Oct. 14, 2002

Samford returned to the practice field Monday after having an open date over the weekend. With the campus on Fall Break, the Bulldogs had the opportunity to get two workouts in the morning and afternoon. Samford worked for one hour in the morning session before practicing for a longer period of time in the afternoon.

"We took advantage of the break and got out there this morning and had good special teams work. We covered all phases of the kicking game so we could concentrate on offense and defense this afternoon," Samford head coach Bill Gray said.

The Bulldogs will have their hands full on both sides of the ball when they host Alcorn State at 1 p.m. at Seibert Stadium Saturday for Homecoming. The Braves (5-1) are coming off a 33-13 win over Prairie View A&M. Sophomore quarterback Donald Carrie has already thrown for more than 1,200 yards this season.

"We had some good 1-on-1 work with the defensive backs. Our secondary has a big challenge this weekend. Alcorn has some pretty good receivers, but we're expecting our secondary to make some plays," Gray said.

Samford will start to install the majority of its game plan Tuesday. The Bulldogs will hold a special teams practice in the morning, before holding a regular practice in the afternoon.

"I'm more concerned about us making some improvement from the Jacksonville State game. Our legs are fresh again as we get ready for this six-game stretch," Gray said. "I have a lot of respect for Alcorn State; but at the same, we have to make sure we get better regardless of who we're playing. That's mainly what we're focusing on."