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Sept.16, 2002--Nehemiah Broughton scored on a one-yard dive with 43 seconds remaining as The Citadel knocked off No. 15 Delaware, 24-20, Saturday afternoon, Sept. 14, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, S.C.
Delaware returns to action Saturday, Sept. 21, when it hosts backyard-rival West Chester at Delaware Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
For the second straight week, the Blue Hens' hopes to come away with a road victory were dashed in the final minute. A week ago, Delaware had an 18-yard field goal blocked with just 17 seconds left in a 15-13 loss at Richmond.
The Bulldogs (1-1) ate up more than seven minutes with the winning drive, marching 91 yards after a Ryan Bleiler punt pinned The Citadel at its own nine-yard line with 8:18 to play.
The Citadel, converting twice on fourth down and twice on third down, moved down the field with a 21-play drive. The Bulldogs converted a fourth-and-one on their own 18 to keep the drive going in its early stages. They later converted fourth-and-three from the Delaware seven with a six-yard pass from Jeff Klein to Chris Franklin to set up Broughton's one-yard dive on the next play.
Delaware got one last crack at the end zone with no time left. After a defensive holding penalty, the Blue Hens had the ball at The Citadel 46. Quarterback Andy Hall threw one last pass up for grabs into the end zone, but it fell incomplete.
"This was a tough one," said Delaware first-year head coach K.C. Keeler. "They were pounding the ball at us all day long. You take a look at their personnel, they are big and physical and they just beat us up. We're thin on the defensive line and our inability to stop the run is frustrating. We're asking guys to make stops and they've been out there for entirely too many snaps.
"We have to stay together. This [getting of to a 1-2 start] may be our greatest challenge. Our kids are playing hard, but we just have to find a way to keep plugging away."
For the game, The Citadel ground out 155 yards and held a 374-298 advantage over Delaware in total offense. Nate Mahoney finished the day with 128 yards rushing to go along with 41 receiving yards. Mahoney rushed for 100 yards in the first half, the first time an opponent had done that against Delaware since November 1998.
Delaware rallied from a 14-7 deficit to take a 20-17 lead. Scott Collins hit a career-long 47-yard field goal with 10:53 left in the third to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 14-10. Ironically, Collins' previous career-long had been 46 yards against The Citadel in the teams' last meeting in 2000.
The Bulldogs stretched the lead back to seven, though, after a Delaware turnover. Brian Ingram fumbled a punt that the Bulldogs recovered at the Delaware 13. However, three plays netted three yards and The Citadel settled for a 27-yard field goal by Travis Zobel to make it 17-10.
Delaware marched right back down the field. Going 74 yards in 15 plays, Hall capped the drive with a one-yard sneak to tie the game, 17-17, with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Blue Hen defense then forced a punt that was blocked by Germaine Bennett, giving the Blue Hens ball at The Citadel's 25 yard-line. It was the second straight week that Bennett had blocked a punt. However, Delaware could not muster a first down and settled for a 33-yard field goal by Collins to give Delaware a 20-17 advantage.
Delaware opened the scoring on its first possession after The Citadel turned the ball over on the opening possession of the game deep in Delaware territory. Following a fumble by Ern Mills at the Delaware 20, the Blue Hens marched down the field, finding the end zone when Hall hit Ingram with a 10-yard scoring pass to make it a 7-0 game with 6:55 left in the first quarter. Ingram, who set a UD single game freshman record with seven receptions, scored his first career touchdown on the crossing play.
The Citadel, however, took a 14-7 lead on Broughton''s first touchdown of the day and Scooter Johnson's 13-yard touchdown reception. Johnson finished the day with 10 catches for 116 yards.
Hall, a native of Cheraw, S.C., finished the day 15 of 21 for 147 yards and was the Hens' second leading rusher with 48 yards on the ground.
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