Aug. 25, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team held its final preseason scrimmage Thursday night at Seibert Stadium. The scrimmage was a two-hour scripted scrimmage. The team went through game-type situations to prepare for the season-opener on Sept. 1.

"We definitely found some things we still need to polish up on," Samford Head Coach Bill Gray said. "We had a couple of times tonight when we were short on personnel. One of the things we went through was faking an injury so we could see how much the backups on the sidelines were paying attention to the ballgame.

"For the most part, we accomplished what we wanted to accomplish," Gray said. "We wanted to get some good work in, and we came off the field healthy. We just went through every situation that could come up next Thursday, and hopefully, next time it happens, we will be prepared for it."

The team is now beginning its game-week preparations for its season-opener against Edward Waters College.

"It is game week," Gray said. "We even started today, looking at Edward Waters, personnel-wise with our young guys, who will now start running the opponent's stuff in practice. The red-shirt year is a tough time for them, but we have been very pleased with our freshmen and the effort they have been giving."

Samford will practice Friday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. at Seibert Stadium. The season-opener against Edward Waters on Sept. 1, is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Seibert Stadium.