Football exceeds 2011 expectations and finishes season strong

Charles J. Underwood III
Staff Writer

The Bulldogs ended their season with a 6-5 record on Nov. 19 on a strong note, losing a tough battle to Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium 35-16.

Samford went 4-4 in their conference, putting them only a few games out of the FCS playoff picture. At one point, the Bulldogs were nationally ranked in the FCS, showing the strong potential this team possessed.

Jeremiaha Gates, a freshman running back, saw some high points in the game. against Auburn.

“We played well and proved that we could compete with any team on the field,” Gates said. “We really identified ourselves as a strong team against Auburn.”

Defying the media predictions and SoCon coaches’ preseason opinions, Samford exceeded expectations on the field this season. They finished fifth in the conference instead of their projected seventh slot, and they competed fiercely in every SoCon game.

Jeremy Brown, a freshman wide receiver, was very pleased with the team’s performance this season.

“We did a really good job, but had potential to do better,” Brown said. “We wanted to prove everyone wrong and show that we’re trying to turn this program into a winning one.”

The most exciting addition to this year’s team was the new “fast-break” offense, under first year coordinator Rhett Lashlee. The offense showed vast improvement over last year with our ability to make the big play, put up a lot of points and confuse defenses with our fast tempo.

The crowd was definitely more involved in the games this season due to the playmaking abilities of sophomore wide receiver Kelsey Pope and the running back duo of sophomore Fabian Truss and Gates.

“Our offense this year was fast and really physical,” Gates said. “We have the opportunity to be really explosive on offense next year with our returners.”

Defensively, the Bulldogs performed adequately this season. Leaders such as redshirt junior defensive tackle Jeremy Towns and former linebacker Bryce Smith were missed this season, but playmakers junior safety Alvin Hines, senior safety Corey Smith and senior defensive end Alex Davis stepped up in their absence to provide the pressure needed to perform well as a unit.

At times, the defense showed the ability to make big, game changing plays, which took extra pressure off of our new offense.

As a whole, the Bulldogs’ 2011 season brought much promise for the future. The coaches have produced a winning football team, which will only improve due to the vast number of underclassmen on the roster. All of our offensive playmakers will be returning, except for senior quarterback Dustin Taliaferro, leaving that position to be decided during spring practices. Bulldog fans should have something to look forward to next season, since this team shows all of the signs of being a special group.

“We are going to work harder than ever this offseason because we feel that we should still be in the playoffs,” Gates said. “Everyone is on board to get bigger, faster and stronger and you will see the product on the field next season.”

Tags: Auburn, featured, Sports

Category: Sports