SOCON Predictions and Power Rankings - Week 9

[ElCid]

Power Rankings

1 - The Citadel - Almost lost it, but good teams find a way to win
2 - Chattanooga - Rolled even without Craine
3 - Samford - Still flying high
4 - Wofford - They still belong here...and they are no longer an enigma, whew
5 - Mercer - Almost gave it away late but got a good win on the road
6 - Furman - Rested up
7 - VMI - Mocs were just a bit too much for them
8 - WCU - Put up a stubborn fight, but Hodges is an aerial animal
9 - ETSU - Got a win but still the worst

Predictions

Furman @ VMI - Furman is rested up and looking to score another victory; but can Furman generate any offense? A bit more - 31-24
Mercer @ Wofford - Both trying to stay alive, will be another bruiser - 31-23
ETSU @ The Citadel - Dogs run wild again - 44-10
UTC @ WCU - Mocs overpower Cats - 37-17
Samford @ Miss St - Nobody shuts down Hodges and the Bulldogs completely, not even the SEC Bulldogs - 42-24

Playoff Picture

Good position

The Citadel - (7-0) 6 Div I wins, currently in SOCON drivers seat (still to go - ETSU, Samford, VMI, UNC) at worst they should be 9-2, maybe 10-1

UTC - (7-1) 6 Div I wins (still to go - WCU, Wofford, Alabama) at worst they should be 8-3, probably 9-2

Samford - (6-1) 5 Div I wins, has OOC Cent Ark Win (still to go - Miss St, Cid, Mercer, ETSU) at worst they should be 8-3, maybe 9-2


Fighting for their lives - the loser this weekend will likely be done

Wofford - (4-3) 3 Div I wins (still to go - Mercer, Furman, UTC, VMI) really needs to win out to have an easy playoff berth

Mercer - (4-3) 4 Div I wins (still to go - Wofford, ETSU, Samford, Furman) really needs to win out to have an easy playoff berth

[kdinva]

1) The Citadel
2) UTC
3) Samford
4) Wofford
5) Mercer
t6) VMI
t6) Furmsn
t8) WCU
t8) ETSU

************
Wofford 34, Mercer 21
VMI 28, Furman 21
Citadel 42; ETSU 14
UTC 34; WCU 24
Miss. St. 35; Samford 24

[chattanoogamocs]

1. The Citadel 13,300
Furman 12,009
Chattanooga 14,590

2. Mercer 11,520
The Citadel 12,542
Tenn Tech 9,772
Western Carolina 12,247

3. Western Carolina 11,113
Gardner-Webb 11,598
The Citadel 12,283
Wofford 9,457

4. Chattanooga 9,643
Shorter 9,588
Presbyterian 8,370
Samford 8,714
Mercer 11,039
VMI 10,505

5. East Tennessee State 8,381
vs Western Carolina (at Bristol) 13,863
Chattanooga 7,411
Furman 6,052
WV Wesleyan 6,196

6. Wofford 7,945
Johnson C Smith 5,417
East Tennessee State 7,316
The Citadel 11,102

7. Furman 5,634
Chattanooga 5,347
Kennesaw State 6,970
Samford 4,587

8. VMI 5,452
Mercer 5,266
East Tennessee State 5,638

9. Samford 5,277
Mars Hill 4,482
Wofford 8,509
VMI 4,085
Western Carolina 4,031

[moc n tn1991]

POWER

1. The Citadel, King of the hill
2. Chattanooga, Bagley picked up the slack for Craine
3. Samford, Will they upset Mississippi State
4. Wofford, Almost pulled it off (got my hopes up)
5. Mercer, Almost let APSU pull it off.
6. VMI,
7. Furman
8. Western Carolina,
9. ETSU

Predictions:
Wofford over Mercer, 28 - 24
VMI over Furman, 28 - 27
Chattanooga over Western Carolina, 31 - 17
ETSU over Citadel, 27 - 0 (Just kidding)
Citadel over ETSU, 41 - 7
Mississippi State over Samford, 34 - 17

[The Cats]

2. Mercer
Western Carolina 12,247




The capacity for Mercer's stadium is 10,200, so the attendance listed at the Western game would be 120% of capacity.

At least one-quarter of the seats all over the stadium were empty during the Western game. Do they just make up these figures?

[kdinva]

Do they just make up these figures?


VMI: The current A D does not include the Corps in the attendance figures (prior AD's did), so whatever VMI's announced attendance is, add 1,350 for accuracy....

[bonarae]

VMI
Mercer
The Citadel
Chattanooga
Mississippi State

[SU DOG]

Just for a little Samford information here: Last night was costly as far as injuries are concerned. We started our 2nd string MLB due to an injury, and ended up having to play our 3rd stringer because of an injury during the game to our #2. We had to play our #3 RB because of an injury during the game to our #2(our starter was already out). Starting RT was also injured and I don't think he returned. I do not know the severity of any of these injuries. Yes, I know that everybody has injuries especially this time of year, but I kinda hate to see us go to Starkville Saturday then have to go play such a brutally physical Citadel Team the next week. It would be nice to be rested and at full strength, and also not worried about possibly more hurt players at an SEC venue. UTC fans probably have some of those same thoughts about going to T-Town just before Playoffs. Here's just hoping for the cliché - "check cleared and nobody hurt."

[ElCid]

VMI: The current A D does not include the Corps in the attendance figures (prior AD's did), so whatever VMI's announced attendance is, add 1,350 for accuracy....

I believe that is the same for us. Our numbers went down around the time he came on board. Not complaining just explaining.

[PaladinFan]

The capacity for Mercer's stadium is 10,200, so the attendance listed at the Western game would be 120% of capacity.

At least one-quarter of the seats all over the stadium were empty during the Western game. Do they just make up these figures?



One of the Mercer fans can probably better address this, but my understanding is Mercer sells relatively inexpensive season ticket packages, initially to draw interest for a start-up program.

For attendance, they count tickets sold (which is permissible under the NCAA rules), not the turnstile. That is why they report things like 120% capacity crowd when any reasonable person looking at the stadium sees rows of empty seats. A lot of folks buy the season ticket packages but don't show up to the game.

[OrangeAndBlack]

One of the Mercer fans can probably better address this, but my understanding is Mercer sells relatively inexpensive season ticket packages, initially to draw interest for a start-up program.

For attendance, they count tickets sold (which is permissible under the NCAA rules), not the turnstile. That is why they report things like 120% capacity crowd when any reasonable person looking at the stadium sees rows of empty seats. A lot of folks buy the season ticket packages but don't show up to the game.

There's 10,200 seats + tickets sold for grass berm seating + standing room only tickets potentially.

[OrangeAndBlack]

Furman @ VMI -- I think VMI can pick up a home win in this spot. VMI 35, Furman 21

Mercer @ Wofford -- These teams went to OT last year, and I think we're in line for another competitive game. Mercer 41, Wofford 38

ETSU @ The Citadel -- No mercy shown in this one. ETSU 6, The Citadel 45

Chattanooga @ WCU -- No Mercer here either. UTC 38, WCU 20

Samford @ Miss State

[FUBeAR]

One of the Mercer fans can probably better address this, but my understanding is Mercer sells relatively inexpensive season ticket packages, initially to draw interest for a start-up program.

For attendance, they count tickets sold (which is permissible under the NCAA rules), not the turnstile. That is why they report things like 120% capacity crowd when any reasonable person looking at the stadium sees rows of empty seats. A lot of folks buy the season ticket packages but don't show up to the game.

