Staff report
If there is one away game Catawba running back Jamelle Cutherbertson looks forward to, it’s this one.
The Indians travel to Livingstone tonight for a 7 p.m. start.
“It’s a fun game to play,” Cuthbertson said. “It’s the only away game where you can still get back to your room at the time you would after a home game.”
Livingstone’s Alumni Stadium is all of 1.2 miles from Catawba.
Cuthbertson thinks it’s a fun game because of the series record. Catawba leads 9-0 and all but one has been a blowout.
But that doesn’t mean Catawba (1-1) will be taking the 0-2 Blue Bears lightly. Catawba is 1-1 after being shocked in the season opener at home against Saint Augustine’s.
“After Week 1, it’s hard to be overconfident any time,” he said. “Saint Augustine’s was a reality check for us. We had already tied our loss (in the regular season) from last year and we only played one game. Guys have who have been here got together and said, ‘Enough is enough.’ ”
Cuthbertson said Catawba got its swagger back last week in a 41-29 win over Elizabeth City State. And he hopes the Indians keep it tonight against a Livingstone team Cuthbertson respects.
“I always tell people Livingstone is better than its record,” he said. “When we play against them, they’re a little more jacked up. In the three years I’ve played them, they’ve never given up.”
Catawba coach Chip Hester also expects a competitive game.
“What I’ve seen is a lot of improvement,” Hester said. “They’ve got a young football team, but a talented football team. They have a huge offensive line. They have speed in the secondary. They’re comparable to St. Aug’s and Elizabeth City. They’re a team we must take extremely serious.”
Lamonte Massie’s Blue Bears were blown out last week 45-10 at Savannah State. But Hester is sure tonight’s city rivalry has that score all but forgotten.
“There’s probably something extra because you see them around town,” said Hester, who added that Catawba being favored, “is probably a stretch considering our record at this point.
“We can beat anybody on our schedule,” he said, “but I’ve let our guys know we can be beat beat by any team on our schedule.”