Steve Irvine’s Five Storylines for SAMFORD vs Alabama state
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - September 13, 2024
ALABAMA STATE VS. SAMFORD
Site, kickoff time: Pete Hanna Stadium, 6 p.m.
Record: Alabama State 1-1, 0-0 SWAC; Samford 0-2 overall, 0-0 SoCon
Five storylines
1. How many points is it worth to have home field advantage? Samford is playing at home for the first time this season. Samford was 37-13 at home in the first nine seasons of Chris Hatcher’s tenure. Will the home crowd help the Bulldogs win in the first game inside the remodeled stadium?
2. Can Samford keep Alabama State from controlling the football on the ground? Alabama State will keep the ball on the ground. The Hornets come in averaging 197 yards on the ground. They have 83 rushing attempts and 29 passes in two games. Daquon Kincey, a 6-foot, 217-pound senior, averages 81 rushing yards per game and had a 65-yard touchdown run in the win over Miles College. Alabama State had a 100-yard rusher in each of the first two games. Kincey had 137 yards against Miles College and quarterback Andrew Body had 138 yards and two touchdowns against North Carolina Central. Body did not play against Miles College and is not on the depth chart for Saturday’s game. Samford allowed 175.5 yards per game on the ground in the first two games.
3. Will the Samford offensive line continue to progress? Samford head coach Chris Hatcher is pleased with the way his experienced offensive line played in the first two weeks. After playing at Florida last week, Hatcher gets to see how his line plays in a more evenly matched contest. Hatcher said that senior Darrian King and freshman Duncan Johnson continue to battle for the starting spot at left tackle. He said King took steps at Florida toward solidifying himself as the left tackle starter.
4. Can Alabama State’s defense limit the success of Samford quarterback Quincy Crittendon? The Hornets have been stingy in the first two games but haven’t faced a quarterback as dynamic as Crittendon. The Samford junior averages 268 yards per game in total offense and has accounted for four touchdowns.
5. Will Samford linebacker Noah Martin extend his streak of double-digit tackles to three games this season and five overall? The preseason All-American linebacker is the first player in Hatcher’s tenure to compile double digits tackles in each of the first two games. He currently averages 11 tackles per game, which is 13th in the nation for FCS players. He ended last season with 19 tackles at Mercer and 11 tackles at home against UT Martin.