FCS Second Round: Wofford-The Citadel
FCS Playoffs Second Round
The Matchup - Wofford (9-3) at No. 6 seed The Citadel (10-1)
Kickoff - 6 p.m. ET at Johnson Hagood Stadium (21,000) in Charleston, South Carolina
Coverage - ESPN3
Series - The Citadel leads 41-27-1
Players to Watch - Wofford: FB Lorenzo Long (260 carries, 1,290 yards, 16 TDs), DE Tyler Vaughn (46 TT, 16.5 TFL, 8 sacks), SS Jaleel Green (56 TT, 5 INTs, 5 PBU); The Citadel: FB Tyler Renew (224 carries, 1,020 yards, 4 TDs), LB Kailik Williams (95 TT, 8 TFL, 2 INTs), CB Dee Delaney (35 TT, 4 INTs, 8 PBU)
The Skinny - Two Southern Conference teams that run triple option offenses collide on what should be a perfect December day in Charleston (forecast: partly sunny with a 63-degree high). The Citadel won the regular-season matchup 24-21 in overtime on October 22 en route to an unbeaten record in conference play. The Bulldogs have the No. 1 rushing attack in the FCS (358.5 ypg), although they managed only 190 yards on 51 carries in the first meeting with Wofford. They have four players over 600 rushing yards, including QB Dominique Allen (601 yards, 7 TDs), but they don't want to play from behind as he's completed only 36.5 percent of his passes. The Bulldogs have won six times by eight or fewer points and lost only to an FBS program (North Carolina). They've allowed only 36 points in the fourth quarter, the lowest total in the SoCon. Wofford advanced to the second round by squeaking past Charleston Southern 15-14. The Terriers came out of the game banged up, but not Long, who will be the workhorse as usual (he's had 25 or more carries in five games). QB Brandon Goodson is the trigger man of a rushing attack that racks up 282.9 yards per game to rank fifth in the nation. The defensive line is particularly stout with DEs Vaughn and Miles Brown both earning first-team All-SoCon honors. While The Citadel kicker Cody Clark has been clutch, Wofford's David Marvin has the bigger foot, kicking a pair of 57-yard field goals and averaging 46.4 yards on punts this season. Terriers coach Mike Ayers is four wins shy of 200 at Wofford.
Up Next - The winner will play either Youngstown State (9-3) or No. 3 seed Jacksonville State (10-1) in the quarterfinals Dec. 9 or 10.
Prediction - While The Citadel was healing up last weekend, Wofford was going the other way, and that will add up against the Bulldogs. The Citadel, 27-21.
