TSN SoCon Preview

[SU DOG]

Prediction of the team standings and key players are discussed in The Sporting News SoCon Preview:

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/writers/infcshuddle/archive/haley_8_19_2014.htm

[walliver]

Most of it seems reasonable and rationally thought out.

VMI may be bad, but I hope they can beat a team with almost no juniors or seniors. I would probably switch 7 and 8. 1 and 2 are a toss-up, but I lean toward Chatty. 3 and 4 both have significant questions (But I always pull for the home team ;)). 5 and 6 could easily be switched, you never really know what will happen with a coaching transition, but I would pick the pups over the kittens.

The final standings will likely be quite different.

[SU DOG]

First off, I apologize to kdvina. I had not noticed that he had already linked this on another thread. TSN usually does a pretty good job on SoCon stuff. As for my opinion, I go with Furman over UTC. Their matchup is at FU. The recent loss of the Mocs best O-Lineman for the season also has to be a major blow. I know UTC still has a world of talent, but my gut sats Paladins. NO WAY Terriers over Bulldogs - Sorry walliver LOL!

[citdog]

NO WAY Terriers over Bulldogs - Sorry walliver LOL!

You are correct. Woffy loses to the ONLY BULLDOGS in the SoCon. The ones from Charleston.

[SU DOG]

You are correct. Woffy loses to the ONLY BULLDOGS in the SoCon. The ones from Charleston.

I love citdog's optimism for his team, and his caustic humor, but The Citadel beating Wofford? Now it could happen this year, and I think The Citadel may be the most underrated team in the conference, BUT, did I miss something when I checked, or has it really been a Wofford win EVERY year since 1998???

[citdog]

I love citdog's optimism for his team, and his caustic humor, but The Citadel beating Wofford? Now it could happen this year, and I think The Citadel may be the most underrated team in the conference, BUT, did I miss something when I checked, or has it really been a Wofford win EVERY year since 1998???


They'd still have to win 40 more to even the series.

[OL FU]

They'd still have to win 40 more to even the series.

I'm gonna remember that line. May need it sometime:)

[SCPALADIN]

I'm gonna remember that line. May need it sometime:)

14 to go...give or take a WTF year here and there.

[FUBeAR]

Most of it seems reasonable and rationally thought out.

VMI may be bad, but I hope they can beat a team with almost no juniors or seniors. I would probably switch 7 and 8.

I won't debate your conclusion, but your characterization of Mercer's experience/maturity level may be a bit understated. You are correct that Mercer has no Sr.'s this year. They do have 53 players on their roster that are starting at least their 3rd in a college football program, however. VMI has 41 players on their roster in that category.

[citdog]

I won't debate your conclusion, but your characterization of Mercer's experience/maturity level may be a bit understated. You are correct that Mercer has no Sr.'s this year. They do have 53 players on their roster that are starting at least their 3rd in a college football program, however. VMI has 41 players on their roster in that category.

I'll take VMI. Y'all can probably beat western carolina.

[Milktruck74]

I love citdog's optimism for his team, and his caustic humor, but The Citadel beating Wofford? Now it could happen this year, and I think The Citadel may be the most underrated team in the conference, BUT, did I miss something when I checked, or has it really been a Wofford win EVERY year since 1998???

I've said it before and I'll put it out there again....the 2014 So Con Championship will be determined by the Citadel. They won't be in the hunt, but they are going to ruin the chances for one of the three teams in the hunt. Woffy, Furple and the Mocs are all going to beat up on each other and the Bulldogs will sneak in and knock one of them out of the hunt.

[PaladinFan]

I've said it before and I'll put it out there again....the 2014 So Con Championship will be determined by the Citadel. They won't be in the hunt, but they are going to ruin the chances for one of the three teams in the hunt. Woffy, Furple and the Mocs are all going to beat up on each other and the Bulldogs will sneak in and knock one of them out of the hunt.

I agree with you. Quirky offense. Tough place to win. They always seem to bite at least one team a year.

[PaladinFan]

I won't debate your conclusion, but your characterization of Mercer's experience/maturity level may be a bit understated. You are correct that Mercer has no Sr.'s this year. They do have 53 players on their roster that are starting at least their 3rd in a college football program, however. VMI has 41 players on their roster in that category.

I think that is probably and apples and oranges comparison. In my opinion, the experience is more about "who" you've played instead of "how long" you've played.

It is always dangerous to underestimate an opponent. I think the disadvantage to Mercer is not the lack of seniors (heck, Furman had few seniors last year), but how many snaps those players have taken against this level of competition. There's not a player on Mercer's roster that has endured the schedule they will face in 2014. There are a bunch of guys on VMI's team that have.

[SCPALADIN]

I think that is probably and apples and oranges comparison. In my opinion, the experience is more about "who" you've played instead of "how long" you've played.

It is always dangerous to underestimate an opponent. I think the disadvantage to Mercer is not the lack of seniors (heck, Furman had few seniors last year), but how many snaps those players have taken against this level of competition. There's not a player on Mercer's roster that has endured the schedule they will face in 2014. There are a bunch of guys on VMI's team that have.

Their schedule outside of the SOCON is incredibly weak this year; Reinhardt (NAIA) - Ave Marie (NAIA DII) - Warner University (NAIA DII) - Stetson (Pioneer). They should drill all four of these teams.

[kdinva]

I think that is probably and apples and oranges comparison..... There's not a player on Mercer's roster that has endured the schedule they will face in 2014. There are a bunch of guys on VMI's team that have.

true, no one on Mercer's squad has faced a team the caliber of CCU, Liberty, The Citadel, even Chuck South & Bucknell......

[PaladinFan]

Their schedule outside of the SOCON is incredibly weak this year; Reinhardt (NAIA) - Ave Marie (NAIA DII) - Warner University (NAIA DII) - Stetson (Pioneer). They should drill all four of these teams.

I don't begrudge them that. I think it is probably wise to continue to schedule those schools. I mean, even if the Bears get utterly shelacked in conference play, they can still be in the neighborhood of .500. That's something to sell to fans and recruits.

One Mercer fan noted that Reinhardt is no push over. I agree with them. They play a respectable NAIA schedule and Mercer needed a last second field goal to beat them last season. Mercer will now have more scholarship players than they did last season, but I think this would be akin to Furman playing a pretty good DII school.

The other three are pretty bad. Warner/Mercer was the least competitive football game I had seen since Furman/Elon in 2002.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

What's the QB situation at El Cid, anyone?

[citdog]

What's the QB situation at El Cid, anyone?

Senior Cadet Aaron Miller will take the snaps for the Bulldogs. You South Georgia Clayeaters should recognize that name.

[Reign of Terrier]

First off, I apologize to kdvina. I had not noticed that he had already linked this on another thread. TSN usually does a pretty good job on SoCon stuff. As for my opinion, I go with Furman over UTC. Their matchup is at FU. The recent loss of the Mocs best O-Lineman for the season also has to be a major blow. I know UTC still has a world of talent, but my gut sats Paladins. NO WAY Terriers over Bulldogs - Sorry walliver LOL!

We had a terrible offense and had a sub-par performance against probably your best offense in school history. And you lose your leading passer, rusher, and receiver.

I like our chances.

[Reign of Terrier]

They'd still have to win 40 more to even the series.

Though it's a minute point, and you're probably just stirring the pot, the all-time series is 40-25-1 in favor of the Citadel, so it's only a 15 game advantage :D

[Reign of Terrier]

The Citadel is always a team that scares me because you never know what to expect from them

[SU DOG]

We had a terrible offense and had a sub-par performance against probably your best offense in school history. And you lose your leading passer, rusher, and receiver.

I like our chances.

I think the SoCon will be very surprised to see what Samford has as replacements for these guys. As for a sub-par performance, consider that Truss wasn't even our leading rusher that day(about 60 yds)and that Summerlin threw 3 interceptions. Also it isn't like Wofford didn't lose anything either. Alvin Scioneaux was a player that seemed to be EVERYWHERE. I think he returned one of those ints. for a TD.
Wofford - always very physical and just superbly coached, so you can never pencil in the "W". Terriers must come to Homewood, however, and so I like OUR chances. We are all undefeated right now, so optimism and high expectations for our teams is part of the fun.

[PaladinFan]

The Citadel is always a team that scares me because you never know what to expect from them

2012 they were supposed to be bad, and turned out good. In 2013 they were supposed to be good and turned out bad.

[FUBeAR]

Warner/Mercer was the least competitive football game I had seen since Furman/Elon in 2002.

Warner was fairly competitive with Gardner-Webb (a team that beat Furman) in 2013. I know the final score (51-14) doesn't show it, but G-W only led by 3 until almost halftime. Mercer was up on Warner by 34 at the same juncture. You can watch Warner @ G-W here to judge for yourself: http://www.bigsouthsports.com/video?sport_id=39&team_id=5

I'm not saying that, necessarily, has any A beat B and A played this way vs. C 'value,' but you brought up the Warner game...so I thought you might want to evaluate their game vs. Gardner-Webb FWIW

[PaladinFan]

Warner was fairly competitive with Gardner-Webb (a team that beat Furman) in 2013. I know the final score (51-14) doesn't show it, but G-W only led by 3 until almost halftime. Mercer was up on Warner by 34 at the same juncture. You can watch Warner @ G-W here to judge for yourself: http://www.bigsouthsports.com/video?sport_id=39&team_id=5

I'm not saying that, necessarily, has any A beat B and A played this way vs. C 'value,' but you brought up the Warner game...so I thought you might want to evaluate their game vs. Gardner-Webb FWIW

First, you are not responding to what I said. I said Warner/Mercer was the most noncompetitive football game I had seen in over a decade. That is my objective observation. I have a hard time believing that you would argue with me that a 61-0 game that was 34-0 at half time was anything other than noncompetitive.

Second, a quick look at the box score would indicate that the GWU/Warner score should have been a lot worse. Nearly 600 yards of offense to 165.

[FUBeAR]

First, you are not responding to what I said. I said Warner/Mercer was the most noncompetitive football game I had seen in over a decade. That is my objective observation. I have a hard time believing that you would argue with me that a 61-0 game that was 34-0 at half time was anything other than noncompetitive.

Second, a quick look at the box score would indicate that the GWU/Warner score should have been a lot worse. Nearly 600 yards of offense to 165.

First, I directly responded to what you said. I did not disagree with what you said, but a response doesn't have to include a disagreement, does it? My wife thinks otherwise, but I don't...but that's another story. My response was about Warner's competitiveness in a different game against a team with which I know you have some familiarity. So, to be clear and to address, what, apparently, must be included in responses to your posts. I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH YOU. Warner's game with Mercer was completely non-competitive. Many of Mercer's starters only played in the 1st quarter and they had cleared the bench of all 108 players by the 3rd quarter.

Second, outcomes of football games are not determined by box scores - except for the actual score that is in the box score. If a team is in the game on the scoreboard, they are being competitive. I watched the game and I saw a Warner team be relatively competitive with G-W's starters for 1/2 of football. They forced TO's at key times and capitalized on those. Did they look like a great or even a pretty good team? No. Did they COMPETE with G-W's starters for a half?...IMHO, they ABSOLUTELY did. "Should have been worse." How do you make that determination about what 'should have been?' I just don't get that. Winning and Losing via scoring points and/or keeping your opponent from scoring points is all that really matters "at the end of the day." I believe the result of the game (or in this case, the half - because that is the timeframe around which I framed my point) ARE what they should have been...regardless of any or any set of statistics...other than the score.

Finally...as I said...evaluate the video for yourself...or I guess you can choose to read some numbers and form your opinion....OK....not the way I like to process my football evaluations, but if it works for you, so be it.

[PaladinFan]

First, I directly responded to what you said. I did not disagree with what you said, but a response doesn't have to include a disagreement, does it? My wife thinks otherwise, but I don't...but that's another story. My response was about Warner's competitiveness in a different game against a team with which I know you have some familiarity. So, to be clear and to address, what, apparently, must be included in responses to your posts. I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH YOU. Warner's game with Mercer was completely non-competitive. Many of Mercer's starters only played in the 1st quarter and they had cleared the bench of all 108 players by the 3rd quarter.

Second, outcomes of football games are not determined by box scores - except for the actual score that is in the box score. If a team is in the game on the scoreboard, they are being competitive. I watched the game and I saw a Warner team be relatively competitive with G-W's starters for 1/2 of football. They forced TO's at key times and capitalized on those. Did they look like a great or even a pretty good team? No. Did they COMPETE with G-W's starters for a half?...IMHO, they ABSOLUTELY did. "Should have been worse." How do you make that determination about what 'should have been?' I just don't get that. Winning and Losing via scoring points and/or keeping your opponent from scoring points is all that really matters "at the end of the day." I believe the result of the game (or in this case, the half - because that is the timeframe around which I framed my point) ARE what they should have been...regardless of any or any set of statistics...other than the score.

Finally...as I said...evaluate the video for yourself...or I guess you can choose to read some numbers and form your opinion....OK....not the way I like to process my football evaluations, but if it works for you, so be it.

Look, I am not trying to be argumentative. The only point I intended to make was that watching Mercer destroy Warner was akin to a game I had watched 11 years earlier when Furman destroyed Elon. That is all I am saying.

[OL FU]

I am certainly getting more and more confused on exactly what the point of some of the conversation is..... but heck I am old and lost a few brain cells hanging with citdog.

FUBeAR, you kinda downplay what Mercer might do this year and then when someone seems to think Mercer isn't going to do much, step and make it sound like you don't agree.

this isn't calling you out. I'm just curious. you obviously know football. You obviously have experience in the SoCon, whatcha think about Mercer's chances?



PS, as I have said before I am very happy to have Mercer in the SoCon. Immediate impacts in a lot of sports and certainly starting the football program in the right way. Not to mention I like your coach.:)

[FUBeAR]

FUBeAR, you kinda downplay what Mercer might do this year and then when someone seems to think Mercer isn't going to do much, step and make it sound like you don't agree.

this isn't calling you out. I'm just curious. you obviously know football. You obviously have experience in the SoCon, whatcha think about Mercer's chances?

