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Disciplined Cumberland squad poses threat to Shorter's title hopes
By Jim O'Hara and Matt Green
#22 Hawks (3-1, 1-0) vs. #25 Cumberland (3-1,
0-0)
Saturday, Oct. 8 • 1:30 pm • Historic Barron
Stadium
ROME – No one said it would be an easy season.
For the fifth straight week, the Shorter University football team faces a huge challenge in its quest for a Mid-South Conference West Division championship when it hosts Cumberland (Tenn.) University on Saturday at Barron Stadium for a showdown between NAIA Top 25 teams.
“We’ve had a good week,” Shorter head coach Phil Jones said as the No. 22-ranked Hawks (3-1, 1-0), who returned to the national rankings this week after blasting division foe Faulkner 52-34 a week ago, prepare to face off against the No. 25 Bulldogs (3-1, 0-0). “The team knows it’s obviously a big game.”
Just how big? One needs only to look at the Mid-South’s representation in the NAIA Top 25 Poll to see just what the Hawks have to face week in and out.
Heading the group of four ranked Mid-South programs is Georgetown (Ky.), a team that handed the Hawks their lone defeat two weeks ago and has moved up to No. 6 on the national list.
What has drawn the attention of Hawk Nation is the fact that the other three teams in the Top 25 are Mid-South West programs. In addition to Shorter and Cumberland, division contender Bethel checks in this week ranked No. 21.
“That’s a pretty strong statement about how good the division is,” Jones said of the Mid-South West. “This conference, especially on the Western side, is really tough this year. It’s drastically improved.”
That means that every division contest carries huge implications right up until the final game of the regular season when Shorter hosts Bethel on Nov. 12.
Jones is making sure the Hawks stay focused on the present, not the future.
“Right now, this is THE game for us,” the coach stressed, “and we have to do the very best we can. We have no reason to look ahead.”
Cumberland comes to Rome looking to throw a wrench in the Hawks’ plans and so far this season have followed the same script the Bulldogs used against Shorter last year – a strong fourth quarter finish.
In all four of their games, the Bulldogs have used a fourth quarter rally on the way to victory, beating Lindsey Wilson (23-13), Kentucky Christian (33-17) and West Virginia Tech (31-26). Even in its lone loss to Campbellsville, Cumberland charged back before falling 30-27.
Last year, Shorter found out just how tough Cumberland can be in the final 15 minutes when, aided by five Shorter turnovers, the Bulldogs outscored the Hawks 15-0 in the fourth quarter to rally for a 22-14 win in Lebanon, Tenn.
This year, Cumberland brings in a balanced offensive attack that has averaged 28 points and more than 330 yards a game.
Freshman quarterback Broc Loveless directs the Bulldogs, having thrown for 553 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Lemeco Miller has rushed for 213 yards and three TDs. Shorter will also have to be on guard for James McClain, who leads the Bulldogs in total yards having run for 114 yards, rolled up 309 receiving yards and 97 more returning kickoffs.
Defensively, Cumberland has held foes to an average of 21 points, 94 rushing yards and 241 passing yards a game, and has been a been a thorn in the side of opposing quarterback by picking off 11 passes. Linebacker Ben Miller has been a force for the Bulldogs on the defensive side of the ball where he has already been named the Mid-South Defensive Player of the Week two times this season.
Cumberland also comes into the game after an off week, something Jones is well aware of.
“That’s a big help to them,” said Jones. “Our offense is a little different from what they usually see and having two weeks to prepare – they’ll be ready.”
It’s a sure bet that Cumberland took note of what Shorter did against Faulkner, when the Hawks turned in their best overall outing of the season.
When they had the ball, the Hawks got their patented ground game in gear rushing for a season-best 321 yards while the Hawks' defense forced three fumbles and held Faulkner's No. 1-ranked passing attack to 317 yards, 103 yards below its season average. The 52 points tied for the fourth-highest scoring output in school history.
In his first-ever starter under center, junior quarterback Cory Thacker proved his worth, running for three touchdowns and throwing for a pair of scores. Freshman quarterback Eric Dodson even made his debut and scored his first collegiate touchdown with a 20-yard jaunt in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore standout Jonny Sitton continued his assault on foes, compiling 181 return yards, including a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown, to earn his second Mid-South Special Teams Player of the Week honor this season. Sitton, who also caught a 54-yard scoring pass from Thacker, leads the Mid-South and the NAIA with a 30.4 punt return average and also leads the nation in all-purpose yards averaging 184.8 yards a game.
Junior linebacker Demery Hawkins tied a career-high with 15 tackles against Faulkner, while Dominique Henfield and Eric Stallworth also finished in double-digit tackles with 11 and 10 stops, respectively.
“They knew what we needed to do if we wanted to be in the race,” Jones said of his Hawks. “They were emotionally and physically ready to play.”
And that is the frame of mind the coach feels the Hawks have to be in against Cumberland.
“We’ve got to be mentally prepared to play the entire game,” said Jones.
