Aug. 20, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University football team practiced for two and a half hours at the practice field on campus Wednesday afternoon in continuing preparation for the 2003 season.

"We came out with the idea of taking the mistakes from last night's scrimmage and correcting them," head coach Bill Gray said. "I thought they came out and worked hard today. We had some good work and had some spirited red zone work again."

Gray added the Bulldogs worked some on special teams as well in Wednesday's session.

"The biggest play in football is the blocked punt," Gray said. "So, every chance we get, we are going to work on the special teams area, and we did that again today."

Thursday begins game-week preparations for the team's season-opener, as the first game of the 2003 season is scheduled for Thursday, August 28, at Chattanooga.

"Game week is finally here, and we'll focus on Chattanooga," Gray said. "W e will continue to focus on what we think Chattanooga will do on both sides of the ball. We've got to make sure when the guys get off the bus in Tennessee, they know what to do."

On Thursday, Samford will, once again, practice in the afternoon at the practice field on campus. The Bulldogs will hit the field at 3:45 p.m.

The Samford-Chattanooga game is set for a 7:00 p.m. kick-off on August 28. The game will be televised by The Football Network.