WCU Football Game #4 - Samford Bulldogs

In 2024, Western Carolina closed the regular season and conference schedule against the Samford Bulldogs, and in 2025, the Cats will open the conference schedule against these same Bulldogs.   

Game #4 - Samford Bulldogs

The Bulldogs finished the 2024 season with a 4-7 overall record, finishing the season with a 3-4 conference record, and finished in fifth place in the conference standings for the second consecutive season. Currently the Bulldogs are 0-3 overall (as are the Cats). 

  

When: Saturday, September 20, 2025

Time: 2:30 pm (ET)  

Where: EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

Radio: Catamount Sports Network

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

TV / video:    ESPN+
Live Stats: WCU Live Stats

Game Notes:  Western Carolina   -   Samford   

Colors: Red and Blue

Bulldog Message Board: The Dog Pound 

The Series: The Cats are 5-17 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. The Cats brok another 5 game losing streak last in the 2023 season in Cullowhee, with a 30-7 win over the Bulldogs. The Cats are riding a two game win streak vs. the Bulldogs, but are 3-7 vs. Samford in games played in Cullowhee.  

Last game played vs. Samford: Nov. 23, 2024 - Catamounts Claim Wild Season Finale at Samford, 47-42 -  Taron Dickens passed for 408 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offensive attack and Western Carolina converted a pair of late first-half takeaways into points before withstanding a furious third-quarter rally by the Samford Bulldogs as the Catamounts closed the regular season with a 47-42 road victory in Southern Conference action Saturday at Pete Hanna Stadium.

Chris Hatcher's record vs. Western Carolina: 9-4

Kerwin Bell's record vs. Samford: 2-2

Head Coach: Chris Hatcher. Chris Hatcher was named Samford’s 36th head football coach on Dec. 11, 2014. Entering his eleventh season at Samford in 2025, Hatcher boasts a career record of 182-107 in 24 years as a college head coach, having previously coached at Murray State, Georgia Southern, and Valdosta State. 

Last Season's Record - 2024 (Samford): 4-7 overall, 3-3 home, 1-4 away, 3-4 SoCon

This Season's Record - 2025 (Samford):  0-3 overall, 0-2 home, 0-1 away, 0-1 SoCon

Offensive Formation: Multiple
Defensive Formation: 4-3

In SoCon preseason polls, the Bulldogs were picked fifth in the coaches poll and Samford had four players named to the preseason All-SoCon teams. Defensive lineman Conroy Cunningham and long-snapper Alex Applefi eld were both named first team preseason All-SoCon, while quarterback Quincy Crittendon and linebacker Jaden Mosley both earned second team honors.

The 2025 Samford football roster features several Power Four transfers including Deuce Caldwell II (North Carolina), Web Davidson (Virginia Tech), Gumbo Gaskins (Vanderbilt), Jaden Gibson (Virginia), Charlie Gilliam (Wake Forest), Donovan Grayson (West Virginia), Grant Hidalgo (Auburn), Noah Jones (Georgia), Vance Nicklaus (Florida State), Rayf Vinson (Ole Miss) and Hank Weber (Wisconsin).

Not only have there been changes on the roster, but the Bulldog coaching sta has some new faces as well: Scot Sloan (Defensive Coordinator), Cal King (Linebackers), Tyler Zielenske (Special Teams Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator), Thomas Morton (Quarterbacks) and Caysey Colant (Chief of Staff). 

So far this season, the Bulldogs have losses against West Georgia, The Citadel, and Baylor.  

2025 Samford Statistics (3 games)

Rushing Offense: 209 yards
Yards per game: 69.7
Yards per rush: 2.2 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 16
TDs rushing: 1
Passing Offense: 709 yards or 236 yards per game
Passing 1st downs: 32
Passing Att-Comp-Int: 131-88-6
TDs Passing: 1
Total Offense: 918 yards or 306 yards per game
Fumbles - Lost: 10 - 6
3d Down Conversions: 18 of  54 (33%)
4th Down Conversions: 2 of 7 (29%)
Field goal attempts: 3 - 3
PAT-Attempts: 2 of 2
Red Zone Scores:  5 of 10 
Red Zone Touchdowns: 2 of 10 
On-Side Kicks: 1 - 1
Penalties-Yards: 19 - 174