SoCon Week #1 Pick 'em

[The Cats]

Fall practice has started throughout the SoCon, so it's time to start picking week one's winners and losers...... Here's your chance to tell everyone how the SoCon will do in the first week of out of conference play.

Also, which game is the "Game of the Week" in the SoCon, I'd say it's between Jac St. @ UTC & CA @ Samford.

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

[The Cats]

my picks....

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

game of the week..... JCU at UTC

[SU DOG]

WINNERS:
Ball State
Samford(IF we don't have lots of turnovers, this is a good tough SLC opponent, Dogs in for a battle)

Clemson
Mercer(really don't think it will be close)
JSU(Hard one to pick. SoCon needs the Mocs to win, but those Yardbirds continue to be really good).
The Citadel
Coastal(But hoping for a Furman upset over the Teal)
Western


Game of the week has to be JSU at UTC.

[tenNesseeCat]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

Game of the Week: JSU @ UTC

[Catamount87]

My picks in BOLD


Thursday, September 3


VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford


Saturday, September 5


Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

[OL FU]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at ClemsonMercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman (ouch)
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

I try to pick with my head and not my heart. Honestly, I do think Furman can win this one so I won't be shocked if we do, but I think the reasonable pick is that we won't.

I expect Chattanooga to exact a little revenge on JSU.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Ball State by 24.
Samford by 3.

Clemson by 24
Mercer by 7
UTC by 10
The Citadel by 21
Coastal by 10
Western by 30

[Smitty]

This seems to be a little early considering it is still a month out but here we go.

Thursday, September 3

VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5

Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

[AshevilleApp2]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

Furman is due for a bounce back season.

[chattanoogamocs]

I will say this, I normally always pull for my SoCon brethren in the OOC, but this year ever moreso. It is absolutely critical that we starting winning the OOC games to re-establish the SoCon as a top 3 FCS conference.

And straight out of the gate there will be no bigger match up for the SoCon than Mocs vs JSU (which should be a candidate for national game of the week, two top 10 teams playing in week one). No offense to our rivals in the SoCon, but at this point there is no team in the country that the Mocs want to beat more than JSU (well, except for maybe NDSU in the Frisco ;) ).

[chattanoogamocs]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

Furman is due for a bounce back season.



I'll take these picks too.

Furman and Chattanooga are both going to have to play really well to make this happen.

[catamount man]

Ball State
Central Arkansas
Clemson
The Citadel
Furman pulls the upset
UTC
WCU
Mercer

[ElCid]

VMI at Ball State- I think VMI might make some noise - 42-21
C Arkansas at Samford - I like Samford in this first time meeting between the two but it might be closer than the West Dogs want - 28-24
Wofford at Clemson - Will Clemson be caught looking ahead to App St? No. But...last time out in 2011 Wofford made it interesting in losing by a score, 35-27; not his time though - 48-15
Mercer at Austin Peay - Care Bears pick up the road win - 35-24
Jacksonville St at Chattanooga - Mocs will be in full vengeance mode. They are 2-7 against JSU since 2004. Now is the time - 33-17
Davidson at The Citadel - Dogs run roughshod on Wildcats - 45-13
Coastal Carolina at Furman - I really want to pick Furman but I think CCU will be up for this. Look for it to be close again - 38-31
Mars Hill at Western Carolina - Western piles on - 48-17

Game of the week, without a doubt, no offense to Samford or Furman, is JSU at UTC.

[tenNesseeCat]

I will say this, I normally always pull for my SoCon brethren in the OOC, but this year ever moreso. It is absolutely critical that we starting winning the OOC games to re-establish the SoCon as a top 3 FCS conference.

I couldn't agree more!

[BEAR]

Ball State
Central Arkansas
Clemson
The Citadel
Furman pulls the upset
UTC
WCU
Mercer

I like how you think. xthumbsupx

[APaladindad]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

[FUBeAR]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

Well, gee, if you're gonna go out on a limb & pick Wofford over Clemson & Mercer to upset Austin Peay, you might as well pick VMI over BallSt & pull that straight SoCon party ticket!

[APaladindad]

Well, gee, if you're gonna go out on a limb & pick Wofford over Clemson & Mercer to upset Austin Peay, you might as well pick VMI over BallSt & pull that straight SoCon party ticket!
I thought about it but I believe Ball State will cover the points on VMI. You know how good that defense is that Coach Bateman puts on the field and Pete Lembo likes to put points on the board!!

[PaladinFan]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman (ouch)
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

I try to pick with my head and not my heart. Honestly, I do think Furman can win this one so I won't be shocked if we do, but I think the reasonable pick is that we won't.

I expect Chattanooga to exact a little revenge on JSU.



I have some heartburn. Last few seasons Furman has been an overlooked underdog and nearly bitten heavily favored Coastal Carolina. CCU's schedule is not that difficult, and they only have a small handful of games they realistically could lose. This is one of them.

