By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

They were staring 0-21 in the face.

After winless seasons in 2006 and 2007, the LaGrange College Panthers were down by five points with just more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter of the 2008 season opener against Birmingham Southern.

The Panthers had a chance, though.

With 2:24 showing on the clock, they had the ball at their own 27-yard-line, 73 yards away from the end zone.

Despite the team having no history of success, quarterback Drew Carter said there was a feeling of calm and confidence in the huddle.

“I don’t think there was any doubt in our mind (we could score),” Carter said. “We’d worked too hard and gone too far to just roll over there. We just stuck together, and never doubted ourselves.”

The Panthers drove down the field, and with 23 seconds remaining, Carter found Devin Billings in the end zone for a historic touchdown.

The ensuing two-point conversion capped the scoring and gave the Panthers a 34-31 victory.

It was the first win in school history, and the Panthers did it in style.

Wide receiver Nick Langley, one of the players who has been with the program since its inception, called the feeling of getting that first win in such dramatic fashion “indescribable.”

“We took control and took charge and said we’re going to make it happen,” Langley added.

The Panthers continued to make it happen the rest of the season, posting a 9-2 record that included a conference championship and a first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Today at Callaway Stadium, the memories of that 2008 opener will undoubtedly come flooding back as LaGrange College and Birmingham kick off their seasons.

The Panthers are no longer the underdog.

Now they’re the team with the target on their back.

In a short period of time, the Panthers have gone from a team that couldn’t win a game, to a team that many think has the potential to post an unbeaten regular season and make it back to the playoffs.

Don’t think the Panthers are looking past today, though.

Today’s opponent, head coach Todd Mooney said, has the players’ full attention.

“Right now, there’s nothing on their mind but Birmingham Southern,” Mooney said.

Birmingham Southern, which is heading into its third season of football, returns a lot of starters from last year’s 3-7 team.

Junior quarterback Joe Thigpen will spearhead the offense after a solid sophomore season,

“They’re a good football team, and coach (Eddie) Garfinkle and their staff do a great job coaching them,” Mooney said. “Here they are, in the same situation that we were in a year ago. They’re going into their third season. There’s no reason for us to expect anything less than the same type of transformation we had, and that’s exactly what we’re prepared for.”