Nov. 4, 2006

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team was dropped its final home game of the 2006 season, 20-14, to Tennessee Tech Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.

The game was the final home game for Samford's 17 seniors.

"We had opportunities on both sides of the ball in this game," Samford head coach Bill Gray said. "Give them (Tennessee Tech) credit, they made some plays. We just didn't make enough plays."

Samford (3-7, 1-6 OVC) sophomore quarterback Alex Mortensen, in his first collegiate start, completed 14-of-26 passes for 88 yards on the day. Jeff Moore caught five passes for 50 yards, and he returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter. Justin Ray rushed seven times for 49 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs. Chase McTorry had seven tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery to lead the defense.

For Tennessee Tech (3-6, 3-3 OVC), Derek White rushed 20 times for 117 yards, and Anthony Ash rushed 18 times for 102 yards. Larry Shipp caught five passes for 121 yards and Lee Sweeney completed 17-of-28 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

After a Samford turnover gave Tennessee Tech the ball deep in Samford territory, the Golden Eagles got on the scoreboard with a 28-yard Nate Johnson field goal with 8:50 to go in the first quarter to give Tech a 3-0 lead. Samford took the lead on Moore's punt return for a touchdown with 24.5 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Shannon Fleming added the extra point to give Samford a 7-3 lead.

Tennessee Tech cut the Samford lead to 7-6 when Johnson kicked a 21-yard field goal with 8:56 to go in the second quarter. Tennessee Tech took the lead with 43.9 seconds left before halftime when Sweeney hit Bryan Ottrix for a 13-yard touchdown. The PAT gave the Golden Eagles a 13-7 lead.

Sweeney connected with Shipp on a 57-yard touchdown with 6:40 to go in the third quarter. The PAT gave the Golden Eagles a 20-7 lead. Ray scored on a 12-yard run with 3:19 to play in the third quarter, and Fleming's PAT cut the TTU lead to 20-14. The play was set up by a 37-yard run on a reverse by Freddy Young earlier in the drive. Neither team could score the rest of the way, giving the Golden Eagles the 20-14 win.

Samford will wrap up the 2006 regular season on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Jacksonville State. Kickoff for the game is set for 11:00 a.m., and the game will be broadcast live in CSS.