Samford defeated East Tennessee State 24-17 on Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium in Birmingham.
Samford quarterback Chris Oladokun passed for 134 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Freshman running back Jay Stanton added 44 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown on the ground.
After ETSU third-string freshman quarterback Trey Mitchell tossed an interception early in the first quarter, Samford quarterback Chris Oladokun led the Bulldogs down the field for a touchdown. After Oladokun strung together several impressive runs and passes, the Bulldogs found the end zone with a 2-yard rushing touchdown from freshman running back Jay Stanton.
ETSU’s next offensive opportunity yielded a missed field goal. Samford proceeded to drive down the field, but came up short near midfield and were forced to punt.
Just before the end of the first quarter, Samford turned the ball over in the end zone on an Oladokun interception intended for freshman tight end Michael Vice.
In the second quarter, ETSU would put points on the board with a 1-yard Mitchell touchdown pass to fullback Jawan Martin, tying the game at seven.
ETSU would take a 14-7 lead going into the half after a 1-yard Mitchell touchdown run.
In the third, Samford would take a 17-14 lead after a 42-yard Mitchell Fineran field goal at the beginning of the quarter and a Michael Vice 3-yard touchdown reception at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth, ETSU would tie the game at 17 on a field goal.
Samford, however, responded with a 1-yard touchdown from freshman running back Jocquet Jiles, giving the Bulldogs a 24-17 lead with just over six minutes left to play.
After a bad snap to Mitchell, Samford’s defense recovered the ball and held on for the 24-17 victory, moving the Bulldogs to 4-4 (3-2 SoCon) on the year.
The Bulldogs will return to action in a week as they travel to Macon to face off against the Mercer Bears. The game currently has a 6 p.m. start time and can be streamed on ESPN+.