I don't KNOW much about it. BearDownMU probably KNOWS way more about this stuff than I do. He's bona fide.

That said...the Season Tickets were very inexpensive in Year 1 (2013), but I think they have raised the prices each year. I don't know what they cost now, but I know they are more, albeit, still below SoCon 'market rate.' I think the walk-up (general admission) tickets are still fairly inexpensive also - maybe $10 or so. And I THINK you are right on counting tickets sold vs. 'turnstile turners.'

All THAT said, there are some fairly unique (I think) attributes to Mercer's stadium that contributes to the variance seen in the # of empty seats vs. Attendance Figures. There are substantial standing room and non-seat areas with great views of the game all around the stands. This is even more so on the Press Box side as there are no 'concession under stands' configurations as you find at most stadiums. A lot of people (I am one of those) almost never sit in their seats. I typically get a front row seat on the grass in the end zone, just a few feet from the End Line. I can see the O-Line blocking from that angle much better AND, as a bonus, I get to practice constructive communication with the SoCon Officials on a regular basis. While they don't often acknowledge it, I am confident that they hear and 'appreciate' my 'encouragement.' Anyway, I would say, at a typical, Mercer game, there are as many as 2-3k on the berms and 'milling around' in the open areas that are not seats.

The WCU is one where the typically late-arriving (tailgating is good in Macon!) crowd also sat thru misty rain and a fairly boring 1st half of football. As is common these days; if the weather isn't perfect and the play/product on the field is not inspiring, people 'check out' and go back to their tailgates or 'beat the traffic.' So, the crowd was certainly thinned in the 2nd half. Those that left missed a lot of good, exciting football. Their loss.

[ElCid]

Mercer @ Wofford -- These teams went to OT last year, and I think we're in line for another competitive game. Mercer 41, Wofford 38



I guess it's possible but I don't think there is any way that there are 79 points scored in this game. Wofford will not allow it with their ball hogging ways.

[BearDownMU]

The capacity for Mercer's stadium is 10,200, so the attendance listed at the Western game would be 120% of capacity.

At least one-quarter of the seats all over the stadium were empty during the Western game. Do they just make up these figures?






2 things. First, 10,200 is the seated capacity. There are roughly 2,500 seats available for the berms on either end of the stadium and standing room tickets. So really total capacity is closer to 13K.

Second, season tickets are very affordable and quite a few season ticket holders (myself included) have bought more than our "family" would normally dictate. I have 4 tickets, but it's only me and my wife. However, I always invite friends or find people to use my spares if I have them. Also, if you can't find someone to use them, Mercer has a give back program where they will give them out to local community groups to use. That said, the visual, in my estimation, are people that have bought season tickets but might not use them all. The vast majority of the "home" side (that you see on broadcasts) is the season ticket side. I might be incorrect, but I think we sold somewhere on the order of 6,000 season tickets each season so far.

And, to PaladinFan's point, for reported attendence, you can count season tickets sold, whether they come through the gate or not. And then add those to any day sold tickets, or turnstile scans that aren't season ticket holders.

Also, the field house at the end of the endzone, as you might have noticed, has a large balcony, and glass windows that look out over the field. That is the President's Balcony, and you can see the game from inside the Drake Field House. Every week they do a large spread of food and beverages where donors, invited guests, sponsors, etc can come hang out up there. It's like a huge luxury suite. And all those people also will generally have seated tickets on the home side. So they may be up in the suite or on the balcony, having left their seats to go up there.

[FUBeAR]

Mercer 41, Wofford 38

WOW! Have you SEEN Wofford's Defense?

Maybe you're expecting more 'gifts' from their Offense this week. OK...from your keyboard to the Football Gods' screens!

[ElCid]

WOW! Have you SEEN Wofford's Defense?

Maybe you're expecting more 'gifts' from their Offense this week. OK...from your keyboard to the Football Gods' screens!

Yeah, they are a pretty good defense. Here is a condensed version of game for those who didn't see it. My favorite part is at the 18 minute mark where we get the flip 6 though.


https://youtu.be/UzDNDmPN1tQ

[longtimemocfan]

Just for a little Samford information here: Last night was costly as far as injuries are concerned. We started our 2nd string MLB due to an injury, and ended up having to play our 3rd stringer because of an injury during the game to our #2. We had to play our #3 RB because of an injury during the game to our #2(our starter was already out). Starting RT was also injured and I don't think he returned. I do not know the severity of any of these injuries. Yes, I know that everybody has injuries especially this time of year, but I kinda hate to see us go to Starkville Saturday then have to go play such a brutally physical Citadel Team the next week. It would be nice to be rested and at full strength, and also not worried about possibly more hurt players at an SEC venue. UTC fans probably have some of those same thoughts about going to T-Town just before Playoffs. Here's just hoping for the cliché - "check cleared and nobody hurt."

That definitely sucks for your team. I remember in 2013 Samford is probably playing better than anybody in the conference before the injury bug hit you hard.

[chattanoogamocs]

Most schools....even SEC...do a formula of season tickets plus single game tickets sold. It isn't the IRS, there is not official NCAA mandated formula. Most schools also include any employee, staff, etc. working the game (they are technically at the stadium and "attended" the event)

Mercer's numbers tend to look more inflated because their pre-season tickets sales are so high (because they are inexpensive), leaving larger holes in the stands when they don't all show up.

If you ever go to a UTC game, the blue chairback seats in the middle are probably 75% sold to season ticket holders, yet they are always the emptiest in the stadium (because so many of them are older, wealthy, donors who support the team with their checkbooks, but typically don't actually show to games).

UTC attendance is also hard to peg sometimes because the skyboxes hold about 750-1,000 people (and they are usually full). It cost $25K a year to rent one of the smaller, 12 seat boxes...plus 12 season ticket packages...plus a $3K a year service/maintenance fee (and then even more to buy food/drinks/beer). And there is a waiting list for them.

Next year, Finley is going take the top 5 rows of the home side and turn them into private, outdoor skyboxes (that won't be nearly as expensive as the indoor one's). They will have nicer, deluxe, chairback seats and since they are "private," beer can be served.

[ElCid]

Review of week 8 on the FCS Wedge.

http://thefcswedge.com/socon/socon-week-8-review-and-power-rankings/

[PaladinFan]

This weekend will be the end of the playoff line for either Mercer or Wofford.

[Milktruck74]

In an attempt to get this thread back on track and off the attendance tangent....

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

************
Wofford 24, Mercer 17
VMI 21, Furman 24
Citadel 35; ETSU 8
CHATTANOOGA 42; WCU 17
Miss. St. 41; Samford 14

[Mocs123]

I am trying to decide who to pick in the Furman/VMI game. Is Hannon playing QB? Ryder is back in the lineup, correct?

[ElCid]

Miss. St. 41; Samford 14


I really think Samford can score more than 14 against these bubbas. Miss St hasn't been that good this year at all and they are basically done. Problem for the Alabama Dogs looks to be on defense unfortunately with there injuries. Samford needs to have a bit longer drives to keep the ball away from the Miss St offense too. Then they might have a chance.

[longtimemocfan]

Samford has some injuries on both sides of the ball that could affect their play this week. Even if they could play against Miss. St. would you want them playing in this game. I know a few years back we held out several key players that were banged up when we played Alabama in case we made the playoffs that year. Samford being very much alive for a playoff spot you just wonder who will actually play and not play.

