# 2016 Southern Conference football season

The 2016 Southern Conference football season was the 95th season of college football for the Southern Conference (SoCon) and formed a part of the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season.

## Preseason poll results

First place votes in parentheses
| Media | Media | Media | Coaches | Coaches | Coaches |
| Place | School | Points | Place | School | Points |
| 1 | Chattanooga (26) | 250 | 1 | Chattanooga (7) | 63 |
| 2 | The Citadel (2) | 208 | 2 | The Citadel (1) | 52 |
| 3 | Western Carolina | 179 | 3 | Samford (1) | 50 |
| 4 | Mercer | 148 | 4 | Western Carolina | 41 |
| 5 | Samford | 147 | 5 | Mercer | 38 |
| 6 | Wofford | 136 | 6 | Wofford | 33 |
| 7 | Furman | 102 | 7 | Furman | 24 |
| 8 | VMI | 62 | 8 | VMI | 14 |
| 9 | East Tennessee State | 28 | 9 | East Tennessee State | 9 |

### Preseason All-Conference Teams

Offensive Player of the Year: Detrez Newsome, Jr., RB (Western Carolina) Defensive Player of the Year: Keionta Davis, Sr., DL (Chattanooga)
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| First Team Offense ||||
| QB | Al Cobb | Jr. | VMI |
| RB | Derrick Craine | Sr. | Chattanooga |
| RB | Detrez Newsome | Jr. | Western Carolina |
| WR | Karel Hamilton | Sr. | Samford |
| WR | Aaron Sanders | Sr. | VMI |
| TE | Tyler Sexton | Sr. | Western Carolina |
| OL | Isaiah Pinson | Jr. | The Citadel |
| OL | Brett Niederreither | Sr. | Mercer |
| OL | Armando Bonheur | Sr. | Samford |
| OL | Corey Levin | Sr. | Chattanooga |
| OL | Jacob Revis | Jr. | Chattanooga |
| OL (tie) | Anton Wahrby | Sr. | Wofford |
| First Team Defense ||||
| DL | Joe Crochet | Sr. | The Citadel |
| DL | Ahmad Gooden | Sophomore | Samford |
| DL | Keionta Davis | Sr. | Chattanooga |
| DL | Miles Brown | So. | Wofford |
| LB | Tevin Floyd | Sr. | The Citadel |
| LB | Nakevion Leslie | Sr. | Chattanooga |
| LB | Tyson Dickson | Sr. | Western Carolina |
| LB (tie) | Daniel Riddle | Jr. | Western Carolina |
| DB | Dee Delaney | Jr. | The Citadel |
| DB | Trey Robinson | Sr. | Furman |
| DB | Jamerson Blount | Sr. | Samford |
| DB | Lucas Webb | Jr. | Chattanooga |
| First Team Special Teams ||||
| PK | Henrique Ribeiro | Sr. | Chattanooga |
| P | Ian Berryman | So. | Western Carolina |
| RS | Dane Forlines | Sr. | VMI |
| Reference: ||||

## Rankings

Legend :
* Increase in ranking
* Decrease in ranking
* Not ranked previous week
| | | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Final |
| Chattanooga | Stats | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 12 | | |
| Chattanooga | C | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 11 | | |
| Chattanooga | FCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 8 | 7 | NR | Not released | Not released |
| The Citadel | Stats | 15 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | | |
| The Citadel | C | 15 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | | |
| The Citadel | FCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 6 | 6 | 6 | Not released | Not released |
| East Tennessee State | Stats | – | – | – | RV | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| East Tennessee State | C | | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| East Tennessee State | FCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | – | – | – | Not released | Not released |
| Furman | Stats | – | RV | RV | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| Furman | C | | RV | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| Furman | FCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | – | – | – | Not released | Not released |
| Mercer | Stats | RV | RV | – | RV | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| Mercer | C | | RV | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| Mercer | FCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | – | – | – | Not released | Not released |
| Samford | Stats | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 18 | | |
| Samford | C | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 18 | | |
| Samford | FCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | – | – | – | Not released | Not released |
| VMI | Stats | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| VMI | C | | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| VMI | FCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | – | – | – | Not released | Not released |
| Western Carolina | Stats | RV | RV | RV | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| Western Carolina | C | | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | | |
| Western Carolina | FCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | – | – | – | Not released | Not released |
| Wofford | Stats | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 20 | | |
| Wofford | C | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 19 | | |
| Wofford | FCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | – | – | – | Not released | Not released |

## Regular season

* Index to colors and formatting
* SoCon member won
* SoCon member lost
* SoCon teams in bold
All times Eastern time.
Rankings reflect that of the Sports Network poll for that week.

