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St. Andrews begins 4-game road stretch at No. 8 Bethel

brandon hodge, the laurinburg exchange, n.c.
·5 min read

Sep. 7—MCKENZIE, Tenn. — The St. Andrews Knights have had their fair share of struggles in their first two games at home, with losses to Webber International and No. 9 Lindsey Wilson. And their next four won't be any easier.

The Knights (0-2) will make the 12-hour bus ride to Bethel University in Tennessee for a nonconference matchup against the No. 8 Wildcats (1-0) on Saturday, which kickstarts a period of four straight road games in five weeks.

"This is a very tough part of the season for us," St. Andrews head coach Bob Curtin said. "Once we get done with Bluefield, we're home for a few weeks. So, we'll be able to sleep in the comfort of our own beds."

St. Andrews lost 51-14 to Lindsey Wilson this past weekend, but the Knights looked more disciplined against what Curtin believes is "the best defense in the country" compared to their first game. While the scoreboard wasn't in St. Andrews' favor, promising play gave the team a confidence boost that they could compete against tough competition with more consistency.

"I think the guys realized that they can compete with Lindsey Wilson. They can compete with a Bethel. We've just got to change a few things," Curtin said. "A couple (of) things go differently in that game, and maybe it's not as lopsided as it was. So, the guys know they can compete. They know they can run, block and tackle with some of the best in the country. And we've got to be able to do it not only for a quarter, but we've got to be able to do it for two, three, four quarters."

Curtin and the Knights hope to be able to do that against the Wildcats.

"They're a national power," Curtin said. "They've graduated some guys, but their backups got plenty of playing time last year. So, that's how you do it as a national power. Look at their entire program. They're tough, currently ranked (eighth) in the country in the NAIA. And, everywhere you look, they've got talent and ... they've got size and strength. So, you can't overlook anything. We can't leave any stone unturned."

Bethel is coming off a 51-13 season-opening win over the Appalachian Athletic Conference's Point University last Saturday. In that game, Bethel quarterback Joaquin Collazo III went 17-of-28 passing for 224 yards and had 36 yards rushing with two touchdowns. The signal-caller was a big part of the Wildcats' 11-0 regular-season record last year after he passed for 3,331 yards and 29 touchdowns with only eight interceptions.

Running back Martize Smith, a graduate transfer from the University of the Cumberlands, garnered the most touches in the Wildcats backfield against Point with 11 carries, going for 74 yards and a TD; wide receiver J.D. Dixon had six catches for 55 yards, Jaylen Taylor had four receptions for 56 yards, and Avont Burrus had three grabs for 60 yards.

On defense, defensive back Demetrice Gilbert had three pass breakups and two interceptions that both went for TDs in the win, DB Brian Hughes led the Wildcats with 12 tackles (six solo), and defensive linemen Nelson Louis and Xavier King combined for 2 1/2 tackles for loss and two sacks.

The Bethel defense will be another challenge for the St. Andrews run game, which has struggled to begin the season. The Knights have just 73 rushing yards on 54 attempts, an average of 1.4 yards per carry.

"We've got to run the ball," Curtin said. "The first game, we ran for 37 yards. The second game, we ran for 36 yards. We've got two of the more prolific backs in North Carolina coming out of West Brunswick and Pinecrest. We've got Capo (Anterius Carpenter) coming back. We've got a line that's bringing back three to four guys. So, I think if we can establish the run game, that'll open up our pass game. And that'll allow us to finish inside the red zone."

RBs Nahjiir Seagraves and Kevon Daniels have been two players who have impressed Curtin early on. They're just two of the underclassmen who have pushed for more playing time from a talented freshmen group.

"The freshmen class, they're playing incredibly well," Curtin said. "When you look at our two-deep roster, look at what Lindsey Wilson was putting out there, and look at what we're putting out there. And we fought; we fought hard. The kids did well."

Kickoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST. With it being the first road contest for the Knights, Curtin knows his team will be excited to leave the school campus for a few days.

He reassured it's not a vacation for his players, however.

"Bethel's going to be a business trip," Curtin said. "It's not a trip where we're going to go to the hotel and hang out, play video games, go to the local ice cream shop. No. It's all business. I don't want to go to Bethel and have any excuses. You're here to go to school. You're here to play football, and you're here to grow and develop as a human being. This way, when you go out into the world, you understand what challenges are."