Socon Week 5 pick em and power rankings

[Reign of Terrier]

1. Citadel: Defending champs, had a bye, but still looked a tad more impressive than Wofford did in their first three games.
2. Wofford: My controversial take is that Wofford played a lot better than the final scoreboard suggested against an average (at best?) GW team. Still waiting for them to play a complete game.
3. Western: Should be ranked this week.
4. Samford: looked good this week and came *this* close to beating Western. People forget that they started their game-losing drive at their own one and drove to the WCU two in less than a minute. Their defense is poor, but their offense will keep them in games
5. Furman: Huge win against Colgate this week. Their loss against Elon looks better. Still young.
6. Chatt: A solid, victory that they really needed against a bad VMI team. It's hard to tell how much of this was VMI being bad and how much was Chatt trying to turn a corner.
7. ETSU: They get the nod over Mercer by virtue of beating them. Huge improvement in year two for this team. No team can take them lightly.
8. Mercer: Had they won and held on, they would be much higher ranked here. At the end of the day they have 2 conference losses and they are "still" Mercer in that they can't pull off close wins.
9. VMI: just a very bad team

ETSU v. Furman: I think Furman will win in the 31-17 range. I wouldn't be surprised if it were closer. It's hard to tell how much of ETSU's success in the last week was luck, them playing out of their minds or a legitimate expression of being better in the aggregate. Still, I think Furman is hungry for some more wins

Citadel v. Samford: On one hand, Samford will be motivated after the heartbreaker this week and the heartbreaker against Citadel last year. On another, Citadel has had a week to prepare and I'm skeptical that Samford has the defensive ability to stop them. Turnovers will be key. Definitely the game of the week.

VMI v. Mercer. Mercer is mad, VMI is bad and they play at Mercer. Not a hard question.

Western Carolina v. Chattanooga. Though I have no doubt Chatt is going to play better on offense (I think they get Bennefield back) and Western has question marks on defense, I think Western is for real.

Wofford v. PC. Against Big South Competition, Gardner Webb has always given us trouble. PC gave trouble once since we've gone D1, but there's really no excuse for this one to be close. If we don't turn over the ball we win this one handily. If we can't score at least 34 against this crowd, I will be concerned. PC struggled against an NAIA team that rushed for 266 yards and had two 100+ yard rushers last night. They have scored 20 points in only 7 of their previous 37 or so games, and about half of them were against non-scholly teams. Admittedly, they have a good new coach, but I think the cupboard is still empty. I wasn't surprised we played the way we did against GW, but if we can't whip PC we have problems.

[kdinva]

1] The Citadel
2] Wofford
t3] WCU
t3] Furman
t3] Samford
t6] ETSU
t6] UTC
8] Mercer
9] UNCG
10] VMI

right now, too close, IMO in the middle to rank.


Furman 31; ETSU 23
The Citadel 35; Samford 27
WCU 28; UTC 24
Wofford 41; Presby 10
Mercer 36; VMI 13

[JSUSoutherner]

Furman
El Cid
Wofford
Mercer
UTC

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

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

[Reign of Terrier]

1] The Citadel
2] Wofford
t3] WCU
t3] Furman
t3] Samford
t6] ETSU
t6] UTC
8] Mercer
9] UNCG
10] VMI

right now, too close, IMO in the middle to rank.


Furman 31; ETSU 23
The Citadel 35; Samford 27
WCU 28; UTC 24
Wofford 41; Presby 10
Mercer 36; VMI 13

I see what you did there

Also I think that it should be reiterated that just because I've ranked Mercer 8th doesn't mean I don't think they can rally or put together a 7 win season or...as for this snapshot in time, they are not in the middle pack explicitly because of their inability to win close games. Close games are going to define the Socon this year...and if you keep losing them, you won't be at the top. It's that simple.

[PaladinNation]

I'm going to wait and see how the DINS play the Bucs. It was pretty stunning to see the talent and physicality differences between Furman and Colgate. I think, our youngsters are getting comfortable and a bit more confident. It's been a long time since we've had athletic ability at linebacker - the likes of Ellis and McCoy. Playing two true freshman backers is going to be dicey at times.

Interesting to look at the FU/Colgate participation chart for Furman's class breakdown:

Offensive Starters: 3 FR - 2 SR - 6 SR
Defensive Starters: 5 JR - 3 SO - 3 FR ( I think there is one senior on the entire defensive side of the ball)


Depth, two deep, special teams is where Furman gets young fast - 19 freshmen played.

[PaladinFan]

I'm not sold yet on Mercer's offense. Their defense is stout, in my opinion.

I'd be interest in the Bears' fan perspective. From my seat, it looks like the offense is a lot of zone option read with Leggett and Mitchell, and then a lot of 50/50 balls to receivers. They've got talent, but it doesn't appear terribly creative.

I'm also interested in what is going on with Alex Lakes. Lot of talk about his return in the preseason, but it appears he has been soundly relegated to third string, with only 18 carries on the year. Maybe he's injured.

[Milktruck74]

1. Any team that isn't red and gold.
2. Any team that isn't red and gold.
3. Any team that isn't red and gold.
4. Any team that isn't red and gold.
5. Any team that isn't red and gold.
6. Any team that isn't red and gold.
7. Any team that isn't red and gold.
8. Any team that isn't red and gold.
9. VMI

Furman - They are better than Mercer
Samford - Can Hatcher regroup and rally the guys?
Mocs - Heart pick...Head says we can't match scores, but.....GO Mocs!!!!
Mercer - Even if they only play 9.
Woffy - Even if they only travel 7!!!!!

[ElCid]

I'd love for us to really be on top, but I just don't see it quite yet. If we win Saturday then I might pop us up a spot, but there are still some issues that need to be resolved. For one, our pass defense. Sure we got good numbers, but look at the opposition. I will be much more confident if we hold Samford down under 300 yards like last year. Still worried about of O-line as well. We will see how they do against some stiffer opposition this week.

[ETSUfan1]

1. Woof
2. The Citadel
3. Furman
3. Western
3. Samford
3. ETSU
3. UTC
3. Mercer
9. VMI


Citadel
Mercer
UTC
Woof
Furman by 40.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kymoc91]

Furman - Furman looks to be much better than Mercer, who ETSU beat
The Citadel - Let's see how El Cid plays against better competition than what they have seen so far.
Mercer - If Mercer loses here, then hang it up.
Chattanooga - Feels good to win in the fashion we won, but still not sure where we are right now compared to the rest of the SoCon.
Wofford - Wofford should have no problem with Presby.

[cx500d]

Furman
The Citadel
UTC
Wofford
Mercer

[NorthChuckSouth]

Furman vs ETSU - 38-20
The Citadel vs Samford - xcoffeex
WCU vs UTC - 17-3
Wofford vs Presbyterian - 35-7
Mercer vs VMI - 38-14

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I was 4-1 last week with a tip of the hat going to Furman for their effort against Colgate. When I first predicted that ETSU was going to beat Mercer several weeks ago, some of you thought I was crazy. Now that ETSU has their first SoCon win in the barn, here's where I have it after this week.

1) Wofford - STILL the luckiest team in the conference
2) The Citadel - Not that far behind
3) Western Carolina - Came up big against Samford
4) ETSU - Buc'ed up big against Mercer
5) Samford - Could the loss vs. Western be a sign of things to come
6) Chattanooga - Got their first win against a hapless VMI team
7) Furman - Opened up a can of whoop against Colgate
8) Mercer - Ran out of gas on the road
9) VMI - Was trying to get the number of that freight train that hit them

Predictions
ETSU @ Furman - Bucs win in a barnburner
The Citadel @ Samford - The Citadel comes out on top in this year's Battle of the Bulldogs
VMI @ Mercer - Mercer played tough against Auburn and ETSU and I pity the poor Keydets who's next
Western Carolina @ Chattanooga - Catamounts grind out another win on the road
Wofford @ Presbyterian (Beatdown of the Week) - Terriers chew up the Blue Hose on the road

[tenNesseeCat]

Picks:
etsu@FURMAN
the citadel@SAMFORD
vmi@MERCER
WCU@utc
WOFFORD@pc

Power:
Wofford
The Citadel
WCU
Samford
ETSU
Furman
UTC
Mercer
VMI

No disrespect to any team. It was based more on record than anything. VMI aside, I truely think it's any given saturday in the SoCon thus far this year. It's been fun to watch so far, and I'm really excited to see this season play out.

[The Pud]

How good is Wofford?

[BearDownMU]

How good is Wofford?

Undefeated good

[Reign of Terrier]

How good is Wofford?

Hard to say. I think we're at least a bubble team right now. We're pretty much half way to the 7 D1 wins needed for a playoff spot.

If we want to look at stats and how this team stacks up, admittedly, our first three games could have gone better. Our first game we drew the short straw and played Furman not knowing what exactly they would do offensively. We played well enough to win. Against Mercer our coaches did some bad play calls and we had some special teams mistakes but the players had grit to keep it close and win it. Saturday against Gardner Webb, we played with a solid B/B+ effort in my opinion, it's just that two big turnovers kept the game close and in doubt.

