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” will appear throughout the season.
Keeler can be found on X @Scott_Keeler
Welcome to “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.
No. 2/2 FURMAN (7-1 overall, 5-0 SoCon)
Just two weeks after arguably Furman’s biggest regular season win in nearly 20 years, an even bigger showdown looms when the Paladins visit Chattanooga on Saturday. This one is bigger because of what’s on the line. The winner clinches at least a share of the SoCon championship and the league’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
Furman, which has won 11 consecutive SoCon games, is off to its first 5-0 start in league play since 2001. That SoCon championship team finished 7-1 in the conference and advanced to the FCS national championship, where it fell to Montana 13-6.
The Paladins’ 4-0 October was highlighted by a 29-17 win at Western Carolina on Oct. 21.
Entering that game, Furman was ranked No. 4 in the Stats Perform media poll, while the Catamounts were ranked eighth. That made it the Paladins’ first top 10 matchup since a loss to App State in the 2005 FCS semifinals and the first in the regular season since a win over Georgia Southern in 2004.
After earning SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors the week before in Furman’s win at Samford, quarterback Tyler Huff was even better against the Catamounts. He threw touchdown passes on each of Furman’s first two possessions as the Paladins jumped out to a 13-0 lead. He finished with 180 yards on 14-of-23 passing with no interceptions. Huff also had 89 yards rushing on just six carries, including a game-sealing 53-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
Dominic Roberto also rushed for 154 yards for Furman, which piled up 508 yards of total offense.
Furman’s defensive effort might have been even more impressive. Western Carolina entered as the No. 1-ranked offense in the FCS averaging 532 yards per game, but the Paladins held the Catamounts to 353 total yards. Furman also kept Western Carolina well below their 42 points per game average.
Taking care of the ball and taking it away from others has been a key to the Paladins’ success. Furman’s leads the country in turnover margin as it has forced 17 turnovers and lost just five. In SoCon play, that margin is plus-seven at 9-2. The Paladins have outscored opponents 62-7 in points off turnovers, including 55-0 against FCS competition.
Player of the year (so far): Quarterback Tyler Huff. In SoCon play, Huff has been the league’s fourth-most efficient passer (143.4 rating) and its seventh-leading rusher (70.2 yards per game). Huff’s 7.9 yards per carry average in league play ranks second in the SoCon.
November game to watch: at Chattanooga, Nov. 4. As mentioned above, this week is for all the marbles in the SoCon. A Furman win would assure it of at least a share of the league title and playoff autobid no matter what happens in its two league games to follow. Obviously, the Paladins need to win them all to maintain its current national ranking, which is the highest it’s been since they went from No. 3 to No. 1 this same week of the 2005 season.
*****
No. 13/14 CHATTANOOGA (7-2 overall, 6-1 SoCon)
Perseverance has been a key part of putting Chattanooga in position for a SoCon championship. The Mocs have put themselves in that position despite losing one of the greatest players in school history to injury. Ailym Ford, who had three 1,000-rushing seasons for Chattanooga, had his brilliant career cut short due to a torn ACL. Ford, who played through the injury over the first two games of October, finished 123 rushing yards and seven touchdowns shy of the school’s career record in both categories.
After a heartbreaking 52-50 loss to Western Carolina to open October, the Mocs rebounded in a big way the next week with a 22-10 win at Mercer. The magnitude of that victory soared when Mercer won at Western Carolina last Saturday, which helped set up this Saturday’s showdown against Furman for the SoCon championship.
On Oct. 7, Western Carolina took a 49-42 lead with 5:55 left before Chattanooga never faced a third-down on an 11-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by Chase Artopoeus’ five-yard touchdown pass to Evan Brown with 53 seconds left. Ford then took a direct snap and lobbed the ball to Cam Overton, who made a fantastic juggling catch for the two-point conversion to give the Mocs a 50-49 lead. There was too much time left for Western Carolina’s offense though as the Catamounts drove 60 yards before making a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
The following week at Mercer, the Mocs and the Bears had one touchdown apiece but the difference was Clayton Crile’s school record five field goals as the Mocs won 22-10.
Chattanooga’s defense had 12 tackles-for-loss and five sacks in holding Mercer to zero yards rushing. It was the fewest allowed by the Mocs since holding VMI to minus-four yards rushing exactly 364 days earlier on Oct. 15, 2022.
The Mocs wrapped up October by hanging on for a 24-23 win at VMI last Saturday. Stepping in for Ford, Gino Appleberry had a career-high 113 yards rushing against the Keydets. Appleberry has rushed for 479 yards this season.
