SoCon Takes Some Lumps in Week Two; Tennessee Tech and Furman Open SoCon Play With Wins
For the first time in the young football season, there was a feeling that the way week two ended wasn't a good look for the SoCon. In non-conference games this past weekend, the SoCon went 0-5, which we kind of expected three of those, as the league faced off against FBS competition.
However, Chattanooga's 22-17 loss at Eastern Kentucky and The Citadel's 26-20 double-overtime loss to Charleston Southern in its home opener is certainly a bit concerning. In fact, the SoCon went 0-3 in its FCS non-conference games over the weekend.
As for my personal record this season, I am off to a 17-9 predicting outcomes in the SoCon this season. The big one I did get right this past weekend was Furman's upset of Mercer, and it didn't surprise me it was a low-scoring affair, with two of the top defenses facing off against one another in the SoCon opener.
The only real difference was I thought it would be a little closer than it was, as I had Furman winning 24-21, but the actual score ended up being a seven-point differential, with the Paladins posting a 20-13 road win. Mercer being a 15.5-point favorite coming into the game was a bit preposterous and with a keen eye, you would have picked up on that if you're into that sort of thing, it was easy money.
The focus of the weekend, however, was the two SoCon tilts, with one of those seeing a school play its first-ever league game as a member, while the other featured the last two teams to have won the SoCon title. The result of the week came from the Furman Paladins, as the 2023 champions knocked back-to-back SoCon title winners and 15th-ranked Mercer, 20-13, as the Paladins ended the Bears' 12-game winning streak in SoCon games.
After opening the season with games against NCAA Division II Anderson and FBS No. 18/20 Tennessee, the Paladins had a chance to showcase their defense against own level of competition, and the Paladins didn't disappoint, as Furman's defense forced five turnovers and held a Bears to 361 yards of total output and only 13 points just a week after Mercer totaled 600 yards (7th 600-yard offensive performance in program history) and 62 points in a 62-3 blasting of Presbyterian.
The Paladins recorded four INTs for the first time the 2023 season opening 45-10 win over Tennessee Tech, with Caleb Easterling picking off two of those passes. The win was the 12th over a ranked foe under Furman head coach Clay Hendrix (2017-present) and first since a 24-21 win at No. 21 East Tennessee State on Nov. 16, 2023.
In what was a physical, old-school Southern Conference battle, the Bears ended up with the slight edge in total yards, as Mercer finished the night with a 361-315 advantage in total offense, but Furman’s defense was opportunistic, as it forced five turnovers by the Bears, including picking off quarterback Jaylen King four times, with two INTs coming from Paladin sophomore cornerback Caleb Easterling.
Furman graduate transfer quarterback Jake Garcia finished the night connecting on 18-of-28 passes for 158 yards, with one touchdown and a pair of INTs and was sacked four times. Garcia’s favorite target ended up being Dartmouth transfer wide receiver Daniel Haughton, who finished the night with eight catches for 103 yards and a score, including a 46-yard pass with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter, which gave Furman its first touchdown of the evening. Luke Shields also hauled in six passes for a key 34 yards.
The Paladins ground attack was led by senior Ben Croasdale, who finished with 74 yards on six attempts, while both Garcia and running back CJ Stokes, each ran for a tough 27 yards, with Garcia needing 13 attempts and Stokes reaching that exact same total on nine carries.
Defensively, the Paladins were stout the entire night, with the Paladin defensive front causing havoc all night, using a variety of different fronts and shifts to try and free up Buck Buchanan Award candidate and junior defensive end Joshua Stoneking, who caused Mercer’s offensive front issues from the outset, and despite still looking for that elusive first sack of the season, still managed to finish with eight tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss.
Veteran linebacker and Cumming, GA product Raleigh Herbert paced Furman’s defense with 11 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and finished with one of the Paladins’ three sacks on the evening. Herbert left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury and did not return.
Furman’s other two sacks came from rush end Trevor Short, who was also among Furman’s most influential defenders in the game, as he also forced a fumble, had two fumble recoveries and had two quarterback pressures, with one of those forcing the first of five miscues on the evening for the Bears, as Jordan Miller ended up with the INT after Short broke through to apply heavy pressure just as King got rid of the football Easterling, a native of Richmond Hills, GA, finished the night with five tackles to go along with his two INTs.
