If we were in the 1970s or 1980s, Sony, Universal and Warner might try to get Devlin Hodges and Kelvin McKnight arrested — because their current record-busting rampage could be classified as "destruction of property", which can be a Class 1 misdemeanor in certain situations. Luckily for Samford's coaching staff, the two All-Americans aren't breaking records of the vinyl persuasion, instead choosing to break the ones of the timeless FCS variety.
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Hodges and McKnight — which could double as the name of a reputable law office or a fine equity firm — just flat out get it done with business-like precision in the passing game. It is one reason the Bulldogs have snarled themselves back into the Southern Conference playoff picture, and actually have scenarios where they may even be able to win the Southern Conference championship and automatic playoff berth.
You know what they're going to do in the Hatch Attack offense — named after their head coach Chris Hatcher — but good luck stopping what's coming. Just ask Florida State earlier this year, or Mississippi State two years ago. They connect well and have a great offense overall.
Here's a look at the potential records that could go down soon:
- Alcorn State and former NFL QB Steve "Air" McNair's FCS/I-AA passing yardage record of 14,496 yards would be passed by Hodges if the Samford QB maintains his current pace of 385 yards passing per game through the end of the regular season. Hodges is also just one TD behind Elon's Scott Riddle in the SoCon passing TD record (106). Hodges broke the SoCon passing yardage record last weekend against Furman.
- McKnight is on pace to break the school records of a former teammate and friend, Karel Hamilton — both native Floridians who hail from hometowns about an hour apart near Tampa Bay. McKnight needs only 127 more receiving yards to pass Hamilton, and he passed his former teammate in career receptions against Furman last week.
And these are just a few of the many statistical accomplishments that have come along. The other key stat? They're 19-13 since their sophomore year, and are trying to get back into the playoffs for the third straight season — which is possible, but not certain. That's all they wanted to talk about when interviewed by HERO Sports this week.
"The playoffs, that is the goal," McKnight said. "The whole team has an understanding that in order to reach those goals, we're going to have to win out (three Nov. games – against Wofford, The Citadel and ETSU). You're going to have to come out and play in the SoCon because every team is good. I'm pretty sure the other teams know our situation and they're not going to hand anything to us. We feel like we can win out, but we have to showcase it."
So what exactly happened to Samford back in September? The Bulldogs came into 2018 with monster expectations on their shoulders. As a HERO Sports staff writer, I can vouch for placing the Bulldogs in a seeding situation during preseason prognostications. They are very talented, have studs like Hodges & McKnight on offense and Ahmad Gooden on 'D'. When they gave Florida State fits, leading the 'Noles 26-21 with 4 minutes left and shutting up the Tomahawk Chop for a couple of hours back in early Sept., I thought I was seeing that team I had ranked so highly. But the near victory seemed to sap something out of Samford, and they limped to lose three straight FCS games after that.
[credit]Samford Athletics[/credit]
"It was definitely a disappointment to not come out with a win in that game," Hodges said. "Even though it was FSU, and we got national news for pushing them, we're competitors and to not win was disappointing, no matter who you're playing. I definitely felt like there was a cloud after that, and we didn't come out the next two weeks with a whole lot of energy. I think a lot of (winning the last three) has to go back to doing things the way we always did them. The old way, just lining up really fast and get in tempo and just go. We score fast and create a spark and it makes the whole team play well.
"I think we're still a really good football team and I don't think those three weeks after FSU defined who we were."
Both players couldn't stop bragging on the other one when it came to what has made this duo click. Hodges has thrown for 1,170 yards the past three years on Mississippi State, Georgia and Florida State, with 8 TDs. McKnight has caught 34 of his passes in those three games, with 388 yards and 4 TDs — even while splitting the attention with the aforementioned Hamilton earlier in his career.
Hodges originally was committed to play at Southern Miss, and McKnight was a 3-star recruit who held a scholarship from Maryland and other FBS schools coming out of Bradenton (Fla.) Manatee, which has produced a lot of talent over the years. In the end, they found a perfect home at Samford, and a connection that neither they nor the record books will ever forget.
"There's a lot to say about him," McKnight said, when asked about his QB. "If something breaks down? It's still never over. There's a great chemistry with him, not just with me but with all the others on the team. It's like he sees what I'm thinking. I swear that 99 percent of the time we're on the same page. Coach gives him a lot of freedom to take advantage of the best matchups."
It goes both ways.
"He's just so explosive and he's gotten me out of some tough situations, tough third downs," Hodges said of McKnight. "Away from football he's just a really good dude, always working hard and being motivated to do more. He's just a guy who really wants to be successful. He's a great friend to have and I'm glad he's been with me for four years."
Now we'll see if that chemistry can earn three more SoCon wins and put Samford in position to be in the postseason once again, and maybe some records will fall as a byproduct of the bounceback.[divider]
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Listen to "Coaches Corner: Samford Coach Chris Hatcher" on Spreaker.