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Keeler's Corner: Recapping the 2023 season
Scott Keeler looks back at the 2023 campaign for all nine league teams
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 Twitter @Scott_Keeler
Welcome to the final edition of “Keeler’s Corner,” where I wrap up the final portion of the 2023 football season for each member of the Southern Conference. I’ll also give my choice for a player of the year from each school.
No. 6/7 FURMAN (10-3 overall, 7-1 SoCon)
For the second consecutive year, Furman’s season ended in heartbreaking fashion a long way from home in the FCS playoffs. The Paladins used the memories of a 41-38 loss in last year’s second round at Incarnate Word to push them further this season. After seeing a fourth quarter lead disappear last year in San Antonio, Furman saw another vanish in a 35-28 overtime loss at Montana in the FCS quarterfinals this season.
Special teams excelled all season for the Paladins, but not on that cold Friday night Dec. 8 in Missoula. The Grizzlies’ Junior Bergen returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and then returned a punt 59 yards for a score with 9:40 left in the fourth quarter. The latter helped Montana turn a 21-20 deficit into a 28-21 lead. Furman’s offense finally answered when tight end Mason Pline made a leaping touchdown catch on a fourth down play with 13 seconds left.
Trailing 28-27, the Paladins lined up in an unusual set to try to go for two and the win. A false start penalty nixed that plan though and Furman settled for an extra point kick to force overtime. Montana scored a touchdown to start OT and the Paladins could not answer with a touchdown on their possession.
While Furman’s offense wasn’t consistent, it was opportunistic. Facing a Montana defense that entered ranked fourth nationally in scoring allowing just 14.8 points per game, the Paladins had four touchdowns on offense. Furman’s defense, which was ranked seventh in scoring (16.8 ppg allowed) gave up just one touchdown in regulation.
After receiving a first round bye as the No. 7 seed, Furman opened its postseason with a 26-7 victory over Chattanooga. The Paladins allowed 81 yards on the Mocs’ opening drive of the game, but just 119 yards the rest of the way including 42 in the second half.
Over the final six games of the regular season, the Paladins’ defense allowed just five touchdowns in regulation. Only one of those came in the second half. Furman somehow lost two of those final three games though - the playoff loss at Montana and the upset loss to end the regular season at Wofford, which very likely kept the Paladins from hosting a quarterfinal game.
Another 10-win season saw Furman join South Dakota State and North Dakota State as the only FCS programs with double-digit wins each of the last two years.
Pline and Jacobs Blocking Award winner Jacob Johanning will wear their Furman helmet one last time when they compete in the Hula Bowl on Jan. 13. The game, which kicks off at noon, will be televised by CBS Sports Network. Johanning was a first team Associated Press FCS All-American, while cornerback Travis Blackshear made the third team.
Player of the year: Quarterback Tyler Huff. Huff finished off a brief but illustrious Furman career with a record of 19-2 as a starter against FCS foes, with both losses coming in the playoffs. The SoCon coaches’ selection as Offensive Player of the Year went 14-0 in his two seasons against league opponents. Huff finished with 1,869 yards passing and 10 touchdowns and 591 yards rushing and six scores in 11 games this season.
*****
No. 19/18 CHATTANOOGA (8-5 overall, 6-2 SoCon)
Chattanooga reached eight wins for the 13th time in school history thanks to doing something it had never done before - winning a playoff game on the road. After being one of the first teams left out of the 2022 FCS playoffs, the Mocs made the most of being one of the last teams into the 2023 field with a thrilling 24-21 opening round win at Austin Peay.
The teams had one turnover apiece, both of which came on the same play. That play turned out to be one of the biggest of the game and made national highlight reels simply for the wild nature of it. One of the only off throws by Chattanooga freshman quarterback Luke Schomburg was intercepted by Austin Peay’s Kory Chapman in the end zone with 14 seconds left in the first half.
Chapman brought the ball out, but promptly had it stripped away by Jamoi Mayes who returned it four yards for a touchdown. Mayes’ score helped the Mocs take a 21-7 lead into halftime.
The Governors scored a pair of third quarter touchdowns to even the score at 21-21. It remained tied the rest of the way until Clayton Crile drilled a 35-yard field goal as time expired lifting Chattanooga to the win.
Starting in place of injured starter Chase Artopoeus, Schomburg completed 21-of-36 passes for 259 yards with one touchdown. Javin Whatley caught five passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Reggie Davis added a career-high 97 yards rushing.
The momentum from the Mocs’ first playoff win since 2016 seemed to carry over early on in their rematch with Furman in round two the following week. The Paladins’ opening possession ended with Clay Fields III’s first career interception. On its ensuing possession, Chattanooga had an 81-yard drive capped by Davis’ 11-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Mocs could never replicate any semblance of that opening drive success though as they only crossed midfield one more time. The Mocs were outscored 26-0 the rest of the way and was held to just 42 yards of total offense in the second half.
Mayes had 26 yards receiving in the loss, but became just the fifth Chattanooga player to have a 1,000-yard season on receptions.
