Samford wide receiver Karel Hamilton doesn't just enjoy beating defensive backs, he enjoys beating everybody at everything. Anywhere.
That's why each week, he recruits teammates to go bowling. And he's good at it. So watch out.
"He's a very outgoing guy who likes to have a good time," quarterback Devlin Hodges explained to HERO Sports. "Every Wednesday night when we go bowling, he tries to get the guys to come too because he wants to 
hang out with them. And he's super competitive, no matter what. He's actually really good at bowling. I wouldn't say he wins every week, because last week he didn't because I took it to him. But he's always getting high scores."
Maybe that competitive nature explains what has been going on the past couple of weeks. And for that matter, maybe it explains what has been going on the past few years, because this senior has been consistent. As a true freshman, he walked in, started 10 of the 13 games he played in, led the team in receiving touchdowns and helped lead the Bulldogs to the FCS playoffs.
Not too shabby. Lots of other true freshmen in the FCS are glorified tackling dummies in practice and wear jeans and tennis shoes to the games because they're redshirting. Hamilton was too busy catching touchdowns in 2013 to get fitted for gameday jeans.
Career numbers? Are you sitting down? He has 221 receptions, 3,166 yards, 26 TDs. The crazy thing about this year is he's racked up his typical one-season numbers in half of a season. Eyes crossed yet? Should the 6-1 Bulldogs make the playoffs and go a few rounds, he may catch 100 balls this year and possibly 20 TDs, based on the pace he's on. He's been exceptional in the past month.
"He's been a consistently good player for us, and he's a guy that you have to take into account when you're scheming against us," Samford head coach Chris Hatcher told HERO Sports. "With the type of scheme we run, we like to throw the ball a lot and that has featured him more and it has thrown him into the spotlight."
Hamilton caught 16 balls last week and 12 the week before. He has scored eight of his nine touchdowns in the past month. Is it because the weather is getting cooler? Is the moon having a special effect on the Samford receiver? Has the Tampa, Fla.-area native made a secret pact with his quarterback to break records?
No, no and no.
"There's no big reason at all," Hamilton told HERO Sports. "We're just following what they say when the play is called. It's just a trust thing. Devlin gives me the opportunity to make plays. It's just been a lot of trust and the offense we run and the plays that are being called. We're just clicking on all cylinders.
"We're finally just seeing what the offense can do once we stick to our base stuff. It may take over 10 plays to get down the field and score, and that wears a defense out. We're conditioned well … It's really just a compliment to the guys up front, to our quarterback and to the running backs hitting the holes hard."
Nobody knows how the rest of the season will turn out, but Hamilton will certainly be the go-to guy. He's a key part of the best season in three years, and he's loving every minute of it.
He savors every moment, especially those touchdowns strikes, just like he savors every sweet strike at the bowling alley.
