Bulldogs post Dominant shutout victory over North Greenville, oust Trailblazers 54-0

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Fueled by a 15-carry, 114-yard performance on the ground by Corey Ibrahim, The Citadel (2-1, 0-0 SoCon) orchestrated the program’s first shutout in two seasons against non-conference adversary North Greenville (0-2, 0-0 GSC), powering past the visiting Trailblazers behind a final 54-0 mark Saturday afternoon at Sansom Field at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

KEY NOTES
— The Bulldogs kept North Greenville off the board throughout the entirety of the contest, a first for the program since Nov. 12, 2022 against Virginia-Lynchburg (66-0)
— Johnathan Bennett closed out the game 9-of-18 for 91 yards one score through the air; Dustin Fletcher took his first snaps of the year midway through the second half, drilling 3-of-3 for 33 yards along while adding a pair of touchdowns on the ground
— For the third time this season, Ibrahim proved the workhorse of the running back corps, notching the program’s first 100-yard performance of the season as well as his first-ever collegiate touchdown; Cooper Wallance contributed 35 yards on seven carries with a score while Garrison Johnson generated 28 yards and a TD off four rushes of his own
— Graduate trasnfer Andre Banks stepped into the spotlight for the wideouts, pulling down a team-best three receptions for 42 yards; Javonte Graves-Billips and Malachi Taylor each tacked on two catches for a combined 51 yards as well with one score
— Defensively, Dominick Poole and Cale Williams paced the squad from the secondary, racking up seven tackles apiece; as a unit, the Bulldogs consistently provided backfield pressure, concluding the matchup with three sacks along with nine tackles-for-loss
— Ben Barnes hit on another pair of field goals for the game, putting up both a 36-yarder and a 25-yarder during the second quarter
— James Platte overshadowed a strong showing for the special teams unit, launching four punts for the day for a remarkable 55.0 average, two of which landed inside the North Greenville 20-yard line
— For the third time in as many weeks, The Citadel posted a blocked kick, this time coming from Melvin Ravenel on an early-third quarter punt by the Trailblazers; the resulting deflection bounced backwards into the end zone, allowing Whit Hobgood to fall on the ball for the special teams score