Note: The following was written by Scott Keeler, who worked as a reporter at the Greenville News for more than 25 years and continues to cover the Southern Conference. 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. This month’s edition was delayed a week so that every SoCon team had a league game under its belt.
No. 13/12 ETSU (5-0, 2-0 SoCon)
ETSU quickly burst on to the FCS national scene this season with a trio of lopsided wins in nonconference play, including a season-opening 23-3 victory at Southeastern Conference member Vanderbilt.
After SoCon play began two weeks ago, it’s been business as usual for the Buccaneers. As in a nail-biting business. ETSU pulled out a 55-48 overtime win at Samford and posted a 27-21 victory over Wofford for its first triumph over the Terriers since the Clinton administration. Over the Bucs’ last 25 SoCon games dating back to the 2017 season finale, 22 have been decided by eight points or fewer.
At Samford, the teams combined for 46 points in the fourth quarter. The last three came on Tyler Keltner’s 27-yard field goal as time expired to tie the game 48-48. Quay Holmes’ 13-yard touchdown run in overtime gave ETSU the lead and its defense withstood an eight-play possession, stopping the Bulldogs short on fourth down for its first win ever at Samford.
Wofford had been the only opponent the Bucs had not defeated since rejoining the SoCon in 2014 and was the opponent in two of those three that weren’t one-score games. Last Saturday in Johnson City, there were only seven points in the fourth quarter, but it was no less thrilling for a Greene Stadium-record crowd of 10,153. Holmes’ 77-yard touchdown catch from Tyler Riddell lifted ETSU to its first win over the Terriers since Nov. 7, 1998.
The Bucs are 5-0 for the third time in school history and first time since 1969. Their undefeated start has been highlighted defensively by big plays. Those include Karon Delince's 95-yard interception return and Stephen Scott's 27-yard fumble return for a touchdown at Vanderbilt, and Tyree Robinson's 98-yard interception return at Samford. Jalen Porter leads ETSU's defense with six tackles for loss, including four sacks.
October game to watch: at Chattanooga, Oct. 16. There’s obviously still plenty of football to be played, but based on current FCS polls this year’s edition of “The Rail Rivalry” could be a SoCon championship match smack dab in the middle of October.
MVP: Running back Quay Holmes. Holmes leads the FCS in rushing with 617 yards, averaging 123.4 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry. His seven rushing touchdowns are the second-highest total in the country.
MERCER (3-1, 2-0)
After winning four of its final five games in the SoCon spring schedule earlier this year, Mercer has picked right up where it left off this fall. Efficiency has been the key word for the Bears’ solid start this season. Mercer is one of five FCS teams converting more than 50 percent of its third downs as the Bears have made 26-of-50 (52 percent). They are also 3-of-4 on fourth down conversions.
Despite being held to 216 yards of total offense, including 48 rushing, in a 48-14 loss at FBS’ top-ranked Alabama, Mercer ranks seventh nationally in total offense with 487 yards per game. The Bears are second in the FCS in rushing yards per game averaging 290 and are second in the SoCon in scoring offense at 38 points per game.
Three different quarterbacks have thrown at least seven passes for Mercer this season, but Coastal Carolina transfer Fred Payton seems to have taken the lead at signal caller. Payton has thrown for 542 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 85 yards.
Mercer leads the SoCon in passing defense efficiency (116.7) and has seven interceptions as a team. Luke Ward and Michael Campbell lead the way with two picks apiece.
October game to watch: vs. Wofford, Oct. 23. One SoCon team this season posted its first win over Wofford this century and Mercer hopes to make it two. The Bears are 0-7 against the Terriers since joining the league in 2014, including heartbreaking one-point home losses in 2015 and 2017. Mercer last beat Wofford in 1941, its last season of football before a 71-year hiatus.
MVP: Running back Fred Davis. The Bears seem to consistently have a freshman running back make an immediate impact and that’s the case again this year. After a solid first three games, Davis rewrote the record book in Mercer’s 45-42 win over Samford on Saturday. Davis established new school single-game records for rushing yards (276) and rushing touchdowns (5). He has 432 yards, seven touchdowns and is averaging 6.9 yards per carry this season.
No. 19 CHATTANOOGA (2-2, 1-0)
Coming off an impressive, albeit short, spring season, Chattanooga entered the fall as the preseason favorite to win the SoCon championship. After an up-and-down nonconference trio of games, the Mocs opened league play in a big way last Saturday with a 45-17 victory over Western Carolina.
