Chris Hatcher’s Samford Bulldogs face a stiff test at noon Saturday with a trip to Furman (1-1), the No. 17 team in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Samford is 1-1 in the spring, opening with a 24-17 loss to East Tennessee State after leading 14-0 in the first half and 17-14 going into the fourth. A week later, the Bulldogs turned in a better showing as they stomped Western Carolina 55-27.

Senior quarterback Liam Welch was tapped as the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Catamounts. Welch had a career day with his first career 300-yard passing performance, completing 26 of 36 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 83 yards and three more touchdowns.

Furman’s national ranking is despite having lost 14-13 to VMI last week. Other local football updates:

Coach John Grass and his 4-1 JSU Gamecocks are shooting for one last Ohio Valley Conference championship before moving to the Atlantic Sun Conference in the fall. (Jacksonville State University Athletics)

Jacksonville State at Tennessee State: The Gamecocks, who move to the Atlantic Sun Conference in the fall, continue their final run through the Ohio Valley Conference with their 2 p.m. Sunday trip to Nashville. JSU is 4-1 overall in the 2020-21 school year and 1-0 since resuming play in the spring. The Gamecocks, currently ranked No. 10 in the FCS, have won eight OVC football titles and claimed five in a row from 2014 to 2018.

Coach John Grass said preparing for their next opponent has been tough since video on the Tigers (0-1) is almost two years old.

“It is hard to tell about the personnel because it will be a different roster,” he said. “They did lose a few guys, but they had a young football team last year, so they have the majority of those guys back and they have added to that roster.”

Limestone at West Alabama: Two games are better than one for the Tigers, who have their sights on improving for the 2021 fall season. Limestone comes calling at 1 p.m. Saturday to double UWA’s number of contests. The Saints were to have opened the spring on Saturday against Kentucky Wesleyan but that game was canceled.

Alabama A&M at South Carolina State: A&M was about to have a second bye week to open its spring campaign, with Alcorn State having opted out and Mississippi Valley State going through ongoing COVID-19 protocols. But the Bulldogs of South Carolina State came to the rescue, hosting A&M at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. This will be the spring opener for both teams.

Birmingham-Southern (idle): The Panthers may not be on the field this week, but their attention will be on the gridiron as they may wind up with a berth in the Southern Athletic Association championship game.

Coach Tony Joe White and team could be in the running for a title shot if Centre beats Berry to create a three-way tie in the league. A Centre victory leaves Berry, Centre and BSC knotted at 2-1.

Alabama State (idle): The Hornets lost their spring opener to Southern. They are cooling their heels this week with Alcorn State opting not to play.