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Football Hawks return to Top 25, ranked No. 22 in latest poll
By Matt Green
KANSAS CITY -- After one week sitting on the outside looking in, the Shorter University football team is back in the NAIA Football Top 25 Coaches Poll.
The Hawks (3-1, 1-0 Mid-South) cracked the weekly ratings at No. 22 in the latest poll released on Monday evening. Shorter climbed as high as No. 18 this season before a loss at seventh-ranked Georgetown in Week 4 sent the Hawks tumbling out of the rankings.
Shorter's 52-34 blowout of Faulkner at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., was evidence enough for pollsters to vote the Hawks back into the Top 25. Shorter rolled up 321 rushing yards against the Eagles and held Faulkner's top-ranked passing attack to over 100 yards under its season average in the win.
There is little time for the Hawks to celebrate their new ranking as another ranked opponent has its eyes set on Historic Barron Stadium this Saturday.
The Hawks will play host to 25th-ranked Cumberland University (Tenn.) at 1:30 pm on Saturday, Oct. 8. The Bulldogs, who began the season ranked No. 18 in the preseason poll, also returned to the Top 25 on the heels of two straight wins and an idle week last Saturday.
Shorter is 4-2 all-time against Cumberland (3-1, 0-0), but has dropped the last two meetings between the schools by a combined total of nine points. The Hawks lost to Cumberland 14-13 at Barron Stadium in 2009 after the Bulldogs scored with just seconds left in the game, then were outscored 15-0 in the fourth quarter in a 22-14 loss to Cumberland last season in Lebanon, Tenn.
Saturday is Breast Cancer Awareness Day and Championship Saturday at Barron Stadium. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game in support of breast cancer awareness. Shorter's athletic department will also recognize its teams and individuals that won conference and national championships during the 2010-11 academic year.
