Chris Hatcher ready for his first 'home' game as head coach

Chris Hatcher has been on the sideline for a lot of games as a head coach in the state of Georgia - 88 at Valdosta State and 33 at Georgia Southern.

But not once has the Macon native coached a game in his hometown.

He will finally get that chance Saturday as his Samford Bulldogs play Bobby Lamb's Mercer Bears at Five Star Stadium in the season finale for both Southern Conference teams. Hatcher is in his first season with the Bulldogs after five seasons at Murray State.

"It's kind of weird. I never thought that I'd be coaching a college game in my hometown, so it's going to be wild," Hatcher said. "I know Bobby has done a great job there. Their entire university has done a great job. Mercer has become Macon's team, and it's very evident when I go home for the holidays.

"I've been hearing about this game for about nine months now. It will be here before we know it. They have a great atmosphere there, and it's going to be tough."

Hatcher played at Mount de Sales before starring at Valdosta State, where he won the Harlon Hill Trophy, NCAA Division II's version of the Heisman Trophy, in 1994. He returned to his alma mater as the head coach in 2000 and led the Blazers to a 76-12 record and the 2004 NCAA Division II national title in seven seasons.

He took over at Georgia Southern and was with the Eagles for three seasons before heading to Murray State.

In his first season at Samford, the Bulldogs are 5-5 overall and 2-4 in the Southern Conference -- the same records as Mercer.

Samford lost three straight games to The Citadel, Western Carolina and Furman to enter November at 3-5. But the Bulldogs have bounced back with wins over Clark Atlanta (43-0) and Wofford (37-27) to get back to .500.

"It was a big morale boost for our football team, and we have won two in a row now," Hatcher said of the win over Wofford. "I thought it was a complete game. Special teams were outstanding. Our defense, we gave up a lot of yards, but we only gave up 20 points to a certain point and gave up one late. We played really well offensively; we scored every possession but three, and you've gotta do that when you play a team that runs the option. You've gotta take advantage of the opportunities, so it was a complete win.

"And now we set our sights on our next opponent, Mercer, who is kind of on a roll right now. They've been playing some really good football all season, but they have had two big wins in a row, so it's going to be a tough game for our football team."

But the Bulldogs will no doubt have a fair share of supporters.

"I'm sure that I will have a cheering section, and maybe I will have a few Mercer fans, they may be cheering for us, as well," Hatcher said. "We'll have to wait and see."

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 7:58 PM.