After the SoCon championship game this Saturday against Furman, Chattanooga finally has its bye week before wrapping up the regular season at Alabama the following Saturday.
Player of the year (so far): Quarterback Chase Artopoeus. Perhaps the biggest question mark going into the season for Chattanooga was at quarterback, but Artopoeus has been the answer in a big way. The UCLA transfer is fourth in the country in passing with 2,383 yards and has thrown 18 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Artopoeus is second in the SoCon in passing efficiency in league play with a rating of 158.7.
November game to watch: vs. Furman, Nov. 4. With everything else on the line this week, this also could be another great, gritty game in the series. Last season in Greenville, Chattanooga scored early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 24-20. The Mocs’ last two possessions ended on a blocked field goal and a pass breakup on fourth down as Furman held on for the four-point win. Two years ago, the Mocs held the Paladins to 151 yards of total offense in a 13-3 win.
*****
NR/No. 25 MERCER (6-3, 4-2)
Mercer had its first game decided by single digits last Saturday and it turned out to be the Bears’ biggest win of the season. In a “don’t forget about us” moment in terms of SoCon teams vying for a bid to the FCS playoffs, Mercer forced six turnovers in its 45-38 win at then 10th-ranked Western Carolina. It was the most turnovers forced by the Bears in 10 years.
Mic Wasson and Lance Wise returned two of those six turnovers for touchdowns as Mercer built a 35-14 lead midway through the third quarter. Western Carolina got the lead down to three at 38-35 with 8:08 left to play. It took only 88 seconds for the Bears to answer as Al Wooten’s 17-yard touchdown run pushed the lead to 45-35. After the Catamounts kicked a field goal to make it a one score game with seven seconds left, Mercer recovered the onside kick to seal the win.
Mercer snapped a seven-game losing streak against ranked teams with the win, its first over a ranked team since a 10-6 win over Chattanooga two years ago.
Quarterback Carter Peevy earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors after completing 18-of-28 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 38 yards and two scores. Peevy has thrown for 1,803 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions this season. He has rushed for 223 yards and seven scores.
Saturday’s interception was the second pick-six of the season for Wise, who leads Mercer with 61 tackles and three interceptions this year. His first pick-six came a week earlier as his 79-yard interception return with 3:31 left to play helped wrap up the Bears’ 31-17 win over Wofford.
The Bears opened October with a 24-6 win at ETSU. A week after having one catch for two yards in a 38-3 win against VMI, Ty James had nearly three times as many yards as the Bucs did. James caught 14 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns, while the Bears held ETSU to 108 yards of total offense.
Player of the year (so far): Wide receiver Ty James. That game against ETSU kicked off a big month for James. In four games in October, he caught 31 passes for 591 yards and four scores. He leads the country in receiving yards with 907 on 49 receptions, including seven touchdowns, this season.
November game to watch: Nov. 11 vs. Samford. If Mercer can avoid an upset at The Citadel this Saturday, the regular season finale should offer the Bears a chance to make the FCS playoffs for the first time ever. An 8-3 team with losses to nationally ranked Furman and Chattanooga, and FBS nationally ranked Ole Miss, has to be in the postseason conversation.
*****
No. 20/16 WESTERN CAROLINA (5-3, 3-2)
Over the first month of the season, there was no FCS team in the country hotter than Western Carolina. That continued into the first Saturday of October when Richard McCollum’s field goal as time expired walked it off for the Catamounts in a wild 52-50 win at Chattanooga. That snapped a 47-game road losing streak against ranked opponents that dated back to 1984.
In a season-low 48 plays and less than 19 minutes of possession time, Western put up 276 yards passing and 275 yards rushing in the victory. The Catamounts averaged 11.5 yards per play.
The only downside to that offensive performance came when superstar running back Desmond Reid left the game with an injury in the third quarter and didn’t return. He had rushed for a career-high 211 yards to that point.
After a bye week following that win, it’s been a different story back home in Cullowhee. In one of the biggest games Western Carolina has ever hosted on Oct. 21, the then 8th-ranked Catamounts fell behind then fourth-ranked Furman, 13-0, in the first quarter and went on to a 29-17 loss. In the first six games this season, Western Carolina had allowed a total of three sacks and quarterback Cole Gonzales had thrown just two interceptions, but Furman’s defense matched both of those totals that day.
Last Saturday, the turnover issue grew worse. Mercer forced six turnovers - and returned two for touchdowns - in handing the Catamounts a 45-38 loss. It’s the eighth consecutive loss in the series for Western Carolina.
