Citadel looks at Florida

Published 3:15 pm Thursday, November 20, 2008

Citadel quarterback Bart Blanchard can’t stroll to class or stand in a lunch line without a fellow cadet head over “Hooo-Rah” heels about the Bulldogs’ trip to third-ranked Florida on Saturday.

“They all keep talking to us, ‘We’re ready for The Swamp,'” Blanchard said. “But they don’t have play in the game.”

That’s left to the Bulldogs, the small military college that plays in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA.

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In preparation for the game Citadel coach Kevin Higgins has taken the approach that the season-closing contest is his team’s postseason after snapping a six-game losing streak last Saturday in a 24-21 home win against Western Carolina.

“As I talk to our players, ‘Hey guys, this is a bowl game,'” the coach said. “Our regular season’s over. We’ve got a chance to play a bowl game.”

One where they are such a heavy underdog there’s no betting line.

No surprise there. Florida has obliterated its past six Southeastern Conference foes, including preseason No. 1 Georgia, by an average margin of 49-10.