Oct. 9, 2010

Box Score

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Samford defense forced five turnovers and running back Chris Evans rushed for 131 yards on 20 carries as the Bulldog football team earned its first Southern Conference win of the season, 38-7, Saturday afternoon at Western Carolina at E.J Whitmire Stadium.

Evans, who scored three touchdowns, eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark for his career in the win. Evans' Samford-record career rushing total is now 4,019.

Sophomore quarterback Connor Lowery earned his first collegiate start, completing 13-of-28 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The 38 points are the most Samford has scored in a Southern Conference game since joining the league in 2008.

"This was a complete game for us, especially in the first half," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "We needed a good win like this. We created some turnovers on defense and capitalized on them. Connor Lowery did a nice job and Chris Evans had a big day."

For the Samford defense, Jamael Lett had two interceptions, including one returned 59 yards for a touchdown. Thomas Broussard and Tae Lewis also had an interception for the Bulldogs. Erik Peterson had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Bryce Smith led the team in tackles with 10, including 1.5 tackles for loss.

For WCU, Michael Johnson rushed for 117 yards on 14 carries. Mitchell Bell and Rock Williams had 14 tackles apiece to lead the Catamount defense.

Samford struck first when Evans scored on a five-yard run on a fourth-and-one play. Cameron Yaw added the extra point to give Samford a 7-0 lead with 9:19 to go in the first quarter. The drive was set up when Peterson sacked WCU quarterback Brandon Pechloff, causing a fumble and recovering the ball at the WCU 27-yard line.

Samford added to its lead when Yaw kicked a 28-yard field goal. The kick gave the Bulldogs a 10-0 lead with 12:22 to go in the second quarter.

Evans scored his second touchdown of the game on a four-yard run with 10:09 to play in the second quarter. Yaw's PAT gave the Bulldogs a 17-0 lead. The score was set up when Broussard intercepted a WCU pass and returned it to the Catamounts' six-yard line.

Samford struck again when Lowery hit Jacobi Rodriguez for a 75-yard touchdown pass with 7:21 to go in the second quarter. Yaw's extra point pushed the Samford lead to 24-0. On the final play of the first half, Jamael Lett intercepted a Western pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. Yaw added the extra point to give Samford a 31-0 lead at halftime.

Evans scored his third touchdown of the day on a seven-yard run with 3:12 to go in the third quarter. Yaw's PAT made the score 38-0.

Western Carolina got on the scoreboard when Zac Brindise hit Jacoby Mitchell for a 25-yard touchdown with 13:28 to go in the fourth quarter. Blake Bostic added the extra point to cut Samford's lead to 38-7.

With the win, Samford improves to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in SoCon play. Western Carolina drops to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in league play.

Samford will return to action on Oct. 16, when the Bulldogs play host to the Furman Paladins. The game, which will be televised live on SportSouth, is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium.