Panthers take on Huntingdon for Homecoming
Oct. 25, 2007

This Week's Opponent
The Panthers host the Hawks of Huntingdon College in a match-up of NCAA Division III independents. This is the last season for both schools as independents, as they move to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference next season as football-only members. The Hawks come into the game 3-4 after defeating cross-town rival Faulkner University 30-12 on Oct. 13 for their second straight win. The Hawks have lost two of their four games in overtime and another to nationally-ranked Wesley (Del.).

Series Notes
This is the second meeting between the two schools. Huntingdon won 35-0 in Montgomery last season.

The Coaches
Mike Turk is in his fourth season at Huntingdon. He is 20-14 with the Hawks. Before coming to Huntingdon, Turk was an assistant at Troy for 13 seasons.

LaGrange's Todd Mooney is 0-18 in his second season as a head coach.

Last Meeting
Huntingdon won last year's meeting 35-0 in Montgomery. Gardner rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown, while Golson threw for two more touchdowns. Wide receiver Colt Shope had three receptions for 71 yards to lead the Panthers.

Last Week's Recap
Huntingdon was off last week. The Hawks defeated cross-town rival Faulkner 30-12 on Oct. 13 in the Capital City Showdown. Steven Laye had a career-best six receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns for the Hawks. Linebacker Granger Shook led the team with 11 total tackles and returned a fumble for his first career touchdown.
Brevard College rushed for 365 yards in beating the Panthers 38-21 in Brevard, N.C. John Taylor had a game-high 122 yards on the ground for the Tornados. Brandon Crawford had a 98-yard touchdown run, the longest play thus far by a Panther. The Panthers finished with 304 yards of total offense, 153 on the ground and 151 in the air. Jeremy Pickens had 13 tackles to lead the Panthers' defense.

Huntingdon Statistics
The Hawks are led by senior quarterback Zach Golson and junior running back Jamal Gardner. Golson missed two straight games with an injury and has thrown for 582 yards and three touchdowns. Gardner leads the team in rushing with 260 yards and a touchdown.

LaGrange Statistics
Sophomore running back Mario Wallace is 10th in all-purpose yards per game in the latest NCAA Division III statistics. Wallace is averaging 180.4 all-purpose yards per game. He had a season-high 281 yards against Washington (Mo.) University.

Huntingdon Defensive Leaders
Junior linebacker Granger Shook leads the Hawks with 70 tackles and two interceptions. Senior defensive end Rishard Davis has 10.5 tackles for losses, including five quarterback sacks.

LaGrange Defensive Leaders
Sophomore defensive back Jeremy Pickens leads the Panthers with 62 total tackles. Junior linebacker Justin Pair is tied for the team with 3.5 quarterback sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. George Okpani is tied with Pair for quarterback sacks, while Alex Sapp is tied with Pair for tackles for loss.

Tough Schedule
The Panthers first seven opponents this season have a combined record of 34-16 (.680 winning percentage). The Panthers last three opponents have a combined record of 7-15.

Common Opponent
Both Huntingdon and LaGrange have played Maryville this season. The Panthers opened the season Sept. 1 with a 21-3 loss at home to the Fighting Scots. The Hawks lost at Maryville on Sept. 15 27-24 in overtime.

Remembering Josh Fonner
The Panthers are wearing stickers on the back of their helmets with the initials JF in memory of former teammate Josh Fonner. Fonner was a member of the Panthers' inaugural team last season. Fonner died in a car accident last weekend and will be remembered in pre-game ceremonies.