Sept. 12, 2009

Jacksonville Game Photo Gallery
Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team posted a 27-0 shutout win over the Jacksonville University Dolphins in the Bulldogs' home opener Saturday evening at Seibert Stadium.

"This was a good win for us," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "We were able to play a lot of people, and we were able to rest a few people who were hurt. I was glad to get the win."

With the win, Samford improves to 1-1 on the season, while Jacksonville drops to 1-1 with the loss.

Samford quarterback Dustin Taliaferro completed 14-of-23 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Backup quarterback Connor Lowery also saw some playing time in the win, completing 4-of-8 passes for 40 yards.

Samford receiver Riley Hawkins caught three passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Jonathan Lowery had three receptions for 45 yards and a score. Running back Chris Evans rushed 13 times for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, freshman linebacker Darion Sutton led the Bulldogs with seven tackles, including one sack. Keith Shoulders had five tackles, while Erik Peterson had four tackles, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. As a unit, the Samford defense produced six sacks in the game.

For Jacksonville, Rudell Small rushed 16 times for 53 yards. Josh McGregor completed 8-of-21 passes for 62 yards.

Samford got on the scoreboard when Cameron Yaw kicked a 40-yard field goal with 6:43 to go in the first quarter to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.

Samford extended its lead when Taliaferro hit Hawkins for a 51-yard touchdown with 14:16 to go in the second quarter. Yaw added the extra point to make the score 10-0. Yaw booted his second field goal of the day, this one from 24-yards out, to give Samford a 13-0 lead with 5:17 to go in the second quarter.

Samford added one more touchdown before halftime when Taliaferro connected with Lowery for an eight-yard score with 13 seconds left in the second quarter. Yaw added the extra point to give Samford a 20-0 halftime lead.

Samford struck again with 6:55 to go in the third quarter when Evans scored on a one-yard run. Yaw's extra point made the final score 27-0.

The win marked the first shutout win for Samford since a 62-0 win over Faulkner on Sept. 6, 2008. As a team, Samford produced 18 first downs to just five for Jacksonville. The Bulldogs totaled 411 yards of total offense to 101 for Jacksonville.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, September 19, when the Bulldogs play host to cross-town rival Miles. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium.