Friday Features: Shorter's Record-Breaking Duo: Tyler Pullum and Lewis Hayes
By Chris Megginson
Pullum to Hayes has become a common phrase in recent weeks around the Shorter Hawks football program. Sophomore quarterback
Tyler Pullum and wide receiver
Lewis Hayes have worked together to rewrite the Shorter record book for passing and receiving in the 2017 season.
Together the duo has broken 15 school records with a few more career records within reach before their time at Shorter is complete.
“It’s crazy to think about how we’ve already broken all of these records and played only one year together,” said Pullum, who is in his second season as the Hawks’ QB.
The connection began with a phone call last season to Hayes, who was sitting at home in New Jersey not playing college football. He played for Shorter head coach Aaron Kelton and offensive coordinator KiJuan Ware at Williams College in Massachusetts, but decided to pursue basketball instead. When Kelton was hired at Shorter, he said he knew Hayes, who stands at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, would help his Hawks’ offense.
“His size, athleticism and ability to make plays has given Tyler a go-to receiver while helping other receivers learn the system,” Kelton said.
Pullum and Hayes connected on and off the field through spring practice and individual workouts in the summer, but this fall, their friendship off the field developed even more through a Sunday night college ministry service and social gatherings.
“That constant being in each other’s presence and getting to know each other more on a personal level, rather than just on the football field, has helped us tremendously,” Pullum said. “A lot of it is the trust I have in him. Whenever I need a play, or other guys are not open, I know where I can come to and give him a chance. He’ll go up and get the ball for me.”
That’s exactly what happened on Oct. 21 when the Hawks were trailing 35-6 on Homecoming against West Florida. After being backed up on a penalty inside the red zone, Pullum hit Hayes in the corner of the end zone as time expired in the first half for a 24-yard touchdown, one Hayes had to go up, grab and trap to his chest. It was only their second touchdown connection in three weeks and the first of three on the day. The duo went on to connect two more times in the second half from 75 and 4 yards out.
Pullum completed a record 26 passes for a single-game record 386 yards that day, including a record-breaking 168 yards caught by Hayes. His three touchdown catches was also a Hawks record.
“You hear quarterbacks on the professional level having days where everything seems to click. That was us in the West Florida game,” Pullum said. “We were just clicking on such a level that I knew everything I threw to him was going to be completed.”
Hayes said the performance was a catalyst on offense for the now 0-10 Shorter football team.
“We’ve had a connection throughout the season. But that game was our turning point, not just for me and Tyler, but our entire offense,” Hayes said. “After that touchdown and we went into the locker room you could tell there was a different confidence we had in ourselves that we could go out and get this thing done.”
That week sparked a three-game run of 364 yards passing between the two, including 141 reception yards on Nov. 4 against Mississippi College to move Hayes into second place on the career receiving yards list, while Pullum threw for 442 yards in the game to break the Shorter career record with 2,908 yards in two seasons.
So far this season, Pullum has set records for passing yards (Game: 442, Season: 2,082, Career: 2,908), completions (Game: 26, Season: 172, Career: 250), attempts (Season: 299, Career: 450) and touchdown passes (Game: 4, Season 12). He previously set the single-game pass attempts record with 38 against Mars Hill in 2016 and is one touchdown pass away from tying the career record (18).
In his only season with Shorter, Hayes has set single-game (168) and single-season (719) records for receiving yards, as well as records for single-season receptions (52), touchdown catches in a single-game (3) and single-season (4) touchdown catches. He is 235 yards shy of the career receiving yards mark (954), nine catches shy of the career receptions mark (61) and one TD shy of tying the career record for touchdown catches (5).
While it’s been nice to break records, Hayes and Pullum say they’d trade it all in for a win. They were close last week, falling at Mississippi College, 30-29.
“They’re the two most humble guys and the ones who want it the most. You can see them every day working at it, coaching it and talking about it. They want the program to be successful. It’s not just about them and the records,” Kelton said.
Kelton said each week, the two leaders on offense come to his office to watch film and talk. They always say the same thing, that they will continue to work together to lead the offense and motivate the team to get a win. Hayes says the attitude is no different this week as they prepare to host Valdosta State University in the season finale Saturday, Nov. 11 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
“These last few weeks have shown us just the surface of what we can do as a duo,” said Hayes, who has one more year of eligibility. “We’re going to plan on using what we’ve done, plus what we can build on this last week, and take it into the offseason and give us more life and energy in everything that we do. We’ll use that energy to come back even better next season, and that’s the same as a team. These past few weeks we’ve gained a new positivity as a team and guys are starting to buy in.”
Follow Megginson on Twitter @jcmeggs. Email comments to megginsonjc@gmail.com.
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