PS, as I have said before I am very happy to have Mercer in the SoCon. Immediate impacts in a lot of sports and certainly starting the football program in the right way. Not to mention I like your coach.:)

Thanks OL...Let me try to explain my 'platform.' - So, here's my opinion about how Mercer will do this year: I have absolutely no clue. When I watched their practice year and their 2013 Fall Camp, I thought they might be 1-11 last year (figured they could beat Berry, who didn't have a practice year). I recently went back and watched their 1st 8 offensive plays vs. Reinhardt last year...and 1-11 looked about right...but then something happened and kept happening as they figured out how to win a play, and then win a series, and then a drive, and then a game. I've been around football for 45 years and I've never seen anything like it; very hard to explain how magical it truly was. So, then they added some dang good transfers and a solid schollie FR class...and I've watched Fall camp 2014..and I think they might be 1-11 THIS year (probably can beat Warner)...but then I realize how WRONG I was last year...AND that I am emotionally involved...so, NO CLUE, is my best answer.

When I "step up" is when I see someone post something that I do not believe is factually correct or mischaracterizes the facts of the matter (roster experience-level, etc.) OR when someone posts something ancillary to Mercer Football, that, in my opinion is not accurate or leads to possibly inaccurate conclusions (Warner's level of competitiveness). I don't think you will find that I have specifically 'defended' Mercer Football other than stating reasonably document-able facts. If I did have any idea how they might do, I might express my opinion about that, but I don't; so I won't - other than to say this: They WILL play hard and they WILL NOT be intimidated. I know many think they will be intimidated, but I know many, many of their players personally and I watched teams who thought Mercer would be intimidated last year...they won't.

[FUBeAR]

Look, I am not trying to be argumentative. The only point I intended to make was that watching Mercer destroy Warner was akin to a game I had watched 11 years earlier when Furman destroyed Elon. That is all I am saying.

...and that point was not disputed, but you started arguing about it anyway...and then said you're not being argumentative. So...actually you are, but, interestingly enough, you are arguing with yourself.

[OL FU]

Thanks OL...Let me try to explain my 'platform.' - So, here's my opinion about how Mercer will do this year: I have absolutely no clue. When I watched their practice year and their 2013 Fall Camp, I thought they might be 1-11 last year (figured they could beat Berry, who didn't have a practice year). I recently went back and watched their 1st 8 offensive plays vs. Reinhardt last year...and 1-11 looked about right...but then something happened and kept happening as they figured out how to win a play, and then win a series, and then a drive, and then a game. I've been around football for 45 years and I've never seen anything like it; very hard to explain how magical it truly was. So, then they added some dang good transfers and a solid schollie FR class...and I've watched Fall camp 2014..and I think they might be 1-11 THIS year (probably can beat Warner)...but then I realize how WRONG I was last year...AND that I am emotionally involved...so, NO CLUE, is my best answer.

When I "step up" is when I see someone post something that I do not believe is factually correct or mischaracterizes the facts of the matter (roster experience-level, etc.) OR when someone posts something ancillary to Mercer Football, that, in my opinion is not accurate or leads to possibly inaccurate conclusions (Warner's level of competitiveness). I don't think you will find that I have specifically 'defended' Mercer Football other than stating reasonably document-able facts. If I did have any idea how they might do, I might express my opinion about that, but I don't; so I won't - other than to say this: They WILL play hard and they WILL NOT be intimidated. I know many think they will be intimidated, but I know many, many of their players personally and I watched teams who thought Mercer would be intimidated last year...they won't.

Thanksxthumbsupx Honestly I think most of us really are in the dark on Mercer this year. My guess would be that it will be difficult. And I think that is mainly because it should be difficult:D. and if it isn't a difficult year then the SoCon has problems or Mercer has done an absolutely fantastic job. I have seen some start up programs really take off but it is more rare than typical. You don't have to go to much farther south than Statesboro in the early 80s to see the ultimate success story.

I, like you, don't expect Mercer to be intimidated. And honestly, and I think you can see from the fans and, my guess, the player's and, I am certain, the coaches, after the first game is done. They will be fired up for the Paladins.

[citdog]

Thanksxthumbsupx Honestly I think most of us really are in the dark on Mercer this year. My guess would be that it will be difficult. And I think that is mainly because it should be difficult:D. and if it isn't a difficult year then the SoCon has problems or Mercer has done an absolutely fantastic job. I have seen some start up programs really take off but it is more rare than typical. You don't have to go to much farther south than Statesboro in the early 80s to see the ultimate success story.

I, like you, don't expect Mercer to be intimidated. And honestly, and I think you can see from the fans and, my guess, the player's and, I am certain, the coaches, after the first game is done. They will be fired up for the Paladins.

furman sucks

[PaladinFan]

...and that point was not disputed, but you started arguing about it anyway...and then said you're not being argumentative. So...actually you are, but, interestingly enough, you are arguing with yourself.

Won't be the last time, either. :)

[PaladinFan]

Thanksxthumbsupx Honestly I think most of us really are in the dark on Mercer this year. My guess would be that it will be difficult. And I think that is mainly because it should be difficult:D. and if it isn't a difficult year then the SoCon has problems or Mercer has done an absolutely fantastic job. I have seen some start up programs really take off but it is more rare than typical. You don't have to go to much farther south than Statesboro in the early 80s to see the ultimate success story.

I, like you, don't expect Mercer to be intimidated. And honestly, and I think you can see from the fans and, my guess, the player's and, I am certain, the coaches, after the first game is done. They will be fired up for the Paladins.

I don't know a whole lot, but I imagine that Mercer is going to throw everything they've got at Furman. Hopefully the Paladins come ready to play.

I imagine Bobby Lamb will say something like "no game is more important than any other." Still, you know if there's one game he wants to win this year, it's that one. Furman will roll into Macon (likely) a top 25 team, night game, all the connections between Furman, Fowler, and Lamb, probably a sell out, first SoCon game, etc.

[OL FU]

furman sucks

I would be sorely disappointed if you ever feel otherwisexthumbsupx

[OL FU]

I don't know a whole lot, but I imagine that Mercer is going to throw everything they've got at Furman. Hopefully the Paladins come ready to play.

I imagine Bobby Lamb will say something like "no game is more important than any other." Still, you know if there's one game he wants to win this year, it's that one. Furman will roll into Macon (likely) a top 25 team, night game, all the connections between Furman, Fowler, and Lamb, probably a sell out, first SoCon game, etc.

One of the reasons I plan on being there..............................and because I want to go the Allman Brothers Museum:D

[Reign of Terrier]

My take on Mercer: no one is good in the Socon their first couple of years, especially when moving up from D2/starting up a program, at least in the contemporary era.

Wofford was terrible our first couple years in the Socon. Then, we became okay (honestly, the Citadel of the past couple years is a good comparison), got "good" but only consistently so after some see-saw years.

Really, you can look at the entire conference and see this sort of trend.

So, I'm not saying I think Mercer will be absolutely terrible, I just think that at the least they'll have growing pains. Predicting <2 wins isn't some sort of insult, it's just consistent with historic trends. Even without App State and GSU, the Socon is a better conference than the (ever-improving) Big South. I bring that up because I think the common example of a start-up team catching fire and sticking with it are either Coastal Carolina or Old Dominion. Coastal Carolina did it in a weak Big South. Old Dominion did it because they're a legit program.

Unless Mercer is the sort of team that will be up in FBS in a 5 years or less, I don't see them being that good.

So, we'll just have to see, but at least this year I'm not scared of them, especially since they'll be Wofford's last game of the year.

[FUBeAR]

So, we'll just have to see, but at least this year I'm not scared of them, especially since they'll be Wofford's last game of the year.

So...you're saying the Terriers are strong finishers?



10/26/2013
1:30 pm
*
Samford University (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
Spartanburg, S.C.
L 27-34 (http://athletics.wofford.edu/news/2013/10/26/FB_1026130640.aspx?path=football)



11/9/2013
2:00 pm
*
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (http://www.gomocs.com/)
Chattanooga, TN
L 10-20 (http://athletics.wofford.edu/news/2013/11/9/FB_1109135845.aspx?path=football)



11/16/2013
1:30 pm
*
Appalachian State University (http://www.goasu.com/)
Spartanburg, S.C.
L 21-33 (http://athletics.wofford.edu/news/2013/11/16/FB_1116133446.aspx?path=football)



11/23/2013
12:00 pm
*
Furman University (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/landing/index)
Greenville, SC
L 14-27 (http://athletics.wofford.edu/news/2013/11/23/FB_1123135146.aspx?path=football)




I know, I know...Consider the level of competition...I see the 3 SoCon Co-Champions and a pretty good team that no longer has a football program (as far as I'm concerned) on that down-the-stretch list of opponents, but your comment is still kinda funny in light of the 2013 season finish by the ankle-biters. (funny to me, at least).

[youwouldno]

So...you're saying the Terriers are strong finishers?

They won't have to be strong finishers to beat Mercer this year.

[Reign of Terrier]

So...you're saying the Terriers are strong finishers?



10/26/2013
1:30 pm
*
Samford University (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
Spartanburg, S.C.
L 27-34 (http://athletics.wofford.edu/news/2013/10/26/FB_1026130640.aspx?path=football)



11/9/2013
2:00 pm
*
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (http://www.gomocs.com/)
Chattanooga, TN
L 10-20 (http://athletics.wofford.edu/news/2013/11/9/FB_1109135845.aspx?path=football)



11/16/2013
1:30 pm
*
Appalachian State University (http://www.goasu.com/)
Spartanburg, S.C.
L 21-33 (http://athletics.wofford.edu/news/2013/11/16/FB_1116133446.aspx?path=football)



11/23/2013
12:00 pm
*
Furman University (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/landing/index)
Greenville, SC
L 14-27 (http://athletics.wofford.edu/news/2013/11/23/FB_1123135146.aspx?path=football)




I know, I know...Consider the level of competition...I see the 3 SoCon Co-Champions and a pretty good team that no longer has a football program (as far as I'm concerned) on that down-the-stretch list of opponents, but your comment is still kinda funny in light of the 2013 season finish by the ankle-biters. (funny to me, at least).

This would be excellent commentary if we hadn't had a wealth of examples of teams, especially Wofford, finishing on a poor note one year, and winning a conference title the next. Or the fact that Mercer hasn't beaten a Socon team yet.

Also, Bobby Lamb.

[chattownmocs]

Mercer is going to be dreadful. There is absolutely no chance they will even approach .500. It would be miraculous for them to get to 2-6 in the conference. 0-8 is most likely. It doesnt take much to look at their team from last year and see that that team would have been blown out against ANY Southern conference team. They just werent thre physically or athletically. Now they add a recruiting class(Maybe 3rd or 4th best in the conference) and some transfers and they truly believe they will be competitive. What a joke and a slap in the face to every program in this conference. I also think the idea that they will certainly be t the top or near the top of this conference in a few years is premature as well. I dont know that they will be better than the 6th best program in this conference.

[FUBeAR]

This would be excellent commentary if we hadn't had a wealth of examples of teams, especially Wofford, finishing on a poor note one year, and winning a conference title the next. Or the fact that Mercer hasn't beaten a Socon team yet.

Also, Bobby Lamb.

Wofford's 2014 Football Media Guide (p. 126-127) begs to disagree with you.

The fact is actually that Mercer has 30 football victories over current SoCon teams.

Also, Mike Ayers. (whatever that is supposed to mean)

[FUBeAR]

Mercer is going to be dreadful. There is absolutely no chance they will even approach .500. It would be miraculous for them to get to 2-6 in the conference. 0-8 is most likely. It doesnt take much to look at their team from last year and see that that team would have been blown out against ANY Southern conference team. They just werent thre physically or athletically. Now they add a recruiting class(Maybe 3rd or 4th best in the conference) and some transfers and they truly believe they will be competitive. What a joke and a slap in the face to every program in this conference. I also think the idea that they will certainly be t the top or near the top of this conference in a few years is premature as well. I dont know that they will be better than the 6th best program in this conference.

Hey OL FU...based on this poster's well-documented history of successful football prognostication, I am starting to feel a little better about Mercer's chances this year. :D

[chattownmocs]

Hey OL FU...based on this poster's well-documented history of successful football prognostication, I am starting to feel a little better about Mercer's chances this year. :D

Socon champs. Our freshman our unquestionably better than yours and ours arent even going to play. We are going to maul you annually.

[FUBeAR]

Socon champs. Our freshman our unquestionably better than yours and ours arent even going to play. We are going to maul you annually.

Please stop. If you keep this up, I'm going to call my old bookie and then all of those Gamblers Anonymous meetings will have been a complete waste of time. You don't want that on your conscience, do you?

[chattownmocs]

Please stop. If you keep this up, I'm going to call my old bookie and then all of those Gamblers Anonymous meetings will have been a complete waste of time. You don't want that on your conscience, do you?

We are going to own you in basketball too.

[FUBeAR]

We are going to own you in basketball too.

Let's see....(702) 555-....whew, stopped myself just in time.

[OL FU]

Wofford's 2014 Football Media Guide (p. 126-127) begs to disagree with you.

The fact is actually that Mercer has 30 football victories over current SoCon teams.

Also, Mike Ayers. (whatever that is supposed to mean)

I do get a little tickled when YT riffs on Lamb. Lamb was head coach 9 years at FU. Had two outstanding teams. Two good teams. 4 mediocre years and 1 bad one and yet still managed a 5-4 winning record against the football god that coaches Wofford:)

[FUBeAR]

I do get a little tickled when YT riffs on Lamb. Lamb was head coach 9 years at FU. Had two outstanding teams. Two good teams. 4 mediocre years and 1 bad one and yet still managed a 5-4 winning record against the football god that coaches Wofford:)

You mean that carpetbagger who actually would have preferred to be living in Statesboro, GA over SparkleCity, SC right now? You mean the guy who was runner-up (or worse) for the job of his dreams to a guy with only 3 seasons of NCAA-level Head Coaching experience. That the guy?

