Box Score CHARLESTON, S.C. - A quick start and strong running from junior running back Tory Cooper propelled The Citadel to a 48-21 win over VMI Saturday afternoon in the 65th "Military Classic of the South."
Cooper rushed for a game-high 150 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns and the Bulldogs gave their homecoming crowd of 17,494 plenty to cheer about by scoring on five of their first six possessions of the game. Two of those scoring drives were set up by VMI turnovers.
The Keydets (1-9) were led offensively by senior running back Sean Mizzer who gained 80 yards on 16 carries and reached the endzone twice.
VMI and The Citadel both rushed for about the same amount of yards-the Bulldogs holding a slight 257-252 advantage, but through the air, The Citadel outpassed VMI, 184-86. VMI held a 30:17 to 29:43 advantage in time of possession.
After an exchange of punts to open the game, The Citadel struck first at the 8:30 mark with a seven-play, 62 drive that was capped by Cooper's first touchdown, a 13-yard burst up the middle. A 30-yard reverse run by Ta'mar Jerinigan was the big play of the drive.
Junior running back Montrell Lee scored Citadel's next touchdown on almost an identical run as Cooper the previous possession- a 12-yard burst up the middle to put the Bulldogs ahead, 14-0, with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Lee carried three times for 37 yards on the drive.
The Citadel went to the air for its third score- a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Duran Lawson to Gary Domanski that pushed the lead to 21-0 with :58 left in the first quarter.
VMI fumbles led to Citadels' next two scores. A Mizzer fumble recovered at the Bulldog 39-yard yard line halted a VMI drive and the hosts marched 61 yards the other way in seven plays to set a Cooper 26-yard run off tackle to the endzone. On VMI's next drive, VMI quarterback Jonathan Wilson got hit on the first play and had the ball jarred loose where it was recovered at the Keydet 9. One play later, Lawson connected with Nuru Goodrum for a nine-yard touchdown pass to make it 35-0, Citadel with 10:25 left in the half.
VMI's offense got back on track late in the second quarter and the Keydets lit the board for the first time when junior back Nat Jackson took a pitch from Wilson around the left side, cut back across the field, and raced to the endzone on what would be a 39-yard run at the 4:26 mark.
VMI trailed 35-7 at the half, but opened the third quarter with a nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive topped by Mizzer's 24-yard TD run up the middle, cutting the deficit to 35-14 with 11:05 remaining in the period.
But the Bulldogs answered with scoring runs by Cooper (14 yards) and Lee (2 yards) to squelch any hopes of a Keydet comeback and The Citadel led 48-14 with 9:39 left in the game.
The Keydets tacked on the game's final score, 25-yard run by Mizzer capping a six-play, 67-yard drive that ended with 6:48 left in the contest.
The Keydets were led on the tackle charts by freshman DB Levi Swindell, who finished with 11 tackles including nine solos.
"We just didn't show up in the first half on offense, and didn't show up on defense," said VMI head coach Jim Reid. "But we did score a touchdown on a fourth and four at the end of the first half and that shows you the intensity of these players and the focus they had. In the second half, we just came out like it was 0-0 and went to work and got back down to earth and kept our poise and did a nice job against their first unit. It was like a different ballgame and a different set of guys. But we just never stopped them the whole day. They outskilled us, ran by us. They threw screens and blocked us and we couldn't get off blocks. But we never stopped trying to do that right to the very end. Once we got our feet on the ground, I thought we executed our game plan on offense."
VMI closes out the 2006 season next Saturday at Foster Stadium against Liberty. Kickoff will be 1:00 p.m.
