Oct. 10, 2009

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Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team fell at home for the first time in the 2009 season in a 14-7 setback to Chattanooga in a Southern Conference showdown Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.

With the loss, Samford drops to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in SoCon play. Chattanooga improves to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in league play.

"We turned it over twice inside the five-yard line, and we're not good enough to do that," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "Give them credit, they forced some things and did some good things. I thought they played awfully well. Their quarterback played well and made some clutch throws."

Chattanooga's B.J. Coleman completed 18-of-31 passes for 249 yards in the Mocs' win. Chris Pritchford caught five passes for 135 yards. Joseph Thornton led the Mocs' defense with 10 tackles. Jordan Tippit had an interception and Ryan Consiglio had a fumble recovery.

For Samford, Dustin Taliaferro completed 25-of-31 passes for 165 yards and one interception. Riley Hawkins, playing for the first time in three weeks, caught five passes for 50 yards. Chris Evans rushed 21 times for 64 yards.

Samford's Bryce Smith led all tacklers with 11 stops, including 10 solo tackles. Punter Bob Hooper set a Samford record by averaging 54.2 yards on five punts. The previous record was 49.6 by Scott Holmes against Central Florida in 1995.

Chattanooga jumped on top first when Coleman scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak. Craig Camay added the extra point to give the Mocs a 7-0 lead with 6:31 to go in the first quarter.

Chattanooga added another touchdown when Chris Awuah scored on another one-yard run with 9:40 to go in the second quarter. Camay's extra-point made the score 14-0.

Samford had a chance to score late in the second quarter when the Bulldogs drove to the Mocs' five-yard line. However, an Evans fumble, recovered by Consiglio ended the threat, and Chattanooga took a 14-0 lead into halftime.

Samford drove to the Chattanooga six-yard line late in the third quarter, but a Taliaferro pass was intercepted by Tippit to keep the Bulldogs scoreless.

Samford got on the scoreboard when Taliaferro scored on a one-yard sneak with 9:59 to go in the game. Cameron Yaw's extra point made the score 14-7. The Samford scoring drive was 14 plays, 66 yards and lasted 5:40.

The Samford defense did not allow a second-half point for the fifth-straight game. The only team that has scored on the Bulldogs in the second half was UCF in the team's season-opening game.

As a team, Chattanooga totaled 300 yards of total offense, while Samford piled up 208 yards. Samford had the ball for 31:30, while Chattanooga controlled the ball for 28:30.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Bulldogs travel to Greenville, S.C., to take on the Furman Paladins. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. (CT) kickoff.