GAME NOTES: Mercer @ Samford (4.17.21)
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The
Southern Conference regular season comes to a close on Saturday, April 17, as the
Bulldogs (3-3, 3-3 SoCon) of
Samford University play host to
Mercer (4-5, 4-2 SoCon) at Seibert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 PM and the game will be broadcast on
ESPN+. Samford enters the week leading the league in
scoring (39.7) and
total offense (500.2) while the Bears average 24.5 points and 316.1 yards.
Samford and
Mercer are meeting for the
27th time in the series with the
Bulldogs holding a slight
13-12-1 edge in the standings. The teams last met on
Nov. 2, 2019, with Mercer claiming a thrilling
36-33 triple OT victory in Macon.
The Bulldogs did not play on Saturday, April 10 after the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga announced it would opt out of the remainder of its 2021 spring schedule. Samford marched to a commanding 55-7 victory at The Citadel in its last outing on March 27 in Charleston, SC. Liam Welch accounted for 445 yards, passing for 306 and rushing for 139, with four TDs in the win.
Mercer (5-5, 5-2 SoCon) claimed its fourth straight SoCon victory with a 21-13 win over East Tennessee State last Saturday. Carter Peevy passed for 65 yards and a touchdown while rushing 12 times for 58 yards and another score to lead the Bears offensively. The Bears were out-gained by the Bucs 382-219. Isaac Dowling led MU with 10 tackles.
Samford will honor Dr. Andrew Westmoreland and his wife, Jeanna, at a special halftime ceremony on Saturday. Dr. Westmoreland is retiring as Samford's President at the end of this year.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
- The Bulldogs (3-3, 3-3 SoCon) of Samford University play host to Mercer (4-5, 4-2 SoCon) at Seibert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 PM and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Samford enters the week leading the league in scoring (39.7) and total offense (500.2) while the Bears average 24.5 points and 316.1 yards per game.
- Samford and Mercer are meeting for the 27th time in the series with the Bulldogs holding a slight 13-12-1 edge in the standings. The two teams last met on Nov. 2, 2019, with Mercer claiming a thri8lling 36-33 triple overtime victory in Macon.
- Mercer (5-5, 5-2 SoCon) claimed its fourth straight SoCon victory with a 21-13 win over East Tennessee State last Saturday. Carter Peevy passed for 65 yards and a touchdown while rushing 12 times for 58 yards and another score to lead the Bears offensively. The Bears were out-gained by the Bucs 382-219, but Mercer made key stops late in the second half to preserve the win. Isaac Dowling led MU with 10 tackles.
- The Bears have been a picture of balance this season offensively, rushing for 159.8 yards while passing for 156.3. Despite recording 27 sacks this season, Mercer has allowed opponents 28.6 points and 350.6 yards per game.
- Carter Peevy has accounted for 12 touchdowns this season as the Bears' starting quarterback. He has completed 83-of-151 passes for 1,156 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. The freshman from Lawrenceville, Ga., has also rushed for a team-leading four touchdowns.
SAMFORD AMONG NCAA'S BEST
The Bulldogs enter Saturday's game versus Mercer ranked 8th in scoring offense (39.7), 7th in passing offense (338.2) and 8th in total offense (500.2) in NCAA FCS. Montrell Washington has continued to be a thorn in the side of special teams coordinators, ranking No. 1 nationally in punt return yardage (180) and No. 8 in yards per return (12.9). Quarterback Liam Welch is 5th nationally with 359.8 yards passing per game and No. 2 in total offense (420.0) with Chris Edmonds ranked No. 1 in interceptions (4). Mitchell Fineran currently sits 3rd in field goals per game (2.0) and 7th in scoring (10.5) while A.J. Toney is 19th in receptions (6.0) and Ty King is 11th in receiving yards (536).
EDMONDS DEMANDING ATTENTION
Sophomore safety Chris Edmonds (6-2, 205) has dominated the spring season in remarkable fashion. The Columbus, Ga., native leads the SoCon and ranks No. 1 nationally with four interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He has totaled 37 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and forced two fumbles in addition to his four interceptions through the Bulldogs' six games.
HATCHER'S OFFENSES PRODUCE
Through his first six seasons, Samford head coach Chris Hatcher's offenses have averaged more points than under any other head coach in program history. Entering the season, Hatcher's teams have averaged 33.8 points per game, ahead of Bobby Bowden's 28.57 average. The average is also the highest in the SoCon during the last five seasons. Terry Bowden (1987-1992) averaged 27.92 points per game during his tenure while Bill Gray (2001-06 / 25.68) and Pat Sullivan (2007-14 / 25.50) round out the top five.
BETTER TOGETHER
The Samford defense has made great strides this season, featuring seven Bulldogs with 30+ tackles. Nathan East (57) leads the unit with 57 stops followed by Trimarcus Cheeks (41), Chris Edmonds (37), Ty Herring (36), Noah Martin (34), Josh Long (33), and Thomas Neville (30). All seven Bulldogs rank in the top 40 in the SoCon in tackles per game, including East at No. 4 overall in the league.
SPREADING THE BALL AROUND
A total of 12 different Samford players have caught passes through Samford's six games of the 2021 spring season. A.J. Toney leads the group with 36 catches for 387 yards and a touchdown. Ty King has 26 grabs for a SoCon-leading 536 yards and three scores. Montrell Washington is third with 21 receptions for 259 yards and three touchdowns.
