GAME NOTES

COACH HATCHER INTERVIEW 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 19^th-ranked Samford football team will open the 2017 season by hosting Kennesaw State Thursday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m. at Seibert Stadium. The game can be seen live on 7-communications stations and ESPN3, and the contest can be heard live on FM-99.1 The Game or online at www.991thegame.com.  
 
Samford head coach Chris Hatcher said the Bulldogs have made a lot of progress throughout fall camp, heading into game week.
 
"We had a good camp," Hatcher said. "We came out of there fairly healthy and the guys are in good spirits. We have a couple of more days to get ready. We have to go play to see what kind of team we have, and hopefully we've done a good job of keeping our schemes simple enough for game one so our guys can go out there and execute at a very high level."


 
Samford returns five starters on offense and seven on defense from last season's team. The Bulldogs finished the 2016 season with a record of 7-5 overall and 5-3 in Southern Conference play. Samford reached the NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs, falling at Youngstown State, 38-24.
           
Kennesaw State returns nine starters on offense and seven starters on defense. KSU posted a record of 8-3 overall and 3-2 in Big South Conference play last season. The Owls concluded their season with a 28-7 loss at Charleston Southern.
 
"They're a great program," Hatcher said of Kennesaw State. "They're right in the heart of an area that has tremendous prospects. They recruit well, their coach (Brian Bohannon) is a mighty fine coach and they run the option. They do a good job of throwing out of the option, and any time you see that, it's very difficult to defend."
 
Thursday night's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Samford and Kennesaw State. KSU started its football program in 2015. In their two seasons, the Owls have posted an overall record of 14-8.
 
To purchase tickets for Thursday night's game click here: SAMFORD FOOTBALL TICKETS.