A week after accounting for six touchdowns in a half and helping lead a Mercer that went for over 600 yards for just the seventh time in its history, Jaylen King was made to look very mortal by the Furman defense, as he finished the evening connecting on 18-of-35 passes for 196 yards and couldn't find the end zone by air or by ground, but was picked off four times and sacked three more by Furman's Purple Swarm defense.
In addition to Easterling's two INTs, Miller and Tarver also came up with INTs for the Paladin defense.
Zahamari Palode-Gary led the ground efforts for Mercer, rushing for 87 yards on 13 attempts, while King added 31 yards on 15 rush attempts. Travion Solomon was the Bears' top offensive option for the evening, as he hauled in six passes for 120 yards, while Eric Rasheed also caught four passes for 40 yards.
The Bears were led defensively by West Georgia transfer Jyarius Carter, who finished the night with 11 stops to match Furman's Herbert for game-high honors, while also adding three quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.
Mercer's defense would record six tackles-for-loss, four sacks and forced three Paladin turnovers, including picking off Garcia twice. The Bears would get INTs from Cameron Goggins and Justin Ferguson.
Furman found itself trailing 13-10 early in the fourth quarter following an impressive Mercer drive, which covered 74 yard in nine plays and was capped by backup signal-caller JP Pickles' 1-yard scoring plunge to give the Bears the 13-10 lead with 13:20 remaining in the game.
Furman would see what seemed to be a promising drive on the ensuing possession compromised due to a pair of penalties and a couple of Mercer sacks, forcing William Pendegrass on to punt the ball back to Mercer.
The Paladin defense, however, came up with a much-needed three-and-out, forcing Senin Seymour on to punt the ball away for the Bears. His 43-yard punt was then returned 42 yards by Furman's Joshua Tarver, setting ball just outside the red zone for the Paladin offense at the Mercer 34 with 6:59 remaining.
The Paladins would move it to the Mercer 25, but could get no further, as Nathan Chapman was forced to come on and attempt a 43-yard attempt on 4th-and-1, which split the uprights to tie the game, 13-13, with 4:53 remaining.
Furman's defense would force Mercer to punt on its next possession, and following Seymour's punt, took over the football at their own 15 with 1:54 remaining. Garcia got the drive started with three completions to Daniel Haughton, which covered 15, 17 and five yards, respectively, as the Paladins moved the ball to the Mercer 47.
On the next play, Croasdale took the handoff from Garcia and sprinted past the Bears defense for a 47-yard scoring jaunt put the Paladins back on top, 20-13, following Chapman's PAT with just 47 seconds remaining.
On Mercer's final drive of the evening, which started at its own 40 after a squibbed kickoff by Chapman, the Bears could only move the ball a total of 13 yards, reaching the Paladin 47 before King's desperation throw with time winding down was intercepted by Tarver and returned 34 yards before eventually sliding to the Five Star Stadium turf, as the Furman sideline erupted in celebration.
Furman returns to action Saturday, hosting the top FCS team in the Palmetto State, as No. 16/17 South Carolina State heads to Paladin Stadium for a 7 p.m. EST game, while Mercer returns to the gridiron against Georgia Tech (0-2) in a noon kickoff at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Tennessee Tech, meanwhile, made easy work of Samford in its first-ever SoCon game, and it was the electrifying wideout Tre Holloway that stole the show by scoring touchdowns in a 45-19 rout of the Bulldogs, as the Golden Eagles stand alone as the lone unbeaten team in the SoCon.
Holloway scored three different ways, catching touchdown passes of 48 and 43 yards, respectively, returning a punt 76 yards for a score, and posting what was a 4-yard scoring run, as he finishing the night posting 257 all-purpose yards.
Holloway wasn't the only one putting up numbers in the SoCon opener, as Golden Eagles new quarterback Jax Leatherwood continued his strong start to the season, as he connected on 15-of-22 passes for 229 yards with two touchdowns and no INTs.
