2014 Southern Conference Power Rankings/Predictions - Week 8.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I was 5-0 last week. The Citadel and Charlotte game had the look and feel of a basketball game. Here is where I see it after this week (number in parenthesis indicates number of D1 wins needed to be considered for an at large playoff bid vs number of D1 games).

1) Western Carolina (5 of 6) - Wins critical game against Wofford
2) Chattanooga (4 of 6) - No shame in losing to Big Brother.
3) Samford (5 of 5) - Resting up for Wofford.
4) Wofford (OUT) - Loss to Catamounts means Wofford needs to win out and get help to make playoffs.
5) Furman (5 of 6) - Needs to starting winning and start winning now.
6) Mercer (4 of 4)* - Hammers Austin Peay
7) The Citadel (5 of 6) - Defeats future CUSA member Charlotte
8) VMI (OUT) - Keydets ran aground by Navy.
ETSU - current football team meets up with players from ETSU's football past.
* presuming playoff eligibility

Predictions
Furman @ South Carolina- Gamecocks do their best to avoid being "That Team"
Chattanooga @ The Citadel - Mocs get best of Bulldogs
Gardner-Webb @ VMI - Bulldogs avenge last season's loss @ VMI.
Wofford @ Samford (Game of the Week) - Bulldogs take care of business against Terriers.
Western Carolina @ Mercer - Catamounts win in a close one against Mercer.

[chattanoogamocs]

You guys will probably laugh when I say the Mocs defense played pretty well today. Yes, the Mocs gave up 45 points, but over half of them were on special teams mistakes or turnovers. Mocs held UTK's run game in check, 52 total yards on the ground through 3 quarters and 123 for the game (ironically, Jacob Huesman was the leading rusher for either team) and the Mocs recorded a season high 5 sacks + 9 tackles for loss. The Mocs D-Line is pretty legit (UTK's O-Line isn't great, but it's still an SEC line)

Pick up another check (CMU $350K, UTK $450K) and get back to worrying about trying to win the SoCon.

EDIT: Story of the game condensed to one paragraph...

Tennessee took advantage of playing on a short field for five of its seven scoring drives. The Vols' first possession began at the UTC 38 after a 42-yard punt return, and their offense also took over at the Mocs' 25 following a UTC fumble to set up a first-half touchdown. UT opened the second half with a 68-yard kickoff return that turned into a 19-yard TD drive and later returned an interception to the Mocs' 16 to set up another TD and recovered a fumbled punt at the UTC 14 for the final short TD.

[chattanoogamocs]

Weekly attendance update:

10,668 Chattanooga
14,285 Jacksonville State
8,872 Samford
8,848 VMI

10,114 Mercer
10,027 Reinhardt
12,227 Furman
10,173 Ave Maria
8,027 Austin Peay

9,956 The Citadel
10,828 Coastal Carolina
8,573 Gardner-Webb
10,467 Charlotte

8,928 Western Carolina
8,929 Brevard
10,511 Catawba
7,343 Wofford

8,223 Furman
7,533 Gardner-Webb
9,789 Western Carolina
7,347 Coastal Carolina

7,920 Wofford
7,392 North Greenville
7,108 UVA-Wise
9,259 The Citadel

6,100 Samford
4,968 Stillman
4,618 VMI
8,714 Mercer

4,485 VMI
4,479 Davidson
4,490 Mercer


2013 Attendance:
13,155 The Citadel
9,922 Chattanooga
9,379 Mercer
8,299 Furman
8,241 Western Carolina
7,773 Wofford
7,512 Samford
5,046 VMI

[bonarae]

South Carolina
Chattanooga
G-W
Samford
Western Carolina

[catamount man]

I was 5-0 last week. The Citadel and Charlotte game had the look and feel of a basketball game. Here is where I see it after this week (number in parenthesis indicates number of D1 wins needed to be considered for an at large playoff bid vs number of D1 games).

1) Western Carolina (5 of 6) - Wins critical game against Wofford
2) Chattanooga (4 of 6) - No shame in losing to Big Brother.
3) Samford (5 of 5) - Resting up for Wofford.
4) Wofford (OUT) - Loss to Catamounts means Wofford needs to win out and get help to make playoffs.
5) Furman (5 of 6) - Needs to starting winning and start winning now.
6) Mercer (4 of 4)* - Hammers Austin Peay
7) The Citadel (5 of 6) - Defeats future CUSA member Charlotte
8) VMI (OUT) - Keydets ran aground by Navy.
ETSU - current football team meets up with players from ETSU's football past.
* presuming playoff eligibility

Predictions
Furman @ South Carolina- Gamecocks do their best to avoid being "That Team"
Chattanooga @ The Citadel - Mocs get best of Bulldogs
Gardner-Webb @ VMI - Bulldogs avenge last season's loss @ VMI.
Wofford @ Samford (Game of the Week) - Bulldogs take care of business against Terriers.
Western Carolina @ Mercer - Catamounts win in a close one against Mercer.

My SoCon poll:
1) Chattanooga (still think they are the top team and WCU hasn't beaten them since 2008. November 1st in Cullowhee has the potential to be HUGE.)

2) WCU (Even with a hurt Troy Mitchell, CATS find a way; Def Coordinator Shaun O'Quinn and his boys get the ultimate game ball, compared to previous defenses against Wofford from '06-'13. Again, November 1st in Cullowhee has the potential to be HUGE. Do NOT overlook Mercer!)

3) Samford (a week off to get ready for Wofford.)

4) The Citadel (If they only had a defense. Still a dangerous team and Mike Houston will bring a winner to Charleston.)

5) Furman (SoCon teams will be hating this bunch by the end of the season. They'll lose to South Carolina, but I wouldn't be surprised if they help determine the final standings/playoff spots.)

6) Mercer (they have 5 wins and I don't care who it came against. It's a team that shows they can win football games. Next week will be a nail biter vs WCU.)

7) Wofford (always a gritty bunch. You have to wonder if the Ayers era is coming to an end?)

8) VMI (I don't see how Sparky Woods is retained for 2015.)

Predictions:
South Carolina
Chattanooga
G-W
Samford
WCU

[kdinva]

1) UTC
2) Samford
3) WCU
4) Furman
5) The Citadel
6) Wofford'
7) Mercer
8) VMI


WCU 31; Mercer 21
Samford 35; Wofford 27
UTC 37; The Citadel 21
S. Carolina 42; Furman 14
Gard-Webb 28; VMI 24

[The Cats]

1) Chattanooga
2) Samford
3) Western Carolina
4) Wofford
5) Furman
4) The Citadel
7) Mercer
8) VMI


Predictions
Furman at South Carolina
Chattanooga at the Citadel
Gardner-Webb at VMI
Wofford at Samford
Western Carolina at Mercer

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford isn't a playoff team this year, but I could see us playing spoiler.

We're just too young to be consistent. We lost yesterday, but we put 9 points on the board for them, namely the opening kickoff we only had 10 on the field and we fumbled the snap on the safety.

We only have 7 seniors on this team. Our offense showed promise in the opening weeks, albeit against inferior competition, but right now we're probably statistically a head scratcher. From the eye test, we're better, last year we were truly terrible. We'll be fine, and I think next year is the year. That sounds like a South Carolina philosophy on things, but when you have only 5 seniors on your team and a bunch of first and second year players, you're going to see the sort of mistakes we're seeing.

We're not a great team, I'd say we're a good team that makes a lot of mistakes, so we aren't really good. We're still fun to watch though.

[walliver]

Power Rankings:
1) Chattanooga - there is still time to pull a Huesman choke, but for now still the team to beat
2-7 are a toss-up
2) WCU - won a game they needed to win and can put PC behind them
3) Samford - handled bye well. Not last year's team, and I still don't have a handle on them
4) Wofford - great potential, but sloppy play. Offense works well intermittently.
5) The Citadel - Played offense last week, but defense didn't. Only Baylor can play D that bad and consistently win.
6) Furman - Hints of greatness against CCU, but not a win
7) Mercer - Handily beat a bad OVC team.
some things never change...
8) VMI - counting the days until ETSU returns, but that isn't a guaranteed win.
9) ETSU - If the Bears can do it, why can't we?

Predictions:
FU at USC - Columbia Chickens are much much better than Beach Chickens, have had a week off, and will be motivated for a big win: 42-10
Chatty at The Citadel - The bullpups generally play non-Wofford teams very close at home, and there is definite upset potential here, but Choo-choos pull off a 31-28 win.
Gardner-Webb at VMI - I hope the keydets make the SoCon proud, but I expect a 35-31 loss.
Wofford at Samford - Sammy needs to win this to have a shot at the playoffs. I'm somewhat pessimistic,but make a homer pick for T-dogs 21-20.
WCU at Mercer - Which Cats show up this week? The team that stomped FU or the one that lost to PC? WCU may have the better team, but my upset special is Mercer 38-31.

One brief note about Mercer. I have ranked them at or near the bottom all year because it is a team of almost all sophomores and freshmen. Looking around the SoCon, it seems that many teams are dominated by underclassmen, so Mercer may not be as disadvantaged as I have initially though. They still need to win to move up in my poll.

[OL FU]

Predictions
Furman at South Carolina
Chattanooga at the Citadel
Gardner-Webb at VMI
Wofford at Samford
Western Carolina at Mercer

I Agree. except for Samford and Wofford. I'll take Samford.

