The Citadel falls in Homecoming game to state rival Furman
· Yahoo Sports
Nov. 7—The Citadel can't seem to get out of its own way this season.
The Bulldogs get off to another fast start, taking an early lead in the first half. The defense made enough plays to win. The offense had its moments but could not finish drives with points.
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It was more of the same for The Citadel against in-state rival Furman on Saturday.
Ben Croasdale rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Furman past The Citadel 24-14 before a homecoming crowd of 12,711 at Johnson Hagood Stadium on Nov. 7.
After The Citadel scored a TD on its first offensive possession, Furman scored 17 straight points as Croasdale scored twice to give the Paladins a 14-7 lead at halftime.
After a Nathan Chapman 20-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs got to within a field goal on Nick Billoups' 2-yard TD run with 17 second to play in the third quarter.
Croasdale put the game away with a 40-yard TD run with 5:22 left in regulation.
"We didn't get the stops we needed on third down," said The Citadel linebacker Jalen Wright. "We've got to get off the field."
Key stats
—Bulldogs quarterback Nick Billoups had his best game in a Bulldogs uniform, completing 11 of 20 passes for 120 yards and rushing for 120 yards and two TDs for the grad transfer from Utah/BYU/UCLA.
Billoups scored on TD runs of 2 and 10 yards.
"We had a couple of three-and-outs and a turnover," Billoups said. "We've just got to play a lot cleaner on the offensive side of the ball so we can help out the defense and special teams."
—Jaylen Wright led the Bulldogs with 10 tackles, while J'hari Mosely had seven stops.
—The Bulldogs outgained the Paladins 361-237 and held the ball for 37:13 to Furman's 22:47 while converting 7 of 16 times on third down.
—The Bulldogs were 0-5 at home this season.
Notes
—The Citadel's top rusher, Gavin Garcia, returned to the lineup after missing last week's game against Mercer with an undisclosed injury. Garcia came into the game as the SoCon's fourth-leading rusher with 683 yards and 6 TDs. The Kent State transfer finished with 38 rushing yards and caught one pass for 20 yards.
—Members of the 2016 Bulldogs team that won the SoCon regular season title were honored after the first quarter. The Bulldogs went 10-1 during the regular season with their only loss to North Carolina and were a perfect 8-0 in the SoCon. The Citadel were knocked out of the FCS playoffs by Wofford 17-3 in the second round.
—The Citadel-Furman rivalry is the longest running series in the SoCon, which began in 1913. Saturday's matchup was the 106th meeting between the two in-state rivals. Furman has won six straight in the series and holds a 66-37-3 advantage over The Citadel.
Turning point
With Furman holding a 14-7 lead midway through the third quarter, the Paladins were beneficiaries of three Citadel penalties that kept the drive alive and resulted in a made field goal.
All three of the penalties occurred on third down snaps that kept the drive going.
Furman quarterback Jake Garcia fumbled on a third-and-10 play, but the Bulldogs were called for defensive holding.
After another third down stop by The Citadel defense, the Bulldogs were called for roughing the passer. Finally, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called against Bulldogs' in the red zone.
The Paladins eventually had to settle for Chapman's 20-yard field goal that gave Furman a 17-7 lead with 7:15 to play in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs came into the game as the least-penalized team in FCS.
"We just became unglued during that possession," Drayton said. "We've prided ourselves on being a disciplined team, but we were not on that possession. That's very frustrating because it's uncharacteristic of us this season."
Next game
The Bulldogs will hit the road for their final two games of the regular season. The Citadel will face VMI in the Military Classic of the South in Lexington, Va., beginning at noon on Nov. 14.
The Bulldogs will conclude the regular season at Western Carolina on Nov. 21.
Reach Andrew Miller at 843-937-5599. Follow him on Twitter @APMILLER_PandC