Saturday, October 24
Greenville, S.C.
1 PM
Samford University
at
Furman
10.23.26 | Football
GAME NOTES--SAMFORD AT FURMAN (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team will travel to Greenville, S.C., to take on the Furman Paladins Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) at Paladin Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Samford and Furman are playing for the 28th time, with Furman leading the series, 15-12. Last season, Furman defeated Samford, 31-13 at Pete Hanna Stadium.
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Saturday's game will mark the first time Samford has played at Furman since 2022. The game in 2024 that was supposed to be played at Paladin Stadium was canceled due to the effects of a hurricane that passed through the Greenville area earlier in the week. In that last meeting in Greenville in 2022, Samford came away with a 34-27 win on its way to a Southern Conference title.
In the 17 meetings since Samford joined the Southern Conference in 2008, Furman has a 10-7 advantage in the series. A total of 10 of those 17 meetings as co-members of the Southern Conference have been decided by seven points or less. Six of those 10 games have been decided by three points or less.
The Bulldogs enter the week with a record of 1-6 overall and 1-3 in Southern Conference play. Last week, Samford fell to 18th-ranked Mercer, 31-21, at Pete Hanna Stadium.
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Furman enters the game with a record of 2-5 overall and 1-2 in Southern Conference play. Last week, the Paladins took the week off from competition. Furman last played on Oct. 10, falling at Tennessee Tech, 20-15.
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SAMFORD AGAINST SOCON TEAMS
Since joining the Southern Conference in 2008, Samford has posted a record of 77-70 in conference games. All-time against the current members of the SoCon, Samford has a mark of 116-110-4, including a 12-15 record against Furman. Samford's all-time record against each current SoCon team is Chattanooga (12-36-3), The Citadel (10-9), ETSU (8-5), Furman (12-15), Mercer (16-16-1), Tennessee Tech (14-13), VMI (11-3), Western Carolina (17-6) and Wofford (16-7).
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IPPOLITO MAKING HISTORY
Samford place-kicker Ty Ippolito has kicked the three longest field goals in Samford history this season. In the game at Tennessee Tech, he kicked 58 and 54-yard field goals and he kicked a 53-yarder last Saturday against Mercer. The previous school record was 52 by Cameron Yaw at Chattanooga in 2012.
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CHERRY HAS CAREER DAY
In last weekend's game against 18th-ranked Mercer, running back Ken Cherry rushed 13 times for 108 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. The performance marked Cherry's first 100-yard game in his Samford career.
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LEADING THE OFFENSE
First-year starting quarterback Gabarri Johnson has stepped in as the leader of the offense this season. Through the first seven games of the season, Johnson has completed 119-of-209 passes for 1,159 yards and seven touchdowns. He has also rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
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SCORING ON DEFENSE
In the games against VMI and UAB, Samford scored a defensive touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 2016. Against VMI, LaShon Young had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown. In the UAB game, Jalen Nelson returned a fumble 95 yards for a score.
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MAKING AN IMPACT AT RECEIVER
Three Samford receivers have put up impressive numbers so far this season. Clemson transfer Marquise Henderson has caught 23 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns. Preston Bird has 28 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns, while Cayden Aukerman has hauled in 21 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
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ON THIS DATE
Samford has an all-time record of 5-6 in games played on Oct. 24. The last time the Bulldogs played on the date came in 2015 in a 56-36 loss at Western Carolina.
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Saturday's game can be seen live on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available. For links to follow all of Samford's games this season, click on the following link: 2026 SAMFORD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE.
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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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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team will travel to Greenville, S.C., to take on the Furman Paladins Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) at Paladin Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Samford and Furman are playing for the 28th time, with Furman leading the series, 15-12. Last season, Furman defeated Samford, 31-13 at Pete Hanna Stadium.
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Saturday's game will mark the first time Samford has played at Furman since 2022. The game in 2024 that was supposed to be played at Paladin Stadium was canceled due to the effects of a hurricane that passed through the Greenville area earlier in the week. In that last meeting in Greenville in 2022, Samford came away with a 34-27 win on its way to a Southern Conference title.
In the 17 meetings since Samford joined the Southern Conference in 2008, Furman has a 10-7 advantage in the series. A total of 10 of those 17 meetings as co-members of the Southern Conference have been decided by seven points or less. Six of those 10 games have been decided by three points or less.
The Bulldogs enter the week with a record of 1-6 overall and 1-3 in Southern Conference play. Last week, Samford fell to 18th-ranked Mercer, 31-21, at Pete Hanna Stadium.
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Furman enters the game with a record of 2-5 overall and 1-2 in Southern Conference play. Last week, the Paladins took the week off from competition. Furman last played on Oct. 10, falling at Tennessee Tech, 20-15.
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SAMFORD AGAINST SOCON TEAMS
Since joining the Southern Conference in 2008, Samford has posted a record of 77-70 in conference games. All-time against the current members of the SoCon, Samford has a mark of 116-110-4, including a 12-15 record against Furman. Samford's all-time record against each current SoCon team is Chattanooga (12-36-3), The Citadel (10-9), ETSU (8-5), Furman (12-15), Mercer (16-16-1), Tennessee Tech (14-13), VMI (11-3), Western Carolina (17-6) and Wofford (16-7).
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IPPOLITO MAKING HISTORY
Samford place-kicker Ty Ippolito has kicked the three longest field goals in Samford history this season. In the game at Tennessee Tech, he kicked 58 and 54-yard field goals and he kicked a 53-yarder last Saturday against Mercer. The previous school record was 52 by Cameron Yaw at Chattanooga in 2012.
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CHERRY HAS CAREER DAY
In last weekend's game against 18th-ranked Mercer, running back Ken Cherry rushed 13 times for 108 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. The performance marked Cherry's first 100-yard game in his Samford career.
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LEADING THE OFFENSE
First-year starting quarterback Gabarri Johnson has stepped in as the leader of the offense this season. Through the first seven games of the season, Johnson has completed 119-of-209 passes for 1,159 yards and seven touchdowns. He has also rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
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SCORING ON DEFENSE
In the games against VMI and UAB, Samford scored a defensive touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 2016. Against VMI, LaShon Young had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown. In the UAB game, Jalen Nelson returned a fumble 95 yards for a score.
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MAKING AN IMPACT AT RECEIVER
Three Samford receivers have put up impressive numbers so far this season. Clemson transfer Marquise Henderson has caught 23 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns. Preston Bird has 28 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns, while Cayden Aukerman has hauled in 21 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
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ON THIS DATE
Samford has an all-time record of 5-6 in games played on Oct. 24. The last time the Bulldogs played on the date came in 2015 in a 56-36 loss at Western Carolina.
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Saturday's game can be seen live on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available. For links to follow all of Samford's games this season, click on the following link: 2026 SAMFORD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE.
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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
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