Wofford has never been a team to wallop anyone else with a high scoring blowout. Arguably, option teams are more vulnerable to upsets because of the kind of offense we run. I'm not surprised these games were as close as they were, as the quality of the opponents were in aggregate average, and we made some bad mistakes at times.

Having said that, I think our offense is better than it was last year because we have a pass game. Brandon Goodson is playing good football. If you squint, his stats look like a typical QB, not an option QB. If we limit the turnovers and penalties, we'll be hard to beat. Defense has statistically played well. Some think they've played weaker than last year, but I would argue the opposite. Last year, Furman scored 27 on us, this year it was 17 and a broken play (still, 23<27). Mercer basically scored 10 points on special teams, so arguably they did better than last year. They held GWU to 17.

So if I could describe the difference in last year's team and this year's team:
1) special teams made bigger plays last year (so far)
2) Our offense is better, but a couple mistakes with turnovers and bad play-calling kind of masks it
3) Our defense is still solid, but we've given up at least 2 TDs this year due to bad mistakes (a missed tackle on the 44 yard TD by Furman at the end, GWU scored when 3 of our backs ran into each other) and our pass rush has been underwhelming.

So, I say we're a bubble team because I think we're better than last year, but given our offensive capabilities (even if improved) our margin of error is pretty small (admittedly, I thought this last year when we were down against Youngstown, I thought there was no way we'd be in a position to win it at the end...yet we were). We were five points away from winning the Socon last year, but also within 10 points in at least 3 contests from being a pedestrian 5-6. What makes us a "good" team and not a mediocre 5-6 or 6-5 team (via 2013-2015) is that edge about us to find a way to win. We're very much comparable to the Citadel from last year in that regard.

[Smitty]

1) Wofford
2) The Citadel
3) Chattanooga
4) Western Carolina - What is this...
5) ETSU - World we live in?
6) Samford
7) Furman
8) Mercer
9) VMI

Predictions
ETSU @ Furman - Furman will probably pull it off in this game
The Citadel @ Samford - Just to make the SoCon as difficult to predict as possible Samford will pick up the win
VMI @ Mercer - VMI is just lost
Western Carolina @ Chattanooga - I would love a win here but we have not won in over a decade so I'll still have to go for UTC
Wofford @ Presbyterian - Wofford wins easily

[The Pud]

Hard to say. I think we're at least a bubble team right now. We're pretty much half way to the 7 D1 wins needed for a playoff spot.

If we want to look at stats and how this team stacks up, admittedly, our first three games could have gone better. Our first game we drew the short straw and played Furman not knowing what exactly they would do offensively. We played well enough to win. Against Mercer our coaches did some bad play calls and we had some special teams mistakes but the players had grit to keep it close and win it. Saturday against Gardner Webb, we played with a solid B/B+ effort in my opinion, it's just that two big turnovers kept the game close and in doubt.

Wofford has never been a team to wallop anyone else with a high scoring blowout. Arguably, option teams are more vulnerable to upsets because of the kind of offense we run. I'm not surprised these games were as close as they were, as the quality of the opponents were in aggregate average, and we made some bad mistakes at times.

Having said that, I think our offense is better than it was last year because we have a pass game. Brandon Goodson is playing good football. If you squint, his stats look like a typical QB, not an option QB. If we limit the turnovers and penalties, we'll be hard to beat. Defense has statistically played well. Some think they've played weaker than last year, but I would argue the opposite. Last year, Furman scored 27 on us, this year it was 17 and a broken play (still, 23<27). Mercer basically scored 10 points on special teams, so arguably they did better than last year. They held GWU to 17.

So if I could describe the difference in last year's team and this year's team:
1) special teams made bigger plays last year (so far)
2) Our offense is better, but a couple mistakes with turnovers and bad play-calling kind of masks it
3) Our defense is still solid, but we've given up at least 2 TDs this year due to bad mistakes (a missed tackle on the 44 yard TD by Furman at the end, GWU scored when 3 of our backs ran into each other) and our pass rush has been underwhelming.

So, I say we're a bubble team because I think we're better than last year, but given our offensive capabilities (even if improved) our margin of error is pretty small (admittedly, I thought this last year when we were down against Youngstown, I thought there was no way we'd be in a position to win it at the end...yet we were). We were five points away from winning the Socon last year, but also within 10 points in at least 3 contests from being a pedestrian 5-6. What makes us a "good" team and not a mediocre 5-6 or 6-5 team (via 2013-2015) is that edge about us to find a way to win. We're very much comparable to the Citadel from last year in that regard.

Thank you for the very informative summary about your team! Much appreciated!

[ElCid]

Right now


1) Wofford - Got it donexboringx
2) The Citadel - Close but not quite, if they win this week, then they move upxcoolx
3) Western Carolina - Nice winxhypedx
4) Chattanooga - got some gifts from VMI, but still a force to be reckoned with, I think they get someone back this week as wellxsmileyclapx
5) Samford - Could have easily won their game, still got some issues, but way strong in other areasxchinscratchx
6) Furman - got lots of gifts from Colgate in their win; still looked pretty goodxawesomex
7) ETSU - Coming together; overcame being down latexhurrayx
8) Mercer - Oh my, still good, but really fell apart latexbangx
9) VMI - Ouch!xrotatehxxasswhipxxprayxxbawlingx

1,2,3,4,5,6..7,8,...................9

Pretty tight pack.



Predictions


ETSU @ Furman - Furman will continue its newfound winning ways - 33-17
The Citadel @ Samford - God I want to say we will take it, but I am still leery of Samford's passing game and our ability to stop them even if they only hold the ball for 24 minutes; going to be a close again; got to give the 'bama Dogs the edge at home - 28-24
VMI @ Mercer - Bears will take out their frustration on the Keydets - 42-10
Western Carolina @ Chattanooga - I really think the Mocs will take it, but I am picking WCU in memory of Catamount Man - 35-28
Wofford @ Presbyterian - Oh my, if this one is close, people are going to have a field day dropping Wofford in the polls; won't happen, Terriers romp - 38-3

[PaladinFan]

Right now

6) Furman - got lots of gifts from Colgate in their win; still looked pretty goodxawesomex


"Gifts" you say?

Is that what you call whipping a team for four quarters?

Colgate did turn it over a few times in their zone, but two of those turnovers were strip sacks. No gift about them.

[FUBeAR]

PICKS
* ETSU @ Furman - FU finds a way to do what CIT did sorta, but not really and Mercer did NOT. Paladins win 31-14.
* CIT @ Samford - Samford doesn't play Defense and they don't run the ball. CIT does both. Bellhops rub the HomewoodPups noses in it. 42-21
* VMI @ Mercer - Bears 2-0
* WCU @ Chattanooga - I'd like to see the Cats win this one for Catamount Man, but I still haven't seen 'em play D...except on the Goal Line at the end of the game (that was nice!), but I just don't see them stopping Chatt's O with Bennefield returning (maybe). Train rollls over Kitties 52-24
* Wofford @ PC - I oughta pick PC because of the way the PorchWimperers played last week, but PC will not score (unless Woffy is as charitable to them as they were to G-W). LittleDogs lift their legs high on the Ho's 42-0

POWER RANKING
1) Wofford - tempted to unseat them after letting a bad G-W hang around.
2) CIT - I don't know if they are #2 or not. We'll know a lot more about them after this week.
3) Chatt - Since they didn't let VMI scare them and reduce their sidelines to a Reality Show, I think they'll be fine. They are talented.
4) Furman - Did you see them dismantle Colgate? They imposed their will on both sides of the ball. Coach Hendrix is going to have the 'Dins BACK (ahead of schedule)
5) ETSU - Well, they almost beat CIT and they found a way to beat Mercer. They run the ball. They play Defense and they have good Coaching.
6) WCU - Good win over Samantha, but playing O 'on air' doesn't prove a lot. If that Offense is SPORTY against Chatt's D and WCU's D gets some stops, I'll buy into 'em. Not yet though.
7) UNCG
8) Samantha - Keep running for Nothing/Game and giving up 600+ yards...and the Pups will sink further on my list
9) Mercer - Losing a double-digit lead in the 4th quarter is unforgivable. I forgave the Falcons though, so I forgave Mercer for the Woffy game. But, I can't forgive them for losing double digit leads in the 4th quarter against 2 conference opponents in 3 weeks. The Bears have gone from just missing being able to win against the best Teams in the SoCon to finding amazingly creative ways to lose (by playing 'not to lose,' IMO) to middle-of-the-pack SoCon Teams. They are as talented as any team on this list, but the Bears must stay down here until they learn to WIN consistently.
10) VMI - It would not surprise me to see them come into Macon running the Wishbone or the Single Wing or playing A-11 on O and the WideTackle 6 on D...and pulling out a win. They HAVE to change something after last week (and the prior 3 weeks), don't they?

[SU DOG]

The way things are going, you may have UNCG ranked way too low.

[ElCid]

"Gifts" you say?

Is that what you call whipping a team for four quarters?

Colgate did turn it over a few times in their zone, but two of those turnovers were strip sacks. No gift about them.

No you are right, gifts was a bit misleading of a characterization, but they also gave you that bad decision to go for it on 4th down in their own territory. Not sure what they were thinking. I think they gave up mentally right there when they didn't make it. It was a good performance.....even though you suck.

[PaladinFan]

No you are right, gifts was a bit misleading of a characterization, but they also gave you that bad decision to go for it on 4th down in their own territory. Not sure what they were thinking. I think they gave up mentally right there when they didn't make it. It was a good performance.....even though you suck.

I do not understand that call either. I appreciate putting trust in your offense to gain a yard (twice), but down 21 on your own 34 yard line seems like a bad time to make that gamble.

[PaladinFan]

PICKS
* ETSU @ Furman - FU finds a way to do what CIT did sorta, but not really and Mercer did NOT. Paladins win 31-14.
* CIT @ Samford - Samford doesn't play Defense and they don't run the ball. CIT does both. Bellhops rub the HomewoodPups noses in it. 42-21
* VMI @ Mercer - Bears 2-0
* WCU @ Chattanooga - I'd like to see the Cats win this one for Catamount Man, but I still haven't seen 'em play D...except on the Goal Line at the end of the game (that was nice!), but I just don't see them stopping Chatt's O with Bennefield returning (maybe). Train rollls over Kitties 52-24
* Wofford @ PC - I oughta pick PC because of the way the PorchWimperers played last week, but PC will not score (unless Woffy is as charitable to them as they were to G-W). LittleDogs lift their legs high on the Ho's 42-0

POWER RANKING
1) Wofford - tempted to unseat them after letting a bad G-W hang around.
2) CIT - I don't know if they are #2 or not. We'll know a lot more about them after this week.
3) Chatt - Since they didn't let VMI scare them and reduce their sidelines to a Reality Show, I think they'll be fine. They are talented.
4) Furman - Did you see them dismantle Colgate? They imposed their will on both sides of the ball. Coach Hendrix is going to have the 'Dins BACK (ahead of schedule)
5) ETSU - Well, they almost beat CIT and they found a way to beat Mercer. They run the ball. They play Defense and they have good Coaching.
6) WCU - Good win over Samantha, but playing O 'on air' doesn't prove a lot. If that Offense is SPORTY against Chatt's D and WCU's D gets some stops, I'll buy into 'em. Not yet though.
7) UNCG
8) Samantha - Keep running for Nothing/Game and giving up 600+ yards...and the Pups will sink further on my list
9) Mercer - Losing a double-digit lead in the 4th quarter is unforgivable. I forgave the Falcons though, so I forgave Mercer for the Woffy game. But, I can't forgive them for losing double digit leads in the 4th quarter against 2 conference opponents in 3 weeks. The Bears have gone from just missing being able to win against the best Teams in the SoCon to finding amazingly creative ways to lose (by playing 'not to lose,' IMO) to middle-of-the-pack SoCon Teams. They are as talented as any team on this list, but the Bears must stay down here until they learn to WIN consistently.
10) VMI - It would not surprise me to see them come into Macon running the Wishbone or the Single Wing or playing A-11 on O and the WideTackle 6 on D...and pulling out a win. They HAVE to change something after last week (and the prior 3 weeks), don't they?

Interested in your take.

Mercer's offense looks like it is getting in a predictability rut: inside zone read, outside zone read, throw a 50/50 ball downfield. That looks eerily familiar, as it was effectively the same sort of system that ground Furman's offense to a halt the last few years.

My impression is that Mercer is running "their offense" that worked under John Russ by may not work under Kaelan Riley. Furman did something similar, almost seeming to force Reese Hannon to run a zone read offense when he really lacked the elusiveness to freeze defenders. Over and over defenders simply ignored the read and attacked the backfield. Hannon wasn't going to make them miss and get to the edge, so why respect that part of the play?

Riley is a good looking player, but he really doesn't have the shiftiness of the more compact Russ. His rushing attempts are steadily decreasing (10, 12, 4, and now 5.)

Are you seeing those similarities?

[FUBeAR]

Interested in your take.

Mercer's offense looks like it is getting in a predictability rut: inside zone read, outside zone read, throw a 50/50 ball downfield. That looks eerily familiar, as it was effectively the same sort of system that ground Furman's offense to a halt the last few years.

My impression is that Mercer is running "their offense" that worked under John Russ by may not work under Kaelan Riley. Furman did something similar, almost seeming to force Reese Hannon to run a zone read offense when he really lacked the elusiveness to freeze defenders. Over and over defenders simply ignored the read and attacked the backfield. Hannon wasn't going to make them miss and get to the edge, so why respect that part of the play?

Riley is a good looking player, but he really doesn't have the shiftiness of the more compact Russ. His rushing attempts are steadily decreasing (10, 12, 4, and now 5.)

Are you seeing those similarities?

No

[ElCid]

SOCON Week 4 Review on the FCS Wedge.

http://thefcswedge.com/socon/socon-week-4-review-and-power-rankings-2/

[walliver]

ETSU surprised me, FU won bigger than expected and Wofford slipped by again.

Power Rankings:
1) Wofford - they won and the Citadel didn't play. The Terriers generally start slow on build momentum as the year progresses, but this team hasn't really looked sharp.
2) The Citadel - didn't play, so I didn't move them
3) WCU - won a key conference game
4) Samford - could have easily won last week, but I still don't have a good feel for how good this team is.
5) Chattanooga - finally get a win
6) FU - good win
7) ETSU - an unexpected win, should win a few more
8) Mercer - just when I was ready to move them towards the top, I was reminded of why FU fired Bobby Lamb.
9)
10) VMI - Was Al Cobb really a one-man team?

This week:
ETSU at Furman - The mountain pirates will be ready to play, the purple horsies will need to play all 4 quarters to pull this one out. Furman 24-21.
The Citadel at Samford - The first team to punt loses. Bullpup's offense chews up the clock and keeps Hodges on the bench and pull out a 31-28 win.
VMI at Mercer - It will take great coaching to prevent the keydets from becoming completely demoralized, especially after the cubbies pull out a 56-3 win.
Western at Chatty - the moccasin's offense should be better with Benefield and Chatty's defense will slow down the Cants. Mocs win 28-24
Wofford at PC - The men in dresses are having a bad year and the T-Dogs have yet to put together a complete game. The complete game probably won't come this week either, but Terriers win by more than the combined differentials of all previous games 28-10

Everybody except VMI is still potentially in the playoff hunt.

[PaladinFan]

SoCon POTW. http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&ATCLID=211669567&_ga=2.229312732.1181487724.1506363977-1621414978.1500399991

I'm a little surprised that the DPOTW came out of the Western/Samford game. There was over 1200 yards of offense and 72 points in that contest.

I am even more surprised the POTW was a Western Carolina DB. WCU's defense surrendered 620 yards of offense, 529 passing yards, and 4 touchdowns.

[FUBeAR]

SoCon POTW. http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&ATCLID=211669567&_ga=2.229312732.1181487724.1506363977-1621414978.1500399991

I'm a little surprised that the DPOTW came out of the Western/Samford game. There was over 1200 yards of offense and 72 points in that contest.

I am even more surprised the POTW was a Western Carolina DB. WCU's defense surrendered 620 yards of offense, 529 passing yards, and 4 touchdowns.

Maybe he was the only WCU DB actually PLAYING...so he really stood out back there with the Cats running that 5-5-1 alignment....which also helps to explain why Samantha couldn't run the ball against 10 in the Box...oh, sorry, I forgot...they can NEVER run the ball....Hey, I'm just looking to make sense of things. Starting to think that's not gonna happen in the SoCon this year...maybe in all of FCS.

[longtimemocfan]

1) Wofford
2) The Citadel
3) Chattanooga
4) Western Carolina - What is this...
5) ETSU - World we live in?
6) Samford
7) Furman
8) Mercer
9) VMI

Predictions
ETSU @ Furman - Furman will probably pull it off in this game
The Citadel @ Samford - Just to make the SoCon as difficult to predict as possible Samford will pick up the win
VMI @ Mercer - VMI is just lost
Western Carolina @ Chattanooga - I would love a win here but we have not won in over a decade so I'll still have to go for UTC
Wofford @ Presbyterian - Wofford wins easily


This game is going to be hard to prognosticate just due to the fact, how much of a factor is Bennifield going to make? Will the offense game plan change any ? Without Bennifield I'm not sure we could win this game, but with his leadership and better athletic ability gives a shot.

[citdog]

This game is going to be hard to prognosticate just due to the fact, how much of a factor is Bennifield going to make? Will the offense game plan change any ? Without Bennifield I'm not sure we could win this game, but with his leadership and better athletic ability gives a shot.

But the SEC tranny Qb was supposed to be a 1st team All SoCon guy. REMEMBER?

[tenNesseeCat]

Maybe he was the only WCU DB actually PLAYING...so he really stood out back there with the Cats running that 5-5-1 alignment....which also helps to explain why Samantha couldn't run the ball against 10 in the Box...oh, sorry, I forgot...they can NEVER run the ball....Hey, I'm just looking to make sense of things. Starting to think that's not gonna happen in the SoCon this year...maybe in all of FCS.

