GAME NOTES

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 14^th-ranked Samford football team will travel to Kennesaw, Ga., to take on the 16^th-ranked Kennesaw State Owls Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in the first round of the NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs.
 
This marks the second-straight season Samford has earned a bid to the FCS Playoffs. Last season, the Bulldogs played at Youngstown State in the first round, falling by a score of 38-24. This is the first time Samford has earned a playoff bid in back-to-back seasons since 1992.


 
"We're excited," Samford head coach Chris Hatcher said. "Anytime at this level of ball you're playing on Thanksgiving week, you know you've had a good season. Last year, we were very fortunate to just get in, probably in that last spot, and that was kind of our mentality. This year, we want to do something with it. Our team has been very focused, we've had good energy and we're excited about the opportunity to play another ballgame."
 
The game is a rematch of the season opener for both teams. In that earlier meeting on Aug. 31, Samford earned a 28-23 win over Kennesaw State at Seibert Stadium.
 
Samford enters the game with a record of 8-3 overall and 6-2 in the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs are coming off a 26-20 win over 24^th-ranked Furman last week.
 
Kennesaw State is currently 10-1 overall and 5-0 in Big South Conference play. The Owls are coming off a 52-21 win over Monmouth last week.
 
"They've grown a lot," Hatcher said of KSU. "They're not the same team they were the first week, and I don't believe we're the same team we were way back then. They've done a great job in building that program, they've done a great job this season. It's going to be a tough battle. Of course, we have to stop the option, and we have to continue to be very efficient offensively in order to have a chance to win."
 
Earlier on Tuesday, two Samford players received Player of the Year awards from the SoCon. Junior quarterback Devlin Hodges was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year, while junior defensive lineman Ahmad Gooden earned league Defensive Player of the Year honors. In all, Samford had nine players named All-SoCon, and four named to the All-Freshman team.
 
"I told the team afterwards, it was a team effort," Hatcher said. "You have to have a lot of good players around the great ones. The guys that were on the team are very well deserving of it. They've been leaders on and off the field for us and I'm very happy they were able to achieve some postseason honors in the Southern Conference."
 
Saturday's game can be heard live on WVSU-FM 91.1. The contest can also be seen live on ESPN3. To purchase tickets for the game, click here: PLAYOFF GAME TICKETS.