Keeler's Corner: In-Season Update #2

Note: The following was written by Scott Keeler, who worked as a reporter at the Greenville News for more than 25 years and continues to cover the Southern Conference. “Keeler’s Corner” will appear throughout the season.

Keeler can be found on X @Scott_Keeler

Welcome to Keeler’s Corner! This second edition will review the past three weeks of the Southern Conference football season, with a look ahead to key games over the final three weeks of the regular season. I’ll recap the efforts of each Southern Conference team – in order of the current SoCon standings. Rankings are listed with the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Poll first and then the Stats Perform FCS Poll.

No. 13/10 MERCER (8-1 overall, 5-1 SoCon)

Mercer rebounded from a stunning loss on Oct. 19 with a pair of big wins each of the last two Saturdays. That has the Bears in a prime position to earn their first ever SoCon championship and become the sixth different school to win the title over the past six seasons.

Mercer was 6-0 and its defense had allowed just four touchdowns all season when it traveled to Samford three weeks ago. Less than seven minutes into the game, that total number of touchdowns allowed had doubled as Samford raced out to a 28-0 lead with 8:25 left in the first quarter.

The Bears trailed 42-7 at the half, but didn’t quit. They scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 14 entering the fourth. It appeared things were really going to get interesting early in the fourth quarter when Mercer drove to the Samford 32-yard line. However, a strip sack resulted in scoop six for Samford to push the lead back to 48-28. Five minutes later, a pick six helped the Bulldogs put the game away as the Bears fell, 55-35.

In a showdown with Western Carolina the next week, Mercer once again fell into an early hole. The Catamounts led 14-0 after one quarter and 24-7 in the second quarter before the Bears started fighting back again. Dwayne McGee’s 64-yard touchdown run with 3:52 left in the first half and Whitt Newbauer’s 2-yard score with 55 seconds left cut the lead to 24-21 at the half.

On the third play of the second half, McGee gave Mercer a lead it never relinquished when he broke away for a 59-yard touchdown run. The Bears were clinging to a three-point lead with 1:52 left when C.J. Miller ran for a 31-yard touchdown to help seal their 44-34 victory.

A Mercer team that had not trailed much at all the first month-and-a-half this season once again trailed by double digits in the opening quarter last Saturday against ETSU. Once again, the Bears rallied for a 37-31 win. The most stunning part of this comeback was the fact that Mercer put up 37 points with only one offensive touchdown.

The Bears trailed 14-3 after one quarter before coming up with each of the game’s next four scores, all of which were touchdowns. Brayden Manley recovered an ETSU fumble in the end zone and 73 seconds later, Marques Thomas returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown as Mercer took a 17-14 halftime lead. The Bears have an FCS-best six touchdowns scored on defense this season.

In the third quarter, Newbauer threw a 34-yard touchdown to Kelin Parsons. Tripp Slaton later blocked an ETSU punt and Mic Wasson returned it 20 yards for a touchdown as the Bears took command with a 31-14 lead.

McGee, who ran for 223 yards in the win over Western Carolina, leads the SoCon and ranks 14th nationally averaging 96.2 yards rushing per game. Wide receiver Brayden Smith is 10th in the FCS in all-purpose yards averaging 136.2 per game. He’s one of two players in the country with more than one punt return for a touchdown this season.

Player of the year (so far): Cornerback T.J. Moore. While the bloom has come off of Mercer’s defensive rose a bit the past few weeks, the Bears still lead the country in turnovers forced (26) and interceptions (19). Moore is a big reason why as he has an FCS-best and school record six interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Moore had a pick and a team-high eight tackles in last Saturday’s win.

Games to watch: Mercer wraps up the regular season with SoCon games against the two teams at the bottom of the standings (VMI and Furman) sandwiched around a trip to FBS power Alabama. If the Bears end up in any kind of tie for the league title, they have the head-to-head tiebreaker with wins over the current second-, third- and fourth-place teams.

*****

Receiving Votes/No. 22 WESTERN CAROLINA (5-4, 4-1)

Like Mercer, Western Carolina is also on the hunt for that elusive first SoCon championship as they are the only two current league members who’ve never claimed the title. Also like the Bears with one league loss, the Catamounts control their own destiny to earn at least a share of the crown.

After Western dismantled reigning conference champion Furman in record-breaking fashion on Oct. 19, it was the last team without a league loss. The Catamounts set school and SoCon single-game records for total offense (801 yards) and passing offense (652) in the 52-20 victory. It was also the highest scoring output the Catamounts have ever posted against Furman.

