By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As we enter what was originally scheduled to be the first week of Tennessee Tech's 2020 football slate, it's a different landscape. Instead of preparing for the week's opponent, it's preparing for the spring, hopeful to get the season underway even if it is a few months later than normal.
With the calendar switching into these cool autumn months that would have been filled with the pageantry of college football and the 99th season for the Golden Eagles, it gives time to reflect back through the years.
Tech's first scheduled opponent of the 2020 season was Samford. A brief member of the Ohio Valley Conference from 2003 to 2007, the Golden Eagles have battled the Bulldogs to a near-even series, 11-12 in favor of Samford.
The Golden Eagles won the last meeting in dramatic fashion, topping the Bulldogs 59-58 in double-overtime on Aug. 31, 2019, a year ago this week.
The Bulldogs have produced a few NFL standouts over the years, most notably Cortland Finnegan, drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2006 before also spending time with St. Louis, Miami and Carolina. Samford was also the alma mater for coaches Bobby Bowden (who later coached the Bulldogs) and Jimbo Fisher.
Samford started its program back in 1903, fielding a team until 1974. After a ten-season absence, Seibert Stadium saw football once more in 1984 as the Bulldogs came back as a Division III independent (1984-88), then a I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision) independent from 1989 to 2002. When Samford joined the OVC in 2003, it was the team's first football affiliation since playing in the Dixie Conference from 1931 to 1954.
In the days after restarting their program, the Bulldogs made regular appearances, playing Tennessee Tech nearly every season from 1988 to 2007 – the lone exception was on Sept. 15, 2001, as the Golden Eagles' jaunt to Birmingham was cancelled just four days after the 9/11 attacks.
After the Bulldogs departed for the Southern Conference, it took 12 years before the two teams squared off again, putting together an instant classic of a game a season ago.
Each week of the season, we will take a look back at some of the best games in each series against the opponent, culminating in a flashback recap on Saturday over one of the top contests.
10/27/2007 | Samford 59, Tennessee Tech 52
It's hard to include a loss in a "best game" ranking, but it's harder not to include this gem from the first season of Watson Brown's tenure. The game – between Brown and his assistant head coach (and 1971 Heisman Trophy winner) Pat Sullivan on the other sideline – was an offensive showcase as the two teams combined for 1,142 yards of total offense, 885 through the air.
Samford QB Jefferson Adcock threw for five touchdowns and 472 yards on 29-of-40 passing, with Jeff Moore catching nine passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns.
For Tech, Lee Sweeney threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns – including 191 yards and two scores to Larry Shipp – while Derek White ran 22 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
The Golden Eagles outscored Samford 17-7 in the first quarter, but the Bulldogs rallied back for 24 points in the second to make it a 30-24 Tech advantage at halftime. The fourth quarter saw the lead pass back and forth, with Tech tying the game at 52 with 2:46 remaining as Ryan Nichols caught a 25-yard strike from Sweeney, then the QB converted the two-point try with a throw to Watson's son, Steven.
But Samford had plenty of time, ending a six-play, 75-yard drive as Alex Barnett ran in for his second touchdown of the day with 52 seconds remaining. On the final drive, Tech facing 4th-and-18 , Ty Levie intercepted Sweeney at the Samford 30.
11/9/2002 | Tennessee Tech 51, Samford 44
In the first half, the Golden Eagles looked unstoppable, scoring touchdowns on five of their six drives in the first two quarters as Robert Craft threw two strikes to Derek Lee and Anton Thomison, while Lewis Kuffour had two more – one to Lee and another to Antonio Carter. Kuffour added a third TD pass in the third quarter as he found Carter once again.
Tech led 30-9 midway through the second quarter, but Samford started to rally, outscoring the Golden Eagles 25-14 in the second half with touchdown drives coming off of two Tech turnovers. The Bulldogs cut the game back to a one-possession game at 3:22 remaining, but Tech was able to run out the clock with one last drive and come back to Cookeville with the W.
Craft ended the game with 180 yards on 13-of-18 passing, with Carter leading the Tech receivers with three catches for 67 yards. Jason Ballard and Trey Bonner also ran for touchdowns in the contest. Daniel Wentzel and D.J. Bleisath recovered fumbles, while Brandon Shelby made 10 tackles.
11/5/2005 | Tennessee Tech 42, Samford 21
Anthony Ash had a day as he ran for three touchdowns to pace the Golden Eagles to a 42-21 win on Homecoming. He ended the day with 20 carries for 105 yards, while Cameron Kirnes, who also rushed for a score in the game, had 102 yards on 16 totes.
Tech ran for 223 yards, while passing for 119 with Stephen Britton completing 12 of 19 attempts with one touchdown – a 29-yard connection to Larry Shipp.
Greg Rolfes also put the defense on the scoreboard, returning Jefferson Adcock's pass to the house for six. It was one of three interceptions on the day for the Tech defenders as Brandon Fields and Maurice Smith picked off passes. Additionally, Smith recovered two fumbles.
10/1/1949 | Tennessee Tech 33, Howard College 18
Before Samford changed its name in 1965, the school was known as Howard College. The two teams squared off for the second of three times in the pre-Samford era (Tech went 2-1 with wins in 1949 and 1950 and a loss in the first meeting in 1934).
Tech head coach Hooper Eblen had a set of twin brothers on the team – Jim and Joe Lancaster – and they were affectionately called the "Touchdown Twins." In that game against Howard, they proved the moniker true.
Jim Lancaster got the game going by heaving the ball to his brother Joe, who scored on a 33-yard run. Joe Lancaster then intercepted the ball, setting up another scoring drive as quarterback Ray Matthews broke through past center.
Jim Lancaster picked off another pass, putting Tech in position once again as Sonny Ferguson dove over the pile into the end zone. Tommy Whitaker threw a touchdown pass to Joe Lancaster, then the Golden Eagles scored again after Johnny Ballard intercepted another Howard pass and Bill Leath found paydirt on a rushing play.
8/31/2019 | Tennessee Tech 59, Samford 58, 2OT
More will be said about this game this week on Wings Up Weekly with Dylan Vazzano, as well as the Golden Eagle Flashback on Saturday.
Still, it was a fantastic start to a strong Golden Eagle season In 2019 as Tech rallied from a 23-point deficit late in the third quarter. Even in the final 2:20 of the game, the Golden Eagles were down by 16 points. Tech found a way.
Bailey Fisher threw a 12-yard touchdown strike to Justin Oden, then connected again on the two-point play. Following a successful onside kick, Fisher sent the game to overtime, rushing for an eight-yard score, then getting the two-point run to knot the game at 44.
Fisher ran for another six-yard score to open OT, with Haidar Zaidan punctuating the play with the PAT. Samford evened things up, then took the lead in the second OT session with identical plays – Chris Shelling 25-yard touchdown from Chris Oladokun, followed by the PAT from Mitchell Fineran.
On the start of Tech's second OT drive, it took three plays as Andrew Goldsmith ran for a yard, caught a 10-yard pass from Fisher, then powered his way in on a 14-yard run. After Tech had been successful on two-point conversions in the game, the Golden Eagles went for another – Fisher to David Gist for the victory.
