SAMFORD
2017 Record: 8-4, (6-2 in SoCon; lost 28-17 to Kennesaw State in the first round of the FCS playoffs)Season opener: Aug. 30 against ShorterDate against UTC: Sept. 22 in Chattanooga, 7Preseason ranking (coaches/media): 1/1COMING MONDAY: Virginia Military Institute
UTC defensive lineman Keionta Davis sacks Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges during a game in Chattanooga in 2016.Samford football coach Chris Hatcher has preached "one more win" for his program since arriving in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2015.
His senior class would like a little more than just that.
The Bulldogs enter the 2018 season as the prohibitive favorites to win the Southern Conference championship, based on the strength of the league's top returning players on offense (quarterback Devlin Hodges) and defense (end Ahmad Gooden).
Gooden had 101 tackles with 15.5 for lost yardage and 5.5 sacks in 2017.
Hodges is one of 10 returning offensive starters for the Bulldogs.
"It makes things easy," the 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior quarterback said last week. "It feels like most of the time, you spend the spring finding out who you are, finding guys who can play, but this spring having everyone back, we didn't have to waste a day or two taking it slow. We could jump right into it."
Hodges is in sight of some Football Championship Subdivision and SoCon career records. He starts the season with 10,301 yards passing and 79 touchdowns, each ranking second in league history. With 28 touchdowns and just fewer than 3,000 passing yards, Hodges would overtake former Elon quarterback Scott Riddle for top honors in both categories.
With 4,196 yards, he would pass former Alcorn State, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens star Steve McNair for first all-time in FCS history.
"If he gets that record, I'd say we've had a pretty good year," Hatcher told the media last week.
But the Bulldogs are more interested in team goals. They have won six, seven and eight games in the three seasons Hatcher has been the coach, meaning the goal this season would be at least nine. The schedule could be the biggest challenge, with trips to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Furman and The Citadel in league play plus one to Kennesaw State, which beat Samford in the 2017 FCS playoffs. The UTC and Kennesaw trips are back to back, following a home game against Mercer, another tough matchup.
"Our goal is to be No. 1," Hatcher said. "We tell the team that - that's why you compete. You want to be champions, you want to be No. 1 all the time, but it's a process and you can't focus on the outcome. You just focus on being the best you can be each and every day, and with the type of players we have and the type of work ethic they have, I believe our best will be pretty good.
"We tell the guys, you need to embrace being No. 1. We want that type of culture, we want that type of program here, where you get everybody's best game. We're not there yet, but hopefully one day we will be. When you become that team, it's amazing how much harder everybody works. I don't even know what type of team we'll have, but if we stick to the plan, have a little luck on our side and stay healthy, this could be a very fun season for the Samford Bulldogs."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.