The football team took on Southern Conference rival Samford on the road on Saturday. With the weather playing a factor and a number of turnovers, the Bucs fell to the Bulldogs 24-17.
The Bucs now stand at 2-6 and winless in SoCon play with a 0-5 record.
The first possession for the Bucs didn’t end well with redshirt sophomore quarterback Trey Mitchell (Knoxville, Tennessee) throwing an interception to Samford’s Aaron Atkinson.
The Bulldogs took the turnover and turned it into points capping off an eight play drive with a 2-yard run by Jay Stanton to put Samford on the board 7-0.
After a fumble recovery won by the Bulldogs, Samford was in scoring position, until redshirt senior defensive back Artevius Smith (Birmingham, Alabama) picked off Chris Oladokun. The Bucs traveled 80 yards to the endzone, when junior Malik McGue (Johnson City, Tennessee) threw a 44-yard pass to redshirt senior Anthony Spagnoletti (Bealeton, Virginia) to set up the one-yard pass from Mitchell to redshirt freshman Jawan Martin (Decatur, Tennessee) to tie game.
The Bucs closed out the first half in a big way, after running back redshirt sophomore Quay Holmes (Powder Springs, Georgia) rushed for 42-yards to set up a one-yard run by Mitchell.
“We were able to bounce back after a rough start,” says head coach Randy Sanders.
Samford gained momentum in the second half, first driving a 42-yard field goal to make it a four-point deficit. Oladokun connected with Michael in the final three minutes of the third to put the Bulldogs on top 17-14.
The Bucs tied the game in the final quarter with a 25-yard field goal kick by freshman Tyler Keltner (Tallahassee, Florida).
A couple of penalties by the Bucs gave the Bulldogs good field position, in which they turned into points scoring a one-yard run by Jocquet Jiles to give the Bulldogs the lead again.
A comeback for the Bucs looked promising in the final minutes of the quarter, but another lost fumble recovery sealed the win for the Bulldogs.
The Bucs return for Homecoming Sat., Nov. 2, when they take on the Citadel.
