Oct. 25, 2008

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Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team claimed its first home Southern Conference win with a 28-10 victory over The Citadel Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The game was played in front of a crowd of 8,453.

"It was a great win for us," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "I thought our kids played so hard, and that is where it starts. We didn't turn the football over and our time of possession was pretty good, and if you do that, you're going to have a chance."

For Samford (4-3, 2-2 SoCon), Chris Evans rushed 28 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Evans has now rushed for more than 100 yards in four-straight games.

Dustin Taliaferro completed 12-of-18 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Harris Johnson led Samford in receptions with four for 26 yards and a touchdown.

Bryce Smith was Samford's leading tackler with 12, including 10 solo stops. Patrick Hatcher had eight tackles, including a team-high three sacks.

For The Citadel (3-5, 1-3 SoCon), Andre Roberts had eight catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Bart Blanchard completed 13-of-15 passes for 143 yards, while Cam Turner completed 11-of-21 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Samford jumped on top first when Evans scored on a six-yard run with 7:05 to go in the first quarter. John Paul Fraites added the extra point to give Samford a 7-0 lead.

The Citadel tied the game with 14:25 to play in the second quarter. Turner hit Roberts for a 31-yard touchdown and Sam Keeler added the extra point to tie the score at 7-7.

Samford took the lead again when Taliaferro hit Johnson for a 10-yard touchdown with 4:28 to go in the second quarter. Fraites added the PAT to give Samford a 14-7 lead. Samford pushed its lead to 21-7 when Taliaferro scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 1:26 to go in the second quarter.

Samford struck again in the third quarter when Evans scored his second touchdown of the game, this one from nine-yards out with 5:45 to go in the third quarter. Fraites added the PAT to give Samford a 28-7 lead.

The Citadel closed the scoring when Keeler kicked a 31-yard field goal with 12:42 left in the fourth quarter to make the final score 28-10.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 1, when the Bulldogs play host to Furman at 2 p.m. at Seibert Stadium. The game will be televised live on SportSouth as part of the network's SoCon Saturday.