Chattanooga opened the season with a tough 30-20 home loss to then-No. 20 Austin Peay in a game it led 20-16 in the third quarter. After posting a shutout win at North Alabama the following week, the Mocs just missed giving the SoCon two wins over the SEC this fall. Chattanooga took a 16-14 lead to the fourth quarter at Kentucky before falling, 28-23.
The Mocs were clicking on all cylinders in their SoCon opener with a balanced offensive attack and another solid day defensively for a team that leads the SoCon in total defense (292.8 yards per game), rushing defense (78.0 yards per game), third down conversion defense (30.8 percent) and turnover margin (plus-5). Chattanooga also leads the league in red zone offense and defense and its nine interceptions on defense are second-most in the FCS.
On a day in which the Mocs jumped on top of the Catamounts 21-3 after one quarter, they piled up 518 yards of total offense - 271 rushing and 247 passing.
Ailym Ford leads the Mocs offensively this season as he’s rushed for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Terrell Pryce has also rushed for 232 yards with two scores and is averaging 6.6 yards per carry.
October game to watch: at VMI, Oct. 9. The 2021 fall favorite travels to the 2021 spring champion this Saturday. The teams were supposed to face off to open the spring season, but the game was cancelled due to COVID concerns. Chattanooga will be looking to avenge a 31-24 loss to end the 2019 season that cost the Mocs a winning record.
MVP: Defensive back Brandon Dowdell. Dowdell leads the FCS with four interceptions, so he barely beats out Devonnsha Maxwell for this honor. Maxwell only ranks fifth in the FCS with five sacks. The only game in which Dowdell doesn’t have an interception this season is the Kentucky game, where he made eight tackles. Dowdell has 10 interceptions in his career, while Maxwell has 21.5 career sacks.
THE CITADEL (2-2, 1-0)
After a nightmarish opening five quarters this season, The Citadel has responded in a positive way. That response was loud and clear Saturday when the Bulldogs knocked off then-No. 18 VMI, 35-24, to regain the Silver Shako for the first time since 2018.
The Citadel opened the season with a 52-14 loss at FBS member Coastal Carolina, then fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter the next week versus rival Charleston Southern. The Bulldogs cut the lead to 10 twice before falling 38-21. After a win against North Greenville, The Citadel put everything together against the Keydets.
On the Bulldogs’ first offensive snap, Jaylan Adams hit Raleigh Webb for an 80-yard touchdown. It was the big-play receiver’s sixth touchdown reception of at least 70 yards in his career.
Adams completed just one more pass the rest of the way, but who needs passing when you rush for 188 yards and a touchdown, as he did Saturday. Logan Billings added 112 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who rushed for 363 yards as a team. Of The Citadel’s 60 rushing attempts, only one went for negative yardage - a one-yard loss - and none were fumbled.
A trio of experienced linebackers lead The Citadel defensively. Willie Eubanks III (36) and Anthony Britton Jr. (33) ranked second and fourth, respectively, in the SoCon in tackles, while Marquis Blount ranks third in sacks (3.5).
October game to watch: at ETSU, Oct. 9. The Citadel will try to make it consecutive wins over ranked teams when it makes its first of just three trips outside the Palmetto State this season on Saturday. The Bulldogs have lost the last two home games against ETSU but have won each of the last two road games in the series. All four have been decided by seven points or fewer.
MVP: Quarterback Jaylan Adams. After playing special teams and defense at The Citadel in 2019, Adams became the starting quarterback in the spring and has locked down that role this fall. Adams is third in the SoCon in rushing at 102 yards per game and has three touchdowns. He’s also thrown for 414 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
VMI (3-2, 1-1)
Coming off its magical spring season that resulted in VMI’s first SoCon championship since 1977, the Cinderella story looked to be continuing before a loss to rival The Citadel last Saturday.
After record-setting quarterback Reece Udinski was hurt midway through the spring season, Seth Morgan came on and led the Keydets to the title. This fall, it’s been another backup quarterback to VMI’s rescue. After Morgan took a blow to the head early on in the Keydets’ game at Cornell on Sept. 18, freshman Collin Ironside came on and threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns to lead VMI to a 31-21 win.
