Thinking Outside the Box: Coach Flex's Journey

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NORTH GREENVILLE UPSETS THE CITADEL 28-12



Charleston, SC -- The Citadel walked back to the locker room with their heads down after a terrible performance against North Greenville. It was a rainy game, but there were still a decent amount of fans who came out to support their Bulldogs. A crowd that was excited to root their Bulldogs on left in shock and disappointment after witnessing their Bulldogs lose to a D-2 school. And we just have to call a spade a spade. The lack of execution, and lack of grit on the offensive side of the ball is what caused the Bulldogs to get upset. The offense turned the ball over 4 times and one of those turnovers was returned for a touchdown. The defense did everything in their power to keep the offense in the game. It was sloppy all around. The offensive line gave up a total of 7 sacks and our receivers just could not create separation when we dropped back to pass. The Bulldog offensive line got beat up the entire game. It felt like they didn't even want to play the game. The offense didn't score a single touchdown. All 12 points came from field goals. The Bulldogs started their first possession with a great drive. But that drive ended with a fumble by Curtis Cuffey and after that, the momentum was just gone for the rest of the game. There will need to be discussions amongst the coaches after this game.

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Week 2 Press Conference

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Coach V walked to the podium with a towel in hand. He was drenched due to the rain. He was visibly upset as the water dripped from his head onto the podium. He looked around and pointed at a reporter to begin the post-game conference.

Reporter 1: "Coach, based off this loss, what are some observations that you have made?"

Coach V made a face, almost as if he thought the question wasn't a good one.

Coach V:"The main issue we seem to have on the offensive side of the ball is ball security. We have only played two games, so there are a lot of issues we need to hash out. But in two games, we have fumbled the ball 6 times. And the two players that lead in those categories are our quarter backs. We can't have those type of performances from our quarterbacks because every time they start running you begin to worry whether they will be able to hold onto the ball. It's a tough offense to run and sometimes our quarterbacks are missing reads, which tends to lead to a loss of yards. We were fortunate enough to get our fumbles back last game against Charleston Southern, but luck was not on our side today. We fumbled the ball 4 times today. 4 times. I get that it was raining, but we need to work on our security. We gave up 7 sacks. As soon as we dropped back to pass, Laing and our backup had someone in his face almost immediately. We need to tighten up in holding onto the ball, and we need better offensive line play."

While waiting for the next question, coach V dried off his face.

Reporter 2:"Coach, the offense has moments where they can't be stopped, but after the first quarter it seems as if the offense sputters and wilts out. What will you do to fix that?"

Coach V leaned toward to the mic and answered;

Coach V:"There's nothing that needs to be fixed. We move the ball just fine. Our players just continuously are getting banged up. There's physical contact EVERY play in this style of offense. On some plays, they bounce back up, and on other plays, they need to come to the sideline to recover. I admit, this scares me at times. We can't afford to have a player go down with a long term injury before conference play even begins. We just need to focus on a game at a time. No more questions."

Coach V got up and left the podium.

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Game 3 Preview:

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The Bulldogs are traveling to Clemson this upcoming week to take on the Tigers. It is speculated that Clemson is going to come out and play tough football after losing to Appalachian State last week. The Bulldogs look to try and shake off the loss from last week against North Greenville. The Bulldogs know what type of program Clemson is, but they'll still put in the effort to compete. The Bulldogs will try and minimize the errors and will look to play clean football this week.

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Clemson Handles The Bulldogs in Death Valley 43-18

The Bulldogs lose their second straight game. The Bulldogs trailed Clemson by only 9 points at one point in the game. But, per usual the offense went ice cold during the second half for the 3rd straight game. There are some positives for the Bulldogs: they ran for 245 yards and the QB run game looked a lot better this week than the previous 2 weeks. Journalists caught up to head coach Maurice Drayton to gauge whether he was optimistic on the future of his position. Drayton responded with a shrug. "We are just taking it a game at a time. I don't have time to focus on things like that. As soon as a game is done, I start preparing for the next game as soon as I get back to campus. I am glad that we have a bye week after this game. My players have been banged up and need to rest before we begin conference play. The season has just begun, and we have been nicked up since the first game."

