Aug. 9, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University football team went through its first day of two-a-days on Monday. The team practiced in the morning in full pads, and then in the afternoon in shells. "The first day of two-a-days is always special, at every campus," Head Coach Bill Gray said. "We were very physical this morning, and then cut back a little this afternoon. But they still got a good taste of what two-a-days is all about. "I was pleased overall," Gray said. "We have a good group. They come in ready to work, and we have good senior leadership. We have done some good things on both sides of the ball. I thought the defense had the upper hand today in our team period. We put them in some third-down situations today and I thought they responded well. "We still have to find some guys up front on defense who will be consistent and make some plays," Gray said. "This is a big week for a lot of guys on this team as far as the depth chart is concerned. It is our job as coaches to put them in as many situations as possible so we can make the best decisions we can in evaluating talent. We have a lot of kids who are very capable, but we just need to see more consistency out of them." The Bulldogs will practice again on Tuesday. The team will work out in full gear, and will hit the practice field at 3:45 p.m. Samford opens the 2004 season on Saturday, August 28, when the Bulldogs play host to the West Alabama Tigers. Kickoff for the game is set for 6:00 p.m. at Seibert Stadium.