Note: The following was written by Scott Keeler, who worked as a reporter at the Greenville News for more than 25 years. “Keeler’s Corner” will also appear throughout the season.
Keeler can be found on Twitter @Scott_Keeler
Welcome to the in-season portion of “Keeler’s Corner.” Month by month of the football season, I’ll recap the efforts of each Southern Conference team - in order of the current SoCon standings - and look ahead to what’s on the horizon.
Based on the results one month in, we could be in store for an unpredictable ride the rest of the way through the SoCon.
ETSU (4-1, 3-0 SoCon)
The list of surprises so far this season starts right at the top, as ETSU, which was predicted for an eighth-place SoCon finish by the league’s media and coaches, sits alone in first place. After going 2-6 in league play each of the last two seasons, the Bucs have already surpassed that SoCon win total under first-year coach Randy Sanders.
ETSU has won each of its SoCon games in thrilling fashion, starting with a 27-24 victory at VMI on a Friday afternoon - thanks to Hurricane Florence. The Bucs had eight sacks and forced six turnovers that day to secure their first SoCon road win since rejoining the league in 2016.
The following week at home, the Bucs trailed Furman 27-6 midway through the third quarter. That’s when former starting quarterback Austin Herink came off the bench and rallied ETSU to a 29-27 win. The Bucs followed that up with a 17-14 home win over previously unbeaten Chattanooga last Saturday.
October game to watch: at Wofford, Oct. 20. Plenty could change over the next two Saturdays as ETSU has a SoCon test at The Citadel the week before, but the Bucs and Terriers are currently the only teams without a SoCon loss.
MVP: Linebacker Jared Folks. Folks, a senior transfer from Temple, has helped the Bucs rank second in the SoCon in total defense, allowing 312.6 yards per game, and first in sacks (20). Folks is second on the team in tackles (36) and tied for third place in the SoCon in sacks at 4.0. He also has an interception and a forced fumble.
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WOFFORD (3-1, 2-0)
One question entering this season was how much different Wofford might look under first-year coach Josh Conklin. The answer thus far has been “not so much.” During legendary coach Mike Ayers’ 30-year tenure, the Terriers’ bread-and-butter was a powerful rushing attack, and that’s still in place.
Wofford leads the SoCon and ranks second in the FCS with an average 375.5 yards rushing per game, including a whopping 7.4 yards per rushing attempt. Nine different Terriers have combined for Wofford’s 15 rushing touchdowns.
For the second year in a row, the Terriers opened the season with an exciting home win over an in-state and SoCon rival as a fourth-quarter touchdown lifted Wofford to a 28-21 win over The Citadel. The Terriers are agonizingly close to being undefeated this season, but FBS member Wyoming scored a touchdown with 17 seconds left to hand Wofford a 17-14 loss on Sept. 15.
October game to watch: at Chattanooga, Oct. 6. This is Wofford’s October game to watch simply because it’s the first one. The sixth-ranked Terriers will be tested throughout the month as they travel to Furman the following week before home games against ETSU and Mercer.
MVP: Fullback Andre Stoddard. Stoddard is second in the SoCon in rushing at 90.2 yards per game, having gone for 361 yards and four touchdowns. His 6.8 yards per carry average ranks 15th in the FCS. As part of the exorbitant rushing totals Wofford has put up, five of Stoddard’s teammates actually have a higher average per carry but not enough attempts to qualify among the national leaders statistically.
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CHATTANOOGA (4-1, 2-1)
In its second season under coach Tom Arth, Chattanooga has enjoyed a nice rebound. The Mocs have already surpassed their win total from last year’s 3-8 mark. Chattanooga got off to a 4-0 start before falling 17-14 at ETSU last Saturday.
The Mocs jumped out to halftime leads in each of those first four games, including double-digit leads in three of them, but the tables turned last week. Chattanooga trailed 17-0 at the half in Johnson City before its second-half comeback came up just short.
After a roller coaster season at quarterback last year due to injuries and suspensions, junior Nick Tiano has brought stability to the position. The Mississippi State transfer is third in the league in total offense at 319 yards per game, including 288.4 passing. He’s thrown nine touchdowns and two interceptions.