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247 RECRUITING UPDATE

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SoCon Conference Update

SoCon Conference Standings - Updated: Jul 22, 2024
TEAM	REC	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STRK
Furman Paladins	4-0	1.000	2-0	139	74	W4
Wofford Terriers	4-0	1.000	1-0	122	69	W4
VMI	3-0	1.000	1-0	104	58	W3
Samford	2-1	0.667	1-1	74	84	W1
Mercer	2-2	0.500	1-1	92	122	W2
The Citadel	1-2	0.333	0-0	64	77	L2
Western Carolina	0-2	0.000	0-0	59	73	L2
East Tennessee State	1-2	0.333	0-1	47	47	W1
Chattanooga Mocs	0-4	0.000	0-3	85	117	L4

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Week 4: Bye Week

Maurice Drayton called coach V into his office. It is a much needed bye week for the Bulldogs. They are on a two-game losing streak and a lot of the players are playing banged up. After this bye week, the Bulldogs begin their conference schedule because it doesn't get any easier from here on out.

Coach V arrived at Drayton's office. There were pictures of Drayton in his Citadel uniform at the corner of the desk.

Drayton: "How's it going coach? Why don't we talk about your first three games here in Charleston"

Coach V pulled out his seat and sat down.

Drayton: "So coach, I'm going to tell you upfront, I like what's going on so far on the offensive side of the ball. But it feels like we are leaving too many points on the field. It has been 3 games so far. Our players should be settled in on offense. But one thing I want to mention is BALL SECURITY, coach. Laing, 5 fumbles, Best, 3 fumbles. What's going on with those guys coach? What are you teaching them? Our quarterbacks aren't a threat in the run game, and even when they are a threat, you can count on them to potentially kill a drive because they can't protect the football. We have a lot of ballcarriers that produce on the ground which is a good thing, we just aren't consistent enough on offense though coach."

Coach V knew that the head coach was right. Maybe V needs to make some changes in the lineup? Or does he try to push through and trust the process?

V: "You're right coach. I was high on Laing during the press conference, but it seems like he is struggling in this offense. He struggles to make the reads, but I am not going to solely throw him under the bus. I haven't adjusted like how I need to adjust. Laing has fumbled 5 times, and I mentioned that during the press conference that he sometimes struggles to hold onto the ball, but he has the experience. He's a senior and it is his last year. I thought about starting Best over him because he's a better runner, but he fumbles the ball a lot as well. Cuffey is the best runner we have and I believe he is so close to having a breakout game. I want him to be dynamic in this offense, but he can't take that many hits. He has been banged up every game so far. All of the players on offense have been fighting injuries for that fact, but this bye week will do us good."

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Week 5 Preview: Military Classic of The South

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The Bulldogs are looking to get back into the win column against their rivals, the VMI Keydets. Both of these military schools have a rich history and didn't begin their rivalry until after World War 2. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series: 44-33. The Bulldogs are hoping to run all over this team, especially with them coming off of a bye week. The Keydets are playing well above their expectations and have started out the season 3-0 and they are also 1-0 in conference play.

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The Citadel Wins the Military Classic of the South

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The Bulldogs finally get back in the win column after beating VMI 37-20 in Lexington, Virginia. The offense did look better this week. The Bulldogs had a lot of big plays and the defense played well. The offense was led by b-back Cuffey, and a-back Mahler. Cuffey had multiple big runs and finished the day with 2 touchdowns. He looked like a star out there and coach V will rely on Cuffey throughout the conference competition.

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Week 6 Preview

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The Wofford Terriers travel to Johnson Hagood Stadium to take on the Bulldogs. The Terriers have started off their season hot and are currently sitting at 4-0 and undefeated in conference play. The Bulldogs have hinted at new changes in the offense after last game. There will be information on the changes later today.

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Offense Players Only Meeting

Coach V told the offensive side of the ball to stay after practice. There were some things that needed to be addressed before the Wofford game this week.