### Week One

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 7:00 PM | The Citadel | Mercer | Moye Complex • Macon, GA | FSN | CIT 24–23 | 12,542 |
| September 1 | 7:00 PM | Shorter | Chattanooga | Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN | SDN | W 66–0 | 9,588 |
| September 1 | 7:00 PM | Mars Hill | Samford | Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL | ESPN3 | W 77–7 | 4,482 |
| September 1 | 7:00 PM | Wofford | Tennessee Tech | Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN | OVCDN | W 21–7 | 9,066 |
| September 2 | 7:00 PM | Furman | Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | BTN | L 13–28 | 74,516 |
| September 3 | 6:00 PM | Western Carolina | East Carolina | Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC | ESPN3 | L 7–52 | 44,161 |
| September 3 | 6:30 PM | VMI | Akron | InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH | ESPN3 | L 24–47 | 11,061 |
| September 3 | 7:00 PM | East Tennessee State | Kennesaw State | Fifth Third Bank Stadium • Kennesaw, GA | WPCH | W 20–17 | 8,574 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Tyler Renew | The Citadel | Jaleel Green | Wofford | JJ Jerman | East Tennessee State |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Two

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| September 10 | 2:00 PM | Presbyterian | Chattanooga | Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN | SDN | W 34–0 | 8,370 |
| September 10 | 3:00 PM | Mercer | Georgia Tech | Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA | ESPN3 | L 10–35 | 49,992 |
| September 10 | 4:00 PM | Wofford | Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | SECN | L 13–38 | 64,232 |
| September 10 | 6:00 PM | Furman | The Citadel | Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC | ESPN3 | CIT 19–14 | 12,009 |
| September 10 | 6:00 PM | VMI | Morehead State | Jayne Stadium • Morehead, KY | OVCDN | W 17–13 | 5,588 |
| September 10 | 6:00 PM | Gardner–Webb | Western Carolina | E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC | SDN | W 44–14 | 11,598 |
| September 10 | 7:00 PM | Samford | Central Arkansas | Estes Stadium • Conway, AR | BNN | W 35–29 | 9,987 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Tyrie Adams | Western Carolina | Dee Delaney | The Citadel | Austin Barnard | Samford |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Three

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| September 17 | 1:30 PM | Western Carolina | East Tennessee State | Bristol Motor Speedway • Bristol, TN | ESPN3 | ETSU 34–31 | 13,863 |
| September 17 | 3:00 PM | Johnson C. Smith | Wofford | Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC | ESPN3 | W 59–0 | 5,417 |
| September 17 | 4:00 PM | Tennessee Tech | Mercer | Moye Complex • Macon, GA | ESPN3 | W 34–27 | 9,772 |
| September 17 | 6:00 PM | The Citadel | Gardner–Webb | Ernest W. Spangler Stadium • Boiling Springs, NC | BSN | W 31–24 | 6,850 |
| September 17 | 7:00 PM | Chattanooga | Furman | Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC | ESPN3 | UTC 21–14 | 5,347 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Austin Herink | East Tennessee State | Nakevion Leslie | Chattanooga | DeAndre Shoultz | The Citadel |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Four

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| September 24 | 1:30 PM | East Tennessee State | Wofford | Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC | ESPN3 | WOF 31–0 | 7,316 |
| September 24 | 2:00 PM | Samford | Chattanooga | Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN | SDN | UTC 41–21 | 8,714 |
| September 24 | 3:00 PM | VMI | Bucknell | Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium • Lewisburg, PA | PLN | W 23–17$^{3OT}$ | 4,972 |
| September 24 | 6:00 PM | Furman | Coastal Carolina | Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC | CCUN | L 21–41 | 10,311 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Derrick Craine | Chattanooga | Ryan Francis | VMI | Henrique Ribeiro | Chattanooga |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Five

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| October 1 | 12:00 PM | Chattanooga | East Tennessee State | Kermit Tipton Stadium • Johnson City, TN | SDN | UTC 37–17 | 7,411 |
| October 1 | 1:30 PM | Mercer | VMI | Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA | ESPN3 | MER 33–30$^{OT}$ | 5,266 |
| October 1 | 3:00 PM | Wofford | Samford | Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL | ESPN3 | SAM 28–26 | 8,509 |
| October 1 | 3:00 PM | Kennesaw State | Furman | Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC | ESPN3 | L 42–52 | 6,970 |
| October 1 | 3:30 PM | The Citadel | Western Carolina | E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC | ESPN3 | CIT 37–14 | 12,283 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Deviln Hodges | Samford | Joe Crochet | The Citadel | Henrique Ribeiro | Chattanooga |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Six

