Camel Foe – Week 9, Morehead State

Campbell’s rough season got even rougher last weekend with a 28-21 homecoming loss to previously winless Davidson. Davidson raced out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead on the strength of two Jonathan Carkhuff touchdown passes. The Camels failed to score in the first quarter for the 7th straight game. Two more TDs in the 3rd quarter gave Davidson a seemingly insurmountable 28-0 lead. However, the Camels finally got on the scoreboard :06 into the 4th quarter on a Brandon Chandler 9-yard run. QB Dakota Wolf capped a 10-play, 87-yard drive with a 3-yard run to cut the margin to 28-14 with 4:12 left in the game. After a failed onside kick, the Camels’ defense stiffened, sacking Carkhuff twice and forcing a 3-and-out. Campbell then marched 84 yards in 10 plays with Wolf again scoring, making it a 7-point game with 1:16 remaining. However, the onside kick again failed and Davidson escaped with a 28-21 victory.

The Camel passing game again sputtered as Wolf was just 8 of 22 for 80 yards and 1 interception. The ground game accounted for 236 yards with Wolf leading the way, gaining 154 yards on 22 attempts and the 2 TDs. Chandler added 71 yards and 1 score. Kurt Odom was the leading receiver with 3 grabs for 31 yards. Steth Monore paced the defense with 12 tackles and Michael Rudisill added 11. Isaac Scott had a huge day rushing the passer with 3 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Davidson outgained Campbell 404-316, gaining 340 of those yards through the air.

This weekend, the Camels hit the road to face Morehead State.

Morehead State University

Location: Morehead, KY (population: 6,845 as of 2010 census)

Established: The school was founded in 1887 as Morehead Normal School, a church-supported teacher-training school. It was taken over by the state in 1922. The school’s name changed as its mission broadened—to Morehead State Normal School and Teachers College in 1926, Morehead State Teachers College in 1930, Morehead State College in 1948 and Morehead State University in 1966.

Enrollment: ~10,200

Nickname: Eagles.

Mascot: Beaker. Watch Beaker get excited for the career fair or tripping over his own feet. Or have your kid become one of Beaker’s Buddies.

Affiliation: MSU is a charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference in NCAA Division I and sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women, with all sports except football competing in the OVC.

Random Fact #1: The 2013 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report named MSU one of the top 25 public universities in the South.MSU has also become one of only four universities in the U.S. to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in space science.

Random Fact #2: The coed and all-girl cheerleading squads have won a combined 32 national championships.

Random Fact #3: At the 2011 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, 13th-seeded Morehead State upset Louisville 62-61. The Eagles then faced 12th-seeded Richmond in the third round, which was only the ninth time in tournament history that a 12–13 match-up occurred in the round of 32.

Random Fact #4: MSU has claimed the state’s best computer-student ratio in its computer laboratories, as well as offering students a program to lease university owned laptops while enrolled. The campus is ranked among the safest in the nation.

Notable Alumni:

  • former MLB 2B Denny Doyle
  • Denver Nuggets F Kenneth Faried
  • professional bowlers Liz Johnson and Kelly Kulick
  • MLB pitcher Jon Rauch
  • former NFL QB and current broadcaster Phil Simms
  • former MLB pitcher Walt Terrell
  • former college football coach and current broadcaster Mike Gottfried
  • game show host Chuck Woolery

Notable natives of Morehead, KY:

  • None listed

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • Morehead State is 1-6 (0-4 in the PFL) and has lost 6 consecutive games following a 55-0 season-opening win over Southern Virginia. Both teams have lost to Drake (MSU 28-25 and CU 35-7) and Butler (MSU 39-35 and CU 35-14).
  • Morehead State was picked 8th in the preseason coaches poll, ahead of only Valparaiso and Davidson.
  • The teams have split the 4 previous games with each team winning twice at home. Campbell took last year’s contest 41-31 after losing in double overtime in 2010.
  • The Eagles suffered a heartbreaking 39-35 loss to Butler last weekend after leading by 17 points in the 4th quarter. The offense put up 505 yards but the team could not hold the 3-score lead late in the game.
  • QB Zach Lewis threw for 254 yards and 1 TD while Rees Macshara ran for 116 yards. Kevin Thomas and Brandon Bornhouser combined for 3 short TD runs.
  • Donte Sawyer led the receiving corps with 9 catches for 92 yards and 1 TD while MacShara added 8 for 85.
  • Dillion Blackburn led the defense with 11 tackles and 1.5 TFL.
  • Head Coach Matt Ballard is in his 19th season as head coach at Morehead State. The school won four straight PFL South Division titles from 2002 to 2005. He also spent 6 seasons as the head coach at Union College (KY). He also spent time as an assistant at Gardner-Webb, Georgetown (KY) and Morehead State.
  • Defensive line coach Chris Garner won an NAIA national title while playing for Findlay. Offensive line coach Matt McCutchan was a 3-year starter on the line for Kentucky.
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Passing
      • Lewis – 177 of 281 for 1,826 yards with 14 TD and 9 INT
    • Rushing
      • Macshara – 86 carries for 492 yards (2 TD)
      • Thomas – 4 TD (7 carries, 9 yards)
    • Receiving
      • Sawyer – 47 receptions, 471 yards, 4 TD
    • Defense
      • Hendrix – 84 tackles
      • Aaron Meadows – 8.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks
      • 3 players have 1 INT each
      • Kameron Scott – 13 pass breakups
      • Nick McCune – 2 forced fumbles
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • K Rainer Duzan, QB Boone Goldsmith, SLOT Cyrus Stahm, DB Rayquan Sam, LB Russell Wilson, WR Shade Whitfield,
    • The winner – RUSSELLWILSON!!!

Prediction:

For the second week in a row, the Camels take on a team with a poor record. This matchup of 1-6 teams will give one team its first conference victory. The Camels also play winless Valparaiso later this season so opportunities for wins still exist, but the team must play better. The lack of any semblance of a passing attack has no doubt hurt the running game this season. QB Jordan Wolf is a threat on the ground but the offense has not done enough to win. The defense has had its ups and downs also, playing well only in stretches. If scores against common opponents means anything (and it’s debatable how much) the Eagles have to be favored here. For the 3rd or 4th week in a row, I am predicting a Fighting Camels point in the 1st quarter – after all, they can’t go the whole season without scoring in the opening period, right? However, the Eagles offense, which put up over 500 yards on Butler last week will have another fine day. I predict the Camels leaving Morehead unhappy after a 30-17 Eagles triumph.


Camel Foe – Week 8, Davidson

The Fighting Camels return home this weekend for a homecoming tilt with Davidson College. The Camels are licking their humps after a 44-0 thrashing at the hands of the San Diego Toreros last weekend in southern California. The Camels were thoroughly outclassed by San Diego, managing just 79 yards of total offense and 6 first downs while allowing 516 and 26. QB Dakota Wolf completed 14 of 23 passes but gained a paltry 58 yards. Kurt Odom led the team in rushing with 24 yards on 7 carries. However, things could be looking up this weekend with Davidson rolling into Buies Creek as one of only 7 remaining winless FCS teams.

Davidson College

Location: Davidson, NC (population: 10,944 as of 2010 census)

Established: 1837 by the Presbyterians. The college (and the town) was named after Brigadier General William Lee Davidson, a Revolutionary War commander.

Enrollment: ~1,900

Nickname: Wildcats. The nickname was bestowed upon the football team by Atlanta sportswriters in 1917 after Davidson upset undefeated Auburn. [Ed. Note: SEC speed!] Wildcats replaced references to teams as the “Red & Black”, “Preachers”, and “Presbyterians”.

Mascot: Will E. Wildcat.

Affiliation: The Wildcats participate as a member of the Southern Conference in most sports. Sports that compete in other conferences besides football include men’s and women’s swimming and diving in the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association, Field Hockey in the Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference and women’s lacrosse in the National Lacrosse Conference.

Random Fact #1: Davidson has the second smallest enrollment of any school in Division I football.

Random Fact #2: According to The Princeton Review, Davidson is ranked among the top twenty colleges nationally for the following categories: “Best Overall Academic Experience For Undergraduates,” “Professors Get High Marks (#1),” “Professors Make Themselves Accessible (#16),” “Students Study the Most(#10),” “School Runs Like Butter (#4),” “Town-Gown Relations are Great (#3),” “Easiest Campus to Get Around (#3),” and “Best Quality of Life (#16).”

