Southern Conference Football 2014: Recap Part 1 of 2

Last year, Samford broke through and won its first Southern Conference title and first Division I conference crown as a Division I member. The Bulldogs would have plenty of new faces, especially on the offensive side of the ball, however, the Bulldogs would once again put together a strong season, posting a 7-5 overall record and 5-2 record in Southern Conference to finish in a tie for second place in the SoCon standings with Western Carolina.

The 2014 season marked Samford’s third-straight with seven or more wins, and the 2014 season would also mark the final campaign for the legendary Pat Sullivan on the sidelines, as he stepped down after the season following some health concerns. Sullivan will be succeeded by Chris Hatcher in 2015, who of course has experience coaching in the SoCon, as he spent three years in Statesboro (2007-09) as the head coach of Georgia Southern before getting unceremoniously fired.

Hatcher returned to Murray State where he coached from 2010-14, leading the Racers potent offense, which ranked in the Top 20 regularly, including the 2014 season, which saw Murray rank 15th in the FCS by averaging 484.4 YPG.

Hatcher will certainly have a good nucleus to work with in 2015, including quarterback Michael Eubank, who transferred into Samford from Arizona State last spring.

Sullivan, a former Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn, would see his Bulldogs take on two of the nation’s best teams to bookend the 2014 season, beginning with a trip to Fort Worth, TX, to take on the TCU Horned Frogs in the season opener.

Despite the 48-14 loss to what turn out to be a team in the conversations for the four-team playoff by finishing the season with only one loss, the Bulldogs would put up a respectable effort in the road setback.

The Bulldogs scored one of their TDs on a 55-yard return for a score by Jamerson Blount, while the other score came from freshman running back Denzel Williams, who posted the lone offensive score of the day for Samford, as he scored on a 2-yard yard run to complete a 10-play, 75-yard drive late in the opening half of play.

After Samford made easy work of Stillman with a 52-0 win in the home opener on a Thursday night, the Bulldogs opened defense of their 2013 Southern Conference title by welcoming one of the league’s two newcomers in 2014–VMI.

The Keydets, of course, were one of the charter members of the league until leaving for the Big South Conference following the 2002 season, but returned after the departures of Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Elon.

Samford was the league’s newest member prior to VMI, ETSU and Mercer joining in 2014, however, when new faced old, the new kid on the block showed its elder little respect, as the Bulldogs rolled up a 63-21 win over Sparky Woods’ Keydets.

It would be a breakout game for Michael Eubank helped the Bulldogs to 525 yards, including 49 first-half points in what turned out to be a record-setting day for Samford. The 63 points scored by the Bulldogs were their most in a game since joining the Southern Conference in 2008.

“A New Era”

The 63 points also marked the most scored by the Bulldogs in a game since 1987.

Keying the offense were a pair of new faces to the offense, in Eubank and Denzel Williams. Eubank had only 66 yards passing, but rushed for four TDs and 43 yards in the contest. He also had a passing TD to account for five TD responsibilities in the lopsided win.

Williams would finish the contest by rushing for a then-career-high 178 yards and two scores in the win. Williams was a newcomer on offense, having conver

One of the games of the year in the Southern Conference would take place the following week, as two of the three teams that tied for the 2013 Southern title squared off in the Scenic City in a huge early season Southern Conference clash.

The game was one of the top games of the weekend in FCS football, however, the 14th-ranked Mocs proved too much for Samford, getting a 38-24 win over the Bulldogs. Samford would be led by Eubank, who passed for 244 yards on 18-of-33 passing, with a pair of TDs and three INTs.

Despite falling behind 24-3 at the half, Samford rallied to make things interesting in the second half, getting within 24-17 in the third quarter, after Eubank connected with sophomore wideout Karel Hamilton with 8:09 left in the third quarter. However, that would be as close as the Bulldogs would get the rest of the way.

At 2-2 and 1-1 in the SoCon, the Bulldogs didn’t have time to dwell on the loss to the Mocs, as the high-octane offense of Mercer came to Seibert Stadium a week later to face the Bulldogs.

