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’s Corner” appears monthly throughout the season.
Keeler can be found on Twitter @Scott_Keeler.
No. 8/9 SAMFORD (11-2 overall, 8-0 SoCon)
One of the most historic seasons in Samford history concluded when the sixth-seeded Bulldogs fell at third-seeded North Dakota State, 27-9, in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. Samford finished with the second-most wins in school history this season. Only the 1991 team that went 12-2 garnered more victories.
This season also marked the Bulldogs’ best-ever in Southern Conference play, as it was their first outright conference championship of any kind since winning the Dixie Conference in 1936.
Samford earned one of the eight seeds for the postseason with an impressive close to the regular season. After opening November with a 34-15 home win over VMI, Samford traveled to 11th-ranked Chattanooga the next week. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 28-7 second-quarter lead and went on to a 35-24 win.
The following week, Samford hosted Mercer with the outright SoCon title in its sights. Freshman quarterback Quincy Crittendon came off the bench in relief of injured starter Michael Hiers and rushed for the game-winning touchdown in double overtime as the Bulldogs won 50-44. Samford had a key goal-line stand in regulation as Mercer had first-and-goal at the Bulldogs’ 2-yard line but had to settle for a 20-yard field goal with seven seconds left to force overtime.
Two weeks later, Crittendon once again ran for the game-winning score in overtime as Samford defeated Southeastern Louisiana in round two of the FCS playoffs. The following week in Fargo, the game was scoreless with less than two minutes left in the first half, but the Bison got a touchdown and field goal before halftime. NDSU then scored on the opening possession of the second half to take a commanding 17-0 lead. Hiers came off the bench at that point and completed 22-of-30 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown the rest of the way, but it wasn’t enough to engineer a comeback as he was also sacked four times.
Hiers was the consensus selection as the SoCon’s Offensive Player of the Year, while Chris Hatcher was the consensus pick as the league’s Coach of the Year. Hiers, offensive lineman Gavin Orr and wide receiver Chandler Smith earned first-team All-SoCon honors.
Player of the year: Quarterback Michael Hiers. Hiers had a historic season in his first year with the Bulldogs, throwing for a league-best 3,544 yards and 36 touchdowns to tie Devlin Hodges' SoCon single-season mark that was set in 2016. Hiers, who also earned AP All-American third team honors, led the country in completion percentage (76.6 percent). He was fourth nationally in passing touchdowns, sixth in passing yards, and third in completions per game (27.15).
No. 11/11 FURMAN (10-3, 7-1)
Furman reached double figures in wins for the first time since 2005 with an impressive late-season showing that ended with a heartbreaking 41-38 loss at UIW in round two of the FCS playoffs.
The Paladins traveled to Macon and contained one of the most explosive offenses in the country in a 23-13 win at then-No. 11 Mercer on Nov. 12. Furman wrapped up second place in the SoCon the next week when it rolled over Wofford, 63-28.
The 9-2 regular season mark earned the Paladins their first home playoff game since 2005. An opening-round matchup against 12th-ranked Elon was thought by many to be the game of the day in the FCS. Furman’s defense helped turn it into a one-sided affair, though, as the Paladins won, 31-6. In 37 playoff games in school history, that marked the fewest points ever allowed by Furman and the only time its opponent didn’t score a touchdown.
Facing the highest-scoring offense in the country at UIW the next week, the Paladins’ defense had a rough start as the Cardinals took a 28-17 lead into halftime. But the defense had a run of eight consecutive UIW drives without a touchdown. The last time that happened to the Cardinals’ offense was three years ago.
That allowed Furman’s offense a chance to rally and the Paladins took a 38-34 lead with 6:55 left. UIW answered with 1:56 left when Walter Payton Award favorite Lindsay Scott threw his 55th touchdown of the season. Furman drove to the Cardinals’ 32-yard line on its ensuing possession, but UIW had a diving interception to end the threat.
Furman’s only two FCS losses were by a combined 10 points and starting quarterback Tyler Huff missed one of those – a 34-27 loss to Samford – due to injury. Huff proved to be a difference maker in his first season in Greenville after transferring from Presbyterian. He threw for 2,199 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 694 yards and eight scores.
