The Citadel went into Williams-Brice Stadium and knocked off South Carolina, 23-22. It was the first win for the tiny Charleston military school in the in-state matchup since 1990, and the Bulldogs’ first victory over an FBS team in 27 tries.
The Citadel beat South Carolina, and the Gamecocks might be the 5th-best team in their state
Clemson’s the College Football Playoff No. 1, and South Carolina just lost to the state’s third-ranked FCS team.
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The Gamecocks appeared to avoid the embarrassing upset with a huge fourth-and-7 conversion, a 95-yard touchdown pass to Pharoh Cooper:
But the play was called back due to a false start -- one that might not have happened -- and the Gamecocks couldn’t pick up the fourth-and-10, leading to the loss.
With the loss, the Gamecocks are probably the fifth-best team in South Carolina.
See, Clemson is currently the best team in college football. The Citadel had previously lost to Charleston Southern, ranked No. 8 in the FCS poll. And Charleston Southern is ranked below Coastal Carolina, who were No. 4 before this week’s loss to Liberty.
This game had the perfect combo for an FCS-over-SEC upset. South Carolina is a pretty bad SEC team, 3-7 coming into Saturday. And The Citadel is not only a good FCS team, already having clinched a share of the Southern Conference title, but one that runs the triple option. Nick Saban warned you about FCS option teams.
The Citadel only threw three times, but absolutely gashed the Gamecocks on the ground, rushing for 350 yards on 61 carries. It’s a similar situation to when Georgia Southern took down Florida in 2013, the last FCS win against an SEC team.
Life is tough for The Citadel athletes. It’s a military school, with strict codes for student behavior and life. The school isn’t a direct feeder into the armed forces, but the school struggles with some of the same issues America’s service academies do attracting athletic talent. The Bulldogs are one of just five original college basketball teams never to have qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
But this year, this day, The Citadel can celebrate. The Bulldogs are conference champions, and they’re better than South Carolina. Their regular season is over, but this win should have them in the hunt for an at-large FCS playoff spot.
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