It would be a battle royale, and as so many games in Southern Conference play were in 2014, the game would come down to the wire, however, the Bulldogs would emerge, 21-18 victors over Bobby Lamb’s pesky Bears.

It would be the Samford defense that would help the Bulldogs to a second Southern Conference win, as the high-octane offense of the Bears was held to just 262 yards. It would mark Sullivan’s first win over Lamb, as Lamb came into the matchup 5-0 all-time against the Samford head coach, with all three of those wins coming as the Furman head coach.

Michael Eubank would have a career day, passing for 262 yards and a TD, while wideout Karel Hamilton caught 10 passes for 101 yards, and running back Denzel Williams rushed 18 times for a tough 66 yards and a pair of scores, as the Bulldogs moved to 3-0 on their home field and 3-2 and 2-1 on the season.

No loss would hurt Samford more than the one it suffered a week than the one it had on Oct. 18 against Wofford. Following an off-week, the Terriers came to Seibert Stadium and would be the only team to emerge from Birmingham with a win in 2014, as it handed the Bulldogs a 24-20 setback.

The loss would prove to be the Bulldogs’ final loss of the season to an FCS foe, as the Terriers rolled up a 354-264 advantage in total offense en route to the four-point win, including a decisive advantage in rushing yards (197-49). The Bulldogs could find no openings in the ground game against the Terriers, as they were held to a season-low 49 yards on the ground.

A second Southern Conference loss should have been enough to dampen morale, however, at 3-3 and 2-2 in the SoCon, the Bulldogs headed to Furman for a homecoming matchup as team that was angry, and they played like it, handing the Paladins their worst loss in Paladin Stadium history, with a 45-0 blitzing of the Purple and White.

Bulldog quarterback completed Michael Eubank completed 22-of-33 passes for a career-high 314 yards and a TD. Eubank has also caught one TD pass from wide receiver Malik Johns on a trick play. It was one of two scoring passes for Johns in the contest. Denzel Williams rushed 19 times for 101 yards and a pair of scores. Rounding out the offensive superlatives for the Bulldogs was wideout Karel Hamilton, who caught nine passes for 206 yards and a TD.

It didn’t take long for the Bulldogs to take control of the game against the Paladins, blocking a punt for a score and then scoring on their first offensive play from scrimmage, as Eubank found Hamilton on a 62-yard strike.

Following the win over Furman, Samford returned home for homecoming, easily dispatching Concordia, 55-0, as they headed into their final two Southern Conference games of the season. The Bulldogs had out-scored their opponents 110-0 in a two-week span in wins at Furman and on homecoming against Concordia.

On Nov. 8, the Bulldogs would host a reeling Western Carolina club, which came to Birmingham on the heels of a 51-0 homecoming loss to Chattanooga in a battle of league unbeatens. Samford would continue to be one of the hottest teams in the league, posting a 34-20 win over the Catamounts.

Samford would post another big day offensively, rolling up a 461-396 edge in total offensive yards, as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 28-7 lead at the half. The win made Sullivan the program’s all-time winningest head coach, as he collected his 46th victory as the head coach of Samford. Sullivan’s 46th victory in an 11-year span broke the previous record of 45 wins set by Terry Bowden during his tenure as the head coach.

The win also ensured the Bulldogs of its fourth-straight winning season, as the win improved the Bulldogs to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the SoCon.

The win would prove to be another big stage for sophomore running back Denzel Williams, as the converted defensive back rushed for 156 yards and a pair of scores on 27 attempts. Michael Eubank completed 15-of-24 passes for 232 yards and a pair of scores in the win.

Karel Hamilton was once again Eubank’s favorite target, as he hauled in seven passes for 115 yards and a TD.

Samford’s Southern Conference regular-season finale would be a battle of the Bulldogs, as Samford traveled to Johnson-Hagood Stadium for what would turn out to be another outstanding game between the two programs sporting the same mascot.

