Samford’s two-point loss to Furman, Wofford’s 44-34 loss to Appalachian State, The Citadel’s 14-10 defeat at Western Carolina and Chattanooga’s 30-20 loss at Paulson Stadium this past Saturday all had one thing in common – injuries.

Key turnovers weren’t the only reason the Terriers (1-5, 0-3 Southern Conference) saw a 14-point lead melt away against ASU. They got even more thinned out with bum knees.

“We had a couple of bad things happen in the game as far as losing two more players to knee injuries,” said Wofford coach Mike Ayers. “We’re just one of those teams that for whatever reason has had six knee injuries, and all of them for the most part have led to surgery.”

Western Carolina (1-5, 1-3) was helped out by two missed field goals on its way to the first win of the season.

“It’s so critical when you get into these league games that your offense has confidence when you get down inside the 25-yard line that you have a chance (to score),” said The Citadel coach Kevin Higgins. “(Kicker Sam Keeler) has got to do it. He’s got to be more productive for us.”

Special-teams issues aren’t the only problems for the Bulldogs (2-4, 0-3). They’ve been playing Russian roulette with their quarterbacks all year long.

Starter Bart Blanchard was sitting out practice as of Tuesday, and backup Miguel Starks got banged up against WCU. That leaves freshman third-string QB Tommy Edwards with a chance to get some reps.

“He has a different skill set then both of those two,” Higgins said. “We have to be very flexible. We have to have a plan for Bart, and plan for Miguel, and if he’s not healthy we have to have the young guy ready to go, so that makes it challenging. The good thing about our offense is that we think we’re flexible. We think we’re diverse in what we do.”

For Samford (3-4, 1-3), who saw a last-second field goal blocked in a 26-24 loss against Furman, an off week couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Hopefully we’ll get a couple of guys back this off week, and maybe a two or three more the following week,” said Samford coach Pat Sullivan. “We’re going to rest them, try to correct the mistakes – stuff that everybody does on their off week.”

In the Bulldogs’ second year in the SoCon, they can’t afford to be missing guys at the top of their depth chart.

“It’s been as frustrating a year as I’ve ever had,” said Sullivan. “In this conference, you have to be at your best every week to have a chance. Against Chattanooga (on Oct. 10), we had seven starters out. You lose those kind of things, and it puts you behind the eight ball. You’ve got to play perfect.”

First-year UTC coach Russ Heusman didn’t have a lot to work with when he inherited the Mocs (4-2, 2-2) this year. If he wants to build his program, he’ll have to make due with what he’s got.

“We’re thin,” he said. “We were thin coming into the season, and we don’t have any depth whatsoever. We travel with 20 defensive players which is not real good. We’re not going to take a red shirt off any of these young kids. We’ll make due. We’ve just got to make sure we put them in the right situations.”

Struggling Mountaineers?

A lot has been said about the way No. 9 Appalachian State’s defense has played this season. Although the Mountaineers (4-2, 3-0) have allowed 26.3 points per game, they’ve managed to get off to a perfect start in SoCon play.

“It’s funny how teams that teams have dominated like they have continue to find a way to win and people say they struggle,” said Georgia Southern coach Chris Hatcher. “I don’t think they’re struggling. I think everybody in the conference has gotten a little bit better. Everybody gets fired up to play Appalachian State because they are the best. You flip on the tape, and to me they’re just like they were last year, just like they were the year before.”

The Eagles (4-3, 3-1) face ASU Saturday at 3 p.m. on SportSouth, and the way each team has played leading up to the game hasn’t seemed to matter over the last three years. The game has come down to the last play each time, as ASU has gone 2-1 against the Eagles while outscoring them 99-95 in the span.

“We’re both good teams, and that’s the way the ballgame should be when you’ve got that kind of a matchup,” said ASU coach Jerry Moore. “I think that’s what both of us expect, and I think that’s what fans expect – a great football game.”

NOTES: Furman faces The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. Saturday at 2 p.m. … Wofford looks for its first conference win in Cullowhee, N.C. against Western Carolina at 4 p.m. Saturday. … No. 7 Elon plays host to Chattanooga at 1:30 p.m.

Matt Yogus can be reached at (912) 489-9408.