Sept. 10, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced for about an hour Thursday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The workout was the final full practice in preparation for Saturday's home opener against Jacksonville University.

Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said the players are excited about their first home game and they have gained some confidence after last week's performance at Central Florida.

"There's a lot of excitement," Sullivan said. "We went down to Central Florida last week and played awfully hard. We came up a little short and everyone was disappointed with that, but I think we gained some confidence for some of our young guys.

"I thought our effort last week was as good as any team I've been around," Sullivan said. "They didn't seem intimidated and they played with consistency."

Sullivan said the team has had a good week of preparation for its home-opening game on Saturday night.

"We've had a couple of good days of practice," Sullivan said. "I think our guys are ready to play and we're looking forward to it."

The Bulldogs will hold a final walk-through for Saturday's game Friday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.

Saturday's home opener against Jacksonville University is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.