The Citadel would out-gain Samford, 419-360 in the game, however, it would be Samford sophomore running back Denzel Williams who would end up being the difference in the game, as his 2-yard scoring run with 17 seconds to play, helped deliver a seventh win for the Bulldogs, as Samford rallied from a 17-13 deficit late in the game.

The two teams entered the fourth quarter tied, 7-7, before the two squads combined to explode for 23 points in the final quarter. Samford quarterback Michael Eubank produced yet another 200-yard passing effort, as he completed 18-of-28 passes for 228 yards and a score, while Karel Hamilton continued to post numbers in what was a solid sophomore campaign, as he hauled in five passes for 71 yards. Tight end Tony Philpot added four receptions for 72 yards and a TD.

The defensive effort from Justin Cooper was probably the most impressive performance on either side of the ball for either team, as he posted a career-high 17 tackles, including 15 of the solo variety.

After Krondis Larry scored to give Samford a 13-10 lead, Warren Handrahan missed the PAT, leaving the Bulldogs’ lead at three points instead of four with a little over eight minutes left to play.

It seemed that The Citadel was going to steal the victory, however, as the homestanding Bulldogs got a 4-yard scoring run from quarterback Aaron Miller with just 1:57 remaining to give The Citadel a 17-13 lead. The drive wilted 6:35 off the game clock, covering 75 yards in 14 plays.

But Samford would make the most of their final possession of the football game, using nine plays to cover 72 yards to set up Williams’ game-winning 2-yard run with just 17 seconds left.

At 7-3 and 5-2 in the SoCon, Samford closed out the 2014 regular-season with a game at Sullivan’s alma mater, Auburn, which was in fitting fashion, considering it would be his last as a head coach.

The Bulldogs were defeated 31-7 by the No. 14 Auburn Tigers–a team that had been the national runner-up just a year earlier.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the effort the players put into this game,” Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. “That was a good football team that we played. Our guys never quit, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Samford had no answer for talented Tiger tailback Cameron Artis-Payne, who rushed 29 times for 124 yards and a TD, while Auburn QB Nick Marshall connected on 11-of-18 passes for 171 yards to lead a balanced Tiger offense, which totaled 386 yards (200-rush yds, 186-pass yds), as Auburn out-gained Samford 386-238 in total yards in the contest.

Samford would finish out the season with 12 players earning a place on one of the two places on the All-Southern Conference team, with safety Jaquiski Tartt, who entered the season an a preaseason All-America selection as well as a Buck Buchanan Award candidate, earning First-Team accolades by the coaches and media.

Sophomore wideout Karel Hamilton would follow Tartt on the First Team All-SoCon team, as he was also a unanimous First-Team All-SoCon pick.

Tartt finished out his senior season by registering 62 tackles, 3.0 TFL, an INT and a PBU. Hamilton was the league’s leading wide receiver, hauling in 55 passes for 877 yards and six TDs, averaging 15.9 YPR.

In his first season as a running back, Denzel Williams certainly seemed to make a smooth transition from defensive back, as he finished out the season with 918 yards and four scores on 191 rush attempts (4.8 YPC), finishing fourth in the SoCon in rushing. Not bad considering Williams had to replace one of the best in program history, in Fabian Truss.

His 16 rushing scores in a single season were just one away from tying the school-record for a single season. Williams ended up leading the SoCon in scoring (8.7 PPG). Williams was selected First-Team All-SoCon by the league’s coaches, while garnering Second Team All-SoCon plaudits, as chosen by the SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA).

Junior linebacker Justin Cooper will be one of the key components of the Samford defense in 2015, and the Bulldogs’ leading tackler in 2014 garnered Coaches’ First-Team All-SoCon honors, while he was selected Second Team All-SoCon by the SCSMA.

Punter Greg Peranich and offensive lineman Gunner Bromelow also earned a place on the Coaches’ First Team All-SoCon scroll.

Next: Wofford Terriers Recap