Qua Ashley led Tennessee Tech's rushing efforts, as he finished the evening with 81 yards and a touchdown on just five carries. Ashley posted Tech's second touchdown of the night, as he took a hand-off and scampered 56 yards for a touchdown for one of the highlights of the night for a Tech offense that finished the evening with 409 yards of total output.
The Golden Eagles snapped the ball 21 times (75-54). One odd statistic is that Samford had 14 more first downs (32-18) than the Golden Eagles, indicating the fact that most of Tennessee Tech's offense over the course of the evening, as the Golden Eagles averaged 7.6 average gain per play on the ground, while averaging 10.4 yards through the air.
The defense was not to be overlooked either, as the unit limited Samford to just 320 yards and a total of just 39 rushing yards. The Golden Eagles totaled nine tackles-for-loss and had four sacks in the win.
Tennessee Tech forced the only turnover in the game, as Josh Hand forced a Samford fumble that was recovered by Joe Hall III. Though the Bulldogs turned it over only once, it would turn out to be a costly one, as Hand's forced fumble on Samford running back Domenique Thomas was recovered by Joe Hall III in the end zone for Tech's final score of the night with 51 seconds left in the third quarter.
Linebacker Greg Turner III led the defense with six tackles and a pass breakup, while Eric Taylor, Anthony Busa and Idris King all added five stops apiece. King also added 1.5 tackles-for-loss, which included one of the four sacks recorded by Tech's defense.
Samford came out and didn't know what hit them, as the Golden Eagles assumed a 28-3 on Holloway's third touchdown of the night, as his four-yard scoring run with 8:48 remaining in the opening half would give Tech a 28-3 first-half lead. A Carter Brown field goal a little less than four minutes later would see the Golden Eagles take a 31-9 lead into the halftime locker room.
Lost in the blowout loss was the performance of Samford field goal kicker Ty Ippolito, who connected on four field goals in the contest, including converting kicks of 58 and 54 yards, respectively. Samford's lone touchdown of night came with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter, as Gabarri Johnson ran it in from seven yards out to make it a 38-19 game.
Tennessee Tech and Samford will both have byes next Saturday before both get back into league play, with the Golden Eagles on the road at Wofford (Sept. 26), while Samford hosts VMI (Sept. 26).
Wofford was one of three SoCon teams to face FBS teams this past Saturday, as the Terriers were in Ohio to face Kent State on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Dix Stadium. The Terriers were able to more than hold their own for much of the afternoon, holding a 15-14 halftime lead after outscoring the Golden Flashes, 12-7, in the second quarter.
That would remain the score after three quarters, as Wofford had its sights set on a second FBS upset win over a Group of Five member for the SoCon in the first three weeks of the season. However, the Terriers would eventually falter due to a big fourth quarter from Kent State, who scored 22 unanswered points to secure a 36-15 home opening win.
The Golden Flashes defense would make some adjustments at the half, as the Terriers were held scoreless in the second half and would ultimately get out-gained, 448-173 on the afternoon, as the Golden Flashes snapped the ball 19 more times (72-53). The Terriers were held to just 58 rushing yards on the day.
Jakarion Caffey's five-yard scoring run for Kent State got the scoring started in the final 15 minutes, giving the Golden Flashes a seven-point advantage after Kent State quarterback Dru DeShields connecting with wideout Wayne Harris for a two-point conversion, making it a 22-15 lead less than a minute into the fourth quarter.
The game that would all but put the game away midway through the fourth quarter when DeShields scrambled 20 yards for a score, capping a 68-yard scoring drive with 8:27 remaining in the game to make it 29-15. DeShields completed his big day under center for Kent State, as he connected found Harris for a 10-yard scoring strike with 4:16 left in the contest, capping a five-play, 57-yard drive.
Wofford would play both Ethan Drumm and JT Fayard under center in the contest, with Drumm connecting on 9-of-16 passes for 100 yards and a pair of INTs, with one of those returned 63 yards for a score by Kent State linebacker Rafael Terrero Jr. late in the first half. Fayard saw only limited time under center, as he finished the contest by connecting on 4-of-11 passes for 15 yards.
Gerald Modest Jr. led the Wofford rushing efforts with 56 yards and one touchdown on 14 rush attempts.
