WEEK 13 SCHEDULE
Nov. 23 (Saturday) Series TV/Digital Time
*ETSUNA/RV at VMI
ETSU leads 18-11
ESPN+ Noon
*Chattanooga at Austin Peay
Chattanooga leads 7-1
ESPN+ 1 p.m.
*Furman at Mercer9/8
Furman leads 12-8-2
ESPN+ 3 p.m.
*Western Carolina at Samford
Samford leads 18-3
ESPN+ 3 p.m.
The Citadel at Clemson17/16
Clemson leads 33-5-1
ESPN+ 3:30 p.m.
Wofford at South Carolina19/19
South Carolina leads 5-0
ESPN+/SECN 4 p.m.
* Denotes SoCon game
NOTES
• All nine SoCon teams are in action on Saturday for the second straight week as the regular season concludes. A win on Saturday will give Mercer its first outright SoCon title. The Bears clinched a share of the regular season conference title on Nov. 9. • Mercer is ranked in the top 10 in both the AFCA and Stats Perform polls. Chattanooga received votes in both polls, while ETSU and Western Carolina received votes in the Stats Perform poll. • Mercer leads all of FCS football in 3rd Down Conversion Pct Defense (.245), interceptions (21) and defensive TDs (6). Western Carolina leads the FCS in first downs (277) and passing offense (329.2 ypg). • ETSU was on a three-game winning streak versus VMI before the Keydets defeated the Bucs last season. A victory for VMI on Saturday will give the team its first back-to-back wins over ETSU since 1990-91. • Chattanooga is 7-1 all-time against its in-state foe Austin Peay, including a 24-21 last season in the FCS playoffs. • Samford quarterback Quincy Crittendon is fourth in the FCS in completion percentage (.716). On Monday, Crittendon was named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week for his play at Chattanooga last week. • Furman’s Colton Hinton (763) and Mercer’s Brayden Smith (733) are ranked third and fifth, respectively, in combined kick return yards in all of FCS football. Smith is also one of two players in the nation with multiple punt return touchdowns. • The Citadel punter James Platte is second in the country in punting average (47.9). • ETSU’s Cam Sims is fourth in the FCS in passes defended (1.6). • Three SoCon players are ranked in the top 10 in solo tackles per game in the FCS. VMI’s Eric Rankin (5.8) is third, Wofford’s Jalen Marshall (5.5) is fifth and the Keydets’ Kouri Crump (5.3) is 10th. Terriers safety CJ Coombes (5.1) is 13th. • Furman’s Trey Hedden and Wofford’s CJ Coombes were named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List. Chattanooga’s Reuben Lowery III was named a finalist for the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
SO CON PLAYERS OF THE WEEKS
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Quincy Crittendon, Jr., QB, Samford
Wroble caught three passes for a career-high 102 yards and had a rush for 15 yards as Mercer shutout VMI, 34-0, on Saturday. The senior scored in the third quarter from 69 yards out and in the fourth quarter from 28 yards out. The native of Hoschton, Georgia, has four receiving touchdowns this season, which is tied for second on the Bears. Mercer is now ranked No. 9 in the AFCA poll and No. 7 in the Stats Perform poll.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Billy Lewis, R-Fr., DB, Furman
West recorded eight tackles, including a career-high 3.5 sacks, in ETSU’s win over then-22nd ranked Western Carolina on Saturday. The redshirt senior also forced a fumble and recovered another during the contest. The Boone, North Carolina, native’s 3.5 sacks were tied for the third-most ever by a Buc and the most by an ETSU player over the past three seasons. West currently leads the SoCon in sacks (8.5). ETSU is now ranked No. 21 in the Stats Perform Top 25 poll.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Christian Lowery, Jr., PK, Western Carolina
Johnson, who also won the honor on Sept. 23, went a perfect 4-for-4 on his kick attempts against Western Carolina. The redshirt sophomore converted all three of his extra point tries and hit a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter to score the game’s first points. The product of Knoxville, Tennessee, also handled kickoff duties for the Buccaneers, logging two touchbacks on his five attempts.
