SHORTER GAME NOTES
DELTA STATE GAME NOTES

By Jim O'Hara
 
ROME, Ga. – It is often said that one must learn from history in order to not repeat it and no one understands that more heading into the weekend than the Shorter Hawks.

For the second straight year, they head into the second half of the season with momentum and confidence, entering the portion of their schedule that is arguably the toughest stretch of NCAA Division II games in the nation against perhaps the toughest conference in the land, the Gulf South Conference.

This time, however, the Hawks are determined to make sure that history does not repeat itself.

Shorter, riding a two-game win streak, finally returns home to Barron Stadium after being on the road for the last four weeks, when on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Barron Stadium hosts No. 17-ranked and defending GSC co-champion Delta State.

Last year, it was the Statesmen who wound up changing the course of Shorter's season when they overcame what was a 17-0 lead by the Hawks and handed Shorter a 35-20 setback that started what became the program's record nine-game losing streak.

"We stayed with them last year," Shorter head coach Phil Jones said as he leads the Hawks, now 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the GSC thanks to an impressive 42-23 win at last week at Mississippi College. "We just couldn't finish it. The kids who played in that game and are back with us remember what happened, and I feel they believe they can do it this time.

"It starts getting harder from here on out. It's such a tough, tough league – just look at how many teams ae ranked," the coach said about the GSC's status in the Division II Top 25 poll with No. 2 West Georgia, No. 6 North Alabama and No. 21 Valdosta joining Delta State in the national ranking.

The Statesmen come back to Rome coming off an upset on their home field last week in Cleveland, Miss., where Florida Tech handed DSU (4-1, 1-0) a 41-37 defeat in the conference opener for both teams.

That outcome, Jones pointed out, showed just how balanced the GSC has become but also reinforced his belief that although they were upended the Statesmen, who are six-time conference champions and have a national title (2000) under their belt have all the tools to remain one of favorites to win another GSC title.

"They're strong at every position," Jones said of Delta State, which after losing its first game to Shorter in 2012 has won the last two meetings. 'It all starts with their personnel. They have tremendous speed and physicality and they're well coached.

"You have to play lights out the entire game," he added, "and not make mistakes to give them good field position."

On both sides of the ball, the Statesmen has made their presence known in the conference and the nation as Delta State leads the GSC and in No. 4 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 45.4 points a game, and defensively, DSU has establishing one of the top pass defenses in the land by holding down the No. 2 slot in the NCAA in interceptions with 13 picks and leads the league in tackles for losses (47) and sacks (11.)

That defense boasts a quartet of 2014 All-GSC standouts, including defensive end Randall Boyd and linebacker Wilson Curtis, who are tied for the GSC in tackles-for-loss with seven each. Richard Nash and Romelo Wilson also return having earned conference honors but two more Statesmen have made the secondary even stronger as Joreco Beckwith and Jon Knox led the GSC in interceptions with seven apiece, Knox's picks all coming last week against Florida Tech.

When they have the ball, the Statesmen have shown they can put the points on the board, but this week DSU will have to fill a gaping hole in the lineup that occurred behind center as junior veteran Tyler Sullivan, who leads the conference in passing averaging 303 yards a game, will not play due to a shoulder injury.

Being counted on to step in for Sullivan, a two-year starter who this season had thrown for 1,517 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for four more TDs, are a pair of first year Statesmen who could get the nod – true freshman Tyler Cameron and red-shirt freshman Tyler Kitchings, both who have seen some action this season.

Whoever takes the snaps, however, will do so behind an offensive line that averages 315 pounds and a talented corps of sure-handed receivers that includes Justin Leavy (23 receptions, 328yards and three touchdowns), Darius Powell (22-226 ) and Jarvis York (21-307 and 2 TDs).

"Everywhere you look," Jones said, "they're very good – the kicking game is good, their run game is good, the pass game is good and their defense is good.

"Our defense has to be ready," said Jones, "ball control has got to be an important key for us and we've got to make sure we hang on to the ball."

Shorter's stout and seasoned defense and the Hawks' ability to control the ball have been two of the reasons why Shorter has put together back-to-back wins, the first coming two weeks ago when the Hawks stunned Division I FCS foe Southeast Missouri State 26-21 and last week in their GSC opener against Mississippi College.

In that win against the Choctaws, the Hawks rushed for 300 yards for the second straight week and for the second consecutive time opened the game with a 59-yard scoring drive on their first series, the first of four lengthy TD-producing marches that covered 75, 81 ad 72 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Aaron Bryant had a career game, scoring four touchdowns that earned him this week's GSC Offensive Player of the Week honors, while junior fullback B.J. McCoy turned in his third 100-plus yard outing rushing for 117 yards on just 12 carries.

The Hawks' defense also got into the scoring column for the first time this season as senior All-American Jordan Shaw scooped up a fumble that was forced by senior Santavious Bryant and raced 61-yards into the end zone for a touchdown. Zach Butts led Shorter against the Choctaws with 10 tackles to remain as the conference's top tackler with 44 total tackles, while he had a sack along with Bryant and senior Dominique Henfield.

Henfield also was involved in Shorter's first big special teams play of the year when he pounced on a blocked punt by Rodney Jackson that set up the Hawks' other touchdown, a 1-yard scoring run by Aki Coles.

"It's a heart thing for us now," said Jones. "Our hearts are into winning this game."