Citadel Rams 24, Cipher Lynx 21
Week 5 · Regular season · round 22 · Friday 30 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPH Cipher Lynx | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| CTD Citadel Rams | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
Game recap
In a tight contest in round 22 of Week 5, the Citadel Rams beat the Cipher Lynx 24-21. The go-ahead score came with 2:28 left in the second quarter.
The Rams opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Desmond Ashcroft with 2:28 left in the second quarter. The Rams led 17-0 at halftime. In the fourth quarter: a 25-yard touchdown pass from Kai Navarro to Luca Benedetti for the Lynx (2:37 left, 24-14); a 2-yard touchdown run by Kai Navarro for the Lynx (0:14 left, 24-21).
The biggest swing of the game came with 0:14 left in the fourth quarter: Extra point good. It moved the Rams' chance of winning from 65% to 99%.
Top performer: Augustin Mercer-Hale (QB, Rams), with 25 of 36 passing for 295 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 2 carries for -2 yards. Elsewhere, Ulric Draven (Rams) had 12 carries for 82 yards; 2 catches for 50 yards and 1 TD; Ivo Yardley (Rams) had 8 catches for 109 yards; Kai Navarro (Lynx) had 19 of 29 passing for 200 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 6 carries for 23 yards and 1 TD; Luca Benedetti (Lynx) had 7 catches for 73 yards and 1 TD.
Before kickoff, the Rams' game plan was on offense: quick game vs the blitz, attack the zones, target Orson Ashford; on defense: bracket Luca Benedetti (Orson Ashford finished with 8 catches for 88 yards and 1 TD). Meanwhile, the Lynx' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, target Bram Pellegrini; on defense: bracket Desmond Ashcroft.
The Rams move to 6-15-1 and the Lynx to 8-13-1 this week. The coaches went for it on fourth down once, and it worked.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | CPH-CTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 2:28 | Rams | A 2-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Desmond Ashcroft (extra point) | 0-7 |
| Q2 1:54 | Rams | A 32-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Ulric Draven (extra point) | 0-14 |
| Q2 0:04 | Rams | A 32-yard field goal by Adrien Garrow | 0-17 |
| Q3 1:51 | Rams | A 2-yard touchdown pass from Augustin Mercer-Hale to Orson Ashford (extra point) | 0-24 |
| Q3 0:16 | Lynx | A 2-yard touchdown pass from Kai Navarro to Pavel Thorne (extra point) | 7-24 |
| Q4 2:37 | Lynx | A 25-yard touchdown pass from Kai Navarro to Luca Benedetti (extra point) | 14-24 |
| Q4 0:14 | Lynx | A 2-yard touchdown run by Kai Navarro (extra point) | 21-24 |
Team stats
| CPH | CTD | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 321 | 405 |
| Passing yards | 200 | 295 |
| Rushing yards | 121 | 110 |
| Completions | 19 of 29 | 25 of 36 |
| Offensive plays | 51 | 57 |
| Third downs | 7 of 11 | 7 of 9 |
| Fourth downs | 1 of 1 | — |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks allowed | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 5:25 | 10:35 |
Cipher Lynx box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kai Navarro | 19/29 | 200 | 2 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel Hart | 10 | 54 | 0 | 11 |
| Orson Achebe | 3 | 30 | 0 | 13 |
| Kai Navarro | 6 | 23 | 1 | 10 |
| Pavel Thorne | 3 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luca Benedetti | 7 | 73 | 1 | 11 |
| Zane Lachance | 4 | 55 | 0 | 8 |
| Hector Yardley | 3 | 30 | 0 | 3 |
| Pavel Thorne | 3 | 25 | 1 | 4 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Sandoval | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gideon Jovanovic | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elio Coventry | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bastien Oyelaran | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Valen Garrow | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hector Coventry | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orson Thorne | 0/0 | 0 | 3/3 |
Citadel Rams box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustin Mercer-Hale | 25/36 | 295 | 3 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulric Draven | 12 | 82 | 0 | 32 |
| Bastien Hargrove | 6 | 30 | 0 | 7 |
| Augustin Mercer-Hale | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivo Yardley | 8 | 109 | 0 | 11 |
| Orson Ashford | 8 | 88 | 1 | 9 |
| Ulric Draven | 2 | 50 | 1 | 2 |
| Desmond Ashcroft | 5 | 28 | 1 | 8 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bram Brennan | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cyrus Ingram | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Pavel Falkner | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Orson Sandoval | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Valen Oyelaran | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gideon Falkner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Garrow | 1/1 | 32 | 3/3 |
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 Citadel Rams 24, Cipher Lynx 21 on Snapline. More about the teams: Citadel Rams · Cipher Lynx.