Football Claims 31-11 Homecoming Win Over Tennessee State

Oct. 29, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team grabbed a big lead in the first half and never looked back as the Bulldogs claimed a 31-11 Homecoming victory over the Tennessee State Tigers Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs have now won three in a row, and they are 4-0 at home this season.

"We played well, and we had contributions from all three areas," Samford head coach Bill Gray said. "I was very pleased with the way we played."

Sophomore quarterback Jefferson Adcock rushed 13 times for 81 yards and two touchdowns, and he completed 14-of-24 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Adrian Bradley rushed nine times for 67 yards, and junior Justin Ray had a touchdown and 39 yards on 12 carries.

"We had a good running game today, so we didn't need to throw it much," Adcock said. "When I did need to throw it, I had plenty of time."

Also for Samford (5-4, 4-2 OVC), senior Cortland Finnegan returned two kickoffs for 81 yards, including one for 58 yards. Finnegan totaled five tackles in the game, including one for a loss.

For Tennessee State (2-6, 1-3 OVC), Javarris Williams rushed 20 times for 57 yards. Jerald Cook completed 8-of-11 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Samford jumped on top first when Adcock scored on a one-yard run with 8:05 to go in the first quarter. Shannon Fleming's PAT gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. Tennessee State got on the board when Eric Benson kicked a 45-yard field goal with 3:08 to go in the first quarter to cut the Samford lead to 7-3. Samford added to its lead when Adcock scored on an 11-yard run with 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter, and Fleming's PAT made the score 14-3.

The lone points in the second quarter came when Adcock hit Ossie Buchannon for a five-yard touchdown with 15 seconds to go before halftime to give Samford a 21-3 lead going into halftime.

Fleming connected on an 18-yard field goal with 10:10 to go in the third quarter to push Samford's lead to 24-3. Ray then scored on a four-yard run with 6:00 to go in the third quarter to make the score 31-3. With 1:16 to go in the game, Cook hit Fred Burnette for a six-yard touchdown. Richard Hartman then hit Brandon Williams for the two-point conversion to make the final score 31-11.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, November 5, when the Bulldogs play at Tennessee Tech. The game is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.