FINAL GAME STATS (PDF)

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Samford offense amassed 550 yards of total offense, and the Bulldog defense caused seven turnovers (six fumbles and one interception) on the way to a dominating 55-7 Southern Conference win at The Citadel Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
 
With the win, Samford improves to 3-3, all in SoCon play. The Citadel falls to 0-9 overall and 0-5 in SoCon play.
 
Samford quarterback Liam Welch had a big day passing and running. Welch completed 19-of-35 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing 13 times for 139 yards and a touchdown.
 
Jai'Rus Creamer caught three passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Samford receivers. Montrell Washington had six receptions for 94 yards, while Michael Vice caught two passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. DeMarcus Ware had eight carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Nathan East and Trimarcus Cheeks had 13 tackles each for the Samford defense. Cheeks, Thomas Neville, Chris Edmonds, Jeremy Garth, Lamar Anderson and Joseph Mera had one fumble recovery each. Anderson returned his fumble recovery for a 68-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Hakeem Johnson also had an interception for Samford.
 
For The Citadel, quarterback Darique Hampton rushed for 98 yards on 22 carries. Hampton also passed for 21 yards and one touchdown. For The Citadel's defense, Andy Davis had nine tackles and one interception.
 
On the opening drive of the game, Samford drove 75 yard in 10 plays, capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass from Welch to Creamer for a 7-0 Samford lead with 12:28 left in the first quarter. On Samford's second drive, Mitchell Fineran kicked a 19-yard field goal to push the Samford lead to 10-0 with 6:34 left in the opening quarter.
 
On the opening drive of the second quarter, with The Citadel facing a 4^th-and-goal from the Samford five-yard line, Samford's Cheeks recovered a Citadel fumble ending the threat and giving Samford the ball at the seven-yard line. Samford then drove 93 yards, with Welch scoring on a nine-yard run for a 17-0 Samford lead with 9:25 left in the second period.
 
Welch connected with Creamer for a 70-yard touchdown pass to make the score 24-0 with 4:03 left in the second quarter. Welch then hit Vice for a 25-yard score to push the lead to 31-0 with 3:52 left before halftime. The score was set up when Garth recovered a Citadel fumble, giving Samford the ball at the Citadel's 25-yard line.
 
The Citadel put its lone points on the scoreboard when Hampton hit Raleigh Webb for a 25-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 31-7 with 54 seconds left in the second quarter. Fineran kicked a 48-yard field goal to make the score 34-7 with just six seconds left before halftime.
 
The lone score in the third quarter came on Ware's 16-yard run to make the score 41-7 with 8:33 left in the third period. Early in the fourth quarter, Samford's Anderson picked up a Citadel fumble and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown to make the score 48-7 with 13:40 left in the game. The final score came when Ware scored on a one-yard run to push the lead to 55-7 with 9:26 to go in the contest.
 
Samford will take the next week off from competition. The Bulldogs will play at Chattanooga on Saturday, April 10. The game is set for a 1 p.m. (CT) start from Chattanooga's Finley Stadium.
 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford football, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordFootball (Facebook), @SamfordFootball (Instagram) and @SamfordFootball (Twitter).