Oct. 22 (Saturday)	Series	TV/Digital / Stats	Time
Furman at VMI*	Furman leads 29-10	ESPN+ / Stats	1:30 p.m.
#11/11 Mercer at #8/10 Chattanooga*	Chattanooga leads 20-11-1	ESPN+ / Stats	1:30 p.m.
The Citadel at Western Carolina*	The Citadel leads 26-19-1	ESPN+ / Stats	2 p.m.
#15/15 Samford at ETSU*	Samford leads 6-3	Nexstar/ESPN3 / Stats	3:30 p.m.

* Southern Conference game
FCS rankings listed AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25/Stats Perform FCS Top 25

Nexstar affiliates for Oct. 22 Ingles SoCon Game of the Week
WMUB (Macon)
WMYT/My 12 (Charlotte)
WWCW/The CW Virginia (Lynchburg/Roanoke)
WYCW/The CW62 (Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville)

Play-by-play: Pete Yanity
Analyst: Jared Singleton

Notes
• Mercer visits Chattanooga for a clash of nationally ranked programs and ETSU hosts Samford for the Ingles Southern Conference Game of the Week on select Nexstar affiliates to highlight this week’s slate.

• Also in action, VMI hosts Furman and The Citadel visits Western Carolina.

• Three SoCon squads are ranked in the top 15 in the latest national polls. Chattanooga is ranked No. 8 in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 and No. 10 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. Mercer is No. 11, Samford is No. 15 and Furman is receiving votes in both polls.

• Saturday’s contest against Samford completes a grueling run of three out of four games against nationally ranked opponents for ETSU, which fell at Mercer last weeked, 55-33. Kicker Tyler Keltner matched the school record with four made field goals.

• Samford has been idle since a 28-14 win over Wofford on Oct. 8. At 5-1 overall, the Bulldogs are off to their best start since opening the 2016 with a 6-1 record. Junior quarterback Michael Hiers ranks fifth in the FCS with a completion percentage of .713.

• The Mercer/Chattanooga contest pits strength vs. strength. The Bears rank sixth in the FCS in scoring offense with 41.0 points per game, while Chattanooga is 10th in scoring defense at 15.7 points allowed per contest and held VMI to -2 yards rushing last week. Mercer lurks right behind UTC defensively in 12th in the FCS, surrendering just 16.4 points per game.

• Mercer QB Fred Payton ranks third in the FCS in passing efficiency at 187.8. He threw for a school-record five TDs and 383 yards in the win over ETSU.

• Chattanooga running back Ailym Ford enters the contest 56 rushing yards shy of 3,000 for his career.

• Furman enters its contest against VMI looking for its 28th win in the last 30 meetings between the squads. The Paladins got a career-best 252 yards and three TDs from RB Dominic Roberto last week against Western Carolina, netting him FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week honors from Stats Perform.

• VMI is looking to snap a four-game losing streak Saturday. Jahleel Porter’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown highlighted the Keydets’ 41-13 loss to Chattanooga last week.

• Western Carolina piled up 691 yards of total offense in last week’s 47-40 setback at Furman but could not complete the fourth-quarter comeback despite outscoring the Paladins 20-3 in the frame.

• The Citadel, which gained a season-high 402 yards against Wofford in last week’s 31-16 loss, will be playing its fourth road game in five outings Saturday. Bulldog alum Raleigh Webb, a rookie wide receiver, was signed to the New England Patriots’ 53-man roster Wednesday.

• Stats Perform released updated watch lists for its major awards Thursday, with five SoCon football players meriting inclusion. Mercer QB Fred Payton joined the Walter Payton Award list, while ETSU DB Alijah Huzzie, Mercer LB Isaac Dowling and Chattanooga DL Jay Person were added to the Buck Buchanan Award list. Western Carolina RB Desmond Reid was named to the initial watch list for the Jerry Rice Award.

SoCon Points of Pride
• Since it began competing in FCS, the SoCon has amassed the second-most national championships with eight. Also boasting another eight national championship runner-up finishes, the league has 16 title-game appearances, the most among FCS conferences.

• The SoCon prides itself on quality and depth.
    • Eight of the nine current SoCon football members have participated in the FCS Playoffs with seven different schools receiving bids since 2016.
    • Overall, current SoCon football members have combined for 47 total FCS playoffs appearances.
    • Six of the nine SoCon teams appeared in an FCS top-25 national poll in the 2020-21 season and five of nine did so in the fall 2021 campaign.

• The SoCon has had seven Walter Payton Award winners, two Buck Buchanan Award winners and five Eddie Robinson Award winners. VMI Coach Scott Wachenheim won the Eddie Robinson Award (FCS National Coach of the Year) in 2020-21.

• Sixty-three former SoCon players and coaches have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

• The SoCon had 15 FCS All-America selections in fall 2021 season. Two of them were drafted into the NFL, with Chattanooga OL Cole Strange becoming the SoCon’s first first-rounder since 1974 when he was taken 29th overall by the New England Patriots. Samford WR Montrell Washington was selected in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos.

• The SoCon has been playing Division I FCS football since the 1982 season. The NCAA created two subdivisions for Division I football beginning in 1978 with the creation of I-A (now FBS) and I-AA (now FCS). The SoCon was shifted from I-A to I-AA along with the Ivy League and Southland Conference following the 1981 season, joining the Mid-Continent, Big Sky, MEAC, SWAC, OVC, and Yankee conferences, along with a number of independents, as I-AA participants.

• The 2022 campaign is the 101st season of SoCon football. Founded in 1921, the SoCon is the fifth-oldest Division I conference.

Recent news
SoCon trio added to Buchanan Award Watch List (10/20)
Mercer's Payton added to Walter Payton Award Watch List (10/20)
WCU's Reid named to Jerry Rice Award Watch List (10/20)
SoCon names football players of the week (10/17)
Saturday's football roundup (10/15)