19540

[OL FU]

You mean that carpetbagger who actually would have preferred to be living in Statesboro, GA over SparkleCity, SC right now? You mean the guy who was runner-up (or worse) for the job of his dreams to a guy with only 3 seasons of NCAA-level Head Coaching experience. That the guy?

19540

:)xembarrassedx

Well. I am not going to rip on Ayers. :) He is a hell of a coach, Wofford has a hell of a football program and I have way to many Wofford friends that would never speak to me again if I commit such a blasphemous actxnodx

[SCPALADIN]

Also, Bobby Lamb.
Well played xsalutex
19541

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford's 2014 Football Media Guide (p. 126-127) begs to disagree with you.

The fact is actually that Mercer has 30 football victories over current SoCon teams.

Also, Mike Ayers. (whatever that is supposed to mean)

You're making literally no sense.

We were 3-8 in 2009, and went 10-3 with a socon championship in 2010.

Mike Ayers> Bobby Lamb

- - - Updated - - -


I do get a little tickled when YT riffs on Lamb. Lamb was head coach 9 years at FU. Had two outstanding teams. Two good teams. 4 mediocre years and 1 bad one and yet still managed a 5-4 winning record against the football god that coaches Wofford:)

GO FOR TWO BOBBY

[Reign of Terrier]

You mean that carpetbagger who actually would have preferred to be living in Statesboro, GA over SparkleCity, SC right now? You mean the guy who was runner-up (or worse) for the job of his dreams to a guy with only 3 seasons of NCAA-level Head Coaching experience. That the guy?

19540

You do realize he did the GSU thing to get a better contract at Wofford right? He said in February that he wouldn't coach for another team.

So yeah, nah, you're smack is kind of bad on account of you're factually wrong.

Mercer sucks

[OL FU]

You're making literally no sense.

We were 3-8 in 2009, and went 10-3 with a socon championship in 2010.

Mike Ayers> Bobby Lamb

- - - Updated - - -



GO FOR TWO BOBBY

:) Yep if you were an ASU fan you would certainly have something to say. I think Bobby beat them twice in 10 tries.

5-4 against you. I would hang my head that such a horrible coach was able to do that to you.xembarrassedx

[AshevilleApp2]

:) Yep if you were an ASU fan you would certainly have something to say. I think Bobby beat them twice in 10 tries.

5-4 against you. I would hang my head that such a horrible coach was able to do that to you.xembarrassedx

:)

[Reign of Terrier]

:) Yep if you were an ASU fan you would certainly have something to say. I think Bobby beat them twice in 10 tries.

5-4 against you. I would hang my head that such a horrible coach was able to do that to you.xembarrassedx

You do realize I don't recognize anything that happened with Wofford football pre-2002 right :D

Also, remember his last win against Wofford was in a blowout against a terrible (and injured) Wofford team in 2009. He lost 3 of his last 4 games against Wofford.

In seriousness, I've heard plenty of criticisms about BL from Furman fans, and for his overall career it would seem that he rode the coat-tails of Bobby Johnson's success/players Ingle Martin somewhat saved his career there, but once he graduated he never recovered.

that when good ole "2 yard slant" bobby made his debut, where when Wofford was healthy they scored 38 points at the least in each of those 3 wins.

[SU DOG]

The grass is always greener at Mercer - NO Wait! The visiting fans are required to sit on it.

[OL FU]

You do realize I don't recognize anything that happened with Wofford football pre-2002 right :D

Also, remember his last win against Wofford was in a blowout against a terrible (and injured) Wofford team in 2009. He lost 3 of his last 4 games against Wofford.

In seriousness, I've heard plenty of criticisms about BL from Furman fans, and for his overall career it would seem that he rode the coat-tails of Bobby Johnson's success/players Ingle Martin somewhat saved his career there, but once he graduated he never recovered.

that when good ole "2 yard slant" bobby made his debut, where when Wofford was healthy they scored 38 points at the least in each of those 3 wins.

You do realize that Bobby became the head coach in 2002 which is when you started recognizing Wofford football:D
You do know that subjective arguments can always be made to justify whatever agenda you want to push. :)
You do recognize that 5 is greater than 4. xeyebrowx

Now you want to put on a Mountaineer jersey for a day, have at it.

[OL FU]

You do realize I don't recognize anything that happened with Wofford football pre-2002 right :D

Also, remember his last win against Wofford was in a blowout against a terrible (and injured) Wofford team in 2009. He lost 3 of his last 4 games against Wofford.

In seriousness, I've heard plenty of criticisms about BL from Furman fans, and for his overall career it would seem that he rode the coat-tails of Bobby Johnson's success/players Ingle Martin somewhat saved his career there, but once he graduated he never recovered.

that when good ole "2 yard slant" bobby made his debut, where when Wofford was healthy they scored 38 points at the least in each of those 3 wins.

And of course you do realize this is all in good fun. I don't really care. But I will care a great deal when Fowler is 3-1 against Ayersxnodx

[OrangeAndBlack]

It's as if some posters think we claimed Mercer would win the SoCon this year, or be .500 or greater as chattown mentions. Where was any of this said? I know what Mercer is getting into, and I'm looking forward watching them battle. I hope the opposing players/coaches share the negative mentality.

[OrangeAndBlack]

We are going to own you in basketball too.

Good joke.

[OL FU]

Good joke.

Nah, Furman will own you in basketballxdrunkyxxembarrassedx

[OrangeAndBlack]

Nah, Furman will own you in basketballxdrunkyxxembarrassedx

xsmiley_wix

[FUBeAR]

We were 3-8 in 2009, and went 10-3 with a socon championship in 2010.

Literally, I know you're young, but I really didn't want to have to spell this out for you to realize (certainly didn't expect you to admit it) that your claim "especially Wofford, finishing on a poor note one year, and winning a conference title the next" is completely specious. Yes - 3 wins in '09 is correct and would seem to support your assertion, but they were 1-5 in the 1st half of the season and 2-3 in the 2nd half. Pretty hard to say they finished that season "on a poor note" when it was actually the best part of the season now, isn't it? The fact is, that's the ONLY season that even comes close to supporting your "wealth of examples...especially Wofford" claim, right?

2003 SoCon Champ - In 2002, Wofford 5 of their last 6 games
2007 SoCon Champ - In 2006, Wofford won all of their last 5 games and 6 of their last 7
2012 SoCon Champ - In 2011, Wofford won 3 of their last 4 and 4 of their final 6 regular season games

Hey - you threw something out there without knowing or checking your facts...sounded good, but it simply is not true. Wofford, unlike last years final 4 game swoon, has clearly finished relatively strongly in the seasons prior to their SoCon championship seasons. No worries, we all play loose with the facts from time to time. Probably not a good idea to try to defend the statement (and 'counterattack') AFTER you have checked the records though. That's pretty lame.

Oh - if you were also referring to my pointing out Mercer's 30 victories over current SoCon teams as "making no sense," I'm gonna just let you look that one up and get back to me. It could be 29 or 31 as I may have miscounted, but I assure you that my 30 is significantly closer to the actual number than your claim of 0.

And...finally, if you were referring to my "Also, Mike Ayers" comment not making sense, I'll give you that; cuz I have no idea what you meant by "Also, Bobby Lamb." Verbs, like rain, are a good thing.

[FUBeAR]

You do realize he did the GSU thing to get a better contract at Wofford right? He said in February that he wouldn't coach for another team.

Is that what he said? Must be true then because we know that no one ever shades the stories of the motivations for their actions to make themselves look better, right? In fact, when I told my wife that I was just dating a 21 year old blonde in order to deepen my appreciation for her, she believed me without question, just like you believed Coach Ayers. You and my wife are certainly noble & loyal people. I admire that.

[CID1990]

You do realize he did the GSU thing to get a better contract at Wofford right? He said in February that he wouldn't coach for another team.

So yeah, nah, you're smack is kind of bad on account of you're factually wrong.

Mercer sucks

Nice to hear that the guy who loves Wofford so much was willing to play games to manipulate them into improving his contract

[dungeonjoe]

Literally, I know you're young, but I really didn't want to have to spell this out for you to realize (certainly didn't expect you to admit it) that your claim "especially Wofford, finishing on a poor note one year, and winning a conference title the next" is completely specious. Yes - 3 wins in '09 is correct and would seem to support your assertion, but they were 1-5 in the 1st half of the season and 2-3 in the 2nd half. Pretty hard to say they finished that season "on a poor note" when it was actually the best part of the season now, isn't it? The fact is, that's the ONLY season that even comes close to supporting your "wealth of examples...especially Wofford" claim, right?

2003 SoCon Champ - In 2002, Wofford 5 of their last 6 games
2007 SoCon Champ - In 2006, Wofford won all of their last 5 games and 6 of their last 7
2012 SoCon Champ - In 2011, Wofford won 3 of their last 4 and 4 of their final 6 regular season games

Hey - you threw something out there without knowing or checking your facts...sounded good, but it simply is not true. Wofford, unlike last years final 4 game swoon, has clearly finished relatively strongly in the seasons prior to their SoCon championship seasons. No worries, we all play loose with the facts from time to time. Probably not a good idea to try to defend the statement (and 'counterattack') AFTER you have checked the records though. That's pretty lame.

Oh - if you were also referring to my pointing out Mercer's 30 victories over current SoCon teams as "making no sense," I'm gonna just let you look that one up and get back to me. It could be 29 or 31 as I may have miscounted, but I assure you that my 30 is significantly closer to the actual number than your claim of 0.

And...finally, if you were referring to my "Also, Mike Ayers" comment not making sense, I'll give you that; cuz I have no idea what you meant by "Also, Bobby Lamb." Verbs, like rain, are a good thing.

I am glad you take "finishing on a poor note" so seriously. However, I look at it as the entire season, not the specific 3-5 games toward the end of the year. I am not the mathematical or statistical whiz/genius that you are, but my value of a season being poor is whether Wofford made the playoffs or not. That is the standard for me (and I suspect YT). I have looked at the evolution of Wofford football. not just with the statistics as you so adeptly do. Finally, finishing on a poor note to me means Wofford losing to Furman. :)

As for Ayers, we will disagree on his motives and his character. I will not judge him any more than I will your wife or the 21 year old young lady or you. The facts are Wofford coaches are paid lower than many programs. (truly the whole college staff is). I do know that conversations have been had at least on the sports program. Funny thing, our men's basketball coach is in the running for the job at College of Charleston. I have heard the stories where he pays for team stuff out of his own pocket. Wofford does have to look at salaries. It is my understanding that Jerry Richardson contributed to keep Ayers at Wofford; however, I cannot confirm that.

i would also say Mercer is winless against the SoCon merely for the fact that they haven't started 2014 play (not 40 years ago). The media guide may have it, but ancient history is not relevant to today.

I look forward to your exegesis of the posts on AGS.

[citdog]

The media guide may have it, but ancient history is not relevant to today..

Except for the magical multiplication of fish, bread, wine and an undead corpse.


Also THE WAR..........



xnodx

[dungeonjoe]

Except for the magical multiplication of fish, bread, wine and an undead corpse.


Also THE WAR..........



xnodx

that's the difference between living in the past and the past living through you...:)

[FUBeAR]

I am glad you take "finishing on a poor note" so seriously. I don't take any of this stuff seriously. However, I look at it as the entire season, not the specific 3-5 games toward the end of the year. Cool. Makes sense to me; wasn't the topic though - YT responded to my posting of the littledog's results of the last 4 games of 2013 with a fantasy that he had and I was curious about its veracity & 'called' him/her on it when I found it not be accurate, in any way. I am not the mathematical or statistical whiz/genius that you are I completely suck at math and most things technical, but thanks!, but my value of a season being poor is whether Wofford made the playoffs or not. That is the standard for me That's a good yardstick (and I suspect YT Cool - again, wasn't the topic). I have looked at the evolution (as a Mercer fan, I am more of a Creationist) of Wofford football. not just with the statistics as you so adeptly do (Thanks - wins/loses is not exactly a 'deep dive,' but I'll take all the flattery I can get!). Finally, finishing on a poor note to me means Wofford losing to Furman. (I get that - I spent 30+ years hoping every team that played against FU would feel the same way):)

As for Ayers, we will disagree on his motives and his character I have no opinion of his motives or character because I don't know him. I do/did know that comment would 'draw fire' though. I will not judge him any more than I will your wife or the 21 year old young lady or you. You may have judged the 21 year old - ever been to The Cheetah in ATL?. The facts are Wofford coaches are paid lower than many programs. (truly the whole college staff is). I do know that conversations have been had at least on the sports program. Funny thing, our men's basketball coach is in the running for the job at College of Charleston. I have heard the stories where he pays for team stuff out of his own pocket. Wofford does have to look at salaries. It is my understanding that Jerry Richardson contributed to keep Ayers at Wofford; however, I cannot confirm that. Uncle Jerry has been mighty good to the anklebiters, hasn't he?

i would also say Mercer is winless against the SoCon merely for the fact that they haven't started 2014 play (not 40 years ago). 70+ years and if you said that, you would be just as inaccurate as YT was, which is cool...just not factual. The media guide may have it, but ancient history is not relevant to today. I think there are many people in the Middle East who may strongly disagree with you - not sure if they post on AGS much, though.

I look forward to your exegesis of the posts on AGS. Had to look it up - That dang C- in Old Testament class hurts me again! I guess you could call it that. I just like to educate myself about the facts & figures (although retention, at my age, is almost nil) and share accurate data if folks have used inaccurate info to try to support their conclusion - probably a fairly annoying habit, huh?

BTW - you (actual) Woffordian dudes are pretty dang smart. YT is not an alum, is he? I'm guessing he may live in Arkansas as well...however that might or might now be relevant.

[dungeonjoe]

Actually, he will begin his junior year at Wofford in 9 days. He is a South Carolina boy and his father first took him to Wofford games in 2001.

You put in bold print the finished poorly part from his post So that is what I went for in yours...just as you did.

