Aug. 28, 2008

Box Score
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Talbird Circle Tailgate Photo Gallery

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford sophomore running back Chris Evans rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, and the Bulldogs held on late for a 21-19, season-opening win over West Georgia Thursday night at Seibert Stadium. The game was played in front of a crowd of 8,240.

"I want to thank our Samford crowd and Samford family," head coach Pat Sullivan said. "What an atmosphere we had to play in tonight. They stayed behind us and helped our guys and I want to thank them for what they did."

Evans' 180 yards mark the second-highest rushing total of his Samford career, behind the 212 yards he had against Austin Peay in 2007.

"What a job Chris Evans did in the second half," Sullivan said. "This was a good win for us."

Samford played two quarterbacks in the game. Starter Dustin Taliaferro was 9-for-19 for 84 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Matt Malouf also played off the bench, completing 10-of-12 passes for 101 yards.

Senior linebacker Rodney Shepherd led the team in tackles with eight, including one for a loss. Kyle Morton had seven tackles and a key interception late in the game.

On special teams, Bob Hooper averaged 41.8 yards on six punts, placing three kicks inside the 20-yard line. Place-kicker John Paul Fraites was 3-for-3 on point-after attempts.

"I think one of the big keys to our win tonight was the punting of Bob Hooper," Sullivan said. "John Paul not only made all of his kicks, but he kicked the ball off well."

For West Georgia, Sean Gray completed 24-of-50 passes for 315 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Wilson Kimble caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns.

Samford got on the board first when Taliaferro hit Jonathan Lowery for a five-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone with 2:22 to play in the first quarter. The play capped a 19-play, 99-yard drive that took 7:31 off the clock. Fraites added the extra point to give Samford a 7-0 lead.

West Georgia tied the score with 11:59 to play in the second quarter when Gray hit Kimble on a 14-yard touchdown. Jared Guberman added the PAT to tie the score at 7-7. The Wolves took the lead with 6:47 left in the second quarter when Guberman kicked a 28-yard field goal to make the score 10-7.

The score remained 10-7 through most of the third quarter until Samford retook the lead with 4:08 to go in the quarter. Evans ran for a six-yard score and Fraites added the PAT to give the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead.

West Georgia cut the Samford lead to 14-13 with 11:25 to go in the fourth quarter when Guberman kicked a 24-yard field goal. Evans then struck for his second touchdown of the game, scoring on a 54-yard run with 10:37 to play. Fraites' PAT gave Samford a 21-13 lead.

West Georgia cut the Samford lead to 21-19 on an 87-yard touchdown pass from Gray to Kimble with 4:53 to play. The two-point conversion attempt was no good, preserving Samford's lead.

West Georgia drove into Samford territory again late in the fourth quarter, but Morton's interception with 1:39 to play ended the Wolves' final threat.

Samford is now 1-0 with the win, while West Georgia is 0-1. The win marks the seventh year in a row Samford has won its season-opening game.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 6, when the Bulldogs play host to Faulkner. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium.