CHARLOTTE — It is a 51-mile drive from the football field at Anson High School to Bank of America Stadium.
For one former Bearcat, the trip was a little bit longer Sunday afternoon.
Stephone Anthony made the 711-mile trip from New Orleans and played his first game in the stadium as a member of the New Orleans Saints. In April, New Orleans selected the Clemson standout with the 31st pick in the first round.
Anthony said getting the chance to run out of the tunnel and on to the field at Bank of America in front of his family, friends, fans and his former high school coach, Luke Hyatt, was a great moment.
“It was awesome. To have the opportunity to come back home and play, it was wonderful,” Anthony said. “For the kids from where I’m from to see somebody from the hometown on the field, I know that was awesome. Just to give (them) a little bit of hope.”
Anthony recorded five tackles in the 27-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He was also flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty for his hit on Carolina wide receiver Devin Funchess. The 15-yard penalty helped the Panthers march down the field and score on Cam Newton’s 13-yard run to push their lead to 27-16.
The defeat dropped the Saints to a disappointing 0-3 on the season. New Orleans played without five of its starters against Carolina, including linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, a former Richmond Senior standout, and quarterback Drew Brees.
Anthony said he is disappointed with the start and believes the team is close to getting into the win column. He was also quick to point a finger at himself for the loss to his home state squad.
“We just got to keep battling, regardless of the outcome,” Anthony said. “We just got to continue to go back to work tomorrow and see if we can figure this thing out and try again next week.
“Me personally, I got to play a little bit better. I didn’t play like I wanted to today, I don’t think I played well enough to win this game. I know we had opportunities to, but that’s just a little bit of pressure on myself, I have to get better.”
As a rookie, Anthony has been given the difficult task of being the defense’s quarterback on the field by being the Mike (or middle) linebacker. His adjustment to the NFL has been aided by players like Jairus Byrd, Cameron Jordan and Ellerbe.
“It’s been a pretty smooth transition,” Anthony said. “The veterans around me have been pretty much holding me in and kind of teaching me the ropes and taking it one day at a time.”
Reach Shawn Stinson, managing editor of the Richmond County Daily Journal, at 910-817-2671 and follow him on Twitter @scgolfer.
