Charleston, S.C. -  Freshman walk-on quarterback Tommy Edwards and The Citadel defense led the Bulldogs in a second half rally as The Citadel won the battle of the Bulldogs against Samford, 28-16, on Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

After being down 10-0 at the half, The Citadel defense held Samford scoreless for almost three quarters, totaled 11 tackles for a loss of 41 yards, recorded two interceptions for 112 return yards and blocked a punt to hold Samford to 35 yards rushing and extend the Bulldogs' win streak.

The Citadel won the toss and chose to receive the ball first, but a quick three-and-out brought out the Bulldog punt unit with just less than 13 minutes left on the clock.

A 40-yard punt by Cass Couey and a 36-yard return by Samford's Richie Fordham started the Samford drive well into Citadel territory. Samford earned two first downs in five plays, the first on a screen pass to Chris Evans and the second a 13-yard rush by Evans, who later sealed the deal for the Bulldogs with a one-yard touchdown run with 10:17 on the clock. The extra point attempt by Cameron Yaw was good and the Samford Bulldogs went up, 7-0.

The Citadel was still unable to move the ball on their second possession and was forced to punt again after three plays. Couey's kick was short, going only 30 yards and Samford's Fordham called for a fair catch at the 45-yard line. However, Samford was unable to get across midfield and was forced to punt for the first time in the game.

All-America wide receiver Andre Roberts was set to return the punt for the Bulldogs, but a rare fumbled catch ended with a Samford recovery on The Citadel 10-yard line. The Bulldog defense was able to keep Samford out of the end zone and forced them to attempt a 24-yard field goal. The kick by Yaw was good and Samford went up, 10 -0, with 4:29 left in the first quarter.

Neither team was able to score in the second quarter and they went into halftime with Samford leading, 10-0. The Citadel totaled 109 yards of offense to Samford's 106 yards. Samford passed for 95 of their yards, while The Citadel rushed for 68. Freshman Tommy Edwards made his collegiate debut at quarterback late in the second quarter after Miguel Starks left the game with an ankle injury. Starks went 6-12-1 for 38 yards, while Edwards completed 4-6-0 for 30 yards.

Samford received the ball in the opening of the second half but did nothing with it for their first two possessions and a bad punt by Bob Hooper gave The Citadel field position on their own 45-yard line. The Bulldogs quickly got back in the game on the first play of the drive when Edwards found Van Dyke Jones for a 55-yard touchdown pass with 7:29 left in the third quarter. Sam Keeler's extra point attempt was good, making the score 10-7.

After an unsuccessful attempt on fourth-and-12 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, The Citadel turned the ball over on downs giving Samford the ball on their 31-yard line. The Citadel defense allowed only two yards and forced a three-and-out, giving The Citadel the ball back with less than 13 minutes left in the game.

Roberts returned Hooper's 49-yard punt for 41 yards, giving the Bulldogs field position on the Samford 41-yard line. After a 13-yard catch by Roberts and a couple of solid runs by Jones, Edwards found tight end Alex Sellars in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 10:06 on the clock. Keeler's kick was good and The Citadel took their first lead of the game, 14-10.

The Citadel extended their lead when defensive back Cortez Allen intercepted a Dustin Taliaferro pass at the Samford 35-yard line and returned it 30 yards to the five. Running back Terrell Dallas scored on a five-yard touchdown run on the next play with 4:38 left in the game. Keeler's extra point was good and The Citadel went up, 21-10.

The Bulldog defense did not let up as Allen intercepted another Samford pass on the next drive, this time returning it for 82 yards for the score. Keeler was successful on the extra point attempt and the Bulldogs took a 28-10 lead.

Samford was able to add six more to their score on a Connor Lowery pass to Jonathan Lowery for 15 yards and the touchdown with 1:49 left in the game. The Samford two-point conversion attempt failed. Samford then attempted an onside kick but was offsides and the Bulldogs' defensive back Demetrius Jackson recovered the ball and returned it 17 yards to the Samford 22-yard line to seal the win for The Citadel.

The Citadel ended the game with 284 yards of offense. They passed for 179 yards and rushed for 105, while Samford totaled 259 yards, 224 of which were in the air. The Citadel defense held the Samford Bulldogs to 35 yards rushing. Starks did not enter the game in the second half and finished with 24 rushing and 38 passing yards. Edwards completed 10-of-20 passes with no interceptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Roberts returned seven punts for 102 yards and caught seven passes for 54 yards, for an all-purpose total of 160. Jones led the rushing game with 17 carries for 40 yards. He also caught three passes for 53 yards.

Several players contributed to the Bulldog defensive effort. Defensive lineman Kyle Anderson totaled six tackles, including two sacks for a loss of 16 yards. Linebacker Tolu Akindele totaled nine tackles (four solo, five assisted), including one for a loss of two yards and Allen totaled seven tackles, one pass breakup and returned two interceptions for 112 yards. Linebacker Jordon Gilmore also contributed eight total tackles, including a half tackle for a loss of one yard.

The Citadel (4-4 overall; 2-3 SoCon) will return to Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7 for their last home game of the season against Wofford. The homecoming matchup will kickoff at 3 p.m. and will be televised before a live audience on SportSouth. For more information on Bulldog Football, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics, www.CitadelSports.com.