Shorter makes most of road trips

Alderson Broaddus at Fort Valley State, 2 p.m.

North Alabama at Valdosta State, 2 p.m.

Nassau Community College at Georgia Military, 3 p.m.

West Georgia at West Alabama, 3 p.m.

Albany State at Miles College, 4 p.m.

LaGrange at Averett, 5 p.m.

Washington (Mo.) at Berry, 6 p.m.

Wofford at Mercer, 6 p.m.

Morehouse at Clark Atlanta, 7 p.m.

Georgia Southern at Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m.

Florida A&M at Savannah State, 7 p.m.

Shorter at Mississippi College, 8 p.m.

Another week, another road trip for Shorter.

The Hawks hope this weekend’s trip to Mississippi College turns out as well as last week’s game against Southeast Missouri State.

Shorter, a Division II program, ended a nine-game losing streak by upsetting the Redhawks, an FCS team that plays in the Ohio Valley Conference.

“We played as well as we could,” Shorter coach Phil Jones said. “As a Division I FCS team, they probably weren’t as cranked up as they usually are to play us. Our kids did everything we asked them to do.”

Shorter’s athletic staff built its non-conference schedule to prepare the Hawks for their traditionally tough Gulf South Conference opponents.

Four GSC teams — No. 2 West Georgia, No. 5 Delta State, No. 8 North Alabama and No. 9 Valdosta State — are in this week’s American Football Coaches Association Division II poll.

That meant opening the season with consecutive road games against Division II power Carson-Newman and first-year FCS program Kennesaw State before going to Southeast Missouri State.

The Hawks were competitive in their first two games, but their losing streak stretched to nine before they snapped it Saturday.

“It gave us hope because I really feel like the past two years, we had lost hope,” said running back B.J. McCoy (Villa Rica), who rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the win. “I think getting that win boosted everyone’s confidence and showed that we can make something happen in this conference this year.”

And now the Hawks hit the road again for their Gulf South opener at Mississippi College (2-2, 0-1).

Which means several more hours on a bus for McCoy and his teammates.

“We’re not tired. We’re coming together the more and more we go on trips,” he said. “We use the time on the bus to bond with each other and be around each other. It’s paying off when we get on the field. The bus drives are not fun, being on them for a long, long time, but when we get there, we’re ready to perform.”

GSC showdowns: Four of the GSC's five undefeated teams meet as North Alabama (3-0, 2-0) plays at Valdosta State (3-0) and West Georgia (4-0) travels to West Alabama (4-0).

North Alabama and Valdosta State have won three NCAA titles each and combined for 17 conference titles.

West Georgia’s Will Hall coached at West Alabama for six seasons, the final three as head coach, before taking his current job in November 2013.

Etc.: Georgia Southern's Matt Breida is sixth in the FBS with 589 yards rushing, just behind Georgia's Nick Chubb (Cedartown), who has 599. … Fort Valley State quarterback Otis Brown leads the SIAC in total offense, with 203.5 per game, ahead of Tuskegee's Kevin Lacey (201.8) and Albany State's Caleb Edmonds (Campbell), who's averaging 201. … At 4-1, Point, which is in its fourth year, has set a school record for wins in a season. The Skyhawks have also won their first-ever conference game and have a school-record four-game winning streak.