VIDEO RECAP
PHOTO GALLERY
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team rolled up 492 yards of total offense, while holding Stillman to just 185 yards on its way to a 52-0 win in the Bulldogs' home opener Thursday night at Seibert Stadium.
Samford head coach
Pat Sullivan coached the game from the press box after missing the season opener at TCU following offseason surgery.
Samford assistant head coach and defensive coordinator
Bill D'Ottavio said he liked the enthusiasm the team played with Thursday night.
"I thought our guys played with energy tonight," D'Ottavio said. "I thought they had fun playing the game. I think you saw execution get a little crisper and I like the way we flew around the football."
Offensively for Samford, quarterback
Michael Eubank completed 15-of-23 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Eubank also rushed four times for 50 yards in the win.
"It was good to see him take command," D'Ottavio said of Eubank. "The more he plays and the more reps he gets, it's only going to get better and better. We still have to continue to work. It's still early in the season and there is a lot to do."
Backup quarterback
Carson Barnett played the majority of the second half, completing 5-of-6 passes for 54 yards.
Running back
Denzel Williams rushed 15 times for 62 yards and three touchdowns, while
Jeremiaha Gates carried the ball seven times for 63 yards and a touchdown.
Robert Clark led all receivers with four catches for 68 yards. Clark also had two rushes for 48 yards and a touchdown, and he returned six punts for 61 yards, and one kickoff for 45 yards.
Defensively for Samford,
Josh Killett had six tackles, including two for a loss.
Michael Pierce had two sacks for the Bulldog defense. On special teams,
Greg Peranich averaged 43.7 yards on three punts.
Warren Handrahan was 7-for-7 on extra points, and he was 1-for-2 on field goals. Handrahan made a 47-yard field goal and missed an attempt from 44-yards out.
For Stillman, Jonathan Esther rushed 12 times for 72 yards. Josh Straughan completed 3-of-10 passes for eight yards. Cameron Stallings had seven tackles for the Stillman defense, while Denzel Malone-Huff had an interception for the Tigers.
Samford put the first points on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter. Williams scored on a one-yard run to cap a 13-play, 71-yard drive that took four minutes and 18 seconds off of the first-quarter clock. The score gave Samford a 7-0 lead with 6:06 to go in the opening period.
The Bulldogs added another touchdown when Eubank hit
Malik Johns for a five-yard touchdown with 3:42 left in the first quarter. The six-play, 49-yard drive pushed Samford's lead to 14-0.
Samford added to its lead with three touchdowns in the second quarter. Williams scored the first two touchdowns of the quarter on runs of 16 yards and 15 yards, respectively. Clark later scored on a 36-yard run with 9:18 left in the second quarter to push Samford's lead to 35-0. The Bulldogs took their 35-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the third quarter, Gates scored on a one-yard run with 6:49 to go to increase the lead to 42-0. With 3:38 left in the third quarter, Barnett scored on a five-yard run to make the score 49-0.
The lone points in the fourth quarter came on a Handrahan field goal. With 12:33 left in the game, Handrahan connected on a 47-yard try to give Samford a 52-0 lead.
The game marked Samford's first shutout since a 27-0 win over Jacksonville in 2009.
With the win, Samford improves to 1-1 on the young season. Stillman drops to 0-2 with the loss.
Samford will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 20, when the Bulldogs open Southern Conference play with a home game against VMI. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium, and will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Season tickets are on sale for as little as $80 for the Bulldogs' six-game home schedule. Single game tickets are also available and start at $18 per game. For more details, please contact the Samford Athletics Ticket Office at 205-726-DOGS.
