By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Conference play opens with the Bulldogs facing the league’s top program away from home.

nAt 2-0, Samford has a tremendous opportunity this Saturday afternoon as the Bulldogs will play at third-ranked Chattanooga in a showdown with potential playoff implications. Samford has a chance to shake up the Southern Conference and reshuffle the national polls; at the very least, the Bulldogs will measure themselves against the the three-time defending league champions on the road. Tests like these show both progress and potential.xc2xa0

nChris Hatcher, now in his second season in Birmingham, has Samford playing in-rhythm. Dating back to last year, the Bulldogs have now won five games in a row; their most recent victory, a 35-29 triumph at Central Arkansas, came against an opponent ranked in the top 45 of the STATS FCS Poll. Samford, in the latest rankings, was slotted just outside the national top 25. A win this weekend would change the status quo.xc2xa0

nThe Bulldogs are fresh off a bye week before meeting the Mocs and beginning the rest of their league slate. Hatcher has seen many positives, but knows continued improvement must be made.

n”I really like our team. I like our camaraderie. I like the spirit of our group. We have a good work ethic. We have some good players. We have played well enough to win two ball games,” he nodded. “This week, however, we have a bigger challenge playing Chattanooga, the three-time defending SoCon champs, number three ranked team in the country.”

nTwo games through the 2016 season, Samford leads FCS football in scoring. Much of Hatcher’s gameplan will hinge on the play of talented quarterback Devlin Hodges. The sophomore is completing nearly 74% of his passes for nearly 300 yards per game, with eight touchdowns compared to just one interception. With Hodges leading the way, the Bulldogs rank in the top ten in the nation in passing.

nThe process, for Hatcher, is taking shape. In addition to recruiting talent and meshing his personnel with his scheme, the former head coach at Valdosta State, Georgia Southern and Murray State is developing a culture at Samford. With inexperience all over the field, growth, for the Bulldogs, is coming with each practice and game. While competing against some of the best teams in the country, Samford is learning on the fly. Playing at the game’s third-ranked team will undoubtedly accelerate the learning.xc2xa0

n”The thing about this place is it has been around a little over .500 program and we have to somehow find a way to get us up to an eight, nine, ten win-plateau. And that kind of becomes the norm and the expectation,” Hatcher stated. “Winning a game like this one will go a long ways to making that happen. But I’m excited with where we are. We’re a very young team and we have a lot of good, young players. The only issue with that is they just don’t have a lot of experience.”

nA season ago, the then 2-0 Bulldogs lost 31-21 to Chattanooga in Hatcher’s third game. Saturday, for a promising Samford bunch, has a late-season feel.xc2xa0xc2xa0xc2xa0xc2xa0

n”We have to go to their place so our hands are going to be full,” Hatcher added. “And we are looking forward to seeing how we fare against a team of their caliber.”

nConference play opens with the Bulldogs facing the league’s top program away from home. Early on, the Bulldogs will see where they stand.