Full Game Notes

This week’s game
Wofford opens the 2008 season at home against Presbyterian College. The Terriers enter the 2008 season as the defending Southern Conference Champions. The game will be the first of eleven regular season games, and the first of five at home in Gibbs Stadium. The Terriers will be returning 43 letterwinners from last season, including six offensive starters, four defensive starters and two specialists. In addition, six other players with at least two starts are returning for Wofford. Wofford finished the 2007 season 9-4 and were 5-2 in the Southern Conference. In the 2008 Sports Network Preseason Poll and the FCS Coaches Preseason Poll, the Terriers are ranked #13. Wofford was picked to finish third in the conference by the SoCon coaches. Presbyterian College was 6-5 in 2007, their first as a member of NCAA Division I. They are a member of the Big South Conference, but are not eligible for honors as they are not playing a full conference schedule. The game is a match-up of two of the three smallest NCAA Division I teams that play football.

The Presbyterian Series
Wofford and Presbyterian College have met a total of 80 times, with the Blue Hose holding a 40-37-3 lead in the series. It is the second-longest rivalry in Wofford history following Furman (82 meetings). The first meeting was in 1914, with Wofford winning 7-0. The most recent meeting was in 1996, the first game played in Gibbs Stadium. Wofford won that meeting 34-7. This season will be the first time both teams have played as NCAA Division I members.

Injury Update
Wofford will open the season without punter Chris Tommie (knee) and tight end Joseph Inman (knee). Both players will take a medical redshirt and return in 2009. Other players that have been slowed by injury in the preseason have been wide receiver Devin Reed (shoulder), wide receiver Andrew Young (shoulder), cornerback Jordan Ingman (hamstring), and wide receiver Blake Beeler (hamstring).

Hall of Fame Day
At halftime of the Presbyterian College game, Wofford will induct the Class of 2008 into the Wofford Athletic Hall of Fame. The class includes Nathan Fuqua ‘03 (football), Travis Wilson ‘03 (football) and Mike Lenzly ‘03 (men’s basketball). In addition, public address announcer Bill Drake will receive the honorary letterman award and Grover Eaker ‘34 will be presented the Distinguished Service Award.

Coach Ayers’ Post-Camp Thoughts
“Frankly I think they just want to play. Camp goes for a while and I think they are at a point right now where they are tired of running into each other and they just want to get started. There are some young kids that are definitely stepping up and are going to play some ball for us. At quarterback we have three guys and any of them can do the job, which gives us a lot of flexibility. At receiver we are a little beat up and thin, but hopefully we will get a couple of them back. If we do, we will have a great receiving corp. We are solid at tight end. We have three guys who are ready to play and can help us. The offensive line is one of our strong points. We have some guys up there that have played a lot of snaps and they will be the glue to hold that group together. Defensively, we are a defense that possesses good speed. If we can just fine tune some things, we are getting better. In the kicking game, we have resolved a few things and I think when all is said and done we will be a solid team.”