Hodges vs Mercer last year - 401, 3 td, 0 int, 43 attempts 9.3 per - WIN
Hodges vs Furman last year - 411, 3 td, 1 int, 38 attempts 10.8 per - WIN
Hodges vs WCU this year - 516, 4 td, 0 int, 66 attempts 7.8 per - LOSS

WCU gave up more yards, but had a better result per play and most importantly a WIN.

I'd say Crossen got the award for the game winning pass breakup, in the biggest win in Cullowhee in quite some time. He also had another pass breakup, with a TFL, and 8 total tackles. Yea, WCU's defense has it's flaws, but this is the first year with the new DC and system. It's better than last year, and we are 3-1 with a win vs a top 20 team. It's not perfect, but I'll take it every day of the week. Go Cats!

[ElCid]

Maybe he was the only WCU DB actually PLAYING...so he really stood out back there with the Cats running that 5-5-1 alignment....which also helps to explain why Samantha couldn't run the ball against 10 in the Box...oh, sorry, I forgot...they can NEVER run the ball....Hey, I'm just looking to make sense of things. Starting to think that's not gonna happen in the SoCon this year...maybe in all of FCS.

Now that is just funny.

[FUBeAR]

Hodges vs Mercer last year - 401, 3 td, 0 int, 43 attempts 9.3 per - WIN
Hodges vs Furman last year - 411, 3 td, 1 int, 38 attempts 10.8 per - WIN
Hodges vs WCU this year - 516, 4 td, 0 int, 66 attempts 7.8 per - LOSS

WCU gave up more yards, but had a better result per play and most importantly a WIN.

I'd say Crossen got the award for the game winning pass breakup, in the biggest win in Cullowhee in quite some time. He also had another pass breakup, with a TFL, and 8 total tackles. Yea, WCU's defense has it's flaws, but this is the first year with the new DC and system. It's better than last year, and we are 3-1 with a win vs a top 20 team. It's not perfect, but I'll take it every day of the week. Go Cats!

OK - so, you support the new 5-5-1 alignment. Good to know.

[longtimemocfan]

But the SEC tranny Qb was supposed to be a 1st team All SoCon guy. REMEMBER?

You never heard that from me. I thought he COULD contend for the starting job, but it's obvious Bennifield was the better of the 2 in preseason camp. Experience, leadership and more intangibles make him better.

[The Pud]

But the SEC tranny Qb was supposed to be a 1st team All SoCon guy. REMEMBER?


That is what I kept hearing too over the summer.

[phoenix3]

Power:
The Citadel
Wofford
Furman
Western
East Tennessee
Samford
Chattanooga
Mercer
VMI

Game Picks:
Furman>East Tennessee
The Citadel>Samford
Mercer>VMI
Western>Chattanooga
Wofford>Presbyterian

[PaladinFan]

But the SEC tranny Qb was supposed to be a 1st team All SoCon guy. REMEMBER?

He and some of the guys on the Samford offensive line are First Team All Potential.

[tenNesseeCat]

OK - so, you support the new 5-5-1 alignment. Good to know.

I got the "humor" from the start. I just wanted to point out, that despite being the brunt of jokes and having 65 attempts hurled their way, the WCU D dug deep enough to stop the one that was really important. I also thought that you could appreciate the stats. That had Mercer had to defend 66 attempts, they would have given up over 600 and 4 tds. Furman too. Only difference is Furman got a TO. Had our D made the two ints they had their hands on, and not been crapped out of a fumble/scoop for a TD, you might be singing a different story. I guess they can't get them all, but at least they won.

[Cat-in-GA]

Power Rankings:
Wofford - Will stay here until they lose
The Citadel - A tough team that will make the playoffs
WCU - Served notice to the Socon that they are a force to reckoned with
Samford - The Devlin Hodges show can really move the ball
Chattanooga - Still trying to come together as a new team with a new coaching staff, but lots of potential.
Furman - Beat Colgate, but I don't really know how much that is worth, let's see what happens this week
ETSU - Beat Mercer, and that does mean something. Still, ETSU seems to be one of those teams that gets a lucky win here and there
Mercer - Has to be disappointed, will they rebound? This week they will for sure
VMI - Probably packing it in for the rest of this season

This week's games
ETSU @ Furman
The Citadel @ Samford
WCU @ Chattanooga
VMI @ Mercer
Wofford @ Presbyterian

[FUBeAR]

the WCU D dug deep enough to stop the one that was really important. I also thought that you could appreciate the stats. That had Mercer had to defend 66 attempts, they would have given up over 600 and 4 tds. Furman too. Only difference is Furman got a TO. Had our D made the two ints they had their hands on, and not been crapped out of a fumble/scoop for a TD

https://narcosphere.narconews.com/userfiles/LipstickPig-1.jpg

My goodness, you're right, I see it now!

That was a spectacular display of Defense. This years Cats' D is starting to look a lot like the UT Vols Defenses of 1938/39...if I squint...and watch them on a self-produced ESPN3 Broadcast.

[tenNesseeCat]

https://narcosphere.narconews.com/userfiles/LipstickPig-1.jpg

Is that the 2017 1-3 Mercer Bears....Bobby Lamb....maybe?

[PaladinFan]

I got the "humor" from the start. I just wanted to point out, that despite being the brunt of jokes and having 65 attempts hurled their way, the WCU D dug deep enough to stop the one that was really important. I also thought that you could appreciate the stats. That had Mercer had to defend 66 attempts, they would have given up over 600 and 4 tds. Furman too. Only difference is Furman got a TO. Had our D made the two ints they had their hands on, and not been crapped out of a fumble/scoop for a TD, you might be singing a different story. I guess they can't get them all, but at least they won.

Not a debate over whether WCU bowed up and got the stop. Not taking that away.

I just question the decision for POTW over Reynard Ellis, who had 16 tackles, a sack, and 1.5 TFLs.

[bonarae]

Furman
The Citadel
Mercer
Chattanooga
Wofford

[PaladinFan]

In other news, Georgia Southern is 0-3 with two blowout losses and a loss to FCS New Hampshire.

Stop me if you've heard this. Their fans are clamoring for a coaching change.

[Smitty]

In other news, Georgia Southern is 0-3 with two blowout losses and a loss to FCS New Hampshire.

Stop me if you've heard this. Their fans are clamoring for a coaching change.

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tEjzh3Zdf_Q/V1ltIj4pt0I/AAAAAAAAheY/Xm9QfrhOWxkKv85iKg5vHfWRBMIV-0XZgCLcB/s1600/63594749.jpg

[PaladinFan]

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tEjzh3Zdf_Q/V1ltIj4pt0I/AAAAAAAAheY/Xm9QfrhOWxkKv85iKg5vHfWRBMIV-0XZgCLcB/s1600/63594749.jpg

It got a bit worse after Mercer played Auburn much closer than GSU did and then New Hampshire got pummeled by Holy Cross

[Catamount87]

Rankings
1. Wofford - Winning, even by a sliver means staying on top
2. Citadel - Getting close to making an argument for a tie for top dog
3.(Tie) WCU - 3-1 moves you up, defense is questionable but they got the stops when then needed to
Samford - 1 yard short of WCU
Furman - Excellent win, record doesn't reflect the quality of this team
6.(Tie) Chatt - Expect they'll be a different team with their QB back this week, more than capable of moving up fast
ETSU - As well coached a team as any on the SoCon, still young but dangerous, more than capable of moving up too
8. Mercer - Seem to be falling into that "can't win the close ones" trap but still have the talent and coaching to compete and win on any given Saturday
9. VMI - More confirmation that with Cobb they were a one trick pony




Predictions
ETSU v. Furman: We'll learn everything we need to know about both this Saturday.
Citadel v. Samford - Can Samford recover from the huge emotional loss? Are the Bellhops for real or suspect? Slight nod to the coastal dogs.
VMI v. Mercer - This will be ugly
WCU v. Chatt - It all depends on which UTC team shows up. Cats by a cat hair
Wofford v. PC - The dogs get a win by a good wide margin

[longtimemocfan]

Power Rankings:
Wofford - Will stay here until they lose
The Citadel - A tough team that will make the playoffs
WCU - Served notice to the Socon that they are a force to reckoned with
Samford - The Devlin Hodges show can really move the ball
Furman - Beat Colgate, but I don't really know how much that is worth, let's see what happens this week
ETSU - Beat Mercer, and that does mean something. Still, ETSU seems to be one of those teams that gets a lucky win here and there
Mercer - Has to be disappointed, will they rebound? This week they will for sure
VMI - Probably packing it in for the rest of this season

This week's games
ETSU @ Furman
The Citadel @ Samford
WCU @ Chattanooga
VMI @ Mercer
Wofford @ Presbyterian

Where do you rank Chattanooga? Till we prove otherwise I'd still put us somewhere in the 6-8 range. Good to see WCU a factor now.

