#3 Reinhardt University Eagles (3-0) vs. Point University Sky Hawks (1-3)
Ram Stadium, Valley, Alabama (Kickoff at 7pm EST on Saturday, September 30, 2017)
By Mary Ruth Wheeler, Dani Cutlip, and Megan Monroe
Bethel Takes the Loss in the Shortened Game
Reinhardt University’s home opener was scheduled a week prior to this game, but cancelled due to the tropical storms on the East Coast. The Eagles prepared for another week to give the fans what they had been hoping for at the 2017 home opener. The Bethel Wildcats came onto the field with high energy and determination. Reinhardt was quick to shut that down within the first few minutes of the first quarter. Senior running back Reggie Mack scored for the Eagles on a 19-yard touchdown run. Nick Marquez converted the extra point, making the score 7-0.
The Eagles’ offense continued to dominate as wide receiver Ronnie Chambliss caught 2 touchdown passes early on, and Qua Stocks and Montralius Mosely each earned rushing scores. Sophomore Dylan Wiggins went 7 for 11 for 115 yards.
The defense stepped up in this game, according to head coach James Miller. Teon Burroughs, JT Graydon, and Matthew Prather were key men who took the Wildcats’ quarterback down every chance they were given. Reinhardt’s defense was so aggressive and disciplined allowing Bethel only 8 total yards and 3 first downs in the game.
To put things into perspective of how dominating the Eagles were, here are some of the game stats. The Eagles had 20 first downs, 403 offensive yards, 119 passing yards, 284 rushing yards, 3-38 penalty yards, 2-5 third downs, 1-1 fourth downs, and had the ball for 40:18 of the game. These numbers compare to Bethel’s 3 first downs, 8 offensive yards, 21 passing yards, -13 rushing yards, 3-20 penalty yards, 1-6 third downs, 0-0 fourth downs, and had the ball for 23:54 of the game.
With only 2 minutes and twenty seconds remaining in the first half, the game came to a halt. It began lightning and storms were moving into the Waleska area. Bethel players were hopeful that the inclement weather would pass and wanted a chance to finish the game, to put up more of a fight, but that was not going to happen. After some time of waiting, the game was called with a score of 33-0 Reinhardt.
Matchup with Point University
The Eagles of Reinhardt University are scheduled to play the first conference game of the season against Point University in West Point, Georgia on Saturday, September 30th at 7pm EST. Reinhardt is coming into the game ranked third in the nation, with an undefeated record of 3-0 this season. The Point Sky Hawks enter the game with a season record of 1-3.
Point has had a rough start to their season, winning only one of their four games so far. Coach Julius Dixon is on his second season as head coach. The Sky Hawks’ offense was overmatched in the game against Campbellsville. If Reinhardt plays with strong defense, it could cause Point to have a hard time moving the ball around like they did against Campbellsville. In that game, Point was down 18 points to Campbellsville but kept trying to find a way to put themselves in a good position to score. This shows that the Sky Hawks have determination and perseverance no matter the circumstance.
Some key offensive players to look out for from Point are junior quarter back Derek Bellard, senior wide receiver Charles Ducksworth, and senior running back La’Darrius Mathis. Bellard connects well with Ducksworth and Mathis, but especially in times of need. They seem to be his go-to men based on their games thus far. Mathis led in rushing against Campbellsville, and Ducksworth is Point’s all-time receiving yard leader. Sophomore receiver Chase Turner led in receptions against Campbellsville, so he is another player to be aware of.
Defensive keys for the Sky Hawks are Kameron Weems, Kreg Jenkins, Jason Gartrell, and Javon Horton. Each of these men have led Point in tackles in the previous games. These four men tend to be at the top of the defensive performance list, so Reinhardt’s offense needs to be aware of who they are and where they are on the field.
Reinhardt’s strong start has been no surprise to fans of the Eagles. The defense and offense are both proving themselves to be disciplined and “hungry” for more success and more knowledge of how to get better each time they step onto the field. With Reinhardt having such a good start, it gives them a confidence boost going into tough conference games. With the start that the team has had, it only puts a bigger target on their back.
Coach James Miller’s first season as head coach of the Eagles has been off to a great start. So far he has some key offensive players that have been consistently getting the job done in the games. The new quarter back Dylan Wiggins has had a good start and has been connecting very well with teammates Andy Whisenant, Qua Stocks, Stanlee Logue, and Montralius Mosely. The defensive players to be on the lookout for from the Eagles are Javier Dyer, Kareem Warren, Teon Burroughs, JT Graydon, and Matthew Prather. Each of these men hold the opposing offense to score little to nothing against their team. So far this season, Reinhardt has given up 38 points, but has earned 140 total points.
Prediction
We believe that Reinhardt is going to bring another win home to Waleska after the matchup with Point University this weekend. Reinhardt seems to have both a stronger defense and stronger offense than the Sky Hawks. With this being said, that does not mean Point will step onto their home field ready to give up an easy win to the Eagles. The Sky Hawks will be mentally prepared and will want to upset Reinhardt University in this conference opener. Reinhardt will need to stay focused, disciplined, and “hungry” throughout the entire game as Point will not just give up whenever they are down. We think that this will be another high scoring game for the Eagles and potentially a pretty low scoring game for the Sky Hawks. The only way to see if we are correct is to tune into the game on Saturday! Let’s go Eagles!
Schedule
9/2/2017 Cincinnati Christian University @ Cincinnati, OH 1:30pm W 53-7
9/9/2017 Faulkner University (Ala.) @ Montgomery, AL 1:30pm CDT 54-31
9/16/2017 Webber International University (Fla.) HOME 1:30pm CANCELLED
9/23/2017 Bethel University (Tenn.) @ HOME 1:30pm W 33-0
9/30/2017 Point University @ West Point, GA 7:00pm
10/7/2017 University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) @ HOME 1:30pm
10/14/2017 Union College (Ky.) @ HOME 6:00pm
10/28/2017 University of Pikeville @ Pikeville 1:30pm
11/4/2017 Bluefield College (Va.) @ HOME 1:30pm
11/11/2017 St. Andrews University @ Laurinburg, NC 1:30p