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| October 6 | 7:00 PM | North Greenville | The Citadel | Younts Stadium • Tigerville, SC | | W 38–14 | 5,435 |
| October 8 | 1:00 PM | Samford | Furman | Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC | ESPN3 | SAM 38–21 | 4,587 |
| October 8 | 1:30 PM | East Tennessee State | VMI | Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA | ESPN3 | VMI 37–7 | 5,638 |
| October 8 | 4:00 PM | Mercer | Chattanooga | Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN | SDN | UTC 52–31 | 11,039 |
| October 8 | 7:00 PM | Wofford | Western Carolina | E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC | ESPN3 | WOF 31–19 | 9,457 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Devlin Hodges | Samford | Montrell Pardue | Chattanooga | David Marvin | Wofford |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Seven

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| October 15 | 12:00 PM | Furman | East Tennessee State | Kermit Tipton Stadium • Johnson City, TN | SDN | FUR 52–7 | 6,052 |
| October 15 | 3:00 PM | Chattanooga | The Citadel | Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC | FSN | CIT 22–14 | 14,590 |
| October 15 | 3:00 PM | VMI | Samford | Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL | ESPN3 | SAM 55–21 | 4,085 |
| October 15 | 4:00 PM | Western Carolina | Mercer | Moye Complex • Macon, GA | ESPN3 | MER 38–24 | 12,247 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Devlin Hodges | Samford | Nakevion Leslie | Chattanooga | Cody Clark | The Citadel |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Eight

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| October 20 | 7:30 PM | West Virginia Wesleyan | East Tennessee State | Kermit Tipton Stadium • Johnson City, TN | SDN | W 38–7 | 6,196 |
| October 22 | 1:30 PM | The Citadel | Wofford | Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC | ESPN3 | CIT 24–21$^{OT}$ | 11,102 |
| October 22 | 2:00 PM | VMI | Chattanooga | Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN | SDN | UTC 30–13 | 10,505 |
| October 22 | 5:00 PM | Mercer | Austin Peay | Fortera Stadium • Clarksville, TN | OVCDN | W 41–34 | 6,506 |
| October 22 | 7:00 PM | Western Carolina | Samford | Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL | ASN | SAM 30–17 | 4,031 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Karel Hamilton | Samford | Kailik Williams | The Citadel | David Marvin | Wofford |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Nine

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| October 29 | 1:30 PM | Furman | VMI | Alumni Memorial Stadium • Lexington, VA | ESPN3 | FUR 24–10 | 5,610 |
| October 29 | 1:30 PM | Mercer | Wofford | Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC | ESPN3 | WOF 31–21 | 6,190 |
| October 29 | 2:00 PM | East Tennessee State | The Citadel | Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC | ESPN3 | CIT 45–10 | 12,978 |
| October 29 | 2:30 PM | Samford | Mississippi State | Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS | SECN | L 41–56 | 58,019 |
| October 29 | 3:30 PM | Chattanooga | Western Carolina | E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC | SDN | UTC 38–25 | 10,760 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Detrez Newsome | Western Carolina | Paul Hunter | East Tennessee State | David Howerton | Wofford |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Ten

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| November 5 | 1:30 PM | Wofford | Furman | Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC | ESPN3 | WOF 34–27 | 7,834 |
| November 5 | 2:00 PM | Samford | The Citadel | Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC | ESPN3 | CIT 37–34$^{OT}$ | 15,015 |
| November 5 | 2:00 PM | VMI | Western Carolina | E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC | SDN | WCU 32–29 | 8,225 |
| November 5 | 3:00 PM | East Tennessee State | Mercer | Moye Complex • Macon, GA | FSN | MER 21–13 | 10,200 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Tyler Renew | The Citadel | Keion Crossen | Western Carolina | David Marvin | Wofford |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Eleven

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| November 12 | 1:00 PM | Cumberland | East Tennessee State | Kermit Tipton Stadium • Johnson City, TN | SDN | W 23-16 | 6,735 |
| November 12 | 1:30 PM | The Citadel | VMI | Alumni Memorial Stadium • Lexington, VA | ESPN3 | CIT 30-20 | 8,251 |
| November 12 | 2:00 PM | Wofford | Chattanooga | Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN | SDN | WOF 36-28 | 8,750 |
| November 12 | 3:30 PM | Mercer | Samford | Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL | ESPN3 | SAM 24-19 | 8,379 |
| November 12 | 4:00 PM | Western Carolina | Furman | Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC | ESPN3 | FUR 49-21 | 4,117 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Devlin Hodges | Samford | Jonathan King | The Citadel | Lennox McAfee | Wofford |
| Reference: Weekly Release ||||||

