Game #2 - #8 Samford Bulldogs

In Western Carolina's second game of the season, and their Southern Conference opener,  Western Carolina hosts the #8 nationally ranked Samford Bulldogs, in a "White Out Whitmire" game that is also the Ingles/SoCon Game of the Week.  

WCU will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1983 Catamount football team that advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship game. The traditional WCU Freshmen run will take place just before kickoff and it is also the second-annual High School Band Day.

The Bulldogs finished the 2022 season with an 11-2 overall record and an outright SoCon Conference Championship.

Game #2  Samford Bulldogs

When: Saturday, September 9, 2023

Time: 2:30 pm (ET)
Where: Bob Water Field, Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network

   -Play-by-Play: Gary Ayers • Color Daniel Hooker • Producer: Jeff Bryson

TV/video:  Nexstar / ESPN+
   -Play-by-Play: Pete Yanity, pbp; Jay Sonnhalter, analyst

Live Stats: WCU Live Stats

Game Notes:   Western Carolina   -   Samford    -   SoCon Notes

Colors: Red and Blue

Bulldog Message Board: The Dog Pound 

The Series: The Cats are 3-17 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. However, the Cats have lost the last 5 games to the Bulldogs, three away and two in Cullowhee. The Cats are 2-7 overall against Samford in games played in Cullowhee.  

Last game played vs. Samford: Sep. 24, 2022 - McCollum Connects on Four Field Goals in 35-12 Setback at #21/22 Samford - Western Carolina amassed 456 yards of total offense including 310 yards through the air and 156 rushing yards on Saturday but were held out of the endzone in settling for a career-best four Richard McCollum field goals as No. 21/22 Samford handed the Catamounts a league-opening 35-12 setback at Seibert Stadium. 

Chris Hatcher's record vs. Western Carolina: 9-2
Kerwin Bell's record vs. Samford: 0-2

Head Coach: Chris Hatcher. Chris Hatcher was named Samford’s 36th head football coach on Dec. 11, 2014. Entering his eighth season at Samford in 2022, Hatcher boasts a career record of 161-93 in 22 years as a college head coach, having previously coached at Murray State, Georgia Southern, and Valdosta State. 

Hatcher's Record at Samford (Years): 51-38 (9th season)
Career Record (Years):  172-95 (24th season)

Hatcher's Record vs. WCU:  9 - 2

Bell's Record vs. Samford: 0-2

Last Season's Record - 2021-22 (Samford): 11-2 overall, 6-0 home, 5-2 away, 8-0 SoCon

Offensive Formation: Multiple (Air Raid)
Defensive Formation: 4-3

Offensive Starters R/L: 6 / 5

Defensive Starters R/L: 3 / 8 

Special Teams Starters R/L: 2 / 4 

Letterwinners R /L: 46 / 30

In the SoCon preseason polls, the Bulldogs tied with Furman for the top spot in the coaches poll.  Samford placed seven players on the preseason All-SoCon squads, including six on the first team. Samford enters this game ranked No. 8 in Stats national poll.

The Bulldogs are led on offense by a pair of Preseason All-Americans as the duo of quarterback Micheal Hiers and Chandler Smith return for the 2023 season. Hiers was named to almost every conceivable preseason list after tossing for 3,544 yards and 36 touchdowns. Smith caught a team-high 100 passes for 1,071 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022. 

With a top-ten ranking, the Bulldogs are looking to return as the SoCon Champion in 2023. Samford returns 4 first-team all-conference players, QB Michael Hiers, WR Chandler Smith, LB Garrett Morris (2022 All-Ivy at Penn), and CB Kamron Smith (2022 All-Big South at Charleston Southern). 

Hero Sports ranked QB Michael Hiers as the best-returning quarterback in the FCS. Hiers was an instant success for the Bulldogs last season, completing 77% of his passes (353/461) for 3,544 yards, 36 touchdowns, and four interceptions while adding three rushing TDs. Hiers threw for more than 300 yards twice and more than 400 yards two more times in the final five regular-season games as Samford completed an undefeated regular season vs. FCS opponents.

The transfer portal was good to Samford last season, they brought in about 15 D1 transfers, 10 from the FBS. However, their best transfer came from a lower division, starting QB Michael Hiers (Northwest Mississippi Community College). The Bulldogs again picked up several portal transfers again for this season. Nine transfers consisting of  3 FBS transfers, and 6 FCS transfers. I find it interesting that the Samford roster carries 52 seniors/grad students.  This is a very experienced team.

Wide receiver RJ Starkey and LB Garrett Morris are from Penn, RB Damonta Witherspoon was an All-OVC player at Murray State, and CB Kamron Smith was a 2022 Sophomore All-American and a First Team All-Big South selection at Charleston Southern. 

If there is a weakness in the 2023 edition of the Bulldogs, it's their defense. In 2022, Samford finished 45th in FCS scoring defense (25.5 PPG), 80th in rushing defense (173.7 YPG), and 111th in passing defense (261.5 YPG). The Bulldogs return only four starters on that unit — DL Joseph Mera, LB Noah Martin, LB Thomas Neville, and DB Fred Flavors. Martin led Samford last season with 92 tackles and 7.5 TFLs.

2023 Samford Statistics (1 game)

Rushing Offense: 122 yards
Yards per game: 122
Yards per rush: 3.6 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 13
TDs rushing: 5
Passing Offense: 438 yards or 438 yards per game
Passing 1st downs: 18
Passing Att-Comp-Int: 43-33-0
TDs Passing: 5
Total Offense: 560 yards or 560 yards per game
Fumbles - Lost: 0-0
3d Down Conversions: 4 of  8 (50%)
4th Down Conversions: 1 of 1 (100%)
Field goal attempts: 0 - 0
PAT-Attempts: 9 of 10
Red Zone Scores:  8 of 9 
Red Zone Touchdowns: 8 of 9 
On-Side Kicks: 0 - 0
Penalties-Yards: 3 - 35