As for his fantasies, I realllly don't want to go there.


It is ancient history that Wofford went to the cigar bowl in the last century. But it doesn't really have anything to do with how Wofford plays in 2014. I try hard to separate geo-politics from the Southern Conference; at least during football season anyway.

the cheetah? I don't think I have been there. :)

[FUBeAR]

Actually, he will begin his junior year at Wofford in 9 days. He is a South Carolina boy and his father first took him to Wofford games in 2001.

You put in bold print the finished poorly part from his post So that is what I went for in yours...just as you did.

As for his fantasies, I realllly don't want to go there.


It is ancient history that Wofford went to the cigar bowl in the last century. But it doesn't really have anything to do with how Wofford plays in 2014. I try hard to separate geo-politics from the Southern Conference; at least during football season anyway.

the cheetah? I don't think I have been there. :)

Got it - Hi Dad - had him misID'd with another fan of the smallmutts. I'm sure they'll get around to 'citation of sources' and such in his final, capstone courses. Congrats on the future graduation & associated tuition-free pay raise! AR=SC, no?

[dungeonjoe]

Got it - Hi Dad - had him misID'd with another fan of the smallmutts. I'm sure they'll get around to 'citation of sources' and such in his final, capstone courses. Congrats on the future graduation & associated tuition-free pay raise! AR=SC, no?

yeah, the internet chat rooms are where we debate and argue the jots and tittles and correct sources fueled by the passions of our past and the rages of our present. We are quick to take offense and reluctant to admit our mistakes or forget the mistakes of others.

But I digress .

my SoCon preseason predictions:

1. Chatty (it is theirs to lose. If they lose early all bets are off)
2. Furman (if they stay healthy)
3. Wofford (as the OL goes, so go the terriers)
4. The Citadel (the coach will be coach of the year)
5. Samford (their schedule is crazy)
6 Western Carolina (higher and higher each year)
7. Mercer (next year)
8. VMI (sports are cyclical...one day...)

[chattownmocs]

It's as if some posters think we claimed Mercer would win the SoCon this year, or be .500 or greater as chattown mentions. Where was any of this said? I know what Mercer is getting into, and I'm looking forward watching them battle. I hope the opposing players/coaches share the negative mentality.

Thats what we are talking about. What difference does it make whether the opposing teams overlook you or not? You still have no chance to beat them. There are 2-3 teams at absolute max that Mercer will be able to beat on their worst day. Get real.

[OrangeAndBlack]

Thats what we are talking about. What difference does it make whether the opposing teams overlook you or not? You still have no chance to beat them. There are 2-3 teams at absolute max that Mercer will be able to beat on their worst day. Get real.

That's the exact same thing people said last year.

[youwouldno]

That's the exact same thing people said last year.

What people? Mercer's marquee win was at home against a 6-5 non-scholarship team (Drake). The second best win was against 5-6 non-scholarship Jacksonville, also at home. And third best, per Massey, was actually Reinhardt - who went 6-4 in NAIA.

To start up a non-scholarship program and then abruptly switch into a scholarship conference is not easy. It's not some kind of disrespect to predict that Mercer will struggle at first. No rational person would project otherwise.

I'd make Mercer a slight favorite @ VMI, with the home game against WCU a good opportunity as well. The other 5 SoCon games are longshots, to say the least. If Mercer wins 3 conference games, Lamb should be consensus SoCon coach of the year.

[OL FU]

I agree with those that say it is going to be tough for Mercer this year and it should be. As I said before if Mercer is competitive then the SoCon should worry and Lamb should be national coach of the year. But at the same time, their accomplishments last year were impressive. Let's not forget that all of those wins against non-scholly schools were won by a team that was also non-scholly and the wins were against established programs. Not first year start ups.

[FUBeAR]

Thats what we are talking about.

We? As the immortal Leon once said, "Ain't no "WE" in Team"...and even less so in chattownmocs from what I've seen. Your own fellow Mocs supporters try to distance themselves from you as much as possible. Maybe I have missed reading the many posts of your legion of like-minded thinkers or, perhaps, you just learned to speak French, but maybe aren't a very good speller.

[OrangeAndBlack]

What people? Mercer's marquee win was at home against a 6-5 non-scholarship team (Drake). The second best win was against 5-6 non-scholarship Jacksonville, also at home. And third best, per Massey, was actually Reinhardt - who went 6-4 in NAIA.

To start up a non-scholarship program and then abruptly switch into a scholarship conference is not easy. It's not some kind of disrespect to predict that Mercer will struggle at first. No rational person would project otherwise.

I'd make Mercer a slight favorite @ VMI, with the home game against WCU a good opportunity as well. The other 5 SoCon games are longshots, to say the least. If Mercer wins 3 conference games, Lamb should be consensus SoCon coach of the year.

The bold is the funny part in all of this... I've been nothing but rational in every post on this forum.

As for the "people" who didn't think Mercer would do anything last year, here's the preseason poll that had Mercer #11 of 12.
http://www.pioneer-football.org/news/archives/2013/848/san-diego-narrowly-picked-to-win-2013-pioneer-football-league-race/
That's behind Valpo and WINLESS Davidson. I think it's fair to say the "experts" didn't have a firm grasp on the Bears. In total there were 2 teams rated above them that beat Mercer, and 1 had their win vacated for cheating.

Now for this year, I'll say what I've been saying: The talent level of the competition has increased significantly. Mercer has a first-class coach in Bobby Lamb and the players are more than capable of surprising anyone that doubts them. I would never count out this group of players and coaches against anyone.

[youwouldno]

I agree with those that say it is going to be tough for Mercer this year and it should be. As I said before if Mercer is competitive then the SoCon should worry and Lamb should be national coach of the year. But at the same time, their accomplishments last year were impressive. Let's not forget that all of those wins against non-scholly schools were won by a team that was also non-scholly and the wins were against established programs. Not first year start ups.

But Mercer, from the beginning, has been more invested in football than a bottom-dwelling D-III team like Berry. Without a doubt, Mercer had higher coaching salaries, overall team budget, etc., than every team they beat last year, and probably compared to the two teams they lost to as well (San Diego would be the most comparable). Their players were young, but in terms of quality they were clearly above what's available for Warner, Valpo, Carnegie Mellon, etc. If a program is "established" as completely non-competitive, how is that helpful? Not that Lamb knew he would play 2014 in the SoCon when the 2013 schedule was put together.

edited to add: So far as the 2013 preseason coaches' Pioneer poll, you are kidding yourself if you think any thought at all went into it. It certainly didn't reflect any kind of "expert" opinion.

[OL FU]

But Mercer, from the beginning, has been more invested in football than a bottom-dwelling D-III team like Berry. Without a doubt, Mercer had higher coaching salaries, overall team budget, etc., than every team they beat last year, and probably compared to the two teams they lost to as well (San Diego would be the most comparable). Their players were young, but in terms of quality they were clearly above what's available for Warner, Valpo, Carnegie Mellon, etc. If a program is "established" as completely non-competitive, how is that helpful? Not that Lamb knew he would play 2014 in the SoCon when the 2013 schedule was put together.

I understand am not really disagreeing with you. I just think the first year you compete losing two games is impressive. Doesn't mean that the schedule helps them compete in the SoCon, but still it was impressive.

[OL FU]

The bold is the funny part in all of this... I've been nothing but rational in every post on this forum.

As for the "people" who didn't think Mercer would do anything last year, here's the preseason poll that had Mercer #11 of 12.
http://www.pioneer-football.org/news/archives/2013/848/san-diego-narrowly-picked-to-win-2013-pioneer-football-league-race/
That's behind Valpo and WINLESS Davidson. I think it's fair to say the "experts" didn't have a firm grasp on the Bears. In total there were 2 teams rated above them that beat Mercer, and 1 had their win vacated for cheating.

Now for this year, I'll say what I've been saying: The talent level of the competition has increased significantly. Mercer has a first-class coach in Bobby Lamb and the players are more than capable of surprising anyone that doubts them. I would never count out this group of players and coaches against anyone.

Which is why I am, at least, uncomfortable about the second game of the year. Don't get me wrong. Should Furman win the game? Absolutely. But I have watched football and its surprises way too long. Bad bounce here, a turnover and score, momentum builds for the underdog early. I will feel much better when we are in the late part of the first quarter and Furman is leading 14-0 (which is what I think will happen:))

[Reign of Terrier]

And of course you do realize this is all in good fun. I don't really care. But I will care a great deal when Fowler is 3-1 against Ayersxnodx

Furman still sucks

[Reign of Terrier]

Literally, I know you're young, but I really didn't want to have to spell this out for you to realize (certainly didn't expect you to admit it) that your claim "especially Wofford, finishing on a poor note one year, and winning a conference title the next" is completely specious. Yes - 3 wins in '09 is correct and would seem to support your assertion, but they were 1-5 in the 1st half of the season and 2-3 in the 2nd half. Pretty hard to say they finished that season "on a poor note" when it was actually the best part of the season now, isn't it? The fact is, that's the ONLY season that even comes close to supporting your "wealth of examples...especially Wofford" claim, right?

2003 SoCon Champ - In 2002, Wofford 5 of their last 6 games
2007 SoCon Champ - In 2006, Wofford won all of their last 5 games and 6 of their last 7
2012 SoCon Champ - In 2011, Wofford won 3 of their last 4 and 4 of their final 6 regular season games

Hey - you threw something out there without knowing or checking your facts...sounded good, but it simply is not true. Wofford, unlike last years final 4 game swoon, has clearly finished relatively strongly in the seasons prior to their SoCon championship seasons. No worries, we all play loose with the facts from time to time. Probably not a good idea to try to defend the statement (and 'counterattack') AFTER you have checked the records though. That's pretty lame.

Oh - if you were also referring to my pointing out Mercer's 30 victories over current SoCon teams as "making no sense," I'm gonna just let you look that one up and get back to me. It could be 29 or 31 as I may have miscounted, but I assure you that my 30 is significantly closer to the actual number than your claim of 0.

And...finally, if you were referring to my "Also, Mike Ayers" comment not making sense, I'll give you that; cuz I have no idea what you meant by "Also, Bobby Lamb." Verbs, like rain, are a good thing.

Let me explain to you a thing:

When I said "a wealth of examples...especially Wofford" I meant, you could find examples of teams (socon or not) who finished/played poorly the year prior and won the (socon) championship the next year. I knew one by Wofford for sure, so I mentioned them explicitly. But if I'm not mistaken in 2004 App State was pretty terrible (in spite of their 6-5 record) and they won the championship the next year. Georgia Southern became a contender overnight by switching back to the flexbone.

There's a variety of examples. I've followed this game long enough (1/3 of my life :D ) to know that, the way you finish the year before doesn't really matter. There's a lot of factors that play into how teams perform, and overall our 4 game losing streak of last year plays absolutely no part in how we finish the year next year.

- - - Updated - - -


Is that what he said? Must be true then because we know that no one ever shades the stories of the motivations for their actions to make themselves look better, right? In fact, when I told my wife that I was just dating a 21 year old blonde in order to deepen my appreciation for her, she believed me without question, just like you believed Coach Ayers. You and my wife are certainly noble & loyal people. I admire that.

This is a really dumb metaphor.

[Reign of Terrier]

BTW - you (actual) Woffordian dudes are pretty dang smart. YT is not an alum, is he? I'm guessing he may live in Arkansas as well...however that might or might now be relevant.

different guy, unfortunately.

Though I know him from twitter

[SU DOG]

I am glad that Mercer is in the conference, but I am fearful that this is a "sleeping giant" type of program. I hope to see Mercer and Samford become big rivals. Having said that, however, I am tired of hearing about Mercer 60 years ago or even last year. I fully realize that none of us really know for sure how our respective teams will do this year. We can though, give our opinion of best/worst case scenario, and what we would consider to be good and what would be disappointing. Most of us have already done so. I'm not talking about being intimidated, playing hard, or being well coached. I'm talking W/L numbers and final standings. IMO, Bear Fans on here have somehow avoided this. I think OL FU mentioned something about this previously. What specifically are you Mercer fans expecting?

[citdog]

What specifically are you Mercer fans expecting?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSPNQ82Sq4E

[FUBeAR]

Let me explain to you a thing:

When I said "a wealth of examples...especially Wofford" I meant, you could find examples of teams (socon or not) who finished/played poorly the year prior and won the (socon) championship the next year. I knew one by Wofford for sure, so I mentioned them explicitly. But if I'm not mistaken in 2004 App State was pretty terrible (in spite of their 6-5 record) and they won the championship the next year. Georgia Southern became a contender overnight by switching back to the flexbone.

There's a variety of examples. I've followed this game long enough (1/3 of my life :D ) to know that, the way you finish the year before doesn't really matter. There's a lot of factors that play into how teams perform, and overall our 4 game losing streak of last year plays absolutely no part in how we finish the year next year.

- - - Updated - - -



This is a really dumb megawhore.

You're not a married pup, are you YT? After a few years as a mated dog, the logic of my comment may resonate with you a bit stronger. Good news, though! I corrected your spelling and now your comment is 100% true (about my 21 year old blonde, not my wife. I suspect her Attorney is an AGS regular.)

On the other stuff, I have a son in his young 20's as well and he has a very hard time admitting when he's wrong also, regardless of what the facts of the matter are, so I'm feelin' ya. Probably also some linkage to that sort of mindset and not being married. We married Bears know that we're wrong BEFORE we say anything and commenting only makes us more wrong. You'll see.

[FUBeAR]

I am glad that Mercer is in the conference, but I am fearful that this is a "sleeping giant" type of program. I hope to see Mercer and Samford become big rivals. Having said that, however, I am tired of hearing about Mercer 60 years ago or even last year...What specifically are you Mercer fans expecting?

OBJECTION! Asked and answered, Mr. Prosecutor. You are badgering the witness!

[citdog]

You're not a married pup, are you YT? After a few years as a mated dog, the logic of my comment may resonate with you a bit stronger. Good news, though! I corrected your spelling and now your comment is 100% true (about my 21 year old blonde, not my wife. I suspect her Attorney is an AGS regular.)

