STORY | GAME NOTES | TICKETS (UTC)
CHATTANOOGA—The Chattanooga Mocs head to No. 17 Samford Saturday to try to keep the dream alive. Eight straight weeks of SoCon Saturdays heads into week two. It’s a key matchup as is normal between the two programs.
Over the last 10 seasons, the two boast five league titles – Chattanooga (3)/Samford (2) – with the duo regularly in the mix to the end. League honors certainly point to an exciting matchup. Defending (and preseason) Defensive Player of the Year Jay Person leads the Mocs defense, while defending (and preseason) Offensive Player of the Year Michael Hiers headlines the Bulldogs.
Chattanooga is coming off a dominating 48-3 win over The Citadel. Samford looks to get their footing back in the SoCon race after a loss at Western Carolina two weeks ago. Kickoff Saturday is at 3 p.m., Eastern time. It airs on ESPN+ along with audio on the Mocs Sports Network.
Week 4: Chattanooga (2-1/1-0) at Samford (1-2/0-1)
Last Week: at Chattanooga 48, The Citadel 3 | at Auburn 45, Samford 13
Game Time: 3 p.m. (ET) | Location: Seibert Stadium; Birmingham, Ala. (Tickets)
Series: 34-20-2 | History
Weekly Stories: Monday | Tuesday
Media: ESPN+ | Mocs Sports Network | Live Stats
COACHES
Chattanooga: Rusty Wright (Chattanooga ‘96) | UTC: 24-18 (5th) | Career: Same | vs. Sam: 2-1
Samford: Chris Hatcher (Valdosta St ‘94) | Sam: 52-40 (9th) | Career: 173-97 (24th) | vs. UTC: 1-7
vs. Samford
- 48th matchup ranks tied for third-most frequent opponent: The Citadel (57), Furman (52) & Western Carolina (48). Series dates back to 1906.
- 33 series wins ranks behind The Citadel (35) and ahead of 30 each vs. Western Carolina & Tennessee Tech.
- 6-1 at Samford in SoCon history.
- Won seven of the last eight against the Bulldogs.
- 2-1 vs. ranked Samford teams with wins in 2017 (No. 8, 23-21, Birmingham) & 2018 (No. 17, 27-20, Chattanooga). Loss was last season (No. 9, 24-35, Chattanooga).
Notes to Know
- Chattanooga is receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll…Samford is No. 17.
- As noted above, this matchup often features a title contender or two in the SoCon mix over the last 10 campaigns. The league records over that span… 52-23 (.693) for the Mocs and 47-31 (.603) by the Bulldogs.
- Last road win over a ranked opponent? 20-18 at No. 11 Furman on March 20, 2021.
- Good recipe for success…Mocs lead the SoCon in scoring offense (34.0 ppg) and scoring defense (21.3).
- Second in the FCS in third-down conversion defense (18.2%).
What We’re Hearing
“It’s kind of hard to get a bead on them right now. They’ve played Shorter and had a 5-hour lightning delay against Western Carolina a couple weeks ago. Then they played an Auburn team down in Auburn and played them pretty well for three quarters. “I think it’s the most talented team in our league, top to bottom, on both sides of the football, and maybe the oldest team in our league. It’ll be a tremendous challenge for us Saturday, so we’ll have to go down there and play well.” – Coach Wright on the matchup
“It means a lot. You want to go back and play well in front of your family, friends and for your home state. It means a lot to go back to our home state and play and perform our best.” – DB (and Alabama native) Jordan Walker on playing in his home state
“I’m excited because it’s the next one. You know it’s going to be a really competitive game, and we have to make plays.” – WR Sam Phillips on Saturday
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