Sept. 7, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Below is a transcript of a question-and-answer session with Samford head coach Bill Gray on Tuesday. Due to heavy rain in the Birmingham area, the Bulldogs had to move inside for Tuesday's practice. The team will practice again on Wednesday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. at the practice fields on campus.

WHAT WILL YOU TAKE FROM THE GEORGIA TECH GAME INTO THIS WEEK'S GAME AGAINST FURMAN?
"I hope the biggest thing that comes out of that game, for us, is confidence, and a realization that, when we play hard on every snap we have a chance every Saturday, no matter who is on the other side of the football. I thought our guys played a lot harder on Saturday than they did against West Alabama, and I hope that is because we realized that is the only way we can play the game, and not because of who we were playing. We need to get to the point where we play hard every week. So, I hope confidence in our ability to make plays is the biggest thing to come out of that trip to Atlanta."

IS THERE ANYONE WHO STEPPED UP AND HAD A GOOD GAME ON SATURDAY?
"There were several that played well. I thought Jay McCurty did a good job on defense. Our freshmen up front on defense, none of them really stood out, but I thought they played with a lot of heart, and they are making mistakes that are made by guys with a lack of experience. They will continue to get better. I thought Cortland Finnegan had a tremendous game, and was all over the field. Our corners, Sean Hill, T.C. Myers and Chase McTorry, with exception of maybe a couple of plays, played really well. They had some big time pass deflections, and broke up some balls that could have been sure touchdowns. I think our offensive line is getting better. I thought Brad Baker played a good game, and Payton Sides, at times, played really well, and he is learning more about what we expect out of him each week. So, there were plenty of signs of improvement from guys who normally aren't the marquee players."

DOES PLAYING THE FIFTH-RANKED TEAM IN THE COUNTRY GIVE THE TEAM EXTRA INCENTIVE TO PREPARE TO PLAY?
"We shouldn't need something to get us excited to play, but when you are playing a team the caliber of Furman with the tradition they have, that is reason enough to go out and play hard. This is a game that I felt all along would give us an idea of where we are as a football team. We will know after Saturday night how much work we have to do, or how far along we've come as a team. So, we are looking forward to it, and it should be a good test for us."

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE FROM THIS WEEK'S GAME INTO THE OFF WEEK AND THE CONFERENCE SEASON?
"We felt like, when we set up the schedule, that we should win the first one. And then we should go over to Georgia Tech and play hard, which we did, and then have a true test on our level at home against Furman, and that is the way it is working out. The open date will come at a great time, win or lose on Saturday, because it will give us a chance to regroup, and get ready for the second part of the schedule, which is the conference schedule. There are still so many things we can get improve on as a team. I thought we came out of Atlanta a better football team. You don't always see that because of the outcome, but I do think we came out a better team, and hopefully we can take another step forward this Saturday. But, it will take a total team effort against Furman. I'm sure there will be plenty to work on for the off week, but this is a big week for us."

WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FORM THE FURMAN FOOTBALL TEAM?
"They are well coached. They do a lot of things offensively, and they've got Ingle Martin in at quarterback, who transferred from Florida. They can throw the football, and run the football, and they make you cover a lot of ground. They have experience up front with the offensive line, and they have worked well as a unit. What I've noticed about them on film is their receivers block really well down field. They've got guys that can go get the football, but they take pride in their blocking, which helps the running game. They return nine starters on defense, and were number one in the country last year in pass defense. They just have a solid football team. Like last week, we have to go in trying not to give up the big play, and make them earn everything they do. Last week, we gave up seven plays in the first half of over 15 yards, and we only gave up one in the second half of over 15 yards. So, that is making the opponent work for everything they get, and we have to do the same thing this week against Furman. I think what makes them a good football team is they come to the field expecting to win. I'd like to believe we have gotten to that point as a team, and hopefully we have."