SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford used a balanced attack to defeat The Citadel 42-14 at Gibbs Stadium Saturday night to open the 2026 football season.
The Terriers took a 21-0 lead at halftime and added three touchdowns in the second half to open the new year with a SoCon victory. Wofford had 341 total yards on offense, with 181 passing yards and 160 rushing yards.
The Citadel tallied 351 total yards, with 227 of those coming on the ground. Overall, three Bulldogs turnovers — a fumble inside the five-yard line, a muffed punt and a Quentin Hayes interception — proved costly as Wofford converted those giveaways into a pair of touchdowns while also tallying a blocked punt for an end zone visit as well.
Wofford Quarterback J.T. Fayard was 18-of-26 passing with 176 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Terriers, while running back Gerald Modest Jr., added 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs were led by quarterback Quentin Hayes, who ran for 92 yards and threw for 88 more.
“Well, none of them are easy, but we executed really well tonight,” said Wofford head coach Shawn Watson. “I thought the defense had some big turnovers to put us in good field position offensively. The offense stopped themselves twice with two interceptions, but that’s it.
“We moved the ball the rest of time. I am really pleased with how we played offensively and with how we played defensively. Then, our special teams was really good with big plays.”
The Terriers had the ball first and had three first downs before an interception. The Bulldogs gained a pair of first downs before a pass break-up by Eli Campbell on third down forced a punt. With the ball back, Wofford had four first downs to move inside the red zone. Modest capped the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead with 3:28 left in the first quarter.
The Citadel gained two first downs before having to punt on the first play of the second quarter. Campbell blocked the punt and it was recovered by Davis Penn, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown and 14-0 advantage.
Later in the half, Modest again found the end zone with a five-yard run to give Wofford a 21-0 lead.
The Citadel had five first downs and scored on a four-yard run for a 21-7 game with 7:28 left in the third quarter to start the second half.
However, the Terriers responded when Kaeden Gilstrap found Ivory Aikens in the corner of the end zone for a five-yard TD and a 28-7 lead with three minutes remaining in the quarter.
On the first play of the ensuing drive by The Citadel, Ky’Ree Murphy intercepted a pass and returned it to the Bulldogs’ eight-yard line. Wofford capitalized with a one-yard touchdown pass to Colby Alexander as the Terriers took a 35-7 lead with 48 seconds left in the quarter.
On Wofford’s next drive, it took over at the 34-yard line and drove the field before capping it with a 19-yard TD pass from Fayard to Colby Alexander for a 42-7 lead with 5:37 left on the clock.
The Citadel ended the scoring with a six-yard TD run with 1:49 remaining in the game.
“We are going to have to trust our process,” The Citadel head coach Maurice Drayton said. “We have to execute better in those crucial moments. At the end of the day, it’s my fault. I sit at the top of this thing, heavy is the head that wears the crown. I’m gonna wear it. I don’t want the young men to wear it. We are going to get back to work tomorrow and find a way to course correct.”
Wofford vs. The Citadel Post-Game Notes
- This was the 90th meeting of the two teams. The Bulldogs have a 45-34-1 lead in the series that began in 1916. Wofford has won four of the last five meetings.
- Modest had his first career 100-yard game with 105 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns. It was the ninth 100+ rushing game by a Terrier since the 2022 season.
- The touchdown on the blocked punt return by freshman Davis Penn was the first of his career. Freshman Kyree Murphy had his first career interception, while sophomore Tyce Donnelly had his first solo sack.
- The Wofford defense was led by Wyatt Ward with 13 tackles. Elijah Washington had his first career forced fumble, with Javario Tinch having his second career fumble recovery.
- The win ended three notable streaks, as Wofford had previously lost five straight season openers, five straight home openers, and five straight SoCon openers.
Up Next
Wofford will be back at home next Saturday, as it hosts Gardner-Webb at 1:30 p.m. The Citadel continues its season-opening road trip with a visit to Charlotte next Saturday. Kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m., at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
–story and photo courtesy of Wofford Athletics
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | CIT | WOF |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 351 | 341 |
| Pass Yards | 124 | 181 |
| Rushing Yards | 227 | 160 |
| Penalty Yards | 4-50 | 1-5 |
| 1st Downs | 21 | 24 |
| 3rd Downs | 5-12 | 5-8 |
| 4th Downs | 2-3 | 1-1 |
| TOP | 35:05 | 24:55 |
| Scoring Play | Visiting Team Score | Home Team Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
 03:28 – WOF – Modest Jr.,Gerald 15 yd run (Spence,Sam kick), 8 plays, 79 yards, TOP 03:31 | 0 | 7 | |
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| 14:43 – WOF – Davis,Penn 33 yd punt return (Spence,Sam kick) | 0 | 14 | |
| 00:19 – WOF – Modest Jr.,Gerald 5 yd run (Spence,Sam kick), 5 plays, 32 yards, TOP 00:47 | 0 | 21 | |
| 3rd Quarter | |||
 07:28 – CIT – Boyle,Sebastien 4 yd run (Kiely,Evan kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 07:32 | 7 | 21 | |
| 02:17 – WOF – Aikens,Ivory 5 yd pass from Gilstrap,Kaeden (Spence,Sam kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:11 | 7 | 28 | |
| 00:48 – WOF – Alexander,Colby 1 yd pass from Fayard,JT (Spence,Sam kick) 3 plays, 8 yards, TOP 01:19 | 7 | 35 | |
| 4th Quarter | |||
| 05:32 – WOF – Alexander,Colby 19 yd pass from Fayard,JT (Spence,Sam kick) 9 plays, 66 yards, TOP 04:36 | 7 | 42 | |
| 01:49 – CIT – Boyle,Sebastien 6 yd run (Kiely,Evan kick), 10 plays, 80 yards, TOP 03:38 | 14 | 42 | |