Southern Conference Pick'em: Week 1

[The Cats]

It's only 16 days until the SoCon kicks off football and here are the week one game.

Lots of good games on tap the first week, with a conference game Thursday night to kick off conference play. and this should tell us a lot about both Mercer and The Citadel.

Pick your winners and losers. My picks in bold.



Thursday, September 1
The Citadel at Mercer - Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Fox Sports Go / ESPN3

Mars Hill at Samford - Birmingham, Ala. TBA ESPN3
Wofford at Tennessee Tech - Cookeville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. OVCDN
Shorter University at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, Tenn. 7:00 p.m.


Friday, September 2
Furman at Michigan State - East - Lansing, Mich. 7:00 p.m. BTN


Saturday, September 3
Western Carolina at East Carolina - Greenville, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ESPN3
VMI at Akron - Akron, Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPN3
ETSU at Kennesaw State - Kennesaw, Ga. 7:00 p.m. BSDN

[BisonTru]

Thursday, September 1
The Citadel at Mercer - Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Fox Sports Go / ESPN3

Mars Hill at Samford - Birmingham, Ala. TBA ESPN3
Wofford at Tennessee Tech - Cookeville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. OVCDN
Shorter University at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, Tenn. 7:00 p.m.


Friday, September 2
Furman at Michigan State - East - Lansing, Mich. 7:00 p.m. BTN


Saturday, September 3
Western Carolina at East Carolina - Greenville, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ESPN3
VMI at Akron - Akron, Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPN3
ETSU at Kennesaw State - Kennesaw, Ga. 7:00 p.m. BSDN

[eiu1999]

Thursday, September 1
The Citadel at Mercer - Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Fox Sports Go / ESPN3


Mars Hill at Samford - Birmingham, Ala. TBA ESPN3
Wofford at Tennessee Tech - Cookeville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. OVCDN
Shorter University at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, Tenn. 7:00 p.m.




Friday, September 2
Furman at Michigan State - East - Lansing, Mich. 7:00 p.m. BTN




Saturday, September 3
Western Carolina at East Carolina - Greenville, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ESPN3
VMI at Akron - Akron, Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPN3
ETSU at Kennesaw State - Kennesaw, Ga. 7:00 p.m. BSDN

[SU DOG]

The Citadel @ Mercer - Hard to figure this one, but I'll have to say El Cid in a close game.
Mars Hill @ Samford - Game time is 6PM Central Time, and Bulldogs by at least 4TDs
Wofford @ Tenn. Tech - Terriers, but the QB injury will hurt.
Shorter U @ UTC - No match, Mocs by several TDs.
Furman @ Michigan State - Let's hope the Paladins can just keep from getting somebody hurt against a very physical team.
Western Carolina @ East Carolina - It will be closer than the Pirates want, but ECU will win. LOVE to see the upset here, however.
VMI @ Akron - Zips will be too much for a much improved VMI team.
ETSU @ Kennesaw State - Hate to say it, but the Owls will win going away.

[FUBeAR]

Thursday, September 1
The Citadel at Mercer - Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Fox Sports Go / ESPN3 - New HC, New OC, New DC, Suspended QB for Bellhops. Huge, Hostile Crowd - gotta bet on the Bears

Mars Hill at Samford - Birmingham, Ala. TBA ESPN3

Wofford at Tennessee Tech - Cookeville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. OVCDN - Hate it, but I gotta pick TTU; mainly because I saw why they call it COOKeville last Fall with the HomeCOOKin' the Golden Eagles received up there. Also, a new energetic HC, who does NOT hold the NCAA record for most losses in a career will make his debut. If OVC Officials are calling the game, the Terriers might as well stay home in Sparkle City. Regardless, I think what appears to be the loss of their starting QB, Evan Jacks, is an awful blow for the LittleDogs and they may develop a confidence issue if the O sputters early. I REALLY, REALLY hope I'm wrong with this pick...REALLY!

Shorter University at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, Tenn. 7:00 p.m.


Friday, September 2
Furman at Michigan State - East - Lansing, Mich. 7:00 p.m. BTN - PROVE ME TOO PESSIMISTIC PALADINS - send Sparty home on his shield!


Saturday, September 3
Western Carolina at East Carolina - Greenville, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ESPN3 - Greenville will be PURPLE SQUARED, but I think the Pirates and that crowd may be too strong for the Cats. Also, another new energetic HC making his home debut - Again, I hope I'm wrong!

VMI at Akron - Akron, Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPN3 - Keydets gave fellow MAC team, Ball State, a run for their money last year - Zips are better than the Cardinals; Keydets will be better too; but not enough - Get 'em 'Roos - MAC me wrong again!!

ETSU at Kennesaw State - Kennesaw, Ga. 7:00 p.m. BSDN - I'll take the Bucs in this one...next year.

[JSUSoutherner]

El Cid
Samford
TTU
Shorter
Michigan State
ECU
Akron
Kennesaw

[SU DOG]

El Cid
Samford
TTU
Shorter
Michigan State
ECU
Akron
Kennesaw

OK, I'll be the first to take the Chatty bait. Shorter??? In that case, you must also be picking TUNA. xlolx

[Thumper 76]

Thursday, September 1
The Citadel at Mercer - Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Fox Sports Go / ESPN3

Mars Hill at Samford - Birmingham, Ala. TBA ESPN3
Wofford at Tennessee Tech - Cookeville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. OVCDN
Shorter University at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, Tenn. 7:00 p.m.


Friday, September 2
Furman at Michigan State - East - Lansing, Mich. 7:00 p.m. BTN


Saturday, September 3
Western Carolina at East Carolina - Greenville, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ESPN3
VMI at Akron - Akron, Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPN3
ETSU at Kennesaw State - Kennesaw, Ga. 7:00 p.m. BSDN

I'll have what he's having

[VictoryViking]

The Citadel at Mercer - Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Fox Sports Go / ESPN3

Mars Hill atSamford - Birmingham, Ala. TBA ESPN3
Wofford at Tennessee Tech - Cookeville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. OVCDN
Shorter University at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, Tenn. 7:00 p.m.


Friday, September 2
Furman at Michigan State - East - Lansing, Mich. 7:00 p.m. BTN


Saturday, September 3
Western Carolina at East Carolina - Greenville, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ESPN3
VMI at Akron - Akron, Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPN3
ETSU at Kennesaw State - Kennesaw, Ga. 7:00 p.m. BSDN

[kdinva]

The Citadel 27 @ Mercer 24.
Mars Hill 17 @ Samford 49
Wofford 28 @ Tenn. Tech 20
Shorter U 12 @ UTC 61
Furman 13 @ Michigan State 55
Western Carolina 23 @ East Carolina 37
VMI 35@ Akron 42
ETSU 20 @ Kennesaw State 38

[catamount man]

Mercer 31-20
Samford 45-7
Wofford 35-13
Chatty......by as many as they want
MSU 48 Furman 10
ECU 31 WCU 16 (please prove me wrong CATS)
VMI 31 Akron 30
KSU 52 ETSU 14

[Toby]

Mercer 31-20
Samford 45-7
Wofford 35-13
Chatty......by as many as they want
MSU 48 Furman 10
ECU 31 WCU 16 (please prove me wrong CATS)
VMI 31 Akron 30
KSU 52 ETSU 14

I like this one!

[Catamount87]

My picks in bold

The Citadel at Mercer - Going with the Bears at home. IMHO, they are the team to watch out for in the SoCon this year.
Mars Hill at Samford - It'll be a bit of a game but Samford will light up Mars Hill in the end.
Wofford at Tennessee Tech - Going with Wofford by the skin of their teeth
Shorter University at Chattanooga - I predict a lot of playing time for UTC benchwarmers
Furman at Michigan State - This could get ugly in a hurry. MSU benchwarmers get valuable playing time.
Western Carolina at East Carolina - being a homer and going with my Cats
VMI at Akron - This should be an interesting game.
ETSU at Kennesaw State - Hopefully the Bucs can at least be competitive but I doubt it.

[walliver]

Week 1:

The Citadel at Mercer. Normally I would give the edge to the bullpups, but they have new coaches, and their #1 QB is out for 4 weeks. Mercer has home field and an experienced QB. Game could go either way, but I pick the bears 28-21.

Mars Hill at Samford. A great highlight reel but no much of a football game. Sammy 49-6.

Wofford at Tennessee Tech. TTU has a new coach and anything can happen in this kind of game. The Terriers #1 QB is injured and may not play, but both backups have starting experience and T-Dogs win 24-14

Shorter at Chattanooga (see Mars Hill at Samford). Trainbirds win 56-3.

Furman at Michigan State. Paladins have enough pride to keep it close for 2 ½ quarters, but MSU pulls away at the end 35-14

Western Carolina at East Carolina – The battle of the directional Carolinas (coastal isn’t a direction). A potential FBS win over a G5 opponent, but the pirates are an upper echelon G5. Could be a big upset, but I suspect the pirates sail over the cants 31-28

VMI at Akron – Another potential FBS win. To be honest, I don’t know (or care) much about Akron, but they would still be favored. The Flyers score a late TD against the Kangaroos and win 24-21.

