on their fourth possession, but LB Carson Smith blocked the kick and returned it for a touchdown to extend The Citadel lead to 31–0. The Citadel added three more touchdowns before the end of the third quarter, while App State finally broke through against The Citadel's reserve defense late in the game, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Citadel amassed 618 yards of offense, its most ever in a regulation game and just 23 yards short of the all-time record in an overtime game against Furman. The Bulldogs option offense gained 463 yards on the ground, with three backs each recording over 100 yards and WR Matt Thompson adding 123 yards receiving. App State's home win streak of 18 games was snapped, and The Citadel won in Boone for the first time since 1992.

NC State

The Bulldogs travel to Raleigh, NC for the fourth time, having once played NC State in Wilmington, NC. The Wolfpack has claimed victories in all four meetings between the schools, most recently a 1983 win by 45–0. The three previous meetings were all prior to World War II. The Citadel has not defeated an FBS opponent since 1992, when they stunned Arkansas and defeated Army. The Citadel has not defeated an Atlantic Coast Conference school since the conference was formed by seven Southern Conference schools in 1953. The Bulldogs have claimed seven wins over current ACC schools, with six of those wins coming against Clemson, most recently in 1931.

Chattanooga

Samford

Western Carolina

Wofford

Elon

VMI

Furman

Coaches

The Bulldogs saw two coaches depart in the offseason, with Defensive Coordinator/safeties coach Josh Conklin departing for Tennessee^[6] and Tight Ends coach Raleigh Jackson accepting the linebackers coach position at Division II Slippery Rock.^[7] The Bulldogs added John Hauser from Wayne State to coach safeties.^[8] Defensive line coach Denny Doornbos added Defensive Coordinator responsibilities.

Roster

Awards and honors

SoCon Players of the Week

Week One

• Chris Billingslea, Defense

Week Two

• Thomas Warren, Freshman

Week Three

• Ben Dupree, Offense
• Carson Smith, Defense

All-Americans

• AFCA - Mike Sellers, C

Ranking Movements

References