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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford head football coach Pat Sullivan became the program's all-time winningest coach with a 34-20 win over Western Carolina Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
 
"This is the culmination of a lot of love," Sullivan said. "It's not about me, it's about what our players, coaches, (Samford President) Dr. (Andrew) Westmoreland and all of our people have done. They've all put in a lot of hard work, and it was done the right way with a lot of class, and I'm proud of that."
 
Sullivan has now won 46 games in his time as Samford, breaking the record held by former head coach Terry Bowden. The Bulldogs are now 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Southern Conference play. The win secures the Bulldogs' fourth-straight winning season, marking the longest streak for Samford since 1999. Western Carolina falls to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in SoCon play.
 
"We're happy for Coach," Samford assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Bill D'Ottavio said. "That is awesome and it's well deserved. He is a special guy and this was a big win for everybody."
 
In the win for Samford, Denzel Williams rushed 27 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Eubank completed 15-of-24 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, while Karel Hamilton caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.
 
Defensively for Samford, Justin Cooper had 14 tackles, including 13 solo stops and two tackles for loss. Josh Killett and Josh Kimberlin had an interception each for the Bulldogs. Reece Everett was good on both of his field goal attempts and all four of his extra-point attempts.
 
For Western Carolina, Troy Mitchell completed 26-of-40 passes for 262 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Mitchell also rushed for two touchdowns. Karnorris Benson caught seven passes for 91 yards, while Darius Ramsey rushed 18 times for 95 yards.
 
Samford took the lead on its first offensive possession. Eubank connected with Jeremiaha Gates for a 35-yard touchdown to give Samford a 7-0 lead with 8:55 left in the first quarter. The score capped a nine-play, 84-yard drive that took three minutes and 12 seconds off of the clock.
 
The Bulldogs struck again on their next offensive drive. Williams scored on a seven-yard run to make the score 14-0 with 2:51 left in the first quarter. The scoring drive was eight-plays, 64-yard and lasted two minutes and 55 seconds.
 
Samford added to its lead again early in the second quarter. Williams scored his second touchdown of the game, this one on a 13-yard run, giving Samford a 21-0 lead with 10:10 left in the quarter. The play capped an eight-play, 71-yard drive that took two minutes and 30 seconds off of the second-quarter clock.
 
The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 28-0 when Eubank hit Hamilton for a 37-yard touchdown. The score came with 5:44 left in the second quarter and it capped an eight-play, 79-yard drive that lasted two minutes and 23 seconds.
 
Western Carolina put its first points on the scoreboard when Mitchell scored on a three-yard run to make the score 28-7 with 2:25 left before halftime. The WCU scoring drive was eight plays, 75 yards and lasted three minutes and 19 seconds.
 
With 8:31 to go in the third quarter, Reece Everett kicked a 39-yard field goal to push the Bulldogs' lead to 31-7. WCU's Spearman Robinson caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell with 3:34 left in the third quarter. The two-point PAT attempt was no good, making the score 31-13.
 
In the fourth quarter, Everett kicked a 35-yard field goal with 10:20 left to push the Samford lead to 34-13. Mitchell later scored on a one-yard run with 48 seconds left o make the final score 34-20.
 
As a team, Samford finished with 461 yards of total offense, with 232 coming through the air and 229 coming on the ground. Western Carolina posted 396 total yards in the game.  
 
Samford will return to action on Nov. 15, when the Bulldogs travel to Charleston, S.C., to take on The Citadel. The game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. (CT) start from Johnson Hagood Stadium.