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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford football team used a strong performance in all three phases of the game to take a 63-21 win over VMI in the Southern Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
 
"It's always big to get any win," Samford assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Bill D'Ottavio said. "Of course, conference games are very important and this was a good start."
 
Samford head coach Pat Sullivan coached the game from the press box as he recovers from offseason surgery.
 
As a team, Samford tallied 525 yards of total offense, compared to just 264 for VMI. The Bulldogs rolled up 318 yards in the first half while building a commanding 49-0 lead.
 
"I thought we played a good overall half in the first half as a team," D'Ottavio said. "We were hitting on all cylinders on the offensive side, our special teams were playing well and the defense got some stops. We played team football and it was good to see. It wasn't one guy, it was a bunch of guys at different times making plays."
 
The 63 points by Samford are the most the Bulldogs have scored in SoCon game since joining the league in 2008, and the most in a game overall since 1987. The Samford defense forced VMI into four turnovers, while the Bulldog offense committed no turnovers in the win.  
 
Individually for Samford, running back Denzel Williams rushed 16 times for a career-high 178 yards and two touchdowns. Krondis Larry had 10 rushes for a career-high 128 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Michael Eubank rushed 11 times for 43 yards and four touchdowns. The four touchdowns by Eubank tie a school record. Eubank also completed 6-of-9 passes for 66 yards and a score.
 
Karel Hamilton led Samford's receivers with two catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. Emmanuel Obajimi had one catch for 19 yards.
 
Defensively for Samford, Jamie Major and Sam Pettway had seven total tackles each. Josh Kimberlin came up with two interceptions, while Justin Cooper and Jerry Mathis had a fumble recovery each.
 
For VMI, quarterback Al Cobb completed 18-of-25 passes for 117 yards and two interceptions. Deon Watts caught six passes for 50 yards for the Keydets. Jabari Turner rushed 15 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Samford jumped on top quickly on its first drive of the game. On the Bulldogs' second play from scrimmage, Williams ran 61 yards for a touchdown. Warren Handrahan added the extra point to give Samford a 7-0 lead with 12:43 to go in the first quarter.
 
On VMI's next possession, Samford's Kimberlin intercepted a Cobb pass, giving Samford the ball at the VMI 23-yard line. On the next play, Eubank ran 23 yards for a score. Handrahan's PAT pushed Samford's lead to 14-0 with 10:37 left in the opening period.
 
Samford added another first-quarter score when Eubank hit Hamilton for a 25-yard touchdown with 5:47 left in the quarter. Handrahan's extra point stretched Samford's lead to 21-0.
 
On the ensuing VMI possession Kimberlin came up with his second interception of the game, giving Samford the ball at the VMI 45-yard line. Six plays later, Williams scored his second touchdown of the game, this one from four yards out with 3:08 left in the first quarter. Handrahan added the PAT for a 28-0 Samford lead.
 
The Bulldogs tacked on another touchdown midway through the second quarter. Eubank scored on a seven-yard run, and Handrahan's PAT gave Samford a 35-0 lead with 8:41 left in the second quarter. The drive was set up when Mathis recovered a VMI fumble at the Keydets' 15-yard line.
 
Eubank scored on two more runs in the second quarter. He scored from one yard out with 4:01 to play to make the score 42-0. He later scored on a 23-yard run with just four seconds left in the second quarter to send Samford to halftime with a 49-0 lead.
 
In the third quarter Samford added to its lead when Larry scored on a 68-yard run with 11:00 to go to make the score 56-0. VMI put its first points on the scoreboard when Turner scored on a five-yard run with 7:12 left in the third quarter to make the score 56-7. Samford added a touchdown late in the third quarter when Jeremiaha Gates scored on a five-yard run with 3:18 left to push the lead to 63-7.
 
VMI added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Turner scored on a one-yard run with 13:30 left in the game to cut the lead to 63-14. Watts scored from four yards out with 3:53 left to make the final score 63-21.  
 
Samford will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 27, when the Bulldogs play at Chattanooga. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. (CT) kickoff from UTC's Finley Stadium. The contest will be televised live on the American Sports Network. In the Birmingham area, the game can be seen on WABM My 68.