ROME, Ga. - After several long months without action, Shorter University football will return to action on Saturday night.  The Hawks (0-0, 0-0 Gulf South) will travel to Johnson City, Tennessee to take on the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers (0-1, 0-0 Southern) at 7:30 PM on Saturday, September 7.  For fans unable to make the trip to Johnson City, the game will be broadcast internationally on ESPN+.
 
The contest will mark the fifth-consecutive season in which Shorter has taken on an NCAA Division I school.  Last season, Shorter opened the season in Birmingham, Alabama when they traveled to take on No. 10 Samford.
 
Offensively, the Hawks are led by senior quarterback Tyler Pullum.  The Effingham, GA product has rewritten the history books throughout his career at Shorter, breaking every passing record.  Throughout Shorter's 2018 campaign, Pullum threw for 1,856 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 56.12% of his pass attempts.
 
On the defensive side, Nehemiah Reddish leads the way.  The junior out of Rome, GA led the defense with 70 tackles last season.  Reddish was the lone Hawk named to the Preseason All-Gulf South Conference team earlier this summer.
 
East Tennessee State opened their 2019 season with a 42-7 loss to Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina.  In the preseason FCS Coaches Poll, ETSU was receiving votes, falling just outside of the top 25.  During the 2018 season, ETSU went 8-4 overall and 6-2 in Southern Conference play, claiming a share of the Southern Conference championship.  The season wrapped up with a loss to Jacksonville State in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship.
 
Shorter will open their home slate with a Gulf South Conference game against the University of West Florida on Saturday, September 14.  Kickoff for that game will take place at 3:00 PM in Historic Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia.