Bulldogs To Host Western Carolina For Homecoming Saturday

GAME NOTES--SAMFORD VS. WCU (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team will return home to host the Western Carolina Catamounts for Samford's Homecoming and Senior Day game Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Pete Hanna Stadium.

Samford and WCU are playing for the 24th time, with Samford leading the series, 17-6. Last season, Samford fell at WCU, 50-35. In the last 10 meetings between Samford and WCU, Samford leads the series, 6-4 and the average score of those 10 games has been 38-29 in favor of Samford.

The Bulldogs enter the week with a record of 4-6 overall and 4-3 in Southern Conference play. Last week, Samford earned a dramatic 37-35 win at 19th-ranked ETSU. Samford has won its last three games.

Western Carolina enters this week's game with a record of 5-5 overall and 3-3 in Southern Conference play. Last week, the Catamounts earned a 26-10 win over Wofford.

SAMFORD AGAINST SOCON TEAMS
Since joining the SoCon in 2008, Samford has posted a record of 80-70 in league games. All-time against the current members of the SoCon, Samford has a mark of 119-110-4, including a 17-6 record against WCU. Samford's all-time record against each current SoCon team is Chattanooga (12-36-3), The Citadel (10-9), ETSU (9-5), Furman (13-15), Mercer (16-16-1), Tennessee Tech (14-13), VMI (11-3), Western Carolina (17-6) and Wofford (17-7).

WALKING IT OFF
Samford has won its last two games in walk-off fashion, defeating Wofford, 10-9 on a last-second Ty Ippolito field goal and winning at ETSU, 37-35, on a last-second touchdown pass from Gabarri Johnson to Domonique Thomas. That is the first time Samford has won back-to-back games on walk-off plays since 2022. Samford has won three in a row overall for the first time since 2022.

LEADING THE OFFENSE
First-year starting quarterback Gabarri Johnson has stepped in as the leader of the offense this season. Through the first 10 games of the season, Johnson has completed 175-of-299 passes for 1,752 yards and nine touchdowns. He has also rushed for three touchdowns.

CORBIN EARNS SOCON HONOR
Freshman wide receiver and kick returner Kevonte Corbin was named the SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday. In the win at ETSU, he had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 27-yard TD reception. He finished the game with 214 all-purpose yards.

MAKING AN IMPACT AT RECEIVER
Three Samford receivers have put up impressive numbers so far this season. Clemson transfer Marquise Henderson has caught 30 passes for 490 yards and three touchdowns. Preston Bird has 37 catches for 385 yards and two touchdowns, while Cayden Aukerman has hauled in 35 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns.

ON THIS DATE
Samford has an all-time record of 7-6 in games played on Nov. 14. The last time the Bulldogs played on the date came in 2015 in a 37-27 win at Wofford.

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.

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

Cayden Aukerman

Preston Bird

Kevonte Corbin

Marquise Henderson

Ty Ippolito

Gabarri Johnson

Domonique Thomas

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