PUTTING UP POINTS
Over the last five-plus seasons under head coach Chris Hatcher, the Samford offense has scored at least 30 points 33 times. The unit has put up at least 40 points 18 times, and at least 50 points a total of nine times.
QUICK STRIKES
In Samford's last game at The Citadel, the Bulldogs had four scoring drives that took two minutes or less, including three of those drives took less than a minute. In five-plus seasons under head coach Chris Hatcher, Samford has made a habit of quick scoring drives. In Hatcher's time at Samford, Samford has had 131 scoring drives of two minutes or less and 60 that have lasted one minute or less.
SOCON LEADERS
After the first seven weeks of the spring season, as a team, Samford leads the Southern Conference in scoring offense (39.7 ppg.), total offense (500.2 ypg.), passing offense (338.2 ypg.), and passes intercepted (7). Individually, a few players rank at the top of the league as well. Liam Welch leads the league in passing average per game (359.8 ypg) and total offense per game (420.0 ypg). Mitchell Fineran leads the SoCon in scoring (10.5 ppg), and in total field goals (12). Chris Edmonds is the league leader in interceptions (4). Montrell Washington leads the SoCon in punt return yardage (180) and return average (12.9).
EAST IS A BEAST
Nathan East, a 6-2 graduate linebacker from McCalla, Ala., has been a beast this spring for the Bulldogs, leading the club with 57 tackles and ranking No. 2 in the SoCon with 9.5 tackles per game. The weak-side backer has recorded 26 solo tackles with 31 assists.
WELCH'S WAY
Graduate quarterback Liam Welch has been a major cog in the Bulldogs' offensive engine this season, ranking No. 5 nationally with 359.6 yards passing per game and No. 2 in total offense (420.0). In Samford's 55-7 win at The Citadel, the Augusta, Ga., native accounted for 445 yards of total offense and four touchdowns after passing for 306 yards and rushing for a team-high 139 yards on 13 carries.
MR. CLUTCH: MITCHELL FINERAN
Mitchell Fineran has been Mr. Clutch for the Bulldogs, making 12-of-14 field goals and 27-of-28 PATs this season. The 5-10 sophomore from Fort Valley, Ga., was 3-for-4 on field goals, including a 41-yard effort in Samford's loss to No. 19 VMI. He enters the week ranked No. 3 nationally in field goals per game (2.0) and 7th in scoring (10.5) per game.
WASHINGTON REMAINS NCAA'S BEST
Samford senior Montrell Washington, a preseason All-American by HERO Sports and Athlon, has continues to be a thorn in the side of special teams coordinators, ranking No. 1 nationally in punt return yardage and No. 9 in yards per return. He has returned 12 punts for 183 yards including a 55-yard touchdown at No. 17 Furman earlier this year.
SAMFORD AGAINST GEORGIA TEAMS
Samford has an all-time record of 28-34-1 against teams from the state of Georgia, including a 13-12-1 mark against Saturday's opponent, Mercer.
AGAINST SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TEAMS
Now in its 13th season as a member of the Southern Conference, Samford has a record of 55-45 in league games. Last season, the Bulldogs went 4-4 in league contests. Against the current members of the Southern Conference, Samford has an all-time record of 79-72-4. The Bulldogs are 13-12-1 all-time against Saturday's opponent, Mercer.
HIDDEN YARDAGE
Preseason All-SoCON punter Bradley Porcellato has not disappointed this season, averaging 40.7 yards per punt. He currently ranks No. 23 in the country. He has punted 28 times for 1,139 yards with a long of 60 yards. Of his 28 punts, he has 17 fair catches, seven downed inside the 20 and three kicks of 50-plus yards.
FORCING THE ISSUE
Samford enters this week's contest with Mercer ranked No. 1 in the SoCon in turnover margin (+8). Through six games, the Bulldogs have forced nine fumbles and intercepted eight opposition passes.
WELCH SETS SCHOOL, SOCON RECORD
In Samford's 38-37 overtime loss to No. 19 VMI, quarterback Liam Welch set a school and Southern Conference record with 570 passing yards. Welch, a 6-2 graduate student from Augusta, Ga., completed 37-of-59 passes with four touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in the outing. Welch's performance breaks the old mark of 562, set by former Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges against Western Carolina in 2018.
WELCH & EDMONDS NAMED SOCON PLAYERS OF THE MONTH FOR MARCH
Samford senior quarterback Liam Welch and sophomore safety Chris Edmonds both earned Southern Conference Player of the Month honors for football when the league released its monthly awards for March. Welch was named the league's Offensive Player of the Month, while Edmonds earned Defensive Player of the Month honors. This is the second-straight month Welch has picked up the honor. Welch had several impressive performances during the month of March. For the month, he passed for 1,488 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 372 passing yards per game. Edmonds intercepted three passes, including one returned for a touchdown, and forced one fumble in four games in the month of March. He also tallied 27 tackles, including 15 solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss.
WASHINGTON NAMED WINNER OF CHARLES WILLIAMS MEMORIAL JERSEY
Senior Montrell Washington has been named the 16th recipient of the Charles Williams Memorial Jersey. The jersey, the No. 5, is given each year to a senior leader. The jersey honors former Samford player Charles Williams, who died in a car accident on May 23, 2003.