[ElCid]

1) Western Carolina - Gotta give them credit for busting another hex this year, this time against against Wofford; bet they really wish they had the PC game back
2) UTC - really thought they would have done better against Tennessee; their D might be pretty good, but O is still not consistent
3) Samford - With only 7 FCS games this year they needed to win them all or win the Conf, and since they already lost to Chatty, their road relies in part on others beating Chatty; I’m thinking their heart will just not be in it; still a good team
4) The Citadel - think what you will of Charlotte, but I am proud of the Dogs for not giving up every time they got burned as the game seemed to slip away from them; in the 1st Qtr I thought it would turn into another ODU type game, but the Dogs seem to take control; but then it did slowly but surely turn into a shooting match by the 4th Qtr; defense slept most of the game but woke up in time to stuff Charlotte not 4 times, but due to penalty, 8 times inside of the 10 yard line during 2nd OT; Miller delivered career best 197 on ground and 136 in the air
5) Wofford - they may have won against The Citadel last week (we wont go there), but they are slip sliding away; something is missing in Sparkle City compared to past years; may very well be that they are a young team, but then again, so are a lot of SOCON teams this year
6) Furman - They better pray for a turnaround with an ugly schedule still to go
7) Mercer - Handed the Peay their 18th straight loss with solid performance; but Peay also scored more points than they had all year
8) VMI - Ouch yet again; can’t seem to stop anyone, giving up 497 yards a game


Furman @ South Carolina - Furman occasionally keeps FBS games close, but not this time; Cocks take a purple pill as their season slips away - 56-7
Chattanooga @ The Citadel - Bulldogs need mistake free O execution to keep it close; if Dog’s D shows up it could be interesting - 24 -13
Gardner-Webb @ VMI - G-W has be schizoid all year; they have moment of sanity this week in Lexington - 31-23
Wofford @ Samford - both teams have 2 non DIV I on their schedules this year; both need to win the conf or go home...so a hard fought battle - 34-28
Western Carolina @ Mercer - Cats get victory on first trip into Macon - 35-26

[SU DOG]

UTC - Undisputed #1 at this time.
Furman - Based on that Coastal game, Paladins just may have it all together right now.
Samford - Still think we are WAY short of where we should be. Offense MUST improve.
WCU - Cats have grown some claws.
Wofford - UnTerrier like so far. Hope this is NOT their week
The Citadel - Still a threat to beat anybody, especially at home.
Mercer - This may be too low. Surprisingly competitive.
VMI - This week maybe?

Shamecocks
Mocs
GWU
Bulldogs
Catamounts

[Ghost]

UTC- #1 with only losses coming to 2 FBS programs and a pretty good JSU team in OT.
WCU- We will see which team shows up this week against Mercer. Great win vs. Wofford moved them up IMO.
Samford- Defensively they seem to have it all together. Offensively they are starting to look like week 1 & 2 Furman.
Furman- Things are looking up for FUrple offensively.
Wofford- Like some have said they look to be down this year but still could play spoiler
Citadel- Beat CUSA boud Charlotte.
Mercer- Dangerous team. 8 points away from being undefeated. But haven't gotten that solid conference win yet.
VMI- With a freshman QB that looks like he's going to be very good. Maybe the rest of the team can catch up in the coming years...

Gamecocks
Nooga
GW
Samford
Mercer

[OrangeJuice]

I'm not qualified to do this but here goes . . .

1. UTC - The ElCid is trying to get a rise with his ranking somebody else 1
2. Samford - Wasn't sure if this should be WCU instead. Going with history
3. WCU - Looking forward to match-up with them this weekend
4. Wofford - Could also put Furman here.
5. Furman - A good loss is still a loss. Need to beat someone good to move up.
6. The Citadel - Good win vs Charlotte. Will find out if they can play this weekend.
7. Mercer - Will be barometer for bottom of league. Will only move ahead of the teams they beat
8. VMI - Hopefully they can get an OOC win this weekend.
9. ETSU - Another team at the bottom so MU isn't in bottom two

Furman @ South Carolina - USC coming off bye week is going to take out some big frustrations. USC by 30
Chattanooga @ The Citadel - Choo Choo's win but won't cover. UTC by 6
Gardner-Webb @ VMI - VMI misses FG at end to tie. GW by 3
Wofford @ Samford (GOTW) - Samford by a touchdown (7)
Western Carolina @ Mercer - Mercer is terrible. Just terrible. Awful. WCU by 28 ​xsmiley_wix

[NavyDog]

1) UTC
2) WCU
3) Samford
4) The Citadel
5) Wofford
6) Furman
7) Mercer
8) VMI


FU at USC (Jr, East): USC 65-FU 17--SC is reeling and needs a "get well" game. Don't see the HBC taking his foot off the gas on this one. Bad news for furples
UT Chat at The Citadel: El Cid 28-UT Chat 24--Bulldogs' tough sked continues and their O seems to be back on track scoring points and chewing clock, and their D is not as bad as they looked against 70+ scholarship & FBS bound Charlotte (Dogs D held fsu to 2nd lowest point total this year, held CSU's O to a TD & 2 FGs, and woffy and GWU to 17 points and 14 points respectively. Home field should help the Dogs…..plus I'm a shameless homer.
GWU at VMI: GWU 34- VMI 17--Would love for VMI to lay a second military school loss on GWU, but I don't think Sparky has them at that level.
Wofford at Samford: SU 28-WU 21--Home field carries SU over the top against the most consistent SOCON team in the past decade. Ayers' team could pull the win, but they're struggling a little this year.
WCU at Mercer: WCU 31-Mercer 20--Haven't seen either team this year (never seen Mercer before). Going only on press clippings….WCU seems to be much improved over their past years in the bottom half of the SOCON.

[OrangeAndBlack]

Power Ranks:

1. UTC -- Clear #1 at this stage of the season.
2. Western Carolina -- Solid body of work overall.
3. Samford -- Loss to UTC hurts their chances to win it all, but a powerful team none the less.
4. Furman
5. The Citadel -- Well they won, however, the D gave up a few points.
6. Wofford -- Sliding each week. Played a decent game against WCU at least.
7. Mercer -- Looking to move up this week against WCU!
8. VMI -- They have a nice looking campus!

Furman at South Carolina- I hope that Furman D shows up (from weeks 1-4)! I'm impressed with that unit.
Chattanooga at the Citadel - I'll say 24-12
Gardner-Webb at VMI - 38-10
Wofford at Samford- 30-13
Western Carolina at Mercer - Upset alert here!! 27-24

[PaladinFan]

Interesting times for the conference. From a 30,000 foot view, only once in SoCon's history has a team won a title in an 8 team league with 2 losses ('81 Furman). With that in mind, we can pretty much throw dirt on VMI (though I am not sure they are mathematically still alive). With two SoCon losses, Mercer is on life support and cannot afford to lose another one.

There are four teams with one conference loss -- Furman/Samford/Wofford/the Citadel -- who are pretty much in a "must win" scenario. Except for Wofford/the Citadel, those four all have to play each other with the losers likely having their playoff hopes dashed.

Samford, I believe, is in sudden death. They have a bad schedule, and cannot get to 7 D1 wins unless they also beat Auburn. Therefore, they pretty much have to go for the autobid. One more loss, and it really does not even matter if they beat Auburn (weird).

WCU, despite being tied for first, is also in a tough sport. Playing two sub-D1 teams and with Alabama still on the schedule, they pretty much have to win out as well. Without the autobid, I don't see them getting a playoff spot with 6 D1 wins. WCU has the advantage of still having UTC on the schedule, so they can technically afford to drop a game, beat UTC, and still take the bid.

Interestingly enough, the only teams in the conference I believe can afford to lose and still have a shot at an at large bid are UTC and the Citadel. The Citadel can still get to 8 wins, but we all know that the odds of a 7 win team making the post season without the autobid is virtually nil (still, it happens). Everyone else has to chase the autobid unless of course something crazy happens (like Furman beats USC).

* some of my math may be wrong. It seems kind of ridiculous to suggest that basically 6 of the 8 teams in the conference are on the brink of eliminating themselves from playoff contention, but that's how I see it.

[Catamount87]

1. UTC - still tops in the SoCon
2. Samford - like UTC, until someone beats them
3. WCU - excellent coaching is really showing as they are playing "team" ball right now. The offense is hurting so the defense and special teams have "got their back".
4. Furman - if they play the rest of the year like they did against Coastal, watch out.
5. The Citadel - showing some nice new balance on offense which can make them dangerous.
6. Wofford - if the WCU game is any indication, the pieces are there, they just need to come together.
7. Mercer - I think they are dangerous. They are well coached and confident. They have the offense but maybe a bit suspect on defense because of age/experience but it appears that might be diminishing.
8. VMI - a solid lock at #8
9. ETSU - only because they can't play VMI yet.

Furman at South Carolina - Hopefully, the FU offense that played against Coastal shows up for this game.
Chattanooga at The Citadel - The bellhops play spoiler at home with a late score to win.
Gardner-Webb at VMI - Can VMI win another game this season?
Wofford at Samford - The Terriers are fighting the creeping doubts while Samford may want to make a statement after allowing Mercer to hang around.
Western Carolina at Mercer - Another hard fought game but the Catamounts pull away late.

[PaladinFan]

Oh, and as a side note, App State lost to Liberty 55-48. Georgia Southern has been doing just fine. Lose at home to an un-ranked FCS team pretty well establishes that the emperor has no clothes.

According to Winston Salem Journal, App State has only had a lead once this season -- against non-scholarship Campbell.

[Mocs123]

1. Chattanooga - Defense played better than the score would indicate at UTK. Offense is still a work in progress.
2. Samford - Perhaps the most balanced team in the conference
3. Western Carolina - Dangerous team is trying to prove they belong among the SoCon elite.
4. Furman - A very, very good team if they can put it all together
5. The Citadel - Played a tough schedule
6. Wofford - Not your typical Mike Ayers team, but could put it together at any moment
7. Mercer - Still a year or two away but capable of pulling a SoCon upset
8. VMI - Defense can't stop anybody


Furman 10
South Carolina 56 (Beatdown of the Week) - Furman gets a rested and motivated USC team.

Chattanooga 28
The Citadel 24 - This game scares me in Charleston, which is a tough place to play.

Gardner-Webb 35
VMI 21 - VMI can sling the ball, but they are let down by their defense

Wofford 28
Samford 34 (Game of the Week) - Samford can throw the ball, which is the Terrier defenses' Achilles Heel

Western Carolina 31
Mercer 24 - The Catamounts are doing something we haven't seen much before - Play Defense.

[OrangeAndBlack]

Mercer is having their annual blackout this week against WCU.. Heads up to any visiting fans to wear black xthumbsupx

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bz1TxP2CYAE4iZm.jpg

[The Cats]

Heads up to any visiting fans to wear black

Black goes nicely with Purple.

http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=%2fproductImages%2f_1127000%2fff_1127 488_xl.jpg&w=400

[The Eagle's Cliff]

Oh, and as a side note, App State lost to Liberty 55-48. Georgia Southern has been doing just fine. Lose at home to an un-ranked FCS team pretty well establishes that the emperor has no clothes.

According to Winston Salem Journal, App State has only had a lead once this season -- against non-scholarship Campbell.

It actually makes me a little sad to see the conference in such disarray. Some of us think the market is finally correcting itself since we lost Armanti to App St when He-who-must-not-be-named tried to destroy our program in 2006 and told Armanti Edwards to take a hike and benched Jayson Foster. The ship is righted.

I've seen comments that Wofford is young and I figured Chatty would be decent along with Samford while VMI is hopeless and their Bellhop brethren suck as usual, but what's up with the Furples?! I thought you guys would be back to old form dominating the conference like pre-1992. Western is not really a surprise and I'm sure they're wishing the Jug game could be played this year.

I'd like to say I miss the SoCon, but I'm really enjoying the new schedule and looking forward to when we actually have the recruits to match the extra scholarships. El Cid gets to visit for a beating next year and get paid for a change.

[LarryBoy]

It actually makes me a little sad to see the conference in such disarray. Some of us think the market is finally correcting itself since we lost Armanti to App St when He-who-must-not-be-named tried to destroy our program in 2006 and told Armanti Edwards to take a hike and benched Jayson Foster. The ship is righted.

I've seen comments that Wofford is young and I figured Chatty would be decent along with Samford while VMI is hopeless and their Bellhop brethren suck as usual, but what's up with the Furples?! I thought you guys would be back to old form dominating the conference like pre-1992. Western is not really a surprise and I'm sure they're wishing the Jug game could be played this year.

I'd like to say I miss the SoCon, but I'm really enjoying the new schedule and looking forward to when we actually have the recruits to match the extra scholarships. El Cid gets to visit for a beating next year and get paid for a change.

The Furples had some holes to plug. Lost team leader/starting QB to a broken ankle in Game 1. Lost All-American offensive lineman to graduation (and NFL draft). Lost starting center and one of the best members of secondary to "violation of team rules" in the spring. First-team All-Conference RB not healthy until the Coastal game. And so on and so forth.

Furman's had an uphill battle, but I think most still would have expected better results from the first five games. We looked absolutely lost out there. No rhythm on offense, and some of the worst O-Line play I've ever seen from a Furman squad. When you've got only freshmen left at QB, there are going to be some growing pains, but the rushing attack was abysmal.

But the offense finally clicked against Coastal (the first good defense we've played, oddly enough). The defense just couldn't make enough stops to pull out the win. I know some fans saw that game and now expect us to run the SoCon table over the last five games, exactly like last year. I'm optimistic that we'll be better, but inconsistency probably will bite us again at some point. We have a chance if only because there's no one overly intimidating on the conference schedule. Everyone* has a chance.

*Does not apply to VMI

[OL FU]

.

I'd like to say I miss the SoCon, but I'm really enjoying the new schedule and looking forward to when we actually have the recruits to match the extra scholarships.

I know most people won't say this but I am actually quite happy to see GSU doing well in the Sunbelt. I wish I could same the same for ASU. Best of luck going forward.

[Smitty]

1) Chattanooga
2) Samford
3) Western Carolina
4) Wofford
5) Furman
6) The Citadel
7) Mercer
8) VMI


Predictions
Furman @ South Carolina
Chattanooga @ The Citadel
Gardner-Webb @ VMI
Wofford @ Samford
Western Carolina @ Mercer - Although it would be a classic WCU move to lose this game

[PaladinFan]

The Furples had some holes to plug. Lost team leader/starting QB to a broken ankle in Game 1. Lost All-American offensive lineman to graduation (and NFL draft). Lost starting center and one of the best members of secondary to "violation of team rules" in the spring. First-team All-Conference RB not healthy until the Coastal game. And so on and so forth.

Furman's had an uphill battle, but I think most still would have expected better results from the first five games. We looked absolutely lost out there. No rhythm on offense, and some of the worst O-Line play I've ever seen from a Furman squad. When you've got only freshmen left at QB, there are going to be some growing pains, but the rushing attack was abysmal.

But the offense finally clicked against Coastal (the first good defense we've played, oddly enough). The defense just couldn't make enough stops to pull out the win. I know some fans saw that game and now expect us to run the SoCon table over the last five games, exactly like last year. I'm optimistic that we'll be better, but inconsistency probably will bite us again at some point. We have a chance if only because there's no one overly intimidating on the conference schedule. Everyone* has a chance.

*Does not apply to VMI

Furman has (again) put itself in a difficult position. However, if the team plays like it did against Coastal the rest of the way, I imagine we will have a better than fair shot to win out in the conference. Unfortunately, Furman has squandered away all of its wiggle room. No more off days. Have to show up every week.

Few are the FCS teams that could withstand losing their starting QB in week 1 and not take a substantial hit on offense. Heck, UTC has struggled on offense and their all SoCon QB is actually playing. Western lost its QB for half a game and it nearly derailed their season. Samford had to bring in a ringer and they still aren't that good on offense.

[walliver]

Wofford's play has been disappointing to say the least.
We have no seniors on the offense 2-deep. Only one Junior on the O-line. Three linemen eligible to return for a 5th year chose to get on with their careers or grad school. We also have a ton of freshmen and sophomores starting on defense. Sometimes I wonder how we got into this mess. This is not a startup team like Mercer. This is the most stable coaching staff in the SoCon, if not all of FCS. Did we have some recruiting issues a few years ago? Most fans are scratching their heads. We did lose two promising QB's 3 years ago for off-field issues. If they had behaved and the O-line stayed, we might have had a great year this year - but that is water under the bridge.
On the other hand, we have had opportunities to win every game we have played this year. We outgained Georgia Tech on the ground. Turnovers were major game changers against GWU and WCU (and played a big role in the Citadel game). On the other hand, we have had moments in every single game, frequently in the third quarter, where we look like a bad high school team. xconfusedx

[PaladinNation]

It's pretty obvious that BF still believe's in this years team… taking redshirts off Blaze and Schmidt. That move IMO played a big role in the competitive game against CCU.
When listing Furman's woes… as much as the offense has stunk it up the first half of the season. The loss of Hollman and then the injury to Rider has made a big difference. Rider is the prototype Furman MLB, I can't image how different the Dins D would be this year with Rider and Magwood playing side by side. We'll just have to wait till next year to see that.

One interesting note, Furman's early season woes hasn't affected recruiting, Furman has 8 commits.

[citdog]

It actually makes me a little sad to see the conference in such disarray. Some of us think the market is finally correcting itself since we lost Armanti to App St when He-who-must-not-be-named tried to destroy our program in 2006 and told Armanti Edwards to take a hike and benched Jayson Foster. The ship is righted.

I've seen comments that Wofford is young and I figured Chatty would be decent along with Samford while VMI is hopeless and their Bellhop brethren suck as usual, but what's up with the Furples?! I thought you guys would be back to old form dominating the conference like pre-1992. Western is not really a surprise and I'm sure they're wishing the Jug game could be played this year.

I'd like to say I miss the SoCon, but I'm really enjoying the new schedule and looking forward to when we actually have the recruits to match the extra scholarships. El Cid gets to visit for a beating next year and get paid for a change.

NOBODY GIVES A ****. THE REAL GSU IS IN ATLANTA.

[PaladinFan]

It's pretty obvious that BF still believe's in this years team… taking redshirts off Blaze and Schmidt. That move IMO played a big role in the competitive game against CCU.
When listing Furman's woes… as much as the offense has stunk it up the first half of the season. The loss of Hollman and then the injury to Rider has made a big difference. Rider is the prototype Furman MLB, I can't image how different the Dins D would be this year with Rider and Magwood playing side by side. We'll just have to wait till next year to see that.

One interesting note, Furman's early season woes hasn't affected recruiting, Furman has 8 commits.

As odd as it is to say, losing our all conference MLB has not been that bad of a hit considering how well Magwood has played. Magwood is on an island to himself as the conference's leading tackler. Would have been nice to see both of those guys in uniform at linebacker, though.

There is no question, though, the under-the-radar losses of Hollman and Thoni really hurt Furman. Thoni was the anchor block of the offensive line, and Hollman was our most electric play maker.

Fowler has long left me with the impression that he plays his best players regardless of year. I would feel a lot better going forward if we had not lost one of two winnable games against PC or SCSU (especially after seeing Blazejowski torch a very good Coastal defense). Kudos to Fowler for making aggressive moves in the middle of the season, but it does beg the question of whether he waited too long to make those moves.

[chattownmocs]

Chattanoogas B game will beat anyone left's A game. Chattanoogas D will dominate every offense we face the rest of the way.

[citdog]

Chattanoogas B game will beat anyone left's A game. Chattanoogas D will dominate every offense we face the rest of the way.

Going to be nice to see you eat those words on Saturday beginning at 12 noon.

[chattownmocs]

Going to be nice to see you eat those words on Saturday beginning at 12 noon.

The Citadel almost beat the Mocs at home last year which is bad news for the citadel because Chattanooga is taking dead aim and will likely deliver an early knockout.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

The Citadel almost beat the Mocs at home last year which is bad news for the citadel because Chattanooga is taking dead aim and will likely deliver an early knockout.

Cursed are anyone who faces the Citadel in Johnson Hagood Stadium

[PaladinFan]

Cursed are anyone who faces the Citadel in Johnson Hagood Stadium

Furman has a date their for the second consecutive year. Double cursed.

[Catamount87]

Chattanoogas B game will beat anyone left's A game. Chattanoogas D will dominate every offense we face the rest of the way.

Granted in Total Defense the Mocs are #1 in the conference. The weakness in that D is pass defense which is allowing 60% passing. While the offense is 8th in Total Offense and outside of the VMI and Austin Peay games really didn't light up the scoreboard a great deal.

Y'all have a very good team but it's not an unbeatable team by any stretch. Don't be surprised if a good ball control offense that can throw decently will wear down that defense. If that happens can the offense pick up the slack? I suspect not.

[chattownmocs]

Granted in Total Defense the Mocs are #1 in the conference. The weakness in that D is pass defense which is allowing 60% passing. While the offense is 8th in Total Offense and outside of the VMI and Austin Peay games really didn't light up the scoreboard a great deal.

Y'all have a very good team but it's not an unbeatable team by any stretch. Don't be surprised if a good ball control offense that can throw decently will wear down that defense. If that happens can the offense pick up the slack? I suspect not.

A socon offense is going to wear our defense down? Do you actually believe that?