My guess is Coastal Carolina comes into this game focused and ready. They are certainly going to be well apprised that this is a big game for he home team, and they are going to come out of the corner swinging.

- - - Updated - - -


Well, gee, if you're gonna go out on a limb & pick Wofford over Clemson & Mercer to upset Austin Peay, you might as well pick VMI over BallSt & pull that straight SoCon party ticket!

You think Mercer over APU would be an upset?

[walliver]

VMI at Ball State - Ball State is a middle of the pack MAC team. They would have trouble with most of the SoCon, but unless VMI's new coach can turn the program around before his first game, Ball State wins by 24.
Central Arkansas at Samford - One of the better games of the week.It is the first Bulldog Hatch Attack game, and there is always uncertainty with a new coach, but I'll give the edge to the home team by 7 in a relatively low scoring game.
Wofford at Clemson - I doubt many people will stop the Tiggers' offense this year, hopefully our offense can eat up enough time to keep it reasonable. Orange Cats win by 21.
Mercer at Austin Peay - The Governors went 1-11 last year and frequently were badly beaten - Teddy's by 24.
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga - Two well-matched teams. The TrainBirds have traditionally had problems with their opening games, but I'll still the the edge to the home team - Chatty wins 24-23
Davidson at the Citadel - The Bellhops would get better competition from Goose Creek High School. Other than the fact that the NCAA considers Davidson football to be "Division I", the Holy City pups would be better off with a D2 or NAIA game. Bellhops win 63-3.
Coastal Carolina at Furman - In the schizoid Bruce Fowler era, you never know what FU is going to do. They could win this game, or lose big. If the Horsey People stay healthy, this game will likely go down to the wire. The Beach Chickens have a winning mentality and confidence from their success last year and that is the difference in a 4 point CCU win, possibly in overtime.
Mars Hill at WCU - Prior to the Speirs era. WCU would be the underdog. The new Can't-amounts pull off a 21 point win.

Future member:
Kennesaw State at ETSU - It is a coin-flip type of game when the Owls invade the confines of Science Hill High School as the Buccaneers (the mighty Caribbean horde who somehow ended up in the East Tennessee mountains) play a home game outside for the first time in a generation. I'll give the edge to the home team, but there is really no way to predict the outcome of this game - although Reinhardt would whip both of them.

[Milktruck74]

Thursday, September 3
Testicle Tech
Sammy in a tight one

Saturday, September 5
Clemson rallies in the second half to win by 21
Mercer
Chattanooga in a statement game....scoring early and often
The Citadel
Coastal Carolina- sorry, Furple...home field just doesn't give you enough against the Chanties
Western Carolina - even the 4th string trombone gets a shot in this blow out.

[bonarae]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford - a tight one at that?

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay - one reason why the PFL is real bad... while Mercer is glad to have a supportive and committed administration that led the athletic department to offer football scholarships and join the SoCon.
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman - not the previous generation's Dins anymore... xsmhx
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

[Toby]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford

Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman (ouch)
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

I try to pick with my head and not my heart. Honestly, I do think Furman can win this one so I won't be shocked if we do, but I think the reasonable pick is that we won't.

I expect Chattanooga to exact a little revenge on JSU.



Wofford over Clemson. That's got to be the UPSET Pick of the week.

[Toby]

Assuming we are not using point spreads just straight up W or L.

Thursday, September 3
Ball State
Samford

Saturday, September 5
Clemson
Mercer
Jacksonville State
The Citadel
Coastal Carolina
Western Carolina

Will be routing for a SoCon sweep so I hope I am wrong on several of these.

[Mocs123]

VMI 17
Ball State 38

CentralArkansas 20
Samford 24

Wofford 14
Clemson 49

Mercer 49
Austin Peay17

JacksonvilleState 24 Game of the Week - UTC getsrevenge against a good JSU team
Chattanooga 28

Davidson 3 Beatdown of the Week - The Citadel is a lot betterthan College of Faith
Citadel 63

CoastalCarolina 17 Upset of the Week - Like UTC-JSU, these twoalways play close and I think Furman is finally healthy
Furman 20

Mars Hill 7
Western Carolina 42

KennesawState 23
ETSU28

[phoenix3]

I thought about it but I believe Ball State will cover the points on VMI. You know how good that defense is that Coach Bateman puts on the field and Pete Lembo likes to put points on the board!!

Bateman will be in his second year as DC of Army.

[APaladindad]

Bateman will be in his second year as DC of Army.
I should really do a better job of keeping up with FBS! I am just a knuckle head! xcoffeex

[ElCid]

Only 23 days left until the fun begins.