The loss snapped the Mocs’ five-game road winning streak against FCS opponents, which was their longest since 2014. The game marked the third playoff rematch in school history and each one had Chattanooga going on the road to face a team it had lost to at home in the regular season. The Mocs lost twice to Arkansas State in 1978 and twice to Jacksonville State in 2015.
Player of the year: Defensive end Jay Person. After leading the SoCon in tackles-for-loss and sacks in the regular season, Person earned SoCon Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Unfortunately, Person’s season ended with an injury suffered in the opening half at Austin Peay. Before the injury, Person recorded the 27th sack of his career. That moved him into second place on Chattanooga’s career tackles-for-loss chart with 56.
*****
No. 20/No. 17 MERCER (9-4, 6-2)
A big 45-38 win at Western Carolina on Oct. 28 helped Mercer get back in the FCS Top 25 and ultimately into the FCS playoffs for the first time. In that postseason opener, the Bears dominant run against schools from the Tar Heel state continued.
Mercer made the most of its FCS postseason debut with a 17-7 victory over Gardner-Webb on Nov. 25. That improved the Bears to 12-1 over their last 13 games against teams from North Carolina. Eight of those wins have come against Western Carolina, while this marked the second victory over the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb entered on a five-game winning streak in which it had scored at least 34 points in each of those games to capture the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference’s championship. Mercer’s defense stemmed that tide in a big way, limiting the Bulldogs to 2-of-16 on third down conversions.
The Bears also converted just 2-of-16 third downs but took better advantage of their limited opportunities for big plays. Mercer forced four turnovers, lost none and had an eight-minute advantage in time of possession.
In a game that had just 24 points, 21 of those came over an eight-minute span in the second quarter. Bears quarterback Carter Peevy rushed for a two-yard touchdown and then raced for a 72-yard score on Mercer’s next possession. Gardner-Webb answered with a touchdown on its ensuing possession to cut the lead to 14-7 at the half.
The lone points the rest of the way came on Reice Griffith’s 29-yard field goal midway through
the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
Mercer freshman Myles Weston hauled in the first two interceptions of his career, while Associated Press first team All-American Lance Wise Jr. captured the 11th pick of his outstanding career.
Postseason wins by Mercer, Furman and Chattanooga this season marked the first time since 2010 that three different SoCon teams won playoff games in the same year.
None of that momentum lingered for Mercer, which had the unenviable task of traveling to No. 1-ranked South Dakota State in round two. As has been the case for most opponents during the Jackrabbits’ 25-game winning streak, the Bears were dominated in a 41-0 loss. South Dakota State outgained Mercer, 571-151.
Player of the year: Wide receiver Ty James. Like Wise, James represented Mercer as an AP first team All-American this season. This year, James broke his own school record for single-season receiving yards (1,130 yards). James finished as Mercer’s all-time leading receiver (3,364 yards), all-time leader in touchdown receptions (30) and all-time leader in yards per catch (19.7).
*****
NR/No. 23 WESTERN CAROLINA (7-4, 5-3)
One of the most successful football seasons in school history ended in bitter disappointment for Western Carolina. After an upset loss at VMI in the regular season finale, the Catamounts - who were ranked eighth in the FCS STATS Perform media poll midway through the season - were left out of the FCS playoff field.
Western’s 1983 team, which advanced all the way to the then Division I-AA national championship remains the only one to reach the FCS postseason.
After ending October with back-to-back home losses to Furman and Mercer, the Catamounts opened November by surviving an upset scare at Wofford. Richard McCollum’s 33-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter snapped a 25-25 tie and Western held on for the win.
The Catamounts got fully back on track at home the following week with a 58-7 win over ETSU in the Blue Ridge Border Battle. Western piled up a season-high 687 yards of total offense against the Buccaneers, four more than it produced against the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern in September.
Most of the damage done by the Catamounts came through the air. Starting quarterback Cole Gonzales threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns. That was part of a school-record 515-yard passing day as a team.
Coming off that 51-point win, Western seemed poised to pad its playoff resume the following week at VMI especially with the return of standout running back Desmond Reid to the starting lineup. However, the game got off to an ominous start for the Catamounts.
They entered VMI territory on all three of their first quarter possessions, but came away with no points after a pair of failed fourth down attempts. More importantly, Western lost Gonzales to an injury following the second series and he never returned. The Catamounts fell behind 27-10 in the fourth quarter and their rally came up just short in a 27-24 loss. Western’s first loss at VMI since 1991 denied what would’ve been its school-record sixth SoCon victory.
The Catamounts did break the school record for total offense for the second season in a row as they finished with 5,545. They were the only team in the country to average more than 500 yards per game (504.1) and led the country with 288 first downs. Western’s 3,533 yards passing also broke the school’s single season record set two years ago.
After catching six touchdowns in 10 games this season, wide receiver David White Jr. earned an invitation to the Hula Bowl.
