BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –The Samford football team opened Southern Conference play with a 40-13 setback to The Citadel Saturday afternoon at Pete Hanna Stadium.
With the loss, Samford fell to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in SoCon play. The Citadel improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in league action.
I'm just very disappointed in our play," Samford head coach Chris Hatcher said. "The difference in the game was we had five turnovers and we had three red zone chances that we came away with zero points. You can't win games in the Southern Conference making crucial mistakes like we did today."
As a team, Samford committed five turnovers in the contest, with three interceptions and two fumbles.
For Samford in the loss, starting quarterback
Quincy Crittendon completed 40-of-56 passes for 324 yards and three interceptions. Backup
Brady Stober completed 3-of-5 passes for 38 yards.
Jaden Gibson led the Samford receivers with 10 catches for 91 yards. Running back
C.J. Evans had seven rushes for 31 yards and a touchdown.
The Samford defense was led by
Jaden Mosley with 11 tackles, followed by
Carson Sloan with 10 tackles.
Alex Applefield had a fumble recovery for the home Bulldogs.
For The Citadel, Cobey Thompkins completed 9-of-11 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. Thompkins also rushed 13 times for 76 yards. Quintin Hayes rushed 10 times for 59 yards and a touchdown. Tyrik McDaniel, Lee Alexander and Camden Gray had an interception each, while Bradlee Jones and Sayre Smothers both recovered fumbles, returning both for touchdowns.
Late in the first quarter, Samford long-snapper Applefield recovered a fumbled punt return, giving Samford the ball at The Citadel's 35-yard line with 1:03 left in the first period. With 14:46 left in the second quarter,
Jake Garner kicked a 40-yard field goal to give Samford a 3-0 lead.
Garner added a 20-yard field goal to push the Samford lead to 6-0 with 8:34 to go in the second period. The Citadel's Thompkins hit Javonte Graves-Billips for a 43-yard touchdown pass to give The Citadel a 7-6 lead with 6:03 left in the second quarter.
Samford's
C.J. Evans returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter, but the play was called back due to a penalty. Samford then drove to The Citadel's four-yard-line, but The Citadel's Gray intercepted a pass, returning it to The Citadel's 20-yard line. The visiting Bulldogs drove down to Samford's 23-yard line. The Citadel's Ben Barnes then kicked a 40-yard field goal to give The Citadel a 10-6 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, The Citadel's Alexander intercepted a Samford pass, giving the visiting Bulldogs the ball at the Samford 25-yard line. The Samford defense, however, held The Citadel to a 28-yard Barnes field goal to push The Citadel's lead to 13-6 with 11:21 to go in the third quarter.
The Citadel's Smothers picked up a Samford fumble and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown to make the score 20-6 with 3:03 to go in the third quarter. The Citadel's Jones recovered a Samford fumble and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown to push the lead to 27-6 with 13:48 to go in the game.
Samford's Evans scored on a five-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 27-13 with 11:17 left in the contest. Graves-Billips caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Hayes to make the score 33-13 with 4:34 left in the game. Hayes later scored on an 18-yard run with 1:45 to go to make the final score 40-13.
Next up, Samford will travel to Waco, Texas, to take on the Baylor Bears on Saturday, Sept. 13. The game is set for an 11 a.m. kickoff from McLane Stadium.
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).