[kdinva]

Thursday, September 3

VMI 26 at Ball State 40
Central Arkansas 21 at Samford 23

Saturday, September 5

Wofford 20 at Clemson 45
Mercer 35 at Austin Peay 24
Jacksonville State 20 at Chattanooga 35
Davidson 13 at The Citadel 48
Coastal Carolina 24 at Furman 21
Mars Hill 10 at Western Carolina 48

[OL FU]

Wofford over Clemson. That's got to be the UPSET Pick of the week.

Oops that was an error (not my first or my last)

[PaladinFan]

Oops that was an error (not my first or my last)

I cannot remember, but I think the Terriers have scared the pants of Clemson/USC a few times recently.

[eiu1999]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford


Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina

[OL FU]

I cannot remember, but I think the Terriers have scared the pants of Clemson/USC a few times recently.

They have. Scared USC even more. But I still didn't mean to pick them.

[Toby]

Oops that was an error (not my first or my last)


OK. I'll subtract from your BOLDNESS quotient and add it to your intelligence quotient. :)

[OL FU]

OK. I'll subtract from your BOLDNESS quotient and add it to your intelligence quotient. :)

Good that gets me down to a 2 on boldness and a 2.5 on intelligencexembarrassedx

[catamount man]

Good to be here again to read all of this while I recover from a ruptered appendix. Football season cannot get here quick enough. GO CATS!

[PaladinNation]

VMI 17
Ball State 38

CentralArkansas 20
Samford 24

Wofford 14
Clemson 49

Mercer 49
Austin Peay17

JacksonvilleState 24 Game of the Week - UTC getsrevenge against a good JSU team
Chattanooga 28

Davidson 3 Beatdown of the Week - The Citadel is a lot betterthan College of Faith
Citadel 63

CoastalCarolina 17 Upset of the Week - Like UTC-JSU, these twoalways play close and I think Furman is finally healthy
Furman 20

Mars Hill 7
Western Carolina 42

KennesawState 23
ETSU28

Concerning the FU / CCU game… no doubt CCU is a very good team. Some intangibles from the Furman side.
Hannon has played very well against CCU in his freshman and sophomore seasons (6 TDs and 446 passing yards). Furman has also had for some odd reason very good offensive success against CCU. Last year Furman ran for 276 yards with a true freshman QB.

Furman will have better O Line play, a veteran QB, a big stable of healthy running backs, possibly the best WR corps in many years, a very big and athletic tight end corps (four out five TEs are 6-4, one is 6-4 260) and they'll be running a new offense I hope.

The key will be the defense, new DC, new defensive scheme, the return of a all SoCon linebacker, as well as the return of some sorely missed healthy players at many defensive positions.

I think Furman is going to come out with they're a$$es on fire.

[ElCid]

Good to be here again to read all of this while I recover from a ruptered appendix. Football season cannot get here quick enough. GO CATS!

Dude, seriously. Hope you get better soon. Nasty business that. 18 days to go.

[PaladinFan]

Concerning the FU / CCU game… no doubt CCU is a very good team. Some intangibles from the Furman side.
Hannon has played very well against CCU in his freshman and sophomore seasons (6 TDs and 446 passing yards). Furman has also had for some odd reason very good offensive success against CCU. Last year Furman ran for 276 yards with a true freshman QB.

Furman will have better O Line play, a veteran QB, a big stable of healthy running backs, possibly the best WR corps in many years, a very big and athletic tight end corps (four out five TEs are 6-4, one is 6-4 260) and they'll be running a new offense I hope.

The key will be the defense, new DC, new defensive scheme, the return of a all SoCon linebacker, as well as the return of some sorely missed healthy players at many defensive positions.

I think Furman is going to come out with they're a$$es on fire.

As the weeks go by I get more optimistic about the game. It is going to be a sharp fight, I think. This is a big game for both teams.

[Smitty]

Either it will be a close game or someone will sneeze and 12 furman players get injured...

[wcucat15]

Good to be here again to read all of this while I recover from a ruptered appendix. Football season cannot get here quick enough. GO CATS!

I had the same thing a few years ago and it was painful. Hope you get well fast.

[LarryBoy]

Here's highlights from last year's Furman-CCU game (as long as you pretend Furman won 31-0).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzRsPT0mtU&index=1&list=LL_EIXUdEcYAeobYJJMACRnA

That was a weird game. Running into the stadium later than usual, I was stunned at how empty it was. The emptiest I'd seen Paladin Stadium in many, many years. After watching us get decimated by injuries and then drop three straight– including the jaw-droppingly embarrassing defeat at PC– most of Paladin Nation had packed it up at this point. We're not the heartiest fanbase, even in the best of times.

So, with a true freshman QB making his first collegiate start and, basically, a makeshift team, I expected this one to get ugly, fast.

But Blazejowski played a heck of a game. He showed great leadership and didn't make any mistakes. The offense was in sync the whole night. Unfortunately, our defense managed to stop Coastal...maybe twice?

