When coach Brent Thompson’s Bulldogs allowed an Alabama field goal with 4:59 to go in the first half of Saturday’s game, the coach wasn’t too concerned. The Citadel, an FCS program widely expected to be trampled by the No. 1 Crimson Tide, were only down three points, 10–7. In the nearly five minutes remaining before halftime, Thompson’s objective was to chew up clock and go into the locker room down by just a field goal.
Instead, his team put together a 44-yard drive, taking the ball from its own 25-yard line to the Alabama 30. The Bulldogs gained one yard over the next three plays, and then Jacob Godek drilled a 48-yard field goal to create Saturday’s most surprising halftime scoreline: Alabama 10, The Citadel 10.