Samford fell to Chattanooga 35-27 on Senior Day. With the loss, the Bulldogs drop to 4-5 overall (3-4 SoCon).
Backup quarterback Liam Welch completed 14/27 passes for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the loss. Welch also rushed for 33 yards and two touchdowns.
Starting quarterback Chris Oladokun finished with 52 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception in the contest.
Freshman running back Jay Stanton added 49 yards on the ground.
Chattanooga quarterback Nick Tiano put the Mocs on the board first with a 1-yard touchdown carry with just over seven minutes to play in the first quarter.
On the ensuing possession, Oladokun found wide receiver AJ Toney on a 6-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven.
Chattanooga would find the end zone on their next drive, this time with a 4-yard run from running back Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, making the game 14-7 in favor of the Mocs.
Chattanooga extended their lead to 21-7 halfway through the second quarter on a 1-yard Nick Tiano touchdown pass to tight end Chris James.
A second Ibitokun-Hanks rushing touchdown touchdown extended the Mocs’ lead to 28-7 with just under three minutes to play before halftime.
The Mocs would take a 28-7 lead into halftime after Welch was sacked as time expired.
In the third quarter, Welch shortened the Mocs’ lead to 14 points after a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
After a Chattanooga fumble, Samford cut the game to one possession with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Welch to receiver Kendall Watson. Kicker Mitchell Fineran was unable to convert on the extra point, his first missed PAT of the year, and the score remained 28-20 in favor of the Mocs.
Chattanooga would extend their lead to 35-20 after Nick Tiano found Ibitokun-Hanks on a 4-yard touchdown pass.
Samford would cut the lead back to eight after Welch carried the ball four yards into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown on the day.
Samford failed to recover the ensuing onside kick and the game finished 35-27 in favor of Chattanooga.
The Bulldogs will return to action in a week as they face off against Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The game currently has a start time set for 1 p.m. CST and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Gunnar Sadowey is the sports editor for the Crimson. He is a senior from Elkhart, IN. Gunnar is currently a journalism and mass communications major with a print concentration and a German minor.
