SoCon Saturdays Return Sept. 19 with Western Carolina @ Georgia Southern

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference and SportSouth today announced the 2009 Southern Conference football telecast schedule.  Branded SoCon Saturdays, the Southern Conference football schedule on SportSouth includes eight football games and features all nine conference schools. Former Super Bowl player and coach Sam Wyche and play-by-play announcer Tom Werme return for their third season in the SportSouth booth for the SoCon Saturdays package.   

The first broadcast of the season on Saturday, Sept. 19 pits Georgia Southern against Western Carolina in the rematch of an overtime thriller in 2008 when GSU mounted a furious rally to down the Catamounts in Cullowhee. The primetime matchup will kick off at 7 p.m. ET.

The 2008 conference champion Appalachian State and runner-up Wofford each make three SoCon Saturdays appearances this season. The two teams will meet Oct. 17 in Spartanburg as the Terriers look to avenge last season’s defeat in Boone.

Following the opener on Sept. 19, SportSouth will showcase Elon at Furman on Oct. 3 and Chattanooga at Samford on Oct. 10.

Appalachian State and Wofford battle on Oct. 17, and the four-time defending SoCon champion Mountaineers host Georgia Southern on Oct. 24.

The regular season schedule on SportSouth concludes with three key matchups down the stretch as Wofford travels to face instate rivals The Citadel (Nov. 7) and Furman (Nov.21) and Appalachian State visits Elon (Nov. 14).

See below for the complete 2009 SoCon Saturdays football telecast schedule.

2009 Southern Conference Football Telecast Schedule on SportSouth

Sept. 19    Western Carolina at Georgia Southern       7:00

Oct. 3        Elon at Furman                                       3:00

Oct. 10      Chattanooga at Samford                          3:00

Oct. 17      Appalachian State at Wofford                   3:00

Oct. 24      Georgia Southern at Appalachian State     3:00

Nov. 7       Wofford at The Citadel                              3:00

Nov. 14     Appalachian State at Elon                         3:00

Nov. 21     Wofford at Furman                                    3:00

*ALL TIMES EASTERN

The Southern Conference includes 12 schools from five states – Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee – all of which fall within the SportSouth distribution area.  League members include Appalachian State University, College of Charleston, The Citadel, Davidson College, Elon University, Furman University, Georgia Southern University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Samford University, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Western Carolina University and Wofford College.

The regional sports networks serving the Southeast – FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Carolinas and FOX Sports Tennessee – collectively reach more than 12.6 million cable and satellite television households in seven states in the Southeast and are the television home of the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Bobcats, Memphis Grizzlies and the Nashville Predators, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference.  SportSouth reaches more than 9.4 million homes in six Southeastern states and is the television home of the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Thrashers and Southern Conference.  SportSouth also offers expanded coverage of the University of South Carolina and University of Tennessee.  Combined, the four networks produce more than 800 live local events each year, including 180 in high definition.