CHARLOTTE, NC - Senior wide receiver Scooter Johnson hauled in a one-yard pass for the score with only 14 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to finish off a come-from-behind victory as The Citadel defeated VMI, 27-23 to capture the coveted Silver Shako trophy at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
"This is a great win for our program and our seniors. Both teams played their heart out," Citadel head coach Ellis Johnson stated. "We showed great character and did a good job offensively and defensively."
VMI (6-6) opened the scoring in the first quarter as wide receiver Zohn Burden caught a three-yard pass from quarterback Jonathan Wilson to cap off a nine-play, 70-yard drive with 6:29 remaining in the period. Wilson rushed twice for 30 yards on the drive which was sided by two Citadel penalties - one that wiped out an apparent interception.
The Citadel (6-5) rallied back early in the second quarter as tailback Ern Mills sprinted 21-yards for his first score of the game at the 11:40 mark. Mills' run capped off a four-play, 58-yard drive that lasted 1:32.Simmons teamed with Scooter Johnson on three consecutive passes for 37 yards before Mills' scoring run.
The Keydets battled back to take the lead at 14-7 as tailback Colby Hollinsworth gathered in a 34-yard touchdown shovel pass off of the arm of Wilson. The played ended a six-play drive that took up 2:08 and covered 75 yards. Hollinsworth had entered the game earlier in the drive for Keydet sophomore back Sean Mizzer, who had left the game after getting the wind knocked out of him. Hollinsworth also sparked the drive with an 11-yard run.
The see-saw battle continued late into the second quarter as the Bulldogs put together a 13-play drive that was finished off by Mills' second scoring run of the day. Mills' one-yard plunge came on fourth down and knotted the score at 14-14 heading into the second half. The Bulldog drive with good field position as Bulldog return man Marcus Cohen had a 40-yard kick return. Eleven of the 13 plays of the drive were rushing plays, and Mills carried it eight times for 29 yards on the drive.
VMI opened the fourth quarter with the go-ahead touchdown as Wilson dashed eight yards on a keeper up the middle for the score. Wilson's run put the Keydets up 21-14 with 11:50 remaining in the game. Wilson completed four of four passes on the possession - the biggest coming on a 30-yard hookup with sophomore Zohn Burden at The Citadel eight-yard line.
The Citadel responded to tie the game as quarterback Willie Simmons took the fourth down option keeper three yards for the score at 7:07 in the fourth. The Bulldogs held the Keydets on a critical fourth and two with 2:25 remaining when Wilson's pass to tight end John Fox fell incomplete, and The Citadel took over on its own 34-yard line. The Bulldogs, using a 57-yard pass to Jermaine Anderson on a third and seven from their own 25-yard line to the VMI 18, pushed the ball to one yard line on a Simmons to Bud Pough pass. Two plays later, Johnson and Simmons connected for the game winning touchdown pass.
VMI's Robert Mason blocked the ensuing point after attempt and returned it the length of the field to make the score 27-23. VMI's final drive was thwarted as defensive end James Wilson sacked Wilson and forced a fumble on the Bulldogs' 47-yard line as time expired.
"We ran the football extremely well on the last drive, but we used a well executed pass play from Willie and Scooter to win the game," Johnson continued. "The play gave us the option to kick a field goal if the pass was not completed. Mills ran well and Chris Gibbs was a great change of pace for our offense. Ern had a lot of carries and worked really hard for all of his yards."
Mills finished the game with 137 yards on a career-high 32 carries to lead the Bulldogs offensively. Johnson caught four passes for 38 yards to extend his school record streak of games with a reception to 24.
VMI closed out the season (6-6, 2-2 Big South) and finished with two consecutive non-losing seasons for the first time since 1976-77. The Citadel (6-5, 4-3 SoCon)takes to the road next week as they travel to Johnson City, TN to take on East Tennessee State in their final football game at 1:00 pm.
HEAD COACH CAL MCCOMBS - "It was the kind of ballgame I expected it to be, I like playing here in Charlotte. I think the neutral site for this game is good for both teams. Military Classic of the South...hard fought football game. Our kids came up on the short end of the stick, but they never quit. Even when they scored the go-ahead touchdown at the end, we blocked the extra point and took it back for two. I told our guys at halftime time to prepare yourself for the last snap, and it almost did. The team that got a few breaks and made a few plays was going to win the game. That's been the story of our season."
VMI Notes - The Keydets set new season marks in the following categories
Jonathan Wilson - 56.8% completion percentage
Matt Sharpe - 17 field goals
New team records - 44 TD's, 359 points, 4,681 yards total offense
(Portions of the story courtesy of Citadel Sports Information)