ETSU at Kennesaw – The Owls beat the Mountain Pirates by a lot last year in Tennessee. I doubt much has changed with either team since then and the suburban atlantans roll 35-17

[smilo]

The Citadel by 4
Samford by 38
Tennessee Tech by 2
Chatty by 48
MSU by 42
ECU by 24
Akron by 27
Kennesaw by17

[tenNesseeCat]

Mercer 34-24
Samford 45-24
Wofford 27-21
Chatty 50+-7
MSU 41 Furman 13
ECU 38 WCU 24
Akron 35 VMI 17
KSU 45 ETSU 13

[Milktruck74]

Citadel @ Mercer - Bears bring it at home 31-21
Mars Hill @ Samford - Lions hang for a half, then Sammy takes control 42-17
Wofford at Tennessee Tech - Ayers and Company make the SoCon look good vs the OVC, 24-10
Shorter University at Chattanooga - Mocs open it up early and take their foot off the gas in the second half. 28-0 at half, 35-7 at the end.

Furman at Michigan State - Furple hangs for the the first half, but Sparty gets the W 35-10

Western Carolina at East Carolina - Spier has the cats ready to play, just not THAT ready, 31-17
VMI at Akron - No idea about this one, but I think it'll have a little offense....49-41
ETSU at Kennesaw State - If you are going to lose them all, you have to start with the first.....49-14

[ASU33]

The Citadel @ Mercer - Citadel by 7
Mars Hill @ Samford - Samford BIG!
Wofford @ Tenn. Tech - Wofford by 14
Shorter U @ UTC - No match, Mocs by several TDs.
Furman @ Michigan State - Sparty BIG!
Western Carolina @ East Carolina - ECU by 20+
VMI @ Akron -Fighting Terry Bowdens by 28+
ETSU @ Kennesaw State -KSU by 10

[FUBeAR]

http://www.macon.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/peach-state-sports-blog/article96360887.html
McCrary leaves Bears programAnyone want to change your pick in the Mercer - El Cid game this week? I don't.

[walliver]

http://www.macon.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/peach-state-sports-blog/article96360887.html
McCrary leaves Bears program

Anyone want to change your pick in the Mercer - El Cid game this week? I don't.

Those kind of transfers rarely help a program.

[SU DOG]

Offered by Alabama, Clemson, FL.State, Tenn. Georgia, Ohio State, Kentucky and others as a highly touted 3*** out of HS. You would think he could be an immediate impact on a program like Mercer. We found out last year that taking in some good transfers, even though they haven't had a discipline issue can still negatively affect the team. Not all xfers, of course, influence negatively as it depends on the situations. We've had several that have been outstanding additions.
Mercer is fortunate to have their experienced QB, and this probably won't cause even a Bear's hiccup.

[The Cats]

http://www.macon.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/peach-state-sports-blog/article96360887.html
McCrary leaves Bears program

Anyone want to change your pick in the Mercer - El Cid game this week? I don't.


Did he not get the starting QB position?

[Toby]

Did he not get the starting QB position?


Nope. It was always going to be tough to beat out John Russ. A three year starter with 7896 total offensive yards in his 3 year career. The Bears should be just fine.

[FUBeAR]

Nope. It was always going to be tough to beat out John Russ. A three year starter with 7896 total offensive yards in his 3 year career. The Bears should be just fine.

Agreed - I always like to think of Russ being a 5-year Starter this year because he WAS the Starter in 2012. The Bears didn't play any outside Teams, but they had numerous internal Game Simulations.

Career Total Offense Statistics
Career Total Offense Statistics
Season
GP
Rush
Pass
Total
Avg/G


2013
12
903
1916
2819
234.9


2014
12
387
2167
2554
212.8


2015
11
382
2141
2523
229.4


Total
35
1672
6224
7896
225.6



Career Passing Statistics
Career Passing Statistics
Season
GP
CMP
ATT
INT
YDS
TD
Long
%
AVG/P
AVG/G


2013
12
121
233
7
1916
21
93
.52
8.2
159.7


2014
12
138
244
10
2167
19
80
.57
8.9
180.6


2015
11
170
292
3
2141
18
64
.58
7.3
194.6


Total
35
429
769
20
6224
58
93
.56
8.1
177.8




I like the trend in his passing stats.

[Toby]

I like the trend in his passing stats.

That 2015 INT stat may be the most impressive and a key for 2016.

[BEAR]

Wait, Samford is playing a small town in Maine? xlolx Boy that elementary school there doesn't know what they are up against!

http://www.bigrockmaine.com/images/mars-hill-sign.jpg

[Mocs123]

The Citadel 28 - Game of the Week - I could easily see Mercer with the upset here especially with the game in Macon and El Cid’s starting QB out, but I think The Citadel pulls it out in a close game.
Mercer 24

Mars Hill 24 - Samford scores early and often in a romp of Mars Hill.
Samford 62

Wofford 20 - I could see this going either way, especially with Jacks out, but I think Mike Ayers pulls this one out.
Tennessee Tech 17

Shorter University 12 - Chattanooga breaks in new QB Bennifield against Shorter.
Chattanooga 35

Furman 3 - Beatdown of the Week - Furman just can’t hang with the top of the Big 10
Michigan State 48

Western Carolina 13 - I hope I am wrong, but I think WCU loses this game, but keeps it respectable.
East Carolina 38

VMI 24 - I would love to see VMI pull this one out, but Bowdens MAC team is just too much.
Akron 38

ETSU 12 - ETSU does not get revenge from last year
Kennesaw State 28

Here is my SoCon rankings before week 1. I am not sure what to think of some of the teams as I could see as many as five teams competing for the championship and see every team not named ETSU as competitive.



1.) Chattanooga - Holds on to the top spot but must replace 3 Time SoCon Offenive Player of the Year
2.)The Citadel - Returns a lot of people, but a new head coach and starting QB out the first 4 games
3.) Samford - last year had top talent, but chemistry problems. They still have talent, how they do this year is dependent on how well they gel.
4.) Western Carolina - must replace a very good QB in Mitchell.
5.) Mercer - The Bears could be higher, they have solid players and a real senior class. They just have to get over the hump.
6.) Wofford - Jacks out hurts the Terriers, but they still have Ayers
7.) Furman - Furman could be much higher - this is a do or die year for Fowler
8.) VMI - Much improved team will knock off someone this year, hopefully its not the Mocs
9.) ETSU - Like Mercer when they joined the league, they need a few years to build a program - only they are not in as good of shape or have as good of coach as Mercer did when they entered the league.

[FUBeAR]

The Citadel 28 - Game of the Week - I could easily see Mercer with the upset here especially with the game in Macon and El Cid’s starting QB out, but I think The Citadel pulls it out in a close game.
Mercer 24

Mars Hill 24 - Samford scores early and often in a romp of Mars Hill.
Samford 62

Wofford 20 - I could see this going either way, especially with Jacks out, but I think Mike Ayers pulls this one out.
Tennessee Tech 17

Shorter University 12 - Chattanooga breaks in new QB Bennifield against Shorter.
Chattanooga 35

Furman 3 - Beatdown of the Week - Furman just can’t hang with the top of the Big 10
Michigan State 48

Western Carolina 13 - I hope I am wrong, but I think WCU loses this game, but keeps it respectable.
East Carolina 38

VMI 24 - I would love to see VMI pull this one out, but Bowdens MAC team is just too much.
Akron 38

ETSU 12 - ETSU does not get revenge from last year
Kennesaw State 28

Here is my SoCon rankings before week 1. I am not sure what to think of some of the teams as I could see as many as five teams competing for the championship and see every team not named ETSU as competitive.



1.) Chattanooga - Holds on to the top spot but must replace 3 Time SoCon Offenive Player of the Year
2.)The Citadel - Returns a lot of people, but a new head coach and starting QB out the first 4 games
3.) Samford - last year had top talent, but chemistry problems. They still have talent, how they do this year is dependent on how well they gel.
4.) Western Carolina - must replace a very good QB in Mitchell.
5.) Mercer - The Bears could be higher, they have solid players and a real senior class. They just have to get over the hump.
6.) Wofford - Jacks out hurts the Terriers, but they still have Ayers
7.) Furman - Furman could be much higher - this is a do or die year for Fowler
8.) VMI - Much improved team will knock off someone this year, hopefully its not the Mocs
9.) ETSU - Like Mercer when they joined the league, they need a few years to build a program - only they are not in as good of shape or have as good of coach as Mercer did when they entered the league.

With everything in this post being so well presented and thought out...how could you screw up your opening line so badly? xsmiley_wix

BTW - I think I saw where the Bellhop's FB that did THIS in the 1st 3 weeks of the Season in 2015 year may be OUT for the Mercer game as well...



Date
Opponent
No.
Yds
TDs
Lg


9/5/2015
Davidson (http://www.citadelsports.com/boxscore.aspx?id=3799&path=)
20
132
1
34


9/12/2015
Western Carolina (http://www.citadelsports.com/boxscore.aspx?id=3800&path=)
15
60
1
9


9/19/2015
Georgia Southern (http://www.citadelsports.com/boxscore.aspx?id=3801&path=)
18
163
1
60



Also - you said El Cid's QB is out for the 1st 4 games? I think he's only suspended for the 1st game and I heard his injury would not keep him out past that. Do you know something otherwise?

