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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Samford football team scored 52 points and put up 530 yards of offense in a 70-52 loss at the University of Florida Saturday afternoon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
 
"We really had a good game plan coming in to protect the passer," Samford head coach Chris Hatcher said. "Sometimes in these games that's where you get beat, up in the trenches. It's hard to protect. We did some things that we hadn't really done a whole lot of as far holding some guys in to protect. I thought Liam was sharp. Missed a few early in the game but was sharp most of the day. We were efficient in our run game. We scored a lot of points, but we gave up a lot of points as well."
 
Samford led, 42-35 at halftime. The 42 points were the most ever scored on a Florida team in one half. The 52 total points are the fourth most ever given up by a Florida football team and the most by an FCS team against any Power 5 opponent since the split into subdivisions in 1978.
 
For Samford in the game, Liam Welch completed 33-of-52 passes for 400 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Montrell Washington caught 10 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown. Washington also returned five kickoffs for 179 yards, including one for a 98-yard touchdown. Jai'Rus Creamer had seven catches for 96 yards, while Michael Vice hauled in four passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.
 
The Samford defense was led by Nathan East with nine tackles, including seven solo stops. Seth Simmer, Trimarcus Cheeks and Chris Edmonds had seven tackles each for the Bulldogs.
 
For Florida, Emory Jones completed 28-of-34 passes for 464 yards and six touchdowns. Kemore Gamble caught six passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns for the Gators. The Florida defense was led by Rashad Torrence with 12 total tackles.
 
On the opening drive of the game, the Samford offense drove 75 yards and Washington scored on a one-yard run to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 10:26 left in the first quarter. Florida answered on its first offensive drive when Malik Davis scored on a six-yard run to knot the score at 7-7 with 6:56 to go in the first quarter.
 
Samford went back on top when Welch hit Vice for a 58-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs ahead, 14-7 at the 4:53 mark in the first period. Two offensive plays later, Florida's Jones hit Ja'Markis Weston for a nine-yard touchdown to make the score 14-14 with 4:02 left in the first quarter.
 
Welch hit Jay Stanton for a 40-yard touchdown to put Samford back on top at 21-14 with 1:25 remaining in the first quarter. On the first drive of the second quarter, Jones scored on a 31-yard run to bring the Gators back even again at 21-21 with 14:19 left in the second period.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, Florida faced a fourth-and-three from its own 43-yard line, but Lamar Anderson and Edmonds stopped the play for a one-yard gain, giving the Bulldogs the ball at the Florida 44-yard line. Welch then hit Washington for a 39-yard gain to the Florida five-yard line. Two plays later, Welch scored on a four-yard run to put Samford back on top, 28-21 with 10:02 left in the second quarter.  
 
On Florida's next drive, Dameon Pierce scored on a one-yard run to make the score 28-28 with 8:10 left in the second quarter. Washington took the ensuing kickoff back 98 yards for a touchdown to put Samford back up 35-28 at the 7:55 mark in the second quarter. Welch scored on a 10-yard run to push the Samford lead to 42-28 with 3:17 left before halftime. Jones hit Nay'Quan Wright for a 45-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 42-35 with 1:03 to go in the second quarter.
 
On the first drive of the third quarter, Florida's Jones hit Davis for a 49-yard touchdown pass to knot the score again at 42-42 with 12:34 left in the third period. On Samford's next drive, Florida's Mordecai McDaniel intercepted a Welch pass at the Florida 30-yard line. The Gators then drove 70 yards and Jones hit Gamble for a seven-yard touchdown to give the Gators their first lead of the day at 49-42 with 6:12 to go in the third quarter.
 
Jones connected with Pierce for another touchdown, this one from 13-yards out to push the Florida lead to 56-42 with 1:24 to go in the third quarter. On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Welch hit Washington for a 23-yard touchdown to cut the Florida lead to 56-49 with 13:59 left in the game.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Samford attempted an on-side kick, and the Bulldogs recovered the kick at their own 49-yard line. Zach Williams kicked a 33-yard field goal to cut the Florida lead to 56-52 with 11:59 to play. Florida pushed its lead to 63-52 when Jones hit Gamble for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 9:03 to go in the fourth quarter. The Gators added one final score when Pierce scored on a 24-yard run with 5:37 left to make the final score 70-52.
 
Samford will wrap up its regular season by playing host to the Furman Paladins next Saturday, Nov. 20. The game is set for a 12 p.m. start from Bobby Bowden Field at Seibert Stadium.
 
 


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