October 18, 2003


THE CITADEL EDGES FURMAN 10-9

Game Statistics

Charleston, S.C. -- Nehemiah Broughton rushed for 159 yards to pace The Citadel, but it took a missed Furman extra point in the waning moments of play to help the Bulldogs hold on to a 10-9 Southern Conference win over the Paladins in front of 17,041 fans at Johnson Hagood Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Broughton, a junior running back from North Charleston, S.C., headlined an effective Citadel ground attack that totaled 236 yards, but the difference in the game came down to a bad snap on a PAT attempt after Furman redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Stepp scrambled on fourth down for a 3-yard touchdown run with 3:06 to play to make it 10-9. Patrick Covington’s snap bounced once to holder Jeremiah Van Dora, who couldn’t gather it in for placekicker Danny Marshall. Van Dora’s attempt to scramble ended when he was tackled by Marcus Cohen.

The victory snapped a four-game Furman series winning streak and marked only the second Bulldogs’ triumph over the Paladins in the last nine games. It also was The Citadel’s first win over Furman in Charleston since 1993. The setback marked the Paladins’ first back-to-back losses in league play since 1998.

“We just came up a little short again. That’s been the story two weeks in a row,” said Furman head coach Bobby Lamb. “We didn’t execute the snap on the extra point. It was low, and we just couldn’t pick it up and kick it through. I was proud of my team going out in the second half and competing. It was a very physical game like it always is with The Citadel, but you have to give them credit where it is due. They drove 99 yards on us in the first half for the touchdown against our defense. They ran it on us really well and did a heckuva job. I have to commend coach Ellis Johnson and his staff for that.”

Trailing 10-0 at intermission, Furman got on the board on the next to last play of the third quarter when Danny Marshall drilled a 29-yard field goal to make it 10-3, capping a 12-play, 59-yard drive.

The Citadel appeared primed to take control on the contest on the ensuing possession, utilizing 13 consecutive running plays, including eight by Broughton, to move to the Furman 10, but a penalty and two-yard loss pushed the Bulldogs back to the 17, where Blake Vandiver’s 35-yard field goal failed with 8:05 to go.

Taking over the 20, Furman mounted its most effective offensive possession of the game. Using runs by Lamar Rembert covering 11 and 10 yards and a 39-yard pass from Stepp to Isaac West, Furman drove to the Bulldog 2. After getting stuffed on two plays, Furman finally got into the end zone when Stepp, on a fourth and goal play at the 3, scrambled around left end and into the end zone for the score to make with 10-9.

After the missed PAT, Furman failed to recover the onside kick, and the Bulldogs effectively ran down the clock and used a 40-yard punt by Travis Zobel to the Furman 16 with only 12 seconds left in the contest.

After a scoreless first quarter, The Citadel got on the board with an impressive 14-play, 99-yard drive that ended when quarterback Willie Simmons scrambled around left end and into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run with 8:04 to go in the first half.

The Bulldogs appeared to be set to take the 7-0 lead into halftime, but a costly Furman turnover in the final seconds led to the game’s decisive points. After starting a possession at its own 2 with 1:36 to go before intermission, Furman picked up a huge first down with a 9-yard run by Stepp to the 18. Two plays later, however, Stepp’s pass was picked off by Travis Hodge and returned to the Furman 21. On first down a Simmons pass attempt was nearly intercepted by Furman linebacker William Freeman, but three plays later Travis Zobel booted a 33-yard field goal with only five seconds left on the clock for a 10-0 advantage.

Taking over for junior quarterback Bo Moore, who sustained a high ankle sprain in the second of the Paladins’ 13-10 loss to Appalachian State a week ago, Stepp completed 9-of-19 passes for 119 yards and rushed for 43 yards on 13 carries.

In addition to Broughton big rushing effort, The Citadel got 76 yards passing from Simmons, the former Clemson and fifth-year senior transfer.

The Citadel outgained Furman 312-244, but the Paladins tossed a shut out and limited the Bulldogs to only 101 total yards in the second half.