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 another 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.
As of Halloween today, it’s still tricky trying to fully determine who the SoCon favorite is with three weeks left in the regular season. With two teams with one league loss and four others with two, the SoCon’s tie-breaking scenarios could be scary to figure out when all is said and done.
WOFFORD (6-2, 5-1)
After suffering its lone FCS loss at Furman on Oct. 13, Wofford has rebounded nicely to position itself for back-to-back SoCon championships and its sixth overall. The week after Furman, the Terriers handed ETSU its first SoCon loss, 30-17. Wofford then ran over Mercer, 42-21, last Saturday.
On the same day that the playing surface at Gibbs Stadium was named “Mike Ayers Field” and a bust of the legendary coach was unveiled, Wofford rushed for 359 yards in the win over Mercer. The Bears, who entered Saturday with one SoCon loss, were averaging more than 40 points per game in league play, but the Terriers held them to seven points over the first three-plus quarters. Wofford, which is ranked No. 8 in the FCS coaches poll and No. 9 in the FCS STATS poll, improved to 4-0 at home this season with the win.
With Wofford and ETSU being the only SoCon teams with one league loss, the Terriers obviously own that head-to-head tiebreaker if both teams finish with one loss. That’s going to be easier said than done, though.
November game to watch: at Samford, Nov. 3. Wofford has road trips to face two of the most potent quarterbacks in the country to close out league play. It’s Samford’s Devlin Hodges this week, followed by Western Carolina’s Tyrie Adams next week.
MVP: Fullback Andre Stoddard. A consistent part of a consistent force. Stoddard averaged 90.2 yards rushing per game through September and now averages a SoCon-best 90.1 per game. He leads the third-leading rushing team in the FCS (354.9 per game), who also rank No. 1 nationally in yards per carry (6.87).
ETSU (7-2, 5-1 SoCon)
Despite falling for the first time to an FCS opponent this year at Wofford on Oct. 20, ETSU just keeps hanging at the top of the league standings to keep its hopes for its first league championship alive. The Bucs rebounded from the setback at Wofford with a thrilling 45-43 win over Western Carolina in triple overtime last Saturday.
All five of ETSU’s SoCon wins have been decided by three points or fewer after its latest comeback victory. The Bucs trailed 30-15 with less than six minutes to go against WCU before scoring a pair of touchdowns in regulation. The game-tying score came with 10 seconds left as Austin Herink threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Nate Adkins, then Herink ran for the two-point conversion to force overtime. That capped a 15-play, 88-yard drive, which ETSU pulled off in less than three minutes.
The Bucs then somehow survived after an interception in the first overtime and a 9-yard loss on a sack to start the third overtime to improve to 5-0 at home this season. ETSU is ranked No. 23 and 24 in the FCS coaches and STATS polls, respectively.
November game to watch: at Mercer, Nov. 3. The Bucs will try to maintain their seat alongside Wofford atop the league standings against a pair of two-loss teams looking to stay alive in the race. After its trip to Mercer this Saturday, ETSU gets an off week before hosting Samford on Nov. 17 to close out the regular season.
MVP: Linebacker Dylan Weigel. There are plenty of candidates from an ETSU defense that ranks second in the SoCon in total defense (333 yards allowed per game) and first in sacks (28), including Jared Folks (6 sacks), Jason Maduafokwa (5.5 sacks), Nasir Player (5 sacks) and Tyree Robinson (4 interceptions). Weigel gets the nod as he leads the Bucs in tackles (71) and tackles-for-loss (12.5).
CHATTANOOGA (6-2, 4-2)
The good news for Chattanooga is that it’s currently alone in third place, a half-game ahead of three teams with two losses. The bad news is the two teams it trails in the standings are responsible for its two losses.
After its home loss to Wofford on Oct. 6, Chattanooga posted an impressive 26-6 win at Western Carolina, which averages more than 34 points per game this season. After a bye week, the Mocs rallied from a 21-7 deficit to defeat VMI 34-27 last Saturday. That victory doubled last season’s win total for Chattanooga.
