Sept. 25, 2010

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Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team dropped a 35-17 decision to top-ranked Appalachian State in the Bulldogs' Southern Conference opener Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The game was played in front of a crowd of 9,428, the 10th-largest crowd in Seibert Stadium history.

"There is no one, from coaches to players, that did all they were capable of," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "There's a lot of frustration right now. But, that's life and you have to learn these lessons, and how we react to adversity will determine how we will be the rest of this year. We have to stick together. Obviously, we'll have to play better than we did today."

Samford drops to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in Southern Conference play with the loss. Appalachian State improves to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.

Samford was led offensively by freshman running back Fabian Truss, who rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on six carries. The performance marked Truss' first 100-yard performance of his career.

Dustin Taliaferro completed 10-of-24 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Quin Roberson caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. Kelsey Pope had four catches for 38 yards. Chris Evans rushed 11 times for 40 yards.

Defensively for Samford, Bryce Smith had another strong performance with 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops. Darion Sutton had nine tackles, including eight solo tackles.

For Appalachian State, DeAndre Presley completed 16-of-27 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Presley also rushed 15 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Cline caught four passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. Ben Jorden had three receptions for 40 yards and a score.

D.J. Smith led the Appalachian State defense with 14 tackles and an interception. Ed Gainey, Dominique McDuffie and Mark LeGree had an interception each for the Mountaineers.

Appalachian State got on the scoreboard first when Presley scored on a one-yard run with 3:47 to go in the first quarter. Jason Vitaris added the extra point for a 7-0 ASU lead. The drive was set up when LeGree intercepted a Connor Lowery pass, giving the Mountaineers the ball at the Samford 13-yard line.

The Mountaineers struck again when Presley hit Cline for a 30-yard score on the first play of the second quarter. Vitaris added the PAT to make the score 14-0 with 14:53 to go before halftime.

Samford put its first points on the board when Truss scored on a 74-yard run with 14:12 to go in the second quarter. Cameron Yaw added the extra point to cut the ASU lead to 14-7. The touchdown was the first of Truss' career.

Appalachian State added another touchdown when Presley scored on a 16-yard run with 10:41 to go before halftime. Vitaris added the PAT to make the score 21-7. The drive was set up when ASU's Smith intercepted a Taliaferro pass and returned it to the Samford 16-yard line.

The Mountaineers tacked on one more touchdown before halftime. Presley hit Jorden for a 15-yard score with 5:06 to go in the second quarter. Vitaris' PAT made the score 28-7

Samford's Yaw kicked a 28-yard field goal with 22 seconds to go in the second quarter to cut the ASU lead to 28-10 heading into halftime.

Appalachian State's Devon Moore scored on a nine-yard run on the second play of the third quarter, and Vitaris added the PAT to make the score 35-10 with 14:17 to go in the third quarter.

Samford put the final points on the board when Taliaferro hit Roberson for a 36-yard touchdown with 12:16 to go in the game. Yaw's PAT made the final score 35-17.

As a team, Appalachian State tallied 447 yards of total offense to 311 for Samford. ASU held the ball for 36:16, compared to 23:44 for the Bulldogs.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 2, when the Bulldogs play at 10th-ranked Elon. The game is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. (CT) kickoff from Rhodes Stadium.