Ironside started the SoCon opener the next week against Wofford. Despite being sacked five times, Ironside completed 18-of-22 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns in the Keydets’ 31-23 victory. Morgan returned against The Citadel last Saturday and helped VMI pile up 27 first downs, but three turnovers proved costly in VMI’s 35-24 loss.
Senior Korey Bridy leads the Keydets’ rushing attack with 449 yards and six touchdowns. His average of 89.8 rushing yards per game ranks fifth-best in the SoCon.
Reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Year Jakob Herres is tied for the SoCon lead with 31 receptions for 339 yards receiving and four touchdowns. The senior wide receiver currently ranks second all-time in school history in receiving with 2,845 yards, 246 yards shy of the top mark held by Mark Stock.
October game to watch: vs. Chattanooga, Oct. 9. A victory over this fall’s preseason favorite to win the league could be essential to VMI’s hopes of making it back-to-back SoCon titles. The Keydets had lost five consecutive games in the series before ending the 2019 season with a 34-27 victory over the Mocs.
MVP: Linebacker Stone Snyder. Coming off a 19-tackle performance in the SoCon opener against Wofford, Snyder posted 12 stops against The Citadel. The reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year has 19 more tackles than any other player in the SoCon with a total of 55. His average of 11 stops per game ranks eighth in the FCS.
SAMFORD (2-3, 1-2)
The good news for Samford is that it’s one of seven FCS schools averaging more than 42 points per game this season. The bad news is it’s the only one of those seven with a losing record. During this roller coaster season, the Bulldogs are essentially three plays away from being 5-0.
After a 52-14 opening win over Tennessee Tech, Samford traveled to UT Martin in week two and built a 17-0 lead after one quarter only to go on to a 33-27 loss. The Bulldogs opened SoCon play the next week at Western Carolina and saw a 21-3 lead turn into a 31-21 deficit before rallying for a 42-37 win.
Against ETSU, Samford trailed 17-3 with three minutes left in the first half. It came back to lead 33-24 early in the fourth quarter and 48-45 with 56 seconds left only to lose in overtime, 55-48. Last Saturday at Mercer, the Bulldogs led 28-17 midway through the third quarter before going on to a 45-42 loss.
Samford’s offense ranks fourth in the FCS with an average of 500.4 yards per game. It’s led by senior quarterback Liam Welch, who continues to rewrite the school record back. Against ETSU, Welch set new SoCon and program single-game records for passing yards (582), total offense (655 yards), pass completions (56) and attempts (73). He’s currently second in the country in passing with 1,833 yards and has thrown 13 touchdowns. Welch has also run for 196 yards and two touchdowns and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
October game to watch: vs. Chattanooga, Oct. 23. This should be an intriguing matchup of arguably the SoCon’s best offense in Samford against the league’s best defense in Chattanooga. The Bulldogs have lost each of the last six meetings in the series and 10 of the past 11. Samford’s last win over the Mocs was a 17-14 overtime victory in 2013.
MVP: Wide receiver Montrell Washington. So how does Welch not automatically have this? Well, his teammate easily leads the country in all-purpose yards (183.2 per game) and leads in touchdowns (10). Washington has 31 receptions for 458 yards and six touchdowns, and five rushing attempts for 51 yards and three touchdowns. He’s returned seven punts for 90 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown, and returned 15 kickoffs for 317 yards.
FURMAN (2-2, 0-1)
Coming off a disappointing spring season in which Furman didn’t live up to its preseason favorite status, the Paladins got off to a hot start in the first half of September. Furman defeated then No. 24-ranked North Carolina A&T 29-18 before a crowd of 11,628, the biggest at Paladin Stadium in six years, in the opener. The next week, the Paladins ended a streak of 190 games without a shutout with a 26-0 victory at Tennessee Tech. It was Furman’s first shutout since a 10-0 win at Elon on Oct. 23, 2004.
The second half of September wasn’t as kind though. After a 45-7 loss at NC State, Furman opened SoCon play with a 24-3 home loss to Mercer. It was Furman’s lowest scoring output since a 31-3 loss at Chattanooga in 2015 and lowest point total at home since a 45-0 loss to Samford in 2014.
Quarterback Hamp Sisson threw for 365 yards - three shy of the single-game school record - and three touchdowns in the opener. Of the top nine passing performances in Furman history, Sisson’s was the only one achieved in a victory.