[PaladinFan]

Granted in Total Defense the Mocs are #1 in the conference. The weakness in that D is pass defense which is allowing 60% passing. While the offense is 8th in Total Offense and outside of the VMI and Austin Peay games really didn't light up the scoreboard a great deal.

Y'all have a very good team but it's not an unbeatable team by any stretch. Don't be surprised if a good ball control offense that can throw decently will wear down that defense. If that happens can the offense pick up the slack? I suspect not.

Hard to take a lot out of the numbers. Mercer, for instance, is leading the SoCon in most offensive categories, but is averaging about 15 ppg fewer against SoCon teams than they are against the rest of their schedule.

[PaladinFan]

A socon offense is going to wear our defense down? Do you actually believe that?

If Furman's offense can channel what it did against Coastal Carolina, then absolutely. CCU has a top 10 FCS defense and had surrendered 9 total points their previous three games. Furman ran all over them.

[Catamount87]

I do believe that. Look at the JSU game, they had a285 net rushing yards. It was the two INTs are what kept y'all in that game. Y'all have yet to play The Citadel and Wofford. Granted, they both aren't having great years but the bellhops are starting to put it all together and Wofford has the pieces but just needs to put them together. Overlook either of those games and things will change in a hurry.

[Toby]

Wofford's play has been disappointing to say the least.
We have no seniors on the offense 2-deep. Only one Junior on the O-line. Three linemen eligible to return for a 5th year chose to get on with their careers or grad school. We also have a ton of freshmen and sophomores starting on defense. Sometimes I wonder how we got into this mess. This is not a startup team like Mercer. This is the most stable coaching staff in the SoCon, if not all of FCS. Did we have some recruiting issues a few years ago? Most fans are scratching their heads. We did lose two promising QB's 3 years ago for off-field issues. If they had behaved and the O-line stayed, we might have had a great year this year - but that is water under the bridge.
xconfusedx

I saw where one of your up and coming DE's - Thurley (r- So?) left to walk on at Ole Miss. I thought that was odd.

[walliver]

I saw where one of your up and coming DE's - Thurley (r- So?) left to walk on at Ole Miss. I thought that was odd.

I think he was homesick, or missed his girlfriend.

[chattownmocs]

If Furman's offense can channel what it did against Coastal Carolina, then absolutely. CCU has a top 10 FCS defense and had surrendered 9 total points their previous three games. Furman ran all over them.

Big South isn't beating up on chattanooga. They are beating up on the rest of you scrubs. I've got no fear of coastal carolina and they certainly aren't at our level defensively. Dream on.

[chattownmocs]

I do believe that. Look at the JSU game, they had a285 net rushing yards. It was the two INTs are what kept y'all in that game. Y'all have yet to play The Citadel and Wofford. Granted, they both aren't having great years but the bellhops are starting to put it all together and Wofford has the pieces but just needs to put them together. Overlook either of those games and things will change in a hurry.

You guys aren't at jacksonville states level and neither is coastal carolina. They hit some big plays early not late. They didn't wear us down. You have to be able to win the battle up front to win a wear a defense down and none of the teams we have left can do it. I'm not saying that we are going ton win out but its not wide open by any stretch.

[BearDownMU]

I think he was homesick, or missed his girlfriend.

And Hoochie remains undefeated.

;)

[Catamount87]

You guys aren't at jacksonville states level and neither is coastal carolina. They hit some big plays early not late. They didn't wear us down. You have to be able to win the battle up front to win a wear a defense down and none of the teams we have left can do it.


I'm not saying that we are going ton win out but its not wide open by any stretch.

A bit contradictory there and a sure sign of overconfidence as well. Be careful with that overconfidence, that dog tends to bite pretty hard and nastily at that.

[rokamortis]

Big South isn't beating up on chattanooga. They are beating up on the rest of you scrubs. I've got no fear of coastal carolina and they certainly aren't at our level defensively. Dream on.

You should Fear the Chanticleer. We own the SoCon, and you are next. Mwahahahahahah.

[PaladinFan]

Big South isn't beating up on chattanooga. They are beating up on the rest of you scrubs. I've got no fear of coastal carolina and they certainly aren't at our level defensively. Dream on.

You are right, the Big South does not beat up on Chattanooga. The OVC does.

[chattanoogamocs]

A bit contradictory there and a sure sign of overconfidence as well. Be careful with that overconfidence, that dog tends to bite pretty hard and nastily at that.

I love that, being new here, you are actually trying to reason with chattownmocs. You'll learn soon enough that it is a waste of time. :)

[Catamount87]

I love that, being new here, you are actually trying to reason with chattownmocs. You'll learn soon enough that it is a waste of time. :)

It's a thin line between trying to reason with and baiting. ;-)

[PaladinFan]

It's a thin line between trying to reason with and baiting. ;-)

I just want him to tell me more about how much better UTC would have played against North Dakota State than Furman/CCU if they had managed to make the playoffs.

[rokamortis]

I just want him to tell me more about how much better UTC would have played against North Dakota State than Furman/CCU if they had managed to make the playoffs.

They would have won, obviously.

[Ghost]

Its Chattowns world ya'll. we are just living in it. xrolleyesx

[utcfan]

1) UTC
2) Samford
3) WCU
4) Wofford
5) Citadel
6) Furman
7) Mercer
8) VMI

UTC>CIT
GWU>VMI
SAM>WOFF
WCU>MER
USC>FUR

[ElCid]

A socon offense is going to wear our defense down? Do you actually believe that?

19859

To answer your question, yes. All you will see is #12 keep it or pitch to #18...and a cloud of dust.
And you will see this as well...

19860

[ElCid]

Chattanoogas B game will beat anyone left's A game. Chattanoogas D will dominate every offense we face the rest of the way.

While Chatty undoubtedly has a very good D, it has not faced a rushing attack yet, this year, like it will this Saturday. Yes, they have seen the option ad nausea in the SOCON, but not yet this year and that has to put them at a slight disadvantage until they settle down. Last year in UTCs games against GSU, The Citadel and then Wofford, the rushing yards went down each time they saw it. They may very well stuff the Dogs, but let's look at some stats of Chatty's opponents to date this year.

- Cent Michigan rushing 150 yds/gm (#81/125 in FBS) (3.9 yds/attempt) --148 against UTC (3.2/attempt) (CM total yards/gm average - 365, vs UTC - 321)
- JSU rushing 254 yds/gm (#7/121 in FCS) (4.8 yds/attempt) --285 against UTC (2.9/attempt) (JSU total yards/gm average - 468, vs UTC - 409)
- Austin Peay rushing 119 yds/gm (#101/121 FCS) (3 yds/attempt)--42 against UTC (1.2/attempt) (APU total yards/gm average - 213, vs UTC - 180)
- Samford rushing 211 yds/gm (#25/121 FCS) (4.6 yds/attempt)--137 against UTC (2.9/attempt) (Samford total yards/gm average - 381, vs UTC - 381)
- VMI rushing 105 yds/gm (#106/121 FCS) (3.3 yds/attempt)--53 against UTC (1.8/attempt) (VMI total yards/gm average - 363, vs UTC - 165)
- Tennessee rushing 110 yards/gm (#109/125 FBS) (3 yds/attempt)--123 against UTC (2.9/attempt) (Tenn total yards/gm average - 347, vs UTC - 340)
- The Citadel rushing 325 yards/gm (#2/121 FCS) (5.4 yds/attempt)-- ??? against UTC (The Citadel total yds/gm average - 413, vs UTC - ???)

No real Offensive powerhouses (relatively speaking) except for JSU and Samford to a degree. But UTC held everyone under their average except for Samford and that is an imposing fact.

I would guess the Dogs rush about 270 and throw for 65. If Dogs have a TOP of 35, Dogs can win. That means no turnovers or drive killing penalties. They need to have a few passes as well, but not overdo it--just enough to keep Chatty guessing and not waste too many downs that could have produced 3-4 yards with low percentage passes. I don't care who you are, if your D is on the field that long, they will wear down. And the Dogs are as well conditioned as they have been in years. The marathon last week showed that. Charlotte defenders were dropping like flies at the end while the Dogs ran over, around, and through them. If Dogs can keep it close and keep the Chatty's D on the field, they can drive for a late winning score.

On the other hand if Chatty's O shows up and gets a good lead early like CCU did against The Citadel, game over for the Dogs. The Dogs pass defense needs to firm up. It has been AWOL most of the year, the Gardner-Webb game being a slight exception with at least the pass rush stepping up. But while the UTC Defense has carried the load, UTC Offense is wanting in regard to output--UTC is #100/121 in FCS with 303yds/gm. They gained 256, 111, 351, 343, 555, and 201 in their 6 games. Not exactly a consistent record. But the Dog's D is as spotty as UTC's O. So who knows which version of each team will show up.

And before anyone thinks that UTC's schedule has been any harder than The Citadel's, according to Sagarin, for what it's worth, UTC and The Citadel have had an SOS ranked at 156 and 157 (out of 252) respectively. Massey has it at 148 and 151. Pretty close.

The Mocs and Dogs are 5-5 over the last 10 years with each team at 3-2 at home. But The Mocs are 4-1 in the last 5. The lone victory for the Dogs coming in the in that stunning come from behind victory in 2011. Glad this is a home game. There were some good vibs in Johnson Hagood Stadium last Saturday. I think the fans are starting to believe again.

[Big_Fan]

19859

To answer your question, yes. All you will see is #12 keep it or pitch to #18...and a cloud of dust.
And you will see this as well...

19860

I will say that wearing the UTC defense down is tougher than you would think.

We had 400 yards of offense, and UTC didn't have a first down until the second half. They had just 111 yards for the game, and didn't top 100 yards total offense until overtime. We beat them in time of possession by 18 minutes. We ran for almost 300 yards... but their defense seemed stronger in the 4th quarter, than in the first.

They can play defense. Don't throw the ball.

[ElCid]

I will say that wearing the UTC defense down is tougher than you would think.

We had 400 yards of offense, and UTC didn't have a first down until the second half. They had just 111 yards for the game, and didn't top 100 yards total offense until overtime. We beat them in time of possession by 18 minutes. We ran for almost 300 yards... but their defense seemed stronger in the 4th quarter, than in the first.

They can play defense. Don't throw the ball.

I get what you are saying but you also had just three rushes for 25 yards, and the win, in OT. Not too shabby on your part and not too good D on their part.

