Oct. 18, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced for about two hours Tuesday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs began installing the game plan for this week's game at Tennessee-Martin.

"I thought we had a solid day," Samford head coach Bill Gray said. "I thought the special teams had a good day with Chris Hicks continuing to punt the ball really well. I was so pleased with our special teams play for the most part last Saturday. I think it is because of the effort we put into it during the week.

"Another guy who goes unnoticed a lot is Andrew Childers," Gray said. "He has been very consistent, not just this year, but for three years as our long-snapper. A lot of times we take that for granted, but we were reminded today just how important that is."

Gray added that his team faces a big challenge in this week's opponent, Tennessee-Martin.

"We are playing a team that is playing with a lot of confidence," Gray said. "They've got a good football team, and they have done a great job to change the face of that program the last three years."

Samford will practice again on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. at Seibert Stadium. Saturday's game is scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff from Hardy Graham Stadium in Martin, Tenn. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samfordsports.com or www.al.com/wvsu.