ROME -- It was a tough day for the Hawks on Saturday as they were shut out by North Alabama, 48-0, at home.
Shorter moves to 0-7 on the year and 0-4 in the Gulf South Conference; while the Lions improve to 3-3 on the year and 3-2 in conference play.
UNA got on the board first, scoring in the first drive of the game on a 54-yard run from Nick Taylor with 13:19 to go in the first quarter. From there, however, the Hawks held close, keeping the Lions out of the end zone for the remainder of the period. Only to have North Alabama score in the opening seconds of the second to extend their lead to 14-0, and from there they pulled away; adding to their lead to earn the 48-0 win.
In total the Hawks were held to 145 yards of total offense; while the Lions tallied a 506-yard afternoon.
Tyler Pullum and
Austin Fellows split time under center during the game; with Pullum finishing with 89 yards on 9-21 passing. The total, brings his season yardage to 1132; which sets a new single season high for the Hawks. Entering the game, the sophomore, needed just five yards to break Eric Dodson's single season record total of 1048 set back in 2013. And, he did so on his first completion of the afternoon, a 20-yard reception from
Maurice Sutton. Fellows finished the game with 18 yards on 3-6 passing.
B.J. McCoy tallied 52 yards on the afternoon on the ground on 16 carries; while Sutton led the receivers with 42 yards on three catches.
On defense,
Kareem Taylor posted a team high nine tackles with two tackles for a loss and a sack. While,
Nehemiah Reddish,
Xavier Hughey and Terrence Snelling posted eight tackles each.
UNA quarterback, Rico Bruton, finished 11-8 on pass attempts with 142 yards; while also leading the run game with 97 yards on 10 carries. Austin Hicks was the main passing target, turning in 58 yards on four receptions. Joshua Amanfo led the defense with nine takcles.
The Hawks will be back in action, at home, on Saturday, October 21 as they welcome West Florida to Barron Stadium for the first time ever for a 1:00pm kickoff.
