Citadel Notes: Bulldogs know ‘teams are coming for us now’

After victories over Southern Conference favorites Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, there will be no more sneaking up on teams for The Citadel.

The Bulldogs learned that the hard way on Saturday night, falling to Chattanooga by 28-10 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. It was their second straight loss after a 3-0 start.

“We have a lot of young players, so you are always concerned about the mindset of guys,” said Citadel coach Kevin Higgins, whose team fell to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the SoCon. “That’s true whether they win a couple of games or lose a couple. It’s a balancing act.

“Now, this team has to come back. We’ve lost two in row, but we still have the makings of a very good season.”

The Bulldogs are tied for second place in the SoCon with Georgia Southern and Samford, their opponent next week. Samford lost by 35-16 at Georgia Southern on Saturday to fall to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the league.

“The SoCon is a good conference,” said defensive end Bay Amrhein. “And we’ve had some success, so teams are coming for us now. I thought we were ready, but obviously, we weren’t. I still have a lot of belief in this team and these coaches. I think we’ll get it together and I think we’ll be all right.”

QB Shuffle

Mocs coach Russ Huesman vowed this week to get more “touches” for his quarterbacks, and he was as good as his word. QBs Terrell Robinson and Jacob Huesman -- the coach’s son -- combined for 177 rushing yards on 36 carries, and hit a combined 15 of 19 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

In last week’s 34-17 loss to App State, the Mocs’s QBs combined for 36 rushing yards on 13 carries.

“Last week, they didn’t get the ball to their quarterbacks,” Higgins said. “They made a point of saying we need to do that to be successful. That was their game plan, and their guys up front did an excellent job. And we didn’t get any turnovers. You have to get a couple of turnovers to be successful.”

Jacob Huesman threw two picks against App State, but went 11 of 14 for 86 yards with not interceptions against The Citadel. Robinson, who briefly quit the team earlier this season, ran for 97 yards and a score, and threw for 86 yards and another TD.

Extra Points

• In his second game back after suffering a torn ACL in spring practice, defensive tackle Derek Douglas started and played most of the game. He finished with four tackles, including three for loss and a sack.

• Linebacker Carson Smith had 11 tackles and a sack, and cornerback Sadath Jean-Pierre also had 11 tackles. Defensive end Chris Billingslea and tackle Mitchell Jeter also had sacks.

• Linebacker Carl Robinson left the game in the second half and did not return, but there was no word on the extent of his injury.

• Fullback Darien Robinson ran for a career-best 132 yards on 12 carries, his fourth 100-yard game of the season and seventh of his career.