The Citadel will test UNC football on Saturday with triple-option offense

For a Power 5 school like North Carolina, playing an FCS team usually means a win can be penciled in on the schedule. The Power 5 school gets a comfortable victory and the FCS school gets a six-figure payout. Everybody wins.

But unlike most FCS teams, The Citadel isn’t coming to Kenan Stadium for a check to fund its athletic budget. The Bulldogs are coming to win a football game.

With a perfect record, The Citadel (10-0) has plenty to be confident about heading into its Saturday matchup against UNC (7-3, 5-2 ACC). The Bulldogs won’t be starstruck playing a Division-I school after beating South Carolina last year.

How do they play?

The Citadel forces opposing defenses to conform to its unique offensive style. The Bulldogs utilize the triple-option offense and average nearly 360 rushing yards per game.

When running the triple option, quarterback Dominique Allen has the choice to hand the ball off to the fullback, run the ball himself or pitch the ball to the wingback. One missed defensive assignment by the North Carolina defense can result in an explosive play at any given moment.

The advantage for UNC in this matchup is the experience that it has defending the triple option. Just two weeks ago, North Carolina took on Georgia Tech’s triple option. This is immensely helpful for the Tar Heels, because a major reason the triple option is so successful is the unfamiliarity that most defenses have with it.

In UNC’s 48-20 victory over the Yellow Jackets, it allowed Georgia Tech to gain over 500 yards, but the defense forced three turnovers to keep the offense from turning the yardage into points.

Who stands out?

Running back Tyler Renew leads the Bulldogs with 938 rushing yards. While the Citadel has seven players with over 20 rushing attempts, Renew is the workhorse, leading the team with 202 carries. Renew plays the B-Back in the triple option, and lines up as a fullback running the ball up the middle and churning out 4.6 yards per rush.

Defensively, the Bulldogs are led by cornerback Dee Delaney. With four interceptions, Delaney is the top cornerback for The Citadel and will need to have a big game if the defense is going to slow down Mitch Trubisky.

What’s their biggest weakness?

Like most triple-option teams, The Citadel struggles to move the ball through the air. Allen leads the team in passing but only averages 56.6 yards per game and completes less than 37 percent of his passes.

If the UNC defense can slow down the option on first and second down to force The Citadel into obvious passing situations, it will be extremely difficult for the Bulldogs to move the chains.

How they could win?

Unlike Georgia Tech, The Citadel cannot afford to turn the ball over in North Carolina territory. If the Bulldogs can run the option and exploit the struggling North Carolina run defense, it can control time of possession and keep the UNC offense off the field.

With limited possessions, forcing a turnover on defense or special teams could be the difference between the Bulldogs walking out with a victory or just a check.

@david_adler94

sports@dailytarheel.com