Random Fact #3: The men’s basketball program reached the Elite Eight in 2008, defeating Bo Ryan’s open mouth and the Wisconsin Badgers in the third round. The Wildcats  lost to the eventual champion Kansas Jayhawks 59–57 in the Elite Eight, capping off an incredible run that saw the rise of Stephen Curry to national prominence.

Random Fact #4: Davidson’s two-man golf croquet team has won the National Collegiate Croquet Championship back-to-back in 2007 and 2008. It also brought home the national trophy again in 2010.

[Ed. Note: Collegiate croquet? Tell me more, United States Croquet Association – “So you’ve never heard of NCAA-sanctioned collegiate croquet tournaments? Never seen the student body turn out en-masse to cheer their colleagues as they try to outwit their opponents on a carpet of green perfection? Never heard the cheerleaders gasp and scream as the team captain makes a 50-foot hit-in?” I haven’t, but I (and MB) will in the future.]

Notable Alumni:

  • Laeta Kalogridis, Screenwriter and Hollywood Film Producer (Avatar, Shutter Island)
  • NBA player Stephen Curry (did not graduate)
  • longtime college AD Terry Holland
  • NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn
  • John Belk, former head of Belk, Inc and former mayor Charlotte, NC
  • author Patricia Cornwell
  • Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States (did not graduate)

Notable natives of Davidson, NC:

  • NASCAR crew chief Alan Gustafson
  • NASCAR driver David Streeme
  • NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin
  • former MLB pitcher John Candelaria

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • Davidson is 0-6 (0-3 in the PFL) and have been outscored 189-77 on the season. They have no common opponents with the Camels thus far.
  • Davidson was picked 9th in the preseason coaches poll, ahead of only Valparaiso. Valpo also remains winless on the season so keep your eye on a potential Pillow Fight of the Week November 10 if both teams keep losing. The Fighting Camels also play Valpo before then so hopefully they don’t spoil a winless matchup that late in the season.
  • Davidson leads the all-time series between the two schools 3-1. The Fighting Camels won 26-20 at Davidson in OT last year. Davidson had won the previous three meeting by increasingly competitive scores: 49-0, 24-7 & 28-27.
  • Davidson had its closest loss of the season last week in a 34-24 defeat at the hands of Jacksonville.
  • WR Lanny Funsten caught a PFL record 17 passes in last Saturday’s contest, totaling 246 yards against Jacksonville. Funsten also broke school records for career receptions and career yardage during the game. The 17 receptions tied a Davidson record while he fell 2 yards shy of the single-game yardage record.
  • QB Jonathan Carkhuff threw to others besides Funsten as well, completing 34 of 53 throws for 404 yards.
  • LB Patrick Moynahan led the defense with 13 tackles.
  • The Wildcats are averaging just 40.7 yards/game, 121st and last in FCS. They are averaging 1.7 yards/carry and have just 1 rushing TD.
  • Carkhuff ranks 9th in FCS with 268.0 passing yards/game and 6th in completions/game with 27.5.
  • Funsten is T-11th in receptions/game (6.7) and 16th in receiving yards/game (90.0).
  • Head Coach Tripp Merritt Merritt was born with spina bifida occulta, which resulted in deformities in his lower spine and nerve damage in his left leg. To this day he has no reflexes in his left leg and back pain surfaces when he tires, sometimes causing a slight limp. His doctors didn’t have an optimistic outlook, telling his parents “He’ll never be able to run.” Merritt’s father was an assistant high school football coach and not one to give up hope easily. He worked with his young son, helped him improve his mobility and stamina. That and sheer determination allowed young Tripp to make his way onto the playing field as early as second grade – football, basketball, baseball. His athletic career continued at Burns High School in Shelby, N.C., where he lettered three times in football and baseball. He now runs three or four miles a day.
  • The team runs the Air Raid offense under offensive coordinator Matt Mumme, son of longtime college coach and passing game tactician Hal Mumme. Matt was Tim Couch’s backup at Kentucky.
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Passing
      • Carkhuff – 165 of 278 for 1,680 yards with 9 TD and 9 INT (46.3 attempts/game)
    • Rushing
      • Spencer Perry – 55 carries for 253 yards
      • Chris Gorman – 1 TD (23 carries, 63 yards)
    • Receiving
      • Funsten – 40 receptions, 540 yards, 3 TD
      • Reese Williams – 3 TD (23 receptions, 241 yards)
    • Defense
      • Moynahan – 65 tackles and 9 TFL
      • Lewis McAlister – 2 sacks
      • 4 players have 1 INT each
      • Adam Dulberger 4 pass breakups
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • WR Desi Dockery, QB Bates Taylor, WR Se’Vaughn Carter, DB Toms Bernhard-Callahan, K/P Chazzo Habliston, WR Houegnon Attenoukon, OL Joey Esposito
    • The winnerChazzo (and his bowtie and serial killer stare)
    • The bestJoey Esposito [Ed. Note: I don’t care how many times we’ve already linked to You’re the Best. We’re going to keep doing it.]

