Steve Irvine’s Five Storylines For Samford vs. WESTERN CAROLINA
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - November 22, 2024
WESTERN CAROLINA VS. SAMFORD
Site, kickoff time: Pete Hanna Stadium, 2 p.m. CT
Record: Western Carolina 6-5 overall, 5-2 SoCon; Samford 4-6 overall, 3-3 SoCon
Five storylines
1. Which team has the most motivation? Samford is trying to send its seniors out with a win in their final home game. That has been proven to be quite a motivation in the past. However, Western Carolina is playing to keep its postseason hopes alive. A win on Saturday would secure second place all alone for the Catamounts and possibly a tie for the championship if Mercer (6-1 in SoCon) falls at home to Furman (2-4 in SoCon).
2. How many passing yards will Western Carolina have on Saturday? Western Carolina leads the country in passing yards per game, averaging 329.2 yards per contest. Quarterback Cole Gonzales is responsible for a good chunk of that but he won’t be in the lineup. The junior quarterback threw for 2,543 yards and 12 touchdowns with seven interceptions in eight games. However, his season ended because of a hip injury suffered on the final drive of a loss to Mercer on Oct. 26. Redshirt freshman Taron Dickens stepped in and kept the offensive rolling. In his three starts, Dickens is 88 for 119 for 958 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions.
3. Can Quincy Crittendon and the Samford offense match the Catamounts passing output? It’s been a rollercoaster season – at best – for the Samford offense. But Crittendon is coming off one of his better games. The junior signal was selected as the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 340 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 59 yards and another touchdown in a 36-13 win at No. 19 Chattanooga. Brendan Jenkins and D.J. Rias combined for 15 catches for 180 yards in the win.
4. Will Samford’s defense finish with a strong game? The Bulldogs have been a combination of consistent and optimistic. Last week, in the win over Chattanooga, the Bulldogs didn’t allow an offensive touchdown. Samford is currently ranked 30th in the country in total defense. How will they fare against the country’s top passing offense? It starts with the pass rush. Samford’s defense has 28 sacks this season with Conroy Cunningham and Jamall Thompson sharing the team lead with five sacks each. Western Carolina allowed 30 sacks thus far, which is 101st in the country.
5. Will Noah Martin finish with the most single season tackles in his career? The All-American linebacker has been sensational the past four seasons. He enters his final college football game with 97 tackles this season. He is averaging 9.7 tackles per game, which is 11th best in the country. He will have to go above his season average to beat his top mark of 109 tackles, which he compiled in 2023. Martin has 408 career tackles heading into Saturday.