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CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Samford junior quarterback Devlin Hodges threw for a school-record 516 yards, but the 17^th-ranked Bulldog football team dropped a heart-breaking, 38-34 contest at Western Carolina in the team's Southern Conference opener Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
 
On the final drive of the game, Samford started at its own one-yard-line with 1:31 to play. The Bulldogs drove to the Western Carolina three-yard-line where it was 1^st-and-goal with 20 seconds to play. Treyvon Paulk then rushed to the two-yard-line. After an incompletion, Hodges ran to the one-yard line where Samford called timeout with just two seconds remaining. Hodges' pass to Andrew Harris fell incomplete and the game ended with Western Carolina earning the 38-34 victory.


 
"We went on the road and played a good team," Samford head coach Chris Hatcher said. "We had a couple of chances to win the game, but our lack of efficiency in the red zone, which we have been awesome in this season, hurt us. We drove 98 yards there at the end and came up a yard short. That was a bad call by me, I take the blame on that last one. Our guys fought hard, it's just always disappointing to get beat anytime, but especially in a game that you felt like you had in control there at the end."
 
Hodges completed 38-of-66 passes for his school-record total of 516 yards and four touchdowns. Hodges' total breaks the old record of 495 yards set by Andy Summerlin against Georgia Southern in 2013. The 516 yards is also the third-highest total in a game in Southern Conference history.
 
Chris Shelling caught 12 passes for a career-high 245 yards and a touchdown, while Kelvin McKnight had 12 catches for a career-high 194 yards and three scores. Moise Satine rushed six times for a career-high 63 yards.
 
Ahmad Gooden led the Samford defense with 15 tackles, including six solo stops. Koi Freeman had an interception and a fumble recovery, to go along with his four tackles.
 
For Western Carolina, quarterback Tyrie Adams rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown, and he passed for 312 yards and a touchdown. Terryon Robinson caught eight passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Detrez Newsome rushed 25 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Marvin Tillman led the Catamount defense with 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops.
 
The teams went back-and-forth in the first half, with Western Carolina holding a 17-14 advantage going into the locker room at halftime.
 
In the third quarter, Samford took the lead when Hodges hit Shelling for a seven-yard touchdown with 12:16 to go in the third quarter or a 21-17 Samford lead. The Bulldogs added to their lead when Jordan Weaver kicked a 32-yard field goal to make the score 24-17 with 10:15 left in the third quarter.
 
WCU's Adams scored on a 23-yard run to knot the score at 24-24 with 6:45 left in the third period. Weaver then kicked a 21-yard field goal to give Samford a 27-24 lead with 4:01 to go in the third quarter.
 
Western Carolina took the lead again when Newsome scored on a two-yard run to give the Catamounts a 31-27 lead with 7:23 to go in the fourth quarter. The game then went into about an hour-long lightning delay. When play resumed, the teams traded punts, and then on Samford's next possession, Hodges found McKnight for a 36-yard score to give Samford a 34-31 lead with 3:22 left in the game. Newsome then scored on a four-yard run with 1:33 to go to give WCU a 38-34 lead, setting the stage for the final drive.
 
Samford will return to action when the Bulldogs host The Citadel on Saturday, Sept. 30. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium. To purchase tickets go to the following link: PURCHASE TICKETS.