# 2021 Samford Bulldogs football team

The 2021 Samford Bulldogs football team represented Samford University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Bulldogs were led by seventh-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Seibert Stadium in Homewood, Alabama.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Tennessee Tech* | Seibert StadiumHomewood, AL | ESPN+ | W 52–14 | 3,177 |
| September 11 | 6:00 p.m. | at UT Martin* | Graham StadiumMartin, TN | ESPN+ | L 27–33 | 5,869 |
| September 18 | 2:30 p.m. | at Western Carolina | Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, NC | ESPN+/Nexstar | W 42–37 | 9,060 |
| September 25 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 15 East Tennessee State | Seibert StadiumHomewood, AL | ESPN+ | L 48–55 $^{OT}$ | 2,106 |
| October 2 | 5:00 p.m. | at Mercer | Moye ComplexMacon, GA | ESPN+ | L 42–45 | 11,137 |
| October 16 | 12:30 p.m. | at Wofford | Gibbs StadiumSpartanburg, SC | ESPN+ | W 27–24 | 5,291 |
| October 23 | 12:00 p.m. | Chattanooga | Seibert StadiumHomewood, AL | ESPN+ | L 13–55 | 3,131 |
| October 30 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 18 VMI | Alumni Memorial FieldLexington, VA | ESPN+ | L 45–46 | 5,000 |
| November 6 | 2:00 p.m. | The Citadel | Seibert StadiumHomewood, AL | ESPN+ | W 35–14 | 4,011 |
| November 13 | 11:00 a.m. | at Florida* | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | SECN+/ESPN+ | L 52–70 | 70,098 |
| November 20 | 12:00 p.m. | Furman | Seibert StadiumHomewood, AL | ESPN+ | L 34–41 | 2,673 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Tennessee Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Bulldogs | 14 | 3 | 21 | 14 | 52 |
at Seibert Stadium, Homewood, Alabama
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny and clear, 83 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,177
* Referee: Bruce Austin
* TV: ESPN+
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TNTC | SAM |
| First downs | 14 | 22 |
| Total yards | 231 | 475 |
| Rushing yards | 69 | 105 |
| Passing yards | 162 | 370 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 33:53 | 26:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tennessee Tech | Passing | Davis Shanley | 19/34, 159 yards, TD, INT |
| Tennessee Tech | Rushing | David Gist | 17 rushes, 72 yards, TD |
| Tennessee Tech | Receiving | Quinton Cross | 8 receptions, 57 yards |
| Samford | Passing | Liam Welch | 33/44, 370 yards, 4 TD |
| Samford | Rushing | DeMarcus Ware II | 8 rushes, 32 yards, TD |
| Samford | Receiving | Montrell Washington | 8 receptions, 170 yards |

### At Florida

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 21 | 21 | 0 | 10 | 52 |
| Gators | 14 | 21 | 21 | 14 | 70 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
* Date: November 13
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST/12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Rain, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 70,098
* Referee: Lee Hedrick
* TV announcers (ESPN+/SECN+): Mike Couzens and Dustin Fox
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SAM | FLA |
| First downs | 28 | 30 |
| Total yards | 530 | 717 |
| Rushing yards | 114 | 253 |
| Passing yards | 416 | 464 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:51 | 31:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Samford | Passing | Liam Welch | 33/52, 400 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Samford | Rushing | Liam Welch | 16 rushes, 65 yards, 2 TD |
| Samford | Receiving | Montrell Washington | 10 receptions, 124 yards, TD |
| Florida | Passing | Emory Jones | 28/34, 464 yards, 6 TD |
| Florida | Rushing | Emory Jones | 10 rushes, 86 yards, TD |
| Florida | Receiving | Kemore Gamble | 6 receptions, 122 yards, 2 TD |