Prediction:

Two teams with a combined record of 1-11 so at least one of them will get a win. The Camels have still yet to score in the 1st quarter this season. But what better weekend than homecoming? Davidson is averaging 12.8 points/game, the Camels 10.8. Campbell is allowing 35.8 points/game to the Wildcats’ 31.5. Davidson at least has an effective passing game with an excellent receiver although Campbell has been better defensively against the pass. If Davidson had a serviceable running game I would like their chances a bit more. Home field advantage has not mattered much to Campbell this season, but I think it tips the scales in their favor in this battle of two very bad teams. I foresee a happy bunch of Camels celebrating a 20-19 homecoming victory.


Camel Foe – Week 4, Butler

After a 70-14 thrashing at the hands of Old Dominion, the Camels return to facing fellow non-scholarships teams as they open Pioneer Conference play by hitting the road to face Butler.

Butler University

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana (population: 829,718 as of 2010 census, the 12th largest city in the United States)

Established: 1855 as North Western Christian University. It was renamed in 1875 for founder Ovid Butler.

Enrollment: ~4,600

Nickname: Bulldogs

Mascot: Blue II is the official live mascot of Butler and is known by the tagline “Butler’s Mascot, America’s Dog”.

Affiliation: Butler is a football-only member of the Pioneer Conference. Except for women’s golf, the rest of its teams are spending their first year as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Butler left the Horizon Conference in July to join the A-10. The Atlantic 10 does not sponsor women’s golf, so the Butler team will compete elsewhere in that sport.

[Ed. Note: Conference realignment is not just for big-time football as Butler is the 4th straight opponent of Campbell who has undergone or is currently undergoing some type of division or conference shift.]

Random Fact #1: The university was the first in Indiana and the third in the United States to admit both men and women.

Random Fact #2: Architect Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the World Trade Center, designed the Irwin Library on campus.

Random Fact #3: Butler ranked 2nd in the U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2010 for Top Midwestern Master’s Universities.

Random Fact #4: Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse also serves as the home to the Indiana High School state basketball tournament as was the site of Milan High’s 1954 title, which served as the loose basis for the movie Hoosiers. Parts of the movie were also shot in the fieldhouse.

Notable Alumni:

  • former Nebrasketball head coach and current Butler AD Barry Collier
  • Baylor men’s basketball head coach Scott Drew
  • IndyCar driver Sarah Fisher
  • Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward
  • Ohio State men’s basketball head coach Thad Matta
  • Bobby Plump, the hero of the real-life Milan High basketball team
  • Jim Jones, notorious founder of the People’s Temple and organizer of the 1979 mass suicide of 909 members of his organization

Indianapolis is pretty large – let’s stick with 5 really good people from there.

  • former UCLA basketball coach and Basketball Hall of Famer John Wooden
  • former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle
  • Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson
  • actor Steve McQueen
  • former NBA player Eric Montross

[Ed Note: For some reason I am reminded of the old Sesame Street song, “One of these things is not like the others”…]

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • Butler heads into Pioneer Conference play with the same record as the Camels, 1-2
  • The Bulldogs  opened the season with a 23-15 loss at Western Illinois, defeated Franklin 42-13 in Week 2 and dropped a 35-7 decision to Dartmouth last week
  • The series between Butler and Campbell is tied 2-2. Butler won the first two games while the Camels have taken the last two. Last season saw a 38-23 Camel win in Buies Creek.
  • In the teams’ only previous game at Butler in 2010, Campbell won by a 27-10 score.
  • Butler outgained Dartmouth 416-358 last week despite the four-touchdown loss. They lead the PFL in total offense at 483.3 yards per game.
  • Senior LB Jordan Ridley is tied for 8th in the PFL in tackles per game and was named PFL Co-Defensive Player of the Week after last season’s game against the Camels in which he had 19 tackles.
  • RB Trae Heeter leads the PFL in rushing at 65.3 yards per game.
  • WR’s Derek O’Connor (79.0) and Brendan Shannon (68.7) rank 2nd and 3rd respectively in the conference in receiving yards per game. O’Connor had 164 yards on 9 catches last week against Dartmouth.
  • Junior QB Matt Lancaster, a transfer from Illinois State, threw for 267 yards and 1 TD last week and has thrown 92 consecutive passes without an interception.
  • Stat Leaders:
    • Passing: Lancaster – 60-100, 739 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT (also 153 yards rushing & 3 TDs)
    • Rushing: Heeter – 31 carries, 196 yards
    • Receiving: Shannon 16 receptions (206 yards) & 2 TDs; O’Connor 237 yards (15 catches)
    • Defense: Ridley 26 tackles; DE Jeremy Stephens 3 TFL & 2 sacks; Bryce Barry & Sean Grady 1 interception
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • JoJo Ciancio, Jayme Szafranski, Trae Heeter, Guy DiBalsamo, Joe Hackett (think Wings), Nestor Porres,
    • The winner – Guy DiBalsamo.

Prediction:

Both teams are 1-2 and coming off of blowout losses last week – Butler by 28 points and the Camels by twice that. Despite the lopsided score, the Camels did top 200 yards rushing for the first time this season. Junior QB Dakota Wolf, making his first start for the injured Braden Smith who will miss the rest of the season, rushed for 101 yards on 22 carries to lead the ground attack. Through the air Wolf was 8-16 passing for just 56 yards. Kurt Odom added 53 yards and 1 TD on the ground and had 3 receptions for 16 yards. Lucas Smith paced the defense with 9 tackles while Isaac Scott had a sack and a forced fumble.

The series between these two teams has been evenly matched and this game should be as well.  The rest of the conference coaches felt that way also, as Campbell was slotted 5th and Butler 7th in the preseason poll. Two things that seem to tilt this game in favor of the Bulldogs are that the game is being played in Indianapolis and Camel QB Dakota Wolf will be making just his 2nd career start. The Camels have been outscored 38-0 in the 1st quarter so far this year and are averaging just 14.7 point per game. A new QB with pedestrian throwing numbers will be hard-pressed to improve on those numbers. I see Butler snapping their 2-game losing streak to the Camels with a hard fought 27-17 victory.

 

 


Camel Foe – Week 2, Virginia-Wise

Providing the opposition this week for the Fighting Camels, and thus the subject of the second Camel Foe of the year, is the University of Virginia at Wise.

Virginia-Wise

Location: Wise, Virginia (population: 3,286 as of 2010 census)

Established: 1954 as Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia

Enrollment: 2,005

Nickname: Highland Cavaliers

Affiliation: UVa-Wise is currently a member of the NAIA and the Mid-South Conference, but will begin the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II next year. They would be an active D-II member in the 2015-16 academic year. They will become a charter member of the new Mountain East Conference which plans to launch in the 2013-14 academic year.

Random Fact #1: It is the only branch of the University of Virginia and the westernmost public college in Virginia.

Random Fact #2: Existed as a junior college until the first Bachelor of Arts degrees were granted in 1970.

Random Fact #3: Boasts the “best small-college intramural program in the Southeast”. Half of the student body participates in some form of intramural activity.

Random Fact #4: UVa-Wise ranks first among public national liberal-arts colleges for students graduating with the least amount of debt.