Player of the year: Quarterback Cole Gonzales. Gonzales finished 17th in voting for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, which is annually presented to the top offensive player in the FCS. That’s the highest any Catamount has finished in the voting. Gonzales, who was the media’s pick as the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year, completed 204-of-310 passes for 2,803 yards and a school-record 28 touchdowns. Those 28 touchdown throws led the nation and he ranked third in the country in passing efficiency (166.40).
*****
SAMFORD (6-5, 4-4)
After 2022 SoCon champion Samford suffered lopsided losses in three of its first four games in 2023, the Bulldogs came back to win five of their last seven games. Those two losses were by a touchdown apiece to FCS playoff teams Furman and Mercer.
That run gave Samford back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2018 when the Bulldogs had more wins than losses every year from 2011-2018. What Samford did in the regular season finale to secure that winning record should’ve skyrocketed the Bulldogs to the top of SoCon Christmas card lists.
After a bye week to start November, Samford was tied at Mercer 14-14 late in the third quarter on Nov. 11 before the Bears came away with a 28-21 win. The Bulldogs closed out the season the following week at home in a non-conference game against a 19th-ranked UT-Martin team that spent most of the season in both FCS polls.
Samford jumped out to a 24-10 halftime lead and went on to a 27-17 victory. The win very likely knocked UT-Martin out of the FCS playoffs and helped SoCon members Chattanooga and Mercer make the field.
The Bulldogs fell behind 10-3 before wide receiver Chandler Smith took over the final 77 seconds of the first quarter. Smith caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Michael Hiers to help tie the game with 1:17 left. On the final play of the quarter, Smith returned a punt 90 yards for a score to give Samford a lead it never relinquished. Midway through the second quarter, Jay Stanton rumbled 61 yards for a touchdown to push the lead to 24-10.
Stanton celebrated Senior Day with a career-high 193-yard rushing performance. It was the most rushing yards by a Bulldog since Fabian Truss rushed for 219 against Elon in 2012.
Stanton’s touchdown run was the 35th of his career, which moved him past Brady Jones for the top spot in school history.
Hiers completed 21-of-31 passes for 205 yards giving him another 3,000-yard campaign. He became the first Samford quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Devlin Hodges did it three years in a row from 2016-18.
Stanton finished with 971 yards rushing, averaging 6.6 yards per carry and scoring 11 touchdowns this season. Smith caught 73 passes for 880 yards and five scores, while also averaging 14.8 yards per punt return.
Senior linebacker Noah Martin was an Associated Press third team All-American selection after leading the SoCon with 109 tackles. Martin had 14.5 tackles-for-loss, including 3.5 sacks.
Player of the year: Quarterback Michael Hiers. While Hiers had twice as many interceptions and half as many touchdowns as his phenomenal junior season, he rebounded from a slow start to have another great year. After finishing fourth in the Walter Payton Award voting last season, Hiers was among the finalists again this year. Hiers ended the regular season ranked first nationally in completions per game (28.6), third in completion percentage (72 percent) and fourth in passing yards (3,056). Hiers threw eight touchdowns and one interception over his final five games to finish with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions for the season.
*****
VMI (5-6, 4-4)
First-year coach Danny Rocco led quite the turnaround at VMI this season. Coming off a 1-10 record and an 0-8 mark in SoCon play in 2022, the Keydets won four conference games for just the fourth time in the last 20 years in 2023. Winning five games overall was a feat also accomplished for just the fourth time in the past 20 seasons.
Following a heartbreaking one-point loss against Chattanooga after a missed extra point in the fourth quarter to close out October, VMI opened November with a thrilling 31-24 win at ETSU.
The Keydets trailed by 10 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the Bucs 17-0 to rally for the victory. With the game tied at 24-24 and less than two minutes remaining, Hunter Rice’s five-yard touchdown run proved to be the game winner.
That momentum stopped at Furman the following week as VMI fell behind 34-0 at the half. It went on to a 37-3 loss, avoiding a shutout thanks to a field goal with two minutes left.
The Keydets got to .500 in league play with a big 27-24 upset win over then 14th-ranked Western Carolina in the season finale. Rice ran for 138 yards and four touchdowns, the last of which came in the fourth quarter to push VMI’s lead to 27-10. Meanwhile, Rice’s high school teammate, Evan Eller, led the Keydets’ defensive effort. Playing in his final collegiate game, Eller had 16 tackles, a forced fumble and his first career interception. Rice and Eller were named SoCon Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their efforts. Eller went on to earn SoCon Defensive Player of the Month honors and finished second in the SoCon with 107 tackles for the season.
Player of the year: Running back Hunter Rice. Rice finished the season with 867 yards rushing, averaging 5.1 yards per carry and ran for a SoCon-best 14 touchdowns. That total of 14 rushing scores ranked fourth nationally.
*****
ETSU (3-8, 2-6)
A blown lead, a blowout loss and a Senior Day win closed out the George Quarles era at ETSU. Quarles was let go by the school after two years at the helm in which the Bucs went 3-8 in each season.
