March 27, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford defense forced six turnovers and the offense produced three rushing touchdowns to highlight the football team's first scrimmage of spring practice Saturday morning at Seibert Stadium.

"It was a typical first scrimmage," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "I thought the defense was ahead of the offense. The thing that was a plus for the defense was they created six turnovers, but on the offensive side, we can't turn the ball over."

Austin Hayes, Thomas Broussard, Keith Shoulders and Hunter Cassity came up with interceptions to lead the defense. Sean Thompson and Devyn Keith each had a fumble recovery in the scrimmage.

Offensively, Jonathan Sillers led the running game with 11 rushes for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Alex Barnett rushed 11 times for 29 yards and a touchdown. Chris Evans, seeing limited action, had seven rushes for 20 yards.

Starting quarterback Dustin Taliaferro and backup Connor Lowery split time behind center. Taliaferro completed 12-of-17 passes for 75 yards and two interceptions. Lowery completed 14-of-23 passes for 103 yards and two interceptions. Ryne Taylor played in the final drive of the scrimmage, completing 1-of-3 passes for five yards.

Richie Fordham had four receptions for 23 yards in the scrimmage. Jeff Ogren caught three passes for 26 yards. Chinedu Amah caught two passes for 28 yards, while Jacobi Rodriguez had two catches for 26 yards. DeMarcus Covington caught two passes for 22 yards.

Cameron Yaw was 4-for-4 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra-points in the scrimmage. Yaw made field goals from 43, 42, 36 and 31 yards out. Alex Davis, Patrick Hatcher and Luke Keller each had a sack in the scrimmage. Jamael Lett and Justin Sly each blocked a field goal.

"There were some positive plays," Sullivan said. "You can see some of the veterans, John Michael (Clay), Bryce (Smith) and Thomas Broussard, making plays. I thought Cameron Yaw had a good day, he made all of his kicks and that was really good to see.

"Obviously, we have to get more polished on offense," Sullivan said. "I thought our running backs ran hard and Jonathan Sillers looked like he had a good day."

The team will take Sunday and Monday off before returning to practice on Tuesday. The full-pad practice is scheduled to start at 4:15 p.m. at Seibert Stadium.

SAMFORD FOOTBALL SCRIMMAGE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing:
Connor Lowery: 14-of-23, 103 yards
Dustin Taliaferro: 12-of-17, 75 yards

Rushing:
Jonathan Sillers: 11 rushes, 37 yards, 2 TDs
Alex Barnett: 11 rushes, 29 yards, 1 TD
Chris Evans: 7 rushes, 20 yards
Richie Fordham: 3 rushes, 19 yards
Bill Kottas, 3 rushes, 17 yards

Receiving:
Richie Fordham: 4 receptions, 23 yards
Jeff Ogren: 3 receptions, 26 yards
Chinedu Amah: 2 receptions, 28 yards
Jacobi Rodriguez: 2 receptions, 26 yards
DeMarcus Covington: 2 receptions, 22 yards

Interceptions:
Austin Hayes, Thomas Broussard, Keith Shoulders, Hunter Cassity

Fumble Recoveries:
Devyn Keith, Sean Thompson

Blocked Field Goals:
Jamael Lett, Justin Sly