Notable Persons:

  • Holly Kiser, the first winner of Make Me a Supermodel
  • Virginia delegate Terry Kilgore

Quite the list. How about anyone from the town of Wise…

  • Actor, director & producer George C. Scott
  • Former Green Bay Packers WR Carroll Dale
  • Glen Roberts, the originator of the jump shot while playing basketball at Christopher Gist High School in Pound, VA
    • [Ed. Note: I think there are about 100 people credited with inventing the jump shot. In fact, a book published in 1999 and authored by John Christgau investigated 8 different men who each claim credit for inventing the jump shot. Roberts is among the eight, although Christgau makes a strong case that Ken Sailors was the first in May 1934.]
    • [Ed. Note II: The towns of Pound and Big Stone Gap are both located in Wise County, VA. Insert your own joke here.]

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • The Highland Cavaliers opened the season with a 24-21 overtime win at Bethel University (ranked #11 in the NAIA preseason poll) on August 25 before being routed at home 43-10 by Faulkner University last Saturday
  • Last week Faulkner exploded for 26 second quarter points and cruised to victory, outgaining UVA-Wise 558 to 174. The Cavaliers’ only TD came on a 69-yard interception return by Vernon “Major” Payne
  • The Fighting Camels lead the series 1-0, winning 20-16 at Wise in 2010
  • UVa-Wise looks to start a season 2-0 on the road for the first time since 2008, when it posted back-to-back wins away from home over Kentucky Christian University and Newport News Apprentice School
  • Junior Kicker Paul Melshen needs 1 FG to tie the school’s career record of 18, set by Jay Withrow from 1993-96
  • Senior LB Derek Comer leads the Mid-South Conference and ranks 6th nationally with 22.5 tackles in the first 2 games
  • True freshman RB Connery Swift has run for 185 yards in the first 2 games, 175 of those coming in the season-opening win
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • Jalani Winbush, Capers Zentmeyer, Shahn Khan, Zaukeus Witcher, T’ontray Billups, Skylar DeJesus
    • The winner – Shahn Khan. KHAAAAAAAAN!

Prediction:

Another game that is tough to get a read on as the non-scholarship Camels face another team transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II, albeit one that is just beginning the process. The Highland Cavaliers first two games muddy the waters as well – they opened with an overtime win on the road against #11 Bethel but then returned home and lost by 33 to unranked Faulkner. As with most teams, the truth likely lies somewhere in the middle,  plus we have to factor in that pre-season polls at best an educated guess and at worst a complete mockery. Meanwhile, our Camels turned the ball over 5 times last week against Shorter, including 4 first-quarter fumbles. They still managed to take a 3-point lead early in the 4th quarter before falling 31-20. We look for two questions to be answered this week: 1) Will the real Virginia-Wise Highland Cavaliers please stand up? 2) Can the Camels take care of the football? One man’s highly uneducated call – UVa-Wise’s  lackluster offense (262.5 yds/game) will struggle to exploit the inexperienced Camel defense. On the other side of the ball, despite all the turnovers, Campbell had 475 yards of offense (336 passing from QB Braden Smith) last week against Shorter. With Virginia-Wise allowing 481.5 yards per game so far, the Camels should be able to move the ball once again. I foresee a Camel bounce-back this week as they turn the ball over only once and Smith enjoys another big passing day, leading them to a 31-16 victory.

 

 


Camel Foe – Week 1, Shorter University

Our critically acclaimed (meaning, enjoyed by at least 2 of the original 8 MB members) series Camel Foe returns for its second season in MB 2013. Each week we shine the MB flashlight on the upcoming opponent of our beloved Campbell University Fighting Camels. We mix together some actual football information with our usual mix of random facts to concoct a delicious appetizer for the week’s college football smorgasbord. Without further ado, let’s learn a little about the Camels’ season-opening opponent, Shorter University.

Shorter University

Location: Rome, Georgia (population: 36,303 as of 2010 census)

Established: 1873 as the Cherokee Baptist Female College

Motto: Light, Truth

Enrollment: 3,500

Nickname: Hawks

Affiliation: Currently transitioning from the NAIA and the Southern States Athletic Conference to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference. This school year is Gulf Coast’s first as a full member of Division II although it will remain ineligible for NCAA championships for the next 2 seasons.

