Panthers return to host nationally-ranked Bridgewater
Sept. 20, 2007

The LaGrange College football team returns to Callaway Stadium on Saturday after two straight road games. The Panthers host nationally-ranked Bridgewater College of Bridgewater, Va. The Eagles come into the game with a 3-0 record and coming off a 41-16 home win over Ferrum. Bridgewater is ranked 16th in the first American Football Coaches NCAA Division III poll and 23rd in the D3football.com Division III poll. Last season,   the Eagles were 8-2, finishing 4-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). The Eagles had their streak of six straight NCAA playoff appearances and five straight ODAC championships end. The Eagles were NCAA Division III national runners-up in 2001. The Eagles' 72 wins since 2000 are the third-most nationally among NCAA Division III teams.

Series Notes
This is the second meeting between the two schools. Bridgewater won 58-21 last season in Bridgewater, Va.

The Coaches-
Bridgewater head coach Michael Clark (CIncinnati) is 85-50-1 in his 13th season. Lagrange's Todd Mooney (Ohio) is 0-13 in his  second season as a head coach.

Last Meeting
Bridgewater defeated the Panthers 58-21 last season in Bridgewater, Va. Carter and Winston Young combined for 227 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Eagles. Highfill threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers had a season-high 261 yards passing and three touchdowns in the game. Erik Hardison had four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Mario Wallace had a 62-yard touchdown receptions.

Last Week's Recap
Bridgewater had 511 yards of total offense, including 338 on the ground in a 41-16 win over Ferrum at home. Senior running back Phillip Carter rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Senior quarterback Jeff Highfill finished with 202 yards of total offense. Highfill completed 9-of-13 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Brandon Copeland caught three passes for 86 yards, including a 56-yard TD catch.
The Panthers fell 38-12 to NAIA Shorter College in Rome, Ga. Mario Wallace had an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for the Panthers. It was the first kickoff return touchdown for the Panthers. Erik Hardison caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Robert Walsh for the Panthers' other score. Hardison finished with six receptions for 77 yards. Nick Langley had five catches for 86 yards.

Bridgewater Statistics
Carter leads the Eagles' rushing attack, which is ranked 11th in Division III. Carter has rushed for 384 yards and eight touchdowns, while averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He rushed for 158 yards and a school-record five touchdowns in the season opener against McDaniel. As a team, the Eagles are averaging 295.3 yards per game on the ground. Highfill has thrown for 423 yards and five touchdowns. He is completing 68 percent of his passes and has only one interception.

LaGrange Statistics-
The Panthers are averaging 209.7 yards passing and 21.0 yards rushing per game through three games. The Panthers have rushed for 323 yards but 20 sacks have accounted for the bulk of the 260 yards for losses. Last season through three games, the Panthers had 60 yards rushing and 193 yards passing.  On defense, the Panthers are allowing 206.3 yards rushing and 122.3 yards passing. Last season through three games, the defense had allowed 853 yards rushing and 453 yards passing. Mario Wallace ranks nationally in the NCAA Division III statistics. He is 10th in punt returns (19.6 yards per return), 26th in all-purpose yards (178.7 yards per game) and 41st in kickoff returns (25.6 yards per return).

Bridgewater Defensive Leaders
Sophomore defensive end Travis Grant is the Eagles' leading tackler. He has 18 total tackles, including three for losses and two quarterback sacks. Linebackers Antwaine Campo and Robbie Hahn have 17 total tackles each.
 
LaGrange Defensive Leaders
Linebacker Justin Strickland leads the team with 20 total tackles. He has 2.5 tackles for losses and 1.5 sacks. Defensive back Jeremy Pickens and linebacker Richard Okpani each had 19 total tackles.