2017 The Citadel Bulldogs football team

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2017 The Citadel Bulldogs football
The Citadel Athletics script.svg
ConferenceSouthern Conference
2017 record5–6 (3–5 SoCon)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorLou Conte (2nd season)
Offensive schemeTriple option
Defensive coordinatorBlake Harrell (2nd season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumJohnson Hagood Stadium
(Capacity: 11,332)
Seasons
← 2016
2018 →
2017 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 6 Wofford $^   7 1     10 3  
No. 18 Samford ^   6 2     8 4  
No. 19 Furman ^   6 2     8 5  
Western Carolina   5 3     7 5  
Mercer   4 4     5 6  
The Citadel   3 5     5 6  
Chattanooga   3 5     3 8  
East Tennessee State   2 6     4 7  
VMI   0 8     0 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS FCS Poll

The 2017 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs were led by second-year head coach Brent Thompson and played their home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium. They were members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 5–6, 3–5 in SoCon play to finish in a tie for sixth place.

Previous season[]

The Bulldogs finished the 2016 season 10–2, 8–0 in SoCon play to claim their fourth conference championship. This was the first time a Citadel football team completed an 8–0 record in conference play. The Bulldogs appeared in the FCS Playoffs for the fifth time, but were defeated in their first game after earning a bye to the second round.

Preseason[]

Preseason media poll[]

The SoCon released their preseason media poll on July 18, 2017, with the Bulldogs predicted to finish in second place, with six of 22 voters picking The Citadel first.[1] The same day the coaches released their preseason poll with the Bulldogs also predicted to finish in second place.[2]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Wofford 178 (11)
2 The Citadel 166 (6)
3 Samford 156 (3)
4 Chattanooga 152 (2)
5 Mercer 101
6 Furman 87
7 Western Carolina 71
8 ETSU 49
9 VMI 30
Coaches poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Wofford 63 (7)
2 The Citadel 54 (2)
3 Samford 52
4 Chattanooga 41
5 Mercer 32
6 Western Carolina 27
7 Furman 26
8 ETSU 17
9 VMI 12

Preseason All-SoCon Teams[]

The Bulldogs placed five players on the preseason all-SoCon teams, and Kailik Williams was named as preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Defensive Player of the Year

Kailik Williams – DB

Schedule[]

The Bulldogs planned to host Mercer for their traditional Parents' Day game on October 7, and will face VMI for Homecoming.[3][4]

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 26:00 p.m.Newberry*No. 167C
ESPN3
W 31–147,467
September 9[5]Noonat Presbyterian*No. 14BSNW 48–72,586
September 161:00 p.m.at East Tennessee StateNo. 13ESPN3W 31–257,544
September 303:00 p.m.at No. 25 SamfordNo. 8ESPN3L 14–359,233
October 72:00 p.m.MercerNo. 17
  • Johnson Hagood Stadium
  • Charleston, SC
ESPN3L 14–249,969
October 146:00 p.m.No. 5 WoffordNo. 23
  • Johnson Hagood Stadium
  • Charleston, SC
ESPN3L 16–208,543
October 212:00 p.m.at ChattanoogaESPN3W 20–147,521
October 282:00 p.m.VMIdagger
7C
ESPN3
W 21–311,609
November 42:00 p.m.No. 24 Western Carolina
  • Johnson Hagood Stadium
  • Charleston, SC
ESPN3L 19–317,384
November 112:00 p.m.at No. 21 Furman7CL 20–5610,105
November 1812:20 p.m.at No. 4 (FBS) Clemson*
ACCNL 3–6180,618
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from STATS FCS released prior to game Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

Roster[]

2017 The Citadel Bulldogs football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
RB 2 Rod Johnson So
QB 4 Brian Murdaugh Fr
QB 10 Jordan Black So
QB 12 Ryan McCarthy Fr
WR 13 Jalen Lampkin Jr
WR 13 Cole Owens Fr
FB 16 Brandon Rainey So
WR 17 Logan Bailey Fr
RB 18 Cam Jackson Sr
QB 19 Dominique Allen Sr
WR 21 Curt Nixon So
WR 22 Raleigh Webb Fr
RB 26 Keyonte Sessions Fr
RB 29 Grant Drakeford Jr
WR 30 Dante Smith Fr
FB 31 Malik Brooks Fr
FB 34 Evan McField So
RB 36 Matthew Taylor Fr
FB 37 Lorenzo Ward So
WR 40 Jordan Williams So
FB 41 Shy McPhail Fr
FB 42 Brandon Berry Fr
FB 44 Jordan Thomas So
OL 52 Jon Barrett Lewis Fr
OL 53 Tyler Davis Jr
OL 54 Haden Haas Fr
OL 56 Attorney Gallman So
OL 57 Blake Harrison Fr
OL 61 Mark Weakland Fr
OL 62 Jonathan Cole Fr
OL 63 Drew McIntyre So
OL 64 Harry Easler So
OL 67 Prince Howard-Whitaker Fr
OL 70 Charley Conley Fr
OL 73 Patrick Ivey Fr
OL 73 Mike Rentz Jr
OL 74 Nick Hudgens Fr
OL 77 Tristan Harkleroad Jr
WR 80 Josh LeBlanc So
WR 81 Dijon Profit Fr
WR 82 Rashad Riley Fr
WR 83 Cardan Williams Fr
WR 84 Liam Reid Fr
WR 87 Cameron Roberts Fr
WR 88 Peter Kennedy So
OL Nick Pappas Fr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 1 Shy Phillips Sr
DB 3 Wally Wilmore Fr
LB 5 Myles Pierce Sr
DB 6 Lane Botkin Fr
DB 7 Kailik Williams Sr
LB 8 Israel Battle Sr
DB 9 Khafari Buffalo So
DB 11 Ben Roberts Sr
DB 20 Jay Howard Fr
DB 23 Tyus Carter Sr
DB 24 Aron Span III Jr
DB 25 Phil Barrett Fr
DB 28 Chance Steverson Fr
LB 32 Phil Davis So
LB 33 Quinlan Washington Jr
DB 34 Marvin Marshall Fr
LB 38 Noah Dawkins Jr
LB 39 Micah Byrd-Brown Fr
DB 43 Jalen Barr Fr
DB 45 Sean-Thomas Faulkner Fr
DB 46 Carl Cunningham Jr. Jr
LB 47 Jeremy Samuels Fr
LB 48 Cody Floyd Sr
DB 49 KD Frederick Fr
LB 50 Willie Eubanks III Fr
LB 52 K. J. Simpson Fr
LB 55 Russell Hubbs Jr
LB 58 Denzel Wright Fr
LB 59 Adam Baker Fr
DL 60 Adam Wawrzynski So
LB 65 Colton Feinberg Fr
DL 68 Ken Allen Jr
LB 70 Collin Flanders Fr
DL 71 Dalton Owens Fr
DL 72 Sam Parker Sr
DL 75 Bradley Carter So
DL 76 Jabauri Garner Fr
DL 79 Gunner Covey Fr
DL 90 John Wesley Whiteside II Fr
LB 92 Aaron Brawley Fr
DL 94 A. J. Stokes Fr
DL 95 Blake Oliveira Fr
DL 96 Jalon Williams So
DL 97 Jonathan King Sr
DL 98 Joseph Randolph II So
DL 99 Christian Weyrich Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
LS 57 Aaron Blaylock So
K 69 Joshua Roides Fr
LS 85 Patrick Keefe Jr
K 86 Jacob Godek So
P 93 Gage Russell Fr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Blake Harrell – Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
  • Lou Conte - Offensive Coordinator / QBs / B-Backs
  • J.P. Gunter - Special Teams / A-Backs
  • Ron Boyd - Offensive Line
  • Charles Hopkins - Offensive Tackles
  • Orlando Mitjans Jr. - Cornerbacks
  • Brian Rucker - Wide Receivers
  • Joel Taylor - Defensive Passing Game Coordinator / Safeties
  • John Ward - Defensive Line / Academic Coordinator
  • Scott Yielding - Outside Linebackers / Recruiting Coordinator
  • Donnell Boucher - Strength and Conditioning
  • Will Hornsby - Special Teams Quality Control
  • Floris Mendonca - Video Coodinator
  • Kate Yeager - Director of Personnel

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: December 6, 2020

Game summaries[]

Newberry[]

1 234Total
Wolves 0 707 14
No. 16 Bulldogs 7 7710 31
  • Date: September 2, 2017
  • Location: Johnson Hagood Stadium, Charleston, SC
  • Game start: 6:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3:10
  • Game attendance: 7,467
  • Game weather: 85°F • N 10 • Mostly cloudy
  • Referee: Thomas Graham
  • TV announcers (7C/ESPN3): Kendall Lewis, James Riley, Eric Summers

at Presbyterian[]

