Upcoming Schedule (all times Eastern)
Sept. 7 (Saturday) Series TV/Digital Time
S.C. State at The Citadel The Citadel leads 4-1 ESPN+ Noon
Campbell at Western Carolina17/17 Campbell leads 2-0 ESPN+ 1 p.m.
Bucknell at VMI Bucknell leads 4-3 ESPN+ 1:30 p.m.
MercerRV/RV at Bethune-Cookman First meeting YouTube 3 p.m.
Wofford at Richmond Richmond leads 1-0 FloSports 3:30 p.m.
UVA Wise at ETSU ETSU leads 1-0 ESPN+ 5:30 p.m.
Charleston Southern at Furman16/15 Furman leads 2-0 ESPN+ 6 p.m.
Chattanooga10/11 at Georgia State Chattanooga leads 1-0 ESPN+ 7 p.m.
SamfordRV at Florida Florida leads 3-0 ESPN+/SEC Network 7 p.m
Notes
- All nine teams are in action on Saturday this week.
- Three SoCon squads – Furman, Chattanooga and Western Carolina – are ranked in both the AFCA and Stats Perform polls to begin the season.
- Mercer received votes in the AFCA and Stats Perform polls. Samford got votes in the AFCA poll.
- The Citadel won the inaugural Low Country Boil last week over Charleston Southern, 22-21, after blocking the potential game-winning field goal with three second left in the game. The Citadel will look for its second straight win in the battle of the Bulldogs against in-state foe South Carolina State on Saturday.
- Mercer head coach Mike Jacobs won his debut as the Bears head man last week with a 63-10 over Presbyterian. The big win helped the team pick up two conference player of the week recognitions, along with Brayden Smith being named the FCS Stats Perform Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday.
- Wofford won 21-20 over Gardner-Webb in week one. Dating back to last season, the Terriers have won three straight games.
- Samford is the lone SoCon team facing a Power Five opponent this weekend. The Bulldogs travel to Gainesville to take on Florida.
- ETSU Devontae Houston’s was the only rusher in the SoCon to log over 100 yards on the ground in the opening week of the season. Houston had 126 yards on 15 carries against App State last Saturday.
- Western Carolina will play its home opener versus Campbell this week. The Catamounts went into the fourth quarter with a lead against nationally-ranked NC State in their first game of the season.
SoCon Players of the Week (Sept. 2)
OFFENSIVE
DJ Smith, Jr., QB, Mercer
Smith accounted for four touchdowns in the Bears’ 63-10 win over Presbyterian on Thursday in his Mercer debut. The junior went 20-for-24 through the air, completing 83.3 percent of his passes for 331 yards, along with rushing for 25 yards on six carries. The Greenwood, Mississippi, product had touchdown passes of 13, 68 and 9 yards, as well as a 1-yard touchdown run. The junior finished the contest with a 232.1 passer rating, which is the third-highest in school history.
DEFENSIVE
Jalen Marshall, Jr., LB, Wofford
Marshall had 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss, and a pass deflection in the Terriers’ 21-20 win at Gardner-Webb on Thursday. The junior was part of a defense that held Gardner-Webb to 62 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Marshall, a native of Hiram, Georgia, surpassed the 100-tackle threshold for his Terrier career in the third quarter of last week’s game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Brayden Smith, So., WR, Mercer
Smith had 227 all-purpose yards in Mercer’s win. The Macon, Georgia, native had a 75-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter. The sophomore also had two kickoff returns for 69 yards, one rush for 11 yards and three catches for 83 yards, including a third-quarter touchdown grab. Smith was named the Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday for his performance against Presbyterian.