[Big_Fan]

While Chatty undoubtedly has a very good D, it has not faced a rushing attack yet, this year, like it will this Saturday.(snip).

JSU has a better rushing attack than Citadel. It isn't remotely close.

We are ranked in the top 10 in rushing offense, in spite of playing a top 5 FBS defense (Michigan State), and the then #1 rushing defense in the FCS (TSU).

Citadel is also a one trick pony offense. Chatty will load the box, and man you up in the secondary. You can't throw the ball anyway, and their corners are very good. Their DL play assignment football well. They did a good job slowing down our read option.

To be honest, I will be surprised if you guys keep it within 3 TD's.

[Big_Fan]

I get what you are saying but you also had just three rushes for 25 yards, and the win, in OT. Not too shabby on your part and not too good D on their part.

Almost all of our offensive yards were in the first half. Granted, we went conservative in the second half (because of the pick 6 interceptions), but we couldn't just run over them, and we have 3 RB's who would start for Citadel, and our QB is a fantastic runner as well. If Chatty plays disciplined against Citadel, they win big.


Edit:

And I don't like Chatty. I hope I am wrong and you blow them out... but I don't see it being close.

[chattanoogamocs]

Citadel had 334 yards of rushing last year against the Mocs and didn't win...running between the 20's is fine...you still have to put it in the end zone and the Mocs D is better than average at not allowing that.

Games under Huesman...

11-14-09 .......... Chattanooga ...........W .......... 31-28
10-9-10 ............ Charleston ..............W .......... 28-10

10-1-11 ............ Chattanooga ............L ........... 27-28

9-29-12 ............ Charleston ..............W .......... 28-10

10-26-13 .......... Chattanooga ...........W .......... 28-24

It is interesting to note that all the games in Chattanooga have been 4 points or less and the 2 in Charleston have both been 18 points wins for the Mocs.

Whatever, that's history. It ought to be a heck of a game...the one's between the Citadel and Chattanooga usually are (the series is 11-11-1 in Charleston)

[ElCid]

Citadel had 334 yards of rushing last year against the Mocs and didn't win...running between the 20's is fine...you still have to put it in the end zone and the Mocs D is better than average at not allowing that.

Games under Huesman...

11-14-09 .......... Chattanooga ...........W .......... 31-28
10-9-10 ............ Charleston ..............W .......... 28-10

10-1-11 ............ Chattanooga ............L ........... 27-28

9-29-12 ............ Charleston ..............W .......... 28-10

10-26-13 .......... Chattanooga ...........W .......... 28-24

It is interesting to note that all the games in Chattanooga have been 4 points or less and the 2 in Charleston have both been 18 points wins for the Mocs.

Whatever, that's history. It ought to be a heck of a game...the one's between the Citadel and Chattanooga usually are (the series is 11-11-1 in Charleston)

But we have had success this year in Red Zone Offense - 27 chances, Red Zone scores - 25 (19 TD and 6 FG). A bad stat in my opinion is that we have had only one score from outside the red zone. As a side note, UTC is 16/17 (12 TD and 4 FG). I had noticed that the games have been closer at UTC. I think it strange how we play certain teams tough at home and others not so well.

[ElCid]

Almost all of our offensive yards were in the first half. Granted, we went conservative in the second half (because of the pick 6 interceptions), but we couldn't just run over them, and we have 3 RB's who would start for Citadel, and our QB is a fantastic runner as well. If Chatty plays disciplined against Citadel, they win big.


Edit:

And I don't like Chatty. I hope I am wrong and you blow them out... but I don't see it being close.

And you base this on....?

[ElCid]

JSU has a better rushing attack than Citadel. It isn't remotely close.

We are ranked in the top 10 in rushing offense, in spite of playing a top 5 FBS defense (Michigan State), and the then #1 rushing defense in the FCS (TSU).

Citadel is also a one trick pony offense. Chatty will load the box, and man you up in the secondary. You can't throw the ball anyway, and their corners are very good. Their DL play assignment football well. They did a good job slowing down our read option.

To be honest, I will be surprised if you guys keep it within 3 TD's.

And we are ranked in the top 2 in rushing offense. And our passing game has gotten better as the season has progressed. And we also faced a descent D in Florida St where we rushed for 250, just over half of which came in the 1st half. When I saw your yards against Michigan St I actually could not believe you only rushed for 22. They may be pretty good and a top 5, but they are probably there also in part due to a couple of their FBS opponents to date, 2 of whom rank near the bottom in FBS rushing offense. As far as TSU goes, look at their opponents and you will see they appear to have a good rushing D but they got there, so far, for playing a bunch of Div II, SWAC and MEAC teams who are all pass happy. The only descent team they played before you was SEMO.

3TDs? Not likely.

[SCPALADIN]

1) Chattanooga
2) Samford
3) WCU
4) Furman
5) Wofford
6) The Citadel
7) Mercer
8) VMI


Predictions
Furman @ South Carolina (17-30)
Chattanooga @ The Citadel (34-21)
Gardner-Webb @ VMI (38-20)
Wofford @ Samford (17-24)
Western Carolina @ Mercer (31-28)

[longtimemocfan]

While Chatty undoubtedly has a very good D, it has not faced a rushing attack yet, this year, like it will this Saturday. Yes, they have seen the option ad nausea in the SOCON, but not yet this year and that has to put them at a slight disadvantage until they settle down. Last year in UTCs games against GSU, The Citadel and then Wofford, the rushing yards went down each time they saw it. They may very well stuff the Dogs, but let's look at some stats of Chatty's opponents to date this year.

- Cent Michigan rushing 150 yds/gm (#81/125 in FBS) (3.9 yds/attempt) --148 against UTC (3.2/attempt) (CM total yards/gm average - 365, vs UTC - 321)
- JSU rushing 254 yds/gm (#7/121 in FCS) (4.8 yds/attempt) --285 against UTC (2.9/attempt) (JSU total yards/gm average - 468, vs UTC - 409)
- Austin Peay rushing 119 yds/gm (#101/121 FCS) (3 yds/attempt)--42 against UTC (1.2/attempt) (APU total yards/gm average - 213, vs UTC - 180)
- Samford rushing 211 yds/gm (#25/121 FCS) (4.6 yds/attempt)--137 against UTC (2.9/attempt) (Samford total yards/gm average - 381, vs UTC - 381)
- VMI rushing 105 yds/gm (#106/121 FCS) (3.3 yds/attempt)--53 against UTC (1.8/attempt) (VMI total yards/gm average - 363, vs UTC - 165)
- Tennessee rushing 110 yards/gm (#109/125 FBS) (3 yds/attempt)--123 against UTC (2.9/attempt) (Tenn total yards/gm average - 347, vs UTC - 340)
- The Citadel rushing 325 yards/gm (#2/121 FCS) (5.4 yds/attempt)-- ??? against UTC (The Citadel total yds/gm average - 413, vs UTC - ???)

No real Offensive powerhouses (relatively speaking) except for JSU and Samford to a degree. But UTC held everyone under their average except for Samford and that is an imposing fact.

I would guess the Dogs rush about 270 and throw for 65. If Dogs have a TOP of 35, Dogs can win. That means no turnovers or drive killing penalties. They need to have a few passes as well, but not overdo it--just enough to keep Chatty guessing and not waste too many downs that could have produced 3-4 yards with low percentage passes. I don't care who you are, if your D is on the field that long, they will wear down. And the Dogs are as well conditioned as they have been in years. The marathon last week showed that. Charlotte defenders were dropping like flies at the end while the Dogs ran over, around, and through them. If Dogs can keep it close and keep the Chatty's D on the field, they can drive for a late winning score.

On the other hand if Chatty's O shows up and gets a good lead early like CCU did against The Citadel, game over for the Dogs. The Dogs pass defense needs to firm up. It has been AWOL most of the year, the Gardner-Webb game being a slight exception with at least the pass rush stepping up. But while the UTC Defense has carried the load, UTC Offense is wanting in regard to output--UTC is #100/121 in FCS with 303yds/gm. They gained 256, 111, 351, 343, 555, and 201 in their 6 games. Not exactly a consistent record. But the Dog's D is as spotty as UTC's O. So who knows which version of each team will show up.

And before anyone thinks that UTC's schedule has been any harder than The Citadel's, according to Sagarin, for what it's worth, UTC and The Citadel have had an SOS ranked at 156 and 157 (out of 252) respectively. Massey has it at 148 and 151. Pretty close.

The Mocs and Dogs are 5-5 over the last 10 years with each team at 3-2 at home. But The Mocs are 4-1 in the last 5. The lone victory for the Dogs coming in the in that stunning come from behind victory in 2011. Glad this is a home game. There were some good vibs in Johnson Hagood Stadium last Saturday. I think the fans are starting to believe again.

Not sure being a home game is a good thing in this series since Huesman has been coach. The home team has not necessarily fared that well. The only win for The Citadel came on the road in 2011, but could have very easily won in 2009 and 2013 as The Mocs had to come from behind both times to secure wins. The 2 games in Charleston have not been that close. Strange as it may be trends can remain the same or change in a given year.

[Big_Fan]

And we are ranked in the top 2 in rushing offense. And our passing game has gotten better as the season has progressed. And we also faced a descent D in Florida St where we rushed for 250, just over half of which came in the 1st half. When I saw your yards against Michigan St I actually could not believe you only rushed for 22. They may be pretty good and a top 5, but they are probably there also in part due to a couple of their FBS opponents to date, 2 of whom rank near the bottom in FBS rushing offense. As far as TSU goes, look at their opponents and you will see they appear to have a good rushing D but they got there, so far, for playing a bunch of Div II, SWAC and MEAC teams who are all pass happy. The only descent team they played before you was SEMO.

3TDs? Not likely.

MSU had 49 sack yards on us... but we abandoned the run early, and while we had some success throwing, sack yardage + int's hurt us. We actually did well against their run game until late when we wore down. Too much talent.

Saying that Michigan State "may be good but..." and trying to explain why their stats are so good is a seriously narrow view. MSU has consistently ranked as one of the best run defenses in the country over the past few years. They held Nebraska to 47 yards this season, and the huskers ran for 350 against Miami - who is decent against the run (though Ga Tech's wingbone hit them for a lot). FSU's D is not in the same league as Michigan State's.