Logic says that, with Furman finally being fully healthy, they'll be a much better team in this first game. But Furman does have the tendency to come out flat-footed. And Hannon– while we all want him back there– hasn't taken a snap in-game in a year.

So, we'll see. Can't wait.

[PaladinFan]

This is a really interesting matchup. Coastal is heavily favored, but comes in having to replace most of the OL, both safeties, two best linebackers, and top corner back. Furman has a lot of question marks as well, but they should have a really deep and talented receiving corps.

Command of the skies may be one of the key areas to watch in this one as the Paladins will try and attack a bunch of new faces in the Coastal backfield. It wouldn't surprise me to see Furman try a haymaker early to get CCU on their heels. CBF has shown a willingness to try and hit a team early with unorthodox playcalling.

Furman is going to have to stop Coastal's down hill run game (easier said than done). CCU is going to ride Ross and Henderson, and the Paladins can ill afford to let them settle into that run game like they did last season.

[BearDownMU]

This is a really interesting matchup. Coastal is heavily favored, but comes in having to replace most of the OL, both safeties, two best linebackers, and top corner back. Furman has a lot of question marks as well, but they should have a really deep and talented receiving corps.

Command of the skies may be one of the key areas to watch in this one as the Paladins will try and attack a bunch of new faces in the Coastal backfield. It wouldn't surprise me to see Furman try a haymaker early to get CCU on their heels. CBF has shown a willingness to try and hit a team early with unorthodox playcalling.

Furman is going to have to stop Coastal's down hill run game (easier said than done). CCU is going to ride Ross and Henderson, and the Paladins can ill afford to let them settle into that run game like they did last season.

Other than our own, this is the SoCon game I'm most interested in seeing Week 1.

[PaladinFan]

Interesting little historical note. Furman QB Reese Hannon was selected as one of three captains for the 2015 season. That is the third time he has been elected captain by his teammates.

Furman's PR folks say that in the 110 year recorded history of Furman football, no player has ever been elected captain three times.

[BearDownMU]

Interesting little historical note. Furman QB Reese Hannon was selected as one of three captains for the 2015 season. That is the third time he has been elected captain by his teammates.

Furman's PR folks say that in the 110 year recorded history of Furman football, no player has ever been elected captain three times.

That's weird. FUBeAR told me he was elected captain 7 times. But that's unconfirmed. ;)

[FUBeAR]

That's weird. FUBeAR told me he was elected captain 7 times. But that's unconfirmed. ;)

Not Exactly...I said I had a nickname that started with Captain...all 7 years (yep, SEVEN) that I was there. I can see how you misinterpreted my comment.

[citdog]

furman sucks

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

With less than two weeks to go, here are my picks.

VMI @ Ball State - Keydets don't have the firepower in this one.
Central Arkansas @ Samford - Bulldogs kick off season with win.
Wofford @ Clemson - Tigers uppercut the Terriers.
Mercer @ Austin Peay - Bears maul Governors.
Jacksonville St @ Chattanooga (Game of the week) - Mocs avenge last year's loss.
Davidson @ The Citadel - Bulldogs feast on Wildcat for supper.
Mars Hill @ Western Carolina (Beatdown of the week) - Catamounts roll in this one.
Coastal Carolina @ Furman - I am buying the hype on Furman.
Kennesaw State @ ETSU - Bucs kick off the season the same way their last season ended.

[The Cats]

bump

[PaladinFan]

Here's highlights from last year's Furman-CCU game (as long as you pretend Furman won 31-0).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzRsPT0mtU&index=1&list=LL_EIXUdEcYAeobYJJMACRnA

That was a weird game. Running into the stadium later than usual, I was stunned at how empty it was. The emptiest I'd seen Paladin Stadium in many, many years. After watching us get decimated by injuries and then drop three straight– including the jaw-droppingly embarrassing defeat at PC– most of Paladin Nation had packed it up at this point. We're not the heartiest fanbase, even in the best of times.

So, with a true freshman QB making his first collegiate start and, basically, a makeshift team, I expected this one to get ugly, fast.

But Blazejowski played a heck of a game. He showed great leadership and didn't make any mistakes. The offense was in sync the whole night. Unfortunately, our defense managed to stop Coastal...maybe twice?

Logic says that, with Furman finally being fully healthy, they'll be a much better team in this first game. But Furman does have the tendency to come out flat-footed. And Hannon– while we all want him back there– hasn't taken a snap in-game in a year.

So, we'll see. Can't wait.

Watching those highlights again gives me hope for this game. Furman's defense had a difficult time matching Coastal's physical running game, but Coastal had an equally difficult time matching Furman's speed. A lot of Furman's big plays in that were simply the result of Furman's ball carrier outrunning the Coastal defender. Kept the linebackers honest by quick cuts inside and missed tackles at the point of attack. Defensive backs looked a step slow all game.

