SoCon Night Terrors: Week One Embarrassments and Defensive Woes Shake Southern Conference Football

Much was made in the preseason about improving the national profile of Southern Conference football and the system of playoff selection was chastised with various slides on a power point by SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross, describing the FCS playoff selection as an archaic and outdated process.

However, though those slides might have screamed truth, the reality is that no matter the visuals provided by such material at media day, if embarrassing results happen on the field, the argument becomes null and void.

Daytime Results: Predictable Outcomes

During the daylight, the SoCon results went in a somewhat predictable fashion, with The Citadel getting blanked by No. 1 North Dakota State, 38-0, while Navy, which returned Davey O'Brien Award candidate quarterback Blake Horvath among a veteran offense, which returned eight starters from a team that won 12 games last season, as the Midshipmen made easy work of visiting VMI, downing the Keydets, 52-7 in Annapolis.

Furman's solid 23-21 win over perennial CAA power William & Mary, who will be playing its final campaign as a member of that league this fall, was the standalone solid result from the daytime games.

Chattanooga, which had a new quarterback and was picked second in the preseason by the league's head coaches, started the season off in Memphis against a program that hasn't had a losing season since 2014 and were coming off an 11-win season a year ago, and it would be the Tigers that would out-gain the Mocs by 200 yards (432-232) and ended up posting a 45-10 win. It was pretty much what most expected, as the Mocs had trouble maintaining any offensive consistency.

NDSU would slowly but surely grind down The Citadel on a day locals prayed for 98 degrees with 99% humidity, and yet, they got cloudy in the high 80s, as the Bison defense did a number on The Citadel's offense en route to a 38-0 win at Johnson-Hagood Stadium.

Thursday Night: The Start of Night Terrors

Then came the night terrors. It started on Thursday night, as Samford faced off against West Georgia to open the season for the second-straight campaign.

For Chris Hatcher's team, it was supposed to be the return of the "Hatch Attack" and a renewed enthusiasm had been the theme throughout the preseason, and a return to what had been the norm for the better part of 11 seasons under the veteran head coach and former Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterback at Valdosta State never happened, and in fact, the 2025 version looked worse than last season's offense, which was easily the worst statistically since Hatcher took over as the head coach in Homewood.

Not only did Samford fail to find the end zone in it home and season opener, but it also fell short of the 300-yard mark for total offensive output, as the Bulldogs finished the night with just 271.

Veteran quarterback Quincy Crittendon, who was the lone returning starter on the offensive side of the ball for the Bulldogs, could never find a rhythm. He finished his night 22-of-29 passing for 154 yards and was sacked three times. As a result of being sacked three times, Crittendon finished the night with just -1 yard on the ground.

Weekend Struggles: SoCon’s Embarrassing Start

As the weekend unfolded, an unfortunate reality became apparent, which was that Samford's Thursday night loss to West Georgia was just the beginning of sorrows for the SoCon on the gridiron in week one.

On Saturday evening, the lone playoff participant from 2024, Mercer, who garnered the automatic bid last fall by winning the SoCon, lost its home opener, 15-10, to non-scholarship Presbyterian.

The loss to the Blue Hose by Mercer highlighted a weekend of embarrassment for Southern Conference football, which actually began with the opener on Thursday night, as Samford lost its home and season-opener against West Georgia, 34-3.

It wasn't so bad that Wofford dropped a 16-15 contest at South Carolina State to open the season, however, both No. 11 Mercer and No. 18 Western Carolina would do much to damage the league's 2025 reputation as one returning to the top of FCS Football.

Mercer’s Dire Playoff Outlook

What's truly costly for Mercer is the no-contest game against UC Davis is now followed by a loss to a non-scholarship team from the Pioneer Football League, which is the same team the Bears opened the 2024 season with a 63-10 win against at Five Star Stadium.

The loss is devastating to Mercer's playoff hopes just two games into the season, as they still have a game at SEC foe Auburn at the end of the season, and now with the no-contest game to the Aggies, the Bears have to basically win eight of their next nine games to have any hopes of the playoffs. Of course, should they be able to accomplish that, Mercer would likely be Southern Conference champions.

With the struggles encountered against PC, however, it would be hard to imagine the Bears running the table in the league, however.

Presbyterian’s Historic Win

As for PC, which heads to Furman next week, the Blue Hose have a chance to start the season 2-0 on the road against Southern Conference opposition. It was back in the 2023 season when the Blue Hose first were able to break through and down a Southern Conference foe, as the Blue Hose dispatched Wofford, 23-20, during that particular season.

The win by the Blue Hose snapped a 35-game losing streak by PFL teams against ranked opposition. The last PFL team to beat a ranked FCS team was Butler back in 2018, as the Bulldogs knocked off Youngstown State. It was just the fourth win by a PFL team Since 2010, the Blue Hose have two wins against FCS Top 25 opposition, and the win over the Bears snapped a streak of eight-straight losses against ranked opposition on the gridiron, with the last win over a ranked foe coming in 2014, when the Blue Hose took down another defending Southern Conference champion and 12th-ranked Furman, 10-7, on a foggy evening in Clinton in a game, which featured a lightning delay prior to kickoff, which only added to the "bizarreness" of the evening.

