By: Joey Mullins
Samford Athletics
 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford Athletics recently wrapped up what was probably the most successful fall season in school history. The Bulldog football, women's soccer and volleyball teams all captured Southern Conference championships and all advanced to the NCAA postseason, making Samford the only Division I school to win conference titles in all three sports this season.
 
Two of the most interesting and compelling stories that came out of the fall involve two backups who stepped up at key positions when their numbers were called and led their teams to important victories. Neither soccer goalkeeper Emma Donley nor football quarterback Quincy Crittendon entered the 2022 season expecting to be starters, but due to unforeseen circumstances, both were called upon to step in and both delivered performances Samford fans will never forget.
 
Donley, a redshirt freshman from Gallatin, Tennessee, began the season backing up Morgan McAslan, who was in the fourth season of a decorated Samford career. McAslan, however, suffered a season-ending injury in the Bulldogs' Southern Conference opener against The Citadel.
 
Donley stepped in as the starter for the next game against Mercer and remained in that position for the remainder of the season. After giving up two goals in a 2-2 draw with Mercer, Donley did not give up more than one goal in each of the next 10 contests against SoCon teams. Included in that stretch were six shutouts. Thanks in part to Donley, the Bulldogs overcame a slow start to win a share of their ninth-straight SoCon regular season title.
 
In the SoCon Tournament, Donley and the Samford defense posted three shutouts, with Donley saving 10 shots. In the championship contest, the game ended in a 0-0 tie and the teams played through two 10-minute overtime periods without scoring as well, sending the game two penalty kicks. Donley said she was excited about the challenge when the game went to penalty kicks.
 
"I love PK's," Donley said. "I really love them so much. I love the pressure. I love things going down to the nitty gritty, it's just the stuff that you'll always remember."
 
Entering the ninth round of penalty kicks, the teams were tied at 5-5. Samford's Caroline Donovan made her attempt to give Samford a 6-5 lead. Donley then saved an attempt by UNC Greensboro's Hannah Morton to give the Bulldogs the SoCon Tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament bid.
 
"It's something I've dreamed about ever since I was little, making that save for your team to send the team on to a bigger game or to win a championship," Donley said. "Those are just things that you want so badly to experience with your team. So, to be able to say I got to do that with them is so special to me."
 
Donley said she was excited to help the team reach its goal of winning the SoCon Tournament and reaching the NCAA Tournament.
 
"I'm just so happy for the whole team," Donley said. "Everybody battled for the whole 110 minutes that they had to play. Everybody just played so hard so to be able to say we came out on the good end of that just makes me really excited."
 
The soccer team went to the NCAA Tournament and faced SEC foe Georgia. The Bulldogs finished the season with a mark of 11-4-7 overall and 5-1-3 in SoCon play, continuing the tradition the program has established of being the top team in the SoCon.
 
The football team had one of the best seasons in program history in 2022. Entering the final game of the regular season against Mercer, the Bulldogs had a record of 9-1 overall, with the only loss coming to defending FBS national champion Georgia, and 7-0 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs had already earned a share of the SoCon championship, but a loss in the final game would mean the team would have to share the title with rival Furman.
 
The teams ended regulation tied at 37-37. Samford went on offense first in the first overtime period. On the second play, starting quarterback Michael Hiers hit Judd Cockett for a 21-yard touchdown, but Hiers was injured on the throw. Mercer scored a touchdown in its first OT possession, sending the game to a second overtime. After a Mercer field goal attempt was blocked, Crittendon, a redshirt freshman from Decatur, Alabama, entered the game at quarterback. On a 2^nd-and-10 play, Crittendon scored on a 25-yard run to give Samford the 50-44 win and the outright SoCon title.
 
"I was definitely nervous, but I just prayed and just kept my mind straight, trying to not let the moment get too big for me," Crittendon said. "Then once I caught the snap, all the nerves left, and the rest is history."
 
Two weeks later, Samford hosted Southeastern Louisiana in a second round NCAA Division I-FCS Playoff game at Seibert Stadium. Hiers started the game but had to come out of the game after five plays. Crittendon stepped in again and had an outstanding game. Crittendon said he did not expect to play going into the game, but he prepared as if he was going to be the starter.
 
"Going into it, I didn't think I would play as much," Crittendon said. "But I knew that throughout the week, practicing would be crucial and just to stay ready. Mike just kept telling me, we both have to be ready no matter what happens. And I just took his word for it and practiced like I would be playing."
 
Crittendon had an outstanding game. He completed 26-of-40 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns, and he also ran for 94 yards and another score.
 
But, despite Crittendon's performance, the game went into overtime again tied at 42-42. After the Samford defense forced a turnover in Southeastern Louisiana's possession, Samford just needed any points to win the contest. On the fourth play of Samford's possession, Crittendon scored on a 10-yard run to give Samford the 48-42 win and advance the Bulldogs to the quarterfinal round of the FCS Playoffs.
 
"I was thinking field goal, but we kept moving the ball, got closer and closer," Crittendon said of that final possession. "I got the call, and I just waited patiently for the blocks, everyone knew their assignments and if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be sitting here now."
 
The football team's season ended in the quarterfinal round at defending FCS national champion North Dakota State. The team's 11 wins are one short of the school record of 12 set by the 1991 team, and the team's eight conference wins are the most in program history. The team won the program's first ever outright SoCon title and first outright championship in any league since 1936.
 
Donley and Crittendon both helped produce one of the most unforgettable fall seasons in school history. Samford owes both of them a debt of gratitude for being prepared and stepping up when their numbers were called.
 
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