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Defense, ground attack lifts Shorter over Belhaven, 30-13
By Matt Green
ROME -- Placed in a must-win situation after a disappointing loss at home to Cumberland (Tenn.) last week, the Shorter University football team turned in a performance worthy of the occasion on Saturday afternoon.
The Hawks amassed 400 yards rushing and witnessed both C.J. Scott and Roderick Jones rush for over 100 yards en route to a 30-13 victory over Belhaven University in a critical Mid-South West Division showdown at Historic Barron Stadium.
Shorter outgained Belhaven 439-279 and beat the Blazers for the fourth straight year to improve to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Mid-South West Division.
"After how we felt last week, this feels really good," said Shorter head coach Phil Jones, whose team turned in its best offensive performance of the season one week after being held to its lowest yardage total of the year. "We mentioned the word 'disappointed' last week. I know our players were, but I am so thankful to the Lord to see these guys come together and decide how they were going to respond. I am really pleased with them."
Scott led the Hawks with 119 yards and a touchdown while Jones ran for 113 yards and a momentum-changing score midway through the fourth quarter.
With Shorter clinging to a 17-7 lead and sputtering offensively to the tune of three punts and a fumble on four second half possessions, Jones took an option pitch and raced 82 yards down the left sideline for his first touchdown of the season to give the Hawks a 23-7 cushion with 5:52 left in the game.
"We were being bottled up a bit, but Coach [Tim] Mathis made a great call to go away from the overset and come back with a misdirection type option," said Jones. "I'm just really, really happy today for what our kids did and thankful for the staff that we have."
Belhaven (3-4, 1-2) scored on a 7-yard pass from Alex Williams to Clinton Smith to pull within 23-13 with 4:03 to play, but Shorter closed out the Blazers by recovering the ensuing onside kick and marching 40 yards in five plays before Scott scampered in from eight yards out with just over a minute left in the game.
Shorter's defense, which entered the game ranked No. 3 in the Mid-South in scoring defense and No. 1 against the run, answered the call once again against a Belhaven offense that was averaging over 32 points a game.
The Hawks held the conference's second-leading rusher, Belhaven's Justin Gaines, to 29 yards and forced a fumble on Belhaven's opening drive of the game that Shorter turned into a 19-yard TD pass from Cory Thacker to Jonny Sitton for a 7-0 Shorter lead with 9:53 left in the first quarter.
Shorter's kickoff team, which received some heat after surrendering a second kickoff return for a touchdown in last week's loss, came up with one of the bigger plays in the game. After Troy Postell booted a 26-yard field goal to put Shorter up 10-0 with 12:11 left in the first half, Kareem Hawkins recovered the ensuing kickoff that bounced just behind Belhaven's second level of returners.
The Shorter offense proceeded to embark on a 6-play, 29-yard drive capped by a Caleb Collins 7-yard run that gave the Hawks a 17-0 lead.
The Hawks rushed for 400 yards in a game for the 10th time in school history and picked up 6.3 yards per rush against the Belhaven defense. Demery Hawkins led the Shorter defense with nine tackles and Damien Riden chipped in with six stops and recovered Belhaven's opening drive fumble.
Williams finished 19 of 35 for 160 yards and one touchdown through the air for Belhaven and also rushed seven times for a team-high 46 yards.
Shorter's run through the Mid-South West gauntlet continues next week when the Hawks kick off a three-game road trip with a visit to the University of the Cumberlands, winners of two straight division titles. Jones knows that any championship hopes the Hawks have will be put to the test in Williamsburg, Ky.
"Cumberlands has been the champion here the last couple of years and they have a good football team even though they have two losses in conference," Jones said. "We are excited about going up there and we know what we have to do.
"It's going to be a four quarter game. I believe our guys will respond."
