The 2012 Southern Conference football season, part of the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season competition of college football, began on Thursday, August 30, 2012 with Western Carolina hosting Mars Hill. The regular season concluded on November 17, while Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, and Wofford qualified for the NCAA Division I Football Championship.
Appalachian State was eliminated in the first round at the hands of Illinois State. Wofford was subsequently eliminated the following week, losing to North Dakota State 14–7, and Georgia Southern, after defeating Central Arkansas and Old Dominion in the previous two weeks, fell to the Bison as well on December 14 in the tournament semifinals, 23–20.
Preseason Poll Results First place votes in parentheses PlaceMediaCoaches1Georgia Southern (25)Georgia Southern (7)2Wofford (4)Appalachian State (2)3Appalachian State (1)Wofford4ChattanoogaChattanooga5FurmanFurman6SamfordSamford7ElonElon8The CitadelThe Citadel9Western CarolinaWestern Carolina
Preseason All-Conference Teams Offensive Player of the Year: Eric Breitenstein, Sr., RB Defensive Player of the Year: Brent Russell, Sr., DL Position Player Class Team First Team Offense QB Jamal Jackson Junior Appalachian State RB Jerodis Williams Senior Furman RB Eric Breitenstein Sr. Wofford WR Aaron Mellette Sr. Elon WR Kelsey Pope Jr. Samford TE Colin Anderson Sr. Furman OL Mike Sellers Jr. The Citadel OL Dakota Dozier Jr. Furman OL Dorian Byrd Jr. Georgia Southern OL Ryan Dudchock Sr. Samford OL Jake Miles Sr. Wofford First Team Defense DL Chris Billingslea Sr. The Citadel DL Josh Lynn Sr. Furman DL Brent Russell Sr. Georgia Southern DL Josh Williams Sr. Chattanooga LB Jeremy Kimbrough Sr. Appalachian State LB Wes Dothard Jr. Chattanooga LB Alvin Scioneaux Jr. Wofford DB Demetrius McCray Sr. Appalachian State DB Greg Worthy Jr. Furman DB Deion Stanley So. Georgia Southern DB D. J. Key Jr. Chattanooga First Team Special Teams K Cameron Yaw Sr. Samford P Cass Couey Sr. The Citadel RS Fabian Truss Jr. Samford
Rankings + Legend Increase in ranking Decrease in ranking Not ranked previous week
Pre Wk1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 FinalAppalachian State TSN 6 11 8 17 17 15 13 13 16 15 12 8 7 9C 5 8 7 18 16 14 12 11 15 14 12 8 6 8Chattanooga TSN RV RV RV RV – C RV – – – – The Citadel TSN RV RV 21 10 11 19 C - – 23 14 15 22 RV Elon TSN RV – – – – C - - - – – Furman TSN RV RV – – – C - - – – – Georgia Southern TSN 3 3 11 11 10 8 7 3 2 2 7 6 6 3C 3 3 10 10 9 8 7 3 2 1 7 6 7 3Samford TSN RV RV – RV RV C - - RV RV 25 RV Western Carolina TSN - - - – – C - - - – – Wofford TSN 10 10 9 7 6 6 5 8 7 6 13 9 9 7C 13 13 9 6 5 5 4 9 8 7 14 9 9 7
Regular season Index to colors and formattingSoCon member wonSoCon member lostSoCon teams in bold All times Eastern time.
Rankings reflect that of the Sports Network poll for that week.
Week One Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference August 30 8:00 p.m. Western Carolina E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC W 42–14 7,094 September 1 12:00 p.m. #6 Appalachian State East Carolina Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC FSN L 13–35 49,023 September 1 12:30 p.m. Elon North Carolina Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC ACC Network L 0–62 50,500 September 1 4:30 p.m. Furman Samford Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL CSS SU 24–21 6,712 September 1 6:00 p.m. Charleston Southern The Citadel Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC W 49–14 14,264 September 1 6:00 p.m. Jacksonville #3 Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA W58–0 20,132 September 1 6:00 p.m. Wofford Gardner–Webb Ernest W. Spangler Stadium • Boiling Springs, NC W 34–7 3,140 September 1 7:00 p.m. Chattanooga South Florida Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL ESPN3 L 13–34 41,285
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Eric Breitenstein Wofford Chris Billingslea The Citadel Sam Martin Appalachian State Troy Mitchell Western CarolinaReference:
Week Two Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference September 8 5:00 p.m. Coastal Carolina Furman Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC L 45–47 (3OT) 7,156 September 8 6:00 p.m. #3 Georgia Southern The Citadel Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC Cit 23–21 12,299 September 8 6:30 p.m. #12 Montana #11 Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC ESPN3 W 35–27 30,856 September 8 7:00 p.m. North Carolina Central Elon Rhodes Stadium • Elon, NC W 34–14 7,528 September 8 7:00 p.m. Samford Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL W 34–6 7,384 September 8 7:00 p.m. Chattanooga Jacksonville State JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, AL L 24–27 18,993 September 8 7:00 p.m. Western Carolina Marshall Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, WV FCS L 24–52 25,317 September 8 7:00 p.m. #10 Wofford Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC W 82–0 4,309
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Jamal Jackson Appalachian State Jaquiski Tartt Samford Thomas Warren The Citadel Reese Hannon FurmanReference:
Week Three Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference September 13 7:00 p.m. Chattanooga Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN W 35–0 9,077 September 15 3:00 p.m. Elon Rhodes Stadium • Elon, NC W48–14 7,053 September 15 3:00 p.m. Furman #11 (FBS) Clemson Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC ESPN3 L 7–41 81,500 September 15 3:00 p.m. Samford Gardner–Webb Ernest W. Spangler Stadium • Boiling Springs, NC W 44–23 3,850 September 15 3:30 p.m. #21 The Citadel #8 Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC Cit 52–28 24,137 September 15 7:00 p.m. Western Carolina #9 Wofford Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC WC 49–20 8,544
