Upcoming Schedule (all times Eastern)
Sept. 21 (Saturday) Series TV/Digital Time
Norfolk State at VMI Series tied 1-1 ESPN+ 1:30 p.m.
Western CarolinaRV/24 at Montana10/9 First meeting ESPN+ 3 p.m.
*The Citadel at Mercer16/14 The Citadel leads 11-9-1 ESPN+ 6 p.m.
FurmanRV/RVat William & Mary13/12 Furman leads 8-7 ESPN+ 6 p.m.
ETSURV/22 at at ElonRV/RV Series tied 1-1 ESPN+ 6 p.m.
- Denotes SoCon game
NOTES:
- Six teams are in action on Saturday this week, highlighted by Western Carolina’s visit to Montana. Samford, Chattanooga and Wofford are all on bye this week.
- Two SoCon squads – Mercer and Chattanooga – are ranked in both the AFCA and Stats Perform polls to begin the season. Western Carolina was ranked in the Stats Perform poll. Furman and Wofford received votes in the AFCA and Stats Perform polls, while ETSU got votes in the Stats Perform poll.
- Four of the five games that SoCon teams play in this week feature ranked teams.
- Mercer is the league’s only unbeaten team. The Bears are second in the FCS in scoring defense (193.7 yds/game).
- Western Carolina will look to get its second straight win versus a ranked team on the road at Montana. The Grizzlies made it to the FCS championship game a season ago.
- Elon and William & Mary will be playing SoCon opponents for the second consecutive Saturday. Western Carolina topped Elon last week and Wofford fell to William & Mary.
- Furman and William & Mary will face off for the first time in 24 years. The Paladins won the last game, 34-10, on Sept. 16, 2000.
- Furman’s Trey Hedden got his first career start a week ago and turned in a nationally recognized performance. Hedden was named the FCS Stats Perform National Freshman of the Week on Monday for his performance.
- Mercer quarterback DJ Smith leads the FCS in passing efficiency (189.1)
- The Citadel’s Bradlee Jones is one of three players in FCS football that has blocked multiple kicks this season.
- ETSU’s Bryson Irby ran for a career-high 147 yards and three TDs a week ago against second-ranked North Dakota State. Irby surpassed the 1,000 career rushing yards in the contest.
- A Wofford player has been the recipient of the conference’s defensive player of the week honor each week this season.
OFFENSIVE
Trey Hedden, Fr., QB, Furman
Hedden threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another score in Furman’s 48-7 victory over Stetson on Saturday. The freshman, who was making his first collegiate start, went 20-for-27 through the air, finishing with 267 yards, and had three rushes for 16 yards. Both of Hedden’s touchdown passes came in the second quarter, with the first coming from 51 yards out and the second was a 50-yard score. The Tampa, Florida, product’s 13-yard touchdown rush was in the third quarter, making the score 31-0. Hedden was named the Stats Perform FCS Freshman of the Week on Monday for his performance against Stetson
DEFENSIVE
CJ Coombes, R-Fr., DB, Wofford
Coombes had a team-high 13 tackles, 10 of which were solo, and a fumble recovery in Wofford’s 28-21 setback against 13th-ranked William & Mary on Saturday. The redshirt freshman’s fumble recovery came in the fourth quarter with 13:22 remaining in the game, which turned into a game-tying touchdown on Wofford’s ensuing possession. With this honor, the Bellefonte, Delaware, native became the third straight Terrier to win the conference’s defensive player of the week award.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Ian Williams, R-Sr., PK, Furman
Williams accounted for 12 points in the Paladins’ win versus Stetson. The redshirt senior went 6-for-6 on PATs and connected on a pair of field goals. His 57- yard boot in the third quarter, the longest by any FCS kicker this season, established a new school record, topping the previous standard of 55 yards. The native of Charlotte, North Carolina, also handled the punting duties, finishing the game with a 44.8 yards per punt average on five kicks. On kickoffs, Williams recorded eight touchbacks, all of which went out of the back of the endzone, on nine attempts.