Kent State was paced offensively by an outstanding performance from its quarterback, as Dru DeShields completed 16-of-25 passes for 248 yards with one touchdown and a pair of INTs, while also leading the Golden Flashes on the ground, as he finished with 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 10 attempts, averaging 7.4 YPC.
Wofford was led defensively by linebackers Logan McCloud and Wyatt Walker, who posted nine tackles apiece, with Ward adding an INT. Javario Tinch finished with six tackles, two tackles-for-loss and an INT.
Wofford (2-1, 1-0 SoCon) returns to action Saturday with its second SoCon tilt and first on the road, as the Terriers will head to the Scenic City to face Chattanooga in a 6 p.m. EST contest at Finley Stadium. Kent State (1-1) returns to face what I would imagine to be an angry Ohio State (1-1) team, which had been the top ranked in FBS before allowing No. 2 Texas to rally in the fourth quarter to come up with a 24-23 win over the Buckeyes.
East Tennessee State was in Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on FBS and Atlantic Coast Conference foe North Carolina at Kenan Stadium in what was the home opener for the Tar Heels and the first road game of the season for the Buccaneers.
The Bucs were, as expected, outmatched against the FBS 'Heels, as North Carolina's defense proved to be just as stout as it had been in its week zero, 15-10, win over TCU in Dublin, Ireland, as North Carolina limited ETSU to just a field goal and 255 yards of total offense en route to what was a 35-3 win.
North Carolina played it pretty close to the vest on the offensive side of the ball, which thankfully kept the score being more respectable than it could have been, as the Tar Heels didn't want to put too much on film for Clemson to break down ahead of the ACC opener for both teams next Saturday at Clemson's Memorial Stadium.
The Tar Heels, which ended the afternoon with 427 yards of total offense and used a defensive performance that held the Bucs to just 77 yards on the ground, took a 21-0 lead into the halftime locker room, using a pair of Billy Edwards Jr. touchdown passes, which covered 24 and 26 yards, respectively, and a Demon June 9-yard scoring run to take the three-score lead into the locker room.
The Tar Heels would increase their advantage to 35-0 in the third quarter, as June added a pair of short scoring runs, finding the end zone on a six-yard scoring run to make it 28-0 with 13:10 remaining in the third period before capping the scoring for the Tar Heels with a 1-yard scoring plunge with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter.
ETSU's lone points of the day would come from Ewan Johnson, as he connected on a 41-yard field goal with a just under four minutes remaining, making it a 35-3 game and capped a 15-play, 46-yard drive.
The Bucs were led in the game by Mason Mims, who completed 23-of-31 passes for 178 yards and an INT. TJ Peyton led ETSU on the ground, rushing for 52 yards on 13 attempts, while Suderian Harrison led the Bucs receiving efforts, with seven catches for 44 yards. Tight end Charlie Browder finished with three catches for 50 yards.
ETSU (1-2) returns to action next Saturday hosting West Georgia (0-3) in a noon kickoff at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. North Carolina (2-0) will open up ACC play in a noon contest in Death Valley, as the Tar Heels will face off against the Clemson Tigers (1-1).
It seems like this might be a roller-coaster type of season for The Citadel, which was coming off its 10th FBS win in program history last week against Charlotte and hosted Charleston in the Low Country Boil game, which also happened to be the home opener for the Bulldogs.
For a second-straight week, The Citadel would need more than four quarters of football to find a verdict and unfortunately for the Bulldogs and for SoCon fans, this time around wouldn't be a positive one, as Charleston Southern garnered its first win of the season, winning 26-20, to spoil the 2026 season-opener at Johnson-Hagood Stadium.
The win in the Low Country Boil game came despite seeing the Bulldogs dominate most of the statistical categories, as the Bulldogs held a 308-188 advantage in total offense, which included a substantial 235-104 edge in rushing yards.
It was the first time the Bucs had won the Low Country Boil game, with the Bulldogs having claimed the first of the ever Boil Bowl game two years ago, with a 22-21 win over the Bucs. It also marked the second time the Bulldogs have lost a trophy game in the early portion of the season, as The Citadel dropped the season opener, 42-14, at Wofford in the "Big Dog Bowl."
One of the unique changes that head coach Maurice Drayton has made this season is making the traditional visiting sidelines the home sidelines for the Bulldogs this season in order for his team to see the fans they are playing for each week.
The Bulldogs got on the board first and it came six minutes into the game, as Michael Lorino hauled in a 33-yard scoring from Quentin Hayes, capping a solid eight-play, 71-yard drive for The Citadel to open the scoring.
Late in the opening quarter, the Bucs would tie the game when Harry Smalls plunged into the end zone from a yard out to make it a 7-7 with 1:38 remaining in the opening frame. The scoring drive was set up by another special teams snafu for the Bulldogs during the early season, as The Citadel had a second punt blocked in the first three games of the season, with Josiah Watt breaking through the line to block Jack Weil's punt and the ball was recovered at by Anthony Paulk at the Bulldogs' 24. It took CSU five plays to punch across their first score of the afternoon and tie the game.
The only points of the second quarter would come from the right leg of place-kicker Matt Rolader, who connected on a 48-yard field goal to make it a 10-7 Bucs lead. That would remain the score as the two teams entered the halftime locker room.
The Bulldogs would tie the game, 10-10, following an Evan Kiely 45-yard field goal with 8:53 remaining in the third quarter, and that would prove to be the only points of the third quarter as the two teams headed to the final 15 minutes of football.
Kiely's second field goal--this one from 37 yards out--gave the Bulldogs its first lead (13-10) since the first quarter, as The Citadel used 13 plays to cover 57 yards and took 7:29 off the second half clock, bridging the third and fourth quarters.
CSU would answer with a field goal to tie the game a little over the midway point of the final quarter, and it would ultimately send the game into overtime. The Bucs would end up getting good field position, but in a game that had been defined by physical defense on both sides, CSU would have to rely on the leg of Rolader to try and tie the contest after the Bulldogs defense forced the Bucs' drive to bog down after Lek Powell was sacked by Zyion Brown on third down on one of several big plays by the Bulldogs defense in the second half.
Following the sack, Rolader connected on his second long field goal, with this one coming from 52 yards out, making it a 13-13 game with 6:14 left.
Both teams would turn the ball over on their ensuing possessions and the Bucs would force the Bulldogs into a three-and-out, as the two teams would eventually have to have the verdict of the contest decided in overtime.
In the first overtime, both teams exchanged touchdowns, with the Bucs getting on the board first when Dwayne Wright scored on a 2-yard run to cap a three-play drive and give CSU the 20-13 lead. The Bulldogs came right back and answered the bell, using five plays to cover the needed 25 yards, as Gavin Garcia scored on a 2-yard of his own to tie the game, 20-20.
In the second overtime, the Bulldogs got the ball first, but their drive stalled out after three plays and The Citadel called on Kiely to try and give the Bulldogs the lead, however, his 43-yard attempt was wide right and that meant the Bucs only needed another successful Rolader trifecta to close out a win in the rivalry game. However, Hakeem Watters ended the game on a nine-yard scoring run on the third play of the ensuing drive, as CSU claimed the 26-20 win.
The Bulldogs struggled offensively on the day, with Quentin Hayes completing just 3-of-14 passes for 73 yards, with a touchdown and an INT. Hayes added 67 yards rushing on 19 attempts.
Garcia was solid once again running the football for the Bulldogs, finishing with 88 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
The Bulldogs played their best game defensively of the season, limiting the Bucs to just 188 yards of total offense and recorded six sacks. It was the most quarterback takedowns recorded by a Bulldogs defense since 2022 against Virginia Lynchburg and most against a Division I opponent since 2019 against Western Carolina.
The Bulldogs will be off next Saturday, while the Bucs will return to action against Point in a 6 p.m. EST contest at Buccaneer Field.
Chattanooga was trying to become the second SoCon team to knock off Eastern Kentucky this season, however, Eastern Kentucky proved to have a different type of momentum at home, as the Mocs surrendered a late touchdown, which proved decisive, as the Mocs fell to 1-2 with their second-straight loss, while the Colonels picked up their first win of the season.
With the Colonels trailing 17-16 late in the game, EKU put together a nine-play, 79-yard scoring drive that took almost five minutes off the game clock, as Brayden Latham plunged in from a yard out, but the two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the EKU with a five-point advantage.
