Oct. 15, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced for an hour and a half in shells Wednesday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs are in the middle of their final open week of the 2008 season.

Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said the Bulldogs worked a lot on fundamentals. At the end of the practice, the younger players went through a short scrimmage.

"We had a good, fundamental practice," Sullivan said. "We scrimmaged some of our young guys, and it is good to give them an opportunity."

The Bulldogs will hold their final practice of the week Thursday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. at Seibert Stadium.

"We'll come back and practice again tomorrow, before taking the weekend off," Sullivan said. "Then we will come back and get ready for The Citadel."

After the first six games of the season, the Samford defense leads the Southern Conference in rushing defense (89.5 ypg.), interceptions (10 in six games) and opponent first downs (15.7 pg.). Sullivan said he has liked what he has seen from the defense so far this season.

"It's been a team effort," Sullivan said. "Our defense has gotten better. Coach D (defensive coordinator Bill D'Ottavio) and his staff have done a great job. The players have learned the system and stayed healthy. And, then, the offense has kept the ball. When you keep the ball, you keep them off the field.

"I couldn't be more excited about our defense," Sullivan said. "We've gotten more people who are able to play. We've been able to get a good rotation going and they don't get as tired. We're headed in the right direction."

Samford's Homecoming game against The Citadel on Oct. 25 is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium. The game can be heard live on the Samford Football Radio Network. The flagship station for the network is WVSU-FM 91.1. The game can also be heard worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/groups/wvsu/.