Reinhardt Rolls in Opener

Cincinnati, OH – With all the change that engulfed the Reinhardt Eagle program before the season, one thing remains the same.
The result.
In the opener against the Cincinnati Christian Eagles, Reinhardt tallied 15 points before the first quarter was even half over, went on to a 29-0 advantage after the first frame, and cruised from there to a 53-7 victory over the outmatched home team.
Line play figured to be a Reinhardt strength, with many starters on both sides returning. The offensive line created gaping holes, allowing more than dozen Eagle runners to amass over 400 rushing yards. On the other side, the defense kept Cincinnati Christian’s offense stuck in neutral. Cincinnati Christian was held to minus 11 yards of offense in the first half and didn’t collect a non-penalty aided first down until the second half.
All in all, it meant a successful first outing for new Reinhardt coach James Miller, who took over for Drew Cronic, now Furman’s offensive coordinator.
“It was awesome,” Miller said afterward. “Kids did a great job. They worked hard all camp. It showed in their effort today.”
In Reinhardt’s first series, freshman Jace Jordan got the scoring started with a 26 yard run. After Cincinnati Christian’s punter allowed the ball to go out of the back of end zone for a safety, Reinhardt converted another drive for a score as Qua Stocks broke a 32 yard jaunt. It was 15-0 at 8:05 left in the first.
Stocks added another score early in the second to make it 36-0. Cincinnati Christian tabulated their points midway through the fourth when Christopher Hernandez exploited a hole deep in the Reinhardt secondary for a 32 yard touchdown reception from back up quarterback Derrick Taylor. That made it 46-7.
Another newcomer who performed exceptionally for Reinhardt was freshman Otis Odom. Used primarily as a return specialist, he broke off several long runs and wound up with 133 kick return and 212 all purpose yards, including the final rushing score.
“I trust him (Odom), said Miller after the game. “He’s got really good hands. He does a good job in securing the ball. I thought he did good job at fielding the ball and making plays.”
Reinhardt, ranked third in the preseason, faces another stern test next week when the Eagles travel to Montgomery to take on another flock, this time the Faulkner Eagles. The two schools used to be fierce rivals but now find themselves in separate divisions in the new-look Mid-South Conference. Faulkner comes into the matchup at 1-1 following an overtime loss to Georgetown (KY).
“Faulkner’s always been a great opponent,” said Miller. “They’ve always got great players. They’ll come ready to play. We have to have a great week of preparation, and we have to come ready to play.”
The game will be kick off at 1:30pm ET.