On the other stuff, I have a son in his young 20's as well and he has a very hard time admitting when he's wrong also, regardless of what the facts of the matter are, so I'm feelin' ya. Probably also some linkage to that sort of mindset and not being married. We married Bears know that we're wrong BEFORE we say anything and commenting only makes us more wrong. You'll see.


http://img0.etsystatic.com/027/0/7669780/il_340x270.548212804_jyn2.jpg

[WCU LawCat]

I'm back! It's that time of year! Maybe our year to climb!

[Sandlapper Spike]

Look what popped up tonight...

http://www.socondigitalnetwork.com/socon

Football games aren't listed yet (actually, very little is listed right now). Still, a positive sign.

[PaladinFan]

I am glad that Mercer is in the conference, but I am fearful that this is a "sleeping giant" type of program. I hope to see Mercer and Samford become big rivals. Having said that, however, I am tired of hearing about Mercer 60 years ago or even last year. I fully realize that none of us really know for sure how our respective teams will do this year. We can though, give our opinion of best/worst case scenario, and what we would consider to be good and what would be disappointing. Most of us have already done so. I'm not talking about being intimidated, playing hard, or being well coached. I'm talking W/L numbers and final standings. IMO, Bear Fans on here have somehow avoided this. I think OL FU mentioned something about this previously. What specifically are you Mercer fans expecting?

Regardless of the level of competition, Mercer won 10 games. A number of those wins came against established programs. Not necessarily good programs, but even in the PFL a number of those teams have been around for a while and still have not replicated what Mercer did in a single year.

The question is open ended, really. Know one really knows how Mercer will look.

I remember when Elon entered the conference in the early 2000s and was a glorified punching bag. I think they were 2-10 with wins over Hofstra and ETSU in their first season in the SoCon. In all 12 games (including their wins), they scored more than 14 points just once (25-23 over Hofstra). That was a team that came in with years of football and a season in the Big South under their belt.

Samford, I think, had a pretty respectable 6-5 season their first year in, but certainly had a long history in the OVC. Maybe one of the Wofford folks can weigh in on how their team looked in the early 90s with a big jump.

[PaladinFan]

:) Yep if you were an ASU fan you would certainly have something to say. I think Bobby beat them twice in 10 tries.

5-4 against you. I would hang my head that such a horrible coach was able to do that to you.xembarrassedx

I've often said Ayers is pound for pound the best coach in the SoCon, though I do believe Bruce Fowler is making a run at him.

Lamb is a good coach. Unequivocally, he did two things extremely well - he recruits and he graduates his players. I do think that you can make a case that he swings and misses in recruiting often. He will land some great talent, but often does not bring in the depth a class needs for long term sustainability.

On the flip side, my personal opinion is that Lamb was often too wed to a certain game plan. He rarely, it seemed, made significant adjustments during the game to combat what the opponent was doing. It was almost as though he was going to stick to the plan come hell or high water. I thought several times that ended up losing Furman football games.

It is also hard to ignore the 30,000 foot view. Lamb was a playoff coach with Bobby Johnson's players and then rode the coattails of one of the best FCS quarterbacks of the last 20 years to a whole lot of wins. Those Johnson-recruited defenses were electric. After Martin and Felton graduated, though, the program took a precipitous decline. I do think Furman's administration (which was not really football friendly) had a lot to do with that. At the end of his tenure, I think it was probably best for both sides to go different directions.

At the end of the day, I think both Furman and Mercer have guys that are good for their programs. I've loved what I've seen out of Bruce Fowler. I know Mercer folks are happy with Bobby Lamb.

[OL FU]

I've often said Ayers is pound for pound the best coach in the SoCon, though I do believe Bruce Fowler is making a run at him.

Lamb is a good coach. Unequivocally, he did two things extremely well - he recruits and he graduates his players. I do think that you can make a case that he swings and misses in recruiting often. He will land some great talent, but often does not bring in the depth a class needs for long term sustainability.

On the flip side, my personal opinion is that Lamb was often too wed to a certain game plan. He rarely, it seemed, made significant adjustments during the game to combat what the opponent was doing. It was almost as though he was going to stick to the plan come hell or high water. I thought several times that ended up losing Furman football games.

It is also hard to ignore the 30,000 foot view. Lamb was a playoff coach with Bobby Johnson's players and then rode the coattails of one of the best FCS quarterbacks of the last 20 years to a whole lot of wins. Those Johnson-recruited defenses were electric. After Martin and Felton graduated, though, the program took a precipitous decline. I do think Furman's administration (which was not really football friendly) had a lot to do with that. At the end of his tenure, I think it was probably best for both sides to go different directions.

At the end of the day, I think both Furman and Mercer have guys that are good for their programs. I've loved what I've seen out of Bruce Fowler. I know Mercer folks are happy with Bobby Lamb.

I wasn't really discussing the point. I was trying to shake a mutt off my ankle:)

[PaladinFan]

I wasn't really discussing the point. I was trying to shake a mutt off my ankle:)

Those were more of my ramblings.

Ayers is a good coach. Lamb bested him more times than Ayers got Lamb. Lamb, I think, had a pretty respectable record (maybe even winning record) against all SoCon schools but App. He was abysmal against App.

[youwouldno]

At the end of the day, I think both Furman and Mercer have guys that are good for their programs. I've loved what I've seen out of Bruce Fowler. I know Mercer folks are happy with Bobby Lamb.

Lamb doesn't get the maximum results out of the talent he puts together. His skill set is a good fit for Mercer at the moment, because before long Mercer will be comfortably above average in FCS talent. That alone will result in victories against weaker opponents. But it remains to be seen how he will take the next step of actually contending.

It will be interesting to see how Mercer fans react if enough time passes without that next step being taken.

[PaladinFan]

Lamb doesn't get the maximum results out of the talent he puts together. His skill set is a good fit for Mercer at the moment, because before long Mercer will be comfortably above average in FCS talent. That alone will result in victories against weaker opponents. But it remains to be seen how he will take the next step of actually contending.

It will be interesting to see how Mercer fans react if enough time passes without that next step being taken.

I do think the two schools have different mind sets at this stage. Mercer fans should just be happy to have a team to pull for. Furman was coming off a national title appearance when Lamb took over. Now, it is hard to know whether Lamb would have lasted nine seasons if he didn't have the two great years in 2004 and 2005 with Martin at QB.

Hard to know whether he got the most out of his players. I personally think he struggled maintaining a vision for what he wanted to do on offense. Furman had the most varied offensive set you would see in college football - double wing, shotgun, I pro, fullback/no full back, spread, etc. it was all in there. After a time, Furman just did none of it well. I frankly never cared what offense we ran, I just wanted us to pick something and do it well.

Lamb really managed to raise losing to an art form. How many excruciating losses did Furman endure during those years? I mean, some of that stuff you couldn't even make up.

[Reign of Terrier]

Regardless of the level of competition, Mercer won 10 games. A number of those wins came against established programs. Not necessarily good programs, but even in the PFL a number of those teams have been around for a while and still have not replicated what Mercer did in a single year.

The question is open ended, really. Know one really knows how Mercer will look.

I remember when Elon entered the conference in the early 2000s and was a glorified punching bag. I think they were 2-10 with wins over Hofstra and ETSU in their first season in the SoCon. In all 12 games (including their wins), they scored more than 14 points just once (25-23 over Hofstra). That was a team that came in with years of football and a season in the Big South under their belt.

Samford, I think, had a pretty respectable 6-5 season their first year in, but certainly had a long history in the OVC. Maybe one of the Wofford folks can weigh in on how their team looked in the early 90s with a big jump.

Offensively, we were one of the worst teams Mike Ayers has coached.

I've already spoken to how it's just a historical trend for teams to perform poorly in their first year of the socon, but I still think it needs to be understood that the teams Elon etc played where a lot better than the schedule Mercer played

[Reign of Terrier]

I do think the two schools have different mind sets at this stage. Mercer fans should just be happy to have a team to pull for. Furman was coming off a national title appearance when Lamb took over. Now, it is hard to know whether Lamb would have lasted nine seasons if he didn't have the two great years in 2004 and 2005 with Martin at QB.

Hard to know whether he got the most out of his players. I personally think he struggled maintaining a vision for what he wanted to do on offense. Furman had the most varied offensive set you would see in college football - double wing, shotgun, I pro, fullback/no full back, spread, etc. it was all in there. After a time, Furman just did none of it well. I frankly never cared what offense we ran, I just wanted us to pick something and do it well.

Lamb really managed to raise losing to an art form. How many excruciating losses did Furman endure during those years? I mean, some of that stuff you couldn't even make up.

See, when I make fun of BL, that's usually why. You could probably make the case that Furman offenses are no better (statistically) than they were under Lamb (perhaps even slightly worse?), but the difference is that Fowler is a defensive coach first and the identity of Furman right now is similar to Alabama, Stanford, and Wisconsin: Hit em in the mouth with the run game, beat you with good defense.

You didn't have that with Lamb. You could easily chalk up the mistakes BF's Furman makes to mistakes like turnovers and inconsistent offensive gameplay (it happens when you go from a very good QB your first year to a freshmen your second year to injury-ridden QBs last year), but it seemed watching BL's furman teams mistakes chalked up to "WTF are they doing"

[CID1990]

I think Mercer is in position to compete in a couple years but right now I dont see why we are spilling so much ink over a team that is going to win an absolute maximum of 2 conference games this season.

[walliver]

...

Samford, I think, had a pretty respectable 6-5 season their first year in, but certainly had a long history in the OVC. Maybe one of the Wofford folks can weigh in on how their team looked in the early 90s with a big jump.

Our first year in the SoCon (3d year in I-AA), we briefly lead the conference for 2 weeks with an 1-0 record, and ended with 2 wins (VMI and WCU).
Our second year we finished 3-5 with wins over VMI, WCU, and FU. In both years we moved the ball well, but had weak defenses. A number of those many losses were actually quite close. Citadel actually managed to beat us twice in SoCon play (they are still looking for #3)
The next three years we were the "best of the rest" with 5-3 records and no wins over ASU, GSU, or FU.
2001 started Mike Ayers' bad-every-4th-year tradition at 3-5 ...
Followed by 6-2 and 8-0 seasons.

I didn't list OOC games, but we did have annual wins over CSU for most of that time.

[PaladinFan]

See, when I make fun of BL, that's usually why. You could probably make the case that Furman offenses are no better (statistically) than they were under Lamb (perhaps even slightly worse?), but the difference is that Fowler is a defensive coach first and the identity of Furman right now is similar to Alabama, Stanford, and Wisconsin: Hit em in the mouth with the run game, beat you with good defense.

You didn't have that with Lamb. You could easily chalk up the mistakes BF's Furman makes to mistakes like turnovers and inconsistent offensive gameplay (it happens when you go from a very good QB your first year to a freshmen your second year to injury-ridden QBs last year), but it seemed watching BL's furman teams mistakes chalked up to "WTF are they doing"

I generally agree with your premise, but note that last year is difficult to gauge given how far down the depth chart Furman was in some games. Even with Reese Hannon in the game (and Furman was much better with Hannon), he was still just a true sophomore.

Fowler does seem to have a lot more focus on both sides of the ball. One of the biggest differences I can see is from in-game adjustments. Fowler has really impressed me with his ability to shift what the team is doing in the middle of a game (long a complaint from Furman fans of Lamb).

Lamb got the Furman job initially over Fowler after Johnson went to Vandy. It is certainly not hurting Furman now that Fowler spent years in the SEC as a defensive coordinator.

[FUBeAR]

I think Mercer is in position to compete in a couple years but right now I dont see why we are spilling so much ink over a team that is going to win an absolute maximum of 2 conference games this season.

Seems strange to me too.

Anyway, here's some more ink for those of you who are curious about the LittleBabyBears in Maconga: Game Notes for Thursday night's home game vs. Reinhardt: http://static.psbin.com/8/i/rlv3o0i35eluzi/Mercer_Game_Notes_Week_1.pdf

Also - if you are really, really curious, you can watch the game here: http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/gameId/400558134/league/NCAAF

[Sandlapper Spike]

Per those game notes, former UGA quarterback D.J. Shockley is the ESPN3 analyst for the Mercer game. His broadcast/streaming debut, maybe?

I think Mercer is going to be a quality SoCon program in the near future, but I suspect this year is going to be a major reality check for the Bears.

[rokamortis]

Welcome to being a new team Mercer. You are in a respected conference so you have that going for you but you'll probably think you are better than you are while everyone else thinks you are worse than you are. It'll take beating some of the respected teams (possibly a few times) before you get any respect, and even then it won't be as much as you think you deserve.

[chattownmocs]

My God Mercer fans are idiots. Your team WILL get mauled week in, and week out. You DO NOT have a remotely competitive team this year. These are not anyones opinion. These are FACTS. You do not have good players. You are not You are not better than the top teams in this league at ANY positions. Lamb IS NOT a great. Why the F do you think he is starting up a FCS program right now if he is so great. Do you think you can beat Alabama if they overlook you to? Chattanooga or Furman would have a better chance of competing joining the SEC this year than you do in this league, and its not even close.

[PaladinFan]

My God Mercer fans are idiots. Your team WILL get mauled week in, and week out. You DO NOT have a remotely competitive team this year. These are not anyones opinion. These are FACTS. You do not have good players. You are not You are not better than the top teams in this league at ANY positions. Lamb IS NOT a great. Why the F do you think he is starting up a FCS program right now if he is so great. Do you think you can beat Alabama if they overlook you to? Chattanooga or Furman would have a better chance of competing joining the SEC this year than you do in this league, and its not even close.

I think Mercer gives SoCon fans something new to talk about. They had a good season last year. Most of their fans that I have spoken to seem pretty realistic about their chances this year.

If you read a lot of Bobby Lamb's comments for much of the last two years, he seems to clearly indicate that the jump between PFL and SoCon is a massive one. He knows that. Good coach or not, he understands what it takes to win at this level.

