While it may not feel like it, Ferrum's football program has progressed greatly since the beginning of the season. Let's think back. With the season opener against Catawba, I was truthfully not expecting a win. I was hesitant to think that Ferrum had much of a chance at all, and truthfully, more concerned that the result would be more like the 45-13 loss from a year ago. I was pleasantly surprised. While it was still a defeat, it was a game Ferrum could have won. They were in reach, and the 13-7 final showed me that this team had some talent. The next week, Ferrum was dominated by the Emory and Henry Wasps. Not a lot to say about that one except the Wasps had begun playing DII football in 2021. That makes a difference, and this was a game that showed much separation between the two programs.
The third game of the season was at Shaw University and while it went in the books as a loss, this one will never sit right with me. I am not going to rehash the game, but Ferrum played better than Shaw did and it could have and should have been a win. The fact that it was not a win was not the fault of the players in the least.
At 0-3 and the projected conference champion next on the schedule, the outlook wasn't brilliant. North Greenville was the definite favorite, but Ferrum's strong team effort lead to a really good game. Ferrum kept it close (21-10 at the end of the third quarter) but some mistakes toward the end, including a blocked field goal and three interceptions, led to a 41-10 defeat by North Greenville University. It was a far better game than the score indicated.
The following week saw the first "W" of the season as the Panthers shut out Barton 21-0. A trip to Rome, Georgia saw the Panthers pick up win #2 as they defeated Shorter 17-10. The Panthers would return home and fall to the Delta State Statesmen 24-7. While this was a tough loss, last year the Statesmen dropped a 51-10 loss on Ferrum.
Erskine was Ferrum's next opponent and the Panthers would pick up their third win of the year with a strong 34-13 win over the Flying Fleet. Chowan would be Ferrum's next opponent, and judging by last year's game we could be looking at a real barnburner. Last year Ferrum prevailed in double overtime earning a hard-fought 40-37 win. This year, the Panthers would come up just short as they fell to the Hawks 28-21.
The next game would also be at home as the Panthers played host to the UNC Pembroke Braves. The Braves proved to be a tough opponent, and had the advantage most of the afternoon winning easily 45-14.
For Ferrum, they will close out their season Saturday against Concord University of Athens West Virginia. The Mountain Lions are a strong team, and while I think it could be construed as an uphill climb for Ferrum, the Panthers have surprised me before, and although it will be difficult to pick up that fourth "W" I'm hoping they can turn this into a battle. Regardless of Saturday's outcome, I think this team has demonstrated that Ferrum is making progress as it continues its transition to Division II football.
Go Panthers!
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