Shorts finds himself back at his original position after Mount Union coach Larry Kehres makes the change while trying to find a spark during Saturday's loss.
View full sizeMount Union wide receiver Cecil Shorts III was 5-of-7 for 56 yards at quarterback on Saturday.SALEM, Va. — Cecil Shorts III last completed a pass for Mount Union in 2007.
But the Purple Raiders' offense was struggling in the second half of Saturday's Stagg Bowl, which Mount Union lost to Wisconsin-Whitewater, 31-21, and needed to find some kind of spark.
So Shorts was back taking snaps and throwing passes.
In his last game with Mount Union, Shorts showed he still had the quarterback instincts he brought with him when he used to serve as a backup. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards and rushed for 19 yards.
"Cecil's a good passer," Raiders coach Larry Kehres said. "He came to Mount Union as a quarterback, and had he concentrated on playing quarterback throughout his career, he'd be a great quarterback now -- and I've had great quarterbacks. "I felt [in the fourth quarter] that if he had been able complete some passes, that might open up the running."
The first phase of the plan worked well. Shorts' passing did create running lanes.
In fact, Shorts took a snap from the Whitewater 49 with under seven minutes to play and the Raiders trailing, 24-21, and he was on his way for a big gain -- until he was stripped by Whitewater's Steve McCollom, who then recovered the fumble.
"It was a good play by the defense," Shorts said. "I should have had the ball high and tight, but I was carrying it kind of loosely. That was my fault, but they saw it and made a good play."
Review time: Like last year, referees could review decisions made on the field. The first came on Levell Coppage's 11-yard TD run with 2:46 to play in the first half when Coppage dove for the pylon in the left corner of the end zone. After review, the play stood.
What a run: Since Mount Union's current run of Stagg Bowl appearances began in 2005, the Purple Raiders have an 86-4 record. Three of those losses came at the hands of Whitewater in the Stagg Bowl. The fourth loss was in October 2005 to Ohio Northern.
Back to work: When asked about the current run of success being enjoyed by Whitewater -- which has won three of the past four Stagg Bowls, Kehres had a tongue-in-cheek response.
"They're kind of ticking me off," Kehres said. "I'm going to have to kick myself into gear so maybe we can win the next three out of four."
Steve Hemphill is sports editor at the Roanoke (Va.) Times.