Starting quarterback Cole Gonzales also broke the school and SoCon single-game records for passing with 620 yards, the seventh-highest passing total in FCS history. Seven different receivers had at least 48 yards receiving and five of those caught touchdowns, led by Isaiah Johnson’s effort of six receptions for 117 yards and two scores.

The win set up a showdown for first place in the SoCon the following week at Mercer. Facing one of the best defenses in the country, the Catamounts picked up where they left off at Furman as they piled up 582 yards of total offense on 85 plays. It wasn’t enough though as the Bears saw a 24-7 lead evaporate in a 44-34 loss.

It appeared that Western Carolina was poised to take the lead with less than six minutes to play when Gonzales - who passed for 395 yards - spun into the end zone at the end of a 17-yard run. However, a holding penalty wiped out the play and the Catamounts settled for a field goal to cut the lead to 37-34. Mercer answered with a touchdown drive to seal the win.

In addition to the heartbreaking loss, Western also lost Gonzales to an injury suffered on the late touchdown run that was nullified.

Redshirt freshman Taron Dickens started against Chattanooga last Saturday, but Western Carolina didn’t miss a beat. After falling behind 14-0 after one quarter, the Catamounts rallied for a thrilling 38-34 win to remain the only team besides Mercer with just one league loss.

Dickens completed 34-of-48 passes for 431 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winner midway through the fourth quarter on a eight-yard throw to De’Andre Tamarez. That was the third touchdown catch of the game for Tamarez.

Dickens completed passes to 13 different Catamounts, including one to himself on a deflection that turned out to be a huge play in the game. With 35 seconds left in the second quarter, Western went for it on fourth-and-two near midfield and Dickens took the ball batted right back to him eight yards for a first down. On third down two plays later, Dickens threw a flare pass left to Tamarez. Tamarez ran back to his right and Dickens blocked a pair of defenders on the edge, springing Tamarez for a 32-yard touchdown with three seconds left. That cut the Mocs’ lead to 21-17 at the half.

After Chattanooga’s final drive reached the red zone, Ken Moore’s interception with 33 seconds left sealed the win for the Catamounts.

Player of the year (so far): Quarterback Cole Gonzales. Gonzales leads the country in passing at 317.9 yards per game and total offense (344 yards per game). The junior is second in school history with 51 touchdown passes, 13 shy of Tyrie Adams’ school record. He’s also third in total offense with 7,244 yards in his career.

Games to watch: Western Carolina has a huge game at fourth-place ETSU this Saturday at noon, before wrapping up the regular season by hosting Samford and visiting VMI. This week’s Blue Ridge Border Battle is a matchup of two FCS playoff worthy teams, but each are 5-4 overall. A fifth loss would seemingly be a severe blow to the playoff chances of either team.

*****

RV/No. 23 CHATTANOOGA (5-4, 4-2)

Like the two teams above it in the SoCon standings, Chattanooga went 2-1 over the past three weeks as its five-game winning streak was snapped at Western Carolina last Saturday.

Coming off a 31-point win at Furman on Oct. 12, the Mocs posted a 32-point home win over Wofford the next week. After taking a 10-5 lead into halftime, Chattanooga outscored the Terriers 27-0 in the second half. Quarterback Chase Artopoeus ran for a pair of touchdowns early in the third quarter. Reuben Lowery returned the Mocs’ fourth interception of the game 61 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to wrap up the scoring.

Chattanooga got off to another slow start the next week against VMI. The Mocs trailed 10-7 late in the first half before Artopoeus ran for a 23-yard touchdown with 3:40 left to take a 14-10 lead into halftime.

Reggie Davis and Journey Wyche had touchdown runs in the second half and Chattanooga’s defense recorded another second-half shutout as the Mocs won, 31-10. Davis rushed for 131 yards, while Artopoeus ran for 82 yards and two scores as Chattanooga finished with 285 yards on the ground.

It was supposed to be a battle of two of the best quarterbacks in the SoCon last Saturday at Western Carolina, but in addition to the Catamounts’ Cole Gonzales being sidelined with an injury, so was Artopoeus. Sophomore Luke Schomburg started in place of Artopoeus and threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns, but the Mocs fell 38-34.

Chattanooga jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a 38-yard touchdown pass from Schomburg to Chris Domercant and a 75-yard fumble return for a score by Leroy Harris. Harris is one of four players in the FCS with three fumble recoveries this season. Justus Durant’s 16-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left in the second quarter pushed the Mocs lead to 21-10 before Western’s comeback began.

