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Samford University Athletics

OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF SAMFORD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Defense_Celly_WCU
Chase Cochran | Samford Athletics
12
Western Carolina WCU 2-2 , 0-1
35
Winner Samford SAM 3-1 , 1-0
Western Carolina WCU
2-2 , 0-1
12
Final
35
Samford SAM
3-1 , 1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WCU Western Carolina 0 3 6 3 12
SAM Samford 7 7 7 14 35

Game Recap: Football |

Samford Football Wrangles Western Carolina on Family Weekend

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In front of a sellout crowd at Seibert Stadium, the No. 21 Samford football trounced the Western Carolina Catamounts by a final score of 35-12. 
 
With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 3-1 on the season and notch their first win in Southern Conference play. Western Carolina drops to 2-2 in 2022 and 0-1 in the SoCon.
 
"Our guys are very excited; every team puts a lot of work into playing the game and you don't get as many opportunities as some other sports. You have to take advantage of each and every one of them," Samford coach Chris Hatcher said. "There ain't no better high in the whole wide world than winning a football game."  
 
Quarterback Michael Hiers completed 24-of-30 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns to four different Bulldog receivers. Jay Staton led the Samford rushing attack with 86 yards on 14 carries and a 49-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter to put the game away for good. 
 
In total, the Samford compiled 393 yards for a season-best 33 points scored. 
 
On the defensive side of the ball, The Bulldogs caged the Catamounts by holding Western Carolina to four field goals. The 12-point total is the lowest that a Samford has held an opposing offense to since allowing only a touchdown to The Citadel in the Spring 2021 season. 
 
Isaiah Richardson and Noah Martin paced the Samford defensive corps that forced Western Carolina to 0-of-3 on fourth downs that included a goal-line stand in the first quarter. 
 
Ty Hardimon and Richardson each had end zone interceptions to stifle the Catamount offensive attack, while Emmanuel Flowers pounced on a Western Carolina fumble at midfield in the final moments of the third quarter. 
 
Hiers found Judd Cockett down the sideline in the first quarter for a 20-yard touchdown to open the scoring on Saturday and make it 7-0. The score was Cockett's first in a Samford uniform.
 
The Bulldogs went up 14-0 in the second quarter when Chandler Smith hauled in his team-best sixth touchdown of the year from 34 yards out.
 
After holding Western Carolina to back-to-back field goals, Hiers found a streaking Jaylan Thomas down the Samford sideline for a 60-yard touchdown to push the score to 21-6 Bulldogs. 
 
Ty King found the end zone for the first time in 2022 during the fourth quarter when the senior caught a ball in the flats from Hiers, made a Catamount miss and took it in for a 12-yard score.
 
Stanton's 49-yard scoring run in the fourth sealed the victory before a WCU late field brought the final to 35-12 on Family Weekend. 
 
The Bulldogs hit the road again as Samford heads to South Carolina to take on Furman to open the month of October.
 
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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