Dominic Roberto led the Paladins’ rushing attack with 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Player of the year: Tight end Ryan Miller. Miller is the first Paladin ever to make five All-America teams as he’s been honored by HERO Sports, the Associated Press, the FCS ADA (Athletics Directors Association), Stats Perform and the AFCA thus far this postseason. Miller caught 72 passes for 762 yards and a school-season record 12 touchdowns. In his 54-game career, Miller had 151 receptions for 2,146 yards and a Furman career record 28 touchdown catches. He is scheduled to play in the 2023 Hula Bowl on Jan. 13 in Orlando, Fla.
No. 21/22 CHATTANOOGA (7-4, 5-3)
For the fifth consecutive season, Chattanooga’s year ended on a sour note. Every one of those five losses to close out its SoCon schedule came against an opponent the Mocs had a better record than. The last time Chattanooga ended the season with a win came in 2017 when the Mocs went 3-8.
This year’s final loss had the extra sting of likely costing Chattanooga an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs in a season in which it was ranked as high as sixth in late October. After suffering its first FCS loss to Furman on Oct. 29, Chattanooga rebounded with a 31-21 win at The Citadel to open November.
The Mocs had a chance to get back to the top of the league standings the following week when it hosted then No. 9-ranked Samford, but they fell behind 28-7 in the first half and went on to a 35-24 loss.
Chattanooga likely still had a good chance at making the postseason with a win in the season finale at Western Carolina. Those hopes were dashed when the Catamounts scored a touchdown with 53 seconds left to pull out a 32-29 win. It was Western’s only win against an opponent with a winning record this season.
Standout running back Ailym Ford led Chattanooga’s offense with career-highs in rushing yards (1,199) and touchdowns (12) this season. He has a school-record 18 career 100-yard rushing days and ended his season with a school-record six consecutive 100-yard games.
With a sack in the season finale, senior defensive tackle Devonnsha Maxwell set the SoCon career record with 37.5.
Maxwell was one of a school-record four Mocs to make the Associated Press’ All-American team. Jay Person made the first team, while Maxwell, defensive back Kameron Brown and offensive lineman McClendon Curtis made the second team.
Player of the year: Linebacker Jay Person. Person earned SoCon Defensive Player of the Year honors and tied for eighth in the Buck Buchanan Award voting for the top defensive player in the FCS. Person led the league in tackles for loss (17.5) and tied Maxwell for the lead in sacks with eight.
No. 22/18 MERCER (7-4, 5-3)
Much like Chattanooga, Mercer also had a disappointing end to what had looked to be a season in which it was destined to make the FCS playoffs for the first time in school history. After a bye week the first Saturday of November, the Bears had two season-ending showdowns to determine the final top of the league standings.
Mercer, which averaged a SoCon-best 38.2 points per game this season, was held to its lowest output of the season in a 23-13 home loss to Furman on Nov. 12. After being sacked just five times over the Bears first nine games this season, standout quarterback Fred Payton was sacked five times by the Paladins.
The following week at Samford, Mercer’s offense got back on track to the tune of a school-record 694-yard effort. Its playoff hopes were dashed, though, when the Bulldogs pulled out a 50-44 win in double overtime. The defeat was especially heartbreaking considering that Mercer drove 90 yards on 15 plays on its final drive of regulation, but after having a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line, had to settle for a game-tying field goal.
Ty James set a SoCon record with 351 yards receiving on 13 receptions, while Payton set the school record for passing yards with 514 that day.
Payton set school single-season records for passing yards (3,019) and touchdowns (32). He also broke the school record for single-game touchdown passes with five.
Player of the year: Wide receiver/returner Devron Harper. Harper, who became the first Mercer player to ever earn Associated Press All-American honors, is a Walter Payton Award finalist after breaking six school records this season. He had a SoCon-best 16 total touchdowns (10 receiving, four rushing, one kickoff return and one punt return). Harper finished with a school-record 78 receptions for 987 receiving yards. His 1,878 all-purpose yards this season is a Mercer record and ranked fourth nationally.
