Blanchard's 6 TD passes boost Bulldogs

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Citadel vs Presbyterian

Presbyterian College takes on The Citadel at Johnson Hagood Stadium Saturday night.

Andre Roberts' Saturday night did not begin well.

The Citadel's All-America receiver made perhaps the most egregious drop of his career on the Bulldogs' first play, letting a sure touchdown bomb from quarterback Bart Blanchard slip right through his arms.

"He was upset," Blanchard said. "We both knew that should have been six."

Said Roberts, "I told him, we'll get it back."

They got it back, and then some. Blanchard tied a 30-year-old school record with six touchdown passes, four of them to Roberts and two to tight end Alex Sellars, as The Citadel rolled past Presbyterian College, 46-21, in its home opener before 13,034 fans at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

Blanchard hit 20 of 30 passes for 263 yards, his six touchdown passes matching the six Tim Russell threw against Furman in 1979. Roberts, quiet through the Bulldogs' first two games, broke out with 12 catches for 184 yards, matching his career-high with touchdown catches of 7, 11, 40 and 14 yards.

"Incredible," said Citadel coach Kevin Higgins, whose team improved to 2-1. "The neat thing about those two guys is they are on the same page. Bart knows exactly what Andre is doing, and Andre has a good feel for where Bart is going to put the ball. That's great to see."

But with Southern Conference heavyweight Appalachian State due in town next week, Higgins also saw plenty that needs to get better. Presbyterian running back Trandon Dendy ran 23 times for 147 yards and a touchdown, and the 0-4 Blue Hose trailed by just 20-14 at the half.

In its fourth straight loss to a SoCon squad, Presbyterian ran 79 plays for 394 yards and hogged the ball for more than 34 minutes. If not for three turnovers and spotty special-teams play, Presbyterian -- until three years ago a Division II member -- might have made it much closer.

"I was very disappointed with our run defense, especially in that first half," Higgins said. "We've got to look at the film and figure that out. And I told the team in the locker room, I was disappointed in how we tackled in the first half, how we blocked and a couple of foolish penalties.

"If we are going to be a good team, we have to clear that up."

Dendy, a 5-9, 215-pound junior, had 85 yards and a 40-yard touchdown run by halftime as the Blue Hose's smallish offensive line opened holes against the Bulldogs' front seven.

"Their running back was pretty good, was getting extra yards after contact," said defensive tackle Terrence Reese. "And their line was quick and had good technique, and that got us off guard. We know we have to play better next week."

Some special-teams snafus by the Blue Hose helped the Bulldogs break open a 20-14 game with two touchdowns in the third quarter.

A 29-yard punt return by Roberts, coupled with a 15-yard personal foul penalty for a late hit by Presbyterian tight end Zach Houston, gave The Citadel the ball at the Blue Hose 21. On third-and-goal from the 5, Blanchard faked the QB draw and then made like Tim Tebow, launching a sort of jump pass to Sellars for the touchdown. It was the junior tight end's sixth touchdown on his last six catches.

A corner blitz foiled the Bulldogs' 2-point conversion, leaving The Citadel with a 26-14 lead at 7:48 of the third.

Then, a 7-yard punt by Presbyterian's Patrick Morgano set up the Bulldogs at their own 42. On third-and-5, Blanchard saw the blitz coming and lofted a 40-yard touchdown to Roberts, racing downfield behind the Blue Hose secondary for a 33-14 lead with 2:58 left in the third.

A 16-yard touchdown strike to Roberts made it 40-14 early in the fourth, and Keith Gamble's 89-yard interception return for a touchdown blew it open at 46-14 with 7:04 left in the game.

"I've been itching for a breakout game," said Roberts, who had been held to 13 catches and no TDs in the first two games. "When you are used to getting the ball so much, you want it every play. You know it's not going to happen, but you want it to."

In the first half, Blanchard threw three touchdown passes -- two to Roberts and one to Sellars -- for a 20-14 lead at halftime. But the Blue Hose's spread offense worked over the Bulldogs' defense for 122 rushing yards in the first half, including Dendy's 40-yarder.

On fourth-and-2 at The Citadel's 40, Blue Hose coach Harold Nichols called time out, then ordered up an option to the right. Dendy took the pitch and hit the sideline, churning 40 yards for the score and a 14-13 lead with just 3:56 left in the half.

"I think any kind of success you can have is important and we are trying to expand upon that," said Nichols, who took over for Bobby Bentley last January. "It gave our team and fans a lift and was a good feeling for our guys."

Blanchard responded with a bad interception, throwing a flutter-ball as he was hit, the pass picked off by cornerback Damon Lawrence. But Citadel corner Cortez Allen got the ball right back, leaping high to pick off a deep ball from Brandon Miley at the Bulldogs' 10 with 2:15 left in the half.

Running the two-minute offense, Blanchard hit Roberts for 19, then scrambled right and found Roberts down the left side for 37 yards to the Presbyterian 34. On third-and-goal from the 11, Roberts lined up in the left slot, cut out and then in and snagged the TD pass from Blanchard for a 20-14 lead with 55 seconds left in the half.