2024 The Citadel Bulldogs football team

2024 The Citadel Bulldogs football
2024 The Citadel Bulldogs football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	5–7 (3–5 SoCon)
Head coach	Maurice Drayton (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Patrick Covington (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Raleigh Jackson (2nd season)
Home stadium	Johnson Hagood Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

The 2024 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represents The Citadel as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs are coached by second-year head coach Maurice Drayton and play at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.^[1]

2024 Southern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 8 Mercer $^	7	–	1	10	–	2
Western Carolina	6	–	2	7	–	5
Chattanooga	5	–	3	7	–	5
East Tennessee State	5	–	3	7	–	5
Samford	3	–	4	4	–	7
The Citadel	3	–	5	5	–	7
Wofford	3	–	5	5	–	7
Furman	2	–	5	3	–	8
VMI	1	–	7	1	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant As of November 24, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	6:00 p.m.	at Charleston Southern*	Buccaneer Field North Charleston, SC	ESPN+	W 22–21	5,831
September 7	12:00 p.m.	South Carolina State*	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	ESPN+	L 20–23	10,579
September 14	12:00 p.m.	North Greenville*	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	ESPN+	W 54–0	8,867
September 21	6:00 p.m.	at No. 14 Mercer	Five Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	L 21–38	10,489
September 28	2:00 p.m.	East Tennessee State	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	ESPN+	L 17–34	11,363
October 5	2:00 p.m.	Furman	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC (rivalry)	ESPN+	L 16–17	9,053
October 12	2:30 p.m.	at Western Carolina	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	L 16–30	6,278
October 19	1:30 p.m.	at VMI	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA (Military Classic of the South)	ESPN+	W 13–10	8,277
October 26	2:00 p.m.	Samford	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	ESPN+	W 28–11	8,977
November 9	2:00 p.m.	No. 23 Chattanooga	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	ESPN+	L 7–31	12,513
November 16	1:30 p.m.	at Wofford	Gibbs Stadium Spartanburg, SC (rivalry)	ESPN+	W 30–17	4,561
November 23	3:30 p.m.	at No. 17 (FBS) Clemson*	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	The CW	L 14–51	80,300
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Source:^[2]^[3]

Game summaries

at Charleston Southern

Game One – The Citadel Bulldogs (0–0) vs Charleston Southern Buccaneers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	3	12	7	22
Buccaneers	7	7	7	0	21

at Buccaneer Field • North Charleston, SC

Date: Saturday August 31, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 87 °F (31 °C) • Wind: N at 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
Game attendance: 5,831
Referee: Branden McCain
TV announcers (ESPN+): Justin Biegel (play-by-play) and Jack DeLongchamps (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(7:03) CSOU – Autavius Ison 3-yard run, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 11 plays, 82 yards, 5:11; Charleston Southern 7–0)

Second quarter

(2:24) CSOU – Jamil Bishop 64-yard pass from Rob McCoy, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 1:35; Charleston Southern 14–0)
(1:00) CIT – Ben Barnes 49-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 1:21; Charleston Southern 14–7)

Third quarter

(10:29) CSOU – Tyson Greenwade 2-yard run, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 4:25; Charleston Southern 21–3)
(6:20) CIT – Johnathan Bennett 1-yard run (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:03; Charleston Southern 21–9)
(0:00) CIT – Johnny Crawford III 1-yard run (Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:31; Charleston Southern 21–15)

Fourth quarter

(1:55) CIT – Garrison Johnson 1-yard run, Ben Barnes kick (Drive: 6 plays, 13 yards, 2:52; The Citadel 22–21)

Statistics	CIT	CHSO
First downs	20	19
Total yards	360	383
Rushing yards	190	93
Passing yards	170	290
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	10–17–0	20–25–0
Time of possession	32:11	27:49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
The Citadel	Passing	Johnathan Bennett	10/17, 170 yards
	Rushing	Corey Ibrahim	16 carries, 68 yards
	Receiving	Dervon Pesnell	3 receptions, 86 yards
Charleston Southern	Passing	Rob McCoy	20/25, 290 yards, TD
	Rushing	Rob McCoy	12 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	Chris Rhone	5 receptions, 90 yards

South Carolina State

Game Two – South Carolina State Bulldogs (0–1) vs The Citadel Bulldogs (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
South Carolina State	3	6	7	7	23
The Citadel	3	0	10	7	20

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC

Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy
Game attendance: 10,579
Referee: Jake Grombach
TV announcers (ESPN+): Dave Weinstein (play-by-play), Vad Lee (analyst) and Ainsley Clifford (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(7:49) SCST – Kyle Gallegos 30-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 62 yards, 7:11; South Carolina State 3–0)
(3:34) CIT – Ben Barnes 47-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 16 yards, 4:05; Tied 3–3)

Second quarter

(0:21) SCST – Caden High 10-yard pass from Eric Phoenix (Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards, 4:20; South Carolina State 9–3)

