2024 Samford Bulldogs football team

2024 Samford Bulldogs football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	4–7 (3–4 SoCon)
Head coach	Chris Hatcher (10th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ricky Turner (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Chris Boone (3rd season)
Home stadium	Pete Hanna Stadium
Seasons ←  2023 2025  →

2024 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 8 Mercer $^		7	–	1					11	–	3
Western Carolina		6	–	2					7	–	5
Chattanooga		5	–	3					7	–	5
East Tennessee State		5	–	3					7	–	5
Samford		3	–	4					4	–	7
The Citadel		3	–	5					5	–	7
Wofford		3	–	5					5	–	7
Furman		2	–	5					3	–	8
VMI		1	–	7					1	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 Samford Bulldogs football team represented Samford University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs were coached by tenth-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played at Pete Hanna Stadium in Homewood, Alabama.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	5:00 p.m.	at West Georgia *	University Stadium Carrollton, GA	ESPN+	L 21–38	4,329
September 7	6:00 p.m.	at Florida *	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	SECN+/ESPN+	L 7–45	89,295
September 14	6:00 p.m.	Alabama State *	Pete Hanna Stadium Homewood, AL	ESPN+	W 12–7	6,045
September 28	2:00 p.m.	Furman	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	ESPN+	Cancelled [a]
October 5	2:00 p.m.	VMI	Pete Hanna Stadium Homewood, AL	ESPN+	W 27–3	3,617
October 12	2:30 p.m.	at East Tennessee State	William B. Greene Jr. Stadium Johnson City, TN	ESPN+	L 28–31	8,013
October 19	2:00 p.m.	No. 7 Mercer	Pete Hanna Stadium Homewood, AL	ESPN+	W 55–35	4,216
October 26	1:00 p.m.	at The Citadel	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	ESPN+	L 11–28	8,977
November 2	2:00 p.m.	Wofford	Pete Hanna Stadium Homewood, AL	ESPN+	L 13–17	4,071
November 9	2:00 p.m.	Tennessee Tech *	Pete Hanna Stadium Homewood, AL	ESPN+	L 7–27	3,013
November 16	12:30 p.m.	at No. 19 Chattanooga	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN	ESPN+	W 36–13	7,691
November 23	2:00 p.m.	Western Carolina	Pete Hanna Stadium Homewood, AL	ESPN+	L 42–47	4,723
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

1. This game was cancelled in anticipation of Hurricane Helene.

^{[1] [2]}

Game summaries

at West Georgia

See also: 2024 West Georgia Wolves football team

Game One – Samford Bulldogs (0-0) at West Georgia Wolves (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	7	15	0	29
Wolves	14	12	0	12	38

at University Stadium • Carrollton, GA

• Date: August 31
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Wind: S at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy • Temp: 88 °F (31 °C)
• Game attendance: 4,329
• Referee: Gabriel Maddox
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Logan Maddox and Parker Gore

Game information

First quarter (13:49) UWG – Chase Belcher 3-yard run (Chance Gagnon kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:11; UWG 7-0) (11:04) SAM – Quincy Crittendon 1-yard run (Forrest Taylor kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 2:38; Tie 7-7) (4:41) UWG – Bryce Dickerson 29-yard pass from Davin Wydner (Chance Gagnon kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:23; UWG 14-7) Second quarter (13:08) UWG – Chance Gagnon 49-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 29 yards, 4:25; UWG 17-7) (8:43) SAM – Damonta Witherspoon 3-yard pass from Quincy Crittendon (Forrest Taylor kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 4:18; UWG 17-14) (2:18) UWG – Chance Gagnon 28-yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 66 yards, 6:19; UWG 20-14) (0:00) UWG – Dylan Gary 44-yard pass from Davin Wydner (Chance Gagnon kick no good) (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 0:49; UWG 26-14) Third quarter (8:41) SAM – Quincy Crittendon 3-yard run (Forrest Taylor kick) (Drive: 19 plays, 71 yards, 6:14; UWG 26-21) (5:54) SAM – Brendan Jenkins 68-yard pass from Quincy Crittendon (E. Jai Mason rush) (Drive: 1 play, 68 yards, 0:13; SAM 29-26) Fourth quarter (13:40) UWG – Chase Belcher 4-yard run (Chance Gagnon kick blocked) (Drive: 7 plays, 30 yards, 2:26; UWG 32-29) (8:18) UWG – Davin Wydner 21-yard run (Chance Gagnon kick no good) (Drive: 8 plays, 87 yards, 3:45; UWG 38-29)