ETSU opened November by piling up 286 yards on the ground against VMI, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Keydets from rallying for a 31-24 win. Torey Lambert’s 64-yard touchdown run had given the Bucs a 24-14 lead going into the fourth quarter before VMI outscored ETSU 17-0 the rest of the way. Trey Foster ran 28 times for a career-high 172 yards and also caught five passes for 45 yards in the loss. Lambert finished with 90 yards on seven carries.
The Bucs traveled to Western Carolina the following week and were outgained 687-215 in a 58-7 loss.
ETSU bounced back in the regular season finale as 23 seniors went out on top in a 38-23 win over The Citadel. Foster’s second touchdown run of the game gave the Bucs a 28-7 lead late in the second quarter and ETSU never led by fewer than 11 points the rest of the way. Facing a Citadel team that had allowed just four sacks all season, the Bucs’ defense recorded three sacks.
Tre Lamb, who coached Gardner-Webb to back-to-back FCS playoff appearances as Big South champions, was hired to replace Quarles. Lamb is the nephew of former Furman and Mercer coach Bobby Lamb. Lamb’s team will get tested off the bat next year. After opening the 2024 season at former SoCon rival App State, ETSU’s first FCS game will see the Bucs hosting North Dakota State. That will be a rematch of a 2018 FCS playoff quarterfinal which the Bison won 27-3 in Fargo.
Player of the year: Defensive back Sheldon Arnold II. It’s rare for a team with a losing record to produce an AP first team All-American, but that’s just how outstanding Arnold was this season. The junior had 87 tackles, including nine tackles-for-loss, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Arnold got the scoring started against The Citadel with a 99-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown.
*****
WOFFORD (2-9, 2-6)
One of the most frustrating seasons of Wofford football ended on the highest of notes. After opening November with yet another close loss to a team in the top half of the SoCon standings, the Terriers avoided a winless season by sweeping their in-state SoCon rivals over the final two weeks of the year.
A Wofford offense that was averaging just 12.1 points per game scored a season-high 25 points against Western Carolina on Nov. 4. It was not enough as the Catamounts snapped a 25-25 tie in the fourth quarter with a field goal and held on for a 28-25 win to drop the Terriers to 0-9.
Just as it had done against Chattanooga and Mercer, Wofford saw a second-half lead disappear against Western. Ryan Ingram rushed for a career-high 159 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
A pair of winless teams battled in a rainstorm in Charleston the following week. Wofford got a touchdown in the first quarter and that was all that was needed for an 11-3 win at The Citadel.
The Terriers forced fumbles on the Bulldogs’ first two drives of the game and later forced a fumble and an interception on The Citadel’s final two drives to seal the win. Ingram rushed for 127 yards in the victory.
Wofford closed out the season with very likely the biggest upset in all of the FCS. A pair of fourth-and-one plays - one on offense and one on defense - resulted in two touchdowns for the Terriers to help them stun rival Furman, 19-13. That dashed the then second-ranked Paladins’ hopes of a perfect run through the SoCon and a No. 2 seed in the FCS playoffs.
Wofford trailed 6-3 with 5:09 left in the second quarter when Ingram took a handoff on fourth-and-one and raced 53 yards for a touchdown. The Terriers never relinquished that lead.
The summation of what was truly an odd game was found in the third quarter. The Terriers were outgained 73-12 in the quarter, but outscored Furman 9-0. That was primarily thanks to Maximus Pulley’s 64-yard scoop and score of a Paladins’ fumble on a fourth-and-one play. That was one of Furman’s two lost fumbles this season with the other coming in its season opener.
Ingram’s 111 yards rushing accounted for more than half of Wofford’s 184 yards of total offense.
Player of the year: Linebacker David Powers. Powers finished third in the SoCon in tackles this season with 102, including three sacks. Powers also came up with a huge interception in the win over Furman.
*****
THE CITADEL (0-11, 0-8)
The Citadel put up its two biggest point totals of the year in November, but it was not enough to avoid the first winless campaign in school history. The Bulldogs finished last in the country in scoring (10 points per game) and touchdowns (12).
The Citadel opened the final month of the season hosting Mercer. A two-yard touchdown run by Hi’Keem Elmore midway through the second quarter gave the Bulldogs just their second lead of the season at 10-7. The Bears got a touchdown with just 25 seconds left in the first half and pulled away for a 38-16 win.
In a downpour the following week, The Citadel closed out the home portion of its schedule with an 11-3 loss to Wofford. The Bulldogs lost three fumbles and threw an interception in the defeat.
In the season finale at ETSU, The Citadel put up a season-high 23 points and - for the only time this year - outgained its opponent 373-278. It was not nearly enough though as the Bucs jumped out to a 28-7 second quarter lead and went on to a 35-23 win. The Citadel’s Graeson Underwood threw for 244 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for 25 yards and another score in the loss.
Underwood was responsible for eight of the Bulldogs’ 12 touchdowns this year.
Player of the year: Defensive back Carson Walter. Walter finished with a team-high 77 tackles and had three pass breakups this season.
