DIV 2

Hawks Drop Season Opener at FCS #9 Samford

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.