Nov. 9, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football team practiced for about an hour and a half in helmets Thursday afternoon at Seibert Stadium. The workout was the final full practice before Saturday's season finale at Jacksonville State.

Samford (3-7, 1-6 OVC) and Jacksonville State (5-4, 4-2 OVC) are playing for the 44th time with Samford holding a 21-20-2 advantage in the series. Last season, Jacksonville State defeated Samford, 26-20, in Birmingham.

"These guys see the season coming to an end, but there is still a lot of work to be done on Saturday before we finish it up," Samford head coach Bill Gray said. "All of them know what it means to play Jacksonville State. But, we don't need to do anything more than we need to do every week, and that is play sound, solid football, fly around and tackle well and take care of the ball. That is what will get it done on Saturday."

Jacksonville State is Samford's most common opponent with 43 previous meetings. The teams first played on Nov. 4, 1905, with Samford (then Howard College) defeating Jacksonville State, 32-0, in Anniston, Ala.

Samford will hold a final walk-through Friday afternoon at 4:15 p.m. at Seibert Stadium.

Saturday's game is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. kickoff from JSU's Paul Snow Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised live on CSS. The contest can also be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.al.com/wvsu or www.samfordsports.com. Fans can also view the game on the internet via live streaming at www.ovcsports.tv.