The Mocs had seven sacks Saturday, led by Isaiah Mack’s career-high three. The senior now has 19 sacks in his career, which is fourth-best in school history.
November game to watch: at Furman, Nov. 3. After not beating Furman anywhere from 1995-2009, Chattanooga goes for its fifth consecutive win at Paladin Stadium this Saturday. The Mocs wrap up SoCon play the following week at home against Mercer.
MVP: Wide receiver Bryce Nunnelly. While he’s cooled off a bit from his incredible start to this year, Nunnelly still ranks fourth in the FCS in receiving with 953 yards and seven touchdowns. The sophomore is just 47 away from becoming the fourth player in school history with a 1,000-yard receiving season.
MERCER (4-4, 3-2)
The roller coaster ride continues for Mercer this season. Since league play began on Sept. 15, Saturdays for the Bears have gone like this: win, loss, win, loss, win, loss – with one of those losses outside the SoCon against Yale on Oct. 13.
Mercer returned home following the long road trip to Yale and outslugged Western Carolina 59-46 before falling at Wofford last Saturday, 42-21.
After freshman quarterback Robert Riddle went down with a broken collarbone in September, sophomore Kaelan Riley has stepped in and performed well. The 2017 SoCon Freshman of the Year has thrown for 1,123 yards this season with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.
November game to watch: vs. ETSU, Nov. 3. If the won-loss pattern continues for Mercer this week, there could be a serious logjam of two-loss teams at or near the top of the SoCon standings. The Bears play at Chattanooga and host Furman to close the regular season.
MVP: Running back Tee Mitchell. With a 157-yard rushing performance against WCU, Mitchell broke the school’s all-time rushing record. He’s rushed for 2,651 yards in his career. While Mitchell was forced to leave last Saturday’s game at Wofford in the first quarter with an injury, the senior still ranks second in the league in rushing with 84.5 yards per game.
SAMFORD (4-4, 3-2)
With no disrespect intended to any team already mentioned ahead of Samford in the standings, the Bulldogs may be the one team in the SoCon that no one wants to play currently.
All hope seemed lost for the SoCon’s preseason favorite when Samford suffered a four-game losing streak in September. Whatever hope left still remains after the Bulldogs went 3-0 in October and put up 177 points combined in those games.
After a 66-28 win over Western Carolina and a 73-22 win over VMI, it appeared that Samford may have cooled off at Furman on Oct. 20. But with the Bulldogs trailing 19-10 midway through the third quarter, Ahmad Gooden’s scoop-and-score on a 58-yard fumble return reignited the team. That touchdown was the first of four Samford put up over the next 11 minutes of game time to rally for a 38-25 win.
November game to watch: vs. Wofford, Nov. 3. With last week’s bye, Samford has had two weeks to prepare for the Terriers. While some of the luster is off what was probably thought to be the SoCon game of the year entering this season, many fans from other SoCon schools will be scoreboard watching this one Saturday.
MVP: Quarterback Devlin Hodges. After an FCS-best 1,639 passing yards over Samford’s five games in September, Hodges set a SoCon record for a three-game stretch with 1,437 yards in October. Hodges’ 402-yard passing day at Furman helped him break the SoCon career passing record with 13,377 yards. He also became the FCS’ all-time leader in completions with 1,198.
FURMAN (3-4, 3-2)
Until this past Saturday, Furman’s season had gone as senior captain Harris Roberts’ season had gone.
After guiding Furman to a 44-38 win over Western Carolina to close out September, Roberts earned SoCon Player of the Week honors as he accounted for five touchdowns in a 34-14 win over Wofford on Oct. 13. The following week, Roberts was knocked out with an injury in the first quarter against Samford and the Paladins fell, 38-25.
This past Saturday, freshman JeMar Lincoln became Furman’s third different starting quarterback this season and rushed for three touchdowns in a 28-17 win at The Citadel.
