Samford Football Heads to Georgia for All-Bulldog Showdown

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a thrilling upset victory over Kennesaw State to open the season, the No. 25 Samford football team will hit the road to take on the defending FBS national champions No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, September 10.

The non-conference matchup is slated for a 3 p.m. CT kick and can be viewed on SEC Network where Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Alyssa Lang will have the call.

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

Led by reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Week Michael Hiers, Samford enters the game with a 1-0 ranking on the young season. The Bulldogs are coming off a 27-17 upset victory of Kennesaw State that has propelled Samford into the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 for the first time since 2018.

The Samford Bulldogs and Bulldogs of Georgia are meeting for just the third time in history and the first since 2017. The teams first met in 1943 with Georgia topping then-Howard College by a score of 33-0 before Georgia came away with a 42-14 victory in 2017.

Hiers And Watson Fly Past Kennesaw State
After a heated QB battle in spring and fall camp, Michael Hiers got the starting nod against No. 8 Kennesaw State and then proceeded to light up the scoreboard at Seibert Stadium. The Juco transfer passed for four touchdowns in his Bulldog debut, which is tied for the most touchdowns by a Samford QB in his first start under head coach Chris Hatcher. Michael Eubanks had tossed four touchdowns in his first start for coach Hatcher in 2015. Graduate wide receiver Kendall Watson was on the receiving end of two of those touchdown passes. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native had a career night by hauling in nine passes for 187 yards and two scores.

Hiers Wins OPOTW
Samford signal caller Micheal Hiers was named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week after tossing four touchdowns by in the upset win over Kennesaw State.

Hatcher Climbing The Winning Charts
Following the victory over Kennesaw State, head coach Chris Hatcher improved his record to 41-36 at Samford. Hatcher currently sits one win behind Pete Hurt for third-most wins by a Samford HC and six back of Pat Sullivan (47) for most wins by a coach in program history.

Magic in The Magic City
The 27-17 season-opening win over No. 8 Kennesaw state was Samford's first top 10 victory since downing Wofford 35-20 on Nov. 3, 2018 at Seibert Stadium. Since Chris Hatcher's arrival on Lakeshore before the 2015 season, Samford is 3-1 against top 10 opponents at home.

Hatcher's Offenses Produce
Through his first seven 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 34.7 points per game, ahead of Bobby Bowden's 28.57 average. 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.

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 166 scoring drives of two minutes or less and 71 that have lasted one minute or less.

Samford In Season Openers
Samford has an all-time record of 49-54-4 in season-opening games. In season openers at home, Samford has a mark of 36-13-2. The Bulldogs are 6-2 in season openers under head coach Chris Hatcher. The team has won all six of the season openers at home under Hatcher.

Samford against Georgia Teams
Samford has an all-time record of 33-37-2 against teams from the state of Georgia, including a mark of 0-2 against Saturday's opponent, Georgia.

Samford against SEC Teams
Samford has an all-time record of 2-79-3 against the current members of the Southeastern Conference. Samford has played an SEC team in nine of the last 11 fall seasons. Samford defeated Mississippi State, 6-0 in 1909 and Ole Miss by a score of 7-6 in 1934.

On This Date
Samford has an all-time record of 2-3 in games played on Sept. 10. The last time the Bulldogs played a game on the date was in 2016, a 35-29 victory over Central Arkansas. Samford whomped Stillman 48-6 in 2011. The Bulldogs lost to Baylor 48-14 in 2005, 50-16 to Eastern Kentucky in 1994 and Nicholls State 43-17 in 1988.

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

#84 Kendall Watson: WR; 5' 10"; Graduate Student

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

Players Mentioned

#84 Kendall Watson
: 5' 10"; Graduate Student
: WR

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

Samford University Athletics

Players Mentioned

#84 Kendall Watson

#10 Michael Hiers

Players Mentioned

#84 Kendall Watson

#10 Michael Hiers