Samford Bulldogs 2010 Review

2010 Record: 4-7 (2-6), 7th Southern
2010 Postseason: None
2010 Schedule/Results: @ Florida State, L 59-6, @ Northwestern State, W 19-7, Newberry, W 38-35, Appalachian State, L 35-17, @ Elon, L 24-19, @ Western Carolina, W 38-7, Furman, L 27-10, @ Georgia Southern, W 20-13, Wofford, L 10-3, @ Chattanooga, L 48-14, Citadel, L 13-12

REVIEW

     Never mind the 53 point drubbing at Florida State. When Samford struggled to stop and beat Newberry, the fix was in on what was going to be a long and horrible season for Samford. Following that game, the Bulldogs lost 3 of their next 4 games, and finished the seaosn on a 3 game losing streak, including a loss to the Citadel. It truly was a trainwreck of a season for Samford.
     Dustin Taliaferro struggled for most of 2010, and even missed a game. He only averaged 142 yards passing per game, and finished the season with a dysmal 1427 yards and 5 TDs against 9 picks. Connor Lowery got his chance as well, but did very little with it, leaving Samford with no real exciting option for 2011.
     Chris Evans did have a very nice season at RB, as he rushed for 1071 yards and 7 TDs. Evans, a senior, finished 2nd in the league in rushing yards behind only Eric Breitenstein of Wofford, but their totals were not even close, as Breitenstein eclipsed Evans by almost 600 yards. NO other back made any kind of imprint on the offense in 2010.
     It took 3 receivers to total 1000 yards receiving in 2010, and even combined they were only able to score 3 times. Quin Roberson, Jeff Ogren, and Kelsey Pope combined for a line of 88-1069-3. There were single receivers on other teams that had a better individual season than what these three put together.
     LB Bryce Davis led the league in tackles with 129. The bad news is that the Bulldogs will now have to find a replacement, as he was a senior. Andy Davis, who finished 18th in the league with 65, is the next best option to leat the D, but he was a DB. There are problems brewing here. Smith, Darion Sutton, and Alex Davis were the only Bulldogs to break the double figure mark in TFLs. Smith had 10, but Sutton led the team with 12, while Davis collected 11. Sacks were not plentiful, as Alex Davis led the team with only 7.
     Corey White was decent but not great in the secondary. He led the team with 7 passes defended, but teams could throw away from him for the most part. Nobody else broke for 5. Thomas Broussard picked off 6 passes on the season, but he must be replaced now, leaving another huge hole.
     Cameron Yaw attempted more FGs than any other kicker in the SoCon, but he only hit on 17 of those 23 attempts. Not bad, but not great either. Yaw should be more accurate as he works out the kinks heading into his junior season. Bob Hooper was the second best punter in the conference, but must be replaced heading into 2011.

FINAL NOTES

Samford started the season much like they ended it. Completely asleep at the wheel. It's not like they lacked the opportunities to get more wins, as they lost 3 of those games by a total of 13 points. The offense has to get fixed first, but where is the talent coming from? Their best player, Evans, is now gone, and they have to find a big play guy to carry the load. Things are not looking good heading into 2011.