1: Samford in the NFL
Former Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges made news earlier this NFL season after making his first career NFL start with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The FCS record holder in career passing yards with 14,584 did not disappoint in his first and only start. Hodges’ first NFL start came on the road against the LA Chargers and he finished the game going 15-of-20 for 132 yards with a touchdown and interception. The Steelers won 24-17.
2: Pat Sullivan: An Auburn and Samford connection
Most Auburn fans know that Pat Sullivan is one of Auburn’s famed Heisman winners. The former quarterback won it in 1971 with the Tigers. Fans might not know that Sullivan served as Samford’s head coach from 2007-14 compiling a 47-43 record while at Samford.
Auburn fans might also not know that Sullivan’s final game as a college head coach came against Auburn in 2014. The 2014 matchup saw Auburn beat Samford 31-7 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
3: Samford’s offense is capable of scoring
The Bulldogs average 35.2 points a game through their first 11 games which ranks them best in the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs also rank second in the conference in total offensive yards with an average of 430 yards per game.
Samford gains most of its yards through the air averaging 255.2 yards a game. The Bulldogs running game averages 174.8 yards on the ground. Samford has scored at least 20 points in 31 of its last 35 games.
4: Jay Stanton
The Bulldogs are led on the ground by freshman Jay Stanton. Stanton leads Samford with 671 rushing yards on 112 attempts this season. He has two 100-plus rushing yard games including a season high against Mercer with 141 yards on the ground.
The freshman back has seven rushing touchdowns this season. In his most recent game against Western Carolina, Stanton added 80 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in the Bulldogs 31-13 win.
5: Liam Welch/Chris Oladokun
Samford’s quarterback situation is murky with some games seeing Chris Oladokun predominantly under center and Liam Welch for others. In Samford’s two previous games, Welch is 23-of-46 for 311 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. On the ground, he rushed for a combined 138 yards and 3 touchdowns on 34 attempts.
While in the last two games, Oladokun has seen limited snaps under center. The junior is 11-for-19 with one touchdown and one interception. He has played in all 11 of Samford’s games this season while Welch has played in seven. Earlier this season, Oladokun has earned Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week three times.
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