Third quarter

(11:33) CIT – Ben Barnes 38-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 3:27; South Carolina State 9–6)
(5:30) SCST – Josh Shaw 1-yard run, Kyle Gallegos kick (Drive: 13 plays, 87 yards, 6:03; South Carolina State 16–6)
(2:08) CIT – Saul Diaz 10-yard pass from Johnathan Bennett, Ben Barnes kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:22; South Carolina State 16–13)

Fourth quarter

(13:23) SCST – Josh Shaw 1-yard run, Kyle Gallegos kick (Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 3:35; South Carolina State 23–13)
(11:30) CIT – Johnathan Bennett 1-yard run, Ben Barnes kick (Drive: 3 plays, 57 yards, 1:44; South Carolina State 23–20)

Statistics	SCST	CIT
First downs	26	10
Total yards	421	275
Rushing yards	217	106
Passing yards	204	169
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19–26–0	13–22–1
Time of possession	36:13	23:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Carolina State	Passing	Eric Phoenix	18/23, 194 yards, TD
	Rushing	Deondra Duehart	18 carries, 128 yards
	Receiving	Justin Smith-Brown	5 receptions, 94 yards
The Citadel	Passing	Johnathan Bennett	13/22, 169 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Corey Ibrahim	7 carries, 52 yards
	Receiving	Dervon Pesnell	2 receptions, 72 yards

North Greenville (DII)

Game Three – North Greenville Trailblazers (DII) (0–1) vs The Citadel Bulldogs (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Trailblazers (DII)	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	7	20	14	13	54

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC

Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 8,867
Referee: Jason Graham
TV announcers (ESPN+): Pete Yanity (play-by-play), Jay Sonnhalter (analyst) and Dave Friedman (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(8:35) CIT – Cooper Wallace 6-yard run, Ben Barnes kick (Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 4:08; The Citadel 7–0)

Second quarter

(10:32) CIT – Ben Barnes 36-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:48; The Citadel 10–0)
(6:24) CIT – Ben Barnes 25-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 2:49; The Citadel 13–0)
(1:56) CIT – Javonte Graves-Billips 15-yard pass from Johnathan Bennett, Ben Barnes kick (Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 2:31; The Citadel 20–0)
(0:18) CIT – Garrison Johnson 1-yard run, Ben Barnes kick (Drive: 8 plays, 39 yards, 1:10; The Citadel 27–0)

Third quarter

(11:27) CIT – Whit Hobgood 0-yard punt return, Ben Barnes kick (The Citadel 34–0)
(2:55) CIT – Corey Ibrahim 28-yard run, Ben Barnes kick (Drive: 2 plays, 35 yards, 0:39; The Citadel 41–0)

Fourth quarter

(14:12) CIT – Dustin Fletcher 2-yard run, Ben Barnes kick (Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 3:00; The Citadel 48–0)
(3:18) CIT – Dutin Fletcher 1-yard run (Drive: 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:32; The Citadel 54–0)

Statistics	NG	CIT
First downs	13	21
Total yards	225	346
Rushing yards	129	222
Passing yards	96	124
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12–21–0	12–22–0
Time of possession	31:27	28:33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Greenville	Passing	Dylan Ramirez	7/16, 73 yards
	Rushing	Jacob Walker	13 carries, 58 yards
	Receiving	Cameron Walker	1 reception, 24 yards
The Citadel	Passing	Johnathan Bennett	9/18, 91 yards, TD
	Rushing	Corey Ibrahim	15 carries, 114 yards, TD
	Receiving	Andre Banks	3 receptions, 42 yards

at No. 14 Mercer

Game Four – The Citadel Bulldogs (2–1) vs No. 14 Mercer Bears (3–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	14	7	0	21
No. 14 Bears	14	14	7	3	38

at Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA

Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CIT	MER
First downs	16	20
Total yards	393	433
Rushing yards	57	180
Passing yards	336	253
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19-41-1	20-25-1
Time of possession	26:26	33:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
The Citadel	Passing	Johnathan Bennett	19/40, 336 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Cooper Wallace	9 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	Javonte Graves-Billips	4 receptions, 105 yards
Mercer	Passing	D.J. Smith	20/25, 253 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Dwayne Mcgee	17 carries, 94 yards
	Receiving	Kelin Parsons	5 receptions, 75 yards

East Tennessee State

Game Five – East Tennessee State Buccaneers (2–2) vs The Citadel Bulldogs (2–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	13	0	21	34
Bulldogs	3	0	7	7	17

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC

Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ETSU	CIT
First downs	22	12
Total yards	460	269
Rushing yards	308	81
Passing yards	152	188
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13-29-3	18-32-1
Time of possession	29:04	30:56

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Tennessee State	Passing	Jaylen King	13/29, 152 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Bryson Irby	14 carries, 126 yards, TD
	Receiving	AJ Johnson	3 receptions, 47 yards
The Citadel	Passing	Johnathan Bennett	17/31, 187 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Corey Ibrahim	11 carries, 48 yards
	Receiving	Tyler Cherry	2 receptions, 69 yards, TD

