Citadel Rams 24, Axiom Falcons 21
Week 2 · Regular season · round 23 · Friday 9 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTD Citadel Rams | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| AXM Axiom Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
Game recap
It came down to the final moments in round 23 of Week 2: the Citadel Rams edged the Axiom Falcons 24-21. The decisive score was a 6-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Orson Ashford with 0:36 left in the fourth quarter.
The Rams opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Desmond Ashcroft with 1:30 left in the first quarter. At the break the Rams were up 14-7. Then came the fourth quarter: a 9-yard touchdown pass from Callum Reyes to Nils Achebe for the Falcons (2:51 left, 17-14); a 19-yard touchdown pass from Callum Reyes to Ivo Thorne for the Falcons (1:27 left, 21-17); a 6-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Orson Ashford for the Rams (0:36 left, 24-21).
The biggest swing of the game came with 0:36 left in the fourth quarter: a 6-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Orson Ashford. It moved the Rams' chance of winning from 50% to 73%.
Player of the game: Augustin Mercer-Hale (QB, Rams), with 26 of 36 passing for 249 yards, 3 TD. Elsewhere, Callum Reyes (Falcons) had 23 of 34 passing for 266 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 1 carry for 8 yards; Idris Vaughn (Falcons) had 11 carries for 93 yards and 1 TD; 1 catch for 17 yards; Gideon Hargrove (Falcons) had 5 catches for 81 yards; Calvin Booker (Rams) had 24 carries for 124 yards; 5 catches for 52 yards.
Before kickoff, the Falcons' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, throw it more, target Milo Sterling; on defense: bracket Desmond Ashcroft (Milo Sterling finished with 6 catches for 28 yards). Meanwhile, the Rams' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, stay underneath, target Desmond Ashcroft; on defense: bracket Milo Sterling (Desmond Ashcroft finished with 7 catches for 70 yards and 1 TD).
The Falcons move to 8-15 and the Rams to 14-7-2 this week.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | CTD-AXM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 1:30 | Rams | A 1-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Desmond Ashcroft | 7-0 |
| Q2 2:46 | Rams | A 9-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Zane Delacroix | 14-0 |
| Q2 2:17 | Falcons | A 9-yard touchdown run by Idris Vaughn | 14-7 |
| Q3 0:21 | Rams | A 29-yard field goal by Adrien Garrow | 17-7 |
| Q4 2:51 | Falcons | A 9-yard touchdown pass from Callum Reyes to Nils Achebe | 17-14 |
| Q4 1:27 | Falcons | A 19-yard touchdown pass from Callum Reyes to Ivo Thorne | 17-21 |
| Q4 0:36 | Rams | A 6-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Orson Ashford | 24-21 |
Team stats
| CTD | AXM | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 425 | 378 |
| Passing yards | 249 | 266 |
| Rushing yards | 176 | 112 |
| Completions | 26 of 36 | 23 of 34 |
| Offensive plays | 74 | 51 |
| Third downs | 9 of 14 | 5 of 10 |
| Fourth downs | 1 of 2 | 0 of 1 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks allowed | 6 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 7:32 | 4:28 |
Citadel Rams box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustin Mercer-Hale | 26/36 | 249 | 3 | 0 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin Booker | 24 | 124 | 0 | 23 |
| Ulric Draven | 8 | 52 | 0 | 9 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivo Yardley | 8 | 77 | 0 | 10 |
| Desmond Ashcroft | 7 | 70 | 1 | 7 |
| Calvin Booker | 5 | 52 | 0 | 8 |
| Zane Delacroix | 3 | 27 | 1 | 5 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bram Brennan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cyrus Ingram | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gideon Falkner | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Pavel Falkner | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Valen Oyelaran | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bastien Yardley | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Garrow | 1/1 | 29 | 0/0 |
Axiom Falcons box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callum Reyes | 23/34 | 266 | 2 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idris Vaughn | 11 | 93 | 1 | 26 |
| Pavel Pellegrini | 2 | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| Callum Reyes | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gideon Hargrove | 5 | 81 | 0 | 7 |
| Ivo Thorne | 5 | 71 | 1 | 7 |
| Nils Achebe | 6 | 69 | 1 | 9 |
| Milo Sterling | 6 | 28 | 0 | 8 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gideon Quarles | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Hector Esposito | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fabian Bellamy | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Ivo Eriksen | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Matteo Hargrove | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Roman Lachance | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bastien Radcliffe | 0/2 | 0 | 0/0 |
Watch the replay
Every play of this game can be replayed on the big screen, with the play calls, the win probability and the commentary: replay Citadel Rams 24, Axiom Falcons 21 on Snapline. More about the teams: Axiom Falcons · Citadel Rams.