I expect more of the same this year: Coastal trying to establish the running game inside and Furman trying to beat Coastal to the edge. We'll find out next week which team learned the lessons from last season.

[Sandlapper Spike]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford


Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina


---

I'll pick Furman to pull the upset at home. I also wouldn't be completely shocked if VMI gave Ball State a good game.

[CID1990]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State
Central Arkansas at Samford


Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson
Mercer at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State at Chattanooga
Davidson at The Citadel
Coastal Carolina at Furman
Mars Hill at Western Carolina


---

I'll pick Furman to pull the upset at home. I also wouldn't be completely shocked if VMI gave Ball State a good game.

interesting Furple pick

history doesnt favor you, but it would be nice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Cats]

Only 5 days till the SoCon opens play......

[Skyhawk71]

Virginia Military @ Ball State
Central Arkansas @ Samford
Wofford @ Clemson
Mercer @ Austin Peay
Jacksonville State @ Chattanooga
Davidson @ Citadel
Coastal Carolina @ Furman
Mars Hill @ Western Carolina

[PaladinFan]

Here is an interesting tidbit.

Dillon Woodruff, who started in place of Reese Hannon the past two seasons at QB and was eventually replaced by PJ Blazejowski mid-season has converted to defense and won the job as Furman's starting strong safety. Not for lack of depth either, as Furman has some talented players at safety.

Bizarre position switch, but at 6'2 215 lbs, Woodruff is a big guy that can run.

Not sure many guys go from starting QB to starting S at the D1 level. Impressive to see a young man who certainly had to have had a roller coaster season (Furman's offense was abysmal last season) take one for the team, learn a new position, and win a starting spot.

[PaladinNation]

Here is an interesting tidbit.

Dillon Woodruff, who started in place of Reese Hannon the past two seasons at QB and was eventually replaced by PJ Blazejowski mid-season has converted to defense and won the job as Furman's starting strong safety. Not for lack of depth either, as Furman has some talented players at safety.

Bizarre position switch, but at 6'2 215 lbs, Woodruff is a big guy that can run.

Not sure many guys go from starting QB to starting S at the D1 level. Impressive to see a young man who certainly had to have had a roller coaster season (Furman's offense was abysmal last season) take one for the team, learn a new position, and win a starting spot.


Woodruff IMO played the pre-season with a chip on his shoulder, Coach Fowler has done a very good job getting talented players off the depth charts and on the field; Duncan Fletcher also was a QB.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21274&stc=1

[PaladinFan]

When Fletcher moved to TE I was extremely surprised. He was tall and athletic, but to my knowledge, had never played the position anywhere in his career. I had no idea that in just one season he would put on 30 lbs and be All SoCon and in the conversation as an All American at the position.

Here's hoping Coach Fowler pressed the right buttons again and got a good athlete on the field where he can help the team.

[longtimemocfan]

VMI @ Ball State....Maybe somewhat competitive, but should be all Cardnals at the end.

Central Ark. @ Samford.... Close game through out with Samford coming through when it counts.

Wofford @ Clemson.....Maybe close at first, but Clemson is the ACC favorite and just has too many horses.

Jacksonville St. @ Chattanooga... Close hard fought game. Mocs have a lot of weapons this year and survive and win.

Coastal Carolina @ Furman.....Tough game to pick. Not sure exactly what Furman will have after all the injuries from last year. Coastal in another close game.

Mars Hill @ Western Carolina...Cats have talent and should prevail with some ease in this one.

Mercer @ Austin Peay...Mercer should have a easy time with the Govs.

[FUBeAR]

Thursday, September 3
VMI at Ball State - Hope the Keydets come out firing with their new up-tempo offense, roll up some big numbers, and put a good scare into the Testiculars, but I just don't think they can pull off the upset, dangit! I HOPE I'M WRONG

Central Arkansas at Samford - No doubt there is a lot of talent in Homewood, and I do hope I'm wrong with this pick. Honestly. I just recall those GaSou teams of the Coach Hatcher years didn't seem to quite click on all cylinders, even on offense. My memory may be foggy here and I could be completely wrong, but I'm gonna go with it anyway. I think the Bulldogs might have a few more kinks to work out of the Hatch Attack than they think the do. Also, I'm concerned about a potential QB controversy there that could divide the locker room along several different lines. My spidey-senses have been telling me something's 'up' with that situation and it could become less-than-pretty. Again, honestly, I hope that doesn't happen and that Eubank comes out firing on all cylinders. Samford's D just may be strong enough to overcome any or all of that and I'll be watching them closely on my stream. GO BULLDOGS! MAKE ME WRONG!


