Nov 8, 2003

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford's Efrem Hill caught a school-record 16 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not enough, as the Bulldogs fell to rival Jacksonville State, 49-32, Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The game was played in front of 10,780 fans, the second largest crowd in Seibert Stadium history.

Samford (6-4, 4-3 OVC) struck first when quarterback Ray Nelson hit Fred Gilliam on a 14-yard touchdown pass with 12:44 to go in the first quarter. Ty Neil made the point after to give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead. Nelson's touchdown pass was the 37th of his career, setting a new Samford record.

Jacksonville State (6-3, 5-1 OVC) answered on its first drive when Gamecock quarterback Maurice Mullins scored on a three-yard run with 7:18 left in the opening quarter. Steven Lee added the extra point to tie the score at 7-7. Samford had a chance to take the lead back late in the first quarter, but Neil's 34-yard field goal attempt was blocked by JSU's Antoine Bullock.

The Gamecocks took the lead when Mullins hit Ralph Jenkins on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 12:23 to go in the second quarter. Lee's point after gave JSU a 14-7 lead. Samford came back to tie the game when Nelson scored on a six-yard touchdown run with 6:24 to go before halftime. Neil's point after was good, and the score was 14-14. After a Samford fumble on a kickoff, Jacksonville State's Kory Chapman rushed for a 19-yard touchdown on the next play. The point after gave the Gamecocks a 21-14 lead with 3:53 to go in the first half. Samford answered when Nelson hit Hill for an eight-yard score with 1:26 to go in the second quarter. Neil's PAT was good, and the two teams went into halftime tied at 21-21. Hill's touchdown catch was his 13th of the season, setting a new school single-season record.

Jacksonville State's Marcus Mitchell gave the Gamecocks the lead back when he scored on a one-yard run with 12:08 left in the third quarter. The extra point gave JSU a 28-21 lead. Neil cut the JSU lead to 28-24 when he kicked a 30-yard field goal with 8:54 left in the third quarter. Jacksonville State's Oscar Bonds scored on a one-yard run with 4:33 left in the third quarter. The extra point gave the Gamecocks a 35-24 lead.

Nelson hit Hill on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 11:56 to go in the game. The Bulldogs went for the two-point conversion, and Nelson hit Fred Gilliam to cut the JSU lead to 35-32. After Samford fumbled a JSU punt, the Gamecocks scored on the next play when Mullins took it in from 14 yards out with 7:07 to play. The extra point gave JSU a 10-point lead at 42-32. Mullins scored again on a two-yard run with 4:04 to play to make the final score 49-32.

For the game, Nelson was 34-for-60, both Samford single-game records, for 360 yards and three touchdowns.

For JSU, Chapman rushed for 104 yards on 17 carries, and Mitchell rushed 12 times for 102 yards. It was the first time since August 30, 2001, against Cumberland College that the Gamecocks have had two backs run for over 100 yards.

Samford will take next week off from competition, and will return to action on November 22, when the Bulldogs play at Eastern Illinois for the team's season finale. Kickoff for the game is set for 1:30 p.m.