Samford football moved their winning streak to six games with a dominant 38-3 win over The Citadel in a battle of the Bulldogs. With this win and Chattanooga’s loss to Furman, Samford has claimed first place in the SoCon and is top 10 in the FCS. The triple-option offense of The Citadel could not keep pace with QB Michael Hiers and Samford’s Air Raid offense. Quarterback Michael Hiers started the game 15 for 15 passing, with 156 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs netted a total of 403 yards compared to The Citadel’s 293 yards.
The offense saw big lifts from wide receiver Kendall Watson, who had ten catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, and running backs Jaylan Thomas and Jay Stanton, who combined for 135 yards and a touchdown. Chandler Smith also added eight receptions for 40 yards and a score.
On the game, Hiers said, “The offense came out rolling, the offensive line was blocking well, the receivers were catching the ball, and that makes my job easy.”
The defense was able to mitigate The Citadel’s offensive impact, as they only allowed a field goal. Samford was able to confuse and stymie The Citadel’s offense with opportunistic play, as the team came away with three fumbles. The defense also had four fourth-down stops in a narrative change for a team that ranks last in the SoCon in total defense.
“[The defense] did a great job,” said Hiers, “and that’s a tough defense to defend just because you never see it.”
The Bulldogs will look to continue their unprecedented success this Saturday, Nov. 5, as VMI will travel to Birmingham to face Samford in the school’s annual Homecoming Game. The Bulldogs will enter the game as heavy favorites, considering the Keydets have struggled so far this season with a paltry 1-7 record.
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