Oct. 22, 2011

Box Score

BOONE, N.C. - The Samford football team dropped a 35-17 decision to sixth-ranked Appalachian State in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

With the loss, Samford drops to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in Southern Conference play. The loss ends a three-game win streak for the Bulldogs. ASU improves to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in league play.

"Appalachian State has another outstanding football team," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "But I was disappointed in our team today in that I don't think we played our best ball. I think we were a little tight when we got started. We dropped some passes and we just didn't come out of the gate very well."

For Samford offensively, quarterback Dustin Taliaferro completed 27-of-42 passes for 253 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Chris Cephus caught six passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, while Riley Hawkins had four receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. Fabian Truss led the Samford running game with 16 rushes for 65 yards.

Defensively for the Bulldogs, Alvin Hines II had 10 tackles, including six solo stops. Corey White had an interception for the third-straight game, to go along with his four tackles. Place-kicker Cameron Yaw was good on his lone field goal attempt, and he made both of his extra-point attempts. Greg Peranich averaged 41.3 yards on six punts.

For ASU, Travaris Cadet rushed 22 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Jamal Jackson completed 19-of-30 passes for 290 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Brian Quick caught four passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Tony Washington had six receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.

The Mountaineer defense was led by Jeremy Kimbrough with nine tackles and a fumble recovery. Troy Sanders also had nine tackles for ASU.

Samford struck first when Yaw kicked a 39-yard field goal with 7:28 to go in the first quarter. The kick gave the Bulldogs an early 3-0 lead.

Appalachian State put its first points on the scoreboard on the third play of the second quarter. Jackson scored on a two-yard run. Drew Stewart added the extra point to give the Mountaineers a 7-3 lead with 14:00 to go in the second quarter.

The Mountaineers struck again when Cadet scored on a five-yard run with 7:08 to go in the second quarter. Stewart's extra point gave ASU a 14-3 lead.

Samford answered with its first touchdown of the game. Taliaferro hit Hawkins for a nine-yard touchdown with 2:38 left in the second quarter. Yaw's extra point cut the ASU lead to 14-10.

ASU added one more score before halftime. Two plays after a running into the kicker penalty against Samford extended ASU's drive, Jackson hit Quick on a 69-yard touchdown with 1:14 to go in the second quarter. Stewart's PAT gave the Mountaineers a 21-10 lead.

The Mountaineers added to their lead with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Washington with 10:38 to go in the third quarter. Stewart added the PAT to make the score 28-10.

ASU's Cadet scored on a 12-yard run with 11:56 left in the fourth quarter. Stewart's extra point extended the Mountaineers' lead to 35-10.

Samford backup quarterback Ben Neill hit Cephus on a 32-yard touchdown with 11:06 left in the game. Yaw's PAT made the final score 35-17.

As a team, Appalachian State rolled up 519 yards of total offense, while Samford had 380 total yards.

Samford will next be in action on Saturday, Oct. 29, when the Bulldogs play host to Western Carolina. The game, which is Samford's Homecoming game, will kick off at 2 p.m. at Seibert Stadium.