Sept. 19, 2009

Miles Game Photo Gallery

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team used a strong second half to take a 31-12 win over the Miles College Golden Bears Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.

Samford trailed, 12-3 at halftime, but the Bulldogs outscored the Golden Bears, 28-0 in the second half on the way to the win.

"In the first half, we were a little sloppy, especially on offense," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "Give Miles some credit for that, but our defense did a nice job of hanging in there.

"I thought one of the big differences in the second half was our kicking game," Sullivan said. "We did a nice job of pinning them deep and then we were able to get some points off of that. It was a good win for us and I was glad to get it."

Samford (2-1) was led by Chris Evans, who had 23 rushes for 162 yards and one touchdown. DeMarcus Covington caught three passes for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Samford limited Miles to just 28 yards rushing and 160 yards of total offense. Ryan Anderson and John Michael Clay had two sacks each. C.J. Brown led the team in tackles with seven.

For Miles (2-2), Carlton Hill completed 13-of-27 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Jeremy Cody caught five passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns.

Miles jumped on top first when Hill threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Cody with 11:55 to go in the second quarter. Jon Rodriguez missed the extra-point attempt to make the score 6-0, Miles.

On Samford's ensuing possession, Dustin Taliaferro was intercepted by Justin Hill at the Miles 40-yard line, and Hill returned the ball to the Samford 17-yard line. Hill then hit Cody for a 17-yard touchdown with 11:18 to go in the second quarter. The extra-point attempt was no good, giving Miles a 12-0 lead.

Samford put its first points on the scoreboard when Cameron Yaw kicked a 34-yard field goal with 6:50 to go in the second quarter. Yaw's kick cut the Miles lead to 12-3.

On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Evans rushed 51 yards to the Miles seven-yard line. On the next play, Taliaferro hit Covington for a seven-yard touchdown. Yaw added the extra point to cut the Miles lead to 12-10 with 14:16 to go in the third quarter.

Samford took its first lead of the game when Taliaferro scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 7:45 to go in the third quarter. Yaw added the extra point to give the Bulldogs a 17-12 lead.

Taliaferro scored his second rushing touchdown on a five-yard run with 12:02 to go in the fourth quarter, and Yaw's PAT made the score 24-12. Samford started its drive at the Miles 12-yard line after Samford's Erik Peterson forced a Miles fumble.

Samford finished the scoring when Evans scored on a seven-yard run with 6:27 to go in the game. Yaw's extra point made the final score 31-12.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 26, when the Bulldogs open Southern Conference play at 10th-ranked Appalachian State. The game is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. (CT) start from Boone, N.C.