ROME, Ga.— This past Saturday in Rome, Georgia there was a showdown between two Gulf South Conference heavyweights. Shorter University was preparing for a rebound from a great game against Delta State and Mississippi College was as well after coming up short the previous week against West Alabama.
This game sure enough was a battle! The Shorter Hawks played a hard-fought game but came up short against the MS College Choctaws. Coach Morrison, spoke at the end of the game, "We knew that Mississippi College was going to be a physical opponent, but after a fantastic week of practice I was confident in our team, the game came down to execution and details that we will have to polish up as we prepare for the remaining games in the Gulf South Conference. The expectations have been higher and higher each year and we want our team to know that and strive for excellence"
In the first quarter, Shorter's
Josh Brown led the team 75-yards up the field in 5 plays and running back
Justus Durant finished the drive with a touchdown. The rushing attack was one for both teams throughout the day as both finished with over 200 yards rushing. Sophomore
Justus Durant finished the game with 11 carries for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. "Justus had a great game, his ability to stretch the defense and run through tackles, he also did a good job making plays with the ball in the air. We will continue to look at him throughout the season for his leadership," said Coach Morrison.
Jaiden Dollard also had a fantastic day with 11 carries for 50 yards.
Quarterback
Josh Brown finished the day 21/32 for 219 yards passing. He was able to hit targets all over the field such as
Trevon Dirden, Johnny Dietl,
Jaylin Marshall and lastly
Bo Mosteller. Coach Morrison stated, "Josh has made some great strides over these past several weeks, I am proud of his growth. He is always asking questions and, in the film-room reviewing how he can improve." The receivers also made an impact blocking on the perimeter and caught everything that was in their area.
The first half saw explosive plays from the Choctaws offense which resulted in the Hawks being down at the half. "In the second half the Hawks were able to keep the scoring to a minimum from the MS College Choctaws only allowing 6 total points. After some half-time corrections we were able to contain their offense and I am proud of how the defense finished the game," said Morrison. There were some bright spots on the day,
Devonn Lane got his first playing time of the season and was able lead the Hawks in tackles with 14 total. Another standout was linebacker
Marc Harris who continues to show strides on the Hawks defense. "Overall there are some areas that are going to improve and will have to pick it up and they know that, stated Morrison."
On the defensive side of the ball interior defensive linemen
Tony Bethea and Bruce Guyton played pivotal roles in haltering the Choctaws rushing attack. After making a few adjustments the
Artellious Edmond made a big impact playing out of position in the 2
nd half, which again help the Hawks only allow 6 points in the last 30 minutes of the game.
"Defensively, we are going to have to step up. We allowed too many points as well as 225 yards on the ground. Penalties really hurt both sides of the ball, but we have to be more disciplined," stated Defensive Coordinator
Harlen Jacobs.
The Hawks tried on onside kick, which was under-kicked slightly allowing the Choctaws to take possession of the ball. "If we had recovered the onside kick, we would have had an opportunity to drive the field earlier and put more points on the board," said Special Team Coordinator
Ryne Strickland. The Hawks did rally back with a 91-yard drive with under 3 minutes to go in the game and faltered in the redzone leaving the score 14-30. "Scoring on that last drive would have been a huge momentum swing because with an onside kick we would have had an opportunity to go for the tie, I hate that our offense could not capitalize," said Coach Morrison.
The Hawks will continue fighting and they head to Pensacola, FL to take on #7 West Florida University next Saturday with a 4 PM (CT) kickoff.
Faith.Attitude.Toughness.Effort
