Football To Play At No. 19 ETSU Saturday - Samford University Athletics

GAME NOTES--SAMFORD AT ETSU (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team will travel to take on 19^th-ranked ETSU Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT) in Johnson City, Tenn. The game can be seen live on ESPN+.

Samford and ETSU are playing for the 14th time, with Samford leading the series, 8-5. Last season, ETSU defeated Samford, 38-14, in Birmingham. In the last 10 meetings between Samford and ETSU, the series is tied, 5-5.

The Bulldogs enter the week with a record of 3-6 overall and 3-3 in Southern Conference play. Last week, Samford earned a dramatic 10-9 win at home against Wofford. Samford has won its last two games.

ETSU enters this week's game with a record of 6-3 overall and 4-1 in Southern Conference play. Last week, the Bucs battled league-leading Tennessee Tech before falling by a score of 24-17 at home.

SAMFORD AGAINST SOCON TEAMS
Since joining the SoCon in 2008, Samford has posted a record of 79-70 in league games. All-time against the current members of the SoCon, Samford has a mark of 118-110-4, including an 8-5 record against ETSU. Samford's all-time record against each current SoCon team is Chattanooga (12-36-3), The Citadel (10-9), ETSU (8-5), Furman (13-15), Mercer (16-16-1), Tennessee Tech (14-13), VMI (11-3), Western Carolina (17-6) and Wofford (17-7).

STEVE RECEIVES NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE HONORS
Samford freshman safety Max Steve was named the Stats Perform National Freshman of the Week and the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week after an outstanding performance against Wofford. In the win, he tallied 20 tackles and an interception.

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 Against Mercer. The previous school record was 52 by Cameron Yaw at Chattanooga in 2012.

DEFENSE STANDS TALL
The Samford defense has had impressive performances in its last two games. The Bulldogs have not allowed a touchdown in the last two games, claiming wins over Furman (13-6) and Wofford (10-9). This is the first time since 2022 that Samford has held back-to-back opponents without a touchdown.

LEADING THE OFFENSE
First-year starting quarterback Gabarri Johnson has stepped in as the leader of the offense this season. Through the first nine games of the season, Johnson has completed 156-of-267 passes for 1,584 yards and eight touchdowns. He has also rushed for a pair of touchdowns.

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.

MAKING AN IMPACT AT RECEIVER
Three Samford receivers have put up impressive numbers so far this season. Clemson transfer Marquise Henderson has caught 27 passes for 465 yards and three touchdowns. Preston Bird has 33 catches for 328 yards and two touchdowns, while Cayden Aukerman has hauled in 31 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns.

ON THIS DATE
Samford has an all-time record of 7-3 in games played on Nov. 7. The last time the Bulldogs played on the date came in 2015 in a 43-0 win over Clark-Atlanta

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

Marquise Henderson

Ty Ippolito

Gabarri Johnson

Jalen Nelson

Max Steve

LaShon Young

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