The road win by the Blue Hose also snapped the nation's fourth-longest home winning streak, as the Bears had won 10-straight home games, a streak that dated back to Oct. 20, 2023 and a 22-10 home setback to No. 20 Chattanooga.

Now, some 11 years later the defending SoCon champion once again goes down to PC. Strange part is that it's almost like things came full circle for the Blue Hose, as the 2014 season was Mercer's first as a SoCon member, and the Bears had just played their first SoCon game a week earlier at home against Furman, which saw the Paladins claim a 25-20 win the week prior to their loss in Clinton.

After Mercer dominance of the SoCon last season, rumors even swirled about a move up to the FBS Group of Five to a league like the Sun Belt. Those rumors can now safely be filed away for a long while in the wake of the defeat to the Blue Hose.

Mercer has quite a way to go as a program before it should entertain visions of such grandeur again, and I would say that for all nine programs, it's best to be happy where you are. Especially after what we witnessed in week one of 2025.

Mercer's loss was not only a bad look for the program fresh off a title last season, but it's a collective hit to the league as a whole. The loss to the Blue Hose by the Bears is similar to the one suffered by Furman in its home opener to Charleston Southern last season, or the home loss suffered by Western Carolina against visiting Campbell, however, this is worse.

The loss saw the Bears fall 12 places in the latest STATS Perform FCS poll all the way to No. 23. Western Carolina, which ranked No. 18 coming into the season, fell completely out of the STATS Perform FCS poll after its season-opening loss to Gardner-Webb, as Mercer remains the only SoCon team ranked.

Gardner-Webb vs Western Carolina: A “Hold My Beer” Moment

With WCU up 35-7 early, quarterback substitutions and initial defensive success gave fans hope, but the Bulldogs responded with 21 unanswered points to cut the lead.

Fourth Quarter Collapse Seals the Loss

Hampton’s two touchdowns tied the game, and a late fumble and short field goal gave Gardner-Webb the lead. The Catamounts’ final efforts fell short.

Defensive Woes Continue for WCU

Despite scoring 45 points without Taron Dickens, Western Carolina’s defense surrendered 627 yards. The team’s historical struggles on defense remain evident.

Historical Defensive Struggles Highlight Long-Term Issues

Since joining the SoCon in 1976, WCU has rarely led the league in total, scoring, rushing, or passing defense, with only recent improvement in red zone defense.

Wofford’s Offensive Struggles Mirror League-Wide Issues

Wofford’s loss to South Carolina State featured limited offensive production, missed field goals, and quarterback instability, continuing a trend for many SoCon teams.

Bright Spots: Furman’s Defensive and Special Teams Success

Taylen Blaylock’s INT return and defensive plays helped Furman secure a narrow win over William & Mary, while kicker Ian Williams and special teams made key contributions.

East Tennessee State Offense Dominates

ETSU amassed 572 total yards and 392 rushing yards in a 45-17 win over Murray State, highlighted by Devontae Houston’s strong performance.

Quarterback Issues Plague the SoCon

Across the league, inconsistent play under center remains a concern, with exceptions being Furman, ETSU, VMI, and to a lesser extent, The Citadel.

Week One Takeaways: Power Rankings and Concerns

While ETSU, Furman, and select teams showed promise, WCU, Mercer, Wofford, and others displayed offensive and defensive weaknesses that raise questions about competitiveness.

Outlook: Can the SoCon Rebound?

Defensive failures and offensive struggles dominate week one, leaving uncertainty about which programs can stabilize and challenge for top spots in 2025.

Power Rankings:

1. East Tennessee State 1-0, 0-0

2. Furman 1-0, 0-0

3.  Chattanooga 0-1,  0-0

4. Western Carolina 0-1, 0-0

5. Mercer 0-1, 0-0

6. The Citadel 0-1, 0-0

7. VMI 0-1, 0-0

8. Wofford 0-1, 0-0

9. Samford 0-1, 0-0

Schedule for Sept. 6, 2025

• Chattanooga (0-1) at No. 17 Tennessee Tech (1-0), 1 p.m. EST

• Ferrum (0-1) at VMI (0-1), 1:30 p.m. EST

• Presbyterian (1-0) at Furman (1-0), 2 p.m. EST

• Western Carolina (0-1) at Wake Forest (1-0), 2 p.m. EST

• *The Citadel (0-1) at Samford (0-1), 3:30 p.m. EST

• East Tennessee State (1-0) at No. 24 Tennessee (1-0), 3:30 p.m. EST

• Richmond (0-1) at Wofford (0-1), 6 p.m. EST

• No. 23 Mercer is Idle*-denotes Southern Conference game