On the ensuing drive, Chattanooga's offense would move the ball into EKU territory, as the Mocs ended up reaching the 34-yard line of the Colonels with just over a minute left. EKU junior linebacker stopped Kevin Lalin for no gain on 3rd-and-9 before sophomore defensive back DJ Galva broke up Battle Alberson's pass and 4th-and-9, which was intended for Ashton Schumann with 53 seconds left, giving the ball back over to the Colonels on downs. The EKU ran off the remaining time on the clock to preserve the win.
The Colonels would go on top 6-0 on a Braylon Newcomb 16-yard scoring pass from Tyler Travers to give EKU a six-point lead after an unsuccessful two-point conversion, as EKU scored with an 80-yard scoring drive on its first possession of the evening. Early in the second quarter, UTC's Jude Kelley answered with a field goal, connecting on a 31-yard attempt with 10:42 remaining in the half, cutting the Colonels' lead in half, at 6-3.
EKU, however, closed the half with back-to-back scores to enter the halftime locker room with all the momentum, owning a 16-3 lead. With 4:52 remaining in the half, Brady Hensley broke off a 96-yard scoring run to electrify the home crowd at Roy Kidd Stadium. That would be followed by a Buzz Fabiano 33-yard field goal with just 29 seconds remaining in the first half, as the Colonels would pad their lead and went to the half with a 13-point lead.
The second half would begin with a 56-minute lightning delay, but when action resumed, Chattanooga got a much-needed touchdown drive to get right back into the game, as Lalin capped the scoring drive with a 27-yard scamper with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, making it a 16-10 game following Kelley's PAT.
Late in the third quarter, the Mocs would take their first lead of the game, needing only three players to cover 69 yards, with Battle Alberson capping the drive with a five-yard scoring run to make it a 17-16 Mocs lead with 2:41 remaining in the third.
Chattanooga's defense would make that lead stand up until just under four minutes remaining in the game. EKU took over the football with 8:46 remaining, mounting what would eventually prove to be the game-winning drive.
The Colonels held a 394-254 in total offense, including a 155-yard advantage on the ground, as EKU out-rushed the Mocs, 274-119.
Kevin Lalin would lead the Mocs ground game, as he finished with 98 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, averaging a solid 5.8 yards-per-carry. The former Division II running back from Limestone and Catawba surpassed 2,500 rushing yards and 3,000 all-purpose yards in his standout career.
Wideout Ashton Schumann caught five passes for 98 yards and now has 150 catches for 2,000 yards in his standout career. Battle Alberson connected on 12-of-27 passes for 135 yards with no TDs and an INT.
Defensively, linebacker DJ Adams picked off a pair of passes for the Mocs.
EKU was led offensively by running back Brady Hensley, who rushed for 119 yards on just seven carries, with 96 of those yards coming on one carry.
Chattanooga (1-2) will begin SoCon play this coming Saturday, as Wofford (2-1, 1-0 SoCon) pays a visit to Finley Stadium for a 6 p.m. contest. EKU (1-2) returns to the gridiron next Saturday when it hosts Dayton (2-0) in a 6 p.m. game at Roy Kidd Stadium.
Finally, VMI dropped its third-straight game to open the season, as the offense continued to find its share of struggles, as Bucknell handed the Keydets a 14-3 loss in the Keydets' home opener this past Saturday. The win marked Bucknell's fourth-straight win over the Keydets, as the Bison have now won seven of the 10 meetings between the two programs.
The game had been moved up to start an hour earlier in order to avoid inclement weather, as the Keydets kicked off their home opener at 12:30 p.m. EST instead of 1:30 p.m. EST.
VMI kicker Jack Joyce would give the Keydets a 3-0 lead with just under two minutes remaining in the first half, as he connected on a 26-yard field goal to conclude a 13-play, 72-yard drive that took nearly six minutes off the game clock.
Bucknell wouldn't be able to respond until the fourth quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns to walk out with an 11-point win. The first score would come on a Jackson Nowinski 27-yard scoring grab on a perfect toss from quarterback Chris Dietrich. Michael Cadden's eight-yard run with 2:19 remaining made the result all but academic.
