Five Storylines For Samford's Week 1 Opener Against West Georgia
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - August 27, 2025
WEST GEORGIA AT SAMFORD
SITE, KICKOFF: Pete Hanna Stadium, 6:30 p.m. CT
RECORD: West Georgia 0-0; Samford 0-0
Five storylines
Will the Samford offensive line jell together quickly? Five new starters on the offensive line for the Bulldogs. Is that a problem? Time will tell but they did play well in preseason work. Center Noah Watts played in three games with one start for Samford last season. He is the only projected starter who has a previous start for the Bulldogs. Left guard Tyler Douthit played in eight games as a redshirt freshman at Samford last season. The other three projected starters are transfers. Left tackle Kaleb May played in 10 games at Kennesaw State last season. Right guard Kaleb Pearley played in seven games at Southeast Missouri State last year while right tackle Web Davidson was a redshirt at Virginia Tech. Watts is a junior May, Pearley and Douthit are sophomores and Davidson is a freshman. West Georgia counters with a starting front six that has one graduate student, three seniors and two juniors.
How much has Quincy Crittendon grown as a quarterback since last year? Let’s start with the fact that Crittendon has done some special things since walking on at Samford in 2021. However, his only full season as a starter came in 2024. He had some spectacular moments while leading the SoCon in passing yards (2,689) and finishing second in passing percentage (70.3). But, he is capable of more and should be more comfortable in his second season as a starter. Look for big things from Crittendon.
Other than Quincy Crittendon, who are the playmakers on the Samford offense? On paper, the Bulldogs look to be strong at the offensive skill positions. Big things are expected out of Tennessee State transfer running back CJ Evans and he is just one piece of a crowded backfield. Wide receiver is another promising group with Preston Bird, Jaden Gibson, Teddy Davenport and Calvin Jones listed as the starters. Where will the production come from?
Can the Samford defensive front make things uncomfortable for West Georgia QB Davin Wydner? Wydner got his first start in last year’s season-opening win over Samford. He was 24-of-35 for 271 yards with two touchdown passes and rushed for a season-high 58 yards and a touchdown. His passing yards were the second most he had all season, trailing the 388 yards he had against Austin Peay. Samford has to make life more difficult on him this season. Conroy Cunningham is the leader on the Samford defensive line.
Will anyone be surprised if this game is close? History tells us this will be a close game. The teams have split the six meetings against each other. The visiting team has never won in the series. The average score in those six games is Samford 24, West Georgia 22.