ROME, Ga. — After the much-anticipated home opener this season the Hawks won big over Erskine 28-7. There was a two-hour lightening delay that forced the game to start after 4 pm, but that didn't slow down the Hawks in front of the home crowd. Leading up to the game Head Football Coach, Zach Morrison spoke to the team about playing together for each other and playing a complete game from start to finish and the Hawks were able to do just that. "The lightening delay may have hindered us starting fast, but we were able to regain momentum and not turn back today. The team was hungry to get on the field and show how out and bring the "Brick by Brick" mentality to the forefront," said Morrison.
Shorter University and Erskine College battled hard and played with high energy and intensity, but the Hawks pulled away from what seemed to be a nail biter early on. Erskine was able to drive down the field and score on the opening drive, but the Hawks were able to shut down the Erskine offense the rest of the game.
The Shorter Offensive Line, consisting of Jagger Jones, Price Campbell, Clay Baker, Carson Carpenter, and Alan Herron put the offense on their back throughout the game. We knew that our success offensively was going to be up to the play of the big guys up front, and they did not disappoint.
Shorter knew they needed to respond to the early Erskine touchdown and quarterback Joshua Brown lead the Hawks down the field to tie up the game. Offensive Coordinator Blake Robles said of Brown, " I am really proud of Josh stepping up today! He made some really good decisions through the air and was also able to use his running ability." Red-Shirt Freshman Joshua Brown was able to find Bo Mosteller, Trevon Dirden and finally finished up with Jaiden Dollard punching the ball in with a rushing touchdown. There were a few other big plays throughout the game by receivers Brandon McGill who was just shy of scoring a receiving touchdown. Quarterback Josh Brown finished the day 19-21 in pass attempts for 197 passing yards, and four rushing attempts for 32 yards.
The Hawks finished the day just shy of 400 total yards offensively and were 3/3 inside the redzone. The stable of running backs finished the day just under 200 yards rushing as well. "Our running backs have bought into our system and all know they are going to contribute throughout the game. I have trust that all of them can score from anywhere on the field. I am proud of the effort of running backs Jaiden Dollard, Justus Durant, and Noah Holland," said Morrison. Shorter University Offensive Coordinator, Blake Robles spoke of the offensive performance as a solid overall day, but we know as an offensive unit that we left points on the field.
After the Hawks settled down on defense, they were able to make stop after stop. In the second quarter, the defense was playing fast and physical football and was able to get hinder Erskine from getting in the redzone. The Shorter Hawks defense finished with a total of 9 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks throughout the game. "The defensive line really stepped up today! I am proud of how they pursued the football and the plays they made in the backfield," said defensive coordinator Harlen Jacobs. Tony Bethea, Ryan Richardson, Jahseim Henry, and Super Senior DE Bruce Guyton all made contributions all over the field.
The Hawks were able to get multiple 4th down stops of the Erskine offense giving the Hawks great field position. Hunter Hodson and Milton Adams both made plays all over the field. Coach Jacobs said of these two, "Milton had a strong day and ended the game as our leading tackler, he stepped up in a big way for us today. Hunter also had a strong day coming down and making some tough tackles on the big backs of Erskine."
Special Teams Coordinator Ryne Strickland was proud of the units for growing throughout fall camp and being consistent throughout the day. "Our two freshmen specialists, punter Wyatt Walters and placekicker Tyler Simpson really had great days. I am excited to see them progress throughout the season," said Coach Strickland. Another stand out on special teams was wideout Jaylin Marshall who made plays on multiple units.
Other Standouts: Jathan Willis finished with six tackles and two tackles for a loss, while Marc Harris finished with five tackles on the day. Lastly, team captain Artellious Edmond finished the day with 4 tackles.
The Shorter Hawks are at home again next weekend as they play the Chowan Hawks at 12:00 PM at Barron Stadium.
