By Ronnie Gallagher
rgallagher@salisburypost.com
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the defensive backs at Catawba better eat well.
They’re going to be busy today when Tusculum (5-2, 2-1 SAC) visits Shuford Stadium for a 1:30 p.m., Homecoming kickoff against Catawba (3-3, 1-2).
Cornerbacks such as Jasmon Carpenter, Bryant Vennable and Terrence Jonesare going to get a good dose of Pioneers quarterback Corey Russell.
Russell is coming off a week in which he was named the league’s offensive player of the week. He threw four touchdown passes and ran for two scores in a 55-42 win against Brevard.
Russell, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound gunslinger, won the award for the seventh time in his career.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Catawba coach Chip Hester said. “He’s done a great job against us in the past, so he’ll come in with a lot of confidence.”
While Hester wasn’t surprised at Russell’s performance against Brevard ó 22 of 29 for 328 yards and seven rushes for 73 yards ó he was shocked to see Brevard score 42 points on the Pioneers.
“There are letups,” he said. “I’m sure they went in there thinking they were going to roll over them.”
Tusculum leads the league in passing as Russell averages more than 300 yards per game. But Hester is quick to point out Tusculum is more than just a passing team.
“They’re averaging over 100 yards rushing,” he pointed out.
They key for Catawba winning its homecoming game is keeping Russell off the field.
“We definitely want to run the football,” Hester said. “We’re not at a point where we can win by slinging it around.”
Russell is sure to sling the football all over the place, putting the pressure on the Catawba secondary.
“We talk a lot about competing,” Hester said. “Carpenter is one of those competitors. He wants you to throw the ball at him. Jones played well last week coming off a sore ankle. Vennable seems to be really confident.”
The defensive backs need to play their best against Tusculum.
“They have the mentality that they like the challenge,” Hester said. “They’ll be tested, that’s for sure. Hopefully, they’ll rise to the challenge.”