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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – All three phases scored in the Samford football team's 35-14 homecoming win over The Citadel Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
 
"Our guys each week have come back ready to play and excited about the opportunity and today we took advantage of it," Samford head coach Chris Hatcher said. "Defensively I couldn't be prouder of those guys, we've been a little maligned over there on that side the past couple of weeks and we played outstanding defense. It was an all-around great win. We had a huge punt return by Montrell and that crew. I'm just happy for the guys to get a taste of victory today."
 
With the win, Samford improves to 4-5 overall and 3-4 in Southern Conference play. The Citadel falls tpo 2-7 overall and 1-5 in league contests.
 
For the Samford offense, DeMarcus Ware scored two touchdowns, rushing 11 times for 62 yards. Jay Stanton also had one rushing touchdown, carrying the ball 13 times for 134 yards and one 69-yard touchdown. On special teams, Montrell Washington had a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown. Defensively, Midnight Steward recovered a fumble and returned it 94 yards for a score.
 
Liam Welch completed 12-of-17 passes for 118 yards in the game. Washington caught three passes for 52 yards. As a team, Samford rushed for a season-high 252 rushing yards in the win.
 
Nathan East led the Samford defense with 15 tackles, including seven solo stops. Josiah Cotton tallied 11 tackles, while Seth Simmer had 10 tackles and one sack.
 
For The Citadel, Jaylan Adams rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Adams also passed for 73 yards for the visiting Bulldogs. Kyler Estes had eight tackles to lead The Citadel defense.
 
Samford struck first when Ware scored on a seven-yard run to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 7:26 to go in the first quarter. The Citadel's Adams scored on an 18-yard run to knot the score of 7-7 with 9:41 left in the second quarter.
 
Samford answered on its next offensive play when Stanton rushed for a 69-yard touchdown to give Samford a 14-7 lead with 9:24 to go in the second quarter. The 69-yard run was Samford's longest rush from scrimmage this season. Later in the second quarter, Washington returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown to make the score 21-7 with 4:31 left before halftime.
 
Ware scored his second touchdown of the day on an 11-yard run to push the Samford lead to 28-7 with 9:32 left in the third quarter. The Citadel drove inside the Samford 10-yard line, but Samford's Steward picked up a Citadel fumble and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown to make the score 35-7 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.
 
The Citadel's Adams scored on a five-yard run to cut the Samford lead to the final margin of 35-14 with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter.
 
Samford will next travel to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the Florida Gators next Saturday, Nov. 13. The game is set for an 11 a.m. (CT) start from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
 
For the latest news and information on Samford football, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordFootball (Facebook), @SamfordFootball (Instagram) and @SamfordFootball (Twitter).