Holy City Heroics: The Citadel Steals the Show in a Wild SoCon Week 1
Blowouts, an FBS upset, lightning and a nonconference game between league foes highlight Week 1.
Week 1 of Southern Conference football had nearly everything. It was indeed almost all here, even if the tagline of the former commissioner for the league is looking for new employment.
Even though everyone had already played a game, the first full week of the season saw the league go 5-5 (including the nonconference game between Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech as 1-1), which would have looked remarkably better had Western Carolina been able to secure a win at Campbell.
The SoCon is now 9-8 in nonconference games through Weeks 0 and 1.
As for my picks personally, I ended the weekend going 6-3, missing on my projected upset of Samford over Southern Illinois, as well as picking Western Carolina to beat Campbell and Charlotte to beat The Citadel. I was happy, at least, to be wrong on the last one.
As for my tip of the cap, I nearly hit the Furman score pick dead on, with my prediction having been 57-10 before the actual score finished 56-9.
They say the most improvement for a football team is made in the jump from Week 1 to Week 2, or in this case from Week 0 to Week 1. While most of the time that is just a cliché we gloss over, from time to time we remember there is quite a bit of truth to the regurgitated coach-speak often used as filler.
That quote certainly proved true for Maurice Drayton's The Citadel Bulldogs, who claimed an FBS scalp for the first time since 2019 with a 43-41 triple-overtime win over Charlotte.
The Citadel Stuns Charlotte in Triple Overtime
The Queen City hosted the matchup, but the boys from the Holy City had most of their prayers answered on this particular Saturday.
The Citadel notched its 10th win over an FBS opponent in program history, the most among the current SoCon membership, with the triple-overtime victory.
The Bulldogs looked like a completely different team than the one that made so many costly mistakes in their season and conference-opening 42-14 loss at Wofford.
While Charlotte may be an FCS team masquerading as a Group of Five FBS program, the win is still proof that the Bulldogs have not only come a long way from a year ago, but also that the league collectively has as well.
The victory marked The Citadel's first over an FBS opponent since 2019, when the Bulldogs stunned ACC member Georgia Tech, 27-24, in overtime at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
The Citadel actually looked good at times offensively in its season-opening loss at Wofford, outgaining the Terriers 351-341.
The Bulldogs were outgained by their FBS opposition this time around, however, as the 49ers finished with a 538-400 advantage in total offense while running 11 more plays, 74-63.
The Bulldogs finished with 268 rushing yards on 50 carries and scored six times on the ground.
Gavin Garcia led the way for the vaunted Bulldogs ground attack, finishing with 137 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.
Nick Billoups and starter Quentin Hayes combined to complete 9-of-13 passes for 132 yards. Billoups, a transfer from Lane College who has also spent time at BYU, UCLA and Utah during his well-traveled collegiate career, rushed for 38 yards and two touchdowns on 11 attempts.
Sebastien Boyle added 70 yards on seven carries, including a 56-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Billoups ended up stealing the show for the Bulldogs, engineering three straight scoring drives, including two in overtime, to help complete the FBS upset.
He led the ultimate game-winning drive in overtime as the Bulldogs used five plays to cover the needed 25 yards and tie the game, 41-41, in the third overtime.
First, Billoups called his own number on a 2-yard touchdown run. Then, on the two-point conversion, he found a wide-open Whit Hobgood in the corner of the end zone to give the Bulldogs the 43-41 advantage and send them into full celebration mode.
The victory moved The Citadel to 2-0 all-time against Charlotte. The Bulldogs also defeated the 49ers when Charlotte was an FCS member in 2014, winning another overtime thriller, 63-56.
Furman Falls at No. 18 Tennessee
If you would have told me that Furman and Clemson would lose by similar margins in their Labor Day weekend battles against FBS foes, I would have told you it was time to sober up.
While Clemson's 51-10 loss at No. 11 LSU was alarming, Furman's 56-9 loss at No. 18 Tennessee was supposed to happen for a team playing against a Vols program with a multimillion-dollar roster.
Furman played well defensively for roughly the first quarter and a half before a lack of offensive production, the 90-degree Knoxville heat and Tennessee's offensive talent eventually wore the unit down.
The Paladins again looked solid running the football, finishing the game with 178 rushing yards after posting 268 in their season-opening win over Anderson. Furman has shown an ability to consistently run the football for the first time since 2023.
Isaiah Davis led the Paladins with 116 yards and his first Furman touchdown on just eight carries. Tennessee freshman phenom Faizon Brandon completed 13-of-17 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another 68 yards and two scores on 10 attempts.
Backup George MacIntyre relieved Brandon early in the third quarter and completed 5-of-7 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
All told, the two quarterbacks led a balanced Vols offense that posted a 638-221 advantage in total offense, including a substantial 309-43 edge through the air.
De’Sean Bishop led Tennessee on the ground with 97 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts. Mike Matthews was Brandon's top target, finishing with 132 yards on just four catches, including third-quarter touchdowns of 56 and 57 yards.
Xavier Gilliam led the Vols defensively with six tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks.
Furman quarterback Jake Garcia exited in the third quarter after completing 8-of-17 passes for 36 yards while being sacked six times. Connor Ackerley finished the game under center, going 3-for-5 for seven yards.
One positive for the Paladins: They took good care of the football against their SEC opponent and did not commit a turnover.
Defensively, Eli Lipscomb posted six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Buck Buchanan Award candidate Joshua Stoneking again drew heavy attention from the opposition but managed two tackles, half a tackle for loss and forced one of Tennessee's two fumbles.
True freshman safety Braylon Peebles led the Paladins with nine tackles in his second straight start.
Virginia Tech Rolls Past VMI
While Furman's performance given the circumstances was respectable, VMI's first meeting with Virginia Tech since 1984 went off the rails quickly.
The Hokies scored 66 points through three quarters and likely could have added more in the fourth before finishing off a 73-3 victory to begin the James Franklin era.
VMI was outgained 619-83.
The Hokies notched their fourth victory over a SoCon opponent since 2018, a run that also includes two wins over Wofford and a victory over Furman.
VMI has now been outscored 111-13 through the first two games of the Ashley Ingram era.
Yikes.
Mercer Gets Its Revenge Against Presbyterian
Mercer was in its revenge feels when it hosted Presbyterian on Saturday.
At least from a fan's perspective.
Most of the players on either roster weren't involved in last season's nationally embarrassing 15-10 home loss, but this time it was the Bears dishing out the embarrassment in a 62-3 victory over the Blue Hose.
That's how it's supposed to look when a team from the Pioneer Football League faces SoCon opposition.
Mercer held a 600-321 advantage in total offense, including a dominant 329-105 edge on the ground.
Jaylen King shined, throwing four touchdown passes and rushing for two more. He finished with 284 yards of total offense, including 236 through the air and 48 on the ground, while accounting for six touchdowns.
Tennessee Tech Wins Defensive Battle at Chattanooga
No. 13/12 Tennessee Tech and Chattanooga faced off in a defensive battle in the Scenic City.
The two conference rivals met in the rare nonconference matchup, and it was the Golden Eagles' defense that flew just a little higher than the train-loving Mockingbirds in a 24-9 road victory for the newest league member.
Tennessee Tech won the turnover battle 2-1 and held the Mocs to just 227 yards of total offense in a game in which both yards and points were seemingly hard to come by.
Both takeaways were turned into touchdowns by the Golden Eagles, with Jameson Wharton and Omari Philyaw each intercepting Battle Alberson.
Chattanooga took a 3-0 first-quarter lead when Jude Kelley connected from 22 yards.
Midway through the second quarter, Tennessee Tech took its first lead after an eight-play, 45-yard drive ended with Marcus Harris II's 1-yard touchdown run.
Kelley added a 33-yard field goal as time expired in the half, sending Tennessee Tech into the locker room with a 7-6 advantage.
The Golden Eagles began taking control in the third quarter. Carter Brown connected on a 50-yard field goal before Jax Leatherwood found Maury Sullivan for a 16-yard touchdown, making it 17-6 with 1:01 remaining in the quarter.
Kelley's third field goal of the day, this one from 39 yards, pulled Chattanooga within eight with 8:32 remaining.
Tennessee Tech put the game away with 2:44 left when Leatherwood found Gabe Nunez for an 11-yard touchdown to produce the final 24-9 margin.
Lightning Delays Western Carolina-Campbell Until Sunday
There was one game that had to wait until Sunday because of inclement weather.
Campbell and No. 24 Western Carolina had their matchup postponed until Sunday morning after lightning caused a power outage affecting some of the stadium lights.
When the game was finally played, Campbell jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and held on for a 28-19 victory.
The Camels avenged last season's 42-35 loss to Western Carolina at Barker-Lane Stadium and have now beaten both of their SoCon opponents this season after opening with a 49-37 win over East Tennessee State.
Campbell has won two of the last three meetings against Western Carolina and four of the five all-time meetings.
Western Carolina's loss was probably the biggest disappointment to come out of the weekend.
While it was a game that could have gone either way entering the weekend, it was also one the SoCon needed as part of its nonconference résumé.
The Catamounts were inconsistent offensively throughout the afternoon, getting outgained 528-327.
Most alarming? Western Carolina finished with just one rushing yard. Campbell held an astonishing 198-1 advantage in rushing yards.
ETSU Gets Into the Win Column
East Tennessee State captured its first victory of the season with a 48-14 win over Division II Tusculum at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.
The Bucs began breaking the game open late in the first quarter when TJ Peyton scampered 41 yards for a touchdown to give ETSU a 13-7 lead.
ETSU went on to score 34 unanswered points before Tusculum finally found the end zone again on Lavante Adams' 57-yard run, making it 41-14 with 3:20 remaining.
The Bucs added the final score when D'Marius Rucker found the end zone on a 10-yard run with 22 seconds remaining.
Wofford Survives Gardner-Webb
The day started with another victory for Wofford, which has now won eight of its last nine games dating back to last season.
