By Southern Pigskin Staff
SouthernPigskin.com

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Week 8 in the SoCon

nSocon Week Primer

n#5 Chattanooga (5-1, 3-0) at Wofford (3-4, 1-2)
nGibbs Stadium, Spartanburg, SC, 1:30pm, SoConDN
nWofford leads the series 11-0 with Chattanooga winning last year 31-13 in Chattanooga.xc2xa0 The Mocs are ranked #5 in the country this week, their highest ranking in school history.xc2xa0 Chattanooga is in the midst of a ten game SoCon winning streak, that is the longest streak in school history and the longest streak in SoCon play since Appalachian State won 26 in a row from 2006 to 2009.xc2xa0 Wofford is 3-4 overall this season and 1-2 in the Southern Conference with a win at Mercer and losses to The Citadel and Western Carolina.xc2xa0 Wofford is ninth in the nation in rushing offense and 79th in total offense, while the defense is 58th in the nation overall.xc2xa0 Chattanooga is 43rd in the nation in total offense.xc2xa0 The Mocs defense is 19th in the nation against the rush and 12th overall.

nPrediction: Chattanooga 31 Wofford 28 in OT

n
nThe Citadel (4-2, 3-0) at Furman (3-3, 1-1)
nPaladin Stadium, Greenville, SC, 1:30pm, ESPN3
nFurman leads the series 58-33-3 with The Citadel winning in Charleston last year 42-35 in overtime. This yearxe2x80x99s matchup will be the 95th renewal of the SoConxe2x80x99s oldest rivalry with the first meeting dating back to 1913.xc2xa0 Furman and The Citadel have played every season since 1919, with only a three year hiatus due to World War II when both programs suspended their football programs.xc2xa0 Furman is 33-13 all-time against The Citadel in Greenville and owns a 12-4 record versus the Bulldogs in Paladin Stadium.xc2xa0 The Citadel is 3-0 in league play for the first time since 1992 when they last won the SoCon title.xc2xa0 The Citadel enters the game leading the SoCon in scoring offense averaging 35.5 ppg while the Paladins are last in the league scoring 16.3 ppg.xc2xa0 The Bulldogs rank first in rushing offense (345 ypg) and third in total offense (428 ypg) while the Paladins are last in each of those categories mustering just 111 rushing yards per game and barely breaking the 300 yard total offense mark at 304 total yards per game.xc2xa0 Furman has been relatively effective against the run, ranking third in the SoCon giving up 166 yards per game on the ground.xc2xa0 Third down conversions could be key in this one where The Citadel leads the league converting close to 53% of the time and the Paladins only converting 34% which is last in the conference.

nPrediction: The Citadel 20 Furman 17

n
nVMI (1-6, 0-3) at Mercer (2-4, 0-2)
nFive Star Stadium, Macon, GA, 3:00pm, ESPN3
nMercer won the only meeting between the two schools last year 27-24 in Lexington, which was Mercerxe2x80x99s first SoCon win.xc2xa0 Sophomore quarterback Al Cobb, the reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year, leads the league’s top passing attack that is averaging 264.9 yards through the air. Cobb has thrown for a league-best 1,744 yards through the team’s first seven games with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His top target has been junior wideout Aaron Sanders, who has hauled in 46 receptions for 414 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The team’s big play threat has been Dontae Mauck with nine catches for 383 yards, a 42.6 yard average, and three scores.xc2xa0 Mercer’s running back tandem of Tee Mitchell and Alex Lakes will look to help the offense go over 250 rushing yards for the fifth time this season, as the Bears average 237.5 yards on the ground this season.xc2xa0 Quarterback John Russ was one of 32 individuals named to the College Football Performance Awards Mid-season Watch List on Monday. The junior signal caller leads the SoCon in total offense with 268.8 yards per contest this season. He was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week after his record-breaking performance against Stetson, throwing for a program-record 336 yards and five touchdowns in just over a half of action.

nPrediction: Mercer 38 VMI 17

n
nSamford (3-3, 1-2) at Western Carolina (4-2, 2-1)
nE.J. Whitmire Stadium ,Cullowhee, NC, 3:30, SoConDN
nSamford leads the series 11-1 winning last year 34-20 in Birmingham.xc2xa0 Western Carolina won the first meeting between these schools in 1969 but Samford has won the past 11 in a row.xc2xa0 Samford currently leads the Southern Conference in passing offense (322.5 ypg.), kickoff returns (25.0 ypr.) and kickoff coverage (44.3 net avg.). The Bulldogs also rank second in the league in total offense (468.2 ypg.), pass efficiency (145.2), pass defense efficiency (110.6), interceptions (10), sacks by (14), fi rst downs (140), opponent first-down conversion (41.7%) and red zone defense (77.3%).xc2xa0 Western Carolina enters Saturdayxe2x80x99s meeting with Samford with a balanced offensive attack. The Catamounts rank fifth in the SoCon with 189.5 rushing yards per game and are fourth in passing offense with 207.0 yards per game through the air.xc2xa0 WCU is ranked fifth in the SoCon in total offense at 396.5 yards per game.

nPrediction: Western Carolina 30 Samford 28

nWritten by Robbie Ross