October game to watch: vs. Wofford, Oct. 6. While Chattanooga’s nice start includes a 27-20 win over preseason SoCon favorite Samford, this week’s game feels like it could be a “statement win” for a Mocs team trying to climb back to the top tier of the SoCon.
MVP: Wide receiver Bryce Nunnelly. Whatever the 100 percent complete opposite of “sophomore slump” is, Nunnelly is having it this season. After catching seven passes for 89 yards as a freshman last year, Nunnelly leads the FCS with 721 yards receiving this year. He’s averaging 19 yards per catch and has five touchdowns.
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MERCER (3-2, 2-1)
There’s been no place like road for Mercer in the SoCon so far. A week after posting coach Bobby Lamb’s 100th career victory, the Bears opened league play at Samford and upset the then ninth-ranked Bulldogs 30-24.
That wave of momentum from beating the preseason favorite on the road stopped the next week at home. The Citadel scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner on a kickoff return with 57 seconds left, to stun the Bears 38-31. Mercer closed out the month with a 48-38 win at VMI.
Redshirt freshman Robert Riddle, who won the starting quarterback position battle over 2017 SoCon Freshman of the Year Kaelan Riley, has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 851 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. Riley returned to the starting lineup for the injured Riddle against VMI last week, throwing for 248 yards and two scores in the win.
October game to watch: vs. Western Carolina, Oct. 20. The Bears get a two-week break from SoCon play with a bye this week followed by a road trip to Yale. When the Catamounts come to Macon, Mercer will be trying for its first SoCon home win since last Oct. 14.
MVP: Wide receiver Marquise Reed. Reed is wrapping up a solid collegiate career with a terrific senior season. Irvin is third in the SoCon in receiving with an average of 93 yards per game. He’s caught a pair of touchdowns and is averaging 16.6 yards per catch.
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FURMAN (1-3, 1-1)
After starting the season 0-3 for the second year in a row, Furman outlasted Western Carolina 44-38 last Saturday for a much-needed victory. Playing their first home game in 322 days, the Paladins jumped out to a 31-10 halftime lead before holding on for the win. A big key Saturday for Furman was getting its rushing attack going, as the Paladins piled up 339 yards on the ground.
Furman opened the season with lopsided losses at Clemson and Elon. The Paladins hoped to get on track the next week at home against a Colgate them they dominated on the road last year, but Hurricane Florence led to the game being cancelled. Furman appeared to get things going the next week at ETSU but saw a 27-6 lead disappear in a 29-27 loss.
Reserve freshman bandit Adrian Hope has six sacks this season as he leads the FCS with an average of 1.5 per game.
October game to watch: vs. Wofford, Oct. 13. Furman overcame last year’s slow start with a seven-game winning streak to reach the FCS playoffs. The Paladins will likely need a similar run this season to have any postseason hopes. A win over the Terriers would give a young team a tremendous boost in confidence.
MVP: Quarterback Harris Roberts. After suffering a broken thumb in the preseason, Roberts’ first truly meaningful snaps of his career came two weeks ago at ETSU. The senior captain did a good job directing Furman’s option offense Saturday against WCU. He rushed for 82 yards on 11 carries and threw for 133 yards on 9-of-11 passing, including his first career touchdown.
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WESTERN CAROLINA (3-1, 1-1)
Western Carolina had a 3-0 start to the season for the first time in 42 years before its winning streak came to a halt at Furman last Saturday. The Catamounts posted a season-high 577 yards of total offense against the Paladins, but their rally from a 31-10 halftime deficit came up short as WCU fell 44-38.
The week before, WCU held on for a 52-50 win over VMI as the teams broke the E.J. Whitmire Stadium record for combined points in a game. The Catamounts, who have 1,130 total yards of offense in their two SoCon games, lead the league and rank sixth nationally in total offense with an average of 521.8 yards per game.
Despite not registering a sack Saturday, WCU’s defense is tied for third nationally with an average of four sacks per game.
