Oct. 26, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced in helmets Thursday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs are continuing to prepare for Saturday night's game at Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee State.

The practice was the Bulldogs' final full workout before Saturday night's game, which will be broadcast live on CSS.

Head coach Bill Gray said he felt good about his team's preparation this week.

"We are ready to go up and have a good ballgame," Gray said. "We will play a quality team, and we will play hard. We have had a good week of work and we are ready for the opportunity."

Samford and Tennessee State will be playing for the fourth time, with Samford holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. The games in the series have been close. Tennessee State won the first meeting, 29-24 in Birmingham in 2003, and Samford won in 2004, 42-36 in overtime in Nashville. Samford took last year's contest in Birmingham by a score of 31-11.

"We have a lot of respect for their program," Gray said of Tennessee State. "Every game we have played with them has been a close ballgame, and we have been fortunate enough to come out on top in a couple of them. This game won't be any different."

Saturday's game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff from Nashville's LP Field. The game can be heard locally on WVSU FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.al.com/wvsu or www.samfordsports.com. The game can be viewed on the internet via live streaming at www.ovcsports.tv. The game will also be televised live by CSS.