Quarterback Thompson shines as Bulldogs overpower Chowan

Freshman Ben Dupree began the day as The Citadel's starting quarterback. But by game's end, fellow freshman Matt Thompson had firm control of the job.

Thompson accounted for four touchdowns, including three TD passes, as the Bulldogs debuted their new triple-option offense with a 56-14 victory over Division II Chowan before 9,016 fans at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

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The Citadel vs Chowan University Football

The Citadel plays Chowan University at Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday.

Thompson, a 6-1, 184-pounder from Ormond Beach, Fla., threw a 34-yard TD to Alex Carr on his first college football pass, and went on to complete 5 of 6 passes for 127 yards, including touchdowns of nine and five yards to receiver Domonic Jones.

Thompson also ran eight times for 70 yards and a 12-yard TD in the third quarter.

"I would say that he'll be the starter," said coach Kevin Higgins, whose squad faces Pac-10 contender Arizona next week. "We'll have to evaluate the tape, but certainly Matt did a nice job for his first outing."

The Bulldogs' offense, in transition from the pass-happy spread attack that produced a 24-32 record over the last five seasons, got a boost from the defense, which provided three first-half touchdowns against Chowan (0-2).

Safety Demetrius Jackson scored twice, on a 74-yard return of a field goal blocked by Demarrio Sims and a 52-yard interception return, and cornerback Cortez Allen took a pick 7 yards for a score on the Hawks' first play from scrimmage.

"Our offense started out kind of slow, but the defense was able to come out and help calm the offense down," said Jackson, a senior who scored the first two touchdowns of his career. "That made it an easier game for them."

The offense eventually produced 247 rushing yards on 52 carries, an average of 4.8 per attempt, with fullback Terrell Dallas going for 55 yards on 12 carries, including an 18-yard TD. But starting slotbacks Rickey Anderson and Van Dyke Jones combined for 11 yards on three carries, all by Jones.

"We've got a long ways to go," Higgins said. "We have a lot of improvement to make in terms of executing the triple option. I'm sure we'll look at the tape and see we should have pulled it on this one, given it on that one. And in fairness, Chowan played a couple of different fronts and at times had 11 guys up there to stop the run."

With Dupree at the helm, The Citadel punted twice, lost a fumble and was stuffed on fourth down on its first four possessions before Thompson entered in the second quarter. His first pass went for a 34-yard TD to Carr, running a post pattern, for a 14-0 lead.

"I wasn't nervous at all," Thompson said. "Everything (the coaches) taught us, that's what we had to do today, so it was just a matter of execution. That was a great way to start off my season. Alex ran the post, and I saw a backside defender coming, so I just threw it there. He made a great play and adjusted to the ball perfectly."

That was the first of six touchdowns and 42 points scored in the second quarter. The Citadel finished with 49 points in the half, with 28 coming in the final 91 seconds as Chowan turned the ball over on an interception, a fumble and a botched kickoff return.

"You can't do what we did against a fine club and a well-coached, disciplined team." said Hawks coach Tim Place, whose team had six turnovers.

"You can't have two interceptions returned for touchdowns and you can't have a blocked field goal taken back for a touchdown. I thought we played hard, but at times we beat ourselves."