By Will Mason, Staff Writer
Fall is in the air, and with it comes the return of Samford football.
Led by head coach Chris Hatcher in his 8th season at Samford and with an overall record of 2-1, the Bulldogs are looking ready for Southern Conference play and are off to a solid start this season. In fact, the Bulldogs are ranked in the FCS Top 25, currently 21st.
The Bulldogs hosted the Kennesaw State Owls on Sept. 1 and won 27-17. This was a statement win for the Bulldogs, as KSU was ranked No. 6 in the FCS when they traveled to Birmingham. Samford’s time of possession was 20:54, compared to Kennesaw’s 39:06. This showed the effectiveness of the Bulldog offense, which had 56 offensive plays that went for 402 yards.
Quarterback Michael Hiers threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs, doubling the yardage of KSU’s QB, Xavier Shepherd. Defensively, Samford allowed a 50% conversion rate on third down, which is likely an area of improvement for the Bulldogs going forward.
After the KSU win, Samford traveled to Athens, Ga. to face the reigning national champions. In the “Battle of the Bulldogs,” as it has been nicknamed, Samford fell to Georgia in a 33-0 blowout.
Georgia did not miss a beat from last year’s national championship team, as they dominated on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Georgia only allowed three first downs. However, Samford’s special teams stayed strong, with Bradley Porcellato punting for 358 yards and averaging 39.8 yards per punt.
After the challenging game at Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs traveled to Cookeville, Tenn., to face Tennessee Tech, where the Bulldogs pulled off an incredible comeback to beat the Golden Eagles 33-28.
Tennessee Tech led 21-17 at halftime, but Samford came back thanks to the efforts of running back Jaylan Thomas (96 yards on 13 attempts) and linebacker Nathan East (seven tackles and an interception).
While Samford prides itself on being a complete football team, there have been some standouts for the Bulldogs this season.
Starting quarterback Michael Hiers has stepped comfortably into the position that was up for grabs over the summer. Nik Scalzo went down with a season-ending injury, and Hiers took over and has not looked back. He currently has a QBR of 155.82 and has thrown for 678 yards in Samford’s first 3 games.
For the defense, defensive back Isaiah Richardson and linebackers Noah Martin and Nathan East lead the team with ten solo tackles each, and Richardson leads the defense with 20 tackles total.
Overall, the Bulldogs have shown tremendous promise this season, led by stellar quarterback play and a gritty attitude. Samford is looking to start conference play off strong versus Western Carolina on Sept. 24, in Birmingham.
NOTE: This article was composed before Samford’s matchup against Western Carolina. Statistics and records may be different than what was written at press time.
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