By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information Director
Coming off its first homefield win since the 1940s, the Centenary football team is playing the host’s role for the second week in a row when the Gents welcome the McMurry War Hawks in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest Saturday at 5 p.m. at Atkins Field.
Tickets can be bought at the gate using a personal device like an Iphone. Tickets can be purchased online at the centenary.edu/footballtickets link.
The Gents (2-3, 2-1 SCAC) defeated the Lyon College Scots 35-14 in a SCAC contest last Saturday, playing at home for the first time in nearly a month. The War Hawks (3-1, 3-0 SCAC) defeated Austin College 34-9 last Saturday on the road.
“It’s great to be home for the second week in a row,” said Centenary head coach Byron Dawson. “We need to build on last week’s success and learn from our mistakes. We face a tough challenge against a talented and well-coached McMurry team.
“Our goal remains the same: to continue mastering the fundamentals and playing together as a team. We need the Centenary community to pack Atkins Field on Saturday, loud and proud.”
The War Hawks were the SCAC coaches’ unanimous choice to finish atop the conference, earning all five first-place votes. The War Hawks returned 14 all-conference players from last season’s squad that ended the season on a four-game winning streak and an overall mark of 6-4, the most single-season wins by the program since 2012.
McMurry lost its season opener at Southwestern 24-20 but has gone on a three-game winning streak since, beating Lyon (48-6), Texas Lutheran (31-10) and Austin College last weekend.
McMurry’s defense owns seven interceptions and has six fumble recoveries. The War Hawks average 355.3 yards on offense (276.5 passing) and are scoring 33.3 per game.
Centenary’s impressive all-around performance produced three individual awards from the conference and on the national stage. Sophomore linebacker Vince Feuerbacher was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Tuesday and named the SCAC Football Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Junior quarterback Zin’Tavious Smith was named the SCAC Football Offensive Player of the Week as he helped the Gents produce a season-high 443 yards of total offense, gaining over 200 yards on the ground and through the air as they topped 30 points for the second time this season.
Centenary averages 307.2 yards total offense (185.8 passing) and is averaging 21.4 points per game. The Gents’ defense has 11 sacks, 25 tackles for loss, six fumble recoveries, and five interceptions.
Smith is 25-45 passing for 344 yards with five touchdowns and tops Centenary with 259 rushing yards and two more scores. Mississippi Valley State transfer Kobe Chambers has been the Gents’ most explosive player all season as the junior receiver has 24 catches for 301 yards and two TDs.
Two Shreveport natives, sophomore defensive lineman D’Qavion Lemons from Southwood and Byrd product sophomore linebacker Devon Strickland, pace the defense with 25 tackles each.
LIVE STATS: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/fball/2024-25/boxscores/20241012_pcov.xml
STREAMING VIDEO: https://www.ktalnews.com/gocentenarywatch-live-centenary-college-sports-2024-2025
Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu