Shorter, Williams ready to face challenge, GSU

ROME – The Georgia Dome had always been a focal point for Ben Williams while he was growing up in Marietta.

He loved to watch the Falcons play under the roof and when the Georgia Bulldogs played their two Southeastern Conference championships games there,Williams was on hand to cheer for his favorite college team.

Never, however, in his wildest dreams did the Lassiter High graduate ever think he would play the game he so loves in the confines of the Dome.

Until now.

When Georgia State University kicks off its inaugural season Thursday night in Atlanta’s indoor football facility, Williams will be in the spotlight as the starting quarterback for the Panthers’ first-ever opponent, NAIA member Shorter University.

“When I first heard we were going to play against Georgia State in the Dome, I was real excited,” said Williams, a fifth-year senior for a Shorter team that is entering just its sixth season of existence. “It’s a big opportunity ahead of us.”

“We think it’s an exciting time for the kids because of the exposure they get and the environment of playing in the Dome,” said Shorter head coach Phil Jones, who started the Hawks’ football program after a long career as a Georgia high school coach. He was also an assistant at Georgia from 1997-2001. “It’ll be a real big challenge. We’re excited.”

Williams knows all about challenges, having stepped into the role as the Hawks’ quarterback two years ago.

Following a loss in the 2008 opener against Western Carolina, Williams took over Shorter’s wing-option offense and promptly led the Hawks to its first Mid-South Conference West Division championship and the program’s first-ever berth in the NAIA playoffs.

Last fall, Shorter had to overcome the loss of 29 seniors who were the remaining nucleus of the program’s inaugural team in 2005 and settled for a 6-5 record, three of those losses coming in the final 30 seconds. Williams still wound up with solid numbers, rushing for 706 yards and seven touchdowns, and added another 766 yards and eight TDs through the air despite the heavy emphasis on a running game that topped the NAIA at nearly 330 yards a game.

“I know everyone will be writing us off,” Williams said. “The whole story is about Georgia State and their inaugural game and what they have. We know we have a challenge ahead of us.”

The Hawks must overcome the loss of the all-NAIA running back A.J. Cooley.  A native of Bowden, Cooley ran for 1,429 yards and 17 touchdowns last year, averaging 6.3 yards per carry and leading the Mid-South with a 129.9 yards-per-game average.