BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Each week during the 2021 spring football season, Kevin Blackwell will host The Chris Hatcher Show. The show, featuring head football coach Chris Hatcher, will look back at the previous week's football game and look forward to the upcoming contest.
 
Samford earned an impressive 55-7 win at The Citadel last Saturday. Hatcher said he was proud of how the team responded after a tough overtime loss the week before at home.
 
"First of all, I am really proud of our team," Hatcher said. "Coming off of an overtime defeat to VMI, to come back with a great work week and to go on the road to a place that Samford has not won at since 2014 and hand The Citadel its worst home loss since 1999 tells you a lot about the type of players we have here, the work ethic they have and the great job our coaches did preparing them."
 
The Samford defense caused seven Citadel turnovers, one interception and six fumbles, and the Samford offense scored 21 points off those turnovers. Hatcher said Samford taking advantage of those Citadel mistakes was a key to the victory.
 
"If you force seven turnovers every game, you're going to probably win every game," Hatcher said. "Our defense played extremely well, they only gave up seven points. The offense did a good job of capitalizing on those turnovers. Those guys had two one-play scoring drives after Citadel turnovers. So, all-in-all, it was a pretty good day."
 
The Samford offense amassed 550 total yards in the win. The Bulldogs had eight offensive scoring drives, with six touchdowns and two field goals
 
"I think the offense did a good job of playing with great tempo, throughout the course of the game" Hatcher said. "We were able to get the running game going at times, especially with the quarterback, and then we had some good field position."
 
Hatcher was also complimentary of both the offensive and defensive lines during the big win.
 
"If you have that many yards offensively, it all starts up front," Hatcher said. "And then defensively, if you force that many turnovers, it all starts up front. That's where you win ballgames. We're fortunate to have some really good coaches that coach in the trenches."
 
Quarterback Liam Welch had another impressive game in the win. He passed for 306 yards and three touchdowns, and he rushed for 139 yards and another score. Jai'Rus Creamer had one of his best days at receiver, catching three passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns, including one from 70 yards out.
 
"Jai's not really known for his straight-line speed," Hatcher said. "He's known more for running guys over, and I think it got our guys a little juiced up. And of course, the first touchdown, he caught one over the middle. He's been a very consistent player here during his time. The other night, he stepped up really big when his number was called."
 
Running back DeMarcus Ware, who missed some early games with an injury, scored two rushing touchdowns in the win for the Bulldogs.
 
"He got injured during our last scrimmage before the season and has just been working himself back in," Hatcher said. "He had a great week of practice, and we felt like it was time to get him some reps, and he earned them. To come out with a good showing like that was good to see because he's been down just because of lack of playing time due to an injury, but he bounced back really well."
 
The Citadel employs a triple option offense, and the Samford defense did a good job of containing the running game through most of the contest.
 
"The biggest thing that you have to do, defensively, is have eye discipline, because you have to work on your key the entire game," Hatcher said. "I really thought early on they hurt us with the dive play, we got adjusted to that and made the QB pitch it out there to the perimeter. We tackled well, we got them into some third-and-long situations and we put pressure on the quarterback exchange with the fullback and forced some big turnovers, especially early in the game. Defensively, I couldn't be happier for those guys."
 
Samford is off this week, and originally had its next game scheduled at Chattanooga on April 10, but UTC announced Monday it was opting out for the rest of the season, creating a second-straight off week for the Bulldogs.
 
"We're disappointed we're not going to get to play the full schedule," Hatcher said. "But, we knew going into the year that was a possibility that we may not get through the entire season. We're very blessed to have played six games thus far. I've never had two weeks off in a season, especially with only one remaining scheduled game left to play."
 
Hatcher talked about how he is approaching the next couple of weeks without a game.
 
"This week, we'll do the minimum amount necessary, give the guys some time away, especially with it being Easter weekend," Hatcher said. "Next week, we'll teat like a regular bye week. Then we'll head back into that Mercer week for the finale, which we are very fortunate for that one to be at home. I think we're playing well. I'm excited, I really like our team. I think our coaches are starting to gel, I think our players are starting to gel. We want to finish this spring season off on a high note to give us some momentum going into our summer conditioning."
 
Samford will wrap up the spring season with a home game against Mercer on April 17. The game is set for a 12 p.m. start from Seibert Stadium, and tickets can be purchased at the following link: PURCHASE TICKETS.
 
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