Aug. 23, 2000

Samford football concluded its two-a-day practices Wednesday evening, practicing in full pads under the lights at Seibert Stadium in preparation for the season opener against Chattanooga on Aug. 31.

"It was great to be under the lights, and we got some good work done tonight," said Samford Head Coach Pete Hurt. "Offensively we have thrown a lot at them, and now we can start honing our offense and continue to polish up our execution as we get ready for Chattanooga.

"Defensively, we are making progress. The biggest thing I see is that we're getting better every day," Hurt added. "We have young guys out there hustling, giving outstanding effort, and we are developing some depth, even though it is young. The biggest test for them will come when they have to improve every snap in a big matchup like we have coming up against group with a veteran quarterback and receivers."

* The Bulldogs opened and closed its evening session by working on special teams, an area which has been a point of emphasis for head coach Pete Hurt since the beginning of fall practice. With one week remaining until kickoff, Hurt has officially narrowed his choices to sophomore transfer Chip Walters and freshman Ty Neil. Neil could also be in the mix as a punter, along with fellow freshman Jonathan Reynolds.

"We got some good work from Ty Neil and Chip Walters tonight, and if we had to go play right now the job would go to one of them," Hurt said. "I was also pleased with how Jonathan Brunson, our long-snapper, and our holder Rob Shaw handled the live pressure. There's still a good battle between Ty and Jonathan Reynolds for the punting job as well."

* Turnovers and lack of concentration caused Hurt to call his offense aside at one point during practice, challenging his offensive unit to improve. "I told them when we first started practice that they would have to fight complacency, and I reminded them of that tonight," Hurt said. We also can't have the sloppy play and turnovers that we've seen, and I think they responded to that."

* Wide receiver Aryvia Holmes has drawn praise from Hurt since returning to the field from a foot injury, as did defensive end Blake Hall. Hall injured his neck in the first day of pads last week, but Hurt says his recent work has him back in the wide open fight along the defensive front. Hurt also singled out junior tailback Gary Reed, adding that Reed "has had an outstanding training camp." Reed's work solidifies him for playing time as senior Rashad Brewer returns slowly from a foot injury.