Oct. 9, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford football team got back to work Tuesday in preparation of its Saturday afternoon match-up with defending Ohio Valley Conference Champion Tennessee-Martin. It was the first practice for the Bulldogs after a day of rest for the squad on Monday.

The Bulldogs enter this week's game with a record of 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the OVC. Samford took last week off from competition, and head coach Pat Sullivan said the break could not have come at a better time.

"It came at a perfect time," Sullivan said. "We did have some guys that were nicked up and had been going hard. We had a hot fall, so it came at a good time for us to kind of heal up and catch our breath. It also helped us go back and re-evaluate and see what we had done so far."

After practice, Sullivan evaluated the offensive line and commented on how well they have come together this season.

"Our offensive line has really done a great job," Sullivan said. "They are developing their unity. One of the things is that we aren't throwing it every down, and when we are, they are doing a great job of protecting. They've gotten bigger and stronger, and their attitude has just been good. We are running the ball well and that's something that they can be proud of."

Sullivan added that his team needs to be ready for Tennessee-Martin on Saturday. Although the Skyhawks are winless thus far, that is no reason to count them out of this week's competition.

"All you have to do is look at their statistics and the scores from their past games," Sullivan said. "They've lost their last three games by three points against good football teams. They are the defending conference champions and we have to go up there. They have a lot of pride.

"What they do defensively is they give you a smorgasbord of coverage. Offensively, Jessie Burton (WR) is really talented. He can go the distance at anytime. If you look at them personnel-wise, I think they are as good as anyone else in the conference. Week after week, they keep playing hard and if they do that, something good is bound to happen. We just have to stay focused on stopping them."

Samford will practice again Wednesday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs and the Skyhawks meet up Saturday at 2 p.m. at UTM's Hardy M. Graham Stadium.