Gonzales completed 32-of-51 passes for 388 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions in the loss. He ranks ninth nationally, averaging 273.6 yards passing per game and has thrown 21 touchdowns this season. He leads the SoCon and ranks fourth nationally in passing efficiency with a rating of 167.58.
Player of the year (so far): Running back Desmond Reid. Reid had two carries for 10 yards and the longest play of the day against Furman with a 39-yard reception before leaving after aggravating the injury he suffered at Chattanooga two weeks earlier. Reid then sat out last Saturday’s game, but he still ranks fourth nationally and leads the SoCon averaging 122.4 rushing yards per game.
November game to watch: Nov. 18 at VMI. November should offer a chance to rebound from those back-to-back losses as all of Western Carolina’s opponents who were or are nationally ranked are now in the rearview mirror. The Catamounts can’t afford another loss if they hope to reach the postseason for the first time since 1983. That includes this regular season finale trip to Lexington, where Chattanooga escaped with a 24-23 win last week.
*****
SAMFORD (5-4, 4-3)
In FCS play this season, Samford has gone 0-3 against teams currently ranked and 4-0 against teams that haven’t been ranked. That leaves them squarely in the middle of the SoCon standings.
After going 8-0 in the conference last season, the Bulldogs started 0-2 this year before getting in the win column against ETSU to close out September. Samford went 3-1 in October with its lone loss coming to second-ranked Furman, 27-21.
In that loss on Oct. 14, Samford trailed by 10 going to the fourth quarter but cut the lead to 24-21 thanks to a 17-play, 80-yard drive capped by Chandler Smith’s 22-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs allowed Furman to answer, but it was only a field goal to keep it a one-score game.
Samford got the ball back two more times, but could never reach midfield and its final offensive snap resulted in Furman’s ninth sack of the game.
Samford came back the next week when Jay Stanton rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-14 win at VMI. That game featured no scoring after halftime. Last Saturday, Stanton carried 13 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 37-7 win over The Citadel.
Those two scores gave Stanton 34 rushing touchdowns in his career to tie Brady Jones for the most in school history.
Player of the year (so far): Quarterback Michael Hiers. After throwing six interceptions over the first five games this season, the reigning SoCon Offensive Player of the Year has thrown just one since. Hiers ranks fourth in the country, averaging 293.4 yards passing per game, and has thrown 15 touchdowns.
November game to watch: vs. Mercer, Nov. 11. After this week’s bye, Samford could have two more shots at ranked teams when the Bulldogs travel to Mercer before hosting UT-Martin to wrap up the regular season. A non-conference victory over a UT-Martin team that’s been ranked most of the season could provide a resume boost to all the SoCon playoff contenders. A pair of wins over ranked teams to end the season could vault Samford back in the FCS polls, but having only six Div. I wins likely wouldn’t fetch the Bulldogs a playoff bid.
*****
VMI (3-5, 2-3)
VMI has shown steady improvement throughout this season under first-year coach Danny Rocco, highlighted in October by a victory in the “Military Classic of the South.” Playing at rival The Citadel on Oct. 14, the Keydets opened the game with a six-plus minute touchdown drive and ended it the same way to pull out a 17-13 victory and reclaim the coveted Silver Shako.
Junior running back Hunter Rice capped the game-opening, 13-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run, and capped the game-winning, 12-play, 86-yard march with a 19-yard touchdown run. In between, Caden Beck delivered a career-long 50-yard field goal.
VMI returned home the following week and shut out Samford’s high-powered offense after halftime. Unfortunately for the Keydets, they were also blanked after halftime in a 27-14 loss.
The biggest sign of improvement may have come last Saturday. After falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, VMI fought back to tie nationally-ranked Chattanooga in the second quarter. The Keydets trailed 24-17 midway through the fourth quarter when Rice’s third touchdown run of the game cut the lead to 24-23. The extra point missed though and the Mocs held on for the one-point win.
In last season’s 41-13 loss at Chattanooga, VMI was held to 154 yards of total offense including minus-four yards rushing. This season, the Keydets outgained the Mocs 440-356 with a balanced attack of 230 yards rushing and 210 passing. Facing a Chattanooga team that entered ranked fifth nationally in time of possession, VMI had an advantage there Saturday by more than 12 minutes.
Linebacker Evan Eller leads the Keydets defense with a SoCon-best 78 tackles this season.
Player of the year (so far): Running back Hunter Rice. After being held to 13 yards on four carries in a loss to Mercer to end September, Rice ran wild in October. He had over 100 yards in all three games and totaled six touchdowns. He posted a career-high 208 yards and three touchdowns against Chattanooga. Rice is second in the SoCon in rushing, averaging 79.4 yards per game.