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player TeamBen DupreeThe CitadelCarson SmithThe CitadelMichael WiemerWoffordFabian TrussSamfordReference:
Week Four Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference September 22 12:00 p.m. Furman Presbyterian Bailey Memorial Stadium • Clinton, SC CSS W 31–21 5,370 September 22 3:30 p.m. Samford Western Carolina E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC SU 25–21 10,112 September 22 6:00 p.m. #17 Appalachian State Chattanooga Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN ASU 34–17 13,726 September 22 6:00 p.m. #10 The Citadel NC State Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC ESPN3 L 14–52 55,145 September 22 6:00 p.m. Elon #11 Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA GSU 26–23 18,353
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Fabian Truss Samford Brandon Greir Appalachian State James Bradberry Samford Alex Hanes Georgia SouthernReference:
Week Five Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference September 29 1:30 p.m. #6 Wofford Elon Rhodes Stadium • Elon, NC WC 49–24 10,302 September 29 1:30 p.m. Western Carolina Furman Paladin Stadium • Greenville, SC FUR 45–24 10,218 September 29 3:30 p.m. Coastal Carolina #17 Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC W 55–14 27,619 September 29 6:00 p.m. Chattanooga #11 The Citadel Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC UTC 28–10 13,878 September 29 6:00 p.m. Samford #10 Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA ESPN3 GSU 35–16 20,832
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Eric Breitenstein Wofford Kadeem Wise Chattanooga Sean Price Appalachian State Jerodis Williams FurmanReference:
Week Six Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference October 6 1:30 p.m. Furman Wofford Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC WC 20–17 9,170 October 6 3:00 p.m. The Citadel Samford Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL SU 38–7 5,872 October 6 3:30 p.m. Elon Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC ASU 35–23 29,073 October 6 3:30 p.m. Georgia Southern Western Carolina E. J Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC GSU 45–13 9,514
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Jamal Jackson Appalachian State Jaquiski Tartt Samford James Dean Georgia Southern Ray Early FurmanReference:
Week Seven Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference October 13 1:30 p.m. Chattanooga Furman Paladin Stadium • Greenville, NC ESPN3 WC 20–17 9,170 October 13 2:00 p.m. Western Carolina The Citadel Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC Cit 45–31 12,578 October 13 3:00 p.m. Appalachian State Samford Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL ASU 35–23 9,712 October 13 6:00 p.m. Wofford Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA GSU 17–9 20,983
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Dominique Swope Georgia Southern Rock Williams Western Carolina Jacob Huesman Chattanooga Sam Martin Appalachian StateReference:
Week Eight Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference October 20 1:30 p.m. Georgia Southern Furman Paladin Stadium • Greenville, NC GSU 38–17 11,191 October 20 3:00 p.m. Western Carolina Elon Rhodes Stadium • Elon, NC ESPN3 Elon 42–31 10,154 October 20 3:30 p.m. Wofford Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC WC 20–17 27,115 October 20 6:00 p.m. Samford Chattanooga Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN UTC 20–13 7,103
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Thomas Wilson Elon Tarek Odom Wofford Troy Mitchell Western Carolina Tony Washington Appalachian StateReference:
Week Nine Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference October 27 1:30 p.m. The Citadel Wofford Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC ESPN3 WC 24–21 9,658 October 27 3:00 p.m. Furman Elon Rhodes Stadium • Elon, NC FUR 31–17 6,158 October 27 3:30 p.m. Appalachian State Western Carolina E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC ASU 38–27 13,279 October 27 6:00 p.m. Georgia Southern Chattanooga Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN GSU 39–31 8,908
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Steven Miller Appalachian State Marcus McMorris Furman Jacob Huesman Chattanooga Kasey Redfern WoffordReference:
Week Ten Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference November 3 2:00 p.m. Appalachian State Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA ESPN3 ASU 31–28 22,155 November 3 2:00 p.m. Elon The Citadel Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC Cit 38–24 14,853 November 3 3:00 p.m. Wofford Samford Seibert Stadium • Homewood, AL SU 24–17 (OT) 8,147 November 3 3:30 p.m. Chattanooga Western Carolina E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC UTC 45–24 7,099
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Sean Price Appalachian State Troy Sanders Appalachian State Sean Price Appalachian State Cameron Yaw SamfordReference:
Week Eleven Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference November 10 1:30 p.m. The Citadel VMI Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, VA W 27–24 7,863 November 10 1:30 p.m. Samford Elon Rhodes Stadium • Elon, NC SU 26–15 6,231 November 10 1:30 p.m. Chattanooga Wofford Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, SC ESPN3 WC 16–13 8,112 November 10 2:00 p.m. Howard Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 69–26 18,069 November 10 3:30 p.m. Furman Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC ASU 33–28 28,946
Players of the week: Offensive Defensive Freshman Special teams Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Jerick McKinnon Georgia Southern Derek Douglas Citadel Jacob Huesman Chattanooga Sam Martin Appalachian StateReference:
Week Twelve