The Wingate University Bulldogs return nine starters each on offense and defense from a team that had the best SAC finish in school history. The Bulldogs went 7-3 in 2009 and 5-2 in the conference, finishing alone in second place. Wingate had a well-balanced offense in 2009; the Bulldogs return the entire backfield along with their top four receivers. The Bulldogs led the nation in turnover margin in 2009, while ranking sixth in kickoff return average.
Redshirt junior quarterback
Cody Haffly returns after an impressive first season under center for the Bulldogs. Haffly threw for 228.1 yards per game, ranking third in the league in yards and completion percentage, while finishing second in touchdown passes. He had an impressive 21 touchdowns compared to only six interceptions in 2009. Haffly saved his best performance for the end of the season, completing 18-of-30 passes for 293 yards and five touchdowns in Wingate’s convincing 56-35 win at Mars Hill.
“It is obviously nice to have our starting quarterback back for two more years; he was elected captain this spring,” head coach
Joe Reich says. “I’m excited about what Cody will do this year. He manages the game very well and doesn’t turn it over. He is an accurate passer and knows the game in and out. He does a great job of spreading the ball around and using the whole field.”
Haffly will have plenty of targets for the 2010 season. All-SAC receiver Delric Ellington leads the impressive group of receivers. The senior was third in the SAC with seven touchdown receptions, fourth with 4.70 receptions per game and seventh with 55.8 receiving yards per game. Chris Bowden’s freshman campaign included 30 receptions for 361 yards and three touchdowns, while Philip Thomas caught 25 passes for 379 yards and four scores.
“We have all of our starting receivers back and three are seniors,” Reich says. “We have so much good experience; they all do certain things well. We do not have the one superstar receiver, which we like. Cody does a great job spreading it around. We don’t want to feature one guy. When we go four wide, we want the defense to have to cover the whole field.”
Senior
Perry Floyd will be a huge part of Wingate’s offense and special teams in the 2010 season. A pre-season first team All-American (according to Consensus Draft Services), Floyd led the SAC and ranked in the top 10 nationally in punt return yards and kickoff return yards. His 30.38 kickoff return yards per game were good for third nationally, while his 15.07 yards per punt return were good for ninth nationally. Floyd had an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Wingate’s dramatic 50-49 come-from-behind win at Lenoir-Rhyne, a game in which Floyd also had six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He was second on the team in 2009 with 32 catches, 389 yards and five touchdowns.
Wingate’s balanced attack on offense was second in the SAC in scoring offense at 33.6 p
oints per game, second in passing offense and third in total offense with 395.3 yards per game. The running game played a large role in Wingate’s success, featuring a pair of All-SAC players.
Vince Jordan had an impressive sophomore season in 2009, earning first team All-SAC honors by rushing for 967 yards and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry in 2009, while ranking third in the SAC in yards per game and fourth in rushing touchdowns. Two-time All-SAC running back
Nelson Woods ran for 378 yards in seven games last season, scoring seven touchdowns. Woods led the SAC in rushing in 2007 and 2008, going over 1,100 yards in both seasons. His 2,790 career rushing yards are just 156 yards shy of Wingate’s all-time record.
“Having Jordan and Woods back, two all-conference running backs, obviously is a huge strength,” Reich notes. “They are a great combination. Knowing we have them all year…this will be an even better situation than last year. We plan on using both of them and alternating back and forth. They complement each other so well. It is a good two-headed attack that we would like to get on the field at the same time.”
The offensive line returns four of five starters. Brock Mueller will move from left guard to left tackle, while Mike Arndt, Ralph Curiel and Andrew Garner also return from last year’s line. The offensive line was obviously a strength of the Bulldogs last year, with the passing and running game both excelling in 2009. Redshirt freshman Mark Clyburn will look to take the tight end spot vacated by All-SAC honoree Ryan Webber. “Mark has much talent, he just needs to gain some experience,” Reich says. “He is very athletic and catches it well.”
