Samford Football Returns Home To Host Western Carolina On Family Weekend

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After two weekends away from the friendly confines of Seibert Stadium, the No. 21 Samford football team returns home to start the Southern Conference slate against Western Carolina on Saturday, September 24 for the annual family weekend game.

The SoCon opener is slated for a 2 p.m. kickoff and can be streamed on ESPN+ where Curt Bloom, Damian Michell and Blake Gardner will have the call.

For this week's complete game notes, Click here.

Samford is coming off a thrilling 33-28 victory on the road at Tennessee Tech. The Bulldogs were down as many as 11 points in the second quarter before the dynamic duo of Michael Hiers and Chandler Smith engineered a second-half comeback that culminated in Smith scoring the game-winning touchdown with 25 seconds left in regulation.

The Bulldogs and Catamounts are meeting for the 20th time in program history. Samford holds a decisive 16-3 lead in the series. Western Carolina has not won in Birmingham since 1969.

Samford In Conference Openers
Since Samford joined the Ohio Valley Conference prior to the 2003 season, the Bulldogs are 7-13 all-time in conference openers and 5-9 in SoCon openers.

Hiers, Smith Top 10 Nationally
The high-flying aerial act of Michael Hiers and Chandler Smith has paid early dividends this season. Smith is tied for first in the nation with five receiving touchdowns, while Hiers ranks seventh nationally with eight passing touchdowns.

Putting Up Points
Over the last eight seasons under head coach Chris Hatcher, the Samford offense has scored at least 30 points 43 times. The unit has put up at least 40 points 25 times, and at least 50 points a total of 11 times.

Quick Strikes
In eight seasons under head coach Chris Hatcher, Samford has made a habit of quick scoring drives. In Hatcher's time at Samford, Samford has had 169 scoring drives of two minutes or less and 71 that have lasted one minute or less.

Samford Against North Carolina Teams
Samford has an all-time record of 38-22-1 against teams from the state of North Carolina, including a mark of 16-3 against Saturday's opponent, Western Carolina. Saturday's game marks the lone game on Samford's 2022 schedule in the state of North Carolina.

Against Southern Conference Teams
Since joining the Southern Conference in 2008, Samford has posted a record of 59-50 in conference games. All time against each current member of the SoCon, Samford has a mark of 85-80-4, including a 16-3 record against Western Carolina. Samford's all-time record against each current SoCon team is: Chattanooga (10-33-3), The
Citadel (8-7), ETSU (6-3), Furman (11-13), Mercer (14-13-1), VMI (6-3), Western Carolina (16-3) and Wofford (14-5).

On This Date
Samford has an all-time record of 4-6-1 in games played on Sept. 24. The last time the Bulldogs played a game on the date was in 2016, a 41-21 loss to Chattanooga. The last Samford win on Sept. 24 came in 1988 when the Bulldogs downed Livingston 41-20.

Hatcher Climbing The Winning Charts
Following the victory over Tennessee Tech, head coach Chris Hatcher improved his record to 42-36 at Samford. Hatcher currently sits in a tie with Pete Hurt for third-most wins by a Samford HC and five back of Pat Sullivan (47) for most wins by a coach in program history.

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).

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Players Mentioned

#0 Chandler Smith: WR; 5' 10"; Senior

#10 Michael Hiers: QB; 6' 1"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#0 Chandler Smith
: 5' 10"; Senior
: WR

#10 Michael Hiers
: 6' 1"; Junior
: QB

Samford University Athletics

Players Mentioned

#0 Chandler Smith

#10 Michael Hiers

Players Mentioned

#0 Chandler Smith

#10 Michael Hiers