Putting the past behind

Bulldogs are beat up emotionally, physically after App State loss

A demoralizing 41-7 halftime deficit on the way to a 47-21 loss at Appalachian State on Saturday took a physical and emotional toll on The Citadel's football team.

The injury list grew longer, but just as important as rehabbing knees and ankles this week will be the task of restoring confidence before FCS 12th-ranked Elon comes to Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday.

"As you can imagine, our guys are disappointed," Bulldogs coach Kevin Higgins said Monday at his weekly news conference. "You talk so much about the Southern Conference and winning the SoCon title; that's been our goal from the day we took over the program.

"And now you lose this game, and you have to make sure these guys understand there are a lot of Southern Conference games left. We have to take the focus off the SoCon now and put it on getting back to being fundamentally sound and doing the little things necessary to win football games one game at a time."

The 3-2 Bulldogs dropped from No. 20 to No. 25 in the FCS coaches' poll released Monday, and face 5-1 Elon and FCS No. 21 Furman in the next two weeks. That lends a sense of urgency to the Bulldogs' emotional rehab.

"We need to put the App State game behind us," said senior guard Jacob Bryant. "We have to do everything we can as a team, as players, as position groups, to focus on getting better this week and coming out with the mindset to just win the next game."

The Citadel held its usual team meeting and short practice on Sunday, a chance for Higgins to put the Bulldogs on the road to recovery.

"It's a challenge, because we did not play like we are capable of playing," he said. "When that happens, it's disappointing. We tell them, we only have 12 guaranteed chances to play this year, and you want to take advantage of all of them. It was disappointing, and I think everyone in the room felt this way, that they let one another down. We talk about playing for your teammates and your school, and we just didn't do that."

Speaking for the Bulldogs' defense, outside linebacker Mel Capers said Saturday's disappointments can provide motivation.

"It gives us more drive," he said. "We know what we can be as a defense, so we have to learn from our mistakes and be the defense we know we can be, and that the coaches know we can be."

Linebacker Reggie Rice (knee) and cornerback Ryan Jones (ankle) were both injured against App State. Higgins said both are undergoing treatment, and their status will be determined by how much and how well they can practice Wednesday and Thursday.

The Bulldogs also will be without running backs Cody Wilson and Rickey Anderson this week. Wilson injured his knee against Western Carolina and practiced Sunday, but Higgins said he likely won't play this week and should return for the Furman game.

Anderson suffered a torn meniscus in his knee during practice last week and will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday. He could be lost for the season, and with a history of two previous anterior cruciate ligament injuries, his football future could be in doubt.

With Wilson and Anderson out, the freshman trio of Asheton Jordan, Terrell Dallas and Ryan Williams will carry the ball against Elon.

--Sophomore safety Demetrius Jackson, who missed the first five games after being declared ineligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse due to an academic problem, will return this week and will start at strong safety, Higgins said. Jackson has been practicing with the scout team ... The Citadel dropped from No. 12 to No. 21 in The Sports Network poll.