THE CITADEL
› Head coach: Brent Thompson (first season)› Date against UTC: Oct. 15 at Charleston, S.C., 3 p.m.› 2015 record: 9-4 (6-1 in SoCon), lost to Charleston Southern in second round of FCS playoffs› Starters returning (O/D/ST): 7/7/1› Projected order of finish (Coaches/Media): 2/2› Coming Saturday: East Tennessee State
The Citadel football team is pleased about its Southern Conference preseason prognostication this year.
But it wasn't as though the 2015 prediction affected the Bulldogs' season at all.
They were co-champions of the SoCon after being picked to finish seventh, and they return seven starters each on offense and defense from a team that finished 9-4. They were undefeated in league play entering a Nov. 14 game at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, which won 31-23 for the league's automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The Citadel then edged Southeastern Conference opponent South Carolina 23-22 to earn an at-large bid to the playoffs, defeated Coastal Carolina in the first round and fell 14-7 to Charleston Southern in the second round.
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to describe (the South Carolina win)," offensive lineman Kyle Weaver said at SoCon media day Wednesday. "It was awesome to be there, awesome to be a part of it. We were very confident in ourselves going into the game. We knew if we put everything together, we could beat them, so we went in there, do what we do, and it turned out great for us."
Coach Mike Houston left to become the head coach at James Madison. He was replaced by offensive coordinator Brent Thompson, who will leave the triple-option attack in place. The Bulldogs averaged 346.9 yards rushing per game in 2015 - second in the country - and rushed for 41 touchdowns, setting school records for all-purpose yards, total-offense yardage and rushing yards.
The fact the change was in-house helped the program maintain continuity and be picked second in the SoCon by the coaches and media.
"We know who Coach Thompson is," senior linebacker Tevin Floyd said. "We know what type of attitude he brings to the table. The only change for us is taking what we did last year and figuring out how we can do better to improve this season."
Thompson thinks the strong finish in the Bulldogs' in-state gauntlet will provide fuel for this season.
"We've got a lot to build on. We had a great run," Thompson said. "We put everything we had into the Chattanooga game. We didn't come out on top, but we certainly rallied against South Carolina and a good Coastal team. Unfortunately I think we ran out of gas a little bit, but that'll feed us going into this year.
"That's what we've really focused on going into our offseason program. We were so darn close to making it to the next level, and I think if we can get into the playoffs, we'll have a good opportunity to win some football games."