BOX SCORE

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford defense held ETSU to just three second-half points as the Bulldogs came from behind for a 24-17 win in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
 
With the win, Samford improves to 4-4 overall and 3-2 in SoCon games. ETSU falls to 2-6 overall and 0-5 in league play.


 
"I was really pleased with our defensive performance," Samford head coach Chris Hatcher said. "That was the best we've played all season, defensively. We were more aggressive and we made more open-field tackles. And then, in the second half our offense came alive. We ran the ball better, played with tempo and were able to finish some drives."
 
For Samford in the win, quarterback Chris Oladokun completed 19-of-31 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed 20 times for 43 yards. Montrell Washington had six rushes for 56 yards, while Jay Stanton rushed 12 times for 44 yards and a touchdown. Robert Adams led the Samford receivers with three catches for 46 yards.
 
Jordan Montgomery and Ty Herring had nine tackles each to lead the Bulldog defense. Aaron Atkinson had an interception, and Trimarcus Cheeks recovered a fumble for Samford.
 
For ETSU, Quay Holmes rushed 15 times for 95 yards. Trey Mitchell completed 19-of-33 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Nate Atkins caught five passes for 55 yards. Colton Lakes led the ETSU defense with 11 tackles.


 
After Samford's Atkinson picked off an ETSU pass on the game's opening drive, Samford drove 46 yards in eight plays and Stanton scored on a two-yard run to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 11:10 left in the first quarter.
 
The score stayed the same through the rest of the first quarter. ETSU tied the game when Mitchell hit Jawan Martin for a one-yard touchdown pass to knot the score at 7-7 with 12:06 to go in the second quarter. The Bucs took the lead when Mitchell scored on a one-yard run to make the score 14-7 with 2:33 left in the second quarter.
 
On the first drive of the second half, Samford's Mitchell Fineran kicked a 42-yard field goal to cut the ETSU lead to 14-10 with 12:48 left in the third quarter. Oladokun hit Michael Vice for a three-yard touchdown pass to give Samford a 17-14 lead with 2:41 left in the third quarter.
 
ETSU's Tyler Keltner kicked a 30-yard field goal to tie the game at 17-17 with 9:49 left in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs took the lead for good when Jocquet Jiles scored on a one-yard run to give Samford a 24-17 lead with 6:22 left in the contest. The touchdown was the first of Jiles' Samford career.
 
Samford will play at Mercer next Saturday, Nov. 2. The game is set for a 6 p.m. (CT) start from Macon, Ga.