Football 8/25/2018 8:24:00 AM Campbellsville Athletics

NAIA Top 25 matchup features No. 19 Campbellsville and No. 24 Faulkner on Saturday afternoon

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Coming off two Mid-South Conference championships and a NCCAA Victory Bowl Championship in three of the last four years, No. 19 Campbellsville Fighting Tiger football is looking to continue its recent success and it all starts today as No. 24 Faulkner University comes to Tiger Town.

The NAIA Top 25 matchup kicks off for the season opener at 1:30 p.m. ET at Finley Stadium and Citizens Bank Field. Fans can tune into the Tiger Tailgate Show beginning at 1 p.m. on 88.7 The Tiger and WLCU-TV. Online coverage is scheduled to begin at 1:30 at CampbellsvilleTigers.com/watch.

Today's season opener features two of the best offenses in the country from last season but both are replacing key parts in its passing attack. The Tigers have had two of the all-time greats in CU history graduate recently in Jacob Russell and Hunter Brown. But today, Jeremy Hinds and Talaileva Sufia are both expected to see action as the signal callers.

Series Facts:

Today is the eighth meeting between Campbellsville and Faulkner University with the series in Faulkner's favor, 4-3.
While playing at Finley Stadium, the series is tied 2-2. Faulkner averages 35.5 points per game while playing in Campbellsville, while the Tigers average 31.7.
In the series, Faulkner is averaging 32.2 points per game while CU averages 31.5. Faulkner is the only team from Alabama CU has ever played.
CU and Faulkner are meeting for the first time while starting a season. In the previous eight meetings, the two have played in October or November.
Each year CU has defeated Faulkner in the regular season, the Tigers have at least won four MSC divisional games that season.
Campbellsville won the first-ever meeting, 22-21, on Oct. 23, 2010. Calvin Bini blocked a field goal with 18 seconds to win the game. It was also Homecoming for the Fighting Tigers. CU running back Mark Terry rushed for 229 yards, becoming the sixth Tiger running back to rush for 200 yards in a game.
In 2014 and 2015, the Tigers knocked off a Faulkner program that was ranked in the Top 5 each season. In 2014, CU won at home 30-21 and in 2015, the Tigers rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the first quarter to win, 59-50. CU also broke nine program records in the 2015 battle in Montgomery, Ala.

Perry Thomas vs. Shayne Wasden

Head coach Perry Thomas enters his 11^thseason leading CU. After going 3-7 in 2013, the Tigers have had their best four-year stretch in program history with two MSC titles, two NAIA Playoff appearances and a Victory Bowl banner.
Thomas, also doubling as the defensive coordinator, has 17 of the 22 players from last season's two-deep back for 2018 and is not one of the youngest in the conference like it has been in 2016 and 2017.
Faulkner enters with a new coach – Shayne Wasden. The former Troy University associate head coach replaces Charlie Boren, who resigned in December after six seasons on staff.
Wasden spent 12 seasons at Troy from 2004-2015, the last 10 of which were as associate head coach. In that span he worked extensively with wide receivers and tight ends and was also the special teams coordinator. Wasden helped lead the Trojans to five Sun Belt Conference Championships and five bowl game appearances.

Tiger Clawz:

CU is entering year No. 31 for varsity football after reinstating the program in 1987.
Head Coach Perry Thomas is entering his 11th season at CU and has a 56-52 record. Faulkner is entering its 12th season after starting its program in 2007. Shayne Wasden was hired in the winter of 2018 and is entering his first year with the Eagles.
The Tigers won the NCCAA Victory Bowl after defeating SAGU, 41-28.
CU's high-powered offense is going from a high-passing attack to a duel threat quarterback leading the team.
The Tigers return a major part of their offense from last season as Kendon Young, Jordan Duff and Brayden Russell return as wide receivers. Jordan Brown also returns after missing a few games to end last season, while Dakarai Highsmith, a junior college transfer, will play a major role in CU's offense this year.
CU's offense will also have a pair of freshmen running backs likely to see action - Darquan Richardson and Ormoni Zanders. Senior Aiden Stewart-Hoskins will get his first start though.
The Tiger defense, which has been one of the youngest in the conference the last few years, is now a year older and much more proven. CU returns 17 of the 22 players on the two-deep from last year's NCCAA Victory Bowl.

Scouting Faulkner:

Faulkner is coming off a 7-3 season last year and finished 4-1 inside the MSC Sun Division. The Eagles have a new head coach at the helm, Shayne Wasden.
The biggest loss for the Eagles after last season is the departure of All-Conference quarterback Clayton Nicholas who has previously played at Texas Tech and Bowling Green University.
On the returning side, Reagan Amos and Kylan Cotton were first-team All-MSC selections, while Malik Washington was a second-team performer.
Amos led the team by averaging seven receptions per game and ranked No. 10 in the NAIA in that category. His 70 total catches ranked him No. 12 in the country.
Cotton finished the year with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries while also totaling 67 tackles on the year. Cotton's season-high in tackles came against Reinhardt when he tallied 19 total tackles.
As a team, the Eagles ranked No. 2 in the country in passing yards per game (352.1) and their defense was also No. 2 in passing defense per game (148.9).
The defense also ranked second in sacks per game with 4.5 and total sacks with 45.

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Players Mentioned

#8 Hunter Brown: QB; 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior; Hendersonville, Tenn.

#23 Jordan Duff: WR; 5' 9"; Senior; Louisville, Ky.

#12 Jeremy Hinds: QB; 6' 3"; Graduate Student; Huntsville, Ala.

#9 Brayden Russell: WR; 6' 1"; Senior; Lawrenceburg, Ky.

#1 Kendon Young: WR; 6' 1"; Junior; Campbellsville, Ky.

#38 Ormoni Zanders: RB; 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman; Cincinnati, Ohio

#24 Darquan Richardson: RB; 5' 9"; Freshman; Jeffersonville, Ind.

#16 Talaileva Sufia: QB; 6' 3"; Freshman; Pago Pago, American Samoa

#8 Dakarai Highsmith: WR; 5' 8"; Sophomore; Tampa, Fla.

#2 Jordan Brown: WR; 5' 10"; Junior; Mayfield, Ky.

Players Mentioned

#8 Hunter Brown
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior; Hendersonville, Tenn.
: QB

#23 Jordan Duff
: 5' 9"; Senior; Louisville, Ky.
: WR

#12 Jeremy Hinds
: 6' 3"; Graduate Student; Huntsville, Ala.
: QB

#9 Brayden Russell
: 6' 1"; Senior; Lawrenceburg, Ky.
: WR

#1 Kendon Young
: 6' 1"; Junior; Campbellsville, Ky.
: WR

#38 Ormoni Zanders
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman; Cincinnati, Ohio
: RB

#24 Darquan Richardson
: 5' 9"; Freshman; Jeffersonville, Ind.
: RB

#16 Talaileva Sufia
: 6' 3"; Freshman; Pago Pago, American Samoa
: QB

#8 Dakarai Highsmith
: 5' 8"; Sophomore; Tampa, Fla.
: WR

#2 Jordan Brown
: 5' 10"; Junior; Mayfield, Ky.
: WR