Saturday, September 5
Wofford at Clemson - Nothing would make me happier than for a little dogs win in Clempsen, but I don't see it happening. While I'm not sure we'll get much of a read on Woffy's O during this game, I will be interested in checking out their D. They have a lot of new faces on that D and I want to see how they look. They're not newborn pups and many of them have a good bit of playing time under their collars, but I will be interested in how they step-up to full-time or 're-newed' starter status AND how much some of the off-season and Fall camp injuries affects them on D. My DVR is set for this one. C'MON TERRIERS! PROVE THAT I'M WRONG!

Mercer at Austin Peay - 1st one I've picked that I want to be right. APSU lost 47 players from last year's roster and they have 47 new players on their roster. Interestingly, they also have 47 returning players. Somebody in Clarksville into numerology or something? They only return 3 starters on Off, but I think they are going to be running much more of a downhill power running game O (think NDSU...is that a fair comparison. APSU to NDSU?...I know, I will report for AGS pillorying in the morning for even typing that). But I think that change will lead to less mistakes on O, even though they are all new players. Defense returns 7 and they did pick up 4 FBS, 3 JUCO, and 1 FCS Transfer among those new 47. Whatever the Governors will be, they will NOT be the same team that Mercer thrashed fairly handily last season. I'm afraid this one may be a lot closer than some think...maybe even Reinhardt-close, but the Bears will find a way to win their 3rd opener in 3 seasons of play. [please be right! please be right]

Jacksonville State at Chattanooga - Yep, another one that I really, really want to be wrong! I'm going to reserve expounding upon my reasons for this pick, but I will say that I think Chatt is an excellent football team with a ton of talent and they are extremely well-coached. This game shapes up as another Montana & NDSU (better usage of the Bison comparison, huh?) WAR and I can't wait to watch it (somehow), but, disappointingly to me, I think the Mocs just don't finish on the right side of the battle trench in this one. MOCS - YOU CAN DO IT! MAKE ME WRONG AGAIN!!

Davidson at The Citadel - El Cid wins by whatever score they would like to win by. I will be interested in watching their new QB and they, more so than Wofford, have a lot of new faces on that defense, particularly in the Front 7. I'm not sure that we will be able to get much of a read on that D this week, but I heard some Felines are due in Chucktown the following week and we'll know a lot more about the Bellhops after that game. If I'm wrong on this one, well....I'll try again next week.

Coastal Carolina at Furman - To open the game, instead of running through a helmet, Furman's players run out through the back of an inflatable ambulance and the offense is clicking with Hannon back at the helm. On the other side, Alex Ross has flashbacks from a historic video I bet he saw this week, in which he was mercilessly sacked 7 times and knocked down many more. He keeps getting rid of the ball too early and the 'Dins make him pay with 4 picks; 2 of those go back to the house for 6. Meanwhile, the other CCU players have been spending most of their preparation week looking up Moscow, ID & Las Cruces, NM on GoogleMaps and the Coaches have been wading through FootballScoop to find FBS Salary info. Furman wins this one and they do it so convincingly that is washes the taste of their past losses to the Beach Chickens out of their mouth...and even that Homecoming decimation by Samford last season is cleansed from their palates. Great way to open the season and head to Blacksburg, VA the following week brimming with confidence. [please be right! please be right]

Mars Hill at Western Carolina - See my take on the Davidson @ The Citadel game above and change all of the team names where appropriate...except I don't have any concerns about the Catamount's Defense or their QB. They are locked, loaded, and ready for Bear up in Cullowhee...but they'll have to wait a few weeks for that. 1st they make a meal of Lions and then see the following week if they have what it takes to hunt and kill some wild dogs with cannons.

Kennesaw @ ETSU - Well, my heart tells me to pick Reinhardt in this match-up of 1st year programs, but my head tells me that Kennesaw is going to get off to a little bit faster start than the ETSU Bucs. They better! So, I'll end on the theme that I began and that has cascaded through so many of my Week 1 picks. I HOPE I'M WRONG

[The Cats]

It's not to late to get your SoCon picks in for this week......

[chattanoogamocs]

Good luck to Samford and VMI tonight. We all need to be pulling for our conference brethren in the OOC. All ships rise with the tide.

[chattanoogamocs]

SoCon Scores
Thursday

VMI 36
Ball State 48
FINAL

Central Arkansas 16
Samford 45
FINAL

Kennesaw State 56
ETSU 16
FINAL

[chattownmocs]

LOUD statement by samford

[Smitty]

LOUD statement by samford

Hopefully with just the OOC game.

[tenNesseeCat]

Good, strong win by Samford. VMI showed much better than I thought they would.

[SU DOG]

Samford IS a top 20 team. I know one win doesn't prove that, but look at the talent level of these athletes. The Bulldogs are a top 20 team.

[kdinva]

SoCon Scores
Thursday

VMI 36
Ball State 48
FINAL


two VMI fumbles led to 14 Ball St. points. Add in 4 points for VMI when they kicked a FG vs getting a TD......darn good overall effort, defense still a Work in progress, but they'll learn from this. Ball St. will win some MAC games, no doubt. Coach Lembo will have that squad still in the division hunt come November.....