November game to watch: at ETSU, Nov. 4. After coming one-point shy of a big upset last Saturday, it will be interesting to see how VMI responds as it heads back out on the road this week. The Keydets could play a spoiler in the final two weeks of the season when they play at Furman before hosting Western Carolina.
ETSU (2-6, 1-4)
Multiple injuries at the quarterback position have doomed ETSU’s offense this season. The Bucs have had five different players throw at least 14 passes and they’ve combined for four touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Out of four games in October, ETSU’s offense scored a touchdown in only one. It did find the end zone multiple times though as the Bucs routed Wofford, 41-10, on Oct. 14. That snapped a nine-game losing streak against Div. I opponents.
The defense got ETSU on the board first that day thanks to Sheldon Arnold II’s 39-yard pick-six on the third play of the game. Bryson Irby’s 56-yard touchdown run less than three minutes into the second half pushed the Bucs lead to 34-0.
ETSU’s defense and special teams play doesn’t reflect the team’s record. Last Saturday, the Bucs held Furman to a season-low 16 points and 300 yards of total offense in a 16-8 loss in Greenville. ETSU’s lone score came after yet another blocked punt by Teddy Wilson resulted in an eight-yard return for a touchdown by Ton’Quez Ball. Wilson has four of the Bucs’ five blocked punts this season.
Player of the year (so far): Defensive back Sheldon Arnold II. Arnold has been a difference maker for ETSU’s defense in a variety of ways. The junior leads the team in tackles (67), tackles-for-loss (8), interceptions (3), fumble recoveries (2) and forced fumbles (1).
November game to watch: vs. VMI, Nov. 4. Two teams that gave the top two teams in the SoCon fits last Saturday meet this week. ETSU has won each of the last three meetings, including a 44-21 victory last season in Lexington.
*****
THE CITADEL (0-8, 0-5)
The Citadel put up a fight against its two biggest rivals to start October but fell to both before closing out the month with a lopsided loss. It’s the first normal fall season ever that the Bulldogs have gone 0-8. In the fall 2020/spring 2021 COVID season, The Citadel started 0-9.
The Bulldogs trailed Furman 28-0 late in the third quarter before scoring the final two touchdowns of the game, but that was too little, too late in a 28-14 loss.
The Citadel hosted the “Military Classic of the South” the following week and took its first lead of the season at 13-10 on Colby Kintner’s 38-yard field goal with 4:57 left in the third quarter. VMI had the lone score of the fourth however to pull out a 17-13 win.
After a bye week, the Bulldogs traveled to Samford last Saturday and fell behind 30-0 in the first half before going on to a 37-7 loss.
The Citadel ranks last in the country in scoring offense at 8.5 points per game and has the fewest touchdowns with eight.
Player of the year (so far): Defensive back Carson Walter. Walter ranks seventh in the SoCon in tackles averaging 7.1 per game. His team-high 57 tackles include 42 solo stops.
November game to watch: vs. Wofford, Nov. 11. The Citadel’s home finale could offer the best shot at avoiding a winless season. The teams’ last meeting in Charleston produced a thrilling 45-44 overtime win for the Bulldogs.
*****
WOFFORD (0-8, 0-5)
While Wofford’s defense has played well at times, offensive struggles have continued for the Terriers. They rank last in the SoCon - and 119th nationally - in total offense averaging 242.5 yards per game. While The Citadel is last in the country in scoring offense, Wofford is next-to-last averaging 12.1 points per game.
The Terriers have shown a knack for playing up to the competition when facing some teams in the top half of the league this season though. Wofford ended September with a 23-13 loss to Chattanooga in a game that the Terriers led 13-6 in the third quarter.
After blowout losses to Samford and ETSU to begin October, the Terriers trailed 10-7 at Mercer after three quarters on Oct. 21. The Bears had two touchdowns on defense to help outscore Wofford 21-10 the rest of the way for a 31-17 final.
Despite the offensive issues, Ryan Ingram ranks seventh in the SoCon in rushing, averaging 61.6 yards per game. Ingram, who missed the Mercer game, has rushed for 431 yards and is the only Terrier with more than one touchdown as he’s scored four.
Player of the year (so far): Linebacker David Powers. Powers ranks second in the SoCon with an average of 9.5 tackles per game. Included in his 76 tackles are a pair of sacks.
November game to watch: at The Citadel, Nov. 11. Home games against nationally-ranked Western Carolina and Furman will offer up some spoiling opportunities for Wofford, but this could be the best chance for a victory. Last season in Spartanburg, the Terriers jumped out to a 31-7 lead early in the second half and went on to a 31-16 win.