[ElCid]

Samford has some injuries on both sides of the ball that could affect their play this week. Even if they could play against Miss. St. would you want them playing in this game. I know a few years back we held out several key players that were banged up when we played Alabama in case we made the playoffs that year. Samford being very much alive for a playoff spot you just wonder who will actually play and not play.

Yeah, all good points. Apparently Charleston Southern did that last year against Alabama and pissed off Saban. They were trying to make sure none of their starters got hurt. But it is definitely a something to consider.

[moc n tn1991]

Yeah, but everything pisses Saban off.

[SU DOG]

Samford has some injuries on both sides of the ball that could affect their play this week. Even if they could play against Miss. St. would you want them playing in this game. I know a few years back we held out several key players that were banged up when we played Alabama in case we made the playoffs that year. Samford being very much alive for a playoff spot you just wonder who will actually play and not play.

BINGO Mocfan. We've been practically injury free until recently. Regardless of their record, the Miss State players, are just bigger, stronger, faster, and deeper. I don't have any elusions of grander about this game. I just want there to be NO more injuries. If we compete well, then that's great. If we don't, then you just have to say they are an SEC opponent.

[PaladinNation]

I am trying to decide who to pick in the Furman/VMI game. Is Hannon playing QB? Ryder is back in the lineup, correct?

Yes to both… Hannon will start, Blaze came in last week in the second half. Rider and Johnson both appear to be back at full speed.

[longtimemocfan]

Saban's probably going to get mad again. I'll be very surprised if Bennifield, Craine or anyone else that's banged up sees anything but a token appearance against Alabama.

[moc n tn1991]

I wonder if Saban would get mad if you switched his Classic Coke to Coke Zero on the podium when he does the presser.

[OrangeAndBlack]

WOW! Have you SEEN Wofford's Defense?

Maybe you're expecting more 'gifts' from their Offense this week. OK...from your keyboard to the Football Gods' screens!

I've seen it!

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I was 5-0 last week. Chattanooga and The Citadel are close to playoff contention with Samford not far back. Here's where I have it after last weekend's games:

1) The Citadel (1 out of 4) - Survived a scare against Wofford
2) Chattanooga (1 out of 3) - No Craine, no problem
3) Samford (2 out of 4) - Mauled them some Catamounts
4) Wofford (4 out of 4) - Had nothing to be ashamed of last week
5) Mercer (3 out of 4) - Had a tougher time than originally thought
6) VMI (4 out of 4) - Was not able to get Chattanooga off the tracks
7) Furman (OUT) - Rested their players
8) ETSU (OUT) - Won in a game that did not move the needle
9) Western Carolina (OUT) - Still not able to find a way to win in conference play

Predictions
Mercer @ Wofford - Terriers keep their playoff hopes alive
Furman @ VMI - Keydets score their second conference win
ETSU @ The Citadel - Bulldogs avenge their loss from 2003
Samford @ Mississippi State - As much as I want to pick Samford, injuries are too much to overcome here
Chattanooga @ Western Carolina (Beatdown of the Week) - Catamounts end up being roadkill for this train

[PaladinFan]

I am trying to decide who to pick in the Furman/VMI game. Is Hannon playing QB? Ryder is back in the lineup, correct?

No reason to pull Hannon now. Only Hodges is averaging more passing yards per game than Hannon right now. Only Bennefield and Hodges have a better completion percentage. Furman has seemingly resigned itself to the fact that with Hannon in the game, our best offense is just to air it out.

Rider and Johnson played against ETSU. I assume they'll be in the lineup for VMI. Their absence was a huge void against KSU and Samford.

[Mocs123]

No reason to pull Hannon now. Only Hodges is averaging more passing yards per game than Hannon right now. Only Bennefield and Hodges have a better completion percentage. Furman has seemingly resigned itself to the fact that with Hannon in the game, our best offense is just to air it out.

Rider and Johnson played against ETSU. I assume they'll be in the lineup for VMI. Their absence was a huge void against KSU and Samford.

Furmans ability to air it (and VMI's vulnerability to it) out is one of the reasons I think they may upset VMI. It seemed to me that this Furman team finally found thier offensive identity against ETSU and it isn't running the ball. In fact there probably won't be many rushing yards in this game.

Furmans D is really good when healthy.

[FUBeAR]

Furmans ability to air it (and VMI's vulnerability to it) out is one of the reasons I think they may upset VMI.

Furman is favored by 4.5 points per 5Dimes/LiveLines and Massey Matchup predicts that game to turn out 27-24 for the 'Dins.

[Mocs123]

Maybe it isn't an upset after all. I was thinking that most people had picked VMI but I see at least two have already picked the Paladins.

[ElCid]

Maybe it isn't an upset after all. I was thinking that most people had picked VMI but I see at least two have already picked the Paladins.

All computer and gambling positions aside I think it is a close match up offensively with ever so slightly an edge to VMI and Cobb, but the Furman D will be the difference.

[PaladinFan]

Transitivity property, which totally works in football, suggests the Paladins.

Common opponents:
Samford
v. Furman: 38-21 (+14)
v. VMI: 55-21 (+34)

ETSU
v. Furman: 52-7 (-45)
v. VMI: 37-7 (-30)

UTC
v. Furman: 24-14 (+7)
v. VMI: 30-13 (+17)

Furman is about as inconsistent a football team as I've ever seen. If the good version of Furman shows up, I think the Paladins would and should be favored. If bad Furman shows up, all bets are off. The benefit to Furman fans is you can typically tell within the first 5 minutes of the game which Furman team took the field today. Plenty of heads up and opportunity to lower your expectations.

[walliver]

Power rankings:
1) The Citadel - they're here until somebody beats them
2) Chattanooga - just 1 loss
3) Samford - The Hatch Attack is always dangerous
4) Wofford - Just 5 points away from being #1, but in two close games, no-one was able to step up and make the big play
5) Mercer - beating a winless team doesn't move you up.
6) Furman - A very dangerous team with nothing to lose at this point
7) VMI - Still waiting for a signature win
8) WCU - few people expected them to struggle this much this year
9) ETSU - reality bites

This week:
Furman at VMI - FU looked good two weeks ago and the horsey people would like to go out with a rally for what is likely Bruce Fowler's swan song. Pukes beat the Keydets 35-24
Mercer at Wofford - essentially the first round of the playoffs for both. Terriers finally win a close one 27-24
ETSU at the Citadel - The mountain pirates don't have the muscle on either side of the line to compete in this one and the chucktown pups win 56-0
Samford at Mississippi State - Bama pups put up big yards, but Mississippi pups put up a lot more and MS wins 42-20
UTC at WCU - Could be the upset of the week, but I wouldn't bet any of my money on it. Trainbirds gring out a 31-14 win over the cants.

Playoffs:
Citadel - most likely auto bid
UTC - can probably drop another game and still be in good shape
Samford - loss this weekend won't hurt them, but a loss against the Citadel in 2 weeks could put them on the bubble.
Mercer - could drop one game and still get 7 D-1 wins but would definitely be on the bubble without a signature win - most likely elimination game this weekend.
Wofford - Needs to run the table to get to 7 D-1 wins. Since the only way to do that is to beat Chatty, that would likely be good enough for a bid.

[walliver]

Transitivity property, which totally works in football, suggests the Paladins.

Common opponents:
Samford
v. Furman: 38-21 (+14)
v. VMI: 55-21 (+34)

ETSU
v. Furman: 52-7 (-45)
v. VMI: 37-7 (-30)

UTC
v. Furman: 24-14 (+7)
v. VMI: 30-13 (+17)

Furman is about as inconsistent a football team as I've ever seen. If the good version of Furman shows up, I think the Paladins would and should be favored. If bad Furman shows up, all bets are off. The benefit to Furman fans is you can typically tell within the first 5 minutes of the game which Furman team took the field today. Plenty of heads up and opportunity to lower your expectations.

Didn't both teams play against Kennesaw?

[ElCid]

Didn't both teams play against Kennesaw?

No.

[longtimemocfan]

It's hard to do the common opponent thing sometimes. It's all about matchups. Cobb is a impressive QB. He rarely had more than 3 seconds to throw the ball against us and was sacked 6 times, but he is very accurate and has a quick release. If you don't pressure him he will hurt you. Furman doesn't have a lot of sacks so they will have use some creative blitzes to get the ball out of his hands quicker. Tough game to call.

[FUBeAR]

It's hard to do the common opponent thing sometimes. It's all about matchups. Cobb is a impressive QB. He rarely had more than 3 seconds to throw the ball against us and was sacked 6 times, but he is very accurate and has a quick release. If you don't pressure him he will hurt you. Furman doesn't have a lot of sacks so they will have use some creative blitzes to get the ball out of his hands quicker. Tough game to call.

Yep - BLITZING is, IMO, the key to slowing down Cobb and the Keydets.

I see 1/3 of Chatt's Sacks were by their LB's and Chatt does not typically blitz often. I'm assuming they dialed up a few for the Roos. I know Mercer did not blitz him in the 1st half in 2015 resulting in about 300 yds passing and 4 TD's. In the 2nd half, the Bears blitzed often and shut out the Keydets. They also blitzed him heavily this season and came up with 7 sacks; 4 of those by LB's.

If FU does not blitz early and often, I will be very surprised. They have the DB's to play effective (enough) man coverage; so...if I'm the DC; I'm sending at least 5 on EVERY play and 6, or even 7, with a fairly regular frequency.

[SU DOG]

Mercer @ Wofford - Terriers, and it won't be as close as most are predicting.
Furman @ VMI - Paladins, they will control the LOS.
ETSU @ The Citadel - The Citadel gets to play lots of players and rest the others for Samford (unfortunately).
UTC @ Western - Mocs will be able to run through the Catamounts D-line.
SAMFORD @ Miss St - SEC Bulldogs too talented for my Dogs.

[Milktruck74]

Yep - BLITZING is, IMO, the key to slowing down Cobb and the Keydets.

I see 1/3 of Chatt's Sacks were by their LB's and Chatt does not typically blitz often. I'm assuming they dialed up a few for the Roos. I know Mercer did not blitz him in the 1st half in 2015 resulting in about 300 yds passing and 4 TD's. In the 2nd half, the Bears blitzed often and shut out the Keydets. They also blitzed him heavily this season and came up with 7 sacks; 4 of those by LB's.

If FU does not blitz early and often, I will be very surprised. They have the DB's to play effective (enough) man coverage; so...if I'm the DC; I'm sending at least 5 on EVERY play and 6, or even 7, with a fairly regular frequency.

If you don't have a secondary that is spot on and your blitzer is a half step too slow, cobbwill pick you apart. It is a combo play, you have to have the secondary to allow the blitz, or he will find the hole.

[CID1990]

Power rankings:
1) The Citadel - they're here until somebody beats them
2) Chattanooga - just 1 loss
3) Samford - The Hatch Attack is always dangerous
4) Wofford - Just 5 points away from being #1, but in two close games, no-one was able to step up and make the big play
5) Mercer - beating a winless team doesn't move you up.
6) Furman - A very dangerous team with nothing to lose at this point
7) VMI - Still waiting for a signature win
8) WCU - few people expected them to struggle this much this year
9) ETSU - reality bites

This week:
Furman at VMI - FU looked good two weeks ago and the horsey people would like to go out with a rally for what is likely Bruce Fowler's swan song. Pukes beat the Keydets 35-24
Mercer at Wofford - essentially the first round of the playoffs for both. Terriers finally win a close one 27-24
ETSU at the Citadel - The mountain pirates don't have the muscle on either side of the line to compete in this one and the chucktown pups win 56-0
Samford at Mississippi State - Bama pups put up big yards, but Mississippi pups put up a lot more and MS wins 42-20
UTC at WCU - Could be the upset of the week, but I wouldn't bet any of my money on it. Trainbirds gring out a 31-14 win over the cants.

Playoffs:
Citadel - most likely auto bid
UTC - can probably drop another game and still be in good shape
Samford - loss this weekend won't hurt them, but a loss against the Citadel in 2 weeks could put them on the bubble.
Mercer - could drop one game and still get 7 D-1 wins but would definitely be on the bubble without a signature win - most likely elimination game this weekend.
Wofford - Needs to run the table to get to 7 D-1 wins. Since the only way to do that is to beat Chatty, that would likely be good enough for a bid.

We aren't wired to score more than 35 of offense no matter who we are playing.

Now if the defense can put up 20 or so points then maybe


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

Power Rankings now; Predictions later...

Mr. David Wilson's Power Rankings were such a big hit last week, that I've asked him back for an encore performance. Again, he will be ranking the Top 5 and FUBeAR will sort out the bottom 4. And, once again, Mr. Wilson's Conference-by-Conference Power Rankings are included for the review of the SoCon, AGS, and FCS Community...I guess when the entire conference plays 27 OOC games over the course of the season and only loses 1 of the Non-FBS games, then people (and computers) start to take notice. #SoConRiseUp #LessThan4Nevermore #Thinking5CouldStayAlive



Wilson's
SoCon
Conf
Conf
All
All
Wilson's
Wilson's
FUBeAR's


SoCon Rank
Team
W
L
W
L
Rating
National Ranking
Comment


1
Citadel
5
0
7
0
901
1
Livin' right or sold their souls...not sure which; regardless, they are still #1 in the US of A


2
Chattanooga
5
1
7
1
843
4
Sitting in the Top 5 and expecting to beat WCU by 3+ scores for the 5th year in a row


3
Samford
4
1
6
1
812
6
Almost a Top 5 Team. Beat MissState this week and they'll be there.


4
Mercer
2
2
4
3
753
15
Fooled around with the Gov's in the 2nd half. Must play perfect this week to hold their spot in the Top 15


5
Wofford
2
2
4
3
735
21
Got into the Christmas Spirit early this year. Will their largesse continue another week?


FUBeAR's
SoCon
Conf
Conf
All
All
FUBeAR's
FUBeAR's
FUBeAR's


SoCon Rank
Team
W
L
W
L
Rating
National Ranking
Comment


6
Furman
1
3
1
6
<735
>21
Beat VMI and they have a streak going in the right direction


7
VMI
1
3
3
4
<736
>22
Starting to falter. Has the SoCon figured out how to stop their Aerial Assault?


8
WCU
0
5
1
6
<737
>23
Better than their record. Solid talent in 'skill' positions. Not so much in the trenches.


9
ETSU
1
4
3
4
<738
>24
Don't see them climbing out of this spot in 2016. Maybe next year.





Rank
Conference
Wilson's Rating


1
Southern Conference (SoCon)
744


2
Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC)
740


3
Big Sky Conference
689


4
Big South Conference (without CCU)
676


5
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)
666


6
Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)
640


7
Southland Conference (SLC)
631


8
Ivy League
604


9
Patriot League (PL)
600


10
Northeast Conference (NEC)
572


11
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
560


12
Pioneer Football League (PFL)
533


13
Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC)
511

[kdinva]

VMI playing Sammy and Chatty back to back, both on the road, would be a huge challenge for any 1-AA top 15 team, much less the Keydets. VMI will know their role after these next two games....