UTC has one of the best DL's in the FCS. I think ours is better, but theirs is very good. They play gap sound, and against us, they were solid against the read option. I don't know how that will translate into defending your triple option, but they were disciplined when they played us - and that is what it takes to stop the triple option.

We were able to gain rushing yards by running straight at them behind an OL that is better than yours, with RB's who are bigger and stronger than yours. Our center is first team AA, and our starting RB (a 230# senior) is second team AA. Our 2nd and 3rd team RB's are virtually interchangeable. DaMarcus James (our #1 RB) was out with turf toe against UTM, and we still ran for 284 yards. Chatty has a first team AA DE, and a 3rd team AA DT. It is difficult to get to the corner against them. They played fundamentally sound against us, with just 3 penalties, and no turnovers.

Here are my thoughts on how this plays out, and why...

You guys have only broken 20 points twice this season - once was against a 3-4 Gardner-Webb team (who's wins were over a D2 school, a school in its 3rd year of football, and Wofford - in which they gave up 322 rushing yards and 36 points), and Charlotte - the team in its 3rd year of playing football. You are the #2 rushing offense, and have played Coastal (ranked 101 in rushing defense), Charleston Sou (34th ranked, built on having played a bad D2 school, and NAIA school, Terrible Campbell, and Charlotte), Gardner-Webb (48th ranked rush d), Wofford (29th ranked rush D, held you under 200), and Charlotte - in their 3rd year of playing football. UTC will be the best defense you have faced - by far. Charleston Southern is ranked in the top 10, due to playing a D2, and NAIA schools, Campbell, and you guys throwing for a whopping 20 yards against them.

It took us to overtime to break 20 against UTC. Central Michigan scored 20. Samford scored with 2 minutes left in the 4th to break 20. Unless coach "Les Nessman" Huessman delivers a poorly prepped team, I don't think you will break 20.

On offense, Chatty has been inconsistent. Their QB by nepotism situation has hurt them, but they have a lot more talent on O than you might suspect. you guys rank 81st in total defense, and are statistically between APSU and Sammy. I think Chatty holds you to 14 and scores in the 30's. IF you play a perfect game - no penalties or turnovers, and Chatty plays a terrible game, it could be a 20-something pick'em. If you both play as you have been playing... teens to 30's in favor of UTC is likely.

Hey, I hope I am wrong, UTC doesn't show up, and you guys light up the scoreboard... but I don't see this game being close. The triple option offense can be tough to defend, but you don't have the athletes to run it effectively against UTC. You will probably pop off a number of 15-20 yard runs between the 20's, but when the field shrinks, they will stonewall you.

What do I base the comment that we have 3 RB's who would start for Citadel on?
Our #1 RB DaMarcus James, is a wrecking ball, on the Walter Payton award watch list, ran for almost 1500 yards last season, and scored 29 TD's
Our #2 RB Troymaine Pope, is averaging 6.2 yards per carry, and has more yards than your leading RB (in spite of playing a tougher schedule in a more diverse offense). He has a higher YPC than your QB.
Our #3 RB Miles Jones, is more explosive than either of the others (4.4/40), and ran for 150 against UTM. The only other RB to break 100 yards on UTM this season was the UK transfer at EKU. Miles Jones was a 3* all-state RB in Georgia, with over 5000 career rushing yards and 60 TD's in HS. He was passed over by FBS because he is only 5'8, but at 205#, he is a load to bring down.

All three of our RB's could eventually find their way to a pro team. Citadel's RB corp is an afterthought that will make a fine group of soldiers, programmers, or accountants. Your QB is your RB.

[ElCid]

MSU had 49 sack yards on us... but we abandoned the run early, and while we had some success throwing, sack yardage + int's hurt us. We actually did well against their run game until late when we wore down. Too much talent.

Saying that Michigan State "may be good but..." and trying to explain why their stats are so good is a seriously narrow view. MSU has consistently ranked as one of the best run defenses in the country over the past few years. They held Nebraska to 47 yards this season, and the huskers ran for 350 against Miami - who is decent against the run (though Ga Tech's wingbone hit them for a lot). FSU's D is not in the same league as Michigan State's. I did not say it was, just that it was a descent FBS D (#44)
UTC has one of the best DL's in the FCS. I think ours is better, but theirs is very good. They play gap sound, and against us, they were solid against the read option. I don't know how that will translate into defending your triple option, but they were disciplined when they played us - and that is what it takes to stop the triple option.

We were able to gain rushing yards by running straight at them behind an OL that is better than yours, with RB's who are bigger and stronger than yours. Our center is first team AA, and our starting RB (a 230# senior) is second team AA. Our 2nd and 3rd team RB's are virtually interchangeable. DaMarcus James (our #1 RB) was out with turf toe against UTM, and we still ran for 284 yards. Chatty has a first team AA DE, and a 3rd team AA DT. It is difficult to get to the corner against them. They played fundamentally sound against us, with just 3 penalties, and no turnovers.

Here are my thoughts on how this plays out, and why...

You guys have only broken 20 points twice this season - once was against a 3-4 Gardner-Webb team (who's wins were over a D2 school, a school in its 3rd year of football, and Wofford - in which they gave up 322 rushing yards and 36 points), and Charlotte - the team in its 3rd year of playing football. You are the #2 rushing offense, and have played Coastal (ranked 101 in rushing defense), Charleston Sou (34th ranked, built on having played a bad D2 school, and NAIA school, Terrible Campbell, and Charlotte), Gardner-Webb (48th ranked rush d), Wofford (29th ranked rush D, held you under 200), and Charlotte - in their 3rd year of playing football. UTC will be the best defense you have faced - by far. Charleston Southern is ranked in the top 10, due to playing a D2, and NAIA schools, Campbell, and you guys throwing for a whopping 20 yards against them. No FSU is the best we will face all year, don't be silly, UTC may very well be the best FCS D we will face. And you are correct in looking at why teams are ranked where they are. That was the only point I was making. Teams get hard opponents and easy ones that pad or shave numbers. Chuck South does have pretty good D rank because of their opponents, but they also must have pretty descent D because they held Vanderbilt to 10 yards in the 3rd Qtr, and 67 in the 4th (63 of which came on the last non-scoring drive of the game). Ok Vandy sucks, but it is an SEC team and that should not have happened unless Chuck South was doing ok on D. Trust me when I say I hate them, but I will give them that compliment.

It took us to overtime to break 20 against UTC. Central Michigan scored 20. Samford scored with 2 minutes left in the 4th to break 20. Unless coach "Les Nessman" Huessman delivers a poorly prepped team, I don't think you will break 20.

On offense, Chatty has been inconsistent. Their QB by nepotism situation has hurt them, but they have a lot more talent on O than you might suspect. you guys rank 81st in total defense, and are statistically between APSU and Sammy. I think Chatty holds you to 14 and scores in the 30's. IF you play a perfect game - no penalties or turnovers, and Chatty plays a terrible game, it could be a 20-something pick'em. If you both play as you have been playing... teens to 30's in favor of UTC is likely. Our D has been hot and cold. Chatty's O is abysmal. UTC is ranked 100 in FCS O and that includes running up numbers at patsies Peay and VMI. Facing FSU, CCU, Chuck South, and Charlotte which are all putting up 400+ yards a game on average did not help our numbers. And Charlotte is better than you think (Offense, not Defense). On D they are worse than you think. They have some talented receivers and backs. Plus our secondary is not good, but look closely at how they do against JMU and CCU a couple weeks from now. I can see them winning one of those. Our D did hold Wofford and G-W under their averages.

Hey, I hope I am wrong, UTC doesn't show up, and you guys light up the scoreboard... but I don't see this game being close. The triple option offense can be tough to defend, but you don't have the athletes to run it effectively against UTC. You will probably pop off a number of 15-20 yard runs between the 20's, but when the field shrinks, they will stonewall you.

What do I base the comment that we have 3 RB's who would start for Citadel on?
Our #1 RB DaMarcus James, is a wrecking ball, on the Walter Payton award watch list, ran for almost 1500 yards last season, and scored 29 TD's
Our #2 RB Troymaine Pope, is averaging 6.2 yards per carry, and has more yards than your leading RB (in spite of playing a tougher schedule in a more diverse offense). He has a higher YPC than your QB.
Our #3 RB Miles Jones, is more explosive than either of the others (4.4/40), and ran for 150 against UTM. The only other RB to break 100 yards on UTM this season was the UK transfer at EKU. Miles Jones was a 3* all-state RB in Georgia, with over 5000 career rushing yards and 60 TD's in HS. He was passed over by FBS because he is only 5'8, but at 205#, he is a load to bring down.

All good numbers, but arguably a marginally tougher schedule. We have faced 3 currently ranked teams 1 FBS and 2 FCS). You have faced 1 each. Sagarin has your schedule at 143 (57.10), and we are at 157 (54.59), but Sagarin does not account for lower Division in the SOS rating and you had one on the schedule. Massey has it at 141 for ya and 152 for us and it does rank lower divisions. So as I said, marginally better. As far as proving that your runners are better all you have done is state selected facts and opinion. Our QB has more yards (and YPC) than you "wrecking ball." I am not saying they are not better, just that being a "wrecking ball" means what? 1500 yards last season is great, but he does not have that this year does he? And we lost our two leading rushers from last year to graduation. We also have more 100 total yards rushers this year to date than you do. Not sure than means anything except we mix it up with more ball carriers. That also cuts down on the numbers for the leaders. And being on a watch list is great, but nothing more than a headline maybe at this point. I Hope he wins. But one of our backs was named the Sports Network Freshman of the week this week. So? Yeah, go team. I am not trying to downplay your rushing achievements, just that ours is much better than you think it is. And more importantly, I hope, much better than Chatty thinks.

And FYI, we have had a few standout RB over the years, more than one of which ended up the pros, not a lot, but a few, plus a few other positions as well. Like the Redskins receiver and leading returner who just graduated just a few years ago. And the third leading tackler for the Steelers who recently graduated. Yes, most will pursue other careers, including entering the military, business, and more than a few engineers are on the team as well. But since the mission of the school is not to turn out Pro players, every time one makes it, that is just a bonus.

All three of our RB's could eventually find their way to a pro team. Citadel's RB corp is an afterthought that will make a fine group of soldiers, programmers, or accountants. Your QB is your RB.

Go Dogs.

