AFTER SEVEN GAMES, Samford’s Goals Still IN REACH
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - October 31, 2024
Seven games have been played but the story of the season is still ahead for the Samford football team.
The Bulldogs fell to 3-4 overall after last week’s Southern Conference loss at The Citadel. Samford has yet to win on the road and has not captured back-to-back wins. However, in a season of parity in the SoCon, lofty goals are still possible.
Four teams – Mercer, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State and Western Carolina – have one loss in SoCon play. Mercer and Chattanooga are 4-1 and the other two teams are 3-1. Samford sits just behind at 2-2 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs, who handed Mercer its only SoCon loss, play two of their final three regular scheduled games at home – against Wofford and Western Carolina – and also has a trip to Chattanooga.
If the Bulldogs find a way to string together three wins in that time span, then it could be a special ending to the rollercoaster season.
“As up and down as our season's been this year, you know, we still have an outside chance of being the Southern Conference champions with the way it's all turned out,” Hatcher said. “It's like I told the guys on Monday that the margin of error in this league, where our team's at now, is very slim. Everybody remaining on our schedule, if we play as well as we can play, we have a chance to win the game. If we continue to play inconsistent, sloppy football, we could get beat in every game that we have left. I expect us to be a little bit more polished this week. Hopefully we'll be more consistent.”
It helps that the Bulldogs are back home at Pete Hanna Stadium, where they are 3-0, for Saturday’s SoCon game against Wofford (3-5 overall, 1-4 SoCon).
All three of Samford’s wins have come at home this season. Samford allowed 460 yards and 35 points per game in four games on the road while compiling 327 yards and 15 points per game. At home, the Bulldogs allowed 243 yards and 15 points per game while gaining 361 yards and scoring 31 points per contest.
“We really enjoy playing at home, especially in front of the home. upcoming crowd, so maybe we'll perform well on Saturday,” Hatcher said.
Hatcher was asked why there is a difference in the way his team plays at home and on the road.
“I wish I had a really good answer for you that was just set and stone and then we would fix it (on the road),” he said. “You know, we make sure we’re ready to go each and every week, but there’s a familiarity when you're playing at home. Fortunately, we practice on our game field. There are certain directions late in the game that I feel more comfortable calling plays if we're going toward the new building or the Cooney Field House. You try to strategize, ‘Hey, if you're gonna get the ball in the fourth quarter we like going this way because this is the way we practice every day.’ That’s one big thing, then we’ve been fortunate that we have good crowds that support our players and our team from that standpoint.”
Travel is also a critical factor in the SoCon with most of the trips coming on a bus.
“I mean, you know, going to the Citadel, that's a long ride a seven-hour ride,” Hatcher said. “I didn't tell my team (last) week but you know traditionally that's a tough place for us to play. Every game we played up there's been a battle but I have so many new players I didn't want to tell them that going into the game. I didn't want them to know. Then some places you go on the road and there's not a big crowd and it's kind of a just a blah atmosphere, which is very hard to play. If you watch some of the teams that played midweek games, FBS teams, really good teams that struggle on the road and you look at there's not a big crowd at the game. That plays a factor as far as that goes. But fortunately for us, we've been playing a little better at home than on the road and hopefully that'll continue this week.”