[BEAR]

Samford IS a top 20 team. I know one win doesn't prove that, but look at the talent level of these athletes. The Bulldogs are a top 20 team.

I'll second that! Once our starting QB Reed got hurt then we lost our back up QB Hildebrand and Reed had to come back in he could only throw short passes with his arm. It was over. I spent the night screaming at the TV about those short passes but now I know why. Plus Hatcher isolated our 5'8" DB and made a meal out of him with his receivers. As he should. The second half wasn't as bad but geez. xrotatehx I really was confused why Hatcher left your starting QB out there ALL game but then I realized our defense wasn't getting penetration so he really was in no danger.

Great game Bulldogs.

Offense: Sam has a solid offense led by a senior QB that really has nothing to worry about from defenses and a coach smart enough to find weaknesses in defenses.
Defense: Fast. Swarming. Well disciplined. Will take Samford to the playoffs.

Don't come to Conway next year. We lose 26 of our best players :( and you guys are FULL of freshman! xdrunkyx

[Toby]

Congrats to Samford! You all dominated last night. VMI showed up well. Al Cobb is an amazing QB. Both teams exceeded expectations.

[chattanoogamocs]

Samford IS a top 20 team. I know one win doesn't prove that, but look at the talent level of these athletes. The Bulldogs are a top 20 team.

I agree that Samford is worth of a ranking...now y'all get more fans to show up (not meant as a slight, but under 7k for a good home opener is disappointing).

- - - Updated - - -


two VMI fumbles led to 14 Ball St. points. Add in 4 points for VMI when they kicked a FG vs getting a TD......darn good overall effort, defense still a Work in progress, but they'll learn from this. Ball St. will win some MAC games, no doubt. Coach Lembo will have that squad still in the division hunt come November.....

Definitely an entertaining game to watch. Cobb is the real deal.

- - - Updated - - -


I'll second that! Once our starting QB Reed got hurt then we lost our back up QB Hildebrand and Reed had to come back in he could only throw short passes with his arm. It was over. I spent the night screaming at the TV about those short passes but now I know why. Plus Hatcher isolated our 5'8" DB and made a meal out of him with his receivers. As he should. The second half wasn't as bad but geez. xrotatehx I really was confused why Hatcher left your starting QB out there ALL game but then I realized our defense wasn't getting penetration so he really was in no danger.

Great game Bulldogs.

Offense: Sam has a solid offense led by a senior QB that really has nothing to worry about from defenses and a coach smart enough to find weaknesses in defenses.
Defense: Fast. Swarming. Well disciplined. Will take Samford to the playoffs.

Don't come to Conway next year. We lose 26 of our best players :( and you guys are FULL of freshman! xdrunkyx

I spy some backhanded compliments in there. ;)

[Milktruck74]

Great showing by the Bulldogs and Keydets last night....lets keep the SoCon Rolling on Saturday......Go Mocs, Go Furple, Go Bears, Go Cats, Go Terriers, Go Other Bulldogs

[tenNesseeCat]

I agree that Samford is worth of a ranking...now y'all get more fans to show up (not meant as a slight, but under 7k for a good home opener is disappointing).

From www.samfordsports.com (http://www.samfordsports.com)

"more than 200 theatre-type reserved seats were added in front of the press tower, bringing the *seating capacity to 6,700. Aluminum seating replaced the *original wooden seats. A scoreboard *featuring an electronic matrix *message board was added before the 1994 *season. The improvements have made Samford's football facility one of the finest in the nation at the Division I-FCS level."
https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/TRImages/Seibert%20StadiumSamford%20U.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Samford_University_Seibert_Stadium.jpg

That could be hard since capacity isn't even 7k. In no way am I trying to knock Samford, but if they can fit 6,700 in there, then my high school stadium should hold 7k.

http://www.wareaglepride.com/images/stadium.jpg

Does Samford have any plans for stadium expansion. I know they added the field house back in '09, and it looks to be very nice. Looks like they could just extend the seating on both sides, of the visitor and home side as an easy way to increase capacity. I would think they shouldn't have any problems raising funds to do so. Do they draw much of a crowd on game days?

[chattanoogamocs]

Yeah, but with the grassy berms Samford has routinely gone over "capacity" in the past (upwards of 10,000). On a sunshiny day with no other football being played in the State of Alabama, I was optimistically hoping for more (plus, I watched the game, there were plenty of seats available over on the "visitor side").

Ironically, ETSU played at an actual high school stadium last night and had 8,200+

(I am not trying to knock Samford...I honestly want to see all SoCon teams do well in the OOC and host good crowds in all games...our survival and advancement and respect on the national level depends on all teams doing better).

[tenNesseeCat]

(I am not trying to knock Samford...I honestly want to see all SoCon teams do well in the OOC and host good crowds in all games...our survival and advancement and respect on the national level depends on all teams doing better).

