It's the nation's No.1 scoring offense in Samford (56 points per game) vs. the No.1 scoring defense in Chattanooga (allowing 4.5 ppg) and something has to give.
Today, at 2 p.m. at Finley Stadium, these two teams face off in an important Southern Conference game
It's also a battle of the unbeatens as the host UTC Mocs are (3-0, 1-0), while Samford is 2-0 in non-conference lay.
UTC’s No. 3 national ranking in the FCS Coaches Poll ties a school record set during the week of last year’s Mercer game on Nov. 7. The Mocs also finished No.3 in the small college AP and UPI polls in 1968.
Besides leading the nation in scoring defense, UTC also is tops in total defense (164.3 ypg) and passing yards allowed (102.7). The Blue and Goldis also fourth in team pass efficiency defense (83.9) and sixth in sacks (10).
The Bulldogs are coming off an impressive 35-29 win at Central Arkansas on Sept. 10 and are just outside of the Top 25 in both polls. They opened with a 77-7 victory against Mars Hill.
Samford ranks seventh nationally in passing offense (317.0 ypg.) and ninth in team pass efficiency (167.77).
The Mocs are trying to go 4-0 for the first time since 1979. That season they started 5-0 with sophomore Russ Huesman playing defensive back. UTC went on to finish with a 9-2 record and win its third consecutive SoCon title with a 5-1 league mark.
UTC has won the last two meetings in the series and is 6-1 against the Bulldogs since Huesman took over in 2009. The Mocs are 28-10-3 all-time against Samford, including 20-5-2 at home.
SCOUTING SAMFORD
• Head Coach Chris Hatcher is 8-5 in his second season at Samford ... he was also the coach at Georgia Southern from 2007-09 ... 129-62 in 17 seasons as a head coach.
• Samford was picked third in the SoCon Coaches Poll and fifth by the league media.
• Bulldogs are receiving votes in both polls and would be 29th in the FCS Coaches and 30th in the STATS listings if they were extended.
• Samford enters the game with a record of 2-0. The Bulldogs took the last week off from competition. Samford last played on Sept. 10, when the Bulldogs earned a 35-29 win at Central Arkansas
• Leads the FCS in scoring (56.0 ppg).
• Seventh nationally in both passing offense (317.0 ypg.) and net punting (41.31 ypk.).
• Ninth in the country in team pass efficiency (167.77).
• Samford quarterbacks have completed passes to 13 different receivers in the Bulldogs’ first two games of the season. Eight of those 13 receivers have caught at least one touchdown pass.
• Leads the Southern Conference in passing offense (317.0 ypg.) ... 8th in the FCS.
• Eight players named to the preseason All-SoCon teams, including first-team honorees Armando Bonheur (OL), Karel Hamilton (WR), Ahmad Gooden (DL) and Jamerson Blount (DB) ... Devlin Hodges (QB), Kelvin McKnight (WR), Xavier Forrest (DL) and Austin Barnard (P) made the second team.
• Bonheur and Blount are both preseason All-Americans.
• Hodges is No. 2 in the FCS in completion percentage (73.8%) and completions per game (31.0) ... 162.4 pass efficiency rating is No. 10 in the FCS ... eight passing TDs ... No. 8 in the FCS with 297.5 passing yards per game.
• Junior Austin Barnard is No. 7 in the FCS with 44.4 yards per punt.
• Senior Roosevelt Donaldson is No. 6 in the FCS with 2.5 TFLs per game.
• Freshman WR Tadarryl Marshall is fourth in the SoCon and No. 17 in the FCS with 7.0 receptions per game.