### Week Twelve

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance |
| November 19 | 1:30 PM | VMI | Wofford | Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC | ESPN3 | WOF 17–0 | 8,102 |
| November 19 | 3:00 PM | Furman | Mercer | Moye Complex • Macon, GA | FSN | MER 27–24 | 10,712 |
| November 19 | 3:30 PM | Samford | East Tennessee State | Kermit Tipton Stadium • Johnson City, TN | SDN | ETSU 15–14 | 5,752 |
| November 19 | 3:30 PM | The Citadel | North Carolina | Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC | ACCN Extra | L 7–41 | 41,000 |
| November 19 | 7:00 PM | Chattanooga | Alabama | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | TBA | L 3–31 | 101,821 |
| November 19 | 4:00 PM | Western Carolina | South Carolina | Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC | TBA | L 31–44 | 76,650 |
Players of the week: Not released

### Week Thirteen

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Broadcast | Result | Attendance | Reference |

## Records against other conferences
### FCS conferences

| Conference | Record |
| Big Sky | 0–0 |
| Big South | 4–1 |
| CAA | 0–0 |
| Ivy League | 0–0 |
| Independents | 0–1 |
| MEAC | 0–0 |
| MVFC | 0–0 |
| NEC | 0–0 |
| OVC | 3–0 |
| Patriot | 1–0 |
| Pioneer | 1–0 |
| Southland | 1–0 |
| SWAC | 0–0 |
| Total | 10–2 |

### FBS conferences

| Conference | Record |
| American | 0–1 |
| ACC | 0–2 |
| Big Ten | 0–1 |
| Independents | 0–0 |
| MAC | 0–1 |
| SEC | 0–3 |
| Sun Belt | 0–0 |
| Total | 0–8 |

## Attendance

| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
| Chattanooga | Finley Stadium | 20,668 | 9,588 | 8,370 | 8,714 | 11,039 | 10,505 | 8,750 | 56,966 | 9,494 | 46% |
| The Citadel | Johnson Hagood Stadium | 21,000 | 12,009 | 14,590 | 12,978 | 15,015 | | | 54,592 | 13,648 | 65% |
| East Tennessee State | Kermit Tipton Stadium | 6,600 | 7,411 | 6,052 | 6,196 | 6,735 | | | 26,394 | 6,598 | 100% |
| Furman | Paladin Stadium | 16,000 | 5,347 | 6,970 | 4,587 | 7,834 | 4,117 | | 28,855 | 5,771 | 36% |
| Mercer | Moye Complex | 10,200 | 12,542 | 9,772 | 12,247 | 10,200 | | | 44,761 | 11,190 | 110% |
| Samford | Seibert Stadium | 6,700 | 4,482 | 8,509 | 4,085 | 4,031 | 8,379 | | 29,486 | 5,897 | 88% |
| VMI | Alumni Memorial Field | 10,000 | 5,266 | 5,638 | 5,610 | 8,251 | | | 24,765 | 6,191 | 62% |
| Western Carolina | E. J. Whitmire Stadium | 13,742 | 11,598 | 12,283 | 9,457 | 8,225 | | | 41,563 | 10,391 | 76% |
| Wofford | Gibbs Stadium | 13,000 | 5,417 | 7,316 | 11,102 | 6,190 | | | 30,025 | 7,506 | 58% |
* ↑ Due to Hurricane Matthew, this game was moved from October 8 in Charleston, SC to October 6 in Tigerville, SC. The Citadel still competed as the "home" team, although it was played at North Greenville.
* ↑ Johnson Hagood Stadium's capacity for this game was listed at 11,500 due to lead paint remediation on the East Side.
* ↑ Johnson Hagood Stadium's capacity for this game was listed at 15,000 due to lead paint remediation on the East Side.
* ↑ Johnson Hagood Stadium's capacity for this game was listed at 15,000 due to lead paint remediation on the East Side.
* ↑ Johnson Hagood Stadium's capacity for this game was listed at 16,000 due to lead paint remediation on the East Side.
* ↑ Average capacity is based on the full stadium size of 21,000, despite variations in the actual number of seats available for an individual game due to lead paint remediation on the East Side.