Oct. 17, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced for about two hours in full pads Tuesday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs are preparing for Saturday's Homecoming Game against 16th-rankeed Tennessee-Martin.

The Tennessee-Martin (5-1, 2-0 OVC) offense is led by running backs Donald Chapman (91 rushes, 512 yards) and Marcus Dawson (90 rushes, 400 yards). As a team, the Skyhawks lead the OVC in scoring defense (13.0 ppg.) and are tied for the league lead in scoring offense (24.2 ppg.).

"They have a good football team," Samford head coach Bill Gray said. "They are playing with a lot of confidence. They have had a good first half of the season, and I have a lot of respect for them.

"They have two running backs in there that do a good job," Gray said. "They are pretty solid in that department, and they have done a good job with it."

Samford (3-4, 1-3 OVC) and Tennessee-Martin are meeting for the 18th time in football, with Samford holding a 15-1-1 advantage in the series. Last season, the teams met in Martin, Tenn., with Samford coming away with a 30-22 win.

Samford will practice again Wednesday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. Saturday's game is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium.