BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell's football program (0-1) heads to
Fayetteville to take on Methodist this weekend at 1 p.m. on Sept. 6
at Monarch Stadium.
With
this being the first year of football at Campbell in 58 years and
Methodist just starting their program in 1989, this is the first
meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. However, the
schools do have an extensive history. The Camels lead the all-time
series between the two schools with an 88-26-1 overall record in
the major team sports (m/w soccer, volleyball, m/w basketball,
baseball and softball). The best record belongs to the men's
basketball team, who are 38-3 all-time against the Monarchs.
This
is the opening week of the season for Methodist, who went 5-5 last
season. The team is riding a three-game winning-streak from the end
of last season, though. Veteran head coach Jim Sypult is entering his
17th season with the program and has an overall record
of 82-77. The Monarchs, after losing many of their skilled players
from last season, are led by their veteran offensive line. The
offensive line returns all five starters in addition to their tight
end. The group is led by junior guard Brandon
Iseman, junior tackle Bill Samuels and
junior center Josh Kesler, who all were
all-conference selections last season. Sophomore placekicker
Mario Miralles knocked in six field goals and 21
extra points for 39 total points in 2007. The starting quarterback
is expected to be junior Erik Teague. Teague only
has 12 career passing attempts, but has completed nine and thrown a
touchdown pass in his career. The running back tandem of
Corey McGuire and Blake Harrison
are the projected to see significant playing time this season.
Defensively, Brian Leary is the returning leader
with 47 tackles, four tackles for losses, two interceptions and
eight pass breakups last season. The Monarchs are a Division III
program with an all-time record of 84-105 and are part of the USA
South Athletic Conference.
The
Camels dropped their opener with 12-6 loss to Birmingham-Southern
on Aug. 30 in front of a sellout crowd of 5,845 fans. CU held a 3-0
lead for most of the game, but Birmingham-Southern scored 12 points
in the final quarter. Carl Smith led the team
with 109 yards rushing in the loss to the Panthers. Smith's 109
yards rushing is tied for the conference lead and places
him
13th
nationally. Wide receiver Kelvin Murphy is among both
the conference and the NCAA leaders with the seven catches he
hauled in during the first game (1st in the Pioneer
Football League and 18th in the nation).
Campbell's
football program opens the conference season next week with a trip
to Jacksonville to take on the Dolphins on Sept. 13 at 1 p.m.
Jacksonville went 3-8 overall last season, but registered all three
of their victories in home conference games.
