The University of the Cumberlands will make their third appearance and second straight in the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) Saturday as they host the #12 Hawks of Shorter College. The NAIA FCS opening round will be held Saturday, November 22, 2008 at James H. Taylor, II Stadium in Williamsburg, KY with kick-off slated for 12 noon (EST).

“We are thrilled and excited to have made it to the post-season,” said Cumberlands head coach John Bland. “Everyone knows it is very difficult to get to this point, especially in a top conference such as ours.” The Mid-South Conference (MSC) will also be represented by #11 Union College (KY) and #16 Lambuth University (TN). “Everyone is excited,” said Bland. “From our coaches, to our players, to our college family, and our fans, to have not only gotten to this point, but to have done so in back-to-back seasons. I think this says a lot about the preparation, hard work, and sacrifices that everyone involved has made to support this program. Our themes, “I Will” and “The Next Level” are indicative of what our players are doing athletically, academically, and spiritually to take this team to “The Next Level” in all phases of their lives.”

In 1988, after bringing back football in 1985, the Patriots advanced to the NAIA FCS with a perfect 10-0 record and as Mid-South Football Champions. Hosting Bluffton College, the Patriots (then Indians) fell in the first round of the play-offs. 19 years later, in 2007, the Patriots earned their second play-off berth as Co-Champions of the MSC Eastern Division competing against Ohio Dominican University. Now, with a 9-1 record and a 6-0 conference mark, Cumberlands will return home for the opportunity to play for a national championship.

Shorter College completed the regular season with a 9-2 record and is Co-Champions of the MSC West Division after a 4-1 finish. The Hawks earned the West Division's automatic bid after having the highest ranking in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll of the three divisional Co-Champions. Having only been playing football since 2004, Saturday’s game will be Shorter's first-ever appearance in the FCS. The Hawks are riding a five-game winning streak while Cumberlands has won their last nine outings. The match-up with Shorter will be the third meeting between the two teams, having last played on Sept. 23, 2006 - a game the Hawks won 27-7.

“We have seen Shorter play this year on film when we were preparing for our game with Campbellsville,” said Bland. “They (Shorter) are a really good, well coached, and aggressive football team and will be as good as we have seen this season. They (Shorter) run a similar offense as ours and we know that we will have to play well if we are to continue on to “The Next Level.”

A total of 16 teams will play at eight first-round sites on Saturday, Nov. 22. Defending national champion Carroll (Mont.) College opens up by hosting Dickinson State (N.D.) University in Helena, Mont. The Fighting Saints have won five of the last six National Championships and are 14-1 in their last 15 Football Championship Series home games.