Catawba College football coach David Bennett was asked the other day about all of these heartstopping, pulsating, down-to-the-wire, hair-pulling, nail-biting nerve-wracking victories of late.
He planned it that way.
Right coach?
“Well, there are no complimentary tickets and even the Chiefs Club members have to pay,” said Bennett at his weekly press conference at Western Steer Tuesday. “We want them to feel like they’ve earned their tickets.”
Of course, Bennett said that with tongue planted firmly in cheek. But when somebody mentioned the too-close-for-comfort fourth quarter in Catawba’s 28-24 victory over West Georgia in the first round of the Division IInational playoffs last Saturday at Shuford Stadium, he pointed out that the last four games — Carson-Newman, Mars Hill, Lenoir-Rhyne and West Georgia — have all ended that way.
“The last 10 minutes of the last four games have been exciting,” Bennett pointed out. “We just like to keep the crowds interested.”
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THISWEEK: He’d like an easier game this Saturday in the national quarterfinals but knows there’s nothing easy about stopping Delta State, a 10-1 team from Cleveland, Miss. that has averaged 491 yards and 40 points per game.
A preview of Catawba (11-0) and Delta State will appear in Saturday’s Post.
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PASSHAPPY: Some teams may have been doomed if its running game was stopped cold. Catawba’s net rushing total was in the minus numbers against West Georgia, believe it or not.
So the Indians decided they had to pass and pass a lot.
Quarterback Mitch Ellis, wearing a brace on his gimpy left knee, threw 45 times, completing 27 for a career-high 380 yards.
“If you’re going to take the run away and make us pass, that’s Mitch’s strength,” said Bennett. “To me, when a team stops you from running and you still win the game, that’s special.
“But when you recruit a bunch of winners, it makes it easier for the coaches.”
West Georgia coach Glenn Spencer wasn’t all that surprised Catawba made a comeback.
“I think every team in it had to come back at some point during the year,” Spencer said. “We’ve come back from huge deficits. That’s a mark of a team that doesn’t give up and is hungry.”
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SEEYOUNEXTYEAR:Spencer said his team was very young, with only eight seniors.
“I firmly believe we’ll be back,” he said.
Spencer probably hopes it isn’t against a South Atlantic Conference team. In its last four playoff appearances, the SAC has sent West Georgia home each time.
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THISONE’SFORYOU: It was almost painful to see All-American defensive end DeVonte Peterson on the sidelines with crutches. The 6-4 285-pound monster did follow his boys out onto the field for some huddles and cheered his teammates on. And it was inspiring, according to all-SAC linebacker Shawn Sanders.
“Every time I went to the sidelines, I looked at him,” Sanders said. “He wanted to play real bad. I kept telling him, ‘You’re going to play again.’”
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DECISIONS, DECISIONS: Trailing 24-21 with little time remaining, Bennett had a decision to make when the Indians faced a first-and-goal from the three: try to run or continue passing.
Offensive coordinator Jamie Snider called for fullback Joe Hilliard to run wide. But West Georgia seemed to pick up the play well and Hilliard simply turned it inside and took a West Georgia player with him into the end zone.
Bennett credited Demetrius Hopper and the line with good blocks and also cited banged-up tailback Kevin McKenzie, who wasn’t too banged up to block two Braves on the play.
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INJURYREPORT: Bennett expected Ellis to be sore on Sunday and Monday and then to start moving around on Tuesday, doing a few things.
“The way we look at it, it’s one game at a time with the potential to play three more games that will last him the rest of his life,” Bennett explained. “He’s doing everything he can to get ready.”
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GETWELL, PLEASE:Cedric Squirewell hopes Ellis is OK. Last week, Squirewell had a career-high 10 catches, totaling 118 yards.
“We did mostly timing routes,” Squirewell said. “I was a decoy to open up other receivers but came to find out they were concentrating on them and it opened me up.”
Squirewell also caught two touchdown passes. When he realized West Georgia was going to give Catawba the pass, his eyes lit up.
“It really gives you your second wind,” he said. “You know you have to bow your back.
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PLAYERSOFTHEWEEK: Squirewell shared the coaches’ choice of offensive players of the week with Arnold Gaither, who caught eight balls for 146 yards. He set up the decisive score with a 53-yard catch.
Bennett was especially proud of his 6-6 junior, Gaither, who had only 10 catches in 10 games coming in.
“They think because he’s 6-6, he can’t run,” Bennett said, “but he can run.”
On defense, Radell Lockhart was named. The 6-4, 285-pound pro prospect had seven tackles, two sacks and three stops for minus yardage. On the season, he has 8.5 sacks and 29 tackles for losses.
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HE’SSPECIAL:Marcus Hicks was named special teams player of the week after four tackles, and downing a pair of punts.
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BRRRR:The temerature fell into the 30’s Saturday, by far, the coldest day of the season and West Georgia was prepared. The Braves had heaters on the sidelines.
Did Catawba?
“No,” scoffed Bennett. “It’s football weather. And that’s the way you’re supposed to play football.”
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AROUNDTHESAC: Wingate fired coach Bob Brush after a 1-10 season. Catawba ripped Brush and the Bulldogs 53-6.
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NATIONALPLAYOFFS: Delta State defeated Valdosta State 49-12, holding down Dusty Bonner, who transferred from Kentucky, to just one touchdown pass. But it was his 55th of the season. ... The No. 1 team in the nation, Northwest Missouri State, was beaten by North Dakota State 31-17 in the Midwest Region. Northwest has won the last two national titles. Nebraska-Omaha beat Pittsburg State 14-3, also in the Midwest. .... UC-Davis, the only other team besides Catawba to be undefeated, won 48-10 and hosts Mesa State, which upset No. 2 seed Northeastern State 40-21. ... In the Northeast, Northwood shut out Indiana (Pa) 28-0 and Bloomsburg outscored SaginawValley 46-32. ... This week’s games: Bloomsburg at Northwood (12 noon), Delta State at Catawba (1 p.m.), North Dakota State at Nebraska-Omaha (2 p.m.) and Mesa State at UC-Davis (4 p.m.).
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WIGWAM WISPS: Catawba goes into Saturday’s playoff game with 14 straight wins at Shuford Stadium. ... Catawba can set a school record for victories in a season, breaking last year’s mark and the 11-1 season back in 1947. ... Todd McComb enters Saturday with 95 tackles. ... Ellis needs 112 yards passing to reach 2,000 for the season. He has thrown 17 TD passes. ... Backup QBScott Sensing came in for one play when Ellis hurt his knee and threw a perfect bomb to Ryan Millwood in the end zone that was dropped. “Idon’t know what happened over there, but that was a beautiful ball,” Bennett said. “Millwood usually catches those.”
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