2008 Woodie Awards
Football's red zone woes continue
Ben Hankins
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: Sports
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Once again, the recurring theme for the Bulldogs (4-5, 2-4 OVC) was red zone scoring, or lack thereof. Each team got inside the 20-yard-line three times. JSU capitalized on two of their drives with touchdowns while Samford settled for three field goals in the red zone.
"We had some chances to make a play in the red zone and didn't," Coach Pat Sullivan said. "They executed well, and we didn't. The margin of error is so slim.
"It was a hard fought game. It was disappointing that we lost, but give Jacksonville State credit."
The loss made eight straight for the Bulldogs against the Gamecocks, dating back to 1999. Players said the excessive streak makes Saturday's loss even worse.
"We're hurting right now," quarterback Jefferson Adcock said after the game. "We haven't beaten these guys in a long time, and we really wanted this game."
Adcock led an offense that made plenty of plays but not enough where it counted. The senior signal-caller completed 24 of 45 passes for 199 yards, spreading the ball around to 10 different receivers.
Adcock also said the team must do better in the red zone if it wants to win more games.
By the numbers, Samford ranks second in the OVC in passing offense and fourth in total offense. However, the Bulldogs rank next to last in both scoring offense and red zone offense.
Sullivan said the team needs to be more consistent.
"Both sides played a tough game; (JSU) just came out on top. That's the way it goes sometimes," he said.
One aspect of the team that has been consistent all season is the running back core. The Samford backs continued to impress the folks at home on Saturday.
Brock Johnson, Alex Barnett and Chris Evans combined for 111 yards rushing on 22 attempts, averaging over five yards per carry.
Johnson led the core for the second week in a row, running for 50 yards on just six carries.
"We have a lot of good running backs," Johnson said. "We're just glad we can help the team and go out there and do the best we can."