I do disagree about the good players, though. I like what I've seen out of John Russ at QB and JT Palmer at WR. They have some FBS and FCS transfers to fill out the roster, but as has been well documented, many FBS transfers are often not even worth the roster spot. So, that's up in the air on how those guys will contribute.

[chattownmocs]

I think Mercer gives SoCon fans something new to talk about. They had a good season last year. Most of their fans that I have spoken to seem pretty realistic about their chances this year.

If you read a lot of Bobby Lamb's comments for much of the last two years, he seems to clearly indicate that the jump between PFL and SoCon is a massive one. He knows that. Good coach or not, he understands what it takes to win at this level.

I do disagree about the good players, though. I like what I've seen out of John Russ at QB and JT Palmer at WR. They have some FBS and FCS transfers to fill out the roster, but as has been well documented, many FBS transfers are often not even worth the roster spot. So, that's up in the air on how those guys will contribute.

What is so great about a guy that completed 52 percent of his passes against that schedule?

[chattownmocs]

Look up some Mercer highlights. Just look at their Lines, Look at their secondary, my God, they suck.

[OL FU]

I think the Mercer chatter is good. There fans are into it and whether they do anything this year or not, they are obviously excited about being here.xthumbsupx

[PaladinFan]

What is so great about a guy that completed 52 percent of his passes against that schedule?

He threw for nearly 2,000 and rushed for nearly 1,000 and accounted for 33 touchdowns. That's not bad for a freshman I don't care who you are playing.

[citdog]

I think the Mercer chatter is good. There fans are into it and whether they do anything this year or not, they are obviously excited about being here.xthumbsupx

I agree. Glad to have them and VMI. Glad the ladies took their whining to the sun bletch.

[PaladinFan]

Look up some Mercer highlights. Just look at their Lines, Look at their secondary, my God, they suck.

Their defense was masked a good bit by their offense, IMO. You are correct, though, their secondary was relatively poor in pass coverage. Mercer gave up 243.8 ypg through the air in 2013, which would have been good for dead last in the SoCon (notwithstanding the fact they played a PFL schedule).

[FUBeAR]

My God Mercer fans are idiots. Your team WILL get mauled week in, and week out. You DO NOT have a remotely competitive team this year. These are not anyones opinion. These are FACTS. You do not have good players. You are not You are not better than the top teams in this league at ANY positions. Lamb IS NOT a great. Why the F do you think he is starting up a FCS program right now if he is so great. Do you think you can beat Alabama if they overlook you to? Chattanooga or Furman would have a better chance of competing joining the SEC this year than you do in this league, and its not even close.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMRrNY0pxfM

[SU DOG]

The SoCon posters of AGS are, with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, treating Mercer folks very kindly. I remember Samford's first year when it was brutal here. The GA Southern and Appy posters were constantly tearing us apart. They called us a program on the par of Presbyterian. There was even a thread of the question - "When Will Samford Win Their First SoCon Game?" " Maybe by 4 years from now" was a popular answer. LOL!

Although Samford's situation was very different from Mercer's, the fact remains that Mercer must have some time and experience in SoCon play to establish themselves. I'm of the belief that this school will quickly become a real threat to the best in the conference. For this year, however, I don't see much way they can be a SoCon power. The Bears' fans will soon understand the difference in the level of competition.

I agree with OL FU that this Mercer chatter is interesting and good to have. I also wish we had more about VMI.

[citdog]

The SoCon posters of AGS are, with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, treating Mercer folks very kindly. I remember Samford's first year when it was brutal here. The GA Southern and Appy posters were constantly tearing us apart. They called us a program on the par of Presbyterian. There was even a thread of the question - "When Will Samford Win Their First SoCon Game?" " Maybe by 4 years from now" was a popular answer. LOL!

Although Samford's situation was very different from Mercer's, the fact remains that Mercer must have some time and experience in SoCon play to establish themselves. I'm of the belief that this school will quickly become a real threat to the best in the conference. For this year, however, I don't see much way they can be a SoCon power. The Bears' fans will soon understand the difference in the level of competition.

I agree with OL FU that this Mercer chatter is interesting and good to have. I also wish we had more about VMI.

VMI chatter is unnecessary as they were in this conference when your school had a different name.

[FUBeAR]

The SoCon posters of AGS are, with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, treating Mercer folks very kindly. I remember Samford's first year when it was brutal here...Mercer must have some time and experience in SoCon play to establish themselves...The Bears' fans will soon understand the difference in the level of competition.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdFLPn30dvQ

[FUBeAR]

Look up some Mercer highlights. Just look at their Lines, Look at their secondary, my God, they suck.

The folks at SoConRecruiting.com seem to disagree with your assessment of Mercer's Offensive Line: http://soconrecruiting.com/2014-week1-mercer-reinhardt/

"This is not a start-up offensive line, they are as good as most in the conference, just young and unknown, a couple of these guys will probably be all-SoCon this season."

...but they probably didn't do the deep-dive analysis and careful film study that you have done.

[CID1990]

My God Mercer fans are idiots. Your team WILL get mauled week in, and week out. You DO NOT have a remotely competitive team this year. These are not anyones opinion. These are FACTS. You do not have good players. You are not You are not better than the top teams in this league at ANY positions. Lamb IS NOT a great. Why the F do you think he is starting up a FCS program right now if he is so great. Do you think you can beat Alabama if they overlook you to? Chattanooga or Furman would have a better chance of competing joining the SEC this year than you do in this league, and its not even close.

They will beat Shatty within 3 years. You heard it here first.

[PaladinFan]

The folks at SoConRecruiting.com seem to disagree with your assessment of Mercer's Offensive Line: http://soconrecruiting.com/2014-week1-mercer-reinhardt/

"This is not a start-up offensive line, they are as good as most in the conference, just young and unknown, a couple of these guys will probably be all-SoCon this season."

...but they probably didn't do the deep-dive analysis and careful film study that you have done.

You know something of offensive lines, do you agree with his sentiment that Mercer's Offensive Line will finish the season "as good as most in the Conference?"

I do not personally have an opinion. I am familiar with Furman's group, but not the rest of the conference generally. I do think OL (generally grouping them together) benefits more significantly from increased playing time than most other positions. I also recognize that offensive line play can be difficult to value outside of the film room.

[FUBeAR]

You know something of offensive lines, do you agree with his sentiment that Mercer's Offensive Line will finish the season "as good as most in the Conference?"

I also recognize that offensive line play can be difficult to value outside of the film room. THIS! (sez FUBeAR)

"Ding, Ding, Ding" for your statement above (bolded) - when I evaluate an O-Line, I watch every player, every play (as good as hudl is, it's not as good as the old cowboy clicker & 16mm film for that purpose - but I digress)...in order to assess them as individuals and as a unit. I assess "Did player A do his job? Did he do it well? Did his man make the tackle?" and for the unit, "Was the play successful - +4 yds for a run, no sack / no hurry for a pass - and if it was not successful, was the O-Line the cause of that?" I would venture to say that most of the people doing All-Whatever selections do not do this. They rely on what an SID has told them or select by last year's list or even, with OLmen, by pure size. A slightly better selection method is talking to the opposing DL & LB Coaches and the DC's and asking who whipped 'em...but even they don't watch every OL player, every play and they are swayed by a guy who pancaked their best player 3 times in 1 game...even though 2 of those, that player was not who he was supposed to block and he missed his man, who made the tackle, on 26 other plays. Also, "Coaches" All-Whatever Teams, IMHO, are usually selected by SID's and include back-room vote trading just like in our Capital. "I'll vote for your LG if you vote for our Center." So, as in the Pioneer League where Mercer absolutely dominated the rushing stats & gave up few sacks, their OL will most likely be 'shut out' of any post-season high honors (no 1st teamers, for sure) in the SoCon, regardless of how well they play. I realize that wasn't exactly your question, but I just like to get my thoughts on All-Whatever teams for OLmen out of my system from time-to-time.

Do I agree with the statement, "as good as most...?" Well, that would require me to fully evaluate at least 4 other teams' OL's and I have not done that; so I really can't answer the question because I don't have enough data to have an informed opinion. I have watched Mercer though, so I will, though I imagine I will soon regret having done so (lookin' at you chatttttownmockman), express my opinions about their starters - I am impressed with the FR that they are starting at LT. When watching his HS video, I could tell he was extremely athletic, but I didn't think he had the mass/strength to play early - thought he would redshirt in fact. But he has gained about 30 lbs of muscle since his Sr year and is still highly athletic. But...he is a FR - he will have a lot to learn and will be 'going to school' starting Thursday night. Barring injury, he will be All-SoCon before he finishes his career at Mercer. I'll recuse myself from commenting on their LG, who is an FBS transfer, that started & graded out very high every game for them last year, except to say the kid appears to have been extremely well-coached from flag football thru HS. The Center has earned some accolades and he is solid. Excellent communicator who makes the right calls up there, has never had a bad snap, and has a very high effectiveness rate for what they ask the Center to do in their blocking schemes. He, like the OG's are a wee bit 'vertically challenged,' but I'm a big believer that 'low-man wins' in play at the LOS; so I don't think that's the problem that many college coaches seem to think it is. RG has added 20 lbs of muscle since last season and is playing much better in Fall Camp than he did last year. Definitely the most improved OLman they have. He will be solid. He's also mean as a snake (on the field - too mean sometimes - flags, y'know). The RT is the Tennessee transfer and he is a ManMountain. I have to confess that I did not like his play in his HS vids (hope he doesn't read this...he'll kill me!!!) and he looked a little stiff and rusty early on at Mercer, but I have seen him get better & better at the things they do (which require athleticism from their OLmen). I expect to see him play well and better & better as the season progresses. He is also, surprisingly to me, meaner than a hornet - led the team in Fights during Spring Practice (is that a stat in the Media Guide?). So, I like 'em and expect them to play hard AND well this year with significant improvement each game as they get better and continue to gel. My armor is in place - fire away! Just don't make an error in your stated facts, cuz as has been previously mentioned on this site, FUBeAR will fact you upside your (virtual) head if you do. xnodx

[Reign of Terrier]

Per those game notes, former UGA quarterback D.J. Shockley is the ESPN3 analyst for the Mercer game. His broadcast/streaming debut, maybe?

I think Mercer is going to be a quality SoCon program in the near future, but I suspect this year is going to be a major reality check for the Bears.

I'm pretty sure he did radio for the longest time


The SoCon posters of AGS are, with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, treating Mercer folks very kindly. I remember Samford's first year when it was brutal here. The GA Southern and Appy posters were constantly tearing us apart. They called us a program on the par of Presbyterian. There was even a thread of the question - "When Will Samford Win Their First SoCon Game?" " Maybe by 4 years from now" was a popular answer. LOL!

Although Samford's situation was very different from Mercer's, the fact remains that Mercer must have some time and experience in SoCon play to establish themselves. I'm of the belief that this school will quickly become a real threat to the best in the conference. For this year, however, I don't see much way they can be a SoCon power. The Bears' fans will soon understand the difference in the level of competition.

I agree with OL FU that this Mercer chatter is interesting and good to have. I also wish we had more about VMI.

App fans and GSU fans were insufferable at times and to be completely honest I'm not heartbroken that they're gone. When you beat them they were enjoyable but when you didn't you basically heard how much either your team sucked or how great they were.

It's part of the game, sure, but at least for the time being there doesn't seem to be any one team that has a clear cut advantage of tradition and athleticism (I'm aware Furman technically qualifies, but let's be real, they haven't been a dominant program in like a decade). I think that may hurt the "prestige" of the Socon, obviously it's a weaker conference, but it certainly makes it a fun league to watch.

[chattownmocs]

He threw for nearly 2,000 and rushed for nearly 1,000 and accounted for 33 touchdowns. That's not bad for a freshman I don't care who you are playing.

Again, he hit 52 percent of his passes. What do you mean you don't care who he was playing?

[dungeonjoe]

The SoCon posters of AGS are, with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, treating Mercer folks very kindly. I remember Samford's first year when it was brutal here. The GA Southern and Appy posters were constantly tearing us apart. They called us a program on the par of Presbyterian. There was even a thread of the question - "When Will Samford Win Their First SoCon Game?" " Maybe by 4 years from now" was a popular answer. LOL!

Although Samford's situation was very different from Mercer's, the fact remains that Mercer must have some time and experience in SoCon play to establish themselves. I'm of the belief that this school will quickly become a real threat to the best in the conference. For this year, however, I don't see much way they can be a SoCon power. The Bears' fans will soon understand the difference in the level of competition.

I agree with OL FU that this Mercer chatter is interesting and good to have. I also wish we had more about VMI.

Its ok, the boogeyman has gone away! Although we seem to have plenty of posters applying for the job.

[dungeonjoe]

"Ding, Ding, Ding" for your statement above (bolded) - when I evaluate an O-Line, I watch every player, every play (as good as hudl is, it's not as good as the old cowboy clicker & 16mm film for that purpose - but I digress)...in order to assess them as individuals and as a unit. I assess "Did player A do his job? Did he do it well? Did his man make the tackle?" and for the unit, "Was the play successful - +4 yds for a run, no sack / no hurry for a pass - and if it was not successful, was the O-Line the cause of that?" I would venture to say that most of the people doing All-Whatever selections do not do this. They rely on what an SID has told them or select by last year's list or even, with OLmen, by pure size. A slightly better selection method is talking to the opposing DL & LB Coaches and the DC's and asking who whipped 'em...but even they don't watch every OL player, every play and they are swayed by a guy who pancaked their best player 3 times in 1 game...even though 2 of those, that player was not who he was supposed to block and he missed his man, who made the tackle, on 26 other plays. Also, "Coaches" All-Whatever Teams, IMHO, are usually selected by SID's and include back-room vote trading just like in our Capital. "I'll vote for your LG if you vote for our Center." So, as in the Pioneer League where Mercer absolutely dominated the rushing stats & gave up few sacks, their OL will most likely be 'shut out' of any post-season high honors (no 1st teamers, for sure) in the SoCon, regardless of how well they play. I realize that wasn't exactly your question, but I just like to get my thoughts on All-Whatever teams for OLmen out of my system from time-to-time.