[walliver]

...
Also - you said El Cid's QB is out for the 1st 4 games? I think he's only suspended for the 1st game and I heard his injury would not keep him out past that. Do you know something otherwise?

All reports I have heard report ... suspended one game, out for up to 4 weeks from injury

[FUBeAR]

All reports I have heard report ... suspended one game, out for up to 4 weeks from injury

OK - but that 4 weeks started 2 weeks ago...on 8/4, so he should be ready to go after 9/1...back in time for the Home Opener vs. Furman.

So...out 4 weeks, NOT 4 GAMES

[Mocs123]

My bad - I just remember reading that he was out for four weeks and knew he was suspended. I should have gone back and verified my facts.

FUBeAR - you could be right - I think Mercer has a lot of talent, including my pre-season pick for all conference QB, a good coach, and great fan support. I could see them anywhere from 1st to 6th place this year. The question is how much of a hiccup is the coaching change going to hurt El Cid and being without their QB, as well as the fact that Mercer has to learn how to get over the hump. The number of close losses tell me they can compete with anyone, but just haven't gotten over the hump quite yet. If y'all beat The Citadel, it could be a very good year down in Macon.

[Sandlapper Spike]

Very tough break for Wofford. Via Todd Shanesy's twitter account:

Worst possible news about Wofford senior starting quarterback Evan Jacks. Torn ACL. Out for season. Surgery today.

[SU DOG]

Hey Bear Man, Mars Hill might be small, but it's not in Maine, and they are D-2. Does the name Bourne College mean anything to you?

[BEAR]

Hey Bear Man, Mars Hill might be small, but it's not in Maine, and they are D-2. Does the name Bourne College mean anything to you?

I've never heard of Bourne College. But I get your point. We all play D2 colleges every few years. I was just razzin you! xlolx

[SU DOG]

My bad it is NAIA Bacone College, and UCA has played them, so I messed up trying to be razzin you.

[Smitty]

The Citadel at Mercer
Mars Hill at Samford
Wofford at Tennessee Tech
Shorter University at Chattanooga
Furman at Michigan State
Western Carolina at East Carolina
VMI at Akron
ETSU at Kennesaw State

[walliver]

Very tough break for Wofford. Via Todd Shanesy's twitter account:

Worst possible news about Wofford senior starting quarterback Evan Jacks. Torn ACL. Out for season. Surgery today.

Fans are upset that our 5th year QB was injured during a full-contact scrimmage. #### happens.
We still have two fourth year juniors who each have previous starts, and are better in certain aspects of the game, but Jacks was the best all-around QB and leader.
We were hoping the QB carousel had ended - last year the starting QB wasn't announced until game time. Hopefully our coaches have learned from last year's mistakes.

[BEAR]

My bad it is NAIA Bacone College, and UCA has played them, so I messed up trying to be razzin you.

xlolx I remember them! That must have been while we were in transition from D2 ourselves. Before 2010 for sure. Remember we didn't become DI until 2010. We do however play Henderson State sometimes. Great school with an awesome crowd. They were an in state rival one time. But Bacone college...its the team you schedule when you can't find anyone to play you...xlolx Them or the College of Faith. xthumbsupx

[ElCid]

There are three types of games the first week out: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good:
The Citadel at Mercer - Nothing like a good Conference game to start the season, or ruin your season. This year The Citadel has back to back SOCON games to open. Could be good, could be bad. The Dogs go into sweltering Macon on Thursday, 1 Sep hoping to get an early start on climbing the conf standings. They are without HC Mike Houston, but still have a good chunk of their offensive output from last year, minus the QB but by all accounts the backup is doing well. The depth at running back is ridiculous. They are minus a few on defense (and the D coach from last year to boot) but have back lots of weapons. There should not be too many changes on O as Brent Thompson steps up from OC to the head job. Although a few more passes might be in the offing. Mercer has something to prove. The Citadel snatched close ones from them the last 2 years. The Care Bears couldn't seem to win the close ones when they needed to last year (well, except a couple times). They basically get everyone back. It will be interesting. Russ is a pretty disciplined QB. I don't think the Dogs will be underestimating them this year like I think they have previously. It may be a sloppy game to start the season, especially for the Dogs new QB. Depending on his performance, there may well be a fight for the starting QB job in week 2. The Dogs gave the Bears a couple fumbles last year. If the Dogs can hold onto the ball and the QB settles in early, as always it will be tough for Mercer to stop their running game - 28-24

Wofford at Tenn Tech - Wofford handled them fairly easily last year 34-14 in week 2 at home. I don't see it being too different but maybe a little closer the first game out, and on the road. I don't think the QB situation should impact too much and may actually help Wofford. Not a great OOC opponent, but at least they are FCS - 31-21

VMI at Akron - VMI kept it close at Ball St last year to open. Akron is better but I think VMI will be better than most think. If Cobb can be bold, confident, and not turn it over, they can compete - 34-21

The Bad:
Shorter at UTC- With Shorter a sub Div I and Alabama for the last game, UTC has go to hope that it does not drop three FCS games during the season and place 7 wins in jeopardy. At least they can see how their new starting QB will do at the helm with a low threat team. And I guess they better hope that Shorter does not embarrass them like the planet school almost did last year. Shorter is actually on par with the planet school, or better, but no worries - 48-9

Mars Hill at Samford - Speaking of the planet school...ditto goes for Samford with Miss St later on. Leaves them with one less game to reach 7 wins. I know W Illinois did it with 6, but we ain't the MVFC, yet. Samford will have no trouble - 52-3

WCU at East Carolina - Not sure that WCU can keep it close the first game out, especially with a new QB - 45-17

The Ugly:
ETSU at Kennesaw - The Bucs got whacked last year at home. Probably more of the same - 42-14

Furman at Michigan St - Michigan State is no Central Florida but with Notre Dame next for the Spartans, after an early bye week, could the Spartans be caught looking ahead? Ummm.....no, Furman will get some reps late in the game but it may very well get ugly - 56-10

Here is how I see the final standings. But what will most likely happen is that there are 5 teams tied for first at 5-3 and we have to use every tie breaker in the SOCON rule book to see who gets the playoff spot.

Predicted finishes:


TEAM
OVERALL
SOCON
NOTES


UTC
9-2
7-1
CAN THE WINNING CONTINUE?


SAMFORD
8-3
6-2
IF THEY RECOVER FROM MEDIOCRITY


THE CITADEL
7-4
5-3
PLUS OR MINUS A GAME


MERCER
7-4
5-3
ONWARD AND UPWARD, IF THEY START WINNING MORE CLOSE ONES


WOFFORD
6-5
4-4
A LITTLE REBOUND


VMI
5-6
3-5
A BETTER YEAR IF THEIR QB STOPS THROWING IT TO THE OTHER TEAM


WCU
4-7
3-5
REGROUPING...WERE THEY A ONE MAN BAND?


FURMAN
4-7
3-5
GREENVILLE IMPLODES, AN 0-4 START IS HIGHLY POSSIBLE


ETSU
2-9
0-8
EXPECTED, A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES MUST BEGIN WITH THE FIRST STEP, AND A LOT OF LOSES

[SU DOG]

Subjective, and we all will just have to wait and see, but some really good work here by El Cid.

[Milktruck74]

http://www.macon.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/peach-state-sports-blog/article96360887.html
McCrary leaves Bears program

Anyone want to change your pick in the Mercer - El Cid game this week? I don't.

Am I the only one that find humor that he is leaving Mercer and going to Clark-Atlanta to "focus on academics"......If academics was his concern, why not stay at Vandy or Mercer? Correct me if I'm wrong, but does anyone put CAU in the same academic boat as Mercer or Vandy?

[OrangeAndBlack]

The Citadel at Mercer --- I am taking the strongest Mercer squad my eyes have personally ever seen. 34-23
Mars Hill at Samford --- Samford easy 52-17
Wofford at Tennessee Tech --- Wofford can withstand Tenn Tech, 24-21
Shorter University at Chattanooga --- UTC 55-6
Furman at Michigan State --- MSU 49-10
Western Carolina at East Carolina --- ECU 31-20
VMI at Akron --- Akron too much for VMI, doubles them up 34-17
ETSU at Kennesaw State --- KSU overwhelms the Bucs 38-13

[PaladinFan]

Am I the only one that find humor that he is leaving Mercer and going to Clark-Atlanta to "focus on academics"......If academics was his concern, why not stay at Vandy or Mercer? Correct me if I'm wrong, but does anyone put CAU in the same academic boat as Mercer or Vandy?

I expect scholarship offers at those institutions require playing for the football team.

[PaladinNation]

Looks like Furman will be breaking in a freshman running back as the starter against MSU… Darius Morehead has come in and Fowler says he's looking like the starter for the first game. Morehead is very similar to GSU's Jason Foster, we can only hope he's half as good as Foster.


https://youtu.be/2wfbp0ncRtU

[PaladinFan]

Looks like Furman will be breaking in a freshman running back as the starter against MSU… Darius Morehead has come in and Fowler says he's looking like the starter for the first game. Morehead is very similar to GSU's Jason Foster, we can only hope he's half as good as Foster.


https://youtu.be/2wfbp0ncRtU

Hard to watch his film and not see shades of Jayson Foster, though he's a long way from justifying that comparison. Smaller runner, good field vision, great acceleration, superb top end speed. Probably a good comp currently in the SoCon is UTC's Richardre Bagley.

