BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 9th-ranked Samford Bulldogs showed why they were one of the top teams in college football last season. The reigning SoCon Champions played a fast and physical game, and the Shorter Hawks were unable to keep up with the attack. Shorter Head Football Coach, Zach Morrison stated, "This was a great opportunity to see how we would stack up against one of the best teams in the country. It is about finding the little victories in games like this. It was exciting for the players to play on ESPN in front of thousands of Hawk followers all over the country." The Shorter Hawks created the pillars of the program last spring with a focus on Faith, Attitude, Toughness, and Effort and it has been the focus of each day and each week throughout summer workouts and fall camp. "This is a special team, and they can control their own destiny, we knew week 1 was going to be a challenge, but they are hungry to improve each week," stated Morrison. Shorter University was up against one of its most challenging opponents in school history. Only once have the Hawks faced a higher-ranked FCS team (Samford, #7, 2018). The Hawks finished the day with 216 yards of total offense but were unable to get in the redzone many times throughout the game only scoring two offensive touchdowns. Defensively, the Hawks knew they would be up to a challenge with All-American QB, Michael Hiers returning to Samford for his senior season and leading a fast paced Samford offense.
Quarterback, Harold Cook was able to spark the offense with an explosive touchdown pass to senior tight end, John Dietl III for a 38-yard strike. Cook finished the day going 20/28 with 170 yards and 1 touchdown through the air as well as one on the ground. While senior, John Dietl III finished with 3 receptions for 53 yards and the lone receiving touchdown. Price Campbell was the standout on the offensive line and the running backs: Jaiden Dollard, Justus Durant and Noah Holland all running hard throughout the game. Some key plays on the perimeter were made by junior slot, Bo Mosteller and sophomore Trevon Dirden they combined for 11 receptions for 83 yards. Offensive Coordinator Blake Robles said of the Shorter Hawks offense, "It was good to see our guys play at a high level and see where we were in order to gauge how much work we have to do in order to play our remaining schedule."
Defensively, there were a few standouts in the game including Hunter Hodson and Milton Adams making some big hits for the Hawks and being sure tacklers; both finished the day with 4 tackles apiece. The defensive line had a tall ask of taking on the Samford offensive line, but Ryan Richardson was able to make a huge sack in the 2nd half as well as Bruce Guyton finishing with 6 tackles and a TFL. With the game out of hand, Hawks had a host of young players on the field in the second half, both redshirt freshmen and true freshmen. "Our freshmen were impressive. Tobias Lewis, Bryan Gilmore, KB Bonds and Nakobi Spurrier (on defense), and there were a bunch of others… we have something to build on going into next week," said Morrison.
"They earned their stripes today. We knew how good they were in practice, but we were curious about game day. They were playing in high school last fall, and now they are playing one of the top FCS schools in the country. There were some pretty cool things that came out of that game." The Hawks will regroup for another non-conference game next week against Erskine College. The Hawks play in Rome, GA at Historic Barron Stadium on Sept. 9 at 2 PM EST. Morrison ended with, "the thing I was most proud of was the never-give-up mentality of the team. The leadership and accountability on the team rang through during the game. It was a tough game, but I didn't hear a negative comment, they rallied around each other and played to the last snap. That was pretty cool, and it tells me we have a shot. If you look at us and this group, I believe we can have an amazing season and so do the players on this team."
-Faith, Attitude, Toughness, Effort