"Alright fellas, we are heading into week 6 and these are some new things that are going to be implemented this week. Before I go into the list of things that will be happening this week, I want to say we had a great showing on offense last week against VMI. There were a lot of big plays and truthfully, that was the best the offense has looked so far the entire season. The first game, we ran for 314 yards, but after that the offense has struggled. Sure, we are winning games, but we have to rely on our defense too much to keep us in these games. I don't like that. We need more grit, and we need to have more pride on the offensive side of the ball. I am making some changes. Firstly, we are changing the entire starting offensive line combination right now. I'm not seeing enough push from the current group and that leads to a lot of plays resulting in negative yards. A lot of you guys will be playing out of your natural position, but I am doing what I believe is best for the offense."

"Our quarterback play has been alright at best. I hate to call you all out in front of the team, however, Laing you have 6 fumbles in 5 games of the season. Isaiah, you have 4 fumbles through 5 games. I know that it's tough to operate a two-quarterback system, but it is something that we have to do because of players not being able to stay healthy on the field. We need to work on our ball security, and this entire week, you will work on protecting the football. Another thing is, you guys need to be quick on reading the defense. We are leaving a ton of yards and points on the field still. I will be focusing on QB's even more these next couple of weeks to ensure we have a shot to compete in the conference."

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The Citadel Win Second Straight SoCon Game in the Rain Against Wofford

Charleston, SC -- The Citadel edge out the Terriers at Johnson Hagood Stadium, 30-23. The Bulldogs were down 20-16 in the beginning of the 4th quarter and they were struggling to move the ball the entire second half. On their on 14 yard line, backup QB Isaiah Best dropped back, rolled out to his right and hit A-back, Derrick Quick for an 86 yard bomb, which put the Bulldogs up 23-20 in 4th. This was the FIRST ever passing touchdown that the Bulldogs had all season. Curtis Cuffey accomplished his first 100 yard game all season against Wofford but failed to get into the endzone. Garrett Mahler has been reliable all season. He found his way into the endzone to put the game out of reach on a quick sweep to the left. Both Laing and Best struggled on the ground, but they were assisted by huge performances from their supporting cast. This puts the Bulldogs at 2-0 in conference play.

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Charleston, SC -- BREAKING NEWS: Jamie Laing, the starting quarterback, will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a non-contact injury during practice. This was reported by head coach Maurice Drayton. Drayton had this to say:

"It's always tough to see a player go down. On top of that Laing was our senior leader on offense. His final season, isn't what he expected it to be. He was hoping that it would get turned around, but after this injury, he won't get the opportunity. It was a smart idea for coach V to implement a two-quarterback system. Our backup has the experience to come out and lead our team. Expect to see some new names at the QB position throughout the rest of the season"

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WEEK 7 PREVIEW: Chattanooga vs The Citadel

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The Mocs are traveling to Johnson Hagood Stadium to take on the Bulldogs. On paper, this looks like it will be an even matchup. However, the Mocs are currently sitting at 1-4 and haven't won a single conference game yet. The Mocs might come out and try to dominate the game. They are trying to compete for a SoCon title, but they are already way behind. The Mocs have two solid outside linebackers, but I think the Bulldogs have too much speed and should be able to outrun them. The trenches is what matters in this matchup, and the Bulldogs on paper have the better matchups, but you never know how things will play out in college football.

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While the players were on the field warming up before the kickoff, it was announced that backup B-back, Howie Hummel won't be playing today due to an illness. True Freshman, Brett DuBose will see the field today a lot more in place for Hummel. Hummel comes in at a surprising 5'6" stature, but he's a bowling ball. He weighs 205 pounds and is fast and quick. Due to his height it is easy for him to hide behind his OL. Other than that, there's not much footage on DuBose. Coach V had this to say:

Jamie Laing was seen on the field with a pair of crutches interacting with his team.

"It's next man up around here. It's unfortunate we lost Laing for the season. Him and backup quarterback Isaiah Best have built a great relationship during the season. Best will take over the starter role for the rest of the season. We will keep playing tough and we hope that this event doesn't cause any turmoil for the rest of the season."

Kickoff will begin shortly.