[FUBeAR]

VMI playing Sammy and Chatty back to back, both on the road, would be a huge challenge for any 1-AA top 15 team, much less the Keydets. VMI will know their role after these next two games....

You're right; I was off-base...And a closer look at the Stats comparing 2015 to 2016 for Mr. Cobb in SoCon games shows that his completion % is up, his INT % is down, his TD's/Game are up, and VMI's scoring per game is up. The only 'down' number is Yds/Game and that's only down from 267 to 251. I just had in my head that he threw for over 300 yds/game last year. Maybe that's because he threw for that much in the 1st half alone vs. Mercer.

[Catamount87]

Power Rankings
1. The Citadel - Undefeated and masters of close games
2. Chattanooga - Strong as ever but suffering a couple of kinks in the armor
3. Samford - Playing strong on both sides of the line
4. Wofford - Like Samford, strong on both sides
5. Mercer - A step behind 3 & 4 but a dangerous team nonetheless
6. VMI - Mocs were just a bit too much for them
7. Furman - Should be better than their record
8. (Tie) WCU - Talented offense and most of the defense but D-Line shortcomings are undermining the Cats
ETSU - Lots of heart and seem to be well coached but too many talent holes exist


Predictions
Furman @ VMI - Giving the nod to Furman because of a better defense
Mercer @ Wofford - Wofford will ball hog to a close but solid win
ETSU @ The Citadel - The Citadel will ball hog to a big, convincing win
UTC @ WCU - Mocs are always extra motivated in this game, it'll be ugly
Samford @ Miss St - Samford makes a game of it but depth gets the win

[ElCid]

And in other news.....the SOCON is behind. No replay until at least 2018. UHHHHHGGGGG!

http://www.postandcourier.com/sports/socon-puts-off-instant-replay-until-at-least/article_c697afc6-9b9d-11e6-8bde-9b03fa69f574.html

[Toby]

And in other news.....the SOCON is behind. No replay until at least 2018. UHHHHHGGGGG!

http://www.postandcourier.com/sports/socon-puts-off-instant-replay-until-at-least/article_c697afc6-9b9d-11e6-8bde-9b03fa69f574.html

I lost count at all the bad calls Sat.in the Citadel-Wofford game. I'm not sure if they all off set, but several affected points both ways.

[Toby]

Massey FCS Composite:

Citadel 5
UTC 6
Samford 13
Wofford 26
Mercer 34
VMI 60
Furman 65
WCU 78
ETSU 88

Sounds reasonable. Might switch VMI and Furman, but that will be decided on Sat.

[Toby]

Massey FCS Composite Conference Rankings;

MV 1
SoCon 2
Big Sky 3
Big South 4
Colonial 5
OVC 6
Southland 7
Ivy 8
Patriot 9
NE 10
Mid-Eastern 11
Pioneer 12
SW 13

[Mocs123]

Picks:
Chattanooga - 28 - Injuries are mounting for the Mocs making this one closer than most people think
Western Carolina -20
ETSU - 3
The Citadel - 41 - Beatdown of the week - The Citadel seems to play close games - but not this week.
Furman - 24 - Upset of the week - I may be off my rocker, but I think the Paladins come off the bye week to upset the Keydets. Don’t get me wrong, the Keydets are pretty good, but they have struggled to defend the pass, and Hannon can sling it. Furmans defense is good when healthy, so I think they pull this one out if Fowler doesn’t screw it up.
VMI - 21
Mercer - 27
Wofford - 31 - I think the Bears, will make this a tight game, but I think the ankle biters win at home
Samford - 17
Mississippi State -44 - The Bulldogs from Alabama score some, but can’t keep up against the SEC.

Rankings :
1.) The Citadel - Keep the top spot until someone knocks them off
2.) Chattanooga - Got back on track against the Keydets
3.) Samford - The Bulldogs are rolling and looking like a playoff contender
4.) Wofford - Quietly building a playoff resume - came up just short this week.
5.) Mercer - The Bears are on the fringe of a playoff spot. Need to win 3 out of their next 4
6.) VMI - The Keydets are a much improved team. They could knock off anyone.
7.) Furman - Resting up for a showdown against VMI
8.) Western Carolina - Very talented team, but the defense keeps letting them down
9. ETSU - picked up a win against WV Wesleyan

Playoff Picture:
8 wins pretty much guarantees you a spot in the playoff field, and with 7 D1 wins you “should” be in, but no guarantees. I seriously doubt a 6 win SoCon team gets in this year.
Possible D1 wins (excluding $ games)
The Citadel - 9
Chattanooga - 8
Samford - 8
Mercer - 8
Wofford - 7
VMI - 7
Western Carolina - 4 - Eliminated
ETSU - 5 - Eliminated
Furman - 5 - Eliminated

[catamount man]

After a breakdown of sorts last week, I have to accept that this year's version of WCU football just isn't meant to be. That being said, I will try to act in a more rational manner. I've long had diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of the brain unfortunately.

week 9
1) Citadel
2) Chatt
3) Samford
4) Wofford
5) Mercer
6) VMI
7) Furman
8) ETSU
9) WCU

Chatt over WCU
Cid over ETSU
Wofford over Mercer
VMI over Furman (this should be a good one but Cobb proves to be too much and don't worry Furman fans, they'll beat us next week as well)
Samford over Miss State (yep, I'm calling it)

[Bucs2016]

The SoCon race is the "Battle of Who Gets to Lose to Charleston Southern in the Playoffs"!!!! C'mon Citadel!!!!

[Smitty]

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


Furman @ VMI
Mercer @ Wofford
ETSU @ The Citadel
UTC @ WCU - Mocs win by at least 45
Samford @ Miss St

[CitadelGrad]

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


Furman @ VMI - My head says VMI. My gut says Furman.
Mercer @ Wofford
ETSU @ The Citadel
UTC @ WCU
Samford @ Miss St

[SU DOG]

The SoCon race is the "Battle of Who Gets to Lose to Charleston Southern in the Playoffs"!!!! C'mon Citadel!!!!

This post brings to mind the old cliché "Be careful what you wish for."

[longtimemocfan]

Mercer @ Wofford- Terriers will force Mercer to become one dimensional and control the clock. You can throw on Wofford but I think Terriers win 24-14.

Furman @ VMI- Paladins appear to be playing better. Toss up game. Furman 27-24.

ETSU @ The Citadel- Dogs roll and have reserves in by start of 4th quarter. Bulldogs 45-7.

Chattanooga @ WCU- Mocs haven't exactly piled up the points on the road. Offensive line will save the day in a pretty close game. Mocs 28-17.

Samford @ Mississippi St.- Starkville Bulldogs win over Samford 45-17.

[Bucs2016]

This post brings to mind the old cliché "Be careful what you wish for."

Sorry. I posted that with the expectations of Citadel winning it. If Samford wins it I retract that statement.

[SU DOG]

Sorry. I posted that with the expectations of Citadel winning it. If Samford wins it I retract that statement.