1 234Total
No. 14 Bulldogs 14 2167 48
Blue Hose 7 000 7
  • Date: September 9, 2017[5]
  • Location: Bailey Memorial Stadium, Clinton, SC
  • Game start: Noon EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:26
  • Game attendance: 2,586
  • Game weather: 73°F • NNE 12 • Sunny
  • Referee: Greg Waybright
  • TV announcers (BSN/ESPN3): Kendall Lewis, James Riley, Eric Summers

at East Tennessee State[]

1 234Total
No. 13 Bulldogs 7 0717 31
Buccaneers 7 738 25
  • Date: September 16, 2017
  • Location: William B. Greene Jr. Stadium, Johnson City, TN
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3:02
  • Game attendance: 7,544
  • Game weather: 80°F • NE 6 • Mostly Sunny
  • Referee: Larry Adcock
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): David Jackson, Mark Hutsell, Kasey Marler

at Samford[]

1 234Total
No. 8 Bulldogs (CIT) 0 770 14
No. 25 Bulldogs (SAM) 28 700 35
  • Date: September 30, 2017
  • Location: Seibert Stadium, Homewood, AL
  • Game start: 3:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:58
  • Game attendance: 9,233
  • Game weather: 79°F • NE 6 • Clear and sunny
  • Referee: Jerry Welmaker
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Curt Bloom, Chad Pilcher, Hattie Breece

Mercer[]

1 234Total
Bears 7 773 24
No. 17 Bulldogs 0 0014 14
  • Date: October 7, 2017
  • Location: Johnson Hagood Stadium, Charleston, SC
  • Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3:21
  • Game attendance: 9,969
  • Game weather: 85°F • Calm • Partly cloudy
  • Referee: Edwin Lee
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Kevin Fitzgerald, James Riley

Wofford[]

1 234Total
No. 5 Terriers 0 776 20
No. 23 Bulldogs 7 720 16
  • Date: October 14, 2017
  • Location: Johnson Hagood Stadium, Charleston, SC
  • Game start: 6:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3:03
  • Game attendance: 8,549
  • Game weather: Low 80s • Calm • Mostly clear
  • Referee: Thomas Graham
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Kevin Fitzgerald, James Riley

at Chattanooga[]

1 234Total
Bulldogs 0 767 20
Mocs 7 700 14
  • Date: October 21, 2017
  • Location: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN
  • Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:44
  • Game attendance: 7,521
  • Game weather: 74°F • SE 3 • Partly cloudy
  • Referee: B. Johnson
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Chris Goforth, B.J. Coleman

VMI[]

Homecoming
1 234Total
Keydets 3 000 3
Bulldogs 14 007 21
  • Date: October 28, 2017
  • Location: Johnson Hagood Stadium, Charleston, SC
  • Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3:00
  • Game attendance: 11,609
  • Game weather: High 70's • Mostly cloudy
  • Referee: Edwin Lee
  • TV announcers (7C/ESPN3): Kendall Lewis, James Riley

Western Carolina[]

1 234Total
No. 24 Catamounts 7 1077 31
Bulldogs 0 1090 19

at Furman[]

1 234Total
Bulldogs 0 0146 20
No. 21 Paladins 14 21147 56

at Clemson[]

1 234Total
Bulldogs 0 003 3
No. 4 (FBS) Tigers 21 17203 61
  • Date: November 18, 2017
  • Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC

Ranking movements[]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Final 
STATS 16 14 13 10 8 17 23 RV RV RV NR NR NR NR 
Coaches 12 13 13 10 11 17 22 RV RV RV NR NR NR NR

References[]

  1. ^ "Wofford Picked by Media to Win Football Title". Southern Conference. July 18, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "SoCon Coaches Pick Wofford, Select All-Conference Teams". Southern Conference. July 18, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "Five In-State Games Highlight 2017 Schedule". The Citadel Bulldogs. September 12, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  4. ^ "2017 Football Schedule". The Citadel Bulldogs. December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "CITADEL-PC FOOTBALL GAME MOVED TO CLINTON, SC; KICKOFF AT NOON ON SAT". The Citadel Bulldogs. September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
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