GREENSBORO COLLEGE  Sports Release

Game Notes: Greensboro College (0-1) at Maryville College (0-2), first ever meeting between the two teams.

Contact: Bob Lowe, Pride SID, 336-272-7102, blowe@gborocollege.edu

When: Saturday, Sept. 17, 2005; 1:30 p.m. EST

Where: Lloyd L. Thornton Stadium (Honaker Field/5,000 capacity)

Webscast: Greensboro College webcast link available from www.gborocollege.edu/athletics/pridenet or http://www.stretchinternet.com. Bradford Hines calls the action.

Pride Last Week: Davidson christened the expanded Richardson Stadium last  Saturday by setting a school record with six interceptions--three by sophomore Patrick FitzGerald--as the Wildcats rolled to a 32-7 victory over visiting Greensboro College. The win ended a four-game losing streak for Davidson (1-1), while The Pride (0-1) lost its season opener. The attendance of 4,712 was the biggest crowd in GC football history. 

Backup quarterback Pete McSparin led the Pride to its only touchdown on its last possession, tossing a 14-yard scoring pass to Torrey Lowe on a 4th-and-6 play, ruining Davidson's hopes for a shutout. Lowe also returned 4 kickoffs for 92 yards. 

Starting GC QB Justin Roberson was 18-39 for 203 yards but threw all 6 INTs. Rod Herbin led Pride rushers with 8 carries for 38 yards. On defense, Logan Greene led GC with 9 tackles. Freshman Michael Witherspoon had one interception for 19 yards. 

Big Cat Awards, Week One vs. Davidson:
After each game, Coach Neal Mitchell and staff choose “Big Cat” awards. In effect, these honors are game MVPs for each GC unit. 

Big Cat winners receive a t-shirt for the honor. For the Davidson game, the Big Cats were:

Offense - Robby Wise 
Defense - Michael Witherspoon 
Special Teams - Torrey Lowe 
Prep Offense - Jerry Garris 
Prep Defense - Steven Brickell 

On the Hop: 
The Pride ran the ball just 19 times vs. Davidson. Taking quarterbacks out of the equation, GC runners had a respectable 4.6 yard per-carry average. 

Rod Herbirn, a highly-touted high school RB from Burlington, N.C., led the way for GC running backs. He carried eight times for 38 yards. Expect The Pride to have better success on offense against NCAA Division III opposition. (Davidson was an NCAA 1AA opponent.)

Crowd Control: 
The Davidson game attendance of 4,712 was the biggest crowd to witness a Pride football contest. The largest home attendance in the eight previous years of GC football was 3,628 at the 2003 Souper Bowl.

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.

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.

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 USA South Football Games:
Today’s GC-Maryville contest is the only USA South battle. Maryville is 0-2 in conference games and this is The Pride’s first USAS tilt.

The other matchups:
Averett @ Guilford, 1 p.m.
Ferrum @ Chowan, 1 p.m.
Huntingdon @ N.C. Wesleyan, 1 p.m.
Salisbury @ Christopher Newport, 1:30 p.m.
Randolph Macon @ Shenandoah, 7 p.m

This weekend’s Other Greensboro College Pride Games:
Saturday
-Women's Soccer (2-3, 1-0 USAS) at the University of the South, Noon
-Men's Soccer (2-2-1, 1-0) vs. 12th ranked Emory, 1 p.m. at Pride Field
-Volleyball (9-0, 1-0) vs. NCWC and Shenandoah, at NC Wesleyan
-Cross Country at Southeastern Collegiate Open, Tanglewood, N.C.

Souper Bowl to Benefit Charities and to be Televised

The ninth annual Gate City Souper Bowl will take place Saturday, October 1st at Jamieson Stadium. Game time for the intercollegiate football clash between Greensboro College and Guilford College--both NCAA Division III institutions--is 7 p.m.

-Local Charities Benefit

The game has always welcomed local fans to attend by simply bringing canned goods in lieu of admission. Attendees to the 2005 game can gain admittance by bring four canned goods (or non-perishable food items) for admission. Donated items will be delivered to the Greensboro Urban Ministry--a Village 401 partner with Greensboro College that provides meals to the homeless in our community.

-Katrina Relief

Additionally, organizers plan to raise money for those displaced by the recent Hurricane Katrina disaster. All gate admission proceeds will be directed to the United Methodist relief effort for the tragedy.

-Thousands of Mouths Fed

Since the first Souper Bowl in 1997, attendees have donated more than 8,000 cans of food to local charitable organizations.

The 2003 Souper Bowl--also a night game at Jamieson Stadium--drew a record 3,628 fans to the game. 

-Admission Prices

Admission prices to Greensboro College football games are as follows: Five dollars for adults; $3 for all students with identification; Children under 12 are admitted free.

"We are committed to supporting the victims of the Katrina disaster while not forgetting the needs in our own community" said Pride Athletics Director Kim Strable. "Donated canned goods will stay local, while cash from ticket sales and collection buckets will be pooled for disaster relief."

"The Gate City Souper Bowl has evolved into a great community event, but only in part due to the Greensboro-Guilford football rivalry. Both schools are deeply committed to humanitarian initiatives and this year's effort is no exception."

-Souper Bowl on the Air

For the first time in series history, the Souper Bowl will be televised. The Guilford-Greensboro game will be shown on a tape delayed basis on WGPX PAX TV-16 in Greensboro the following day. The telecast runs from 1:30 to 4 p.m. WGPX is carried by all local cable and satellite providers. Viewers in Reidsville, Danville and Martinsville can watch the broadcast on WGSR channel 39. Jay Shurling and Josh Klaff—both veteran Triad area broadcasters—will call the action.

Of course, computer users can access the Pride webcast at www.gborocollege.edu or www.stretchinternet.com. Guilford's live radio broadcast will be on WGOS 1070 AM. 

-Family Weekend Festivities

The Souper Bowl is also part of Greensboro College's Family Weekend. The Pride football game-day sponsor is Mahi's Seafood Restaurant.

Additionally, the 16th Jim Locke Amateur Golf Tournament will be held on Friday. Sept. 30 at Bermuda Run West Golf Course. The Locke tournament is a primary fundraiser to support the athletics programs at Greensboro College. Form more information, call (336) 272-7102, ext. 250.

-TMAC
The Twelfth Man Advisory Council, or TMAC, is a new supporter of Pride football. Part of the purpose of TMAC is to present a group of successful role models to the young men. TMAC is composed primarily of former college and pro football players.

At the Souper Bowl on October 1st, look for TMAC and “SouperMen” at Jamieson Stadium. SouperMen are significant men to all Pride footballers who are invited to the Souper Bowl. 

This is the second organized event for TMAC this year. A silent walk on Sept. 3rd was first of a number of events planned for the 2005 Pride football season. Following the walk on the trails of Lake Brandt, Bill Brooks--a motivational speaker from 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.