OK, but I wasn't necessarily referring to Samford. This year The Citadel is one more FORCE nobody should want to fool with.

[Bucs2016]

OK, but I wasn't necessarily referring to Samford. This year The Citadel is one more FORCE nobody should want to fool with.

They're good. But it's a rivalry thing here in Charleston. We're in their heads. Beat them 4x in a row now and 2x in the same season last year. For some reason now they fold like Shannon Faulkner when the CSU helmets trot onto the field...yet even after 4x in a row SOME of their obnoxious fans in Charleston still talk like they are Alabama and CSU is a JV team.

They're the 5th or 6th best FCS team in America but only the 2nd best one in Charleston County.

[Bucs2016]

OK, but I wasn't necessarily referring to Samford. This year The Citadel is one more FORCE nobody should want to fool with.

I actually would like to go to Samford in the playoffs. It would be a huge challenge. But as a player i was on the 2000 team who lost to Samford in overtime after a blocked FG for the win, and that game has always haunted me because we finished 5-6 that year, 1 kick different wouldve been 6-5....Cost us a winning season!! Would be cool to go see another CSU @ Samford game.

[cidgrad89]

Did you get your bachelor's degree from CSU?

[ElCid]

They're good. But it's a rivalry thing here in Charleston. We're in their heads. Beat them 4x in a row now and 2x in the same season last year. For some reason now they fold like Shannon Faulkner when the CSU helmets trot onto the field...yet even after 4x in a row SOME of their obnoxious fans in Charleston still talk like they are Alabama and CSU is a JV team.

They're the 5th or 6th best FCS team in America but only the 2nd best one in Charleston County.

Well, it may be a rivalry in your head, and trust me, CSU is far from being in the Bulldogs heads. CSU has done a good job lately and both our coaches and players know this. They defend against us well. Not sure what fans you are referring to, but most that I know realize CSU is a good team. As far as being the best in Charleston County, this year, we will have to just wait and see the bracket. I know you are trying to pull out all the stops to get into a flaming war with a Bulldog fan, but it just isn't going to work. Good luck the rest of the year. You really only have Liberty to worry about so it should be fun for you, at least until the playoffs.

[Bucs2016]

Well, it may be a rivalry in your head, and trust me, CSU is far from being in the Bulldogs heads. CSU has done a good job lately and both our coaches and players know this. They defend against us well. Not sure what fans you are referring to, but most that I know realize CSU is a good team. As far as being the best in Charleston County, this year, we will have to just wait and see the bracket. I know you are trying to pull out all the stops to get into a flaming war with a Bulldog fan, but it just isn't going to work. Good luck the rest of the year. You really only have Liberty to worry about so it should be fun for you, at least until the playoffs.

Nah, you Citadel guys on here seem cool.

I think CSU is in Citadels head. Your team makes uncharacteristic mistakes against CSU. Don't know why. Citadel is an excellent FCS team with GREAT discipline. But when yall play CSU, you turn it over, blow coverave assignments, make awful special teams errors, and the Dogs for some reason forget how to tackle and take bad pursuit angles. Even before Mike Houston left you could see his demeanor change in press conferences before the CSU games.

I know you say it may be a rivalry to us. And YES...it is. For many reasons. I know most Citadel fans don't want it to be a rivalry and won't acknowledge it as one. I think it's the same dynamic as Texas/Baylor. Old established program vs newcomer who isn't supposed to be good. And it's been renewed for 4 games starting in 2018.

Sorry man. But Citadel folks may have to begrudgingly accept CSU as a new rival. I know Furman is your traditional one. But ask 5000 Citadel fans which loss would hurt more...Furman or CSU??

[Bucs2016]

Did you get your bachelor's degree from CSU?

No

[CID1990]

I'm happy for CSU. There hasn't been much going for them, ever. They will look back on the Chadwell years the way clempson fans look back on the Danny Ford era.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Bucs2016]

I'm happy for CSU. There hasn't been much going for them, ever. They will look back on the Chadwell years the way clempson fans look back on the Danny Ford era.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Haha...well right now Clemson fans aren't looking back at all.

Yes it's been a long steady climb for CSU from 1989 club team to 1991 D3 to 1993 1-AA...to just trying to compete to then hovering around .500 to then 2005 Big South Champs...and now...to this.

That said...since CSU went D1 in 1993:
CSU 2 conference championships and 1 playoff win
Citadel 1 conference co-championship and 1 playoff win.
Head to head 5-5 I believe (Citadel 02, 03, 05, 07, 12 CSU 06, 13, 14, 15, 15) *Might have missed one*

Just some perspective on what each team has had "going for them" since CSU joined D1.

[FUBeAR]

Power Rankings now; Predictions later...

Mr. David Wilson's Power Rankings were such a big hit last week, that I've asked him back for an encore performance. Again, he will be ranking the Top 5 and FUBeAR will sort out the bottom 4. And, once again, Mr. Wilson's Conference-by-Conference Power Rankings are included for the review of the SoCon, AGS, and FCS Community...I guess when the entire conference plays 27 OOC games over the course of the season and only loses 1 of the Non-FBS games, then people (and computers) start to take notice. #SoConRiseUp #LessThan4Nevermore #Thinking5CouldStayAlive



Wilson's
SoCon
Conf
Conf
All
All
Wilson's
Wilson's
FUBeAR's


SoCon Rank
Team
W
L
W
L
Rating
National Ranking
Comment


1
Citadel
5
0
7
0
901
1
Livin' right or sold their souls...not sure which; regardless, they are still #1 in the US of A


2
Chattanooga
5
1
7
1
843
4
Sitting in the Top 5 and expecting to beat WCU by 3+ scores for the 5th year in a row


3
Samford
4
1
6
1
812
6
Almost a Top 5 Team. Beat MissState this week and they'll be there.


4
Mercer
2
2
4
3
753
15
Fooled around with the Gov's in the 2nd half. Must play perfect this week to hold their spot in the Top 15


5
Wofford
2
2
4
3
735
21
Got into the Christmas Spirit early this year. Will their largesse continue another week?


FUBeAR's
SoCon
Conf
Conf
All
All
FUBeAR's
FUBeAR's
FUBeAR's


SoCon Rank
Team
W
L
W
L
Rating
National Ranking
Comment


6
Furman
1
3
1
6
<735
>21
Beat VMI and they have a streak going in the right direction


7
VMI
1
3
3
4
<736
>22
Starting to falter. Has the SoCon figured out how to stop their Aerial Assault?


8
WCU
0
5
1
6
<737
>23
Better than their record. Solid talent in 'skill' positions. Not so much in the trenches.


9
ETSU
1
4
3
4
<738
>24
Don't see them climbing out of this spot in 2016. Maybe next year.





Rank
Conference
Wilson's Rating


1
Southern Conference (SoCon)
744


2
Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC)
740


3
Big Sky Conference
689


4
Big South Conference (without CCU)
676


5
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)
666


6
Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)
640


7
Southland Conference (SLC)
631


8
Ivy League
604


9
Patriot League (PL)
600


10
Northeast Conference (NEC)
572


11
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
560


12
Pioneer Football League (PFL)
533


13
Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC)
511







Power Rankings above; time for this week's Predictions...

