BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Wofford College football team was defeated 28-14 by Samford on Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs took a 21-0 lead in the third quarter before the Terriers scored twice for the final margin.
 
Wofford begins the season 0-6 and 0-3 in the Southern Conference. Samford, ranked #13 in the nation, is 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Kyle Parsons with 51 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with a receiving touchdown. Samford quarterback Michael Hiers was 31-of-42 passing for 251 yards and two touchdowns.
 
"I am very proud of the way the kids responded today," said interim head coach Shawn Watson. "They have been through a hard 48 hours. The way that they played and performed today, I am very appreciative and thankful for them. They have great spirit and great heart and I am excited about what they can do moving forward."
 
The Bulldogs had the ball first and a sack by Chuck Smith on third down forced a punt. Wofford then went three-and-out and punted, with Samford taking over at the five-yard line. The Terriers forced a three-and-out, but a running into the punter call gave them a first down. After five more first downs, they had first-and-goal from the one-yard line. Jay Stanton ran it in for a 7-0 lead with 7:06 left in the opening quarter. Wofford went three-and-out and punted, but on third down the Bulldogs fumbled and the ball was recovered by Tahir Annoor at midfield. The Terriers had a rushing first down by Nathan Walker and then faced fourth-and-one. Walker pushed his way for the first down with a two-yard gain. A sack by the Bulldogs moved the Terriers out of field goal range and they punted on the first play of the second quarter.
 
Samford had two first downs and punted back to Wofford as the ensuing drive began at the 26-yard line. The teams then traded three-and-outs. With the ball back, the Terriers again went three-and-out and had a 60-yard punt by Landon Parker. Samford began their next drive on the 22-yard line and after two first downs punted. Nathan Walker ran for a first down and then Wofford had to punt with 1:36 left in the half. The Bulldogs had four first downs working their two-minute offense and Kendall Watson had a six-yard touchdown pass with eleven seconds on the clock for a 14-0 lead. Wofford took a knee to end the half.
 
To begin the second half, Wofford had a first down run by Jimmy Weirick but the drive stalled and the team punted. After two first downs, the Bulldogs had third and long when they had a 54-yard touchdown pass from Michael Hiers to D.J. Rias for a 21-0 advantage with 8:40 on the clock in the third quarter. Wofford got things moving offensively on the following drive with four first downs. Kyle Parsons then found a seam up the middle for a 24-yard touchdown and the score was 21-7 with 5:23 left in the quarter. The Bulldogs answered with a 37-yard touchdown run by Jaylan Thomas with 2:42 on the clock to push the lead to 28-7. Wofford had a fourth-and-two, but the run was short and the Bulldogs took over at their 34-yard line.
 
Working with the short field, Samford attempted a 26-yard field goal that was wide left and the Terriers took over at the 20-yard line. After a three-and-out, the Bulldogs began their next drive with 10:50 left in the game. Harrison Morgan had a sack and forced a fumble, but the Bulldogs recovered the ball. They had to punt and with the ball back a quick first down pass to Kyle Watkins was followed by a fourth-and-two at midfield that was picked up by Nathan Walker. A 30-yard pass to Devin Mathews moved the Terriers into the red-zone. A 12-yard pass by Jimmy Weirick to Kyle Parsons in the near corner of the endzone cut the lead to 28-14 with 3:54 remaining in the fourth quarter. Wofford attempted the onside kick and had the ball at the 42-yard line after it was touched by a Samford played and recovered by Harrison Morgan. Nathan Walker ran for a first down to move into Bulldog territory. A fourth-and-ten pass was incomplete and the Terriers turned it over on downs with 2:05 on the clock. Samford was able to run out the clock for the victory.
 
Wofford had 220 total yards, with 115 rushing yards. Samford had 413 total yards, with 251 of those passing yards. Samford had a 19 to 14 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 5-of-17 on third down and 2-of-4 on fourth down. Samford was 13-of-22 on third down. Wofford was called for two penalties and Samford was called for eight in the game. The Terriers had a 33:12 to 26:48 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford at Samford Post-Game Notes
The game was the first with Shawn Watson serving as interim head coach. His last game as a head coach was in 1996 at Southern Illinois.
 
Samford leads the series with Wofford by a 15-5 margin, including the last eight straight.
 
The last time Wofford started a season 0-6 was in 1946.
 
Wofford had five players with six tackles each, with Harrison Morgan and Chuck Smith recording sacks.
 
Kyle Parsons score his first career rushing touchdown in the third quarter and added his first career receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter.
 
Game captains were Tahir Annoor, Micheal Mason, Nathan Walker, and Jimmy Weirick.
 
Attendance at Seibert Stadium was 3,513.