The Terriers had to hold off a feisty Gardner-Webb team that stayed in the game despite being outgained by 230 yards.
Wofford needed an interception from Alijah Williams after Gardner-Webb moved inside the Terriers' 10-yard line in the final minute to seal the victory and improve to 2-0 for the second time in three seasons.
Just before Williams' interception with 29 seconds remaining, it appeared Cole Pennington, son of former Marshall quarterback and 1995 SoCon Freshman of the Year Chad Pennington, had completed the go-ahead 9-yard touchdown pass to Kory Jones in the back of the end zone.
However, offsetting penalties for pass interference by Wofford and holding by Gardner-Webb wiped out the score.
On the very next play, Williams intercepted Pennington and returned it 51 yards to seal the Terrier victory.
Gardner-Webb had threatened on the previous possession as well after a 79-yard Pennington-to-Jones completion put the Bulldogs at the Wofford 20 midway through the fourth quarter.
The Terrier defense ultimately held, forcing Gardner-Webb to settle for a 33-yard Tyler Simpson field goal that trimmed Wofford's advantage to four.
That was as close as the Bulldogs would get as Wofford survived the defensive struggle.
Samford Drops to 0-2
The SoCon weekend once again started early, with Samford hosting Southern Illinois on Thursday night.
Despite battling throughout the evening without leading wide receiver Marquise Henderson for much of the game, Samford eventually fell 22-18 to the Salukis and dropped to 0-2.
The Bulldogs fell behind 9-0 before eventually rallying to tie the game at 15 with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter when Gabarri Johnson found Cayden Aukerman for a 5-yard touchdown.
Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, however, Johnson was intercepted at the Samford 27 by Southern Illinois linebacker Ben Fiegel, who returned it four yards to the 23.
The Salukis needed only four plays to capitalize, with Lem Walsh finishing the drive on a 3-yard touchdown run to give Southern Illinois a 22-15 advantage with 10:50 remaining.
Samford's Ty Ippolito added a 42-yard field goal with 6:42 remaining, but the Bulldogs couldn't get any closer.
Southern Illinois improved to 1-1, while Samford fell to 0-2.
SoCon Power Rankings Following Week 1
Tennessee Tech (2-0)
Wofford (2-0, 1-0 SoCon)
Mercer (2-0)
Western Carolina (1-1)
The Citadel (1-1, 0-1 SoCon)
Chattanooga (1-1)
Furman (1-1)
East Tennessee State (1-1)
Samford (0-2)
VMI (0-2)
Team Awards and Superlatives
Team of the Week: The Citadel
Most Disappointing Loss: No. 24 Western Carolina's 28-19 setback to Campbell
Most Boring Team to Watch: Chattanooga
Best Rebound Win: The Citadel's triple-overtime victory over FBS Charlotte
Five Things We Learned from Week 1
1. Western Carolina's offense remains a work in progress.
The defensive line and defense as a whole continue to show improvement under new defensive coordinator Nick Raveiz, but an offense that managed one rushing yard against Campbell has plenty to figure out.
2. Tennessee Tech and Chattanooga might have two of the SoCon's best defenses.
The two teams combined for just 464 yards of total offense and 33 points in their nonconference clash at Finley Stadium.
3. Samford and VMI could have trouble running the football all season.
Samford ranks 116th out of 116 FCS teams in rushing offense through its first two games, averaging just 31.0 yards per game.
VMI has 225 rushing yards through two games, but the more concerning number is its average of just 2.37 yards per carry.
4. Mercer might have the top running back duo in the SoCon.
Freshman Devon Caldwell went on his own personal rushing crusade against Presbyterian, piling up 152 yards and a touchdown on just 11 attempts for an incredible 13.8 yards per carry.
Zahmari Palode-Gary also rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on just eight attempts in Mercer's Week 0 win over East Texas A&M.
5. The Citadel has two capable quarterbacks to lead its vaunted ground attack.
Nick Billoups led the Bulldogs on three consecutive scoring drives, including two in overtime, as The Citadel earned its 10th victory over an FBS opponent in program history with a 43-41 win at Charlotte.
FCS Nation Players of the Week
Offense: RB Gavin Garcia, The Citadel
Freshman: RB Devon Caldwell, Mercer
Defense: DB Omari Philyaw, Tennessee Tech
Special Teams: P Cillian Bonner, Wofford
SoCon Schedule: Sept. 12, 2026
East Tennessee State (1-1) at North Carolina (1-0) — Noon ET
Wofford (2-0, 1-0 SoCon) at Kent State (0-1) — Noon ET
Bucknell (0-2) at VMI (0-2) — 1:30 p.m. ET
Chattanooga (1-1) at Eastern Kentucky (0-2) — 6 p.m. ET
Furman (1-1) at No. 18 Mercer (2-0) — 6 p.m. ET
Charleston Southern (1-1) at The Citadel (1-1) — 6 p.m. ET
Western Carolina (1-1) at Cincinnati (1-0) — 7 p.m. ET
Samford (0-2) at No. 12 Tennessee Tech (2-0) — 7 p.m. ET
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