The aggressive Wingate defense led the league by forcing 2.7 turnovers per game. The Bulldogs came up with 16 fumbles in the 2009 season, while notching 11 interceptions, As a result, Wingate led the nation with a turnover margin of 1.50 per game. The Bulldogs finished second in the league with 2.5 sacks per game and 7.6 tackles for loss per game.
Redshirt freshman safety Robert Fletcher led the charge on the defensive side with 8.3 tackles per game, good for second in the SAC. Fletcher led the conference with five recovered fumbles, while ranking second in the league by forcing three fumbles. Fletcher also had a pair of interceptions, while setting a school record with a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown in the season-opening win against West Georgia.
Redshirt senior cornerback
Terrence Stephens was second on the team last season with 62 tackles, while leading the team with six pass break-ups and seven passes defended. He also forced a fumble and had an interception.
Richie Kazazian had six tackles for loss and three
sacks in the 2009 season, while also recovering a pair of fumbles.
Reich believes the depth at defensive tackle and linebacker will be a big strength for the defense in 2010. “Both starting defensive tackles are back and we are very deep behind them as well,” Reich says. “Josh Yon and Cody Cole are the starters, but we are as deep there as we have ever been. We have three good freshmen that could make an early impact. We really feel fortunate at defensive tackle right now.”
Jack Taylor is the lone defensive end returning, so the Bulldogs will look to move Buster Smith to an end spot. “Defensive end was a little thin coming out of spring, with Taylor as our only returner that has seen any time,” Reich notes. “We will move Buster to defensive end. He was our best defensive lineman coming out of spring, so we will put him outside. We also have Jonathan Simmons coming in as a transfer that may see some time as a defensive end.”
Reich is confident with the solid group returning at linebacker, led by Greg Harmon, who was named a captain in the spring. “Harmon had a great spring and a great summer, too,” Reich notes. “He was the team MVP two years ago, but was injured last season. He has been working out all summer. He is the leader and should have a great season.” Reich is also expecting big contributions from Clayton Hazeltine, Kazazian, Jared Seate and Ben Hinson. “That is a good solid group. Blake Holmes stepped up big in the spring and we are expecting to see good things from him as well. It is a good, solid, hard-working group that will certainly do good things. Seate will probably start in the middle; he was our fastest linebacker in the spring.”
Fletcher and Stephens will anchor the secondary for the Bulldogs. Tyrone Scott and Justin Squirewell will also see time at cornerback. Transfer Owo Mobio may also be in contention at cornerback. “We need to get Mobio accustomed to our style of play and how we do things,” Reich says. “This is the biggest thing early, to add some depth (to our secondary).”
Placekicker
RP Lopez and punter
Phillip Hilliard both return and will handle the kicking for the Bulldogs in 2010. “Lopez and Hilliard have great experience,” Reich says. “RP was a little inconsistent last year, but he has done some hard work and I am excited about his year. I think he will have a great season. Phil really turned out to be a great punter for us last season. We feel very good with him coming back this year.” Hilliard was fourth in the SAC at 38.6 yards per punt in the 2009 season. Lopez made 40-of-43 extra points in 2009, while hitting two-of-four field goals on the season.
For the second straight season, Wingate opens its campaign against the University of West Georgia. The Bulldogs will make the trip to Carrollton, Ga. on August 28 for a 7 p.m. opener. Jordan’s 215 rushing yards and three touchdowns led Wingate to a 38-17 win in 2009. The Bulldogs will make their first-ever trip to Valdosta State University on Sept. 4 for another 7 p.m. kick-off. Wingate opens the home slate on Sept. 18 at 1:30 p.m. against UNC Pembroke. The Braves made their first-ever trip to the NCAA play-offs in 2009. The SAC season starts Oct. 2, when the Bulldogs host Catawba College at 1:30 p.m.
(Wingate University assistant sports information director
Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)
2009 Season Outlook
