Newberry hoping maturity, experience lead to more success in 2019
Newberry College returns to the gridiron this fall picked to finish fifth in the South Atlantic Conference.
That ranking should be enough for a mature Wolves team to aspire to a higher position in the SAC come November, head coach Todd Knight said.
“We had a talented team last year but our immaturity level hurt us,” he said about a 3-4 SAC and 5-6 season. “We were beating the conference champs at halftime and couldn’t hang on; we were leading at Western Carolina and couldn’t hang on. We were right there, but we were a little immature in some areas. I feel like over the spring and summer workouts, our maturity level has grown very well.”
Redshirt sophomore Dre Harris returns to lead the Wolves offense. Harris completed 76-of-131 passes for 806 yards and four touchdowns but had five interceptions in his freshman year. He also rushed for 250 yards.
“Dre is a very talented kid, but he made some redshirt freshman mistakes,” Knight said of the former Mauldin High quarterback. “Now he’s like a totally different kid. He’s grown up a little bit.”
Knight sees the difference in all the other players as they prepare for the season under the summer swelter.
“They’re embracing the grind,” he said. “It’s hot and just like everybody else we’re not trying to avoid it, and our kids are accepting that role to make gameday a little easier. They want to go through the fire and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win. We want to win and our kids have that maturity to win.”
Three Key Players
Dre Harris. The redshirt sophomore looks to settle into the starting quarterback position after an up-and-down 2018.
Austin Barnes. Last year’s leading rusher with 745 yards and five touchdowns on 169 carries can provide a boost to Harris.
Anthony Blue. With the loss of his brother and leading tackler Joe Blue to graduation, senior Anthony Blue is set to be a defensive leader.
Three Can’t-Miss Games
North Greenville, Sept. 5. “That’s gonna be a challenge to get on the bus and drive up to Greenville and pull one out on a Thursday night,” Knight said.
Lenoir-Rhyne, Sept. 21. The SAC opener on the road against last year’s conference champs is about as big as games come for the Wolves.
UVA-Wise Oct. 12. The Cavaliers are in their first year with the SAC. The game is the last of a three-game homestand that, with a sweep, could boost the Wolves to a strong finish.
Newberry College 2019 football schedule
Sept. 5 at North Greenville, 7 p.m.
Sept. 14 Florida Tech, 1 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Lenoir-Rhyne, 6 p.m.
Sept. 28 Tusculum, 1 p.m.
Oct. 5 Mars Hill, 4 p.m.
Oct. 12 UVA-Wise, 4 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Catawba, Noon
Oct. 26 at Carson-Newman, 3 p.m.
Nov. 2 UNC Pembroke, 1 p.m.
Nov. 9 at Wingate, 6 p.m.
Nov. 16 Limestone, 1 p.m.
This story was originally published August 23, 2019 at 10:43 AM.