Fowler certainly hasn't been shy about starting true freshmen. I was expecting to potentially see Morehead as a kick returner, but he apparently has wowed at practice.

[FUBeAR]

Probably a good comp currently in the SoCon is UTC's Richardre Bagley.

Citation needed: http://www.uffp2.com/SMF20/index.php?topic=10522.msg124020#msg124020 xnodx

[PaladinNation]

Hard to watch his film and not see shades of Jayson Foster, though he's a long way from justifying that comparison. Smaller runner, good field vision, great acceleration, superb top end speed. Probably a good comp currently in the SoCon is UTC's Richardre Bagley.

Fowler certainly hasn't been shy about starting true freshmen. I was expecting to potentially see Morehead as a kick returner, but he apparently has wowed at practice.


I agree with Paladin Fan and FUBeaR about the Bagley comparison. Morehead played a lot of quarterback for Ensworth HS, his QB play is what reminds me of Foster… he's very fluid, spins of tacklers, and has a quick gear, plus he runs a 10.87 100M.

Bagley was a painful, big, loss to the Mocs, add to that losing Malik Miller to Air Force late in the recruiting season. It was great to see Furman land Morehead.

As much potential as Morehead has to bring back the glory days of tailbacks wearing purple. The real story is going to be the offensive line. Right now a true freshman is locked in a battle to start at tackle and two other freshmen are looking like solid contenders to lock down the backup roles in the interior.

[jayhawkdaddy]

The Citadel
Samford
Wofford
UT-Chattanooga
Michigan State
East Carolina
Akron
Kennesaw State

[MarkCCU]

Seriously guys? Mercer over The Citadel? Mercer has done nothing whereas The Citadel had a very successful season in 2015 and if IIRC, many starters are returning. Their 2nd string Qb did well in the playoffs last year so I'm not too concerned

[FUBeAR]

Seriously guys? Mercer over The Citadel? Mercer has done nothing whereas The Citadel had a very successful season in 2015 and if IIRC, many starters are returning. Their 2nd string Qb did well in the playoffs last year so I'm not too concerned

You may be right about your projection, but I don't think you've been keeping up with the Mercer Bears very well...

* Mercer beat the #3 ranked Team in the country in 2015
* Mercer lost to El Cid in 2014 by 2 points as the Bellhops future All-American DB got a fingernail on the ball and tipped away a 2-point conversion attempt that would have sent the game to OT
* Mercer lost to the 2015 El Cid Team (which also beat CCU by 3), again by 2 points...and again failed to complete a 2 pt conversion pass that would have sent the game to OT
* In the 2015 game, with the exception of a single 83 yard TD run, Mercer's young Defense held The Citadel to less avg yards/rushing attempt (4.73) than in the 4 games they lost (4.75). By comparison, El Cid averaged 6.72 yds/rush in their game with CCU. If that 1 run is included, the average (6.02) was still less than vs. the Chanticleers. I believe The Citadel only had 5 other running plays of over 10 yards vs. the Bears, while they had about 12 long gains vs. CCU.
* In 2 seasons of scholarship football (23 games), only on 3 occasions (Wofford & WCU in 2014 and Samford in 2015) has Mercer been more than a single possession from winning or tying, at the final gun, in the other 9 games they have lost. Those 9 losses were by an average of 4.11 points.
* Finally, Mercer did these things with about 35 scholarships in 2014 and about 50 in 2015. They have 63 scholarships now, but still only 3 classes of Recruited Scholarship ('14, '15, and '16) Players. Most opponents will have 5 full classes of those types of Players. Perhaps, though, a lack of depth had a lot to do with losing 9 very close games over the past 2 seasons, but the extra depth enabled by those additional scholarships just may be the cure for that ill.

Also - I don't know what you mean by their 2nd string QB in the Playoffs last year...as their currently suspended and injured starter, Dominique Allen, is the only QB that I can see took snaps for them in the Playoffs. Regardless, the young man they are starting vs. Mercer last took a game snap in 2014 for the Vidalia Indians in GA AA HS Football. He very well may be the 2nd coming of Jack Douglas, but he has not played a down in a college game...yet.

Again...you may be correct about your opinion of the outcome, but the people on here picking Mercer to win this game are not without solid logic to be making that selection.

[Toby]

Seriously guys? Mercer over The Citadel? Mercer has done nothing whereas The Citadel had a very successful season in 2015 and if IIRC, many starters are returning. Their 2nd string Qb did well in the playoffs last year so I'm not too concerned

Mercer has 20/22 starters returning from 2015. Citadel has lost almost half of their 2015 offensive production for this game. Maybe a lot closer than you think.

[MarkCCU]

You may be right about your projection, but I don't think you've been keeping up with the Mercer Bears very well...

* Mercer beat the #3 ranked Team in the country in 2015
* Mercer lost to El Cid in 2014 by 2 points as the Bellhops future All-American DB got a fingernail on the ball and tipped away a 2-point conversion attempt that would have sent the game to OT
* Mercer lost to the 2015 El Cid Team (which also beat CCU by 3), again by 2 points...and again failed to complete a 2 pt conversion pass that would have sent the game to OT
* In the 2015 game, with the exception of a single 83 yard TD run, Mercer's young Defense held The Citadel to less avg yards/rushing attempt (4.73) than in the 4 games they lost (4.75). By comparison, El Cid averaged 6.72 yds/rush in their game with CCU. If that 1 run is included, the average (6.02) was still less than vs. the Chanticleers. I believe The Citadel only had 5 other running plays of over 10 yards vs. the Bears, while they had about 12 long gains vs. CCU.
* In 2 seasons of scholarship football (23 games), only on 3 occasions (Wofford & WCU in 2014 and Samford in 2015) has Mercer been more than a single possession from winning or tying, at the final gun, in the other 9 games they have lost. Those 9 losses were by an average of 4.11 points.
* Finally, Mercer did these things with about 35 scholarships in 2014 and about 50 in 2015. They have 63 scholarships now, but still only 3 classes of Recruited Scholarship ('14, '15, and '16) Players. Most opponents will have 5 full classes of those types of Players. Perhaps, though, a lack of depth had a lot to do with losing 9 very close games over the past 2 seasons, but the extra depth enabled by those additional scholarships just may be the cure for that ill.

Also - I don't know what you mean by their 2nd string QB in the Playoffs last year...as their currently suspended and injured starter, Dominique Allen, is the only QB that I can see took snaps for them in the Playoffs. Regardless, the young man they are starting vs. Mercer last took a game snap in 2014 for the Vidalia Indians in GA AA HS Football. He very well may be the 2nd coming of Jack Douglas, but he has not played a down in a college game...yet.

Again...you may be correct about your opinion of the outcome, but the people on here picking Mercer to win this game are not without solid logic to be making that selection.
Valid points.

1) The Citadel beat the #1. I was there and The Citadel had us dead to rights the entire game. They also beat SCar. I know, the Gamecocks were horrible last season. It's still a win over a FBS team, which normally draws better talent over FCS. Especially in South Carolina.
2) In the SoCon last season, The Citadel only lost to Chattanooga while Mercer loss to El Cid, Chatty , VMI, WCU, Samford and Wofford
3) They are returning 15 starters. Not as many as Mercer, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker. Mercer is returning starters that ended the season 5-6 (2-5). So, are we going for quality of players? If so, a team that went 2-5 in conference play doesn't give me much hope.
4) I love stats. They can be a great indicator of performance. The Citadel has a 7-4-1 lead in the all-time series with Mercer, including a 2-0 in Macon.


Anything can happen.

- - - Updated - - -


Mercer has 20/22 starters returning from 2015. Citadel has lost almost half of their 2015 offensive production for this game. Maybe a lot closer than you think.
20/22 players that went 2-5 in conference play last season. Is that's inspiring confidence? Or complacency?

[tenNesseeCat]

20/22 players that went 2-5 in conference play last season. Is that's inspiring confidence? Or complacency?

I think most in the SoCon expects something from Mercer this year. They have some very good players. I think their key to success will be their defense. Yea, they were only 2-5 but they were close to 6-1. 4 of their SoCon losses were by a combined 13 points. Only 6 points in three losses to teams who finished ahead of them, WCU, The Citadel, and Wofford. They beat UTC, ain't nobody in the SoCon done that in a while. I think they are much more confident than complacent down in Macon.

[PaladinFan]

I think most in the SoCon expects something from Mercer this year. They have some very good players. I think their key to success will be their defense. Yea, they were only 2-5 but they were close to 6-1. 4 of their SoCon losses were by a combined 13 points. Only 6 points in three losses to teams who finished ahead of them, WCU, The Citadel, and Wofford. They beat UTC, ain't nobody in the SoCon done that in a while. I think they are much more confident than complacent down in Macon.

By the same token, they were also close to 0-8. Their wins over Furman and UTC were by the slimmest of margins.

As I've said before, though, I believe every team in the SoCon got embarrassed at least once last year, and exceeded expectations at least once. So many close games. Hard to unequivocally draw a lot of comparisons. Every team in the league can point to a game where they say "look what we did!"

[FUBeAR]

Valid points.

1) The Citadel beat the #1. I was there and The Citadel had us dead to rights the entire game. They also beat SCar. I know, the Gamecocks were horrible last season. It's still a win over a FBS team, which normally draws better talent over FCS. Especially in South Carolina.
2) In the SoCon last season, The Citadel only lost to Chattanooga while Mercer loss to El Cid, Chatty , VMI, WCU, Samford and Wofford
3) They are returning 15 starters. Not as many as Mercer, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker. Mercer is returning starters that ended the season 5-6 (2-5). So, are we going for quality of players? If so, a team that went 2-5 in conference play doesn't give me much hope.
4) I love stats. They can be a great indicator of performance. The Citadel has a 7-4-1 lead in the all-time series with Mercer, including a 2-0 in Macon.


Anything can happen.

- - - Updated - - -


20/22 players that went 2-5 in conference play last season. Is that's inspiring confidence? Or complacency?

1) Not sure where you are getting that CCU was #1. They were ranked #10 in the STATS poll and #9 in the FCS Coaches Poll when they lost to El Cid. They finished the season at #16 in the STATS poll and #17 in the Coaches Poll. Chattanooga was #3 in both polls when Mercer defeated the Mocs and they finished the season at 9th in the STATS Poll and 8th in the Coaches Poll.

2) Mercer did not lose to Chatty in 2015. Other than that glaring error, you have correctly stated some prior season wins and losses for each team. I prefer to go a wee bit deeper than that with my game analysis and I suspect SOME others who have posted in this thread do as well.

3A) The Citadel will have 5 of their offensive starters from their 2015 game with CCU available for opening day of 2016
Not available:
QB Allen (#1 Rusher, #1 Passing, #1 Total Offense)
WR Glover (#3 Receiving)
WR Eakins (#1 Receiving)
OT Mabry
OG Frye (1st Team All-SoCon)
RB Miller (#4 Total Offense).

They do have 8 of their defensive starters from that game back...
Not available:
LB Riley (#1 Tackles, #2T TFL's)
DT Jeter (SoCon DPOY, #1 TFL's, #1 Sacks)
DE Thomas (#2T TFL's, #2 Sacks).

That's 12; not 15. Bigger picture on 'returnees,' The Citadel also 'lost' their Head Coach, their Offensive Coordinator (now their Head Coach), and their Defensive Coordinator in the off-season.

3B) Re: Mercer's returning starters "quality" - You seem to be choosing to completely overlook that Mercer lost 4 of those 5 SoCon games by an average of 3.25 points and the important concept of 'depth' in the context of a Team in 'StartUp mode,' which this season will have 1/3 more Recruited Scholarship 'quality' Players than they did in 2015.

4) Correct - I love 'em too, but I tend to evaluate stats a bit deeper than won/loss records (I believe it's 8-4-1 though), and give a lot less weight to stats that go back to 1906. The 2 games between Mercer and El Cid which have occurred since any of the current players and coaches were born have been down-to-the-wire barn burners and logic would dictate that Mercer has improved more since 2015 than The Citadel has. Whether they ACTUALLY have or not is another matter and that matter will be settled on 9/1.

We completely agree on 1 point you made though - "Anything CAN happen."

[tenNesseeCat]

By the same token, they were also close to 0-8. Their wins over Furman and UTC were by the slimmest of margins.

That is true. It's part of why I think Mercer will take the next step this year. They are a battle tested bunch. Lots of close games. I think an early win over a Citadel team that has question marks will give this experienced team a big boost to start the season.

[MarkCCU]

1) Not sure where you are getting that CCU was #1. They were ranked #10 in the STATS poll and #9 in the FCS Coaches Poll when they lost to El Cid. They finished the season at #16 in the STATS poll and #17 in the Coaches Poll. Chattanooga was #3 in both polls when Mercer defeated the Mocs and they finished the season at 9th in the STATS Poll and 8th in the Coaches Poll.

2) Mercer did not lose to Chatty in 2015. Other than that glaring error, you have correctly stated some prior season wins and losses for each team. I prefer to go a wee bit deeper than that with my game analysis and I suspect SOME others who have posted in this thread do as well.

3A) The Citadel will have 5 of their offensive starters from their 2015 game with CCU available for opening day of 2016
Not available:
QB Allen (#1 Rusher, #1 Passing, #1 Total Offense)
WR Glover (#3 Receiving)
WR Eakins (#1 Receiving)
OT Mabry
OG Frye (1st Team All-SoCon)
RB Miller (#4 Total Offense).

They do have 8 of their defensive starters from that game back...
Not available:
LB Riley (#1 Tackles, #2T TFL's)
DT Jeter (SoCon DPOY, #1 TFL's, #1 Sacks)
DE Thomas (#2T TFL's, #2 Sacks).

That's 12; not 15. Bigger picture on 'returnees,' The Citadel also 'lost' their Head Coach, their Offensive Coordinator (now their Head Coach), and their Defensive Coordinator in the off-season.

3B) Re: Mercer's returning starters "quality" - You seem to be choosing to completely overlook that Mercer lost 4 of those 5 SoCon games by an average of 3.25 points and the important concept of 'depth' in the context of a Team in 'StartUp mode,' which this season will have 1/3 more Recruited Scholarship 'quality' Players than they did in 2015.

4) Correct - I love 'em too, but I tend to evaluate stats a bit deeper than won/loss records (I believe it's 8-4-1 though), and give a lot less weight to stats that go back to 1906. The 2 games between Mercer and El Cid which have occurred since any of the current players and coaches were born have been down-to-the-wire barn burners and logic would dictate that Mercer has improved more since 2015 than The Citadel has. Whether they ACTUALLY have or not is another matter and that matter will be settled on 9/1.

We completely agree on 1 point you made though - "Anything CAN happen."

Damnit. This is why you don't research/post from a phone.

1) I thought I had replaced #1 with something along the lines of " consistent Top 10 team"
2) I was looking at their loss to The Citadel the previous week. It doesn't change the fact that the team that's returning 20 players couldn't pull out a winning season.
3) You're partially right. It's not 15 starters like it says on one of The Citadels pages. It's actually 14. They didn't really lose a coach. Thompson was promoted. The offense he built did well last season, I don't seem them going in a new direction.
4) A loss is still a loss. 1 point, 21 points, etc... it's still a loss.
5) The Citadel finished 2nd in rushing offense with 346.9 YPG, 41 rush TDs. Mercer isn't in the Top 123. 31 in scoring offense (mercer again didn't rank). Citadel was 5th for 3rd down conversion. Mercer was better at 4th down conv. Mercer was #1 in fewest penalites, 36 for 313 yds.

Using the stats from the last year and taking all things into consideration, it's going to be a tight game but I just don't see Mercer with a win. With a .577 completion percentage you're better than El Cid, especially with Allen not playing.

I just don't have confidence in it.

Look who is returning: Tyler Renew, Cam Jackson, Isiaha Smith and Evan McField. Renew rushed for 839 yards and five touchdowns. Jackson: 751 yards and six scores; Smith tallied 563 yards and 7TD. Dee Delaney returns and the dude is a beast with 46 tackles and 5 picks. Diggs and Williams also return. The Citadel continues to have a strong secondary. But again, they need successful pass rushers. They loss 6 key players but retained 14. Those aren't bad numbers. Houston did a great job but promoting from within can keep a lot of that momentum going.

[FUBeAR]

Damnit. This is why you don't research/post from a phone.

1) I thought I had replaced #1 with something along the lines of " consistent Top 10 team"
2) I was looking at their loss to The Citadel the previous week. It doesn't change the fact that the team that's returning 20 players couldn't pull out a winning season.
3) You're partially right. It's not 15 starters like it says on one of The Citadels pages. It's actually 14. They didn't really lose a coach. Thompson was promoted. The offense he built did well last season, I don't seem them going in a new direction.
4) A loss is still a loss. 1 point, 21 points, etc... it's still a loss.
5) The Citadel finished 2nd in rushing offense with 346.9 YPG, 41 rush TDs. Mercer isn't in the Top 123. 31 in scoring offense (mercer again didn't rank). Citadel was 5th for 3rd down conversion. Mercer was better at 4th down conv. Mercer was #1 in fewest penalites, 36 for 313 yds.

Using the stats from the last year and taking all things into consideration, it's going to be a tight game but I just don't see Mercer with a win. With a .577 completion percentage you're better than El Cid, especially with Allen not playing.

I just don't have confidence in it.

3A) We both suck at math or you're not counting Allen - he ain't playing - so it's 13 (11 - 6 = 5 AND 11 - 3 = 8; 5 + 8 = 13) returnees that will, barring any additional injuries and/or suspensions and/or line-up changes, take the field against the Bears on 9/1.
3B) They REALLY lost 3 Coaches. Their HC left and went to JMU and their DC left and is now the Asst Special Teams Coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Their LB Coach left and went with the HC to JMU.
4) So, using your logic...CCU lost to Charleston Southern in 2015. ETSU and North Greenville also lost to CSU...So, CCU = ETSU and/or N. GVL....OK, if you say so.