Statistics	SAM	UWG
First downs	25	24
Total yards	465	456
Rushing yards	163	185
Passing yards	302	271
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24-41-1	24-35
Time of possession	25:01	34:59

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Samford	Passing	Quincy Crittendon	24/41, 302 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Quincy Crittendon	19 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Brendan Jenkins	4 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD
West Georgia	Passing	Davin Wydner	24/35, 271 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Rajaez Mosley	23 carries, 66 yards
	Receiving	Karmello English	6 receptions, 108 yards

at Florida (FBS)

See also: 2024 Florida Gators football team

Game Two – Samford Bulldogs (0–1) at Florida Gators (FBS) (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	7	0	7
Gators (FBS)	7	7	14	17	45

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

• Date: September 7
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
• TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Steve Addazio (analyst) ^[3]

Statistics	SAM	UF
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Alabama State

See also: 2024 Alabama State Hornets football team

Game Three – Alabama State Hornets (1–1) vs Samford Bulldogs (0–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	7	0	0	0	7
Bulldogs	0	6	6	0	12

at Pete Hanna Stadium, Homewood, Alabama

• Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
• Game time: 6:00 PM
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Blake Gardner, Damian Mitchell, Lynden Blake

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ASU	SAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Furman

See also: 2024 Furman Paladins football team

Game Four – Samford Bulldogs (1–2) vs Furman Paladins (1–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0
Paladins	0	0	0	0	0

at Paladin Stadium, Greenville, South Carolina

• Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
• Game time: 1:00 PM
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Brock Bowling, Cole Neely

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SAM	FUR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Furman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

VMI

See also: 2024 VMI Keydets football team

Game Five – VMI Keydets (0–4) vs Samford Bulldogs (1–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Keydets	3	0	0	0	3
Bulldogs	7	10	7	3	27

at Pete Hanna Stadium, Homewood, Alabama

• Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
• Game time: 2:00 PM
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Blake Gardner, Damian Mitchell, Justin Stuckey

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	VMI	SAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at East Tennessee State

See also: 2024 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team

Game Six – Samford Bulldogs (2–2) vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers (3–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	14	7	7	0	28
Buccaneers	7	7	7	10	31

at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium, Johnson City, TN

• Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
• Game time: 2:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: SE 4 mph
• Game attendance: 8,013
• Referee: Michael Farmer
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Keith Brake (play-by-play), Mark Hutsell (analyst)

Game information

First quarter (10:11) SAM - Rayf Vinson 89-yard pass from Quincy Crittendon, Taylor Forrest kick (Drive: 3 plays, 95 yards, 0:51; Samford 7-0) (3:17) ETSU - Hakeem Meggett 31-yard pass from Jaylen King, Ewan Johnson kick (Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 2:22; Tied 7-7) (1:32) SAM - E. Jai Mason 41-yard pass from Quincy Crittendon, Taylor Forrest kick (Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 1:39; Samford 14-7) Second quarter (12:55) SAM - Wesley Carlock 23-yard pass from Quincy Crittendon, Taylor Forrest kick (Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 2:38; Samford 21-7) (2:18) ETSU - AJ Johnson 15-yard pass from Jaylen King, Ewan Johnson kick (Drive: 3 plays, 60 yards, 0:43; Samford 21-14) Third quarter (10:35) SAM - E. Jai Mason 7-yard pass from Quincy Crittendon, Taylor Forrest kick (Drive: 3 plays, 32 yards, 0:58; Samford 28-14) (6:54) ETSU - AJ Johnson 75-yard pass from Jaylen King, Ewan Johnson kick (Drive: 2 plays, 92 yards, 0:36; Samford 28-21) Fourth quarter (14:13) ETSU - Ewan Johnson 23-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 47 yards, 6:21; Samford 28-24) (1:46) ETSU - Gino English 1-yard run (Drive: 5 plays, 33 yards, 2:10; East Tennessee State 31-28)