[The Pud]

Where do you rank Chattanooga? Till we prove otherwise I'd still put us somewhere in the 6-8 range. Good to see WCU a factor now.

I think the Mocs will come around and surprise many folks, so that being said I put them at 5

[Catamount87]

Maybe he was the only WCU DB actually PLAYING...so he really stood out back there with the Cats running that 5-5-1 alignment....which also helps to explain why Samantha couldn't run the ball against 10 in the Box...oh, sorry, I forgot...they can NEVER run the ball....Hey, I'm just looking to make sense of things. Starting to think that's not gonna happen in the SoCon this year...maybe in all of FCS.

Hey FUBeAR, yes, I agree, we don't have the best defense. It often seem to play the "Bend don't Break" variety.

In the case of the Samford game, a big factor in their success (and I suspect other of their games too) has been the exceptional timing between WR and QB on short passes that then gain additional yardage after the catch. They only averaged 7.9 yards a catch against us. So, they threw a lot of quick 2-5 yard passes then tacked on 2-5 more. Often the defenders were right there with the WRs. The success was in timing and ball placement. Hodges has IMHO exceptional timing and ball placement along with a very quick release. All in all a deadly combination.

[PaladinFan]

Hey FUBeAR, yes, I agree, we don't have the best defense. It often seem to play the "Bend don't Break" variety.

In the case of the Samford game, a big factor in their success (and I suspect other of their games too) has been the exceptional timing between WR and QB on short passes that then gain additional yardage after the catch. They only averaged 7.9 yards a catch against us. So, they threw a lot of quick 2-5 yard passes then tacked on 2-5 more. Often the defenders were right there with the WRs. The success was in timing and ball placement. Hodges has IMHO exceptional timing and ball placement along with a very quick release. All in all a deadly combination.

I have always felt that defenses like WCU and Samford really need to play for turnovers. Neither unit is built to really go bare knuckles for four quarters. Both teams have superb offenses, and it seems to me the best defensive strategy is to play a little looser out there and try to force turnovers. Giving your offense an extra possession or two may be enough to ice the game.

It seems almost counter intuitive, but I think just about the best place you can have Samford in a tight game is near your goal line. Samford struggles mightily to run the ball, and are essentially forced to pass in goal line situations. The defense gets to pack 11 defenders into a 13 yard space, which eliminates the Bulldog's vertical routes. Their receivers have to find space in much tighter confines.

[SU DOG]

I have always felt that defenses like WCU and Samford really need to play for turnovers. Neither unit is built to really go bare knuckles for four quarters. Both teams have superb offenses, and it seems to me the best defensive strategy is to play a little looser out there and try to force turnovers. Giving your offense an extra possession or two may be enough to ice the game.

It seems almost counter intuitive, but I think just about the best place you can have Samford in a tight game is near your goal line. Samford struggles mightily to run the ball, and are essentially forced to pass in goal line situations. The defense gets to pack 11 defenders into a 13 yard space, which eliminates the Bulldog's vertical routes. Their receivers have to find space in much tighter confines.

Unfortunately PF, you are absolutely right. Hatcher keeps talking about improving our running game, but we never see it happening.

[tenNesseeCat]

I have always felt that defenses like WCU and Samford really need to play for turnovers. Neither unit is built to really go bare knuckles for four quarters. Both teams have superb offenses, and it seems to me the best defensive strategy is to play a little looser out there and try to force turnovers. Giving your offense an extra possession or two may be enough to ice the game.

It seems almost counter intuitive, but I think just about the best place you can have Samford in a tight game is near your goal line. Samford struggles mightily to run the ball, and are essentially forced to pass in goal line situations. The defense gets to pack 11 defenders into a 13 yard space, which eliminates the Bulldog's vertical routes. Their receivers have to find space in much tighter confines.

I think you are spot on. WCU should have only been -1 in the TO margin, and could have been +1 had they made those ints. I felt like the fumble and score would have been a big momentum swing. Our TO's were big too. Together, it was at least probably 10 points we gave away. To me, it's remarkable that WCU still beat SU with a -2 TO margin.

[SU DOG]

I think you are spot on. WCU should have only been -1 in the TO margin, and could have been +1 had they made those ints. I felt like the fumble and score would have been a big momentum swing. Our TO's were big too. Together, it was at least probably 10 points we gave away. To me, it's remarkable that WCU still beat SU with a -2 TO margin.

Maybe, but there were several instances where we could point to giveaway points also.

[PaladinFan]

Anyone else realize that UTC is the SoCon's worst rushing offense right now? 74.5 yards per game and 2.5 ypc.

Anytime you are looking up at Samford in the rushing offense categories, that's not a good place.

[Smitty]

Anyone else realize that UTC is the SoCon's worst rushing offense right now? 74.5 yards per game and 2.5 ypc.

Anytime you are looking up at Samford in the rushing offense categories, that's not a good place.

Well WCU always has a way of showing off their opponents running game, no matter how bad it is. Lets see what happens after this weekend....

[Cat-in-GA]

Where do you rank Chattanooga? Till we prove otherwise I'd still put us somewhere in the 6-8 range. Good to see WCU a factor now.

Didn't intentionally leave Chattanooga out. I put them 5th, and that is because of the shear potential that Chattanooga has with the players on its roster. I said at the beginning of the season that Chattanooga would experience growing pains but get better each week. For WCU's sake, I hope it takes Chattanooga at least one more game before they fully gel.

[Reign of Terrier]

Anyone else realize that UTC is the SoCon's worst rushing offense right now? 74.5 yards per game and 2.5 ypc.

Anytime you are looking up at Samford in the rushing offense categories, that's not a good place.

Rushing for 6 yards against UTM and playing a stout JSU run defense will do that for ya

[Catamount87]

I think you are spot on. WCU should have only been -1 in the TO margin, and could have been +1 had they made those ints. I felt like the fumble and score would have been a big momentum swing. Our TO's were big too. Together, it was at least probably 10 points we gave away. To me, it's remarkable that WCU still beat SU with a -2 TO margin.

Which gets us to some of the officiating for the game. Three plays come to mind. The first is the long pass catch in the 1st half. The Samford receiver tosses the ball down on the DB who's on the ground, then stomps him in the chest for good measure. No flag what so ever for that nasty bit of unsportsmanlike conduct. Second, the interception in the end zone. Clear defensive holding that allowed the defender to then push the receiver out of the way. Lastly, the catch, hit, fumble returned for a TD that was ruled a no catch. All three negatively impacted WCU.

But there's more, even after being warned we hiked the ball either while the back judge was signaling or just before he did. We also had some questionable play by DBs where it looked like we either arrived a hair early or had hands on receivers.

[FUBeAR]

Which gets us to some of the officiating for the game. Three plays come to mind. The first is the long pass catch in the 1st half. The Samford receiver tosses the ball down on the DB who's on the ground, then stomps him in the chest for good measure. No flag what so ever for that nasty bit of unsportsmanlike conduct. Second, the interception in the end zone. Clear defensive holding that allowed the defender to then push the receiver out of the way. Lastly, the catch, hit, fumble returned for a TD that was ruled a no catch. All three negatively impacted WCU.

But there's more, even after being warned we hiked the ball either while the back judge was signaling or just before he did. We also had some questionable play by DBs where it looked like we either arrived a hair early or had hands on receivers.

As I've said, watching that rendition of Football, where no Defense is played and OL play is shoddy (WCU's is a little better than Samantha's), makes me nauseous. I'd almost rather watch Soccer. So, I haven't watched that game on replay.

Sam. Fans...Did this really happen like this? Which WR did that? If so, with that demeanor...can he play both ways? Couldn't hurt to have some more of THAT on the other side of the ball, right?

[citdog]

Which gets us to some of the officiating for the game. Three plays come to mind. The first is the long pass catch in the 1st half. The Samford receiver tosses the ball down on the DB who's on the ground, then stomps him in the chest for good measure. No flag what so ever for that nasty bit of unsportsmanlike conduct. Second, the interception in the end zone. Clear defensive holding that allowed the defender to then push the receiver out of the way. Lastly, the catch, hit, fumble returned for a TD that was ruled a no catch. All three negatively impacted WCU.

But there's more, even after being warned we hiked the ball either while the back judge was signaling or just before he did. We also had some questionable play by DBs where it looked like we either arrived a hair early or had hands on receivers.

Perhaps y'all should have ponied up some cash to have replay this year like others did...

[Smitty]

Perhaps y'all should have ponied up some cash to have replay this year like others did...

We can barely broadcast the game, I can't imagine the quality of replays...

[CID1990]

In other news, Georgia Southern is 0-3 with two blowout losses and a loss to FCS New Hampshire.

Stop me if you've heard this. Their fans are clamoring for a coaching change.

Hey PF, its all about "exposure" and "football is the front porch"- remember

you dont actually have to WIN for the money to leap into your coffers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PaladinFan]

What a difference a year makes.

With Cam Burnette's 61 yard touchdown haul, Furman notched their third consecutive game with a touchdown pass of at least 60 yards. PJ Blazejowski leads the FCS in both passing yards per completion (19.83) and passing yards per attempt (10.72).

