Panthers, Hawks play in inaugural Governor's Cup game
Sept. 14, 2007

LaGrange College's football team will be seeking its first win ever Saturday against Shorter College in Rome. The Panthers will also be trying to win the inaugural Governor's Cup, representing the small college football champion for the state of Georgia. Former Georgia governor Roy Barnes will present the cup to representatives of both Shorter and LaGrange during an on-field ceremony before the game. Barnes, governor of Georgia from 1999 until 2003, will also toss the coin to start Saturday's competition. Shorter won 54-0 at Callaway Stadium in last year's meeting.  The trophy for the game, donated by Broome's Trophies in Rome, will reside at the winning school until next year's game.

Game Notes
This Week's Opponent-
Shorter comes into the game with a 1-1 record, after losing 27-24 on the road to NCAA Division II Stillman last week. The Hawks defeated Brevard, another NCAA Division II opponent, 30-21 in their season opener Sept. 1. This is the home opener for the Hawks. Shorter is a member of the NAIA Mid-South Conference. Shorter was 7-4 overall and 4-3 in conference play last season. They are picked to finish second this season in the Mid-South's West Division. Shorter is in its third year of football. The Hawks were 3-7 in their inaugural season of 2005.

Series Notes
This is the second meeting between the two schools. Shorter won 54-0 last season in LaGrange.

The Coaches-
Shorter head coach Phil Jones (Mercer) is 12-11 in his third year. He is 172-116-5 overall.
Lagrange's Todd Mooney (Ohio) is 0-12 in his  second season as a head coach.

Last Meeting
Shorter blanked the Panthers 54-0 at Callaway Stadium on Sept. 16, 2006. The Hawks had 480 yards of total offense in the game, 377 coming on the ground. The Panthers were limited to 104 yards of total offense. The Hawks' defense had four interceptions in the game. The Panthers completed only four of 27 passes in the game. The Panthers' Kyle Storey had the school's first ever interception. Linebacker Richard Okpani led the Panthers' defense with 12 total tackles.

Last Week's Recap
Stillman rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Shorter. The Hawks led 24-14 after three quarters. Shorter quarterback Drew Elrod ran for 68 yards and passed for another 162 yards. He had a 56-yard touchdown run for the Hawks' first score of the game. Stillman had 405 yards passing and four touchdown passes in the game. LaGrange could not overcome a 28-0 deficit in a 28-21 loss to Rhodes on the road. Quarterback Drew Carter threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Panthers. Carter threw completions to 11 different receivers in the game.

Shorter Statistics
Shorter is averaging 256.5 rushing yards per game this season. They are fifth in NAIA Division I in running the football. The Hawks are averaging 110.5 passing yards per game. Last season, Shorter averaged 239.1 yards rushing and 91.3 passing per game. The Hawks are surrendering 170 yards rushing and 220 yards passing per game this season.

LaGrange Statistics-
The Panthers are averaging 202.5 yards passing and 17.5 yards rushing per game through two games. The Panthers have rushed for 264 yards but 16 sacks have accounted for the bulk of the 229 yards for losses. Last season through two games, the Panthers had -4 yards rushing and 153 yards passing.  On defense, the Panthers are allowing 129.5 yards rushing and 145.5 yards passing. Last season through two games, the defense had allowed 476 yards rushing and 350 yards passing.

Shorter Defensive Leaders
Free safety Will Oliver leads the Hawks with 14 total tackles, including three for losses. Linebacker Ryan Gloer and strong saftey Bud  Keith have 12 and 10 total tackles respectively. Keith leads the team with two interceptions.

LaGrange Defensive Leaders
Linebacker Justin Strickland leads the team with 13 total tackles. He has 2.5 tackles for losses and 1.5 sacks. Defensive linemen Alex Sapp and Rob Baker each have 11 total tackles.