Reggie Davis’ 37-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter helped tie the game at 31-31 heading to the fourth quarter. Jude Kelley’s 44-yard field goal gave Chattanooga a 34-31 lead with 9:46 left before Western scored the game-winning touchdown three minutes later. 

On the Mocs’ final drive, Schomburg’s 29-yard pass to Javin Whatley gave Chattanooga a first down at the Western 18-yard line. On the next play, Schomburg’s third interception of the game wrapped up the win for the Catamounts.

Prior to allowing 38 points and 431 yards passing against Western, Chattanooga’s defense had allowed just 45 points and 604 yards passing to its previous five SoCon opponents combined. 

Player of the year (so far): Defensive end Chris Victor. Prior to Saturday’s struggles against Western Carolina’s high-octane offense, Chattanooga had not allowed more than 10 points in any SoCon game this season. Victor is a big reason why. Victor has 40 tackles and leads the team in tackles-for-loss (nine), sacks (3.5) and quarterback hurries (five). He also has three pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Games to watch: Chattanooga wraps up SoCon play with a trip to The Citadel this Saturday and a home game against Samford the following week. The Mocs wrap up the regular season at Austin Peay on Nov. 23. That trip will come nearly a year to the day since Chattanooga’s visit to Austin Peay last Nov. 25, when the Mocs’ won in the opening round of last year’s FCS playoffs. Winning out would likely ensure Chattanooga with another trip to the postseason this year.

*****

NR/RV ETSU (5-4, 3-2)

Could a team that’s not ranked in either FCS poll the first full week of November get an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs? East Tennessee State would certainly love to find out. 

Winning out would give ETSU an 8-4 record with losses to the currently No. 1-ranked North Dakota State, No. 10-ranked Mercer, No. 23-ranked Chattanooga and FBS member Appalachian State. Those three FCS losses were all one-score finals and no FCS team has come closer to defeating top-ranked Bison than ETSU has. Of NDSU’s nine wins, the only ones not decided by at least 17 points was a 13-9 win over then No. 1-ranked South Dakota State and a 38-35 miraculous win at ETSU. The Bison rallied from a 35-23 deficit with less than two minutes remaining to get that victory.

Two weeks after that heartbreaking loss to NDSU, the Bucs pulled off one of the gutsiest wins you’ll ever see at The Citadel. It came after a roughly 18-hour road trip to Charleston due to Hurricane Helene.

ETSU had a well-deserved bye week on Oct. 19 before returning to action with a 24-7 win at Wofford. Ewan Johnson’s 28-yard field goal late in the second quarter provided the only points of the first half. The defensive struggle continued in the second half as the first touchdown came on a 15-yard fumble return by Elijah Taylor to push the Bucs’ lead to 10-0.

After Wofford cut the lead to 10-7, Jaylen King had touchdown runs of 22 and 31 yards to wrap up ETSU’s victory.

Last Saturday at Mercer, the Bucs jumped out to a 14-3 lead after one quarter and outgained the Bears 472-292. Four turnovers doomed ETSU though as it lost 37-31. The Bucs’ defense allowed just one touchdown and only two scoring drives of more than 10 yards as Mercer scored 20 points off turnovers and also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.

Johnson’s 44-yard field goal cut Mercer’s lead to six with 45 seconds remaining. ETSU recovered a pair of onside kicks, but both were wiped out by penalties and the Bears were able to kneel out the clock.

On a day in which ETSU had only 13 yards rushing, it shattered the school record for passing yards with 459. King threw for 192 yards before Gino English came on midway through the third quarter. English finished with 267 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-19 passing.

Wide receiver A.J. Johnson had career highs in receptions (10) and yards (162) as he was one of three Bucs with more than 100 yards receiving. Johnson’s 162-yard effort was the highest receiving total by an ETSU player since the school restarted the football program in 2015.

Player of the year (so far): Linebacker Nick Hunter. Hunter has 21 tackles, but 5.5 of those have gone for sacks as he’s tied for second in the SoCon in that category. The junior also leads the team with two interceptions. Last Saturday, Hunter had 1.5 sacks and forced a fumble.

Games to watch: ETSU has a big showdown this Saturday at noon when it hosts Western Carolina in the Blue Ridge Border Battle. The Bucs wrap up the regular season against the two teams at the bottom of the league standings as they host Furman next Saturday and then travel to VMI.

*****

SAMFORD (3-5, 2-3)

It was one big step forward and two steps back for Samford over the past three weeks.

On Oct. 19, the Bulldogs hosted a Mercer defense that ranked No. 1 in the country in scoring (7.7 points allowed per game) after allowing only four touchdowns over its first six games.

Less than seven minutes into the game, Samford quarterback Quincy Crittendon doubled that total. Crittendon’s fourth touchdown pass of the day came on a 77-yard throw to Iaan Cousin as Samford took a 28-0 lead with 8:25 left in the first quarter. Crittendon’s four touchdown passes in the opening frame tied a SoCon record for touchdown passes in a quarter. In the second quarter, Damonta Witherspoon added a pair of rushing touchdowns as the Bulldogs took a 42-7 lead into halftime.

Samford’s offense was shut out in the second half, but it still found ways to score. Mercer trimmed the lead to 42-28 and was driving for more in the fourth quarter when Samford’s Conroy Cunningham made a strip sack. Gavin Morris picked up the loose ball and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.

Later in the fourth quarter, Noah Martin’s 26-yard interception return for a touchdown helped seal Samford’s 55-35 win, handing Mercer its first loss.

After remaining undefeated at home, the Bulldogs remained winless on the road the next week with a 28-11 loss at The Citadel. After that 55-point outburst a week earlier, Samford had just a second quarter field goal before scoring a touchdown with 36 seconds left in the game.

Samford was held to just one touchdown again last Saturday as it suffered its first home loss, 17-13, to Wofford. The Bulldogs’ last drive reached the Terriers’ 25-yard line, but they failed to convert on a fourth-and-three play with 36 seconds left in the game.

Martin leads the SoCon and ranks fifth nationally, averaging 9.9 tackles per game.

Player of the year (so far): Quarterback Quincy Crittendon. Crittendon is second in the conference in passing efficiency rating (145.5) and third in the FCS in completion percentage (72.6) having completed 201-of-277 passes. Crittendon leads the SoCon with 15 touchdown passes, ranks second in the SoCon in passing (1,981 yards) and second in total offense (2,110 yards).

Games to watch: Samford hosts Tennessee Tech this Saturday before wrapping up the season by visiting Chattanooga and then hosting Western Carolina.

*****

THE CITADEL (4-5, 2-4)

The only SoCon team that didn’t lose a game since our last Keeler’s Corner update three weeks ago is the same one that had not won a league game since 2022. On Oct. 19, The Citadel rallied from a 10-6 halftime deficit to knock off rival VMI 13-10 in the 80th edition of The Military Classic of the South. That snapped a 12-game losing streak in conference play and gave first-year head coach Maurice Drayton his first SoCon victory.

On a day in which it mustered only 188 yards of total offense and went 0-for-11 on third down, the Bulldogs came through when needed. The lone score of the second half came with 9:57 left to play when Johnathan Bennett hit Tyler Cherry with a 43-yard touchdown pass as The Citadel took a 13-10 lead. The Bulldogs’ defense made that lead stand as it never allowed VMI to cross midfield the rest of the way.

The next week, The Citadel hosted a Samford team that was coming off handing Mercer its first loss this season by a score of 55-35. After scoring six touchdowns in the first half against one of the best defenses in the country a week earlier, it took Samford more than 59 game minutes to find the end zone in Charleston.

The Citadel trailed 3-0 at the half before Garrison Johnson ran for a pair of third quarter touchdowns to give the Bulldogs a 14-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Johnny Crawford and Bennett ran for touchdowns in the fourth to push the lead to 28-3. Samford’s lone touchdown came with 36 seconds left as The Citadel won, 28-11.

Senior punter James Platte leads the FCS averaging 48.4 yards per kick. He leads the SoCon with 16 punts of at least 50 yards. Platte played a big role in the win over Samford as he averaged 54.6 yards per punt and put three of his five kicks inside Samford’s 20-yard line. 

Player of the year (so far): Linebacker Thomas Wyatt. Wyatt leads the Bulldogs in tackles (74), tackles-for-loss (9.5), sacks (4) and quarterback hurries (3). 

Games to watch: After a bye last week, The Citadel hosts Chattanooga this Saturday in the home finale. The Bulldogs will end the season with back-to-back road trips to the Upstate at Wofford and Clemson.

*****

WOFFORD (4-5, 2-4)

Wofford redshirt freshman quarterback Amari Odom hasn’t put up any eye-popping numbers this season, but there’s something much more important than stats. The Terriers just seem to find a way to play their best with him under center.

After being sidelined by injury for Wofford’s 37-5 loss at Chattanooga on Oct. 19 and its 24-7 loss to ETSU a week later, Odom returned to the starting lineup last Saturday at Samford. He completed 12-of-20 passes for 203 yards and guided the Terriers to a 17-13 win. It was the Bulldogs’ first home loss this season and Wofford’s first win in the series since 2014.

Kyle Watkins had 112 yards receiving in the victory, while Ryan Ingram rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown. Ingram’s one-yard score late in the third quarter gave Wofford a 14-13 lead. Devery Cagle’s 38-yard field goal with less than four minutes remaining helped seal the victory.

Odom made his first collegiate start in last season’s finale in which Wofford stunned second-ranked Furman, 19-13. Saturday’s win improved Wofford’s record to 5-2 when Odom is the starting quarterback.

Player of the year (so far): Linebacker Jalen Marshall. Marshall leads Wofford in tackles (75), solo tackles (54), tackles-for-loss (12) and pass breakups (6). Marshall also has an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Games to watch: Wofford ends the regular season with the Palmetto State portion of it. The Terriers play at rival Furman this Saturday and host The Citadel next Saturday before ending the season at Clemson.

*****

FURMAN (2-6, 1-3)

A frustrating season for Furman grew more frustrating in extremely different ways over the past three weeks.

No Furman opponent had ever gained more than 700 yards in a game until Ole Miss put up 772 in this year’s season opener. Unfortunately for the Paladins, that record didn’t last two months. On Oct. 19, Western Carolina left Greenville with a 52-20 win after piling up 801 total yards of offense.

Thanks to a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Colton Hinton, Furman only trailed 17-6 at halftime despite being outgained 394-61 in the first half. The Catamounts had five touchdowns in the second half to pull away for the win.

A young Furman team that’s been hit hard by injuries this year, particularly on defense, had a week to heal up before heading to VMI last Saturday. Statistically speaking, the Paladins put up better numbers than in either of its last two meetings in the series - a 41-3 win in 2022 and a 37-3 victory last season. But the only stat that matters is the scoreboard, where the Keydets snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 21-17 win.

Furman had twice as many offensive plays as VMI (87 to 43), outgained the Keydets 412-177, had 26 first downs and allowed nine, and held the ball nearly twice as long (39:35 to 20:25). The Paladins were minus-three in the turnover battle though, which proved to be the difference.

Out of 123 FCS teams, Furman ranks 119th in turnover margin this season as it has lost 18 and only gained eight.

Player of the year (so far): Linebacker Evan DiMaggio. DiMaggio ranks second in the SoCon and ninth nationally, averaging 9.8 tackles per game. He leads the Paladins with 5.5 tackles for loss and also has two sacks, an interception and six quarterback hurries.

Games to watch: Furman will host Wofford in the Deep South’s oldest rivalry this Saturday. The Paladins end the season with road trips to ETSU and Mercer.

*****

VMI (1-8, 1-4)

In each of its last three games, VMI has held a second quarter lead but failed to score after halftime. After losing the Silver Shako back to rival The Citadel on Oct. 19 and falling at Chattanooga the next week, the Keydets did enough in the first half last Saturday to hold off Furman for their first win of the season.

VMI led The Citadel 10-6 at the half before the Bulldogs scored the lone points of the second half on a fourth quarter touchdown as the Keydets fell 13-10. The next week, VMI led Chattanooga 10-7 late in the first half before the Mocs rallied with the final 24 points of the game in a 31-10 loss.

A VMI offense that had scored more than one touchdown just one time this season - against Bucknell - had three touchdowns in the first half last week to take a 21-10 lead over Furman into halftime.

Chandler Wilson’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Ethen Horne capped a 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game. The Keydets had just 102 yards the rest of the way, but took advantage of critical turnovers by Furman. Half of those 102 yards came on a 51-yard pass by Wilson on VMI’s second touchdown drive which Hunter Rice capped with a two-yard touchdown run to give the Keydets a 14-10 lead with 5:22 left in the first half. A long fumble return helped set up JoJo Crump’s three-yard touchdown run three-and-a-half minutes later.

VMI was held to 29 yards of total offense and two first downs in the second half, but its defense made plays when it had to. That included Shamus Jones’ game-sealing interception with 1:41 left. Jones finished with 13 tackles and had a key blocked field goal.

Player of the year (so far): Linebacker Eric Rankin. Rankin has a SoCon-best 80 tackles this season and also ranks near the top of the league in tackles-for-loss (10) and sacks (5.5). He’s collected seven quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He made arguably the play of the game against Furman with a strip sack that he scooped up and returned 36 yards to the Paladins’ four-yard line late in the first half.

Games to watch: VMI wraps up the season with games against three of the top four teams in the league. The Keydets host Mercer this Saturday, travel to Western Carolina next week and host ETSU in the finale.