Keeler can be found on Twitter @Scott_Keeler
Welcome to the final edition of “Keeler’s Corner,” where I wrap up the final portion of the 2023 football season for each member of the Southern Conference. I’ll also give my choice for a player of the year from each school.
No. 6/7 FURMAN (10-3 overall, 7-1 SoCon)
For the second consecutive year, Furman’s season ended in heartbreaking fashion a long way from home in the FCS playoffs. The Paladins used the memories of a 41-38 loss in last year’s second round at Incarnate Word to push them further this season. After seeing a fourth quarter lead disappear last year in San Antonio, Furman saw another vanish in a 35-28 overtime loss at Montana in the FCS quarterfinals this season.
Special teams excelled all season for the Paladins, but not on that cold Friday night Dec. 8 in Missoula. The Grizzlies’ Junior Bergen returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and then returned a punt 59 yards for a score with 9:40 left in the fourth quarter. The latter helped Montana turn a 21-20 deficit into a 28-21 lead. Furman’s offense finally answered when tight end Mason Pline made a leaping touchdown catch on a fourth down play with 13 seconds left.
Trailing 28-27, the Paladins lined up in an unusual set to try to go for two and the win. A false start penalty nixed that plan though and Furman settled for an extra point kick to force overtime. Montana scored a touchdown to start OT and the Paladins could not answer with a touchdown on their possession.
While Furman’s offense wasn’t consistent, it was opportunistic. Facing a Montana defense that entered ranked fourth nationally in scoring allowing just 14.8 points per game, the Paladins had four touchdowns on offense. Furman’s defense, which was ranked seventh in scoring (16.8 ppg allowed) gave up just one touchdown in regulation.
After receiving a first round bye as the No. 7 seed, Furman opened its postseason with a 26-7 victory over Chattanooga. The Paladins allowed 81 yards on the Mocs’ opening drive of the game, but just 119 yards the rest of the way including 42 in the second half.
Over the final six games of the regular season, the Paladins’ defense allowed just five touchdowns in regulation. Only one of those came in the second half. Furman somehow lost two of those final three games though - the playoff loss at Montana and the upset loss to end the regular season at Wofford, which very likely kept the Paladins from hosting a quarterfinal game.
Another 10-win season saw Furman join South Dakota State and North Dakota State as the only FCS programs with double-digit wins each of the last two years.
Pline and Jacobs Blocking Award winner Jacob Johanning will wear their Furman helmet one last time when they compete in the Hula Bowl on Jan. 13. The game, which kicks off at noon, will be televised by CBS Sports Network. Johanning was a first team Associated Press FCS All-American, while cornerback Travis Blackshear made the third team.
Player of the year: Quarterback Tyler Huff. Huff finished off a brief but illustrious Furman career with a record of 19-2 as a starter against FCS foes, with both losses coming in the playoffs. The SoCon coaches’ selection as Offensive Player of the Year went 14-0 in his two seasons against league opponents. Huff finished with 1,869 yards passing and 10 touchdowns and 591 yards rushing and six scores in 11 games this season.
*****
No. 19/18 CHATTANOOGA (8-5 overall, 6-2 SoCon)
Chattanooga reached eight wins for the 13th time in school history thanks to doing something it had never done before - winning a playoff game on the road. After being one of the first teams left out of the 2022 FCS playoffs, the Mocs made the most of being one of the last teams into the 2023 field with a thrilling 24-21 opening round win at Austin Peay.
The teams had one turnover apiece, both of which came on the same play. That play turned out to be one of the biggest of the game and made national highlight reels simply for the wild nature of it. One of the only off throws by Chattanooga freshman quarterback Luke Schomburg was intercepted by Austin Peay’s Kory Chapman in the end zone with 14 seconds left in the first half.
Chapman brought the ball out, but promptly had it stripped away by Jamoi Mayes who returned it four yards for a touchdown. Mayes’ score helped the Mocs take a 21-7 lead into halftime.
The Governors scored a pair of third quarter touchdowns to even the score at 21-21. It remained tied the rest of the way until Clayton Crile drilled a 35-yard field goal as time expired lifting Chattanooga to the win.
Starting in place of injured starter Chase Artopoeus, Schomburg completed 21-of-36 passes for 259 yards with one touchdown. Javin Whatley caught five passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Reggie Davis added a career-high 97 yards rushing.
The momentum from the Mocs’ first playoff win since 2016 seemed to carry over early on in their rematch with Furman in round two the following week. The Paladins’ opening possession ended with Clay Fields III’s first career interception. On its ensuing possession, Chattanooga had an 81-yard drive capped by Davis’ 11-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Mocs could never replicate any semblance of that opening drive success though as they only crossed midfield one more time. The Mocs were outscored 26-0 the rest of the way and was held to just 42 yards of total offense in the second half.
Mayes had 26 yards receiving in the loss, but became just the fifth Chattanooga player to have a 1,000-yard season on receptions.
The loss snapped the Mocs’ five-game road winning streak against FCS opponents, which was their longest since 2014. The game marked the third playoff rematch in school history and each one had Chattanooga going on the road to face a team it had lost to at home in the regular season. The Mocs lost twice to Arkansas State in 1978 and twice to Jacksonville State in 2015.
Player of the year: Defensive end Jay Person. After leading the SoCon in tackles-for-loss and sacks in the regular season, Person earned SoCon Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Unfortunately, Person’s season ended with an injury suffered in the opening half at Austin Peay. Before the injury, Person recorded the 27th sack of his career. That moved him into second place on Chattanooga’s career tackles-for-loss chart with 56.
*****
No. 20/No. 17 MERCER (9-4, 6-2)
A big 45-38 win at Western Carolina on Oct. 28 helped Mercer get back in the FCS Top 25 and ultimately into the FCS playoffs for the first time. In that postseason opener, the Bears dominant run against schools from the Tar Heel state continued.
Mercer made the most of its FCS postseason debut with a 17-7 victory over Gardner-Webb on Nov. 25. That improved the Bears to 12-1 over their last 13 games against teams from North Carolina. Eight of those wins have come against Western Carolina, while this marked the second victory over the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb entered on a five-game winning streak in which it had scored at least 34 points in each of those games to capture the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference’s championship. Mercer’s defense stemmed that tide in a big way, limiting the Bulldogs to 2-of-16 on third down conversions.
The Bears also converted just 2-of-16 third downs but took better advantage of their limited opportunities for big plays. Mercer forced four turnovers, lost none and had an eight-minute advantage in time of possession.
In a game that had just 24 points, 21 of those came over an eight-minute span in the second quarter. Bears quarterback Carter Peevy rushed for a two-yard touchdown and then raced for a 72-yard score on Mercer’s next possession. Gardner-Webb answered with a touchdown on its ensuing possession to cut the lead to 14-7 at the half.
The lone points the rest of the way came on Reice Griffith’s 29-yard field goal midway through
the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
Mercer freshman Myles Weston hauled in the first two interceptions of his career, while Associated Press first team All-American Lance Wise Jr. captured the 11th pick of his outstanding career.
Postseason wins by Mercer, Furman and Chattanooga this season marked the first time since 2010 that three different SoCon teams won playoff games in the same year.
None of that momentum lingered for Mercer, which had the unenviable task of traveling to No. 1-ranked South Dakota State in round two. As has been the case for most opponents during the Jackrabbits’ 25-game winning streak, the Bears were dominated in a 41-0 loss. South Dakota State outgained Mercer, 571-151.
Player of the year: Wide receiver Ty James. Like Wise, James represented Mercer as an AP first team All-American this season. This year, James broke his own school record for single-season receiving yards (1,130 yards). James finished as Mercer’s all-time leading receiver (3,364 yards), all-time leader in touchdown receptions (30) and all-time leader in yards per catch (19.7).
*****
NR/No. 23 WESTERN CAROLINA (7-4, 5-3)
One of the most successful football seasons in school history ended in bitter disappointment for Western Carolina. After an upset loss at VMI in the regular season finale, the Catamounts - who were ranked eighth in the FCS STATS Perform media poll midway through the season - were left out of the FCS playoff field.
Western’s 1983 team, which advanced all the way to the then Division I-AA national championship remains the only one to reach the FCS postseason.
After ending October with back-to-back home losses to Furman and Mercer, the Catamounts opened November by surviving an upset scare at Wofford. Richard McCollum’s 33-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter snapped a 25-25 tie and Western held on for the win.
The Catamounts got fully back on track at home the following week with a 58-7 win over ETSU in the Blue Ridge Border Battle. Western piled up a season-high 687 yards of total offense against the Buccaneers, four more than it produced against the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern in September.
Most of the damage done by the Catamounts came through the air. Starting quarterback Cole Gonzales threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns. That was part of a school-record 515-yard passing day as a team.
Coming off that 51-point win, Western seemed poised to pad its playoff resume the following week at VMI especially with the return of standout running back Desmond Reid to the starting lineup. However, the game got off to an ominous start for the Catamounts.
They entered VMI territory on all three of their first quarter possessions, but came away with no points after a pair of failed fourth down attempts. More importantly, Western lost Gonzales to an injury following the second series and he never returned. The Catamounts fell behind 27-10 in the fourth quarter and their rally came up just short in a 27-24 loss. Western’s first loss at VMI since 1991 denied what would’ve been its school-record sixth SoCon victory.
The Catamounts did break the school record for total offense for the second season in a row as they finished with 5,545. They were the only team in the country to average more than 500 yards per game (504.1) and led the country with 288 first downs. Western’s 3,533 yards passing also broke the school’s single season record set two years ago.
After catching six touchdowns in 10 games this season, wide receiver David White Jr. earned an invitation to the Hula Bowl.
Player of the year: Quarterback Cole Gonzales. Gonzales finished 17th in voting for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, which is annually presented to the top offensive player in the FCS. That’s the highest any Catamount has finished in the voting. Gonzales, who was the media’s pick as the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year, completed 204-of-310 passes for 2,803 yards and a school-record 28 touchdowns. Those 28 touchdown throws led the nation and he ranked third in the country in passing efficiency (166.40).
*****
SAMFORD (6-5, 4-4)
After 2022 SoCon champion Samford suffered lopsided losses in three of its first four games in 2023, the Bulldogs came back to win five of their last seven games. Those two losses were by a touchdown apiece to FCS playoff teams Furman and Mercer.
That run gave Samford back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2018 when the Bulldogs had more wins than losses every year from 2011-2018. What Samford did in the regular season finale to secure that winning record should’ve skyrocketed the Bulldogs to the top of SoCon Christmas card lists.
After a bye week to start November, Samford was tied at Mercer 14-14 late in the third quarter on Nov. 11 before the Bears came away with a 28-21 win. The Bulldogs closed out the season the following week at home in a non-conference game against a 19th-ranked UT-Martin team that spent most of the season in both FCS polls.
Samford jumped out to a 24-10 halftime lead and went on to a 27-17 victory. The win very likely knocked UT-Martin out of the FCS playoffs and helped SoCon members Chattanooga and Mercer make the field.
The Bulldogs fell behind 10-3 before wide receiver Chandler Smith took over the final 77 seconds of the first quarter. Smith caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Michael Hiers to help tie the game with 1:17 left. On the final play of the quarter, Smith returned a punt 90 yards for a score to give Samford a lead it never relinquished. Midway through the second quarter, Jay Stanton rumbled 61 yards for a touchdown to push the lead to 24-10.
Stanton celebrated Senior Day with a career-high 193-yard rushing performance. It was the most rushing yards by a Bulldog since Fabian Truss rushed for 219 against Elon in 2012.
Stanton’s touchdown run was the 35th of his career, which moved him past Brady Jones for the top spot in school history.
Hiers completed 21-of-31 passes for 205 yards giving him another 3,000-yard campaign. He became the first Samford quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Devlin Hodges did it three years in a row from 2016-18.
Stanton finished with 971 yards rushing, averaging 6.6 yards per carry and scoring 11 touchdowns this season. Smith caught 73 passes for 880 yards and five scores, while also averaging 14.8 yards per punt return.
Senior linebacker Noah Martin was an Associated Press third team All-American selection after leading the SoCon with 109 tackles. Martin had 14.5 tackles-for-loss, including 3.5 sacks.
Player of the year: Quarterback Michael Hiers. While Hiers had twice as many interceptions and half as many touchdowns as his phenomenal junior season, he rebounded from a slow start to have another great year. After finishing fourth in the Walter Payton Award voting last season, Hiers was among the finalists again this year. Hiers ended the regular season ranked first nationally in completions per game (28.6), third in completion percentage (72 percent) and fourth in passing yards (3,056). Hiers threw eight touchdowns and one interception over his final five games to finish with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions for the season.
*****
VMI (5-6, 4-4)
First-year coach Danny Rocco led quite the turnaround at VMI this season. Coming off a 1-10 record and an 0-8 mark in SoCon play in 2022, the Keydets won four conference games for just the fourth time in the last 20 years in 2023. Winning five games overall was a feat also accomplished for just the fourth time in the past 20 seasons.
Following a heartbreaking one-point loss against Chattanooga after a missed extra point in the fourth quarter to close out October, VMI opened November with a thrilling 31-24 win at ETSU.
The Keydets trailed by 10 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the Bucs 17-0 to rally for the victory. With the game tied at 24-24 and less than two minutes remaining, Hunter Rice’s five-yard touchdown run proved to be the game winner.
That momentum stopped at Furman the following week as VMI fell behind 34-0 at the half. It went on to a 37-3 loss, avoiding a shutout thanks to a field goal with two minutes left.
The Keydets got to .500 in league play with a big 27-24 upset win over then 14th-ranked Western Carolina in the season finale. Rice ran for 138 yards and four touchdowns, the last of which came in the fourth quarter to push VMI’s lead to 27-10. Meanwhile, Rice’s high school teammate, Evan Eller, led the Keydets’ defensive effort. Playing in his final collegiate game, Eller had 16 tackles, a forced fumble and his first career interception. Rice and Eller were named SoCon Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their efforts. Eller went on to earn SoCon Defensive Player of the Month honors and finished second in the SoCon with 107 tackles for the season.
Player of the year: Running back Hunter Rice. Rice finished the season with 867 yards rushing, averaging 5.1 yards per carry and ran for a SoCon-best 14 touchdowns. That total of 14 rushing scores ranked fourth nationally.
*****
ETSU (3-8, 2-6)
A blown lead, a blowout loss and a Senior Day win closed out the George Quarles era at ETSU. Quarles was let go by the school after two years at the helm in which the Bucs went 3-8 in each season.