Do I agree with the statement, "as good as most...?" Well, that would require me to fully evaluate at least 4 other teams' OL's and I have not done that; so I really can't answer the question because I don't have enough data to have an informed opinion. I have watched Mercer though, so I will, though I imagine I will soon regret having done so (lookin' at you chatttttownmockman), express my opinions about their starters - I am impressed with the FR that they are starting at LT. When watching his HS video, I could tell he was extremely athletic, but I didn't think he had the mass/strength to play early - thought he would redshirt in fact. But he has gained about 30 lbs of muscle since his Sr year and is still highly athletic. But...he is a FR - he will have a lot to learn and will be 'going to school' starting Thursday night. Barring injury, he will be All-SoCon before he finishes his career at Mercer. I'll recuse myself from commenting on their LG, who is an FBS transfer, that started & graded out very high every game for them last year, except to say the kid appears to have been extremely well-coached from flag football thru HS. The Center has earned some accolades and he is solid. Excellent communicator who makes the right calls up there, has never had a bad snap, and has a very high effectiveness rate for what they ask the Center to do in their blocking schemes. He, like the OG's are a wee bit 'vertically challenged,' but I'm a big believer that 'low-man wins' in play at the LOS; so I don't think that's the problem that many college coaches seem to think it is. RG has added 20 lbs of muscle since last season and is playing much better in Fall Camp than he did last year. Definitely the most improved OLman they have. He will be solid. He's also mean as a snake (on the field - too mean sometimes - flags, y'know). The RT is the Tennessee transfer and he is a ManMountain. I have to confess that I did not like his play in his HS vids (hope he doesn't read this...he'll kill me!!!) and he looked a little stiff and rusty early on at Mercer, but I have seen him get better & better at the things they do (which require athleticism from their OLmen). I expect to see him play well and better & better as the season progresses. He is also, surprisingly to me, meaner than a hornet - led the team in Fights during Spring Practice (is that a stat in the Media Guide?). So, I like 'em and expect them to play hard AND well this year with significant improvement each game as they get better and continue to gel. My armor is in place - fire away! Just don't make an error in your stated facts, cuz as has been previously mentioned on this site, FUBeAR will fact you upside your (virtual) head if you do. xnodx
Don't poke the bear. He will fact you up. Lord, whenever I read your extensive fact-filled posts I need to stop for a potty break half way through and call the organist to get ready for the altar call when I finish.

[APaladindad]

"Ding, Ding, Ding" for your statement above (bolded) - when I evaluate an O-Line, I watch every player, every play (as good as hudl is, it's not as good as the old cowboy clicker & 16mm film for that purpose - but I digress)...in order to assess them as individuals and as a unit. I assess "Did player A do his job? Did he do it well? Did his man make the tackle?" and for the unit, "Was the play successful - +4 yds for a run, no sack / no hurry for a pass - and if it was not successful, was the O-Line the cause of that?" I would venture to say that most of the people doing All-Whatever selections do not do this. They rely on what an SID has told them or select by last year's list or even, with OLmen, by pure size. A slightly better selection method is talking to the opposing DL & LB Coaches and the DC's and asking who whipped 'em...but even they don't watch every OL player, every play and they are swayed by a guy who pancaked their best player 3 times in 1 game...even though 2 of those, that player was not who he was supposed to block and he missed his man, who made the tackle, on 26 other plays. Also, "Coaches" All-Whatever Teams, IMHO, are usually selected by SID's and include back-room vote trading just like in our Capital. "I'll vote for your LG if you vote for our Center." So, as in the Pioneer League where Mercer absolutely dominated the rushing stats & gave up few sacks, their OL will most likely be 'shut out' of any post-season high honors (no 1st teamers, for sure) in the SoCon, regardless of how well they play. I realize that wasn't exactly your question, but I just like to get my thoughts on All-Whatever teams for OLmen out of my system from time-to-time.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!For brevity I truncated some of your comments coach! You hit the proverbial nail on the head when it comes to judging O-line play. It is a travesty that 45.45% of the offense or 54.54% when the TE is blocking [and not out catching passes which he gets measured for] does not have a specific set of data to consistently be measured like every other position on the field has. All those great passing and catching and running yards and stats would sure be more impressive if there were no O-linemen on the field? The O-line labors tirelessly with no real measure of their success while the backs and receivers get loads of praise for the yards they gain and the balls they catch. When is they last time you read in the sports page about how well a lineman graded out in the game or how many knockdowns he got? No you hear about the negative, the sacks allowed or the hurries or the lack of blocking and a tackle for a loss. That is how the line gets judged over the 50 or 60 plays per game.

I say the center is the most important job on the offense. Try starting any football play without one on the field? Don't think too hard there is only one play in football that can be started without a center and that is a kick [free or tee]! When football comes up with a way to measure an offensive lineman's performance and then vote on his performance for post game or season awards and teams by something other than body size then we can remove the politics and genetic advantages and truly recognize the great performances that take place on the line of scrimmage that is so often unseen by the average fan or sports writer. If you could solve this problem with football you should be awarded the Nobel Prize and the Heisman trophy an any other award you want?

Thanks FUBear for the comments and great analysis of the Mercer offensive line!

[PaladinFan]

"Ding, Ding, Ding" for your statement above (bolded) - when I evaluate an O-Line, I watch every player, every play (as good as hudl is, it's not as good as the old cowboy clicker & 16mm film for that purpose - but I digress)...in order to assess them as individuals and as a unit. I assess "Did player A do his job? Did he do it well? Did his man make the tackle?" and for the unit, "Was the play successful - +4 yds for a run, no sack / no hurry for a pass - and if it was not successful, was the O-Line the cause of that?" I would venture to say that most of the people doing All-Whatever selections do not do this. They rely on what an SID has told them or select by last year's list or even, with OLmen, by pure size. A slightly better selection method is talking to the opposing DL & LB Coaches and the DC's and asking who whipped 'em...but even they don't watch every OL player, every play and they are swayed by a guy who pancaked their best player 3 times in 1 game...even though 2 of those, that player was not who he was supposed to block and he missed his man, who made the tackle, on 26 other plays. Also, "Coaches" All-Whatever Teams, IMHO, are usually selected by SID's and include back-room vote trading just like in our Capital. "I'll vote for your LG if you vote for our Center." So, as in the Pioneer League where Mercer absolutely dominated the rushing stats & gave up few sacks, their OL will most likely be 'shut out' of any post-season high honors (no 1st teamers, for sure) in the SoCon, regardless of how well they play. I realize that wasn't exactly your question, but I just like to get my thoughts on All-Whatever teams for OLmen out of my system from time-to-time.

Do I agree with the statement, "as good as most...?" Well, that would require me to fully evaluate at least 4 other teams' OL's and I have not done that; so I really can't answer the question because I don't have enough data to have an informed opinion. I have watched Mercer though, so I will, though I imagine I will soon regret having done so (lookin' at you chatttttownmockman), express my opinions about their starters - I am impressed with the FR that they are starting at LT. When watching his HS video, I could tell he was extremely athletic, but I didn't think he had the mass/strength to play early - thought he would redshirt in fact. But he has gained about 30 lbs of muscle since his Sr year and is still highly athletic. But...he is a FR - he will have a lot to learn and will be 'going to school' starting Thursday night. Barring injury, he will be All-SoCon before he finishes his career at Mercer. I'll recuse myself from commenting on their LG, who is an FBS transfer, that started & graded out very high every game for them last year, except to say the kid appears to have been extremely well-coached from flag football thru HS. The Center has earned some accolades and he is solid. Excellent communicator who makes the right calls up there, has never had a bad snap, and has a very high effectiveness rate for what they ask the Center to do in their blocking schemes. He, like the OG's are a wee bit 'vertically challenged,' but I'm a big believer that 'low-man wins' in play at the LOS; so I don't think that's the problem that many college coaches seem to think it is. RG has added 20 lbs of muscle since last season and is playing much better in Fall Camp than he did last year. Definitely the most improved OLman they have. He will be solid. He's also mean as a snake (on the field - too mean sometimes - flags, y'know). The RT is the Tennessee transfer and he is a ManMountain. I have to confess that I did not like his play in his HS vids (hope he doesn't read this...he'll kill me!!!) and he looked a little stiff and rusty early on at Mercer, but I have seen him get better & better at the things they do (which require athleticism from their OLmen). I expect to see him play well and better & better as the season progresses. He is also, surprisingly to me, meaner than a hornet - led the team in Fights during Spring Practice (is that a stat in the Media Guide?). So, I like 'em and expect them to play hard AND well this year with significant improvement each game as they get better and continue to gel. My armor is in place - fire away! Just don't make an error in your stated facts, cuz as has been previously mentioned on this site, FUBeAR will fact you upside your (virtual) head if you do. xnodx

I tend to use the "Dakota Dozier" test, which is nothing but my objective observations. Dozier was, arguably, one of the best OL in SoCon history (perhaps the best). Dozier was not elite in pass blocking, but my goodness he was a mauler in the run game (http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/38826/jets-take-dakota-dozier-in-4th).

Frankly, he's my gold standard. Like, "the kid is a 4 on a zero-to-Dozier scale."

Good analysis though. I'm interested to see Mercer's front lock up against Furman next week. Furman has a very good front seven, and should give the Bears an opportunity to prove their mettle.

[PaladinFan]

Again, he hit 52 percent of his passes. What do you mean you don't care who he was playing?

I'm not arguing he's John Elway. I still think that when you account for 33 TDs and are nearly a 2,000/1,000 yard player as a freshman, you've had a pretty good season. Mercer put up a lot of points, so clearly they were not terribly hampered by a low completion percentage.

That said, he still probably is not a starter for any other SoCon team (I cannot say I know much about VMI's guy). SoCon teams will undoubtedly game plan on defense to keep Russ' running game in check.

[FUBeAR]

I'm not arguing he's John Elway. I still think that when you account for 33 TDs and are nearly a 2,000/1,000 yard player as a freshman, you've had a pretty good season. Mercer put up a lot of points, so clearly they were not terribly hampered by a low completion percentage.

That said, he still probably is not a starter for any other SoCon team (I cannot say I know much about VMI's guy). SoCon teams will undoubtedly game plan on defense to keep Russ' running game in check.

MattTownChocs is correct (Is that the 1st time?) - Russ did not always have it dialed in as well as one would like last year. He also played poorly @ Marist (I personally think he got his bell rung early and affected his play, but it was what it was). On the other hand, in the other 11 games, without Russ, Bears would have been quite fortunate to win 5 or so, IMHO. He's a world-class leader, tough as whit leather (I don't know what that is, but my Grandmother used to say it and she was TOUGH, so I'll go with it), and makes darn near flawless decisions with the football in the running game (Marist excepted). He's also an excellent ball carrier/runner - much like that QB from NattyChooga in that respect - not especially big & powerful (not Cam Newton), not especially fast (not the dude from EWU) - but highly effective. I began following him as a Jr in HS when I saw him (and fell deeply in love with him) on scout video vs. a team we (the HS I help coach) were playing the following week. I expect his completion % to improve in 2014, but if it doesn't and he is able to perform with the effectiveness that he did last year, the Bear's offense will be just fine. As to whether he would start for any other team in the SoCon...I would have named him the starter on my 'fantasy team' when he was 16 years old, so I'm biased. VMI is starting a true FR, Wofford is starting a guy who came out of Spring Practice listed as 4th on the depth chart (that said, I liked him a lot a HS player as well), WCU is starting a guy that the best things their fans have said about him is that he's inconsistent. I think ElCid has a new starter as well (although I guess he has played a good bit), Sammy's guy obviously has the physical tools and the pedigree (if not the proven history in college ball), and we know what FU & Chatt have. So, I would say that for at least 4 SoCon teams, he would have as good a chance of starting there as the guys who they are going to trot out there. But that's just my semi-uninformed opinion.

[PaladinFan]

MattTownChocs is correct (Is that the 1st time?) - Russ did not always have it dialed in as well as one would like last year. He also played poorly @ Marist (I personally think he got his bell rung early and affected his play, but it was what it was). On the other hand, in the other 11 games, without Russ, Bears would have been quite fortunate to win 5 or so, IMHO. He's a world-class leader, tough as whit leather (I don't know what that is, but my Grandmother used to say it and she was TOUGH, so I'll go with it), and makes darn near flawless decisions with the football in the running game (Marist excepted). He's also an excellent ball carrier/runner - much like that QB from NattyChooga in that respect - not especially big & powerful (not Cam Newton), not especially fast (not the dude from EWU) - but highly effective. I began following him as a Jr in HS when I saw him (and fell deeply in love with him) on scout video vs. a team we (the HS I help coach) were playing the following week. I expect his completion % to improve in 2014, but if it doesn't and he is able to perform with the effectiveness that he did last year, the Bear's offense will be just fine. As to whether he would start for any other team in the SoCon...I would have named him the starter on my 'fantasy team' when he was 16 years old, so I'm biased. VMI is starting a true FR, Wofford is starting a guy who came out of Spring Practice listed as 4th on the depth chart (that said, I liked him a lot a HS player as well), WCU is starting a guy that the best things their fans have said about him is that he's inconsistent. I think ElCid has a new starter as well (although I guess he has played a good bit), Sammy's guy obviously has the physical tools and the pedigree (if not the proven history in college ball), and we know what FU & Chatt have. So, I would say that for at least 4 SoCon teams, he would have as good a chance of starting there as the guys who they are going to trot out there. But that's just my semi-uninformed opinion.

I don't disagree with that. I was impressed with him as a player. He's Mercer's best athlete on offense and Lamb rightfully keeps the ball in his hands as often as possible.

I do disagree with your placement among the SoCon QBs. The Citadel has a senior player that has played a lot of quality snaps for them. WCU has two QBs that passed for 1,000+ yards. Wofford's situation is in flux, but no one can name a Wofford QB or WR in the last 20 years anyway. :)

Again, we come back to where we start. We won't know terribly much about him as a QB until we see what he does against non-PFL defenses.