The Paladins’ defense stepped up against two of the leading rushing teams in the FCS in wins over Wofford and The Citadel, highlighted by linebacker Donavan Perryman’s 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown to seal the win over the rival Bulldogs on Saturday.
November game to watch: vs. Chattanooga, Nov. 3. While this year’s SoCon champion could easily have two league losses, it won’t have three, so this becomes an elimination game of sorts on Saturday. Furman wraps up the regular season with road trips to VMI and Mercer.
MVP: Kicker/punter Grayson Atkins. Atkins became the first Division I player to make three field goals of 50-plus yards in the same game in 12 years when he did so – all in the second quarter – against Samford. The sophomore is 7-of-9 on field goals this season and has 17 touchbacks on 36 kickoffs. He averages 43.1 yards per punt, highlighted by the third-longest in school history at 81 yards.
THE CITADEL (2-5, 2-4)
There might not be a two-win team in the country who’s been involved in more exciting games than The Citadel. But just two years removed from winning quite a few close games to capture the SoCon title, the Bulldogs haven’t figured out that formula this season.
In all six of its SoCon games, The Citadel has either had the lead or been tied in the fourth quarter. After a three-point home loss to ETSU and a two-point win at VMI, Citadel took a 17-14 lead into the fourth quarter against rival Furman on Saturday. The Paladins rallied for a 28-17 win, sending the Bulldogs to 0-3 at Johnson-Hagood Stadium this year.
The Citadel ranks ninth in the FCS with 264.4 yards rushing per game.
November game to watch: vs. Charleston Southern, Nov. 29. The last time The Citadel and Charleston Southern squared off was in the 2015 FCS playoffs. This time, all that will be on the line is city pride as the Bulldogs will try to end their four-game losing streak in the series.
MVP: Linebacker Noah Dawkins. Dawkins is second on the team in tackles (46) after posting a career-high 11 Saturday against Furman. The senior is second on the team in tackles-for-loss (11) and interceptions (2) and tied for the team lead in sacks (4).
WESTERN CAROLINA (3-5, 1-5)
While dynamic quarterback Tyrie Adams continues to break records, Western Carolina hasn’t been able to take advantage. After getting off to a 3-0 start for the first time in 42 years, the Catamounts have lost five consecutive games.
On Saturday, Adams became the school’s all-time leader in career touchdown passes and WCU led ETSU 30-15 in the fourth quarter. However, the Bucs rallied for a 45-43 win in triple overtime. It marked the third time this season that the Catamounts have score at least 38 points in a loss.
Adams passed Troy Mitchell (50) on the school’s passing touchdown ledger, as he now has 53.
November game to watch: vs. The Citadel, Nov. 3. Some team is going to get a much-needed win Saturday in Cullowhee. WCU hosts Wofford the following week before wrapping up the season at North Carolina.
MVP: Quarterback Tyrie Adams. Following a 229-yard passing and 161-yard rushing day Saturday, Adams now ranks eighth in the FCS in total offense with an average of 299 yards per game. Adams is currently second in school history in pass completions (541), attempts (856), yards (6,576) and total offense (8,358 yards).
VMI (0-8, 0-7)
VMI soared past its 2017 season point total by the end of September this season. The Keydets’ improvement continued in October, but wins still remained in the “close, but no cigar” category.
Against rival The Citadel on Oct. 20, VMI outgained the Bulldogs 502-366 in total yards and had a 28-15 advantage in first downs, but the Keydets fell 34-32. Last Saturday, VMI jumped out to a 21-7 lead at Chattanooga before falling, 34-27.
Saturday marked the Keydets’ fourth loss this season by seven points or fewer. Last season, VMI’s closest SoCon game was a pair of 18-point losses.
November game to watch: vs. Tusculum, Nov. 3. VMI will try to snap its 25-game losing streak this Saturday. The Keydets wrap up the season by hosting Furman before traveling to Old Dominion.
MVP: Quarterback Reece Udinski. Udinski, who’s averaged 54 pass attempts per game this season, is fourth in the FCS with 2,577 passing yards this season. He has 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.