Victory Bowl Information
The NCCAA

ROME, Ga. – Having proved that they are a team not to be overlooked in the toughest NCAA Division II conference in the nation, the Shorter Hawks have now proven that they are worthy of extending their season.

Hours after they thought they had played their last game of the 2014 season Saturday, the Hawks received and accepted their first-ever invitation to play in the National Christian College Athletic Association's annual Victory Bowl next Saturday at noon at Barron Stadium when the Hawks square off against the North Greenville University Crusaders.

"What a great opportunity this is," Shorter head coach Phil Jones said about addition game that has been given to the Hawks, who closed out the regular season Saturday falling 31-17 to Gulf South Conference foe West Georgia but due to Shorter's high Massey Index rating that was used to determine the Victory Bowl teams was se;ected to play.

"The two teams are defined by their Christian faith," the coach said. "That's who we are and that's who they are. We're honored to be able to play."

Jones and his coaching staff were busy Sunday relaying the news to the Hawks, who left Barron on Saturday thinking that the season was over.

"Some of them went home," Jones said early Sunday morning. "We haven't had a chance to get them all together and talk to them, but knowing them I'm convinced they'll be ready to play."

"We are really honored to be invited and we appreciate that the selection committee looked at more than just our record," Shorter Athletic Director Bill Peterson said about the news. "They knew that we had played nationally ranked Delta State and West Georgia off their feet and that we were a very, very competitive football team.  They thought we would give North Greenville the best game and that's why they invited us to play."

The matchup between the Hawks and North Greenville, which is in an alliance with the South Atlantic Conference but competes as a Division II independent, will be the second time the teams have squared off against each other. In 2008, the year Shorter posted a 9-3 record, won the Mid-South Division Championship and played in the NAIA playoffs, the Hawks defeated the Crusaders 37-21 in Rome.

When they return to Barron this week for the 18^th Victory Bowl – Shorter, the Rome Host Committee and the Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau are in the second of a three-year agreement to host the event in Rome – North Greenville will be making its third appearance in the game, having emerged as champion in their two previous outings in 2006 and 2010.

This season, the Crusaders posted a 6-5 record and closed out the regular season on Saturday earning a 34-14 win over Newberry, a member of the South Atlantic Conference in which NGU are in a scheduling alliance with but do not qualify to be included in the SAC standings or eligible for conference awards.

Both Shorter and North Greenville, led by head coach Jeff Farrington, have a common opponent this season as the Hawks handed SAC member Mars Hill a 27-20 defeat on Sept. 13 while the Crusaders suffered a 30-27 setback on Oct. 18.

"Because we're so young," said Jones, who added that he's thrilled that the team's small group of seniors have a one more chance to end their careers on a winning note, "having another game is a great help for us to get better. We're excited about it."

"Obviously, it is a real tribute to both our staff and to our team to get invited to a bowl game in our first year as a full NCAA Division II member," Peterson said. "It just sort of follows everything else that has happened this fall for Shorter athletics.  There is no question that I am very excited for our football team."

The event kicks off Thursday when the two teams are treated to a barbeque dinner hosted by Score International at Barron, and on Friday they take part in the 2014 Victory Bowl Championship Breakfast presented by Chick-fil-A and held at the Winthrop-King Centre at Shorter, after which the players will spread out across Rome for an NCCAA Christian Service Project to take part in a canned-food drive to benefit local community organizations. Following a walk-though at Barron in the afternoon, Pleasant Valley North Baptist Church will host North Greenville for dinner, while the Shorter School of Business will host the Hawks.

Tickets for the game are $15 and will be available at the Barron ticket booth the day of the game. The NCCAA will also be video streaming the game for a nominal fee through LIVE! Tourbeau Sports at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/tourbeau.portal.

For more information go to www.goshorterhawks.com.