Random Fact #1: During the 1920s, the college constructed the first indoor swimming pool in the United States.

Random Fact #2: The college became co-educational in the 1950s and also began sports programs in the NAIA during that decade.

Random Fact #3: As of October 2011, the university requires all employees to sign and adhere to a “Personal Lifestyle Statement” that includes the following principles:

  • They will be loyal to the mission of Shorter University as a Christ-centered institution affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention
  • They will not engage in the use, sale, possession, or production of illegal drugs
  • They will reject as acceptable all sexual activity not in agreement with the Bible, including, but not limited to, premarital sex, adultery, and homosexuality
  • They will not use alcoholic beverages in the presence of students, and will abstain from serving, from using, and from advocating the use of alcoholic beverages in public (e.g. in locations that are open to use by the general public, including as some examples restaurants, concert venues, stadiums, and sports facilities) and in settings in which students are present or are likely to be present. Neither would they promote or encourage the use of alcohol
  • They will actively engage in a local church

Random Fact #4: Due to clause #4, it is unlikely any of the executive members of MB will ever apply for a job at Shorter University

Notable Persons:

  • NCAA basketball coach Bill Foster, one of 16 coaches to win at least 500 games
  • Benton Gill, lead singer of the band Crisis

Well, that was impressive. Let’s throw in notables from the city of Rome as well.

  • Professional wrestler Arn Anderson (that’s more like it)
  • NFL running back Ronnie Brown
  • Former NFL running back Larry Kinnebrew
  • Florida head football coach Will Muschamp
  • Former NFL player and coach Dan Reeves
  • Ellen Wilson, First Lady of the United States (first wife of Woodrow Wilson)
  • George Stephen Morrison, Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and father of singer Jim Morrison; Admiral Morrison was part of the crew of the minelayer Pruitt stationed in Hawaii and witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor from that vessel

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

  • In 2011, Shorter finished 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the Southern States Athletic Conference, its 7th final season in that conference and in NAIA after starting football in 2005
  • Shorter played just 4 home games in 2011, splitting those contest while finishing 4-2 on the road
  • Shorter runs an offense similar to Air Force, putting an emphasis on the QB and FB positions – they ran the ball 486 times in 10 games last season, while throwing it just 89
  • The Hawks lost their top 2 QBs and top 3 FBs from 2011
  • The leading returning rusher is slotback Roderick Jones who ran for 400 yards on just 34 carries, a ridiculous 11.8 per carry
  • The team’s leading receiver last year had 7 catches for 161 yards and 3 TDs. For the season. He also graduated meaning someone will have to step up and replace those 0.7 catches per game in the offense
  • Shorter returns 5 players on defense who garnered all-conference accolades in 2011, including NAIA All-American ILB Demery Hawkins
  • Best Name Nominees:
    • Jovann Shabazz, SaDarrius Rooks, K-Sun Manzano, Terrian Beavers, Quay Boddie, Marktavious Dasher, Santavious Bryant, Maurice Bloodser
    • The winner – K-Sun Manzano (I’m not telling him he didn’t win)

Prediction:

This is an interesting match-up as a team new to Division II (and in just its 8th season) takes on a non-scholarship FCS program in just its 5th year. We may learn a little as to whether you get better players in NAIA or D-II with partial scholarships rather than at an FCS school with no scholarships. On the field, we will see a match-up of strengths as the experienced and talented Shorter defense takes on second-year starting QB Braden Smith and the Camels offense. On the flip side, the Camel defense and Hawk offense each return only a few starters and match up schemes that are not widely in vogue – the option offense of Shorter vs. the 3-3-5 defense of Campbell. The key to this game will likely be how well the inexperienced Shorter offense runs the option and how well the inexperienced Camel defense can defend it. Expect a fast game as both teams prefer to run the ball, with Shorter especially using the pass as an afterthought.  The x-factor in this game is that Shorter will have to deal with the excitement surrounding the first night game ever played at Barker-Lane Stadium. I don’t think you can prepare yourself in practice for the atmosphere in Buies Creek on a Thursday night. The rabid Camel fans help propel the team to a 1-0 start on the season – Campbell 27, Shorter 21.