Oct. 27, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team begins preparations for a critical Ohio Valley Conference road game against Tennessee Tech this afternoon with a workout on the practice field on Samford's campus. The Bulldogs and Golden Eagles will kickoff at 2:00 p.m. in Cookeville, Tenn., on Saturday.

Q&A with Head Coach Bill Gray

What are you looking for from the team over the final three games of the season? "We can not afford to stub our toe anymore if we still want a shot to get a ring, or still have a shot to make the playoffs. I still firmly believe that if we go out and take care of business the next three games we still have a chance to reach our goals. We have got to play better this upcoming week against Tennessee Tech than we did against Tennessee State. We just made too many mistakes. It is now a three game season, and we have to take them one at a time. We have to win this first one at Tennessee Tech, or the last two don't mean nearly as much."

This team has exceeded expectations this season. What can you attribute that to? "First and foremost, the success of this team starts with the players that we recruit, and the coaches working hard not only on the field, but also off the field. There is a lot of excitement about what we are doing now, and that generates more response from recruits. I think we have developed a work ethic over the past couple of springs and I think we are starting to see some of that manifest on the football field. I think we have gotten to the point where we go out every week expecting to win, rather than going out with the attitude of, 'Let's see what happens'."

Freshman Chris Hicks has played very well over the past few weeks. How impressed with him are you? "Chris has done a great job punting since taking over the job midway through the season. We felt like he was going to be a good player from the beginning, but we wanted to redshirt him and keep him for four more years. We have not missed a beat with him coming in and punting for us. We went with him for two reasons: Number one, just continue to improve as a team in punting, and number two, to give Ty Neal an opportunity to concentrate on field goals and extra points."

What has been the biggest surprise of the season so far? "The biggest surprise is how well our defense has played and how they have created so many turnovers. We were very poor in that area last season, and we are playing a lot of young people this year. I know we have not just shut anybody down, but they are playing well enough to put our offense in a position to score. And in turn that puts us in a position to win games."