Big plays made a big difference for the Shorter Hawks on Saturday.

After falling behind in the first half, Shorter changed the momentum with a series of key plays in the second half and earned an impressive comeback victory at Chowan, 28-17.

The highlights for Shorter included T.J. Telfair taking a carry 70 yards for a score, Eric Dodson hitting Brandon Morten for a 63-yard touchdown pass and backup quarterback Ryan Nolan having his fumble recovered by Jamal Denson.

But the biggest play was the first snap of the fourth quarter.

Luke Wilson came in for the sack and hit the quarterback while he was throwing and Kendall Lacey caught the pass in the end zone for an interception return for a touchdown.

Dodson was efficient in his passing, completing 3 of 5 passes for 119 yards and a pair of scores, while adding 21 rushing yards.

Kirk Wilson showed his sprinter’s speed when he started the Shorter scoring with a 49 yard reception for the only points in the first half.

Bradley Moon once again was the workhorse of the ground game with 16 carries for 39 yards.

Morten added five carries that tacked on 32 rushing yards, while Wilson had seven carries for 20 yards.

The defense did not miss a beat with Dominique Henfield injured and missing the game as Josh White got the start in his place and led the team with nine tackles; Demery Hawkins had eight tackles and 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Denson anchored the line with three tackles, including a sack and causing and recovering a fumble. After not creating a turnover in the loss last week to Newberry, the Hawks were able to generate three, and had the first defensive score on the season.

Shorter closes the three game road trip to start the season at 2-1 as they head home to Rome for the Homecoming game versus Charleston Southern. Game time is set for 1:30 pm at Barron Stadium on September 22nd. The Buccaneers will come in with a 0-3 record, most recently losing at Illinois, 44-0.