Oct. 8, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced for about two hours in shells Wednesday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs are continuing to prepare for Saturday's game against second-ranked and three-time defending national champion Appalachian State.

Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said the team is making progress as it prepares for Saturday's Southern Conference home opener.

"I thought we had a good practice, we are still putting in our game plan," Sullivan said. "I thought we were a little sharper today than we were yesterday. We're not where we need to be, but we have one more day to prepare and then it will be time to play."

Sullivan also said the coaching staff had selected the team captains for Saturday's game. Senior defensive lineman Mark Brown and senior linebacker Rodney Shepherd will be the defensive captains.

Senior offensive lineman Mitchell Waters and senior running back Adrian Bradley will be the captains on offense, while senior running back Marcus Rice will be the special teams captain.

"These guys have done a good job of giving us leadership all year," Sullivan said.

The Bulldogs will practice again Thursday at 3:45 p.m. at Seibert Stadium, and the Bulldogs will have a final walk-through Friday afternoon.

Saturday's game against Appalachian State is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium. The game can be heard live on the Samford Football Radio Network. The flagship station for the network is WVSU-FM 91.1. The game can also be heard worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/groups/wvsu/