CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel head football coach Brent Thompson has been named one of 15 STATS Eddie Robinson Award finalists, it was announced Tuesday.

Thompson, in his first year as head coach after two years as the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator, has led The Citadel to a 10-0 overall record and a No. 5 national ranking. The Bulldogs are one of two remaining undefeated FCS teams and one of only four unbeaten teams in all of Division I. The Citadel earned its second straight Southern Conference championship and tied the record for SoCon wins in a season by completing only the seventh 8-0 conference season in SoCon history. The Bulldogs also have earned the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, marking the first time in program history the team has made back-to-back playoff appearances.

Thompson has shattered The Citadel's record for most wins by a first-year head coach, bettering the previous record of six wins, set in 1916, on Oct. 15 and is only four victories away from the program's record for most wins in the first two years of a coaching career. He is one of only two first-year head coaches in Southern Conference history to win eight conference games and the first since Bob Pruett led Marshall to eight wins in 1996. The Bulldogs have broken the single-season program record with six road wins and are one win away from tying the single-season program record of 11 victories set in 1992.

The Citadel leads all of Division I in rushing yards per game, averaging 359.9 yards on the ground, and in fewest sacks allowed with one. The Bulldogs also lead the Southern Conference in yards per completion, fewest tackles for loss allowed, rushing touchdowns, third-down conversions, yards per rush, fewest first downs allowed, third-down defense, fourth-down defense, tackles for loss, sacks and punt returns. Their 17.2 yards per completion rank second in FCS, while the 3.2 tackles for loss per game rank third and the 31 rushing touchdowns rank as the fourth-highest total in the country.

Named for the legendary coach of Grambling State, past winners of the Robinson Award include Mark Duffner, Erk Russell, Chris Ault, Jim Tressel, Houston Nutt, Andy Talley, Paul Johnson, Joe Glenn, Jerry Kill, Jerry Moore and the only two-time winners, Mickey Matthews and Craig Bohl. STATS will present the esteemed Robinson Award at the national awards banquet on the eve of the NCAA Division I FCS Championship Game on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas.

The Citadel plays its regular season finale Saturday at North Carolina. The Bulldogs and Tar Heels are set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ACC Network Extra, which is available via ESPN3. The NCAA FCS Playoff bracket will be announced Sunday morning at 11 a.m. on ESPNU.

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