VMI went with freshman quarterback Ian Reynolds, with injury issues already having plagued the Keydets in the early portion of the season. Reynolds finished the game connecting on 11-of-27 passes for 155 yards with an INT. Bucknell's Dietrich completed his day by connecting on 22-of-30 passes for 221 yards and one score, leading a Bison offense that would end up outgaining the Keydets, 342-259, in the contest.
VMI (0-3) will be on the road next Saturday at Davidson (1-2) with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. EST. Bucknell (1-2) will return home to face Ivy League member Penn (0-0) in a game slated to kickoff at 3 p.m. EST.
Most Disappointing Loss: The Citadel's 26-20 loss to Charleston Southern
Most Boring Team to Watch in Week 1: VMI
Best Rebound Win: Furman's 20-13 win over No. 14 Mercer
1. Furman's four INTs in a road win over Mercer showed its improvement in the secondary, with the most impressive piece of that improvement being the fact that the Furman secondary held SoCon Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Brayden Smith to just three catches for 27 yards.
2. Collectively, it appears the quarterback position hasn't seen a significant upgrade around the league, and that is concerning. The league's 10 signal-callers have thrown a combined 31 TDs and have already thrown 18 INTs through the first three weeks of the season. This past weekend, SoCon starting QBs went a combined 155-of-281 passing for 1,634 yards with four touchdowns and 12 INTs. I do realize three of those games were against FBS foes, however, only three of the 12 INTs thrown by SoCon QBs came against those FBS Foes.
4. Tre Holloway's four-touchdown effort against Samford was quite impressive this past Saturday, as he scored in three different ways (punt return, rush and two TD catches). He finished the evening with 257 all-purpose yards, which got me thinking back to some of the great performances in league history. Holloway's performance was on-par with some all-timers, including former Georgia Southern quarterback and 2007 Walter Payton Award winner Jayson Foster, who set a program record with six rushing scores in one game in '07 against Coastal Carolina finishing with 253 yards. While that was impressive, when Holloway scored and affected the game in three different ways with his explosiveness, Foster scored touchdowns in five different ways during his career at Georgia Southern, which included throwing a pass as a quarterback, hauling in a pass as a receiver, rushing the ball in as a running back, and recording returns of both a kickoff and punt in his standout career for the Eagles. Holloway's performance Saturday night was reminiscent of a Foster-esque performance.
5. Overall, the league took a step back this week, and in particular by going 0-3 in non-conference FCS games. You can take out the two league games and the three against FBS foes, but The Citadel, VMI and Chattanooga all suffered disappointing setbacks and suffered losses that were a collective blow to the league after a positive start to the campaign. Still, none of the losses to Bucknell, Charleston Southern and Eastern Kentucky feel as bad as the two losses to Pioneer League member Presbyterian last year. The league has a chance to redeem itself this Saturday, and with only one FBS game (Mercer plays Georgia Tech). The SoCon faces Davidson, Presbyterian, No. 12 South Carolina State, and West Georgia in non-conference games. It is not an unreal expectation to see the league win all four, but anything less than three is a huge disappointment. VMI's trip to Davidson is one that I will have my eye on, as the SoCon's weakest team faces a test on the road against a Pioneer Football League foe. The SoCon needs this win as much as it needs Furman to knock off South Carolina State, however, if the Paladins can knock off the Bulldogs at home Saturday, it would help soften the blow if the Keydets can't get the job done on the road against the Wildcats.
FCS Nation's Players of the Week
Defense: DB--Caleb Easterling (Furman)
Special Teams: Tre Holloway (Tennessee Tech)
Schedule For Sept. Sept. 19, 2026
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| Mercer faces Georgia Tech for the first time since 2016 |
SoCon Power Rankings Following Week Two
1. Tennessee Tech (3-0, 1-0 SoCon)
2. Furman (2-1, 1-0 SoCon)
3. Wofford (2-1, 1-0 SoCon)
4. Mercer (2-1, 0-1 SoCon)
5. Western Carolina (1-2, 0-0 SoCon)
6. East Tennessee State (1-2, 0-0 SoCOn)
7. Chattanooga (1-2, 0-0 SoCon)
8. The Citadel (1-2, 0-1 SoCon)
9. Samford (0-3, 0-1 SoCon)
10. VMI (0-3)
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