Aug. 12, 2000

Saturday's two-a-day practices at Samford found offensive coaches pleased with their unit's performance, while defensive coaches remain reserved until the Bulldogs go in full gear on Tuesday.

"We've thrown everything we've got at them so far, and they've handled it very well," said offensive coordinator Joel Williams. "Since Friday morning's practice, we have installed our top run and pass packages, and we're clicking away. We wanted to have all of our basic packages in by Sunday, and we've achieved that. Right now we are doing things that we did 14 days into practice last year."

The Bulldog offense returns nine starters from last year's team that set school records for yards gained in a season (3,439), rushing attempts in a season (627) and rushing touchdowns in a season (41). "That's the advantage of having experience," Williams added. "The best thing about our young guys is that they're not being counted on right now."

Along with a young defense, head coach Pete Hurt is looking to shore up a kicking game that was a weak spot in last year's 7-4 season. The place-kicking and punting duties are wide open for five kickers, including Vestavia's Ty Neil and Trussville's Jared Chiarella.

"Our kickers are coming along, improving every day on everything we ask of them," Hurt said. "But we are bringing them along slowly because they're young.

"I've liked our efforts this week, and I've been impressed with the athleticism of several of our players," Hurt added. "Our offense is picking up right where it left off, while our defense is basically starting at square one. We'll get a better idea of what we have next week when we get into pads."

The Bulldogs will attend The Church at Brook Hills as a team on Sunday to hear guest speaker Jeremiah Castille, then return to campus for practice Sunday afternoon. Head Coach Pete Hurt will also be speaking at a luncheon at the Riverside Community Church on Sunday.