WOFFORD vs. Samford
Saturday, October 7, 2023 - 1:30 PM
Gibbs Stadium (13,000)
Spartanburg, SC
TICKETS

THE SAMFORD GAME
Wofford hosts Samford on Saturday afternoon as part of Family Weekend activities on campus ... The Terriers are coming off an opening weekend 45-7 loss at Pittsburgh, a 23-6 loss to #4 William & Mary,  a 23-20 home loss to Presbyterian, a 17-14 loss at VMI and a 23-13 loss to #22 Chattanooga to move to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in the SoCon ... Samford is 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the Southern Conference, which includes a win over East Tennessee State and losses to Western Carolina and Chattanooga ... This will be the 21st meeting between the two teams, with Samford holding a 15-5 lead in the series that began in 1949 ... Last season Samford had a 28-14 win in Birmingham, which was the first game with Shawn Watson as interim head coach ... The Bulldogs have won eight straight games in the series and ten of the last eleven contests dating back to 2012 ... Led by Southern Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Michael Hiers, they are 18th in the nation in total offense with 431.8 yards per game, fourth in passing offense and 88th in total defense ... Samford is receiving votes in both the Stats Perform FCS poll and the AFCA Coaches poll this week.

GAME INFORMATION
Radio - Wofford Digital Network (Jim Noble, Thom Henson and Van Hipp)
TV - ESPN+
Stats - LINK
Wofford Game Notes - LINK
Wofford Football Media Guide - LINK
Wofford Football Yearbook  - LINK
Southern Conference Information - LINK

TERRIER TOP NOTES
Here are the top notes of interest heading into the game against Samford ...
    • The Terriers are 0-5 to begin the season for the second straight year.
    • Wofford opened with three of the first four games on the road for the second straight season.
    • The Wofford defense has five interceptions this season - tied for first in the SoCon - to equal the number from last season.
    • Shawn Watson was named head coach on December 1, 2022 after the Terriers posted a 3-3 record with Watson as interim head coach.
    • Wofford returns 14 starters overall, including five on offense, seven on defense and two specialists.  
    • Two players were named to the All-Southern Conference preseason second team - DL Chuck Smith and OL Jason Swann.    
    • In the national rankings, the Terriers are 59th in total defense (371.2 and 114th in total offense (246.2) this season.

2003 TEAM RECOGNITION
In the first full season under head coach Shawn Watson, the Terriers continue to search for their first win of the year.  On offense, the offensive line has seen eight different players start game. Center Anthony Garcia the lone player to play all five games at the same position. The pro spread offense usually sees three receivers, one tight end and one running back in most formations. Alec Holt and Kyle Pinnix lead the receivers with 10 catches each. Jordan Davis has five catches for 55 yards to lead the tight ends. Ryan Ingram has 57 carries for 333 yards and three touchdowns at running back, while Kyle Parsons has 22 carries for 84 yards. Bryce Corriston started the first three games at quarterback and is 26-of-47 for 218 yards and a touchdown. Pauly Seeley has started the last two contests and is 37-of-62 for 409 yards.
    The defense remains a 3-4 base, with the defensive line led by usual starters C.J. Tillman, Brandon Maina and Chuck Smith. Smith and maina are tied for the team lead with 2.5 tackles for loss. The linebackers feature David Powers, who has a team-high 39 tackles, along with Eli Purcell with 29 tackles and two sacks. In the secondary, Maximus Pulley and Damien Curtis each have a pair of interceptions with Amir Annoor leading the team with five pass break-ups.
    Bridger Jones handles placekicking and is 6-of-7 on field goals, along with a 63.0 average on kickoffs. Atkins Roberts and Devry Cagle handle punting, with Tommy DiLiegro and Blake Shirley sharing long snapping duties.

A CHANGE AT THE TOP
Shawn Watson, the Terriers assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, served as interim head coach beginning on Thursday, October 6, 2022. Watson has over 35 years of coaching experience, including a stint as head coach at Southern Illinois (1994-96). It marks the first time in school history that the football team has had an interim head coach. Watson was announced as the permanent head coach on December 1, 2022.

HITTING THE ROAD EARLY
Wofford was on the road for three of the first four games of the season, which were also the three longest road trips in 2023. These round trips totaled 2,444 miles with Pittsburgh (1026), William & Mary (808), and  VMI (610). The remaining three road trips are just 1,094 miles total to ETSU (254), Mercer (436)and The Citadel (404).

INSIDE WOFFORD FOOTBALL WITH COACH SHAWN WATSON
Wofford Sports Properties, the multimedia rights partner for Wofford College Athletics, has announced the return of "Inside Wofford Football with Coach Shawn Watson." The show is part of an expanded selection of coaches shows that began last season. The shows, sponsored by Yokohama, are hosted by the voice of the Terriers, Jim Noble. "Inside Wofford Football" begins in September and will debut every Monday during the football season. Fans can listen to the "Inside Wofford Football" podcast in a variety of ways, including on the iTunes, Amazon, Google and Spotify podcast platforms, along with www.woffordterriers.com/podcast. A video version can be found on YouTube.

GOAL LINE CLUB
Help carry the ball for the Terriers and sign up to be a 2023 Goal Line Club member. Pledge as little as $1 to contribute to an athletic endowed scholarship. Established in 2012, the Goal Line Club has proven hugely successful in helping raise scholarship dollars for the Wofford College Athletics Endowment. Goal Line Club members have donated a combined total of more than $368,538 for the Goal Line Club Endowed Scholarship Fund since the inception of this initiative. Click HERE to donate!

WOFFORD APP
Be sure to download the new Wofford Terriers mobile app. Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new Wofford app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.Through the app, Wofford fans will enjoy a personalized mobile experience with the ability to manage tickets, and receive breaking news and score notifications for the teams they follow.

TICKETS
Single game tickets are available by calling 864-597-4090 or by visiting www.woffordterriers.com/tickets