Furman (rivalry)

Game Six – Furman Paladins (1–3) vs The Citadel Bulldogs (2–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Paladins	0	0	3	14	17
Bulldogs	10	0	3	3	16

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC

Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 9,053
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FUR	CIT
First downs	17	16
Total yards	274	257
Rushing yards	28	154
Passing yards	246	103
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23-33-0	11-23-1
Time of possession	22:14	37:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Furman	Passing	Trey Hedden	23/33, 246 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Myion Hicks	7 carries, 25 yards
	Receiving	Ben Ferguson	5 receptions, 53 yards, TD
The Citadel	Passing	Johnathan Bennett	11/23, 103 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Johnathan Bennett	16 carries, 48 yards
	Receiving	Dervon Pesnell	4 receptions, 65 yards, TD

at Western Carolina

Game Seven – The Citadel Bulldogs (2–4) at Western Carolina Catamounts (2–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	7	7	2	16
Catamounts	7	14	3	6	30

at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC

Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
Game attendance: 6,278
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CIT	WCU
First downs	25	26
Total yards	429	396
Rushing yards	274	102
Passing yards	155	294
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12-28-2	28-38-0
Time of possession	33:03	26:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
The Citadel	Passing	Johnathan Bennett	12/28, 155 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Johnathan Bennett	22 carries, 155 yards, TD
	Receiving	Javonte Graves-Billips	4 receptions, 54 yards
Western Carolina	Passing	Cole Gonzales	28/38, 294 yards, TD
	Rushing	Branson Adams	13 carries, 53 yards
	Receiving	Zion Booker	6 receptions, 102 yards, TD

at VMI (Military Classic of the South)

Game Eight – The Citadel Bulldogs (2–5) at VMI Keydets (0–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	3	3	0	7	13
Keydets	0	10	0	0	10

at Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA

Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
Game time: 1:30 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CIT	VMI
First downs	10	13
Total yards	188	227
Rushing yards	107	92
Passing yards	81	135
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	4-6-0	12-24-0
Time of possession	30:17	29:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
The Citadel	Passing	Johnathan Bennett	4/6, 81 yards, TD
	Rushing	Johnathan Bennett	22 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Tyler Cherry	3 receptions, 78 yards, TD
VMI	Passing	Chandler Wilson	7/19, 83 yards
	Rushing	Hunter Rice	20 carries, 70 yards, TD
	Receiving	Ethen Horne	2 receptions, 45 yards

Samford

Game Nine – Samford Bulldogs (3–3) vs The Citadel Bulldogs (3–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Samford	0	3	0	8	11
The Citadel	0	0	14	14	28

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC

Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 8,977
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SAM	CIT
First downs	22	14
Total yards	300
Rushing yards	97	166
Passing yards	223	134
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	29-36-2	11-18-0
Time of possession	28:03	31:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Samford	Passing	Quincy Crittendon	29/36, 223 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Damonta Witherspoon	9 carries, 41 yards
	Receiving	Iaan Cousin	3 receptions, 47 yards
The Citadel	Passing	Johnathan Bennett	11/18, 134 yards
	Rushing	Johnathan Bennett	12 carries, 54 yards, TD
	Receiving	Dervon Pesnell	3 receptions, 42 yards

No. 23 Chattanooga

Game Ten – No. 23 Chattanooga Mocs (5–4) vs The Citadel Bulldogs (4–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Mocs	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC

Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UTC	CIT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Chattanooga	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
The Citadel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Wofford (rivalry)

Game Eleven – The Citadel Bulldogs (4–6) vs Wofford Terriers (5–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0
Terriers	0	0	0	0	0

at Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC

Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
Game time: 1:30 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CIT	WOF
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
The Citadel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Wofford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 17 (FBS) Clemson

Game Twelve – The Citadel Bulldogs (5–6) vs No. 17 (FBS) Clemson Tigers (8–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0
No. 17 (FBS) Tigers	0	0	0	0	0

at Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC

Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
Game time: 1:30 p.m.
TV announcers (The CW): Thom Brennaman (play-by-play), Max Browne (analyst) and Treavor Scales (sideline)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CIT	CLEM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
The Citadel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Clemson	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "The Citadel Bulldogs Scores, Stats and Highlights". ESPN. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
^ "The Citadel Bulldogs 2024 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
^ Miller, Andrew (February 5, 2024). "The Citadel's 2024 football slate has 12 games, 2 new trophies". The Post and Courier. Retrieved March 25, 2024.

[1] "The Citadel Bulldogs Scores, Stats and Highlights". ESPN. Retrieved November 13, 2024.

[2] "The Citadel Bulldogs 2024 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 25, 2024.

[3] Miller, Andrew (February 5, 2024). "The Citadel's 2024 football slate has 12 games, 2 new trophies". The Post and Courier. Retrieved March 25, 2024.

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