WINGATE, N.C. - Charleston Southern's early season problems on offense continued on Saturday afternoon at the Buccaneers fell to the Bulldogs of Wingate University, 22-6, at Irwin Belk Stadium.

The Buccaneers (0-2) managed only 184 yards, with nearly half of that coming on their last drive of the football game and spoiled a solid effort turned in by the defense. CSU's defense limited Wingate to 276 total yards on the day.

"It really was a very consistent effort on the defensive side of the ball today and those young men should be really proud of themselves," said CSU head coach Jay Mills. "They had some big stands today and rose up several times to keep us in the game. Unfortunately, we could never sustain anything offensively."

CSU trailed 12-0 at halftime after mustering only 31 yards in total offense on 30 offensive plays. Wingate used a blocked punt to set up their first score, a 23-yard Chris Brewer field goal with 6:12 remaining in the second quarter. The Bulldogs added a touchdown pass of 51 yards from Stuart Card to Rodney Williams with 2:27 remaining in the half for a 9-0 lead. Brewer added a 20-yard field goal as time expired in the half for a 12-0 halftime advantage.

"We felt like we were right in the game at halftime," said Mills. "We had not been very effective offensively but we felt at that point that the defense would keep us in the game and give us a chance."

Wingate opened the third quarter with a 56-yard touchdown drive with Antonio Hailstock scoring on a five-yard run with 12:23 to play in the third. The Bulldogs sealed the game with a 37-yard field goal from Brewer with 12:51 left in the contest, upping the lead to 22-0.

Most of CSU's problems offensively came in the running game where they managed only 46 net yards, with 24 of those yards coming on the last play of the game. Starting quarterback Clint Chappell struggled in the contest, completing five-of-21 passes for 41 yards. Freshman Collin Drafts completed 10-of-18 passes for 97 yards and directed the team's only scoring drive - a drive that covered 78 yards on 16 plays and ate up seven minutes of the clock in the fourth quarter.

"I was very encouraged by our team's attitude and with the way they kept at it and competed for the entire game," said Mills. "We had some young guys step up and play very hard when the outcome was already decided and that's the kind of effort we've got to have.

"This football team is developing and these young guys are getting better. We're going to get things done over time if we continue to show the kind of effort we showed today."

Leading CSU's defensive effort were linebackers Jonna Lee and Torri Barber with 10 tackles each. Defensive end Jonathan West was in on nine tackles, including three tackles for loss. The CSU defense also intercepted three passes, including freshman Jarred Lawson's second pick of the young season.

CSU returns to action next Saturday, hosting Presbyterian College in their home opener of the 2003 season. The Blue Hose are coming off a 21-14 loss to West Georgia on Saturday and have won nine of the ten meetings all-time with the Buccaneers.