Last Week...4-1
* MY PICK: West Virginia Wesleyan @ ETSU 34-14 / ACTUAL: Bucs won 38-7 - Close enough.
* MY PICK: The Citadel @ Wofford 24-23 / ACTUAL: Bellhops won 24-21 - Had the winning point total right and pretty dang close on the score (seems to be a trend with me, Mercer, & El Cid's games - just a point or 2 shy - CRAP!!). Not my fault Wofford's Team decided to emulate Father Christmas...LAST week.
* MY PICK: VMI @ Chattanooga 35-21 / ACTUAL: Mocs won 30-13 - in the ballpark on the score & only 3 points off the margin of difference; I'm OK with that.
* MY PICK: Mercer @ APSU 27-24 / ACTUAL: Bears won 41-34 - Based on APSU's solid performances vs. Jax State the prior week and Eastern Illinois earlier, I suspected a closer game than the 1st 3 quarters were. 4th quarter made me look "smart" in picking this as a 1 score game. I didn't anticipate the 42 total points that were scored in the 4th quarter. It was 27-6 Bears at the end of the 3rd.
* MY PICK: WCU @ Samford 48-24 / ACTUAL: HomewoodHounds won 30-17 - Surprised that the Bullpups prolific O didn't score more points on the Cats until-last-week-highly-porous Defense. Only Gardner-Webb has scored fewer points against the Cantamounts this season. Hmmm?

29-12-1 - .690 for the season - getting closer to .727...which equates to 8-3. I like 8-3...a lot!

This Week
* Mercer @ Wofford 1:30 PM - Bears have come out winners in 5 of their last 6 one-score games. RatDogs are 0-4 in their most recent one-score games, with their last one-score game win coming in OT last season on a missed XP by Mercer. Also, the last time Wofford played a game after losing an important heartbreaker, like last week's game, they followed up a loss to Chatt in 2014 with a 3 score loss to a 2-8 Furman Team that had lost 8 straight. Mercer catches the PorchYappers still nursing a Bellhop (& Self)-induced hangover and, as usual, wins a close one, 26-24.

* Furman @ VMI 1:30 PM - Paladins are better than 1-6. They bailed out the canoe last time out @ ETSU. They right the ship in Lexington, get pressure on Cobb with a variety of LB/DB blitzes and their Offense does just enough to win, 24-21.

* ETSU @ The Citadel 2:00 PM - LuggageLuggers have 1 eye on Sammy next week, as they're hoping not to be CO-Champions again this year, they don't want to lose the SoCon AutoBid, and they sure want to get a seed to avoid playing another playoff game in Lower Ladson, SC. BUT, they have the other eye staring right over the sights of their toy rifles and shoot the MountainPirates out of their tarn, 52-0.

* Chattanooga @ WCU 3:30 PM - I still think, like FU, WCU is better than their 1-6, 0-5 record. Wondering if their Defense found something last week holding Sammy to 30. Only Chatt's and Woffy's highly-ranked Defenses have held the BamaBullPups to fewer points this season. On the other hand, only Mars Hill has scored fewer points on Sammy's D. I think Chatt's DE's exploit WCU's OL and don't give Adams time to work any magic. They'll hit some quick-game stuff, but Chatt's DB's tackle well. Mocs win again, while Craine still sits and heals up, 42-13.

* Samford @ Mississippi State 3:30 PM - All week, I've been thinking I was going to pick Sammy, but that WCU score has scared me off. I'll admit I haven't seen the game, but if they can't put up more points than that on the Cat's D this year, then I can't see them doing it against an SEC Team. Darnit! Really want the SoCon to get this scalp, but I'm gonna have to pick the MSBulldogs, 49-24.

[ElCid]

* MY PICK: WCU @ Samford 48-24 / ACTUAL: HomewoodHounds won 30-17 - Surprised that the Bullpups prolific O didn't score more points on the Cats until-last-week-highly-porous Defense. Only Gardner-Webb has scored fewer points against the Cantamounts this season. Hmmm?


This Week

* Samford @ Mississippi State 3:30 PM - All week, I've been thinking I was going to pick Sammy, but that WCU score has scared me off. I'll admit I haven't seen the game, but if they can't put up more points than that on the Cat's D this year, then I can't see them doing it against an SEC Team. Darnit! Really want the SoCon to get this scalp, but I'm gonna have to pick the MSBulldogs, 49-24.

I was wondering about this too. But if you look at the numbers, during the WCU game, Samford was clearly trying to up its running game which had been pitiful. I think they could have just kept up the pass attack and run it up a bit, but they needed some reps bad in the running department. And they actually had some success. They ran it 41 times this past week with 200+ yards. The week prior they attempted only 24 rushing plays. A few weeks ago against Wofford, only 22. I might be wrong, but it fits.

Likewise, I am not sure we just run at ETSU this weekend. We need to up our passing game if able. And that might limit our score. I don't see any way we lose but I can definitely see Allen airing it out a bit more once we have a comfortable score.

[CID1990]

Haha...well right now Clemson fans aren't looking back at all.

Yes it's been a long steady climb for CSU from 1989 club team to 1991 D3 to 1993 1-AA...to just trying to compete to then hovering around .500 to then 2005 Big South Champs...and now...to this.

That said...since CSU went D1 in 1993:
CSU 2 conference championships and 1 playoff win
Citadel 1 conference co-championship and 1 playoff win.
Head to head 5-5 I believe (Citadel 02, 03, 05, 07, 12 CSU 06, 13, 14, 15, 15) *Might have missed one*

Just some perspective on what each team has had "going for them" since CSU joined D1.

I wasn't talking about the football team. I was talking about CSU in general.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

I was wondering about this too. But if you look at the numbers, during the WCU game, Samford was clearly trying to up its running game which had been pitiful. I think they could have just kept up the pass attack and run it up a bit, but they needed some reps bad in the running department. And they actually had some success. They ran it 41 times this past week with 200+ yards. The week prior they attempted only 24 rushing plays. A few weeks ago against Wofford, only 22. I might be wrong, but it fits.

That would make sense...except for the SCORE. It was 13-7 at halftime and the Bullpups really didn't have anything close to a 'comfortable score' until they went up 27-10 with 1:46 to play in the 3rd quarter. Really hard to think, with all that they had/have on the line, they were just 'getting reps' as if it were a practice scrimmage, in a tight SoCon game. Coach Hatcher may be a "Riverboat Gambler," but I'm sure he's not stupid. I see Sammy's 590 yards, but until they change the rules, each yard gained, other than that 1 yard from the opponent's 1 to their goal line, is still worth 0 points. And, I did see that Sammy had 3 relatively short FG's. May have been unable to score in the red zone, which can be a problem with that Offense. Also, I see WCU didn't score an Offensive TD until 1:39 remained in the game, but with Adams, Newsome, and their WR's, they can still break a long one and 'quick-strike' anyone, at any time. I really need to watch that game. I bet El Cid's Coaches and Mercer's (depending on their results this weekend (and next)) will be looking at that video VERY carefully as well. Hey, I see it's up On-Demand on SoConDigital - good - much easier to break down stuff there than on "The Trey." No cowboy-clicker, but a SloMo and a +/- 10 second feature.

[SU DOG]

LOL! Go check it out FUB, but I don't think you will find an epiphany there. Western Carolina has some good athletic DBs who played well. The Cats also did not turn the ball over as much as they had been doing. The point about Hatcher wanting to establish the running game is also valid. Another point you won't find in the streaming, and not to take anything away from WCU, is the fact that this was finals week at Samford, and practices were cut short. Considerations for finals at Samford have to be taken very seriously. Our timing was definitely off somewhat I will admit, whether finals were partly responsible or not, idk. I do know that our defense is playing well - check out the stats. You know it sure is encouraging to me to see that our opponents are now wondering about our point margins in our wins. LOL!!

