Aug. 8, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford practiced in full pads for the first time on Friday afternoon in a two and a half hour workout on the practice fields. The Bulldogs continued to implement new schemes and get the young players used to playing on the college level.

"We had a good day. We got to come out here and get rough and tough," Head Coach Bill Gray said. "We saw some young guys who showed us some tenacity and some spunk and we like that. We still have a lot of work to do, but when they left the field today they knew they got something done. It feels nice to get the pads on, because that is what football is all about. We didn't do a lot this afternoon, but we did enough for the players to know what we expect out of them and I like the way they responded and what I like the most is the way they finished strong."

Tomorrow will be the beginning of two-a-days for the Bulldogs. They will practice in the morning at 7:55 in full pads and come back in shells at 3:45 for the afternoon practice. Both will take place on the practice field on the campus of Samford University. Coach Gray is looking forward to stepping it up a notch.

"We have to see if we can come back tomorrow morning and put two back-to-back practices together and get something accomplished. The players have a decision tonight; they can go in and feel sorry for themselves or get excited and get ready to play football in the morning."

The Bulldogs open the 2003 season on the road against Chattanooga, Thursday August, 28. The game will be televised by The Football Network and kickoff is set for 7:00 pm.