Nov. 5, 2011

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Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team fell at home to Southern Conference rival Chattanooga, 24-9, Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium in the Bulldogs' final home game of the 2011 season.

The Samford defense held Chattanooga to just 228 yards of total offense, but a couple of costly turnovers and a missed field goal hurt the Bulldogs' cause. UTC's Wes Dothard returned a Samford fumble 43 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, and the Mocs' Chaz Moore intercepted a Samford pass in the end zone on a second-and-goal play from the five-yard line early in the fourth quarter.

"We knew this was going to be a 60-minute game, and we couldn't turn the ball over and we had to be solid in the kicking game if we were going to have a chance to win," Samford head coach Pat Sullivan said. "Quite honestly, that's what happened. We turned it over once and they ran it in for a touchdown. We turned it over again on the one-yard line going in.

"I thought our defense played well in spurts and we kept them backed up several times," Sullivan said. "We just didn't have that killer instinct."

For Samford offensively, Kelsey Pope caught 10 passes for 82 yards. Riley Hawkins had five catches for 65 yards, while Chris Cephus hauled in four passes for 48 yards. Dustin Taliaferro completed 24-of-43 passes for 250 yards and an interception. Fabian Truss rushed 10 times for 46 yards to lead the Bulldogs' running backs.

Alex Davis led the Samford defense with seven tackles, all solo, including three tackles for a loss. Darion Sutton also had seven tackles, including six solo stops. Cameron Yaw produced all of Samford's nine points, making 3-of-4 field goal attempts.

Chattanooga was led offensively by Graham Nichols, completing 11-of-17 passes for 66 yards. Joel Bradford had four catches for 27 yards. Terrell Robinson and Taharin Tyson each had rushing touchdowns for the Mocs.

Ryan Consiglio had 14 tackles to lead the UTC defense. Dothard had the fumble recovery and return for a touchdown, while Moore had the game's lone interception.

Chattanooga struck first, scoring the game's first touchdown late in the first quarter. With 10 seconds to go in the opening quarter, UTC quarterback Robinson scored on a three-yard run. Nick Pollard added the extra point to give the Mocs a 7-0 lead.

Samford put its first points on the scoreboard when Yaw kicked a 36-yard field goal. Yaw's kick cut the UTC lead to 7-3 with 9:45 to go in the second quarter.

The Mocs added to their lead when Pollard kicked a 29-yard field goal, making the score 10-3 with 2:26 to go in the second quarter. The field goal capped a 17-play, 68-yard drive that took 7:19 off of the second-quarter clock.

Samford's Yaw added a 27-yard field as time expired in the second quarter. The kick cut the Mocs' lead to 10-6 at halftime.

The lone points in the third quarter were scored when Dothard picked up the Taliaferro fumble and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown to make the score 17-6 with 13:52 to go in the period.

Samford cut the UTC lead to 17-9 when Yaw booted his third field goal of the game, this one from 38-yards out, with 4:21 left in the fourth quarter.

Tyson scored the final touchdown of the game on a one-yard run with 43 seconds to go. Pollard added the PAT to make the final score 24-9.

Highlights from the game will be available at samfordsports.com within 48 hours of the conclusion of the game.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 12, when the Bulldogs play at the Citadel. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. (CT) start from Charleston, S.C., and will air live on the SoCon Sports Network, including local affiliate WABM.