WESTERN CAROLINA (6-5, 4-4)
Two seasons into Kerwin Bell’s tenure as Western Carolina coach, this much is clear: opposing teams probably want to face the Catamounts early in a season. After winning four of its final five games in 2021, Western closed out the 2022 season by going 3-0 in November.
Those three wins came in dramatic fashion, as the Catamounts trailed in the fourth quarter of each one. Jalynn Williams’ six-yard touchdown run with 2:53 left pushed Western to a 36-29 win over Wofford Nov. 5. The following week, Richard McCollum’s 33-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Catamounts to a 20-17 win at ETSU in the Blue Ridge Border Battle.
The season ended in jubilation when T.J. Jones’ one-yard touchdown with 53 seconds left gave Western a 32-29 win over then 14th-ranked Chattanooga. That marked the Catamounts' first win over a ranked opponent since defeating Samford in 2017, which was also the same year Western last beat Chattanooga.
The victory gave the Catamounts a winning season for the first time since that 2017 team went 7-4. Western finished 4-4 in league play for the second consecutive year, marking the first time it went at least .500 in the SoCon in consecutive years since 2014 and 2015.
McCollum made 17-of-19 field goals this season to earn third-team Associated Press All-American honors. McCollum has made 34-of-40 field goals (85 percent) for his career.
Player of the year: Running back Desmond Reid. Reid earned SoCon Freshman of the Year honors after rushing for 834 yards and four touchdowns, while averaging 6.9 yards per carry, this season. Reid, who only started one game all season, was fourth in the league in all-purpose yards averaging 104.6 per game as he also had 212 yards receiving. He finished sixth in voting for the Jerry Rice Award, which is annually presented to the top freshman in the FCS.
THE CITADEL (4-7, 3-5)
A disappointing season ended on a high note on the scoreboard for The Citadel. After opening November with a 31-21 loss to Chattanooga, the Bulldogs posted a 66-0 win over Virginia-Lynchburg and closed the season by retaining the Silver Shako in a thrilling win over rival VMI.
The Citadel trailed 3-0 after one quarter, led 14-3 at the half, then trailed 22-14 after three quarters. Cooper Wallace’s eight-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter cut the Keydets’ lead to two. With 3:37 left, Graeson Underwood hit Christian Hilton for a 51-yard, game-winning touchdown. It gave The Citadel 14 wins out of the last 16 Military Classic of the South matchups.
Winning back-to-back games to end a season for the second year in a row was not enough to have Brent Thompson’s contract as head coach renewed. Thompson served as the Bulldogs’ head coach since 2016, when he guided the team to a 10-2 record and an undefeated run through the SoCon. The Citadel has not had a winning season since.
On Dec. 14, the school announced that Maurice Drayton would be coming back to Charleston as the Bulldogs’ new head coach. Drayton spent a total of 14 seasons at The Citadel as a player and an assistant coach. The Moncks Corner native had been an NFL assistant for the past seven seasons.
Player of the year: Linebacker Hasan Black. Black earned All-SoCon second-team honors by the league’s media and coaches after leading the Bulldogs in tackles (82), tackles-for-loss (10.5) and sacks (4). Black ranked in the top 10 in the SoCon in all three categories.
WOFFORD (3-8, 3-5)
While the 2022 season wasn’t the comeback from a nightmarish couple of seasons in 2021 that Wofford fans had hoped for, the second half of the season certainly provided more hope for the future. A Terrier offense that came alive under interim head coach Shawn Watson continued to put up big numbers in November despite the team going 1-2 for the final month.
Wofford had a 21-12 lead in the third quarter and a 29-26 lead in the fourth before falling at Western Carolina, 36-29, on Nov. 5. The following week, the Terriers jumped out to a 21-0 lead less than 11 minutes in and went on to a 34-16 win over VMI to extend their home winning streak to three consecutive games.
In the season finale, Wofford again jumped out to a 14-7 lead midway through the first quarter before falling at Furman, 63-28. Quarterback Jimmy Weirick, who broke the school’s single-game passing record multiple times this season, did so again with 428 yards. His 25 completions tied his own school single-game record.
Weirick finished with 2,479 yards passing this season, shattering the school record of 1,670 set by Harold Chandler in 1970. His 12 touchdown passes were second-most in school history.
Senior defensive lineman Micheal Mason was an All-SoCon first-team pick by the league’s media and coaches after finishing third in the league with 7.5 sacks. He’s the first Terrier ever to earn first- or second-team All-SoCon honors in four consecutive seasons.
Watson’s interim tag was removed on Dec. 1 when he was officially announced as the program’s new head coach.
Player of the year: Wide receiver/punter Landon Parker. Parker broke the school’s single-season receiving record as he finished with 803 yards and three touchdowns on 40 receptions, averaging 20.1 yards per catch. Parker averaged 42.9 yards per punt with a long of 60. Seven of his 22 punts went for 50-plus yards.
ETSU (3-8, 1-7)
For the second time in the past five years, ETSU followed a SoCon championship season by winning just one league game. The 2019 team went 1-7 in the SoCon after winning the title in 2018 and this year’s team went 1-7 after going 7-1 to earn last year’s league crown.
A frustrating season for first-year coach George Quarles ended with more frustration in November as the Bucs closed the season on a five-game losing skid. Of those seven league losses, five were decided by 10 points or less.
That includes the SoCon finale in the Blue Ridge Border Battle against Western Carolina on Nov. 12. ETSU took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter but didn’t score again until Tyler Keltner kicked a 31-yard field goal with 2:25 left to tie the game 17-17. The Bucs lost after the Catamounts drove down and made a 33-yard field goal as time expired.
Sophomore defensive back Alijah Huzzie has made multiple All-American teams this offseason after leading the FCS in passes defended (22) and ranking second nationally in interceptions (6). He also had 59 tackles. Freshman linebacker Chandler Martin started 10 games and led the team with 99 tackles, including 9.5 for loss.
Player of the year: Running back Jacob Saylors. Saylors wrapped up his phenomenal career by rushing for 1,307 and 15 touchdowns this season. He ranked seventh nationally in all-purpose yards per game (155.27) and rushing yards per game (119.7), eighth in rushing touchdowns and 10th in total touchdowns (16). He finished his career with 3,851 rushing yards, 6,058 all-purpose yards and 33 rushing touchdowns.
VMI (1-10, 0-8)
VMI put a little bit of a scare into the SoCon champions to open November then closed it with its best performance in league play, but neither translated to a win as the Keydets wrapped up a winless league campaign.
When Jerry Rice hit a 38-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in the third quarter at Samford on Nov. 5, VMI took a 15-14 lead. That marked just its second lead in SoCon play to that point and first one outside the first quarter. The Bulldogs answered with a trio of touchdowns the rest of the way for a 34-15 win.
After a 34-16 loss at Wofford on Nov. 12, the Keydets hosted rival The Citadel in the season finale. VMI trailed 14-3 at the half before coming to life with three third-quarter touchdowns. Elijah Quamily’s 20-yard touchdown return of a blocked punt staked the Keydets to a 22-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs scored a pair of touchdowns to pull out a 26-22 win.
Two days after the season-ending loss, Scott Wachenheim resigned as head coach. Wachenheim will be remembered for guiding VMI to its first SoCon title since 1977 in the shortened spring season of 2021. He coached the Keydets to a 6-5 record last fall, marking the first back-to-back winning seasons for the school in 59 years.
On Dec. 3, Danny Rocco was announced as VMI’s 33rd head coach. Rocco previously served as head coach at Delaware, Richmond and Liberty. He spent last season as Penn State’s defensive senior analyst.
Player of the year: Linebacker Stone Snyder. Snyder earned third-team Associated Press All-American honors after leading the SoCon with 108 tackles in 10 games this season. The two-time SoCon Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-American was also a Buck Buchanan finalist for the third consecutive season.