[chattanoogamocs]

Big Fan and ElCid ----> xslapfightx

UTC fans ---> xpopcornx

[CSU18]

ElCid - the feeling is mutual - trust me when I say I hate the citadel. Just remember, Charleston is Southern's town.

[ElCid]

ElCid - the feeling is mutual - trust me when I say I hate the citadel. Just remember, Charleston is Southern's town.

Actually Ladson is Southern's town.

[ElCid]

Big Fan and ElCid ----> xslapfightx

UTC fans ---> xpopcornx

Just trying to set him straight. Many of you boys coming down? I don't recall you guys traveling very well to Charleston, but it is a trip--414 miles according to Google.

[Winindy]

Charleston Southern is where again? North of North Charleston?

[citdog]

ElCid - the feeling is mutual - trust me when I say I hate the citadel. Just remember, Charleston is Southern's town.

You religious fanatics are placed quite nicely and appropriately. Embedded with the other white trash in North Charleston and not in 'Our Jerusalem' betwixt the Ashley and the Cooper Rivers.

[citdog]

MSU had 49 sack yards on us... but we abandoned the run early, and while we had some success throwing, sack yardage + int's hurt us. We actually did well against their run game until late when we wore down. Too much talent.

Saying that Michigan State "may be good but..." and trying to explain why their stats are so good is a seriously narrow view. MSU has consistently ranked as one of the best run defenses in the country over the past few years. They held Nebraska to 47 yards this season, and the huskers ran for 350 against Miami - who is decent against the run (though Ga Tech's wingbone hit them for a lot). FSU's D is not in the same league as Michigan State's.

UTC has one of the best DL's in the FCS. I think ours is better, but theirs is very good. They play gap sound, and against us, they were solid against the read option. I don't know how that will translate into defending your triple option, but they were disciplined when they played us - and that is what it takes to stop the triple option.

We were able to gain rushing yards by running straight at them behind an OL that is better than yours, with RB's who are bigger and stronger than yours. Our center is first team AA, and our starting RB (a 230# senior) is second team AA. Our 2nd and 3rd team RB's are virtually interchangeable. DaMarcus James (our #1 RB) was out with turf toe against UTM, and we still ran for 284 yards. Chatty has a first team AA DE, and a 3rd team AA DT. It is difficult to get to the corner against them. They played fundamentally sound against us, with just 3 penalties, and no turnovers.

Here are my thoughts on how this plays out, and why...

You guys have only broken 20 points twice this season - once was against a 3-4 Gardner-Webb team (who's wins were over a D2 school, a school in its 3rd year of football, and Wofford - in which they gave up 322 rushing yards and 36 points), and Charlotte - the team in its 3rd year of playing football. You are the #2 rushing offense, and have played Coastal (ranked 101 in rushing defense), Charleston Sou (34th ranked, built on having played a bad D2 school, and NAIA school, Terrible Campbell, and Charlotte), Gardner-Webb (48th ranked rush d), Wofford (29th ranked rush D, held you under 200), and Charlotte - in their 3rd year of playing football. UTC will be the best defense you have faced - by far. Charleston Southern is ranked in the top 10, due to playing a D2, and NAIA schools, Campbell, and you guys throwing for a whopping 20 yards against them.

It took us to overtime to break 20 against UTC. Central Michigan scored 20. Samford scored with 2 minutes left in the 4th to break 20. Unless coach "Les Nessman" Huessman delivers a poorly prepped team, I don't think you will break 20.

On offense, Chatty has been inconsistent. Their QB by nepotism situation has hurt them, but they have a lot more talent on O than you might suspect. you guys rank 81st in total defense, and are statistically between APSU and Sammy. I think Chatty holds you to 14 and scores in the 30's. IF you play a perfect game - no penalties or turnovers, and Chatty plays a terrible game, it could be a 20-something pick'em. If you both play as you have been playing... teens to 30's in favor of UTC is likely.

Hey, I hope I am wrong, UTC doesn't show up, and you guys light up the scoreboard... but I don't see this game being close. The triple option offense can be tough to defend, but you don't have the athletes to run it effectively against UTC. You will probably pop off a number of 15-20 yard runs between the 20's, but when the field shrinks, they will stonewall you.

What do I base the comment that we have 3 RB's who would start for Citadel on?
Our #1 RB DaMarcus James, is a wrecking ball, on the Walter Payton award watch list, ran for almost 1500 yards last season, and scored 29 TD's
Our #2 RB Troymaine Pope, is averaging 6.2 yards per carry, and has more yards than your leading RB (in spite of playing a tougher schedule in a more diverse offense). He has a higher YPC than your QB.
Our #3 RB Miles Jones, is more explosive than either of the others (4.4/40), and ran for 150 against UTM. The only other RB to break 100 yards on UTM this season was the UK transfer at EKU. Miles Jones was a 3* all-state RB in Georgia, with over 5000 career rushing yards and 60 TD's in HS. He was passed over by FBS because he is only 5'8, but at 205#, he is a load to bring down.

All three of our RB's could eventually find their way to a pro team. Citadel's RB corp is an afterthought that will make a fine group of soldiers, programmers, or accountants. Your QB is your RB.

What you don't know would fill volumes. People who know football, unlike most of the chatty contingent, know that Triple Option Backs are not judged on stats. They have to do MUCH more than just run with the ball. They have to BLOCK as your "Greatest FCS Defense in History" will see on Saturday when they are picking themselves up off of the ground after every play.

[PaladinFan]

I might suggest that the entire SoCon will be Citadel fans on Saturday.

If the Citadel can knock off UTC, this whole SoCon championship thing will get really interesting.

[Smitty]

I might suggest that the entire SoCon will be Citadel fans on Saturday.

If the Citadel can knock off UTC, this whole SoCon championship thing will get really interesting.

It would put Western in sole possession of first... (with a win against Mercer)

[SCPALADIN]

I might suggest that the entire SoCon will be Citadel fans on Saturday.

:pumpuke:

[citdog]

:pumpuke:


furman sucks

[chattanoogamocs]

What you don't know would fill volumes. People who know football, unlike most of the chatty contingent, know that Triple Option Backs are not judged on stats. They have to do MUCH more than just run with the ball. They have to BLOCK as your "Greatest FCS Defense in History" will see on Saturday when they are picking themselves up off of the ground after every play.

By "most of the Chatty contingent" you mean Big_Fan (who is a JSU fan) and Chattown (who is a UTK fan).

[chattanoogamocs]

I might suggest that the entire SoCon will be Citadel fans on Saturday.

If the Citadel can knock off UTC, this whole SoCon championship thing will get really interesting.

As someone who was in the stands with maybe 1,500 of the most loyal Moc fans back in November of 2007...the absolute low point of Chattanooga football...the biggest compliment you can ever have is to know that the entire conference is pulling against your team. :)

[chattanoogamocs]

Just trying to set him straight. Many of you boys coming down? I don't recall you guys traveling very well to Charleston, but it is a trip--414 miles according to Google.

I wish I could say that a lot of fans were coming down, but man, that's a pretty long drive (made even longer with this years schedule were fans can take short trips to Austin Peay, UTK, and Tenn Tech).

I am still trying to talk someone in to driving down with me on Friday...if I can find a second...I will be there.

[catamount man]

It would put Western in sole possession of first... (with a win against Mercer)

Yes indeed, but this Mercer game scares me. Seriously! GO CATS!

[longtimemocfan]

As someone who was in the stands with maybe 1,500 of the most loyal Moc fans back in November of 2007...the absolute low point of Chattanooga football...the biggest compliment you can ever have is to know that the entire conference is pulling against your team. :)

You had to say something about 2007...funny year...Lose to Carson Newman, beat GSU, stay in the game against a Darren McFadden led Arkansas team until the 4th qtr.and forced a season high 9 punts against App. St. who won the NC. I even remember Donnie K's last year against Ky.St. Bet their wasn't 200 people in the stands. That was probably 2002. Yes x 2 on what you said😉

[chattanoogamocs]

You had to say something about 2007...funny year...Lose to Carson Newman, beat GSU, stay in the game against a Darren McFadden led Arkansas team until the 4th qtr.and forced a season high 9 punts against App. St. who won the NC. I even remember Donnie K's last year against Ky.St. Bet their wasn't 200 people in the stands. That was probably 2002. Yes x 2 on what you said

Actually...I meant to say 2008 (the 1-11 year)...sorry, there were so many bad one's, they all kinda ran together into one bad hangover. The two "high points" of 2008 were beating Cumberland and "only" losing to The Citadel by 3. Eight games of the 12 the Mocs scored 7 points or less while in those same 8 games, they gave up an average of 42.2 ppg. And I was there for every single home game.

[longtimemocfan]

Actually...I meant to say 2008 (the 1-11 year)...sorry, there were so many bad one's, they all kinda ran together into one bad hangover. The two "high points" of 2008 were beating Cumberland and "only" losing to The Citadel by 3. Eight games of the 12 the Mocs scored 7 points or less while in those same 8 games, they gave up an average of 42.2 ppg. And I was there for every single home game.

I salute you for enduring the worst of the worst of years. I think I could only stomach a game and a half before I bailed the rest of the year.

[chattanoogamocs]

I salute you for enduring the worst of the worst of years. I think I could only stomach a game and a half before I bailed the rest of the year.

That last home game, it was so empty I thought I had accidentally shown on the wrong day and was at a Lady Mocs soccer match. :(

Suffering through those bad times definitely makes me appreciate the good times even more.

[Catamount87]

Suffering through those bad times definitely makes me appreciate the good times even more.

That's something we can definitely agree on!

[PaladinFan]

Yes indeed, but this Mercer game scares me. Seriously! GO CATS!

Mercer's a tough team. Undersized, but gritty. They also play well at home.

I don't mind WCU in first as much. I just personally think the Cats are more likely to lose a game or two as the season continues than UTC.

[SH_Moc]

Unfortunately the Chattanooga game won't be broadcast in Nashville, so i will be relegated to listening to JR describe the beat down the Mocs will put on Citadel this Saturday.

[SCPALADIN]

Unfortunately the Chattanooga game won't be broadcast in Nashville, so i will be relegated to listening to JR describe the beat down the Mocs will put on Citadel this Saturday.