As for Mississippi State, NO, I don't think we will beat them. Their record is SO misleading, as the ball just hasn't bounced their way in those oh so close losses. They are BIG and they are SEC fast. My main concern is to get out of Stark Vegas with no injuries.

[ElCid]

That would make sense...except for the SCORE. It was 13-7 at halftime and the Bullpups really didn't have anything close to a 'comfortable score' until they went up 27-10 with 1:46 to play in the 3rd quarter. Really hard to think, with all that they had/have on the line, they were just 'getting reps' as if it were a practice scrimmage, in a tight SoCon game. Coach Hatcher may be a "Riverboat Gambler," but I'm sure he's not stupid. I see Sammy's 590 yards, but until they change the rules, each yard gained, other than that 1 yard from the opponent's 1 to their goal line, is still worth 0 points. And, I did see that Sammy had 3 relatively short FG's. May have been unable to score in the red zone, which can be a problem with that Offense. Also, I see WCU didn't score an Offensive TD until 1:39 remained in the game, but with Adams, Newsome, and their WR's, they can still break a long one and 'quick-strike' anyone, at any time. I really need to watch that game. I bet El Cid's Coaches and Mercer's (depending on their results this weekend (and next)) will be looking at that video VERY carefully as well. Hey, I see it's up On-Demand on SoConDigital - good - much easier to break down stuff there than on "The Trey." No cowboy-clicker, but a SloMo and a +/- 10 second feature.

No I did not say it quite right. He was not just practicing obviously, but he needed to establish the run and the way the game was going, they could and did run more. That chewed up plays/clock, although they had 90 offensive plays, so maybe I looked at it wrong. I watched most of it. They had more rushing attempts than in any game except Mars Hill. I guess it was just the way I saw it. I don't think Samford ever doubted the outcome. Of WCU's 8, first half offensive possessions they punted on 6 of them, gave it up on downs and threw an interception. Not bad for Samford's D. WCU also scored on a pick 6. WCU only had 4 second half possessions. Why? Because both teams had long drives, including an uncharacteristic amount of successful running by Samford. Samford only had 5 second half drives, and they scored on three of them. WCU only had 4 drives in the second half and they scored on two with their only offensive TD coming late. Eh. The guys being a bit off due to exams is just as plausible of an explanation. I was just impressed with their running. But considering that WCU is dead last in run defense in the SOCON, and unfortunately for them in FCS as well, I guess I would have been surprised if even Samford did not gain some rushing yards against them. It was their number of rushes that I was surprised with. In any event I am sure they will be stuffed more than a few times this week. But I will be routing for them and hopefully they make it respectable.

[MR. CHICKEN]

FURMAN
MERCER
CITADEL
CHATTANOOGA
MISSISSIPPI STATE

[Scrappy94]

Rankings:

1. The Citadel - Pulled out another close one. Here until they lose.
2. Chattanooga - Good depth at running back showed. Rolled without Craine.
3. Samford - Playing well on both sides of the ball. Definitely playoff contenders.
4. Wofford - Fought hard. Still a very good team. Must win this week to keep playoff hopes alive.
5. Mercer - Played a little closer than expected. Must win this week to keep playoff hopes alive.
6. VMI - Mocs were too much for them. Much improved over last year's team.
7. Furman - Better than their record shows.
8. ETSU - Still showing signs of a program recently restarted.
9. Western Carolina - Here until they win a SoCon game.

Predictions:

ETSU @ The Citadel - 35-7
Furman @ VMI - 28-24
Mercer @ Wofford - 34-21
Chattanooga @ Western Carolina - 38-17
Samford @ Mississippi State - 42-21

[ElCid]

Likewise, I am not sure we just run at ETSU this weekend. We need to up our passing game if able. And that might limit our score. I don't see any way we lose but I can definitely see Allen airing it out a bit more once we have a comfortable score.

Just what I thought would happen. Allen passed more in the first half than he has in any entire game so far, 14 times. 7 completions for 77 yards and a TD in first half. First play of the game for the Dogs...38 yard reception by Rudder Brown. An improvement to be sure. Otherwise we are pretty much running at will against the Bucs...246 rushing in the first half.

[OrangeAndBlack]

Tough one for the Bears, couldn't keep momentum going for any period of time. Wofford deserved the win.

[longtimemocfan]

Good showing for Samford. Played with a lot of heart despite not having all their players.

[ElCid]

Good showing for Samford. Played with a lot of heart despite not having all their players.

That was the most points scored all year on Miss St. I guess our only hope will be to hold on to the ball for as long as possible next week. I actually think our D is fairly good, but geeze, can they score quick.

[PaladinFan]

What's the word on Al Cobb? Left the game after a blindside sack right before the half and never returned.

[ElCid]

Wow. Samford had 627 yards of offense today against an SEC team. Wow.

Oh, they also gave up 669 yards.

1296 yards combined?!?!?!?!

[BearDownMU]

Wow. Samford had 627 yards of offense today against an SEC team. Wow.

Oh, they also gave up 669 yards.

1296 yards combined?!?!?!?!

Hodges threw nearly 70 passes. 42/69

[kdinva]

What's the word on Al Cobb? Left the game after a blindside sack right before the half and never returned.

Don't know, yet.....it was a clean tackle as VMI's sub left tackle did not have a good game protecting the QB.....I am sure Coulling will get #1 reps to start the prep week for WCU.

[SU DOG]

Good showing for Samford. Played with a lot of heart despite not having all their players.

I couldn't be more proud of my Bulldogs. Missing our #2 receiver and #1 running back going into that game. Several kids banged up, and a starting DT that looked like a serious injury happened during the game. Also our starting NG called for targeting will miss the first half next week. Kids gave tremendous effort, left it all on the field IMO.

[PaladinFan]

Don't know, yet.....it was a clean tackle as VMI's sub left tackle did not have a good game protecting the QB.....I am sure Coulling will get #1 reps to start the prep week for WCU.

Unfortunate play. Not often a guy gets that clear of a hit on the QBs blindside. Hope he is ok.

[catamount man]

UTC 38 WCU 25 but Detrez Newsome rushed for 277 yards, most by a CAT in one game. If we only had a defense........

[longtimemocfan]

UTC 38 WCU 25 but Detrez Newsome rushed for 277 yards, most by a CAT in one game. If we only had a defense........

Newsome reminds me a lot of Troymaine Pope who played at Jax St. that gashed us twice last year. Pope was a little more shifty but Newsome is definitely faster. That's something that has given us problems in that zone read scheme. Unfortunately as bright as the offense is at WCU the defense has long way to go.

[Catamount87]

Newsome reminds me a lot of Troymaine Pope who played at Jax St. that gashed us twice last year. Pope was a little more shifty but Newsome is definitely faster. That's something that has given us problems in that zone read scheme. Unfortunately as bright as the offense is at WCU the defense has long way to go.

Newsome has plenty of speed for sure. But I have to wonder if the Moc defense was playing more to stop the pass, especially on the outside. On those two big runs, once Newsome got through the line, he wasn't touched nor was anyone even close. For the most part, y'all held us in check with the passing game. I also think we went away from zone blocking a bit which opened up more holes for the running game.