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Shorter refocused on task at hand as Belhaven comes to Rome
By Jim O'Hara
ROME – They are coming off a stinging loss that puts them in a must-win situation each week to remain in the hunt for a Mid-South Conference West Division championship and life in the postseason.
But for the Shorter University Hawks, the great malapropism uttered by Yogi Berra says it all: “It’s déjà vu all over again.”
A week after being handed its first Mid-South West Division defeat of the season, Shorter (3-2, 1-1 Mid-South) finds itself in a familiar position on Saturday when it tries to get back into division title contention against Belhaven University (3-3, 1-1) on Homecoming 2011 at Historic Barron Stadium.
“It’s the same scenario we had in 2008,” Shorter head coach Phil Jones said about three seasons ago when the Hawks overcame a midseason conference setback to rally for a West Division title and berth into the national playoffs. “We’ve been there before and understand what’s in front of us.”
Belhaven comes to Rome looking to do the same thing and arrives fresh from an impressive outing last week when the Blazers ran past division foe Faulkner 45-27 thanks to a school record 323 rushing yards.
Leading the Blazers to the win was junior running back Justin Gaines, who rushed for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 22 carries, an effort that earned him this week’s Mid-South Offensive Player of the Week honor. Gaines is now averaging 104 yards a game and leads the NAIA in scoring with 12 touchdowns.
Belhaven, however, is far from being one-dimensional. The Blazers totaled 547 yards in total offense against Faulkner because of an ability to put the ball in the air as well.
Junior quarterback Alex Williams, who moved into the starting role behind center three weeks ago, connected on 17 of 25 passes for 224 yards and two TDs against Faulkner, a performance coming one week after he torched Bethel for 231 yards passing and another 100 yards rushing in a six-point loss.
“They’re a typical Belhaven team,” Jones said. “They’ll throw the ball a good bit and they’re good at it. They make you defend the entire field, but they also balance it out by running the ball well.
“Defensively they’re big and strong up front and they have an inside linebacker who’s ranked as the No. 1 linebacker in the country.”
Anchoring the Blazers’ defense is 6-foot, 235-pound senior linebacker Ricky Wadlington, who was named the 2010 Mid-South Defensive Player of the Year and is on track to keep that honor this season having recorded 54 tackles, nine tackles for loss and an interception return for a TD.
Jones knows that his team must remain focused from start to finish this week against the Blazers and avoid a repeat of what turned out to be a costly letdown last week in a 21-17 loss to Cumberland. The Bulldogs took control of the game in the opening four minutes of the second half when they returned the opening kickoff for a score and then recovered a fumble on Shorter’s first possession of the third quarter and converted the turnover into another touchdown.
“It’s tough to overcome something like that against a good team,” Jones said. “We seemed to have a mental lapse coming out of the dressing room after halftime and it hurt us.”
The Hawks also saw what had been a steadily improving run game get sidetracked. Shorter was held to just 174 yards on the ground, nearly 100 yards below its season average.
Odds are that Shorter will have its potent ground game back on track against Belhaven.
Fullback C.J. Scott, who had a solid day running the ball last week with 108 yards on 14 carries, is averaging 93 yards a game. The Hawks also have a weapon in slotback and return specialist Jonny Sitton, who is ranked No. 2 in the NAIA in punt returns, kickoff returns and all-purpose yards per game.
Defensively, the Hawks have proven they can stop the run and lead the Mid-South in rushing defense, limiting teams to 102 yards a game. Linebacker Demery Hawkins is the cornerstone of the Shorter defense, leading the Mid-South and ranking No. 2 in the country at 12.2 tackles per game. He has recorded three straight games with double-digit stops.
“We’re definitely not out of it,” Jones said about the Mid-South West Division race. “No one here thinks we are. It’s a matter of getting it done.”
In the words of Yogi – “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
