Aug. 4, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team held its first fall practice of the 2008 season Monday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs worked out for about two hours in shorts and helmets.

Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said he liked what he saw from his team in its first fall practice.

"I thought we were in good condition," Sullivan said. "I thought we got in a lot of good fundamental work, and we were able to look at a lot of our new players. We have a long way to go, but it was a really good first day."

Sullivan pointed out a few players who stood out during Monday's workout.

"It's kind of hard in shorts to tell much, but you can see (freshman receiver) Riley Hawkins can run," Sullivan said. "I thought (sophomore running back) Chris Evans looked smooth. (Junior receiver) Jonathan Lowery also had a good day. Defensively, it looked like our linebackers had a good practice."

Earlier on Monday, Sullivan and five of the team's seniors, Marcus Rice, Rodney Shepherd, Quinton Smith, Tommy Smith and Mitchell Waters met with the media at Samford's annual Football Media Day, which was held in the Pete Hanna Center.

The Bulldogs will return to practice on Tuesday with a workout at 3:10 p.m. in shorts and helmets. The team's first practice in full pads is scheduled for Aug. 8 at 8:20 a.m. The Bulldogs' first two-a-day workout is scheduled for Aug. 9.