Shorter College begins its fourth football season tonight with a new experience. It hopes to end the season with another.

The NAIA school in Rome, Ga., plays football for the first time against an NCAA Division I program in tonight’s kickoff at 7 at Western Carolina, and that is even more of a journey into the unknown than it was when the Hawks scheduled the game.

WCU’s Catamounts were 1-10 last year but have a new head coach, Dennis Wagner, who came from the Nebraska staff.

“They have a new coaching staff and a lot of new players,” Shorter coach Phil Jones said Tuesday. “We do know from their roster and their two-deep (chart) that they have enhanced themselves. They’ve added a lot of talent to what they had. And from their Web site and media reports, we know they’re really excited about this game as a new start.”

WCU even has planned fireworks for tonight.

After two consecutive 7-4 seasons following a three-win debut year, the Hawks also go into this season with great anticipation. More than 40 of the players are in their fourth year in the program, and they have the added incentive of the NAIA national championship game being held Dec. 20 on their home field — Barron Stadium — after being moved from Savannah, Tenn.

“With this being our first senior group that came here as freshmen, we feel it is time to contend for a (Mid-South) conference playoff berth,” Jones said. “We don’t think necessarily we should win it, but we think we should be headed in that direction.”

The Hawks have a preseason NAIA All-American in senior center Zach Morrison, All-Mid-South the past two years. They have six 2007 all-conference players among their 20 returning starters, including place-kicker and punter Lukas Gonzalez.

Junior Drew Elrod from nearby Adairsville, a transfer from NCAA Division II power Carson-Newman, will be starting for the second season at quarterback. Another junior standout in the double-slot option offense is fullback A.J. Cooley from Bowdon, and freshman Adrian Hargett from Lowndes County brings dynamic ability and state-championship experience to the same position.

Junior linebacker Logan Lollis from Toombs County is a key player in the 3-4 defense, where another leader is all-conference senior defensive end Matt Yarbrough from LaFayette. Yarbrough came to Shorter as a 190-pound quarterback and star wrestler but is now a 6-foot-3, 230-pound force off the edge of the front line.

The Hawks roster includes players also from area Georgia schools Dalton, Northwest Whitfield, Southeast Whitfield, Murray County, Ridgeland, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Calhoun, Chattooga, Trion and Dade County plus Fort Payne, Fyffe and Crossville in Alabama and Huntland in Tennessee.

n Carson-Newman also kicks off tonight at 7. The Eagles visit Concord in Athens, W.Va.

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