"it's going to be a tight game" - which takes me back to your original post - "Seriously guys? Mercer over The Citadel? Mercer has done nothing" - Not sure how, if you feel this way, you could also think it's going to be a tight game and would deride other posters for picking Mercer over The Citadel in a tight game. In a tight game, turnovers, injuries, blown calls, or the bounces of an oblong spheroid can determine the outcome of such games; picking a winner is tough - so picking either side is not an unreasonable prognostication. That's all I've been trying to say.

[MarkCCU]

3A) We both suck at math or you're not counting Allen - he ain't playing - so it's 13 (11 - 6 = 5 AND 11 - 3 = 8; 5 + 8 = 13) returnees that will, barring any additional injuries and/or suspensions and/or line-up changes, take the field against the Bears on 9/1.
3B) They REALLY lost 3 Coaches. Their HC left and went to JMU and their DC left and is now the Asst Special Teams Coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Their LB Coach left and went with the HC to JMU.
4) So, using your logic...CCU lost to Charleston Southern in 2015. ETSU and North Greenville also lost to CSU...So, CCU = ETSU and/or N. GVL....OK, if you say so.

"it's going to be a tight game" - which takes me back to your original post - "Seriously guys? Mercer over The Citadel? Mercer has done nothing" - Not sure how, if you feel this way, you could also think it's going to be a tight game and would deride other posters for picking Mercer over The Citadel in a tight game. In a tight game, turnovers, injuries, blown calls, or the bounces of an oblong spheroid can determine the outcome of such games; picking a winner is tough - so picking either side is not an unreasonable prognostication. That's all I've been trying to say.

I was talking about 14 this season. I know Allen is suspended.

Picking a side isn't unreasonable and maybe I'm being a homer(totally possible). But I just don't see it. For all the stats, they are meaningless because it's last season. Honestly. How many times have we seen a team that was horrible or underrated (Charleston Southern) perform so well!? And how many times have we seen the opposite?


I guess what I'm saying is....it's all opinion. Really. And if you're ever in Charlotte, I'll buy you a beer.

[Toby]

"it's going to be a tight game" - which takes me back to your original post - "Seriously guys? Mercer over The Citadel? Mercer has done nothing" - Not sure how, if you feel this way, you could also think it's going to be a tight game and would deride other posters for picking Mercer over The Citadel in a tight game.

This. This is where you declare "victory" and move to the next battle. And beer is good, too.

[PaladinFan]

I was talking about 14 this season. I know Allen is suspended.

Picking a side isn't unreasonable and maybe I'm being a homer(totally possible). But I just don't see it. For all the stats, they are meaningless because it's last season. Honestly. How many times have we seen a team that was horrible or underrated (Charleston Southern) perform so well!? And how many times have we seen the opposite?


I guess what I'm saying is....it's all opinion. Really. And if you're ever in Charlotte, I'll buy you a beer.

The beauty of all of this is all the talk in the world isn't going to matter in a couple of days when the whistle blows. We'll know the truth of it soon enough.

I doubt either team is going to surprise the other. The Citadel is going to do what they do. Mercer is going to run out virtually the exact same team they did last year. I'd expect a physical hard fought game.

[FUBeAR]

Mercer is going to run out virtually the exact same team they did last year.

Please see Post #50, Bullet Point 6 & Post #55, Number 3b) to learn why this statement is inaccurate.

(I think you're just TRYING to get me all in a dither, aren't you?)

[Schism55]

Please see Post #50, Bullet Point 6 & Post #55, Number 3b) to learn why this statement is inaccurate.

(I think you're just TRYING to get me all in a dither, aren't you?)
You sound like my insurance agent xrotatehx

[FUBeAR]

And if you're ever in Charlotte, I'll buy you a beer.

I like beer and you just named my favorite kind! xdrunkyx

[FUBeAR]

You sound like my insurance agent xrotatehx

...I'm sure glad you didn't say I sounded like a Lawyer. That would've hurt! xsmiley_wix

[Toby]

I like beer and you just named my favorite kind! xdrunkyx

I suppose I'll have to have extra on hand at the tailgate next Thursday night to accomadate FUBeAR....

[OL FU]

...I'm sure glad you didn't say I sounded like a Lawyer. That would've hurt! xsmiley_wix

Ok you sound like a lawyer:p

[MarkCCU]

Please see Post #50, Bullet Point 6 & Post #55, Number 3b) to learn why this statement is inaccurate.

(I think you're just TRYING to get me all in a dither, aren't you?)

There may be some trolling going on here.

[MarkCCU]

The beauty of all of this is all the talk in the world isn't going to matter in a couple of days when the whistle blows. We'll know the truth of it soon enough.

I doubt either team is going to surprise the other. The Citadel is going to do what they do. Mercer is going to run out virtually the exact same team they did last year. I'd expect a physical hard fought game.

Yup. It's meaningless, like I said.

[FUBeAR]

Yup. It's meaningless, like I said.

...but fun...especially when there's no actual football to watch.

[FUBeAR]

Ok you sound like a lawyer:p

xbawlingx

[bobby.wilson.5667]

Game of the week

The Citadel @ Mercer- Tough game to pick. Give edge to El Cid in coin flip game.

Mars Hill @ Samford- Bulldogs send planet school back in orbit by a healthy margin.

Wofford @ Tenn. Tech- Pretty competitive game that Wofford ends up claiming in the end.

Shorter @ Chattanooga- Game should be decided early on. Mocs by plenty.

Furman @ Michigan State- Furman no match for Big 10 power. Spartans by a lot.

VMI @ Akron- Keydets have firepower, but defense will have to help out for them to have a chance. Edge to Akron.

ETSU@ Kennesaw St.- Bucs still have ways to go to match Owls. A KSU rout.

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[tenNesseeCat]

Hey bobby.wilson what do you think about WCU vs ECU?

Oh yea, welcome aboard!

[PaladinFan]

Game of the week

The Citadel @ Mercer- Tough game to pick. Give edge to El Cid in coin flip game.

Mars Hill @ Samford- Bulldogs send planet school back in orbit by a healthy margin.

Wofford @ Tenn. Tech- Pretty competitive game that Wofford ends up claiming in the end.

Shorter @ Chattanooga- Game should be decided early on. Mocs by plenty.

Furman @ Michigan State- Furman no match for Big 10 power. Spartans by a lot.

VMI @ Akron- Keydets have firepower, but defense will have to help out for them to have a chance. Edge to Akron.

ETSU@ Kennesaw St.- Bucs still have ways to go to match Owls. A KSU rout.

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

As a side note, I always appreciate it early in the season when two teams that we have later on the schedule play one another in a critical game. Neither team has any real incentive to keep much powder dry. Thanks for the film.

[walliver]

As a side note, I always appreciate it early in the season when two teams that we have later on the schedule play one another in a critical game. Neither team has any real incentive to keep much powder dry. Thanks for the film.

I never like big games to start the season. Even the experienced vets haven't played a real down for 8-9 months.
I guess it's good for the rest of us as either the Citadel or Mercer will start the season with a conference loss.

I wish there was some way to have an exhibition game (NFL-style) to start the season. But, I don't see how this can be a completely meaningless game. With the subjective nature of at-large bids, a win or loss in that game could be a dealbreaker.

[PaladinFan]

I never like big games to start the season. Even the experienced vets haven't played a real down for 8-9 months.
I guess it's good for the rest of us as either the Citadel or Mercer will start the season with a conference loss.

I wish there was some way to have an exhibition game (NFL-style) to start the season. But, I don't see how this can be a completely meaningless game. With the subjective nature of at-large bids, a win or loss in that game could be a dealbreaker.

Oh, I despise playing conference games right out of the chute. I don't mind seeing one early in the season in week 2 or 3, but would prefer the meet of the conference season not start until October.

My comment is only to say that as an opposing fan, I appreciate that Furman will benefit from getting to see the Citadel and Mercer fight tooth and toenail in week 1. Furman's coaches will settle in and watch the Citadel, in all likelihood, empty the chamber against Mercer. Much different than, say, watching them win by 60 against some NAIA school where everything is vanilla and they would win playing the 3rd string.

After the dust settles in Week 1, I expect Furman will know a lot more about the Citadel watching them play Mercer than the Citadel will know about Furman watching them play Michigan State.

[bobby.wilson.5667]

Hey bobby.wilson what do you think about WCU vs ECU?

Oh yea, welcome aboard!
Oh my bad Tennessee Cat. Actually I think WCU has a real good chance for a competitive game here. Probably will fall just short to the pirates. Really liked Troy Mitchell. Glad to know he graduated. He worried me more than any other QB in the conference with his skill set.

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

I never like big games to start the season.


Oh, I despise playing conference games right out of the chute.

Wimps!

I love it! Can't wait!! Wish today was next Thursday!!!

[tenNesseeCat]

Oh my bad Tennessee Cat. Actually I think WCU has a real good chance for a competitive game here. Probably will fall just short to the pirates. Really liked Troy Mitchell. Glad to know he graduated. He worried me more than any other QB in the conference with his skill set.

I hope we are competitive. thanks!

If you were worried about Troy, then Tyrie Adams may give you those same feelings. He learned under Troy for a year, but he's young. Not the official starter just yet, but I'm pretty certain it won't take him long.

