Reigning SoCon champion Samford jumps out early, rolls past Division II Shorter 69-14
Mychael Hamilton's TD caps Samford's rout of Shorter
Mychael Hamilton's TD caps Samford's rout of Shorter
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- — Michael Hiers threw four of his five touchdown passes in the first half as Samford rolled to a 69-14 victory over Division II-member Shorter on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.
Hiers hit Chandler Smith with a pair of scoring throws and threw one each to Jay Stanton and E. Jai Mason as the reigning Southern Conference champion and the FCS's ninth-ranked Bulldogs scored touchdowns on 7 of 8 possessions in the first half for a 49-7 lead at the break.
Hiers added a 33-yard touchdown pass to Brendan Jenkins midway through the third quarter and finished 28-of-35 passing for 375 yards. Stanton added a 12-yard touchdown run, and Mychael Hamilton and Damonta Witherspoon each had two rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
Harold Cook completed 20 of 28 passes for 170 yards and threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to John Dietl III for Shorter. Cook added a 7-yard TD run to end the third quarter.
The Bulldogs are coming off an 11-2 season and first SoCon championship.
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Game Information
2024 Independent DII Standings
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Northeastern State | 1-0 | 2-9 |
| Lincoln (CA) | 0-1 | 0-11 |
| Shorter | 0-3 | 3-5 |
2024 Southern Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer | 7-1 | 11-3 |
| Western Carolina | 6-2 | 7-5 |
| Chattanooga | 5-3 | 7-5 |
| East Tennessee State | 5-3 | 7-5 |
| Samford | 3-4 | 4-7 |
| The Citadel | 3-5 | 5-7 |
| Wofford | 3-5 | 5-7 |
| Furman | 2-5 | 3-8 |
| VMI | 1-7 | 1-11 |
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