It looks like the Socon Digital Network is streaming it.
http://www.socondigitalnetwork.com/

[SH_Moc]

It looks like the Socon Digital Network is streaming it.
http://www.socondigitalnetwork.com/

Thank you that is excellent news. I was given contradictory information from the UTC Atheltics Department.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

Mercer's a tough team. Undersized, but gritty. They also play well at home.

I don't mind WCU in first as much. I just personally think the Cats are more likely to lose a game or two as the season continues than UTC.

At the start of the season, I figure Mercer's first season in the SoCon would be a success if they manage to get to six wins overall. Now I believe they can get to eight wins (three in SoCon play). If they win out (which is a possibility), Lamb is hands down my pick for coach of the year.

[SH_Moc]

At the start of the season, I figure Mercer's first season in the SoCon would be a success if they manage to get to six wins overall. Now I believe they can get to eight wins (three in SoCon play). If they win out (which is a possibility), Lamb is hands down my pick for coach of the year.

While Mercer is having a nice season, I don't see them getting very many SoCon wins. VMI might be their only SoCon victory this season, they might snag 1 more but certainly not 2 - 3. I can't believe that Bobby Lamb would win COY with just 1 - 2 conference wins. As of today the clear cut coach of the year is Mark Speir and what he has done at WCU.

[BearDownMU]

Seeing as how he won 10 games in the Pioneer League and set an NCAA record with 95% redshirt freshman last year in Mercer's first season, and didn't win PFL Coach of the Year... I won't hold my breath. #NobodyLikesTheNewKids

;)

[chattanoogamocs]

Unfortunately the Chattanooga game won't be broadcast in Nashville, so i will be relegated to listening to JR describe the beat down the Mocs will put on Citadel this Saturday.

They probably gave you that info because the original policy was that games that are on TV are not allowed (blacked out) online.

I hope this is true that it will be on SoCon DN (because I got rid of cable 3 years ago and can't get the game), but I have a bad feeling it is an error and won't be shown online.

[chattanoogamocs]

Unfortunately the Chattanooga game won't be broadcast in Nashville, so i will be relegated to listening to JR describe the beat down the Mocs will put on Citadel this Saturday.

Worst case, hit up a sports bar, that is what I planned to do...it is supposed to be available on Direct TV and Dish (someone on the Citadel board posted the channel numbers)

[The Cats]

They probably gave you that info because the original policy was that games that are on TV are not allowed (blacked out) online.

I hope this is true that it will be on SoCon DN (because I got rid of cable 3 years ago and can't get the game), but I have a bad feeling it is an error and won't be shown online.

taken from the Citadel web site..... Due to exclusivity rights afforded to the American Sports Network, the game is not allowed to be streamed via citadelsports.com or the SoCon Digital Network.

[chattanoogamocs]

taken from the Citadel web site..... Due to exclusivity rights afforded to the American Sports Network, the game is not allowed to be streamed via citadelsports.com or the SoCon Digital Network.




Yep...that is what I had been saying all week. Same thing when the game is shown on ESPN3.

If any local Chattanooga fans want to meet up, we have some people going down to Tremont Tavern to watch the game.

[BearDownMU]

Sine it was mentioned, a baseball teammate of mine from Mercer and I started a company last year with the specific mission of providing custom schedule and TV listings (including channel information) based on individual cable providers for sports. We just received some venture capital this year and are still growing and refining the technology, but it provides some nice information if you are looking for games and where to find them on TV.

We currently have info for all the cable companies in the continental United States. Anyway, please check it out. Would love to hear any feedback.

www.sportssked.com

Thanks!

Shawn

[Sandlapper Spike]

MASN has picked up the game between Chattanooga and The Citadel, which is good news in terms of coverage.

[chattanoogamocs]

Furman 7
South Carolina 14
2nd / SEC Network-WatchESPN

Chattanooga 24
The Citadel 0
2nd / American Sports Network

Gardner-Webb
VMI
1:30pm / SoCon Digital Network

Wofford
Samford
3:00pm / SoCon Digital Network

Western Carolina
Mercer
4:00pm / ESPN3-WatchESPN

[chattanoogamocs]

31-0 Mocs, still in the 2nd quarter.

[utcfan]

"QB by nepotism" has thrown for 2 and ran for 1, and has a total of 201 yards rushing and passing.
Very good half, but the Mocs have to finish the drill in the 2nd half.

[Smitty]

The way the Cit fans were talking I thought this was going to be a close game...

[utcfan]

Have to see what 2nd half brings.

[SCPALADIN]

The way the Cit fans were talking I thought this was going to be a close game...

After watching the UNCC game I thought Cit's defense was bad...but wow, this is just ugly. The home side of the stadium looks 2/3 empty...and that's mostly thanks to the cadets having to endure the beatdown.

[utcfan]

Mocs eat up 9:22 on the final drive, all running plays to end the game. UTC 315 rushing yards, The Citadel 198.

[ElCid]

That was pitiful. Cid Defense went to sleep entirely (they have not been exactly awake all year), but to give UTC credit, I think their O might have waken up as well. Penalties were untimely for the Dogs as well (what's new). And I need to see the replay on the ejection. Not sure what happened there, could not hear the Ref very well. ANd they didn't replay it on the scoreboard. Won the turnover battle (+1), big deal. TOP was exactly opposite of what Dogs needed at 35 to 25 in favor of UTC. Congrats to the Mocs. Dogs need to reset. Last week may have drained them.

[SCPALADIN]

That was pitiful. Cid Defense went to sleep entirely (they have not been exactly awake all year), but to give UTC credit, I think their O might have waken up as well. Penalties were untimely for the Dogs as well (what's new). And I need to see the replay on the ejection. Not sure what happened there, could not hear the Ref very well. ANd they didn't replay it on the scoreboard. Won the turnover battle (+1), big deal. TOP was exactly opposite of what Dogs needed at 35 to 25 in favor of UTC. Congrats to the Mocs. Dogs need to reset. Last week may have drained them.

From what I could tell on the ejection, the Cit defensive player kept punching in the area of the ball well after forward progress was stopped and the whistle had blown. The replay without sound, however, made it look completely legal and not an issue. When viewed live it appeared the player was punching away even though the officials had stopped the play. The kid seemed frustrated that he missed the tackle and was doing everything he could to make up for it.

[ElCid]

From what I could tell on the ejection, the Cit defensive player kept punching in the area of the ball well after forward progress was stopped and the whistle had blown. The replay without sound, however, made it look completely legal and not an issue. When viewed live it appeared the player was punching away even though the officials had stopped the play. The kid seemed frustrated that he missed the tackle and was doing everything he could to make up for it.

Thanks. That is the one thing I don't like about being there in person, not being able to see the replays. That hurt bad since he was a real leader on D.

[Milktruck74]

It is tough to come off a game like Cit played last week and follow it up with a strong effort. Play that game in two weeks and I feel the Mocs still win, but not like THAT!!!

[Big_Fan]

Go Dogs.

As I said... thirty-something, to teens.

You have a one-dimensional offense. Chatty took away the one thing you are capable of.

You finished with 200 yards rushing, but how much of that was in trash time?

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford proving me right again today in that, we may not be a playoff team, but this year we're fun to watch.

[kdinva]

Wofford proving me right again today in that, we may not be a playoff team, but this year we're fun to watch.

Congrats to the Terriers on a big road win...

[chattanoogamocs]

Furman 10
South Carolina 41

Chattanooga 34
The Citadel 14
A: 8,037

Gardner-Webb 47
VMI 41 2OT
A:

Wofford 24
Samford 20
A:

Western Carolina 28
Mercer 13
3rd / ESPN3-WatchESPN
A:

[chattanoogamocs]

Congrats to the Terriers on a big road win...

I was pulling for VMI today...the comeback was great, sorry they didn't prevail in OT.

[kdinva]

I was pulling for VMI today...the comeback was great, sorry they didn't prevail in OT.

Keydets didn't start to play until the 2nd period........and keydets allowed GWebb to convert a 4th and 20 right before their tying FG.......

[chattanoogamocs]

Furman 10 (2-5, 1-1)
South Carolina 41

Chattanooga 34 (4-3, 3-0)
The Citadel 14 (2-5, 0-2)
A: 8,037

Gardner-Webb 47
VMI 41 2OT (1-7, 0-3)
A: 6,624

Wofford 24 (4-3, 2-1)
Samford 20 (3-3, 2-2)
A: 4,157

Western Carolina 35 (5-2, 3-0)
Mercer 21 (5-3, 1-3)
A: 9,277

[catamount man]

Just went final. CATS 35 Mercer 21 GO CATS!!!

[OrangeJuice]

I thought my Bears played a little better than I expected. Big turnovers & timely penalties were the difference. The inexperience really shows up against the better teams. Minus the mistakes, it was a closer game than I expected (Mercer 400 yards, WCU 406 yards). Expecting a big butt-whooping for us next Saturday.

[catamount man]

I thought my Bears played a little better than I expected. Big turnovers & timely penalties were the difference. The inexperience really shows up against the better teams. Minus the mistakes, it was a closer game than I expected (Mercer 400 yards, WCU 406 yards). Expecting a big butt-whooping for us next Saturday.

You guys are only going to get better and I am glad you guys are in the SoCon. Enjoy your visit next year to Cullowhee......but just not too much. LOL! GO CATS!

[ElCid]

You guys are only going to get better and I am glad you guys are in the SoCon. Enjoy your visit next year to Cullowhee......but just not too much. LOL! GO CATS!

I am still debating on whether to go up there next week myself. As bad as our D is, you guys might have a field day. But I will probably go all the same. At least the leaves might be nice.

[Catamount87]

I thought my Bears played a little better than I expected. Big turnovers & timely penalties were the difference. The inexperience really shows up against the better teams. Minus the mistakes, it was a closer game than I expected (Mercer 400 yards, WCU 406 yards). Expecting a big butt-whooping for us next Saturday.

Y'all played about as I was expecting. You were never completely out of the game but had a good size hole to dig out of. IMHO, better competition exposes a few things, the offense is somewhat one dimensional right now, your QB needs to show more touch on his passes (rifling throws on a 6-8 yard pass), inexperience (mental mistakes at key times) and a defense that could use some more size and speed. The Mocs defense will really take advantage of these things this coming week. It's a good as they come at the FCS level and a big step up from ours.


That said, y'all have a solid foundation built and I have no doubt that Coach Lamb will have the Bears very competitive in the near future.