[Toby]

As a side note, I always appreciate it early in the season when two teams that we have later on the schedule play one another in a critical game. Neither team has any real incentive to keep much powder dry. Thanks for the film.

Hmmmm. Well since Furman and Mercer play the LAST game of the year (playoffs excluded), I think both teams will have plenty of film. Perhaps you are referring to the Furman - Citadel game. Although their QB may be back for the Paladins. So.....?

[PaladinFan]

Hmmmm. Well since Furman and Mercer play the LAST game of the year (playoffs excluded), I think both teams will have plenty of film. Perhaps you are referring to the Furman - Citadel game. Although their QB may be back for the Paladins. So.....?

If you had the option of watching your next opponent play a cupcake, spend have the game playing reserves, and do nothing but vanilla looks on both offense and defense or watch the same team throw everything they've got at a team to win a critical game, wouldn't you choose the latter?

[Toby]

If you had the option of watching your next opponent play a cupcake, spend have the game playing reserves, and do nothing but vanilla looks on both offense and defense or watch the same team throw everything they've got at a team to win a critical game, wouldn't you choose the latter?

So to follow your logic, your saying UTC is going to have a big advantage over Furman the week after the Furman-Citadel game because Furman will have shown all their cards against Citadel, but UTC will not against Shorter and Presbyterian? IDK. If history is any guide, I don't think it will make much difference.

[PaladinFan]

So to follow your logic, your saying UTC is going to have a big advantage over Furman the week after the Furman-Citadel game because Furman will have shown all their cards against Citadel, but UTC will not against Shorter and Presbyterian? IDK. If history is any guide, I don't think it will make much difference.

I'm not sure what is complicated about this. Yes, I think who you play and when you play them very much matters and can give an opponent an advantage, however slight.

The SoCon is a competitive league. Games are often decided by a couple plays over the course of four quarters. If I have a better idea of what you are likely to do during those four quarters, that is an advantage. It may not make a difference in the final tally, but it certainly gives me insight I would otherwise not have.

[Toby]

I'm not sure what is complicated about this. Yes, I think who you play and when you play them very much matters and can give an opponent an advantage, however slight.

The SoCon is a competitive league. Games are often decided by a couple plays over the course of four quarters. If I have a better idea of what you are likely to do during those four quarters, that is an advantage. It may not make a difference in the final tally, but it certainly gives me insight I would otherwise not have.

I can agree with "slight" and "it may not make a difference in the final tally".

[Milktruck74]

So to follow your logic, your saying UTC is going to have a big advantage over Furman the week after the Furman-Citadel game because Furman will have shown all their cards against Citadel, but UTC will not against Shorter and Presbyterian? IDK. If history is any guide, I don't think it will make much difference.

This statement has held true since before I played for the Mocs....Thank God it holds true because we are good now!!!! It is much more fun to be a Moc these days!!!!

[PaladinFan]

I can agree with "slight" and "it may not make a difference in the final tally".

It might not. It also might.

Teams will shift and adjust what they do over the course of a season. If I watch Mercer and the Citadel play, and see the Citadel's defense scrape/exchange virtually every time on Mercer's read option game, I am going to have pretty good idea they are going to do that against Furman the next week. Maybe they won't, but most likely at that stage of the season, that is how they are going to defense that play.

Furman lost three games where they were within 3 points in the fourth quarter in 2015. If I am a coordinator and guess right just once on what the other team is going to do in a certain situation, it can make the difference between winning and losing. Maybe it matters, maybe it doesn't, but you aren't going to convince me it isn't an advantage.

- - - Updated - - -


This statement has held true since before I played for the Mocs....Thank God it holds true because we are good now!!!! It is much more fun to be a Moc these days!!!!

Sort of a relative statement. UTC has had Furman's number the past few years, but before that I think Furman reeled off, what, 14 in a row?

[dixiechs]

Wofford
Chattanooga
Citadel
Samford
Mich St.
East Carolina
Akron(just barely- vmi gives them a scare)
Kennesaw St.

[MR. CHICKEN]

MERCER
SAMFORD
WOFFORD
CHATTANOOGA
MICHIGAN STATE
E. CAROLINA
AKRON
KENNESAW STATE

[SU DOG]

Wofford
Chattanooga
Citadel
Samford
Mich St.
East Carolina
Akron(just barely- vmi gives them a scare)
Kennesaw St.

Before somebody even asks I will explain that avatar. This poster has DNA at both Samford and VMI, and ironically at the QB position in both cases.
BTW, they are both VERY good players. xnodx

[SCPALADIN]

MERCER
SAMFORD
WOFFORD - in a close one
CHATTANOOGA - by 20+
MICHIGAN STATE
E. CAROLINA
AKRON - By 20+ (Go Zips!)
KENNESAW STATE

[TTUEagles]

The Citadel at Mercer
Mars Hill at Samford
Wofford at Tennessee TECH
Shorter University at Chattanooga
Furman at Michigan State
Western Carolina at East Carolina
VMI at Akron
ETSU at Kennesaw State

[dixiechs]

lol SU- i was waiting for someone to go "wait, what?" :P

Before somebody even asks I will explain that avatar. This poster has DNA at both Samford and VMI, and ironically at the QB position in both cases.
BTW, they are both VERY good players. xnodx

[tenNesseeCat]

Congrats, you must be a proud papa!

[FUBeAR]

Congrats, you must be a proud papa!

Not exactly...

[tenNesseeCat]

mother?

[FUBeAR]

mother?

Hey, watch your mouth! xlolx

I'll let SU Dog do the 'splainin' if he cares to.

[Thumper 76]

Hey, watch your mouth! xlolx

I'll let SU Dog do the 'splainin' if he cares to.

I'm assuming that the Hodges are brothers.

[SU DOG]

I'm assuming that the Hodges are brothers.

YES they are brothers, and they are both QBs, and they both are very good players.

[bonarae]

Thursday, September 1
The Citadel at Mercer - Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Fox Sports Go / ESPN3
Mars Hill at Samford - Birmingham, Ala. TBA ESPN3
Wofford at Tennessee Tech - Cookeville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. OVCDN
Shorter University at Chattanooga - Chattanooga, Tenn. 7:00 p.m.

Friday, September 2
Furman at Michigan State - East - Lansing, Mich. 7:00 p.m. BTN

Saturday, September 3
Western Carolina at East Carolina - Greenville, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ESPN3
VMI at Akron - Akron, Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPN3
ETSU at Kennesaw State - Kennesaw, Ga. 7:00 p.m. BSDN

[tenNesseeCat]

Hey, watch your mouth! xlolx

I'll let SU Dog do the 'splainin' if he cares to.

no need. Congrats to dixiechs (sp) on their high quality DNA!

[ElCid]

Wondering how the TS might impact the game in Macon Thursday night. TS watch as far north as Warner Robins but Macon might get a bunch of rain and wind regardless. Could be a mudfest. If it swings west a bit more, then UTC and Samford games might be impacted as well. Could be an equalizer to a degree. But looks like it is headed through south Georgia, and into mid SC.

[FUBeAR]

Wondering how the TS might impact the game in Macon Thursday night. TS watch as far north as Warner Robins but Macon might get a bunch of rain and wind regardless. Could be a mudfest. If it swings west a bit more, then UTC and Samford games might be impacted as well. Could be an equalizer to a degree. But looks like it is headed through south Georgia, and into mid SC.

Won't be any mud in Five Star Stadium tomorrow night. Always been well-draining artificial turf and Mercer had a new, even better carpet installed over the summer.

Mercer played in a frog-strangling, gully-washer in 2013 and the field was fine. No way to keep the balls dry (they were slick as snot) and the players could barely see, but the turf was aces. Not sure if you can see the amount of rain or the splashing in the pic below, but it was coming down like I've never seen before!

From what I've heard about El Cid's FR 1st-time Starting QB though, running the triple option in a deluge shouldn't present any problems for that magician.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=23433&stc=1

[ElCid]

Won't be any mud in Five Star Stadium tomorrow night. Always been well-draining artificial turf and Mercer had a new, even better carpet installed over the summer.

Mercer played in a frog-strangling, gully-washer in 2013 and the field was fine. No way to keep the balls dry (they were slick as snot) and the players could barely see, but the turf was aces. Not sure if you can see the amount of rain or the splashing in the pic below, but it was coming down like I've never seen before!

From what I've heard about El Cid's FR 1st-time Starting QB though, running the triple option in a deluge shouldn't present any problems for that magician.



I guess I forgot you had turf. Still might be interesting with wind and rain. Kicking game? You guys get a kicker who can make those tough XPs? We lost our ace from last year but picked up an FBS grad stud and have a pretty good true freshman by all accounts. I don't like our chances of holding onto the ball with a new QB in a deluge.xsmhx But who knows. 19hours to go.

[MarkCCU]

Close game. 24-23. Go Dogs!

[Smitty]

So I guess Mercer is going to continue the lose by less than a TD this season.

[chattanoogamocs]

WOW...UTC and Shorter, the first thing that comes to mind was when they were torturing William Wallace in Braveheart and it gets so bad that the crowd starts yelling for mercy. I mean I felt bad for them, it was awful.

Shorter completed 1 pass for 2 yards, had 16 totals yards of offense for the entire game and never made it to the 40 yard line.

You can thank APSU for this mismatch, fortunately UTC has now completed their schedule for the next 3 years and it is all DI.

It was fun getting back to football tonight, but man, what a stinker of a game.

[chattanoogamocs]

SoCon Schedule
Thursday

Wofford 21
Tenn Tech 7

The Citadel 24
Mercer 23
(A: 12,542)

Mars Hill 7
Samford 77
(A: 4,482)

Shorter 0
Chattanooga 66
(A: 9,588)

[ElCid]

SoCon Schedule
Thursday

Wofford 21
Tenn Tech 7

The Citadel 24
Mercer 23
(A: 12,542)

Mars Hill 7
Samford 77
(A: 4,482)

Shorter 0
Chattanooga 66
(A: 9,588)

I am sorry but for anyone who saw the game do they really think that there were 12.5K there? I am sorry but there were simply too many empty seats to take this seriously. I understand the exuberance they are trying to instill, etc, but I have been to a game there and saw it with my own eyes to really believe the numbers reported. Not that it really matters, but geez. Are they counting tickets sold or butts in seats? Don't get me wrong, I like what they have created (are trying to create), but....

[citdog]

Nice opening win. Mercer will be heard from before it's all over.

[PaladinFan]

I am sorry but for anyone who saw the game do they really think that there were 12.5K there? I am sorry but there were simply too many empty seats to take this seriously. I understand the exuberance they are trying to instill, etc, but I have been to a game there and saw it with my own eyes to really believe the numbers reported. Not that it really matters, but geez. Are they counting tickets sold or butts in seats? Don't get me wrong, I like what they have created (are trying to create), but....

My understanding of the rules is that the NCAA allows you to count tickets sold, not butts in the seats. My best guess is Mercer sells a lot of season tickets to folks that didn't come to the game.

[thirdgendin]

My understanding of the rules is that the NCAA allows you to count tickets sold, not butts in the seats. My best guess is Mercer sells a lot of season tickets to folks that didn't come to the game.

Or maybe they hired a ticket-counter from Wofford....

[Catamount87]

Hasn't the kicking game at Mercer been the difference a few times in the last couple of season?

Edit - I did some quick research on Mercer kicking the last two years.

2014
FGs 7-12, 58% 5th in Socon
PATs 47-49, 96%, 5th in SoCon

2015
FG 12-19, 63%, 8th in SoCon
PATs 36-40, 90%, 6th in SoCon

[PaladinFan]

Hasn't the kicking game at Mercer been the difference a few times in the last couple of season?

Edit - I did some quick research on Mercer kicking the last two years.

2014
FGs 7-12, 58% 5th in Socon
PATs 47-49, 96%, 5th in SoCon

2015
FG 12-19, 63%, 8th in SoCon
PATs 36-40, 90%, 6th in SoCon

This probably isn't a surprise to Furman fans. Lamb's tenure in Greenville was punctuated by a number of excruciating losses where the margin of defeat was a botched special team's play. I can probably come up with 5 or 6 without even looking them up.

[BearDownMU]

Hasn't the kicking game at Mercer been the difference a few times in the last couple of season?

Edit - I did some quick research on Mercer kicking the last two years.

2014
FGs 7-12, 58% 5th in Socon
PATs 47-49, 96%, 5th in SoCon

2015
FG 12-19, 63%, 8th in SoCon
PATs 36-40, 90%, 6th in SoCon

This is definitely true. However, our kicker yesterday is the new guy. Sopohmore Cole Fisher. 3/3 on FG and 2/2 on PAT's and hit a 47 yarder... Which seemed to me like 13 miles considering our kicking situation the last couple of years

[BearDownMU]

My understanding of the rules is that the NCAA allows you to count tickets sold, not butts in the seats. My best guess is Mercer sells a lot of season tickets to folks that didn't come to the game.

This is also true. We have a ton of alumni in Atlanta with tickets, and Thursdays are tough, especially people with kids.

Also, when football came back, I think they had no idea what the season ticket response was going to be and really priced the tickets to move. So, for example, I don't have kids, but when we got the pricing on tickets I was just going to get 2 for me and my wife, and my wife said, "Why don't you just get 4? Then we can invite friends if we want?" Now, because I did that and am a a football freak, I always make sure my seats are filled by me, or I give unused back to the University to dole out through the giveback program. But, at this point, it's a tough "problem" to fix.

But, I think a lot of people maybe bought more tickets than they needed because the pricing was so good, and you have a situation where people don't use them all. And, to PaladinFan's point, I'm pretty sure those count toward the attendance number.

[Catamount87]

This is definitely true. However, our kicker yesterday is the new guy. Sopohmore Cole Fisher. 3/3 on FG and 2/2 on PAT's and hit a 47 yarder... Which seemed to me like 13 miles considering our kicking situation the last couple of years

I had it in my head that y'all had a missed FG but it was The Citadel that missed. Good grief penalties did y'all in, 10 for 103 yards one (holding) negating a TD. Ugh!

[BearDownMU]

I had it in my head that y'all had a missed FG but it was The Citadel that missed. Good grief penalties did y'all in, 10 for 103 yards one (holding) negating a TD. Ugh!

Yeah, if you are going to point to 1 thing, that's definitely it. I watched the replay when I got home last night and most were good calls but there were a couple of head scratchers in really big spots.

As a fan, the frustrating part was the fact that against our 10 penalties, The Citadel had one. One. And it was a late hit.

Maybe they are the most well coached, disciplined team in history, but a TO team played an entire game, 53 rushes on 62 plays, and not a single false start, hold, or illegal block? Certainly possible, but tough to fathom if you are on the other side of it.

[ElCid]

I had it in my head that y'all had a missed FG but it was The Citadel that missed. Good grief penalties did y'all in, 10 for 103 yards one (holding) negating a TD. Ugh!

I think we probably leave Macon with a loss without those penalties. But kudos to my Dogs with 1 penalty!!! And 0 on the turnovers. Not bad for game 1 against a good opponent.

[BearDownMU]

I think we probably leave Macon with a loss without those penalties. But kudos to my Dogs with 1 penalty!!! And 0 on the turnovers. Not bad for game 1 against a good opponent.

Yep. Hard to win in conference on the road. For me, the ball protection from you guys was the most impressive. I was seriously counting on winning the turnover battle (first game, QB change, etc.), but you guys just wouldn't put it on the carpet.

[ElCid]

Yeah, if you are going to point to 1 thing, that's definitely it. I watched the replay when I got home last night and most were good calls but there were a couple of head scratchers in really big spots.

As a fan, the frustrating part was the fact that against our 10 penalties, The Citadel had one. One. And it was a late hit.

Maybe they are the most well coached, disciplined team in history, but a TO team played an entire game, 53 rushes on 62 plays, and not a single false start, hold, or illegal block? Certainly possible, but tough to fathom if you are on the other side of it.

Discipline is what we do, but whenever you have a "subjective call" that might be called, there can be extremes in either calling or not calling (as in any evaluation). We do have a history of being one of the best in FCS in having low penalties. We have departed from that the last couples years, but maybe we are back to being in the top 5 in FCS.

[PaladinFan]

This is also true. We have a ton of alumni in Atlanta with tickets, and Thursdays are tough, especially people with kids.

Also, when football came back, I think they had no idea what the season ticket response was going to be and really priced the tickets to move. So, for example, I don't have kids, but when we got the pricing on tickets I was just going to get 2 for me and my wife, and my wife said, "Why don't you just get 4? Then we can invite friends if we want?" Now, because I did that and am a a football freak, I always make sure my seats are filled by me, or I give unused back to the University to dole out through the giveback program. But, at this point, it's a tough "problem" to fix.

But, I think a lot of people maybe bought more tickets than they needed because the pricing was so good, and you have a situation where people don't use them all. And, to PaladinFan's point, I'm pretty sure those count toward the attendance number.

I think I heard where Mercer sold somewhere like 5-7k season tickets. I know plenty of folks that get them because they are inexpensive, and either go or not go. No real loss when you don't pay a lot of money for the ticket.

I imagine most SoCon schools that don't move as many season tickets probably just report the turnstile. I expect you could see Furman report 8,000 for a game and Mercer report 12,000+ and there were probably close the same number of fans actually in attendance.

Do they still not give ticket allotments for visiting schools, or has that stopped?

[BearDownMU]

We still give the conference mandated amount of tickets to visiting schools. But, to my knowledge, we still don't release additional blocks for the visitors to sell. However, visitors can still come in through the Mercer ticket portal and buy tickets, which are, generally, either in the sections visitors normally sit or standing room.

And, you estimate on the season ticket sales is pretty accurate on the high side of the range

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

Sorry I was late to the party. My picks for Saturday are as follows:

Western Carolina @ East Carolina - Pirates have their way with the Catamounts
VMI @ Akron - Zips run past the Keydets
ETSU @ Kennesaw State - This could be a closer game than you think.

Thoughts on the earlier games: Furman had nothing to be ashamed of against Michigan State. The Citadel survived a great effort by Mercer. Everyone knew Samford and Chattanooga was going to win. Wofford did good against Tennessee Tech.