There’s an old cliché in coaching that says you are never as bad as you think after a loss or as good after a win.

After last weekend’s 42-14 defeat to Wofford in the season opener, some The Citadel fans might not agree. That adage will be severely tested when The Citadel takes on UNC Charlotte at Jerry Richardson Stadium on Sept. 5.

Kickoff for the game is set for 3:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed live by ESPN+.

“The sun came up on Sunday, and our young men that are a part of our organization and our coaches got back to work,” said The Citadel coach Maurice Drayton. “We’re going to continue to dig at the details and examine our process. Right now, we’re on to the next game.

“We’re going to learn from our mistakes and get better each day to become the football team that I know we can be.”

On paper, the game against the Bulldogs in-state rival should have been a nail biter. A matchup that came down to the last possession or was at least a one-score game.

The Bulldogs controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes, rolled up more than 200 rushing yards and had more total offense than the Terriers.

“That’s normally a formula for success for us,” Drayton said.

The difference was turnovers — two fumbles, an interception and a blocked punt that led to a touchdown for the Terriers.

“We feel really good about our foundation and the process,” Drayton said. “When you have those kinds of days, you look at everything inside your program. Our preparation was really good, our summer was really good.

“We’re looking at all facets of the program and there are some that might feel like we took a step back, but I don’t feel that way. Maybe from a scoreboard standpoint for that one game, we did, but I have confidence that we’re going to turn things around.”

A point of emphasis all week in practice has been ball security.