Last season, Furman had one offensive play go longer than 65 yards. This season, they are pretty much doing that every week.

[Catamount87]

As I've said, watching that rendition of Football, where no Defense is played and OL play is shoddy (WCU's is a little better than Samantha's), makes me nauseous. I'd almost rather watch Soccer. So, I haven't watched that game on replay.

Sam. Fans...Did this really happen like this? Which WR did that? If so, with that demeanor...can he play both ways? Couldn't hurt to have some more of THAT on the other side of the ball, right?

I thought I could pull screen captures of the replay while at work, unfortunately I can't stream it to get to it. So, I'll pull them tonight and post.

Something to add about the officiating, they definitely weren't tossing flags for touchy stuff. For the most part, flags only flew for the obvious and often more flagrant penalties. One could say, they were "letting the boys play". It was almost as if the officials were running on the "no blood, no foul" theory.

[FUBeAR]

I thought I could pull screen captures of the replay while at work, unfortunately I can't stream it to get to it. So, I'll pull them tonight and post.

Something to add about the officiating, they definitely weren't tossing flags for touchy stuff. For the most part, flags only flew for the obvious and often more flagrant penalties. One could say, they were "letting the boys play". It was almost as if the officials were running on the "no blood, no foul" theory.

Well I see no Defense from SAM. Fans (I really wasn't even trying to be funny when I just typed that...LOL)...so, I am going to assume it happened as described.

Whomever he was, I'd see if he's interested in playing a little Strong Safety if I was the SAM. DC.

[PaladinFan]

Hey PF, its all about "exposure" and "football is the front porch"- remember

you dont actually have to WIN for the money to leap into your coffers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Speaking of.

UNC-Charlotte and Georgia State played this weekend. Both were winless. Both had losses to FCS programs. Announced attendance was around 11,000.

For the life of me, I don't get the appeal of being FBS just for the sake of being FBS. Especially for two schools like that without any history, tradition, or fan base clamoring to move up.

In 4+ seasons, UNCC is 16-33. In 6+ seasons, Georgia State is 20-62.

[Catamount87]

Well I see no Defense from SAM. Fans (I really wasn't even trying to be funny when I just typed that...LOL)...so, I am going to assume it happened as described.

Whomever he was, I'd see if he's interested in playing a little Strong Safety if I was the SAM. DC.

I wish I could get the whole sequence but here's the stomp. I couldn't seem to get the frame before it where its really clear he intends to stomp on the defender. His knee is high up and his foot is right over the defender's chest. The whole stadium erupted right after it. What's really crazy, the ref is right there too!

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=26168&stc=1

[DoWe]

Speaking of.

UNC-Charlotte and Georgia State played this weekend. Both were winless. Both had losses to FCS programs. Announced attendance was around 11,000.

For the life of me, I don't get the appeal of being FBS just for the sake of being FBS. Especially for two schools like that without any history, tradition, or fan base clamoring to move up.

In 4+ seasons, UNCC is 16-33. In 6+ seasons, Georgia State is 20-62.
This is where some folks lose perspective. Ga State has an enrollment that exceeds 50K students. Why shouldn't they suck at a level on par with their size? Why would they want to suck in FCS? Size matters, even if she says it doesn't.

[Catamount87]

Here's the previous frame.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=26169&stc=1

[Smitty]

Here's the previous frame.

What was the time frame of when this happened? I would rather not have another anxiety attack watching the game again

[longtimemocfan]

Didn't intentionally leave Chattanooga out. I put them 5th, and that is because of the shear potential that Chattanooga has with the players on its roster. I said at the beginning of the season that Chattanooga would experience growing pains but get better each week. For WCU's sake, I hope it takes Chattanooga at least one more game before they fully gel.

I hope with Bennifield back we use a little more imagination on offense or it could be a long night for us.

[ElCid]

I wish I could get the whole sequence but here's the stomp. I couldn't seem to get the frame before it where its really clear he intends to stomp on the defender. His knee is high up and his foot is right over the defender's chest. The whole stadium erupted right after it. What's really crazy, the ref is right there too!

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=26168&stc=1

I was intrigued so I just had to look at it. I am neutral. But here is my take. First off the video people really screwed the pooch on this play. They had some stupid graphic up while the play was going and just got the end of it in. It is about at the 25.55 mark if anyone want s to see it. I watched it about 5 times. I did not see it in person. This is all I have to go by. A really bad video that is fragmented right where we need to see it.

It sort of looks like he was doing what you said. BUT, I don't think he really was. It looks like the receiver got up and was a bit unbalanced, leaning forward and he was trying to step over the DB and he rolled on the ground away from him a little and the receiver had to hold up stepping down so as to NOT step on him. So the sequence looked like he did what you think happened. But I don't think he was. He may very well have been but I am just saying it is really hard to tell form the video. Unfortunately, since the video sucks so bad, it is really hard to see the entire episode. Anyway, like I said, I don't have a dog, or cat, in this. Just an impartial alternative view.

[SU DOG]

I just don't know. The game was kinda hard to follow with ESPN3. I do know there was an official right there close by who had a better view than I did on the streaming. I also don't remember any type of retaliation attempt from the Western kid. You would think he would have some kinda reaction after the play at least if he was trampled. I'm for Immediate ejection if this is intentionally done by any player-ours or anyone else. I know we don't normally see dirty deeds by our kids, but I'm certainly not saying they are angels. I'm also like Smitty in that I don't care to ever see this game again. If I can, I will get to one of our coaches and ask about this, Again, if it happened intentionally this kid needs some TOUGH discipline, and that's about all I can say about it.
I will add my congrats to WCU for winning a close hard fought game. The Catamounts may just be the most underrated team in the SoCon.

[ElCid]

. The Catamounts may just be the most underrated team in the SoCon.

Not too underrated....#24 now.

[tenNesseeCat]

I wish I could get the whole sequence but here's the stomp. I couldn't seem to get the frame before it where its really clear he intends to stomp on the defender. His knee is high up and his foot is right over the defender's chest. The whole stadium erupted right after it. What's really crazy, the ref is right there too!

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=26168&stc=1

Can you see anything when one of our OL was flagged for pushing a samford defender late? It looked like our RB came up pretty heated about something, and maybe the OL was helping him out?

[PaladinFan]

I tend to give folks the benefit of the doubt.

Freezed frames from video can often be a bit deceptive. If there's an issue, I would assume WCU would submit it to the league or Samford would address it internally.

[Catamount87]

Can you see anything when one of our OL was flagged for pushing a samford defender late? It looked like our RB came up pretty heated about something, and maybe the OL was helping him out?

I'd have to go back and rewatch but as I recall our guy came flying in well after the fact and whistle. There was a little bit of tussling in the pile but nothing more than any normal play. It was just a in-the-heat-of-the-moment, stupid, boneheaded play that cost us. The same could be said for Samford's #43 when he threw a punch late that took us from 4th down to 1st down. Stupid, stupid penalties. Thankfully, there were only 2 of these types of penalties by either team, an unsportsmanlike against us and a personal foul against Samford.

That all said, both teams played their hearts out and gave every fan one hell of a football game! Sure the officiating was suspect at times but it could have been worse.

[ElCid]

Southern Conference preview on the FCS Wedge.


http://thefcswedge.com/socon/socon-week-5-preview-2/

[Sandlapper Spike]

I was looking at the stats for Samford and came across something I hadn't really seen before.

After four games, there is a 3-way tie for most rushing yards among SU players. Three guys each have 76 net rushing yards.

76. Through four games.

Devlin Hodges has a net total of 55 rushing yards. If you took out the sack yardage, he would lead the team in rushing.

That said, Samford is still capable of throwing for 600 yards and 6 TDs on Saturday, so who knows. I just think you can't be consistently successful if you can't (or don't) run the ball at all.

--

That's the game I'm most focused on, obviously, but I'm also very interested in Western Carolina-Chattanooga. I suspect we're going to know a lot more about both teams after that game.

[FUBeAR]

I was looking at the stats for Samford and came across something I hadn't really seen before.

After four games, there is a 3-way tie for most rushing yards among SU players. Three guys each have 76 net rushing yards.

76. Through four games.

Maybe THIS is what Coach Hatcher means when he says (every year) that Samantha is going to be "more balanced" on Offense.

[CID1990]

fermen

Samford

Mercer

Chatty

Wofferd

[ElCid]

I was looking at the stats for Samford and came across something I hadn't really seen before.

After four games, there is a 3-way tie for most rushing yards among SU players. Three guys each have 76 net rushing yards.

76. Through four games.

Devlin Hodges has a net total of 55 rushing yards. If you took out the sack yardage, he would lead the team in rushing.

That said, Samford is still capable of throwing for 600 yards and 6 TDs on Saturday, so who knows. I just think you can't be consistently successful if you can't (or don't) run the ball at all.

--

That's the game I'm most focused on, obviously, but I'm also very interested in Western Carolina-Chattanooga. I suspect we're going to know a lot more about both teams after that game.

