April 24, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team held its final scrimmage of the spring Thursday night at Seibert Stadium. The scrimmage consisted of about 70 played and lasted a little over an hour.

Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said he liked what he saw from the Bulldogs during the final workout of the spring.

"I was really pleased with the scrimmage," Sullivan said. "First, we were able to get through it without getting anyone hurt. Early on, the defense stopped the offense, but then the offense came up and made some plays. For the most part, the defense has been ahead this spring, but it was good to see the offense finish up by making some plays."

The Bulldogs went through some individual drills before beginning the scrimmage at around 6 p.m.

All three of Samford's quarterbacks saw action during the scrimmage. Senior Dante Williams completed 8-of-13 passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns. Williams threw a 20-yard touchdown to Brock Johnson, and he connected with Jonathan Lowery on six-yard score. Johnson caught three passes for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore Seth Harkness completed 5-of-8 passes on the night for 74 yards and a touchdown. Harkness hit DeMarcus Covington for an 11-yard touchdown. Covington led all receivers with four receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown.

Dante Williams threw two touchdown passes during Thursday night's scrimmage.

Redshirt freshman Richie Fordham completed 4-of-8 passes for 15 yards in the scrimmage.

Sophomore Chris Evans led the running game, rushing nine times for 45 yards. Alex Barnett had seven rushes for 35 yards and a touchdown. Marcus Rice rushed three times for 15 yards, and Harris Johnson rushed five times for 10 yards. Brock Johnson, in addition to his touchdown reception, had a 20-yard rushing touchdown in the scrimmage.

Defensively, Rodney Shepherd tallied seven tackles, one for a loss. Jeremy Richardson had seven tackles and Ty Levie had six tackles in the scrimmage. John Michael Clay added three tackles and one sack

"I think our defensive line is getting better," Sullivan said. "I thought our defense, overall, has really gotten better this spring. Getting the defense playing the way they are playing is big."

On special teams, Mark Prevost made 5-of-5 extra points and he was good on 2-of-3 field goals. He made field goals from 38 and 31 yards out.

Samford will kickoff the 2008 season on August 28, when the Bulldogs play host to West Georgia. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Seibert Stadium.