Jan. 6, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Six home games, including the renewal of a series with Furman and four Ohio Valley Conference contests, plus a matchup at Georgia Tech, highlight the 2004 Samford football schedule released today by director of athletics Bob Roller.

The Bulldogs of head coach Bill Gray will enter their second season of play in the OVC this fall with one of the most explosive offenses in NCAA Division I-AA. Led by 2003 consensus All-America receiver Efrem Hill and quarterback Ray Nelson, the Bulldogs led the OVC in scoring, averaging 31.8 points per game, and in passing, throwing for 271.5 yards per contest.

Hill, who caught 92 passes for a school-record 1,387 yards, will be a leading candidate for the 2004 Walter Payton Award given to the top player in NCAA Division I-AA.

Samford will open the 2004 slate on a Thursday night with a home game versus in-state opponent West Alabama on Aug. 26. The Bulldogs will travel to Atlanta for their first-ever meeting with an Atlantic Coast Conference team on Labor Day weekend to face Georgia Tech on Sept. 4.

Perennial I-AA power Furman will invade Seibert Stadium on Sept. 11 before the Bulldogs close the seasons with eight OVC matchups.

"We are very excited about our schedule," Gray said. "To have six home games is always a plus, and to add Furman, which has an excellent program, is a positive as well. Being able to play a Division I-A game just two hours away at Georgia Tech is exciting for our players and our fans. It is also exciting to have the schedule finalized in January, which is one of the positives of being in a conference."

Samford surprised most predictions during its inaugural OVC campaign in 2003. The Bulldogs finished with a 7-4 record and swept the post-season conference honors, with Hill being named the Offensive Player of the Year, safety Cortland Finnegan being named the Defensive Player of the Year and Gray earning Coach of the Year honors.

COMPLETE 2004 SAMFORD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Aug. 26, West Alabama; Sept. 4, at Georgia Tech; Sept. 11, Furman; Sept. 25, at Southeast Missouri State; Oct. 2, Eastern Kentucky; Oct. 9, at Murray State; Oct. 16, UT-Martin; Oct. 23, at Tennessee State; Oct. 30 Tennessee Tech; Nov. 6 at Jacksonville State; Nov. 20 Eastern Illinois.