Sept. 4, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Ray Nelson hit Efrem Hill with a 31 yard touchdown pass with 18 second left in the first half as Samford outscored UWA 28-0 in the second quarter to take a commanding 37-14 halftime lead.

Nelson went 18-26 for 243 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. Hill has seven catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs exploded after a shakey first 15 minutes.

Ty Neil put the Bulldogs on the board first with a 32 yard field goal. West Alabama then drove 93 yards on 14 playes to take a 7-3 lead on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brett Gilliland to Gerald Gales.

Cortland Finnegan took the insueing kickoff 89 yards, but Neil's extra point was no good giving Samford a 9-7 lead. Once again, UWA drove the field driving 80 yards on six plays to take a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Bulldogs scored on every possession in the second quarter while totaling 215 yards of offense in the second period. UWA was held to just 16 yards of total offense in the second quarter.

Hill caught his third touchdown of the game on the Bulldogs first possession of the second half. Samford scored on five-straight possessions at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. UWA finally answered 35 straight Bulldog points with two third quarter touchdowns.

Samford missed a fourth quarter field goal and West Alabama was stopped on fourth down inside the Bulldog 20-yard line. With four minutes left in the game, Samford has the ball on its own 20-yard line.

Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
10:38, SAM, Ty Neil 32 yard FG -- 3-0
5:58, UWA, Gerald Gales 6 yard TD pass from Brett Gilliland -- 3-7
5:42, SAM, Cortland Finnegan 89 yard kickoff return (kick failed) -- 9-7
3:20, UWA, Gerald Gales 29 yard TD pass from Brett Gilliland -- 9-14

2nd Quarter
13:08, SAM, Adrian Horstead 10 yard TD pass from Ray Nelson (two point pass good) -- 17-14
7:25, SAM, Efrem Hill 27 yard TD pass from Ray Nelson -- 24-14
Josh Brennard 3 yard TD pass from Ray Nelson (2-point pass failed)-- 30-14
0:18, SAM, Efrem Hill 31 yard TD pass from Ray Nelson -- 37-14

3rd Quarter
12:19, SAM, Efrem Hill 9 yard TD pass from Ray Nelson -- 44-14
7:39, UWA, Laramie Cook 9 yard TD pass from Brett Gilliland --44-21
0:58, UWA, Presley Gilmore 1 yard run -- 44-28

4th Quarter