I totally agree!

[SU DOG]

Seibert Stadium is in a bowl, and has handled crowds of over 10,000 and an all-time record crowd of 11,189. Huge difference in seating capacity and attendance. Last night, the students were standing 4 deep on the home side. They will not go sit on the visitors' side. We definitely need more seats on the home side to accommodate the students. Speaking of students, we only have 3,000 undergrads, and a number of them are transient students that live in B'ham. We have, however, set new records for admissions over the past several years. Over 6,000 is not an embarrassing number when playing an opponent from as far away as Arkansas.

There are plans to renovate the stadium, but Samford is slow in whatever they do, and they usually do it right. The new 73,000 sq ft. building for the School of Business has just opened, and hopefully, with this completion, the stadium issues can be addressed relatively soon.

[chattanoogamocs]

Seibert Stadium is in a bowl, and has handled crowds of over 10,000 and an all-time record crowd of 11,189. Huge difference in seating capacity and attendance. Last night, the students were standing 4 deep on the home side. They will not go sit on the visitors' side. We definitely need more seats on the home side to accommodate the students. Speaking of students, we only have 3,000 undergrads, and a number of them are transient students that live in B'ham. We have, however, set new records for admissions over the past several years. Over 6,000 is not an embarrassing number when playing an opponent from as far away as Arkansas.

There are plans to renovate the stadium, but Samford is slow in whatever they do, and they usually do it right. The new 73,000 sq ft. building for the School of Business has just opened, and hopefully, with this completion, the stadium issues can be addressed relatively soon.

You are correct about "being slow but doing it right"...except for the terrible lack of acoustics, I love "the Pete." I appreciate the architecture of the Samford campus and their commitment to keeping everything of one unifying style.

[AshevilleApp2]

A quick shout out to a non SoCon school. Mars Hill (D-2) plays Western Carolina tomorrow. I found out yesterday that a friends redshirt Freshman son, and kid that I've known since he was 8, has been named a starting wide receiver for Mars Hill. So I hope WCU wins, and Shadow Christenson torches them for a couple of TD's!

[Redbirdz]

Seriously, do you guys really think Chatty can hang with Jax State?

[Milktruck74]

Seriously, do you guys really think Chatty can hang with Jax State?

We will see. I don't think you will see the offensive screw-ups that happened last year. Mocs pull out early and stay on the gas for a big win....Mocs by 17+

[SU DOG]

We will see. I don't think you will see the offensive screw-ups that happened last year. Mocs pull out early and stay on the gas for a big win....Mocs by 17+

If UTC can beat this JSU Team by 17+ points, then If I was a Mocs Fan, I would seriously consider booking a room in Frisco.

[BearDownMU]

Seriously, do you guys really think Chatty can hang with Jax State?

I've got the Mocs by 10 on my big board.

[chattanoogamocs]

Looks like it will be a good crowd tonight...two top 10 teams, perfect weather (rain had been forecast earlier in the week). I was told by a little birdie that over 10k in tickets had been pre-sold. We are hoping for 15-17k

(historical note: 17.5k would be the 2nd largest crowd in UTC history).

[AshevilleApp2]

Looks like it will be a good crowd tonight...two top 10 teams, perfect weather (rain had been forecast earlier in the week). I was told by a little birdie that over 10k in tickets had been pre-sold. We are hoping for 15-17k

(historical note: 17.5k would be the 2nd largest crowd in UTC history).

How about for Championship games?

[chattanoogamocs]

How about for Championship games?

Chattanooga hasn't played in any Championship games. ;)

The top 3 all-time at Finley are...
23,010 ASU (vs UMass)
22,808 ASU (vs Delaware)
22,646 for UTC (vs Tenn St)

This has been a great 5 weeks for the stadium...

18,227 NPSL National Finals (Chattanooga FC vs NY Cosmos B)
20,535 US Women's National Team vs Costa Rica
??,??? #8 Chattanooga vs #7 Jacksonville State

[PaladinFan]

Eventful first week.

[chattanoogamocs]

Thursday

VMI 36
Ball State 48

Central Arkansas 16
Samford 45
(A: 6,259)

Kennesaw State 56
ETSU 16
(A: 8,217)

Saturday

Wofford 10
Clemson 49

Mercer 28
Austin Peay 7

Jacksonville State 23
Chattanooga 20
(A: 15,812)

Davidson 0
The Citadel 69
(A: 8,665)

Coastal Carolina 38
Furman 35
(A: 6,563)

Mars Hill 14
Western Carolina 42
(A: 12,348)

[Redbirdz]

We will see. I don't think you will see the offensive screw-ups that happened last year. Mocs pull out early and stay on the gas for a big win....Mocs by 17+

Well, guess there were some screw ups. Jax State just has Chatty's number.