The Paladins have only scored three touchdowns since and only five FCS teams have scored fewer touchdowns than Furman’s six this season. Particularly concerning for Furman has been its struggle running the ball. The Paladins rank last in the SoCon in rushing at 118.8 yards per game and are averaging 3.1 yards per carry. In 2019, Furman rushed for 265.7 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry.
October game to watch: at Wofford, Oct. 9. After not playing in the spring, these two rivals meet for the first time since 2019. On that day two years ago, a SoCon championship was at stake. This Saturday, one will collect its first league win of the season. The Paladins will look to see if the bye week helped rectify some of their issues as they go for their first win in Spartanburg since 2006.
MVP: Cornerback Travis Blackshear. Blackshear has 17 tackles, including 14 solo stops this season. He ranks second in the SoCon with three interceptions, is tied for the league lead with six passes defended and has also recovered a fumble this season.
WOFFORD (1-3, 0-2)
Much like rival Furman, Wofford rebounded from a frustrating spring season with a solid opening win only to falter as September wore on. In the opener at Elon, a Walker Gliarmis 26-yard field goal provided the Terriers’ only points of the second half but it proved to be a game-winning kick in Wofford’s 24-22 win.
After an early bye in week two, the Terriers were held to just 67 yards rushing in the home opener as No. 24 Kennesaw State won, 31-10. That was followed by a 31-23 loss at No. 22 VMI in the SoCon opener and a 27-21 home loss to No. 13 ETSU last Saturday.
The loss to the Bucs had to be especially frustrating. Despite going 0-for-8 on third down and only having possession of the ball for a very un-Wofford like 21:35, the Terriers carried a 21-20 lead into the fourth quarter last Saturday.
Wofford ranks last in the SoCon in total offense at 315.5 yards per game and its typically potent ground attack ranks fifth at 180.2 rushing yards per game. The third-down struggles against ETSU were more of the same for the Terriers as they are also last in converting those at 27.1 percent (13-of-48).
Wofford’s defense has been led by Micheal Mason, who has 2.5 sacks and has forced two fumbles this season.
October game to watch: vs. Samford, Oct. 16. No team has had Wofford’s number quite like Samford has. The Terriers only played five games in the spring but managed to have another agonizingly close loss to the Bulldogs as one of those. Wofford has lost each of the last six games in the series, with four of those decided by seven points or fewer. The Terriers’ last win over Samford in Spartanburg came in 2011.
MVP: Running back Irvin Mulligan. The junior who led Wofford in rushing in the spring made his first career start in the opener at Elon and has been a bright spot on offense. He’s rushed for a team-high 306 yards and four touchdowns and is averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
WESTERN CAROLINA (0-5, 0-2)
Western Carolina has been infused with a lot of offensive excitement under new head coach Kerwin Bell this season. Unfortunately for the Catamounts, that hasn’t translated to wins thus far as three of their losses came in games in which they scored 28, 37 and 34 points, respectively.
In its four games against FCS competition, Western Carolina has held a lead in each one. In the SoCon opener against Samford on Sept. 18, the Catamounts fell behind 21-3 early before storming back to take a 31-21 lead late in the third quarter before ultimately falling 42-37. The following week at Gardner-Webb, Western Carolina took a 34-24 lead midway through the third quarter before falling 52-34.
Freshman Raphael Williams ranks third in the SoCon in receiving at 75.8 yards per game. He’s made 30 receptions for 379 yards and four touchdowns. Junior running back T.J. Jones ranks 10th in all-purpose yards at 81.6 per game. He has 253 yards rushing and 155 receiving.
Defensive leaders thus far for the Catamounts include junior defensive end K.J. Milner, who has 4.5 tackles for loss, and freshman safety Andreas Keaton, who has three interceptions.
October game to watch: vs. Mercer, Oct. 9. An upset win over Mercer would be quite a way to celebrate homecoming in Cullowhee this Saturday. It’s Western Carolina’s first home game since Sept. 18 and last home game until Nov. 6. The Catamounts will be trying to end a five-game losing streak in the series. Western’s last win over Mercer was a 24-21 home victory in 2015.
MVP: Quarterback Rogan Wells. Wells helped Bell capture a Division II national championship at Valdosta State and is showing how this season. Wells ranks second in the SoCon in passing at 223 yards per game with six touchdowns, but also has nine interceptions. He’s 10th in the league in rushing at 55.8 yards per game. He’s thrown for 1,115 yards, rushed for 279 with two touchdowns and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry.