On the Road Again....

Ferrum boards the buses again this week to travel to Winchester to play Shenandoah University. The Hornets 1-5 (0-3) are experiencing a disappointing season thus far, but have shown that they are far better than their record indicates. Since their opening win over Catholic, the Hornets have dropped 5 games straight. They lost to Bridgewater, 21-13, They lost to Randolph- Macon 17-14,
They fell to Christopher Newport 20-17 in 2 OT's, They then lost to Maryville 22-19 and most recently lost to Methodist, again by a three point margin 17-14 in OT.
Statistically, they are very similar to Ferrum. Both teams have strong rushing offenses, and both have less than stellar passing defense. Shenandoah and Ferrum are almost identical statistically at defending the rush, but the overall defense statistical ranking goes to the Hornets.

I think these teams are very evenly matched, and this will be a difficult game to predict.

Keys to a Ferrum Victory-

Establish a mix of running and passing. Maintain possession.

Be ready to defend the pass. They are not strong statistically passing, but will try to exploit your statistical weakness. Pressure the QB.

Dominate the Red Zone- It is important to put up points every time you are there.

No turnovers- this is imperative!

All Special Teams must execute every time. This may take an FG to win.

This is their homecoming. The crowd will be sizable. Focus on the game, not the environment. This is a must win for Ferrum. After the loss last week to Greensboro, Shenandoah will be ready to take advantage of a team that may be down. Be ready, play hard, and come back to Ferrum safe, and 2-2 in the conference.


My Prediction:

Ferrum 24
Shenandoah 21 OT