Samford defeated Western Carolina 31-13 in Cullowhee, North Carolina on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Bulldogs moved to 5-6 overall (4-4 SoCon).
The Bulldogs were led offensively by quarterback Liam Welch, who completed 9/19 passing attempts for 115 yards and a touchdown. He also added 105 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.
Freshman running back Jay Stanton chipped in with 80 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Wide receiver Robert Adams led the Bulldogs with 46 yards receiving for the day, while Kendall Watson added 43 yards.
After Western Carolina took an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter, Samford’s Montrell Washington ran a punt back for 59 yards, cutting the Catamount lead to three points before the end of the quarter.
After another Western Carolina field goal gave the Catamounts a 13-7 lead, Liam Welch responded with a one-yard touchdown rush to give the Bulldogs a 14-13 advantage.
Mitchell Fineran converted on a 39-yard field goal 21 seconds before halftime to give Samford a 17-13 lead going into the break.
The second half saw Samford continue to thrive on the offensive side of the ball.
Welch found tight end Michael Vice for a 2-yard touchdown pass halfway through the third quarter to extend the Bulldog lead to 24-13.
In the fourth quarter, Stanton found the end zone on a 12-yard touchdown carry to give Samford a 31-13 advantage, good enough for a victory on the day.
The Bulldogs will return to action in a week as they travel to face the Auburn Tigers. The game has a start time set for 11 a.m. CST and can be viewed on ESPN3.
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.
