Tigerville – North Greenville football looks to bounce back this week when the Crusaders travel to Greenwood to take on Erskine College in the first-ever regular meeting between the two programs on the gridiron.

The Flying Fleet of Erskine are a familiar foe to 18 of North Greenville's varsity sports as a fellow member of the Conference Carolinas. The Fleet Football program, however, is new to the football landscape, playing in its inaugural championship season in Division II. Erskine rebooted its program after a 70-year hiatus from competition. Erskine's last season before the 2021 spring schedule was 1951. North Greenville and Erskine competed in a controlled scrimmage last spring.

Last Time out: North Greenville falls to Division I Citadel

NGU looked to boost its record to 3-0 last weekend but the Bulldogs of The Citadel, a member of the Football Championship Series (FSC) would instead celebrate their first win of the 2021 season at Johnson Hagood Stadium in front of a home crowd of a little more than 8,000 fans. A balanced offensive attack from the Bulldogs and a defense that allowed just one touchdown for North Greenville proved the difference.

The Citadel put up 28-points in the first half, scoring 14 in each of the first two quarters. North Greenville managed a pair of Karhu field goals but trailed 28-6 at halftime. North Greenville's offense managed 210-yards of first-half offense but was unable to find the endzone. The Crusader's lone score of the day came in the fourth quarter when Joshua Edwards returned a kickoff 100-yards to make the final score 45-13.

The Bulldog triple-option attack proved difficult to stop, posting a season-high 354-yards on 60-attempts. They also threw for 135-yards and a touchdown. NGU finished the season with 270-yards on 67-total plays.

Full Recap: North Greenville vs. The Citadel

Last Time Out: Erskine upended by Cowan

The Fleet were left searching for their first win of the fall after a lopsided defeat to Chowan last weekend on the road. A mostly competitive game turned in favor of the Hawks in the third quarter when Erskine allowed four touchdowns including a 58-yard touchdown which made it 49-12. The Flying Fleet turned the ball over three times including a pair of interceptions and a fumble. Erskine's defense limited the damage though, allowing just seven points on those three giveaways.

Erskine's offense was solid through the air, throwing for 272-yards but managed just one touchdown. They connected on 25 of 42 attempts. The ground game struggled, however, as they managed just 21-yards on 30-attempts, an average of under a yard per rush. Meanwhile, the Fleet defense gave up 142-yards on the ground on 33-tries while surrendering 402-yards and seven scores in the passing game.

Full Recap: Erskine vs. Chowan

Erskine Football: A Brief History Lesson

The 2021 season is the first for the Fleet since 1951, a span of 70-years without an official game on the gridiron. The Flying Fleet were scheduled for a 2020 start but saw that plan pushed back to the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 shutdown. The program boasted an 81-193-11 record in the previous 55-years of competition. A record that dated back to 1896, the first season of football in Due West, South Carolina. The 70-year gap between 1951 and 2021 isn't the first stoppage for the program which endured a 17-year gap between 1897 and 1914. Another stoppage occurred from 1942 to 1945 due to World War II.

Over the previous 32-seasons, the Fleet managed just a handful of winning seasons, the best being a 7-3 finish in 1929 and 1947. The Fleet played in the SIAA and Little Four Conferences during those seasons. In both of those seasons, the Fleet were also the Conference Champions.

The program's resurrection was set in motion during 2018 when Erskine Athletic Director Mark Peeler announced the resumption in the fall of 2018. Three months after the announcement, Shap Boyd was named the first head coach of the Flying Fleet since the 1951 season.

Strength of Schedule: It's not just a myth

Many consider the Gulf South Conference the toughest conference in Division II football, routinely drawing comparisons to the South Eastern Conference. "The SEC of Division II Football" is a common description around message boards and social media. A breakdown of NGU's remaining opponents prove this analogy to be more accurate than not.
Of the remaining eight opponents, five have won their way into the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) top-25 including two of the top-five teams in America. Of the opponents, the Crusaders host the defending National Champion in West Florida as well as the 2018 National Champion, Valdosta State. The Argos are currently the #1 team Division II while the Blazers are the fourth-ranked team in the nation.

Further down the line, North Greenville will travel to #14 West Georgia as well as #25 Delta State while hosting #21 West Alabama later in October. Also receiving votes are the Wolves of Newberry who fell to North Greenville in week two. North Greenville's future strength of schedule is currently ranked 20th in Division II football by Versus Sports Simulator. 

Erskine Players to Watch

• Craig Pender – Pender, the starting quarterback for the Fleet leads the team in passing yards and touchdowns this season. The Barnwell, South Carolina native has connected on 125 of his 213 passes for 1,421-yards and eight scores. The Freshman has also thrown four interceptions.
• Senika McKie – McKie has been Pender's top target this season by a long shot. He has 54-receptions, more than double the team's second-leading receiver, for 661-yards and three scores. Jarvian Bellamy and DeVante Roberson account for two receiving touchdowns each.
• Collin Whitfield – The Fleet have run for 626-yards this season, 151 of which come on the back of Whitfield. He racked up 40-attempts this season but is yet to find the endzone. The four rushing scores for the Flying Fleet are broken up among four different players, one of which belongs to Pender.
• Brandon Lane – Defensively Lane leads the team in total tackles with 58 and leads the team by a long shot in solo tackles with 48. The redshirt junior linebacker is also second on the team in sacks with three but is the leader overall with seven total stops in the backfield. He does a little bit of everything, including pass defense with two break-ups. He also has a forced fumble and a recovery.
• Tyler Hayes – The sack leader for the Fleet is Hayes who is a freshman and is also a linebacker. Hayes has four sacks on the season and a hurry to his name with 28-tackles total.
• As a whole, the defense for the Flying Fleet has spent a lot of time in opponent backfields this season, charting 39-stops in the backfield which ranks them one of the top-ranked defenses in Division II in that category.

North Greenville vs. Erskine: How to Follow

• Saturday's game is scheduled for a 1 PM kickoff at J.W. Babb Stadium in Greenwood, South Carolina. Those who plan to attend the game can order TICKETS online by CLICKING HERE.
• Parking Information: CLICK HERE
• The game will be streamed LIVE on the Fleet Digital Network which can be found by CLICKING HERE.
• Also Available for Saturday's game are LIVE STATISTICS and LIVE RADIO.