2015 Football Preseason Preview: The Citadel

Throughout this preseason, Purple & Gold will preview all of Western's 2015 football opponents. Today we look at The Citadel.

Coming off the 2014-15 season tied for a second-place finish in the Southern Conference, the Catamounts travel to Charleston, SC for the second game of the young season to play The Citadel Bulldogs, and open conference play for both teams.

Western will meet the Bulldogs for the fortieth time since 1972, with The Citadel holding a 16-22-1 overall lead in the series.  Western trails 6-12 in those games played in Charleston.  Can the Cats improve on those two records?


The Citadel   

When: Saturday, September 12th at 6 pm

Where: Johnson Hagood Stadium. Charleston, SC

Radio: Catamount Sports Network

TV / video: SoCon Digital Network

Head Coach: Mike Houston - Houston is in his second season with the Bulldogs.  Prior to taking over at The Citadel, he led Lenoir-Rhyne to the NCAA Division II national championship game in 2013.  He was named the 24th head football coach of The Citadel on January 9th 2014. In his last three seasons as the head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne, Houston led the Bears to three consecutive South Atlantic Conference championships, including a school-record 13 wins to earn his third-straight SAC Coach of the Year honor. Houston also was named the Don Hansen Super Region II Coach of the Year in 2013.

Last year’s record: 5-7 overall, 3-4 in the SoCon

Last Season's Game vs. The Citadel: Cats Down The Citadel for Homecoming Win, 29-15 - Junior quarterback Troy Mitchell accounted for 422 yards of total offense including 291 yards passing on 21-of-29 passing and a game-high 131 yards rushing to pace the Catamount offensive attack. True freshman tailback Detrez Newsome tallied the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career with 123 yards on the ground as a part of 154 all-purpose yards.

Offensive starters - Returning/Lost:   9 / 2
The Bulldogs lost starting quarterback Aaron Miller and starting slot Jake Stenson to graduation.

Defensive starters - Returning/Lost:  6  / 5
On defense, the Bulldogs lost the following starters - defensive tackle Cam Mobley, defensive end Justin Oxendine, bandit Rah Muhammad, linebacker Carl Robinson, and cornerback Walker Smith

Specialist - Returning/Lost:  7 / 0

Offensive Formation: Triple Option - With the departure of GSU, the Cats will only face two in-conference teams that run a variable of the triple option offense, Wofford & The Citadel. In 2014, the Bulldogs finished the season ranked #2 nationally in rushing offense at 347.2 yards per game.

Defensive Formation: 4-2-5  The Bulldogs lost five starters from a defense that finished #7 in total defense last season, giving up 43 touchdowns, and was last against the pass giving up 2960 yards against the pass.

Who does the Bulldogs play prior to Western:  Prior to Western game, The Citadel opens the season at home against former SoCon football member Davidson.  The Wildcats are currently members of the Pioneer League

Returning for the Bulldogs is Sam Frye who was named to the All-Southern Conference first team as well as, Mitchell Jeter selected to the second team. Cam Jackson, Isiaha Smith and Dee Delaney were tabbed to the all-freshman squad.

Frye is the leader of an offensive line that paved the way for a for the Bulldog rushing attack that ranked second in the nation at the conclusion of the regular season. The Citadel finished the season with 4,166 yards on the ground and the dogs ranked in the top 10 nationally in four other categories, including second in sacks allowed (six), seventh in time of possession (32:32), ninth in red zone offense (89.8 percent) and 10th in third down conversions (47.8).

At the 2015 SoCon Media Day, the Bulldogs were picked by both the coaches and media of complete the season at 7th place in the standings. The Citadel placed two on the first-team preseason All-Southern Conference selections by the conference's coaches, it was announced Wednesday. Senior offensive lineman Sam Frye and senior defensive lineman Mitchell Jeter earned first-team accolades. The Citadel was one of four schools in the Southern Conference to have at least one first-team representative on both sides of the ball.

2014 The Citadel Statistics:
Rushing Offense: 4166 yards or 347.2 yards per game
Yards per rush:  5.5
TDs rushing:  34
Passing Offense:  958 yards or 79.8 yards per game
Passing Comp-Att-Int:  65-147-1
Total Offense:  5124 yards or 427 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost:  28 - 11
Penalties-Yards:  71 - 607 yards 3rd
3d Down Conversions:  86 of 181 or 48%
4th Down Conversions:  16 of 31 or 52%
Field Goals - Attempts:  9 of 14
Red-Zone Scores:  44 of 49 (90%)
Red-Zone Touchdowns:  36 of 49 (73%)
Punts (No. Yards):   47 (1791) Avg, per punt: 38.1

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