Statistics	SAM	ETSU
First downs	14	21
Total yards	319	455
Rushing yards	13	151
Passing yards	306	304
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	27-37-0	16-29-3
Time of possession	26:21	33:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Samford	Passing	Quincy Crittendon	27-36, 306 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Damonta Whiterspoon	8 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	Rayf Vinson	2 receptions, 93 yards, TD
East Tennessee State	Passing	Jaylen King	15-27, 268 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Jaylen King	19 carries, 80 yards
	Receiving	AJ Johnson	7 receptions, 146 yards, 2 TD

No. 7 Mercer

See also: 2024 Mercer Bears football team

Game Seven – No. 7 Mercer Bears (6–0) at Samford Bulldogs (2–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 7 Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0

at Pete Hanna Stadium, Homewood, AL

• Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
• Game time: 3:30 p.m.
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Blake Gardner, Damian Mitchell, Justin Stuckey

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MER	SAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at The Citadel

See also: 2024 The Citadel Bulldogs football team

Game Eight – Samford Bulldogs (3–3) vs The Citadel Bulldogs (3–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Samford	0	0	0	0	0
The Citadel	0	0	0	0	0

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC

• Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Dave Weinstein, Vad Lee, Madison Little

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SAM	CIT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
The Citadel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Wofford

See also: 2024 Wofford Terriers football team

Game Nine – Wofford Terriers (3–5) at Samford Bulldogs (3–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Terriers	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0

at Pete Hanna Stadium • Homewood, AL

• Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Blake Gardner, Damian Mitchell, Lynden Blake

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WOF	SAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wofford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Tennessee Tech

See also: 2024 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football team

Game Ten – Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (4–5) at Samford Bulldogs (3–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	0	20	7	27
Bulldogs	0	0	0	7	7

at Pete Hanna Stadium • Homewood, AL

• Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Rain, 78 °F (26 °C)
• Game attendance: 3,013
• Referee: Jake Grombach
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Eli Gold, Damian Mitchell, Lynden Blake

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TNTC	SAM
First downs	15	8
Total yards	283	184
Rushing yards	160	19
Passing yards	123	165
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13–26–0	22–33–1
Time of possession	33:09	26:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee Tech	Passing	Dylan Laible	13/26, 123 yds
	Rushing	Tremel Jones	1 carry, 79 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Tremel Jones	2 receptions, 37 yards
Samford	Passing	Quincy Crittendon	22/32, 165 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Damonta Witherspoon	7 carries, 17 yards
	Receiving	D.J. Rias	4 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD

at No. 19 Chattanooga

See also: 2024 Chattanooga Mocs football team

Game Eleven – Samford Bulldogs (3–6) at No. 19 Chattanooga Mocs (6–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0
No. 19 Mocs	0	0	0	0	0

at Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN

• Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
• Game time: 12:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Chris Goforth, Chris Barnett, Dave Keylon

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SAM	UTC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Chattanooga	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Western Carolina

See also: 2024 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

Game Twelve – Western Carolina Catamounts (6–5) at Samford Bulldogs (4–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Catamounts	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldots	0	0	0	0	0

at Pete Hanna Stadium • Homewood, AL

• Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Blake Gardner, Damian Mitchell, Christina Chambers

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	SAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. "Samford Bulldogs 2024 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
2. "Samford Football Announces 2024 Schedule". Samford University, Department of Athletics. February 6, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
3. Samford Pregame