Oct. 30, 2004

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Efrem Hill caught six passes for 163 yards and a touchdown to lead Samford to a 20-17 victory over Tennessee Tech Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. Hill became Samford's all-time leading receiver on the night with 2,998 career receiving yards, passing the record set by Aryvia Holmes of 2,955 yards.

"We stepped up and made plays when we had to," Samford head coach Bill Gray said. "We have a lot of work to do, but I am very proud of our team. Our guys were resilient today. We went through some tough things, but we got it done when we needed to."

Ray Nelson completed 19-of-36 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown. Steve Tennin led the team in tackles with 16, while Sean Hill and Mark Hamby each had an interception. Freshman placekicker Shannon Fleming made field goals of 45 and 42 yards. The kicks were the first field goals of his collegiate career, and the two longest field goals of the year for Samford.

Samford (4-5, 3-3 OVC) struck for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage when Nelson hit Hill on a 74-yard pass for the game's first points. Fleming added the extra point and Samford held an early 7-0 advantage.

After Samford's Hamby intercepted a Tennessee Tech pass, the Bulldogs drove 51 yards for another touchdown. Nelson scored on a two-yard run with 11:29 to go in the first quarter. Fleming's PAT increased Samford's lead to 14-0.

Samford pushed its lead to 17-0 when Fleming connected on a 45-yard field goal with 3:41 left in the first quarter. The field goal was the first of Fleming's collegiate career, and was Samford's longest of the season.

Tennessee Tech put its first points on the board when Josh Foster kicked a 28-yard field goal with 14:01 remaining in the second quarter to cut Samford's lead to 17-3. From that point on, neither team could score for the remainder of the half and the teams headed to halftime with the score 17-3.

Fleming booted his second field goal of the game, a 42-yarder with 8:08 to go in the third quarter. The kick made the score 20-3.

Tennessee Tech cut the Samford lead to 10 with 14:10 to go in the game. Craft hit Antonio Minor on a nine-yard touchdown pass and the extra point trimmed Samford's lead to 20-10.

The Golden Eagles struck again when Craft connected with Brent McNeal on a 12-yard touchdown with 8:20 to go in the game. The extra point cut the Samford lead to 20-17.

Tennessee Tech drove to the Samford 25-yard line late in the fourth quarter, but a Tennessee Tech fumble ended the threat to make the final score 20-17.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday, November 6, when they play on the road against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. The game is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. kickoff in Jacksonville, Ala.