In game four, the Cats return to Cullowhee and the friendly confines of Whitmire Stadium. This family weekend, but the Cats are now riding a two-game win streak with wins over Davidson and Gardner-Webb. Adding to the excitement and crowd size is the fact the Cats face the #17 Samford Bulldogs in SoCon opener for Western Carolina. The last time the Cats had a victory over the Dogs was in 2015, and you guessed it, the game was in Cullowhee.
will be "family weekend" in Cullowhee and a large crowd is expected, not just because of
For the second straight week, the Cats face a quarterback that was selected preseason Offensive Player of the Year. At GWU, it was the Big South POY Tyrell Maxwell, and for Samford, it will be SoCon's POY Devlin Hodges. I think both are being outshined by WCU's own Tyrie Adams. Certainly, head-to-head against Maxwell, Adams got the job done.
When: Saturday, September 23 - Time 3:30 pm ET
Where: E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Bob Waters Field, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
Tallent: Gary Ayers (pxp), Greg McLamb (color), Jeff Bryson, Dan Gibson (sideline)
TV/video: ESPN3 (Watch ESPN)
Talent: Daniel Hooker (pxp), Kyle Rush (color) & Katie Miller (sideline)
Game Notes: Western Carolina - Samford - SoCon Weekly (as available)
Samford Fan Message Board: The Dog Pound
Head Coach: Chris Hatcher (Valdosta State, ‘94)
Record at Samford: 13-10 (2 yrs)
Career Record: 134-67 (17 yrs)
Basic Offense: Spread
Basic Defense: 4–3
Lettermen Returning / Lost: 57 / 27
Starters Returning / Lost (O/D): 12 (5/7) / 10 (6/4)
The Series: The Cats are 2-12 overall against the Bulldogs since winning the first outing back in 1969. Samford owned an eleven game winning streak against Western until 2015 when the Cats broke that streak in Cullowhee with a 56-36 win over the Dogs. The Cats are 1-5 against the Dogs in Cullowhee, and 1-7 in games played in Birmingham.
Games played by the Dogs this season prior to the WCU contest: (3)
- KSU (home) - After a three-hour weather delay at halftime, the 19th-ranked Samford football team came from behind to earn a season-opening 28-23 win over Kennesaw State
- West Alabama (Div II) (home) - The Samford football team built a 35-7 halftime lead and held on late to defeat the West Alabama Tigers, 49-41 Thursday night at Seibert Stadium.
- Georgia @ Athens, GA - The Samford football team dropped a 42-14 decision at 13th-ranked Georgia Saturday night at Sanford Stadium.
Last WCU game played vs. Samford: (10-22-16) Western Carolina Football Falls at No. 20 Samford, 30-17 - Karel Hamilton recorded 16 receptions for a game-high 208 yards and two receiving touchdowns to highlight a strong passing performance by No. 20 Samford as the Bulldogs handed Western Carolina a 30-17 defeat Saturday night in Southern Conference action at Seibert Stadium
The Samford football team has been highly ranked in 2017 preseason polls by several publications and websites. SouthernPigskin.com has Samford ranked the highest of any preseason poll, placing the Bulldogs 9th in the nation. Athlon Sports places Samford 18th, while the Dogs are ranked 20th in Street and Smith's preseason poll. Samford returns five starters on offense and seven starters on defense from the 2016 squad.
Last year's team posted a record of 7-5 overall and 5-3 in Southern Conference games, marking Samford's sixth-straight winning season. Among the returning starters are first-team All-SoCon honorees quarterback Devlin Hodges (Off. POY), linebacker Shaheed Salmon, cornerback Omari Williams and defensive lineman Ahmad Gooden.
In preseason honors, Samford junior quarterback Devlin Hodges was named the Southern Conference's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Hodges was joined on the first team by wide receiver Kelvin McKnight, defensive lineman Ahmad Gooden, linebacker Shaheed Salmon and defensive back Omari Williams. Punter Austin Barnard was named to the second team.
As a team, Samford was picked to finish in third place in the SoCon in both the coaches and media polls. However, the Bulldogs don't seem to be able to stop the big play down the field this season. West Alabama's Harry Satterwhite threw for 401 yards against the Samford defense and the Jaguars finished with 464 yards in the air. This season with three games under their belt. the Bulldogs are currently 3d in the SoCon in scoring offense, averaging 30.3 ppg, and 5th in total offense with 333 ypg. On the defensive side, the Dogs are in 7th place in scoring defense, giving up35.3 ppg and rank ninth in total defense, giving up 508.7 yards per game. Samford is in 8th place in rushing offense, and second in passing offense (behind WCU).
2017 Samford Statistics (3 games):
Rushing Offense: 214 yards
Yards per game: 71
Yards per rush: 2.4 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 13
TDs rushing: 1
Passing Offense: 785 yards or 262 yards per game
Passing 1st downs: 34
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 72-106-2
TDs Passing: 9
Total Offense: 999 yards or 333 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 8-2
3d Down Conversions: 17 of 42
4th Down Conversions: 0 of 2
Field goal attempts: 0 - 1
PAT-Attempts: 13-13
Red Zone Scores: 6 of 8 (75%)
Red Zone Touchdowns: 6 of 8 (75%)
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