I will take a running game over a passing all day long. That said, I hope we can average 100 yards a game passing by the end of the season. But, if we have to throw the ball, then maybe our run game is not working so well. I like it when we "don't" have to pass, but connect on a few unpredictable passes like in the PC game. Seems like we got a couple talented receivers as well. If we are desperate and predictable, we will not be successful through the air. I hate it when we seemed to be forced into passing, like the 2015 CSU game and the 2016 Wofford playoff game. I also like that both Dom and Jordan have gotten some nice passes. If Jordan was the go to guy for passing, we would fall into a predictable pattern. Having both as a passing threat is so much better.

We have been hovering around the 70-80 yards a game passing for a while now since we went back to the option.

2010 - 51.7 - 5.3/attempt
2011 - 32.2 - 4.7/attempt
2012 - 81.8 - 7.7/attempt
2013 - 83.4 - 6.5/attempt
2014 - 79.8 - 6.5/attempt
2015 - 74.2 - 8.9/attempt
2016 - 68.3 - 6.5/attempt
2017 - 96.0 - 10.3/attempt - through game three

Here are Samford's per game rushing stats. There has been an obvious fall off in both total yards and yards per carry since Hodges became the starter. I don't fault them for using his strengths, but I think they went overboard.

2013 - 122.8 - 3.8/carry
2014 - 181.4 - 4.3/carry
2015 - 146.8 - 4.2/carry
2016 - 103.4 - 3.7/carry
2017 - 76.3 - 2.8/carry

[Catamount87]

Absolutely, best to have some type of running game. Look no further than Samford's last drive last week as to why.

Although The Citadel really doesn't have much of a passing game, they've gotten better at it over the last several years which makes them a bit more dangerous. So far this year 5 of their 14 receptions are for TDs with a staggering 20.6 ypc average. So teams can't be lulled into thinking they won't pass. They will at opportune times in the game and bust a pass for a big gain at that!

[SU DOG]

I know I sound like a broken record in talking about the Samford talent and potential. It is NOT, however, a case of us not having some capable RBs. The most impressive to me is true Fr. Moise Satine, honorable All-State in Fl. He can fly and has some moves that wowed us in August camp. He had one long run against WCU, but hasn't been the force I thought he would. He is one of several Samford RBs who all have impressive bios. The young OL is big and talented, and should be gelling by now. As a Samford Fan, this is really frustrating. I know we won't reach our goals without a better rushing game. Talk of a more balanced attack continues to be just talk. :( This game seems to me to be put up or shut up week.

[Reign of Terrier]

fermen

Samford

Mercer

Chatty

Wofferd

you spelled Woe-ferd wrong

[Reign of Terrier]

My general opinion about Samford is "don't be intimidated by their offense, their defense sucks" but also "they don't need defense to beat you"

Looking at the stats cited in the last few comments, I would be concerned if I were a Samford fan. Admittedly, they're playing decent competition (Western has a defense this year, Kennesaw is a mid-tier team, UGA is UGA), but having such a clear drop off in rush yards has to be concerning *on top of* the meh defensive numbers.

If you can't run the ball for 100 yards or so a game, you're in trouble. Passing is high risk, high reward in so far as you can score a lot of points, but if you're in a position where you need to grind clock, you're at a disadvantage. Further, if you can't run the ball and your opponent can get pressure, that puts your offense on the spot.

None of this is conclusive, we need more data points to judge the Samford offense. Normally I wouldn't be phased by the bad defensive numbers or terrible run game, but given the tremendous drop-off *relative to previous seasons* I would be concerned if I was Samford.

[CID1990]

you spelled Woe-ferd wrong

Or back in the Woffed days

Whifford

[citdog]

Or back in the Woffed days

Whifford

We WILL win tomorrow. HUNKER DOWN YOU HAIRY 'DOGS!!!!

Need JJ Davis's Dad to yell that EVERY WEEK!

[DoWe]

This week's winners in SoCon action:

Furman
Citadel
Mercer
WCU
Wofford

My three misses for far this season are Furman/Elon, WCU/GWU and Furman/Colgate.

[CID1990]

We WILL win tomorrow. HUNKER DOWN YOU HAIRY 'DOGS!!!!

Need JJ Davis's Dad to yell that EVERY WEEK!

I sure hope so

But that means we don't let their offense on the field. Hodges will eat our secondary up.

One thing is for sure - defense wins SoCon championships. If Samford can stop our offense just two or three times, they win. If they don't, they lose.

[ElCid]

I sure hope so

But that means we don't let their offense on the field. Hodges will eat our secondary up.

One thing is for sure - defense wins SoCon championships. If Samford can stop our offense just two or three times, they win. If they don't, they lose.

Last year we held the ball 38:17. We have averaged 37:35 so far. Samford has held it 26:55 so far. It will be close. I still think turnovers and special teams will ultimately decide it.

[ElCid]

ETSU 17
Furman 14

Both teams giving up big chunks of yards. Furman secondary not good.

[Reign of Terrier]

I think ETSU has a legit passing game

[ElCid]

Defensive show down in going on in Greenville.

Yards at half

Furman - 390
ETSU - 257

Who do these teams think they are? Samford and WCU?

[Reign of Terrier]

As I said in another thread: ETSU has a legit pass game to where they will give people problems. But their defense isn't at D1 strength yet.

Meanwhile, Furman has an injured and young defense, but a very solid offense. I wish Wofford ran an offense like they do.

[Smitty]

Well its early but Samford has a 2 (make that 3) TD lead against The Citadel

[Schism55]

21-0 Samford less than 6 minutes in :O

[Reign of Terrier]

Citadel looks flat. Everything going right for Samford. Very possible that Citadel isn't as good as we thought and Samford is better than we thought (and, vicariously, Western Carolina)

[ElCid]

Oh no, every one said Samford was crap. Only the idiots did. They are good and were worthy of their to 25 ranking. Right now, they have had things fall into place nicely. Hodges can be deadly. Plus both The Citadel offense and defense seem to be sleep walking.

[Mocs123]

What the heck is happening in Birgminham????? I could see Samford winning, but sure didn't see them up 35-0 early.

[cx500d]

Oh no, every one said Samford was crap. Only the idiots did. They are good and were worthy of their to 25 ranking. Right now, they have had things fall into place nicely. Hodges can be deadly. Plus both The Citadel offense and defense seem to be sleep walking.


That means West Alabama, Kennesaw, and WCU are all good too

[tenNesseeCat]

As of right now, i feel a lot better about our D and even more confident in our O.

[Reign of Terrier]

That means West Alabama, Kennesaw, and WCU are all good too

The transitive property doesn't work with football.

Though there's good reason to think Western is decent and I think Kennesaw is average.

[Smitty]

As of right now, i feel a lot better about our D and even more confident in our O.

You do? It seems you can only be comfortable with Western at the end of the season after every game is over...

I am curious to see how our defense does against UTC today. We seem to always struggle after big games the week before

[Mocs123]

You do? It seems you can only be comfortable with Western at the end of the season after every game is over...

I am curious to see how our defense does against UTC today. We seem to always struggle after big games the week before


Our offense has not been good, so I am sure we will make you defense look good.

[cx500d]

The transitive property doesn't work with football.

Though there's good reason to think Western is decent and I think Kennesaw is average.

Transitive property always works when trolling

[Smitty]

In other news...

VMI is leading Mercer 7-0 with 6:16 in the 1st. You would expect Mercer to be up by at least 2 TDs at this point but the game is still very early

[longtimemocfan]

Halftime rushing stats:
Samford-99 The Citadel-54. Samford has 393 total yards at the half.

[Reign of Terrier]

It's early. I don't understand why people get upset when you aren't blowing out a team in the first half

[tenNesseeCat]

Mercer not looking good down 7 and punting the ball. Still a few left in the 1st

[ElCid]

In other news...

VMI is leading Mercer 7-0 with 6:16 in the 1st. You would expect Mercer to be up by at least 2 TDs at this point but the game is still very early

Yeah, didn't Mercer, like, almost beat Auburn?xlolx

[Smitty]

Yeah, didn't Mercer, like, almost beat Auburn?xlolx

Well it is tied up now but it took until the second quarter to score against VMI.

[Toby]

Mercer not looking good down 7 and punting the ball. Still a few left in the 1st

Mercer gives up a pick six on first offensive play. Mercer defenses looks ok but offense does not. We'll see if they can turn it around.

[ETSUfan1]

Furman has a dynamic offense. They are good


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[walliver]

"3 running backs in the backfield ... that's why they call it the triple option"

Where did Sammy find these announcers?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Toby]

Mercer gives up a pick six on first offensive play. Mercer defenses looks ok but offense does not. We'll see if they can turn it around.

61 yard pass TD to Chandler Curtis. Maybe that will turn the corner.

[Toby]

61 yard pass TD to Chandler Curtis. Maybe that will turn the corner.
And another TD pass of 79 yards to Tee Mitchell puts Mercer up 14-7

[Toby]

And another TD pass of 79 yards to Tee Mitchell puts Mercer up 14-7

51 yard pick six by Travonte Easley makes it 21-7 Mercer.

