Forge Bison 32, Citadel Rams 25
Week 5 · Regular season · round 20 · Thursday 29 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRG Forge Bison | 7 | 14 | 0 | 11 | 32 |
| CTD Citadel Rams | 0 | 0 | 16 | 9 | 25 |
Game recap
The Forge Bison held off the Citadel Rams 32-25 in round 20 of Week 5. The go-ahead score came with 2:12 left in the first quarter. The Bison were clear favourites before kickoff (68%), and they delivered.
The Bison opened the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Cole Ramsey to Hollis Grant with 2:12 left in the first quarter. The Bison led 21-0 at halftime. The fourth quarter brought a 56-yard field goal by Adrien Garrow for the Rams (3:56 left, 21-19); a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown by Tariq Esposito for the Bison (3:56 left, 29-19); a 34-yard field goal by Gideon Underwood for the Bison (1:59 left, 32-19); a 19-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Desmond Ashcroft for the Rams (1:28 left, 32-25).
The biggest swing of the game came with 1:18 left in the third quarter: Extra point good. It moved the Bison' chance of winning from 71% to 90%.
Player of the game: Tariq Esposito (RB, Bison), with 19 carries for 126 yards; 1 catch for 2 yards. Elsewhere, Augustin Mercer-Hale (Rams) had 21 of 31 passing for 263 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 4 carries for 34 yards; Desmond Ashcroft (Rams) had 6 catches for 93 yards and 1 TD; Cole Ramsey (Bison) had 11 of 17 passing for 121 yards, 2 TD; 3 carries for 14 yards; Dorian Thorne (Bison) had 11 carries for 51 yards and 1 TD; 3 catches for 39 yards.
Before kickoff, the Rams' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, take shots deep, throw it more, target Orson Ashford; on defense: bracket Ivo Achebe (Orson Ashford finished with 8 catches for 85 yards and 2 TD). Meanwhile, the Bison' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, stay underneath, target Ivo Achebe; on defense: bracket Desmond Ashcroft (Ivo Achebe finished with 1 catch for 12 yards).
The Rams move to 5-15 and the Bison to 11-8-1 this week. The coaches went for it on fourth down twice, converting 2.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | FRG-CTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2:12 | Bison | An 11-yard touchdown pass from Cole Ramsey to Hollis Grant (extra point) | 7-0 |
| Q2 3:27 | Bison | A 5-yard touchdown run by Dorian Thorne (extra point) | 14-0 |
| Q2 2:03 | Bison | A 12-yard touchdown pass from Cole Ramsey to Hollis Grant (extra point) | 21-0 |
| Q3 2:50 | Rams | A 12-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Orson Ashford (extra point) | 21-7 |
| Q3 2:44 | Rams | A safety, Cole Ramsey sacked in the end zone | 21-9 |
| Q3 1:18 | Rams | A 2-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Orson Ashford (extra point) | 21-16 |
| Q4 3:56 | Rams | A 56-yard field goal by Adrien Garrow | 21-19 |
| Q4 3:56 | Bison | A 99-yard kickoff return touchdown by Tariq Esposito (2-pt conversion) | 29-19 |
| Q4 1:59 | Bison | A 34-yard field goal by Gideon Underwood | 32-19 |
| Q4 1:28 | Rams | A 19-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Desmond Ashcroft (extra point missed) | 32-25 |
Team stats
| FRG | CTD | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 318 | 315 |
| Passing yards | 121 | 263 |
| Rushing yards | 197 | 52 |
| Completions | 11 of 17 | 21 of 31 |
| Offensive plays | 52 | 47 |
| Third downs | 5 of 9 | 1 of 8 |
| Fourth downs | — | 2 of 2 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks allowed | 1 | 8 |
| Time of possession | 9:03 | 6:57 |
Forge Bison box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Ramsey | 11/17 | 121 | 2 | 0 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tariq Esposito | 19 | 126 | 0 | 16 |
| Dorian Thorne | 11 | 51 | 1 | 18 |
| Cole Ramsey | 3 | 14 | 0 | 16 |
| Nils Brennan | 1 | 6 | 0 | 18 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollis Grant | 4 | 41 | 2 | 5 |
| Dorian Thorne | 3 | 39 | 0 | 4 |
| Nils Brennan | 1 | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| Ivo Achebe | 1 | 12 | 0 | 3 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lazlo Varga | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Soren Garrow | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bram Norcross | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorian Oyelaran | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anders Esposito | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ivo Montague | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gideon Underwood | 1/1 | 34 | 3/3 |
Citadel Rams box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustin Mercer-Hale | 21/31 | 263 | 3 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustin Mercer-Hale | 4 | 34 | 0 | 25 |
| Ulric Draven | 4 | 18 | 0 | 21 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desmond Ashcroft | 6 | 93 | 1 | 11 |
| Orson Ashford | 8 | 85 | 2 | 8 |
| Ivo Yardley | 4 | 30 | 0 | 7 |
| Ulric Draven | 1 | 21 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bram Brennan | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pavel Falkner | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nils Quarles | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bastien Yardley | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Valen Oyelaran | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cyrus Ingram | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Garrow | 1/1 | 56 | 2/3 |
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 Forge Bison 32, Citadel Rams 25 on Snapline. More about the teams: Citadel Rams · Forge Bison.