GREENSBORO COLLEGE  Sports Release

Game Notes: Greensboro College, NCAA Division
III (0-0) at Davidson College, NCAA Division IAA, (0-1)

When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 2005; 7 p.m. EST

Where: Richardson Stadium

Webscast: Greensboro College webcast link available from www.gborocollege.edu/athletics/pridenet or www. sterchinternet.com. Bradford Hines (play-by-play) and Wesley Gullett (color) call the action.

Pride in Season-Openers: Entering its ninth year of intercollegiate football, GC is 2-6 in season opening contests. The Pride bested Newport News Apprentice---34-27 in 2001 and 20-0 in '03--for its two opening day victories. Greensboro lost to visiting Chowan, 21-20, in last season's debut.

Pride Against NCAA DI-AA Opponents: This is the first meeting between GC and Davidson in football. The only other IAA foe the program has played is Jacksonville. The Pride lost at Jacksonville, 47-41, in 2 OTs in '99. The Pride fell to the Dolphins, 35-14, at Jamieson Stadium the previous season.

GC Head Coach Neal Mitchell: Neal Mitchell enters his fourth season coaching Greensboro College football in 2005.The Pride Football team closed the 2004 season with a 2-8 record. GC, however, earned its first ever win over a ranked opponent when they defeated #30 Shenandoah--a team that would later win the USA South championship and qualify for the NCAA playoffs. Mitchell arrived from Colorado College where he coached from 1997-01. He served as assistant head coach his last year for the Tigers, and as the defensive coordinator for the final five seasons at CC. A 1992 graduate of Washington Univ., Mitchell was a four-year starter at defensive end and an all conference selection as a senior. Mitchell's coaching resume also includes stops at Vanderbilt University (1994) as an administrative assistant, Louisiana State University (1995) as a graduate assistant, and Wash U. (1996) as defensive line coach.

Davidson Last Week: Davidson lost at the Virginia Military Institute, 33-0, in its season-opener last Saturday. VMI and Davidson are both classified as NCAA IAA. Not to be overlooked, however, is the fact that the Keydets offer athletic scholarships and the Wildcats do not. Davison competes in the non-scholarship Pioneer League. VMI, on the other hand, recently moved the Southern Conference to the Big South--both scholarship leagues.

Secondary Leads GC Defense: Senior James Matthews leads a strong group in The Pride defensive backfield. Sophomore JR Hair, who showed skill and speed at cornerback as freshman, also returns. "We are fortunate to have experienced players in our secondary." Mitchell said. "Another good thing is these student-athletes are versatile and we can move guys around if we need to." Additionally, sophomores Richard Burton and Chris Harris earned defensive backfield starting spots.

On the Hop: Rod Herbirn, a highly-touted high school RB from Burlington, N.C. gets the starting nod at tailback for The Pride. Yet backups Ted Hoyle and Mike Pollard are not far behind and should see action. "Those three battled every day, but they also have formed a close bond," said Mitchell. "They each bring a different dimension. Herbin breaks a lot of tackles and is the fastest. Hoyle is the between the tackles Division III running back and Pollard is the solid all-around contributor."

Training Camp Battles: Wide receiver is arguably the deepest position on the 2005 GC team. Sophomore Tim Bagamary has emerged as starter, perhaps surprising some. "Tim is a coaches' dream," Mitchell said. "He is fundamentally sounds and had a great camp."

Wright Move on Offense: The Pride's biggest change was the hiring of Offensive Coordinator Alexander Wright. A former professional receiver, the Auburn graduate played seven seasons with the NFL's Rams, Raiders and Cowboys. Wright spent last year as the outside receiver's coach at West Texas A&M University. "We are truly excited about Alexander joining our staff," said Mitchell. "His pro background brings cachet, but Coach Wright also has significant expertise with the same offensive philosophies that we recently implemented."

Say Goodbye to the Fly?: Defenses will see less of the Fly offense, which was implemented last year. The Fly is based on a receiver coming in motion and the quarterback either faking or handing off to the receiver on every play. "We had some success with the scheme, but not what we had hoped for," Mitchell said. This year's Pride offense will feature one running back and use spread formations. "I always believe in utilizing a scheme that best fits our talent, and we have some good athletes at wide out," Mitchell said.

What is the F?:
GC's one-back offense, similar to Urban Meyer's scheme from the University of Utah, features an F--or F-Back. "He's not a fullback, but he needs to block and do just about everything else," said Mitchell. Torey Lowe is listed as the starter and Damon Day the backup at the versatile F spot for The Pride.

"Q-Tip" Returns at QB: Senior signal-caller Justin "Q-Tip" Roberson (Rob-ur-sun) passed for 1047 yards and tossed ten touchdown passes last season. Roberson threw 11 interceptions in '04, nine fewer than his previous year. "Justin improved a lot last season," said Mitchell. "He had his best year despite learning a new offense."

Today's Other USA South Football Games:
Maryville @ Christopher Newport, 1 p.m.
Wesley @ Averett, 1 p.m.
Ferrum @ Emory & Henry, 1 p.m.
Southern Virginia @ N.C. Wesleyan, 1 p.m.
Methodist @ Guilford, 1 p.m.
Bridgewater @ Shenandoah, 7 p.m.

This weekend's Other Greensboro College Pride Games:
Saturday
-Women's Soccer (0-2) vs. College of New Jersey at SAS Park in Cary, N.C.
-Men's Soccer (1-2) vs. College of New Jersey at SAS Park in Cary, N.C.
-Volleyball (5-0) at Greensboro College Invitational Tournament
-Cross Country season opening meet at Averett Invitational

Sunday
-Women's Soccer vs. Dickinson at SAS Park in Cary, N.C., Noon
-Men's Soccer vs. TBD at SAS Park in Cary, N.C.

Silent Walk/TMAC: While many other college football teams began their playing seasons, the Greensboro College football team experienced unique Saturday on Sept. 3rd. The Pride rose early for an early morning "silent walk."

After a reflective walk on the walking trails at Lake Brandt, the players had another surprise. Bill Brooks, a motivational speaker (Greensboro-based Brooks Group) and former head football coach at Canisius addressed the team. His message stressed the importance of working as a team and seizing the opportunity at hand. Brooks is one of dozen men who compose the Greensboro College Football Twelfth Man Advisory Council.

Part of the purpose of TMAC is to present a group of successful role models to the young men. The silent walk was the first of a number of events planned for the 2005 Pride football season.

Quotes on the Silent Walk:

"Our team really benefited by getting away from campus and the practice field and reflecting outdoors on their lives as student athletes. We are focused and ready for the season."
-Neal Mitchell, GC football head coach

"The purpose of a silent walk is to be reflective. Nature can be tranquil, but it also can be disastrous. In light of Katrina, I hope our guys are reflect on how thankful they should be for what they have."
-Pride Athletics Director Kim Strable, who helped organized TMAC.