October game to watch: at Samford, Oct. 6. Samford’s scoreboard could be in for a workout Saturday as two of the top FCS quarterbacks in the country square off in WCU’s Tyrie Adams and Samford’s Devlin Hodges.
MVP: Quarterback Tyrie Adams. Adams is making a strong early season case for SoCon Player of the Year, and perhaps national honors. The junior is fourth in the FCS in total offense (343.8 yards per game). He’s fourth in the SoCon in passing (255.8 yards per game) and second in touchdown passes (10). Despite being sacked four times Saturday, Adams is third in the league in rushing at 88 yards per game with four touchdowns.
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THE CITADEL (1-3, 1-2)
Perhaps no SoCon team had a more dramatic opening month than The Citadel. All three of its league games were tied in the fourth quarter, while a game against rival Charleston Southern was postponed by Hurricane Florence. The Bulldogs wrapped up the month falling at then-No. 25-ranked Towson, 44-27, on Saturday.
The Bulldogs opened the season by rallying from a 21-0 deficit to tie Wofford before falling 28-21. The Citadel fell behind Chattanooga the following week 21-7 before falling 29-21 in overtime. The Bulldogs used three fourth-quarter touchdowns, highlighted by Rod Johnson’s 94-yard game-winning kickoff return with 57 seconds left, in a 38-31 win at Mercer.
The Citadel ranks seventh nationally with an average of 289 yards rushing per game but has completed just 31.9 percent of its passes for 85.8 yards per game.
October game to watch: vs. ETSU, Oct. 13. The Bulldogs get this week off ahead of their game against the SoCon’s surprise first-place team. The Citadel closes out the month with rivalry games at VMI and at home against Furman.
MVP: Running back Lorenzo Ward. After posting career highs in rushing yards (180) and carries (35) against Towson, Ward leads the SoCon with an average of 99.8 rushing yards per game. The junior has rushed for three touchdowns.
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SAMFORD (1-4, 0-2)
The biggest surprise this season is arguably odds-on preseason favorite Samford. After a 66-9 win over Shorter to open the season, the Bulldogs have lost four consecutive games.
It seems that Samford hasn’t recovered from a week-two loss at Florida State in which the Bulldogs led the FBS member for much of the night. Five Samford turnovers helped the Seminoles rally for a 36-26 win.
Slow starts have hampered Samford ever since. The Bulldogs trailed Mercer 17-7 at the half before falling 30-24. The following week at Chattanooga, Samford trailed 17-0 in the second quarter before losing 27-20. Last Saturday at then-No. 4-ranked Kennesaw State, Samford trailed 14-3 at the half in a 24-10 loss.
October game to watch: vs. Western Carolina, Oct. 6. Samford returns home this week and will look for a hot start against a Catamount team that has allowed 94 points in their two SoCon games.
MVP: Quarterback Devlin Hodges. The two-time reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Year leads the country in passing with 1,639 yards. The senior has thrown 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while rushing for 121 yards and a score.
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VMI (0-5, 0-4)
While the overall record doesn’t reflect it, VMI has made pretty big improvements from last season. The Keydets have lost 22 consecutive games dating back to a win over ETSU in 2016 but have found the end zone on a much more consistent basis this year.
In its home opener, VMI lost to ETSU 27-24. The next week, Western Carolina topped VMI 52-50 as the Keydets dropped a potential game-tying two-point conversion with 22 seconds left. VMI fell 48-38 at Mercer last Saturday.
VMI’s closest SoCon loss last season was a pair of 18-point losses to The Citadel and ETSU, respectively. The most points the Keydets scored in league play in 2017 was 14. With 129 points this season, VMI has already surpassed its total of 88 points scored last year. This includes 126 points in SoCon play after totaling 68 in eight league games in 2017.
October game to watch: vs. The Citadel, Oct. 20. VMI will try to pry away the Silver Shako trophy from rival The Citadel for the first time since 2003 in the 74th meeting between the rival military schools.
MVP: Quarterback Reece Udinski. No quarterback in Division I has thrown more passes this season than VMI’s sophomore quarterback. Udinski has completed 153 of his 281 passes for 1,546 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.