ETSU opened November by piling up 286 yards on the ground against VMI, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Keydets from rallying for a 31-24 win. Torey Lambert’s 64-yard touchdown run had given the Bucs a 24-14 lead going into the fourth quarter before VMI outscored ETSU 17-0 the rest of the way. Trey Foster ran 28 times for a career-high 172 yards and also caught five passes for 45 yards in the loss. Lambert finished with 90 yards on seven carries.
The Bucs traveled to Western Carolina the following week and were outgained 687-215 in a 58-7 loss.
ETSU bounced back in the regular season finale as 23 seniors went out on top in a 38-23 win over The Citadel. Foster’s second touchdown run of the game gave the Bucs a 28-7 lead late in the second quarter and ETSU never led by fewer than 11 points the rest of the way. Facing a Citadel team that had allowed just four sacks all season, the Bucs’ defense recorded three sacks.
Tre Lamb, who coached Gardner-Webb to back-to-back FCS playoff appearances as Big South champions, was hired to replace Quarles. Lamb is the nephew of former Furman and Mercer coach Bobby Lamb. Lamb’s team will get tested off the bat next year. After opening the 2024 season at former SoCon rival App State, ETSU’s first FCS game will see the Bucs hosting North Dakota State. That will be a rematch of a 2018 FCS playoff quarterfinal which the Bison won 27-3 in Fargo.
Player of the year: Defensive back Sheldon Arnold II. It’s rare for a team with a losing record to produce an AP first team All-American, but that’s just how outstanding Arnold was this season. The junior had 87 tackles, including nine tackles-for-loss, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Arnold got the scoring started against The Citadel with a 99-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown.
*****
WOFFORD (2-9, 2-6)
One of the most frustrating seasons of Wofford football ended on the highest of notes. After opening November with yet another close loss to a team in the top half of the SoCon standings, the Terriers avoided a winless season by sweeping their in-state SoCon rivals over the final two weeks of the year.
A Wofford offense that was averaging just 12.1 points per game scored a season-high 25 points against Western Carolina on Nov. 4. It was not enough as the Catamounts snapped a 25-25 tie in the fourth quarter with a field goal and held on for a 28-25 win to drop the Terriers to 0-9.
Just as it had done against Chattanooga and Mercer, Wofford saw a second-half lead disappear against Western. Ryan Ingram rushed for a career-high 159 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
A pair of winless teams battled in a rainstorm in Charleston the following week. Wofford got a touchdown in the first quarter and that was all that was needed for an 11-3 win at The Citadel.
The Terriers forced fumbles on the Bulldogs’ first two drives of the game and later forced a fumble and an interception on The Citadel’s final two drives to seal the win. Ingram rushed for 127 yards in the victory.
Wofford closed out the season with very likely the biggest upset in all of the FCS. A pair of fourth-and-one plays - one on offense and one on defense - resulted in two touchdowns for the Terriers to help them stun rival Furman, 19-13. That dashed the then second-ranked Paladins’ hopes of a perfect run through the SoCon and a No. 2 seed in the FCS playoffs.
Wofford trailed 6-3 with 5:09 left in the second quarter when Ingram took a handoff on fourth-and-one and raced 53 yards for a touchdown. The Terriers never relinquished that lead.
The summation of what was truly an odd game was found in the third quarter. The Terriers were outgained 73-12 in the quarter, but outscored Furman 9-0. That was primarily thanks to Maximus Pulley’s 64-yard scoop and score of a Paladins’ fumble on a fourth-and-one play. That was one of Furman’s two lost fumbles this season with the other coming in its season opener.
Ingram’s 111 yards rushing accounted for more than half of Wofford’s 184 yards of total offense.
Player of the year: Linebacker David Powers. Powers finished third in the SoCon in tackles this season with 102, including three sacks. Powers also came up with a huge interception in the win over Furman.
*****
THE CITADEL (0-11, 0-8)
The Citadel put up its two biggest point totals of the year in November, but it was not enough to avoid the first winless campaign in school history. The Bulldogs finished last in the country in scoring (10 points per game) and touchdowns (12).
The Citadel opened the final month of the season hosting Mercer. A two-yard touchdown run by Hi’Keem Elmore midway through the second quarter gave the Bulldogs just their second lead of the season at 10-7. The Bears got a touchdown with just 25 seconds left in the first half and pulled away for a 38-16 win.
In a downpour the following week, The Citadel closed out the home portion of its schedule with an 11-3 loss to Wofford. The Bulldogs lost three fumbles and threw an interception in the defeat.
In the season finale at ETSU, The Citadel put up a season-high 23 points and - for the only time this year - outgained its opponent 373-278. It was not nearly enough though as the Bucs jumped out to a 28-7 second quarter lead and went on to a 35-23 win. The Citadel’s Graeson Underwood threw for 244 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for 25 yards and another score in the loss.
Underwood was responsible for eight of the Bulldogs’ 12 touchdowns this year.
Player of the year: Defensive back Carson Walter. Walter finished with a team-high 77 tackles and had three pass breakups this season.