[chattownmocs]

This is some rich stuff. Jacob Huesman is particularly powerful and fast and completes 68 percent of his passes. Your offensive line consists of a true freshman at one tackle a terrible Tennessee transfer at the other, btw, Tennessee lost their entire Oline and is starting a former walk on at Tackle. My bad, that means nothing to you considering the rest of your Oline are small former walk ons.


San Diego beat this team 45-13 and Marist beat them 33-7. They werent good, they werent good on offense or defense.

[PaladinFan]

This is some rich stuff. Jacob Huesman is particularly powerful and fast and completes 68 percent of his passes. Your offensive line consists of a true freshman at one tackle a terrible Tennessee transfer at the other, btw, Tennessee lost their entire Oline and is starting a former walk on at Tackle. My bad, that means nothing to you considering the rest of your Oline are small former walk ons.


San Diego beat this team 45-13 and Marist beat them 33-7. They werent good, they werent good on offense or defense.

For the record, UTC also started a kid at QB a few seasons ago that completed more passes to Furman's defensive backs than his own receivers.

[FUBeAR]

WCU has two QBs that passed for 1,000+ yards.

C'mon PaladinFan - you are better than this!



18
Garrett Brown (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/garrett_brown_758997.html)
QB
6-0
195
SR
Asheville, N.C./Erwin HS


11
Jackson McDonald (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/jackson_mcdonald_906357.html)
QB
5-11
195
FR
Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch HS


10
Troy Mitchell (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/troy_mitchell_800899.html)
QB
6-0
205
JR
Houston, Texas/Cypress Falls (Texas) HS


9
Wes Holcombe (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/wes_holcombe_913977.html)
QB
6-1
185
FR
Rabun Gap, Ga./Rabun County HS




WCU has 3 QB's that have never thrown a pass in a college game. They do have only 1 QB who threw for over 1,000 yds in 1 season with less than a 58% completion rate and a TD to INT ration of 1.2:1. Russ' TD/INT Ratio was 3:1 and if you take out the head-scratcher at Marist, that jumps to 7:1.

[chattownmocs]

For the record, UTC also started a kid at QB a few seasons ago that completed more passes to Furman's defensive backs than his own receivers.

Terrell Robinson is probably better than anyone on Mercer. Certainly a better athlete. What type of drugs are you on? Terrell Robinson would be starting at QB for Mercer and it wouldnt even be remotely close. GTFO

Im having a lot of fun watching the comedic style of the Mercer secondary. Hilarious stuff.

[chattownmocs]

C'mon PaladinFan - you are better than this!



18
Garrett Brown (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/garrett_brown_758997.html)
QB
6-0
195
SR
Asheville, N.C./Erwin HS


11
Jackson McDonald (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/jackson_mcdonald_906357.html)
QB
5-11
195
FR
Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch HS


10
Troy Mitchell (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/troy_mitchell_800899.html)
QB
6-0
205
JR
Houston, Texas/Cypress Falls (Texas) HS


9
Wes Holcombe (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/wes_holcombe_913977.html)
QB
6-1
185
FR
Rabun Gap, Ga./Rabun County HS




WCU has 3 QB's that have never thrown a pass in a college game. They do have only 1 QB who threw for over 1,000 yds in 1 season with less than a 58% completion rate and a TD to INT ration of 1.2:1. Russ' TD/INT Ratio was 3:1 and if you take out the head-scratcher at Marist, that jumps to 7:1.

Fantasy pioneer land. Troy Mitchell is way, way better than your dude. How did you not upgrade your QB with your supposedly great recruiting class? 52% against the PFL? thats trash bro.

[PaladinFan]

Terrell Robinson is probably better than anyone on Mercer. Certainly a better athlete. What type of drugs are you on? Terrell Robinson would be starting at QB for Mercer and it wouldnt even be remotely close. GTFO

Im having a lot of fun watching the comedic style of the Mercer secondary. Hilarious stuff.

I'm not saying Robinson wouldn't be the starter at Mercer, I'm just saying that UTC has a bit of a history of running out quarterbacks that are not exactly elite passers.

However, I am not going to get into a back and forth with you over Mercer's QB (moreso than I already have, at least). I've seen him play. He's a good athlete. No, he didn't see good defenses and many of the teams he played against were awful tacklers. I don't think he's a starter at any SoCon school except maybe VMI (right now). I still think he's a pretty good football player.

Let's put it this way. I've seen worse.

[PaladinFan]

C'mon PaladinFan - you are better than this!



18
Garrett Brown (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/garrett_brown_758997.html)
QB
6-0
195
SR
Asheville, N.C./Erwin HS


11
Jackson McDonald (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/jackson_mcdonald_906357.html)
QB
5-11
195
FR
Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch HS


10
Troy Mitchell (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/troy_mitchell_800899.html)
QB
6-0
205
JR
Houston, Texas/Cypress Falls (Texas) HS


9
Wes Holcombe (http://www.catamountsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/wes_holcombe_913977.html)
QB
6-1
185
FR
Rabun Gap, Ga./Rabun County HS




WCU has 3 QB's that have never thrown a pass in a college game. They do have only 1 QB who threw for over 1,000 yds in 1 season with less than a 58% completion rate and a TD to INT ration of 1.2:1. Russ' TD/INT Ratio was 3:1 and if you take out the head-scratcher at Marist, that jumps to 7:1.

I was not aware that WCU had kicked their backup Sullivan off the team in June. Troy Mitchell had a respectable campaign.

WCU has generally had a decent offense. They haven't been able to tackle a paper bag in years, though.

[FUBeAR]

Terrell Robinson is probably better than anyone on Mercer.

I'm confused. Are you a big fan of the Faulkner Eagles? I bet there is an NAIA-focused board that would love for you to grace them with your highly knowledgeable and literate presence.

[FUBeAR]

Troy Mitchell is way, way better than your dude. How did you not upgrade your QB with your supposedly great recruiting class? 52% against the PFL? thats trash bro.

While I am flattered by your selection of the 2nd person singular pronoun in your post, I can assure you that I have no, nor can I claim, any responsibility for or 'ownership' of John Russ. I suspect his Dad, Ed,


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE3qbeS05R0

who can claim 'ownership' of him would be very interested in a face to face discussion about your thoughts on his son. Please let me know if you would like me to arrange that meeting. I also have no responsibility for nor can I claim any credit for Mercer's recruiting class. Additionally, while I am almost certain you are frequently confused about who are and are not your family members, i.e., 1st cousin and also wife, without any hesitancy, I can affirm that I am NOT your bro.

Finally, I'm wondering how loudly you were booing Huesman last year during the UT-M, GaSou, and El Cid games when he was putting up a 'trashy' combined completion % of 54% in those games.

[Reign of Terrier]

I'm not saying Robinson wouldn't be the starter at Mercer, I'm just saying that UTC has a bit of a history of running out quarterbacks that are not exactly elite passers.

However, I am not going to get into a back and forth with you over Mercer's QB (moreso than I already have, at least). I've seen him play. He's a good athlete. No, he didn't see good defenses and many of the teams he played against were awful tacklers. I don't think he's a starter at any SoCon school except maybe VMI (right now). I still think he's a pretty good football player.

Let's put it this way. I've seen worse.

Yeah, this is actually wrong. I remember when Huesman first got to Chattanooga and was able to recruit the players to implement the system he wanted, he depended greatly on a very good transfer from UT (was his name Allison? I honestly can't remember.). The dude didn't make it to the pros, but he was pretty good. From memory, Since Huesman has only really started 3 QBs since he got here: that guy, Robinson (who got his first playing time in the spot-light due to the other guy's injury), and now Jr.

With that said, the dynamics of Chattanooga, in terms of how they're threatening has certainly changed over the years.

[Reign of Terrier]

I was not aware that WCU had kicked their backup Sullivan off the team in June. Troy Mitchell had a respectable campaign.

WCU has generally had a decent offense. They haven't been able to tackle a paper bag in years, though.

Yeah, this is probably the most true statement about WCU in recent years.


I'm confused. Are you a big fan of the Faulkner Eagles? I bet there is an NAIA-focused board that would love for you to grace them with your highly knowledgeable and literate presence.

Look, I'm not a fan of rubbing someone's nose in it, but I'll just come out and say that I'm not really impressed by any statistics any teams has put on against NAIA competition. Wofford's had some hit and miss players over the years, but whenever we've played sub-D1 competition, they've given hype to eventual busts player-wise. We played UVA Wise in 2011 and boy, did they make our back-up QB look good, but he never materialized as a quality player.

So, I'm not saying Mercer's players are terrible--far from it, or even that they're "not good," just that I'm not impressed by numbers put up against NAIA sort of competition.

And this is coming from someone who's watched his team start off by playing sub-D1 competition like lower-tier FBS does against higher tier FCS (34-17ish games) to gradually attaining the quality of play of how higher tier FBS plays lower tier FCS (45+ points to <14)

[FUBeAR]

Yeah, this is probably the most true statement about WCU in recent years.



Look, I'm not a fan of rubbing someone's nose in it, but I'll just come out and say that I'm not really impressed by any statistics any teams has put on against NAIA competition. Wofford's had some hit and miss players over the years, but whenever we've played sub-D1 competition, they've given hype to eventual busts player-wise. We played UVA Wise in 2011 and boy, did they make our back-up QB look good, but he never materialized as a quality player.

So, I'm not saying Mercer's players are terrible--far from it, or even that they're "not good," just that I'm not impressed by numbers put up against NAIA sort of competition.

And this is coming from someone who's watched his team start off by playing sub-D1 competition like lower-tier FBS does against higher tier FCS (34-17ish games) to gradually attaining the quality of play of how higher tier FBS plays lower tier FCS (45+ points to <14)

Now I'm even more confused. Are you saying that you do or don't think Terrell Robinson is going to be a good QB for Faulkner's NAIA program, which is the allusion referenced by my post @MacChownTocccs that you quoted and, apparently, were referencing in your comment.

[chattanoogamocs]

Yeah, this is actually wrong. I remember when Huesman first got to Chattanooga and was able to recruit the players to implement the system he wanted, he depended greatly on a very good transfer from UT (was his name Allison? I honestly can't remember.). The dude didn't make it to the pros, but he was pretty good. From memory, Since Huesman has only really started 3 QBs since he got here: that guy, Robinson (who got his first playing time in the spot-light due to the other guy's injury), and now Jr.

With that said, the dynamics of Chattanooga, in terms of how they're threatening has certainly changed over the years.

BJ Coleman

[Reign of Terrier]

Now I'm even more confused. Are you saying that you do or don't think Terrell Robinson is going to be a good QB for Faulkner's NAIA program, which is the allusion referenced by my post @MacChownTocccs that you quoted and, apparently, were referencing in your comment.

Just a reference to NAIA competition in general

- - - Updated - - -


BJ Coleman

that's the one

[rokamortis]

Perhaps the Citadel is being underrated. Citadel's new coach says Lenoir-Rhyne "would have competed very successfully" in the SoCon last year.

"I feel very comfortable that our program last year at Lenoir-Rhyne would have competed very successfully in the Southern Conference," Houston said Tuesday at his first weekly news conference of the season. "That's based on the film we looked, common opponents, the overall talent level in the league. I think it's a pretty smooth transition in that respect."
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140826/PC20/140829506/1177

[chattownmocs]

While I am flattered by your selection of the 2nd person singular pronoun in your post, I can assure you that I have no, nor can I claim, any responsibility for or 'ownership' of John Russ. I suspect his Dad, Ed,


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE3qbeS05R0

who can claim 'ownership' of him would be very interested in a face to face discussion about your thoughts on his son. Please let me know if you would like me to arrange that meeting. I also have no responsibility for nor can I claim any credit for Mercer's recruiting class. Additionally, while I am almost certain you are frequently confused about who are and are not your family members, i.e., 1st cousin and also wife, without any hesitancy, I can affirm that I am NOT your bro.

Finally, I'm wondering how loudly you were booing Huesman last year during the UT-M, GaSou, and El Cid games when he was putting up a 'trashy' combined completion % of 54% in those games.

His son sucks terribly for a QB at this level. He is some sort of weight lifter? Ok, should I be scared that John Russ' dad could beat me up if he managed to get his fat fingers on me? That sounds like some Macon trash logic to me. Maybe Lamb is scared of him and that is why lil John is starting. Or, maybe Lamb is really a piss poor recruiter considering he couldn't even get his own son. On the other hand, he probably told his son not to come because HE KNOWS YOU GUYS ARE TRASH. Something you idiots clearly will not admit until you are on the losing end of beat down after beat down. Jacob completed 54 % over 3 random games against quality competiton vs 52% against trash. Great comparison. Maybe next year, wait, you will still suck next year.

[FUBeAR]

His son sucks terribly for a QB at this level. He is some sort of weight lifter? Ok, should I be scared that John Russ' dad could beat me up if he managed to get his fat fingers on me? That sounds like some Macon trash logic to me. Maybe Lamb is scared of him and that is why lil John is starting. Or, maybe Lamb is really a piss poor recruiter considering he couldn't even get his own son. On the other hand, he probably told his son not to come because HE KNOWS YOU GUYS ARE TRASH. Something you idiots clearly will not admit until you are on the losing end of beat down after beat down. Jacob completed 54 % over 3 random games against quality competiton vs 52% against trash. Great comparison. Maybe next year, wait, you will still suck next year.

Unfortunately (or, perhaps, masochistically?) I waded through another round of your unintelligible drivel, but I did not find your answer to my question regarding if and when you would care to share your thoughts about his son with John Russ' Dad in a face-to-face meeting. Surely, a human (neanderthals are nearly human, right?) with your level of expertise and passion on the topic would welcome such an opportunity. So, please, have your Mom/Aunt/Cousin read this to you carefully, and let me know. I would be happy to enable you to have such a fulfilling opportunity.