Sept. 29, 2005

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team outscored Southeast Missouri, 27-5 in the second half on its way to a 33-17 Ohio Valley Conference win Thursday night at Seibert Stadium.

"I'm pleased with the way we played in the second half," Samford head coach Bill Gray said. "We were sputtering a little in the first half. We settled down and took advantage of some things. We are fortunate the defense played well tonight."

For Samford (2-3, 1-1 OVC), Jefferson Adcock completed 19-of-38 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns. Justin Ray rushed for 90 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries. Ossie Buchannon caught six passes for 23 yards. With the six receptions, Buchannon now has 105 career receptions, placing him ninth on the school's all-time list.

For SEMO (0-5, 0-2 OVC), Mike Haley completed 15-of-32 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown.

Southeast Missouri struck first when Colin Schermann kicked a 35-yard field goal with 13:13 to play in the first quarter. The kick gave the Redhawks an early 3-0 lead. Samford came back with 8:45 to go in the first quarter when Adcock hit Jeff Moore for a 44-yard touchdown. Shannon Fleming's PAT was no good, giving Samford a 6-3 lead.

SEMO scored again when Haley hit Matt Boyack for a 10-yard score with 1:53 left in the opening period. The extra point was blocked by Cortland Finnegan, and the Redhawks held a 9-6 lead.

SEMO added to its lead late in the second quarter when Schermann nailed a 27-yard field goal with 6:19 to go in the second quarter to make the score 12-6.

Samford came back to take the lead when Ray scored on a 33-yard run with 10:33 to go in the third quarter. Fleming's PAT gave Samford the 13-12 lead. SEMO answered when Schermann booted a 20-yard field goal with 4:22 to go in the third to retake the lead at 15-13. Samford took the lead again when Adcock hit J.T. Washington on an 18-yard touchdown with three seconds left in the third quarter. Fleming added the extra point to give Samford a 20-15 lead.

Samford added to its lead when Adcock hit Joe Jones on a 13-yard touchdown with 12:27 to go in the game. On the two-point conversion, Adcock was intercepted by Romae Rucker, and the ball was returned for two points for SEMO, making the score 26-17. The final points were scored when Samford's Bobby Sherman intercepted a SEMO pass, and returned it 19 yards for his first collegiate touchdown. Fleming's PAT made the final score 33-17.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 8, when the Bulldogs play at Eastern Kentucky. Kickoff for the game is set for 5:30 p.m. Central.