BOX SCORE (PDF)
KENNESAW, Ga. – The 14
th-ranked Samford football dropped a 28-17 decision to 16
th-ranked Kennesaw State in the first round of the NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs Saturday afternoon at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
Samford ends its season with a record of 8-4. The Bulldogs reached the FCS Playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time since 1992.
Kennesaw State improves to 11-1 on the season. The Owls advance to the second round of the playoffs and will play at second-ranked Jacksonville State next Saturday.
"First of all, we congratulate Kennesaw, they played a really good game," Samford head coach
Chris Hatcher said. "We played a lot better in the second half than we did in the first half. We came out slow and a little tight on both sides of the ball to start the game and we gave up some big plays. In the second half, we really tightened it down and offensively we were able to move the ball well, but we had some drives that stalled in the red zone area and we couldn't convert. When you play a good team you have to make some plays and we came out on the short end of that today."
For Samford in the loss,
Devlin Hodges completed 39-of-66 passes for 396 yards and a touchdown. Chris Shelling caught 12 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown.
The Samford defense was led by senior linebacker
Shaheed Salmon with 18 total tackles, including 13 solo stops, to go along with a forced fumble.
Deion Pierre had eight tackles for the Bulldogs.
For Kennesaw State, Shaquil Terry rushed eight times for 120 yards. Chandler Burks had 15 rushes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Burks also passed for two touchdowns for the Owls.
Defensively Bryson Armstrong had 16 tackles, 11 solo. Akebren Ralls had seven tackles, along with an interception he returned 55 yards for a touchdown.
Samford struck first when Jordan Weaver booted a 40-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead with 9:51 to go in the first quarter. Kennesaw State took the lead when Burks hit Justin Sumpter for a seven-yard touchdown pass, giving the Owls a 7-3 lead with 14:52 to go in the second quarter.
The Owls added to their lead late in the second quarter. Burks scored on a one-yard run to push KSU's lead to 14-3 with 3:03 left in the second quarter. Samford answered quickly when Hodges connected with Shelling for a 55-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 14-10 with 1:27 left in the second quarter.
Following Samford's touchdown, Kennesaw State moved quickly down the field to add one more score before halftime. Burks hit Justin Sumpter for a six-yard touchdown to make the score 28-10 with 34 seconds left before halftime.
Neither offense could score in the third quarter. The only points of the period came when Ralls of KSU picked off a Hodges pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown and a 28-10 Owl lead with just five seconds left in the third quarter.
Samford added one final score when
Roland Adams scored on a two-yard run to cut the KSU lead to 28-17 with 10:42 left in the game. The Bulldogs, however, could get no closer as the Owls came away with the 28-17 win.
