March 12, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team wrapped up spring practice with its final scrimmage Thursday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The scrimmage lasted about an hour and a half.

Head Coach Pat Sullivan said the scrimmage was a positive end to the team's spring practice.

"I thought it was a good scrimmage," Sullivan said. "The offense made some plays. The defense forced a couple of turnovers, which was good. I thought there were some positives on both sides of the ball."

Sophomore starting quarterback Dustin Taliaferro completed 16-of-24 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. Taliaferro connected with wide receiver DeMarcus Covington on a seven-yard touchdown in the fourth drive of the scrimmage.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Connor Lowery also saw extended time in the scrimmage. Lowery completed 11-of-18 passes for 71 yards and one interception.

Harris Johnson led the Bulldog running game. Johnson rushed seven times for 34 yards. Chris Evans had four rushes for 11 yards. Alex Barnett rushed three times for 10 yards, and Brock Johnson had one rush for 12 yards.

Dustin Taliaferro completed 16-of-24 passes for 132 yards and one touchdown in Thursday's final spring scrimmage.

Wide receiver Jacobi Rodriguez caught five passes for 49 yards. Riley Hawkins hauled in four passes for 48 yards. Richie Fordham had three receptions for 33 yards. Covington caught two passes for 14 yards and a touchdown.

Ryan Fordham caught two passes for 20 yards. Chinedu Amah had three catches for 14 yards and Brock Johnson caught two passes for 16 yards.

Thomas Broussard led the team in tackles with six. Patrick Foshee, Keith Shoulders and Isaac Cooper had five stops each. Kendall Lacey had an interception and Patrick Hatcher had one fumble recovery.

Matt Jordan made field goals from 42 and 45 yards out. Ben Meadows nailed kicks from 32 and 20 yards away. Bob Hooper punted twice in the scrimmage, averaging 42 yards per punt. Ben Aaberg also punted twice, with an average of 41 yards per kick.

Sullivan said he has been pleased with the spring overall.

"I thought we had a good spring," Sullivan said. "There is no question we are further along than we have ever been at this time of year."

Samford will open the 2009 season on Sept. 5 when the Bulldogs travel to Orlando, Fla., to take on the UCF Golden Knights. Samford's first home game of the 2009 season is scheduled for Sept. 12 against Jacksonville University at 6 p.m. at Seibert Stadium.

SPRING SCRIMMAGE STATISTICS

Passing:
Dustin Taliaferro: 16-of-24, 132 yds., 1 TD
Connor Lowery: 11-of-18, 71 yds., 1 Int.

Rushing:
Harris Johnson: 7 rushes, 34 yds.
Brock Johnson: 1 rush, 12 yds.
Chris Evans: 4 rushes, 11 yds.
Connor Lowery: 3 rushes, 11 yds.
Alex Barnett: 3 rushes, 10 yds.
Jay Tully: 2 rushes, 10 yds.
Jordan Lewis: 4 rushes, 8 yds.
Jonathan Sillers: 4 rushes, 8 yds.
Riley Hawkins: 1 rush, 6 yds.

Receiving:
Jacobi Rodriguez: 5 rec., 49 yds.
Riley Hawkins: 4 rec., 48 yds.
Richie Fordham: 3 rec., 33 yds.
Ryan Fordham: 2 rec., 20 yds.
Brock Johnson: 2 rec., 16 yds.
DeMarcus Covington: 2 rec., 14 yds, 1 TD
Chinedu Amah: 3 rec., 14 yds.
Kanon Burt: 2 rec., 11 yds.
David Strider: 2 rec., 3 yds.
Wes Alexander: 2 rec., 2 yds.

Defense:
Thomas Broussard: 6 tackles
Patrick Foshee: 5 tackles
Isaac Cooper: 5 tackles
Keith Shoulders: 5 tackles
C.J. Brown: 4 tackles, 1 sack
Ty Levie: 3 tackles
Chris Legette: 3 tackles
Cody Crowell: 3 tackles
Bryce Smith: 3 tackles
Sean Thompson: 2 tackles
Jeremy Towns: 1 tackle, 1 safety
Kendall Lacey: 1 tackle, 1 interception
Patrick Hatcher: 1 fumble recovery