BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team continued its preparation for this weekend's Southern Conference opener with a two-hour practice in shells Wednesday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
 
The Bulldogs continued working on their game plan for Saturday's opponent, VMI. Offensive Coordinator Travis Trickett talked about the work the team has put in this week.
 
"We need to make sure we lock in on our responsibilities," Trickett said. "Effort wasn't an issue, but we want to make sure we're honed in. There are a couple of areas we need to clean up, but that's usually how it is on the last day of putting in the game plan. Everything is in now and the guys feel comfortable with it, so we just have to be ready to go out there and play."
 
VMI comes into this week's game with a record of 1-2. The Keydets defeated Davidson, 52-24, last weekend. Trickett said he has been impressed by how disciplined VMI plays.
 
"They're tough guys, they fly to the football," Trickett said. "You can tell the life they live, the disciplined military life, it carries over to the football field, because you can tell you're going to be in a fight for 60 minutes when you play these guys."
 
Saturday's game marks just the second time Samford and VMI have met in football. The teams also played in 2001, with Samford winning, 46-28, in Lexington, Va. This week's game will mark the teams' first meeting as Southern Conference foes.
 
"They give great effort, all the way around," Trickett said. "Up front, they get after you. On the back end, they are hard-hitting guys. So, we have to make sure we get our guys in position to make plays out in space. We have to make sure we get hat for hat, because they do a lot of different things up front and they try to confuse you. We're going to have our hands full, so we have to make sure we come ready to play."
 
Saturday's game against VMI is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. at Seibert Stadium. The game will air live on ESPN3. In addition to the ESPN3 broadcast, the game can be heard locally on FM 99.5 Nash Icon, or worldwide on the internet at www.995nashicon.com.