#8 Cumberlands to Host #12 Shorter College in First Round of NAIA Play-Offsucumberlands.edu
The University of the Cumberlands will make their third appearance and second straight in the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) Saturday as they host the #12 Hawks of Shorter College. The NAIA FCS opening round will be held Saturday, November 22, 2008 at James H. Taylor, II Stadium in Williamsburg with kick-off slated for 12 noon.
“We are thrilled and excited to have made it to the post-season,” said Cumberlands head coach John Bland.
“Everyone knows it is very difficult to get to this point, especially in a top conference such as ours.” The Mid-South Conference (MSC) will also be represented by #11 Union College (KY) and #16 Lambuth University (TN).
“Everyone is excited,” said Bland. “From our coaches, to our players, to our college family, and our fans, to have not only gotten to this point, but to have done so in back-to-back seasons. I think this says a lot about the preparation, hard work, and sacrifices that everyone involved has made to support this program. Our themes, “I Will” and “The Next Level” are indicative of what our players are doing athletically, academically, and spiritually to take this team to “The Next Level” in all phases of their lives.”
In 1988, after bringing back football in 1985, the Patriots advanced to the NAIA FCS with a perfect 10-0 record and as Mid-South Football Champions. Hosting Bluffton College, the Patriots (then Indians) fell in the first round of the play-offs. 19 years later, in 2007, the Patriots earned their second play-off berth as Co-Champions of the MSC Eastern Division competing against Ohio Dominican University. Now, with a 9-1 record and a 6-0 conference mark, Cumberlands will return home for the opportunity to play for a national championship.
Shorter College completed the regular season with a 9-2 record and is Co-Champions of the MSC West Division after a 4-1 finish. The Hawks earned the West Division's automatic bid after having the highest ranking in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll of the three divisional Co-Champions. Having only been playing football since 2004, Saturday’s game will be Shorter's first-ever appearance in the FCS. The Hawks are riding a five-game winning streak while Cumberlands has won their last nine outings. The match-up with Shorter will be the third meeting between the two teams, having last played on Sept. 23, 2006 - a game the Hawks won 27-7.
“We have seen Shorter play this year on film when we were preparing for our game with Campbellsville,” said Bland. “They (Shorter) are a really good, well coached, and aggressive football team and will be as good as we have seen this season. They (Shorter) run a similar offense as ours and we know that we will have to play well if we are to continue on to “The Next Level.”
A total of 16 teams will play at eight first-round sites on Saturday, Nov. 22. Defending national champion Carroll (Mont.) College opens up by hosting Dickinson State (N.D.) University in Helena, Mont. The Fighting Saints have won five of the last six National Championships and are 14-1 in their last 15 Football Championship Series home games.
The 53rd Annual Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 20 at Rome, Ga. Rome-Floyd County and Shorter (Ga.) College will host the event at Barron Stadium. The event will be televised live on CBS College Sports Television with kick-off slated for 12 p.m. EST. For ticket information, call (706) 233-7288 or go to:
www.naianationalchampionship.com/PDFs/ticket_form.pdfTickets will go on sale for the Cumberlands vs. Shorter Football Championship Series game on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 9 a.m. EST. General Admission tickets will be $5 per person while reserved seating will be $8. On Saturday, November 22nd, game day, all tickets will be $10. To order your ticket in advance contact the Cumberlands Athletic Department at 606-539-4389. Tickets may also be reserved on-line at:
www.ucumberlands.edu/athleticsThis link will be active on Tuesday, November 18th at 9 a.m. EST. Pre-sales will continue through Friday at 5 p.m. EST. All pre-ordered tickets may be picked up at the gate on Saturday.
For more information on the 2008 National Championship, go to:
www.naianationalchampionship.com/index.htmFor the 2008 Football Coaches’ Top 25 polls, go to:
naia.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/072408aac.html