[Reign of Terrier]

21-7 Mercer, remembering who they are

[Milktruck74]

Power Rankings might be a bit more difficult this coming week!!

[citdog]

Power Rankings might be a bit more difficult this coming week!!

Not really the mocs or the bird on the train will still be about 5th..

[Milktruck74]

Not really the mocs or the bird on the train will still be about 5th..

And with transitive properties, you will be behind WCU...and if we beat them....behind the Train Birds!!!!

[citdog]

And with transitive properties, you will be behind WCU...and if we beat them....behind the Train Birds!!!!

It's a good thing only the PROS votes count...

[Reign of Terrier]

provided Wofford and Western win today, they're my 1 and 2. Samford 3.

[Milktruck74]

provided Wofford and Western win today, they're my 1 and 2. Samford 3.

And if the Mocs beat Western?

[Reign of Terrier]

Chaos

[Milktruck74]

Chaos

Sums up the conference so far!!!

[ElCid]

Well hats off to Samford. They had some game plan. They executed it perfectly. We stunk. Too many penalties and secondary got burned bad. Just what I was worried about. Our o-line was pushed around and Samford was in our backfield a lot.

Congrats on the win!

SOCON chaos commence in 3...2...1.

[Milktruck74]

Well hats off to Samford. They had some game plan. They executed it perfectly. We stunk. Too many penalties and secondary got burned bad. Just what I was worried about. Our o-line was pushed around and Samford was in our backfield a lot.

Congrats on the win!

SOCON chaos commence in 3...2...1.

Classy comment. Sometimes you just get beat by a better team (that day).

[Toby]

Mercer scores on first two drives in second half. Now 35-7.

[woffordgrad94]

Poor VMI. They’re just hopeless. The rest of the conference is just a jumbled mess that hopefully will be sorted out in the coming weeks. But it might not ever be sorted out. Parity might be the buzzword of the 2017 SoCon.

[Reign of Terrier]

Bennefield got absolutely destroyed by a Western Carolina player on a sack. His helmet flew off, didn't see him coming. Had to be helped off the field.

Western 10
Chatt 0

[Milktruck74]

Bennefield got absolutely destroyed by a Western Carolina player on a sack. His helmet flew off, didn't see him coming. Had to be helped off the field.

Western 10
Chatt 0

Looks like Tiano will be our guy for another week or two....Not sure how that wasn't helmet to helmet, but either way Dro's comeback was a short one!!!!

[Reign of Terrier]

Looks like Tiano will be our guy for another week or two....Not sure how that wasn't helmet to helmet, but either way Dro's comeback was a short one!!!!

he hit him in the upper area of the sternum/helmet with the crown.

[woffordgrad94]

I know there’s a long way to go both today and this season, but so far Western is cementing themselves as one of the favorites to win the SoCon. We play WCU next Saturday and I’m starting to get a bit apprehensive!

[Milktruck74]

Citadel and Chattanooga cant get O going.....Samford played great D this week.....Western is bringing it on D, so far.....WTF is happening in my conference?

[Milktruck74]

he hit him in the upper area of the sternum/helmet with the crown.

Guess my old eyes are bad....it was a hell of a lick....but man!!!!

[Milktruck74]

Bennefield got absolutely destroyed by a Western Carolina player on a sack. His helmet flew off, didn't see him coming. Had to be helped off the field.

Western 10
Chatt 0

Benefield just let the stadium in an ambulance....Tiano is our guy for 3 more weeks.

[Reign of Terrier]

Technically, they don't call targeting calls on players with the ball but that was vicious.

Also, Wofford up 7-0 on PC. Wofford has one play for 94 yards and a touchdown

[Toby]

Getting ugly in Chatt. WCU 24-0

[citdog]

Getting ugly in Chatt. WCU 24-0


The Citadel has had one bad half. The chatty kathies haven't had a GOOD half against anyone but vmi...

[Reign of Terrier]

The Citadel has had one bad half. The chatty kathies haven't had a GOOD half against anyone but vmi...

I agree with this. Except I would say they had a bad five minutes or quarter.

Sidenote:
Wofford up 14-0 on PC near the end of the first quarter.

I don't think we'll win this one by just a score

[Mocs123]

Chattanooga may very well have the worse offense in the FCS (outside the Poineer).

We didn't look terrible for the couple of drives Alajandro was in. Now we suck again.

I'm pretty sure I saw Rodney Allison roaming the sideline.

[Milktruck74]

Chattanooga may very well have the worse offense in the FCS (outside the Poineer).

We didn't look terrible for the couple of drives Alajandro was in. Now we suck again.

I'm pretty sure I saw Rodney Allison roaming the sideline.

I'm laying this season right at the feet of David Blackburn.......Where is Jamie Chadwell these days? do you think we can get him to take over in October?

[citdog]

I'm laying this season right at the feet of David Blackburn.......Where is Jamie Chadwell these days? do you think we can get him to take over in October?

Y'all should have promoted from within....

[Reign of Terrier]

PC just scored

Wofford up 14-7

[ETSUfan1]

Can someone explain to me what's going on down in Cullowhee? They were a mess last year, and this year they are looking great. Hadnt paid much attention to them, and what they lost from last year, but cats are solid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mocs123]

Y'all should have promoted from within....

Durden wasn't my first choice (Cadwell) but I would have been ok with that.

It would have had to be better than this.

[dungeonjoe]

Can someone explain to me what's going on down in Cullowhee? They were a mess last year, and this year they are looking great. Hadnt paid much attention to them, and what they lost from last year, but cats are solid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
They now have an angel on their side who likes Catamount football and cheap beer...

[Smitty]

Can someone explain to me what's going on down in Cullowhee? They were a mess last year, and this year they are looking great. Hadnt paid much attention to them, and what they lost from last year, but cats are solid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



They now have an angel on their side who likes Catamount football and cheap beer...

That and...

It could be related to the fact we hired a defensive coordinator last year who didn't know a football from a hole in the ground. Fired him at the end of the season and brought in another more experienced coach

[Toby]

Getting ugly in Chatt. WCU 24-0
Uglier. Now WCU 38-0

[Reign of Terrier]

Y'all can drop Wofford in all rankings.

We aren't good. Are coaches can't motivate the players and our playcalling is terrible

[woffordgrad94]

I will be picking WCU to blow out Wofford. I mean, this is PC we’re playing tonight. FREAKING PC!! YT is right...we aren’t good.

[ElCid]

WCU looking real good for the top spot right now.

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford 17
PC 7

Lucky for us, PC's offense runs with an urgency of a team that doesn't want to win. I'm not worried yet that we will lose this game, but if our offense can't hang 30 on PC we have big, big problems

Right now Western is the best team in the conference.

[ElCid]

WCU bubbas, I must have totally missed it. Where is Newsome?




Anyone? Beuller, Beuller?

[Smitty]

WCU bubbas, I must have totally missed it. Where is Newsome?




Anyone? Beuller, Beuller?

Seems like a Hamstring concern before the game.

[ElCid]

Seems like a Hamstring concern before the game.


Well holy crap. But in the end, that was pretty dang impressive without your star running back.

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford's up 31-7

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford beats PC 31-7.

PC's offensive coordinator doesn't deserve to be coaching high school, let alone D1.

PC dominated time of possession (33 to 26ish) and only managed to get ~250 yards of offense. There was no sense urgency the whole night. We played terrible 3 quarters yet I didn't feel like we'd lose because their offense was so awful

[tenNesseeCat]

Was that enough defense for you fubear?

[Mocs123]

No disrespect to WCU's defense (I actually thought it looked pretty good) but our offense just sucks that bad. We lost our top two QB's, didn't want to burn the redshirt on our #3, so played our walk on #4 QB the last quarter and a half.

Not saying we were any good on offense before he went in.

WCU may very well win the SoCon this year.

[Reign of Terrier]

What happened to Tiano? I haven't looked through the thread.

The fact that chattanooga can't run the ball either doesn't help.

This is a dumpster fire

[tenNesseeCat]

What happened to Tiano? I haven't looked through the thread.

The fact that chattanooga can't run the ball either doesn't help.

This is a dumpster fire

Our d put a helmet in his shoulder. He left the game. I hope both are ok.

[Mocs123]

Bennifield got killed and never saw it coming. Looked like helmet to helmet to me, but he didn't know what way was up when he got up and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Tiano hurt his shoulder

3rd string QB is a true freshman and they didn't want to burn the redshirt

4th string QB played the rest of the game.



If you think Samford can't run the ball, wait until you see us.

[longtimemocfan]

Was that enough defense for you fubear?

Congrats on the win you guys played well, but don’t put a gage on this game as to how well your defense is. They are better than years past, but we may have one of the worst offensive lines in all of FCS and I’m not exaggerating. I’ve never in nearly 40 years of watching Moc football ever seen anything like it. Wish you guys well you have a good team.

[FUBeAR]

Was that enough defense for you fubear?

Yes


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ETSUfan1]

ETSU and Chattanooga may combine for a total of 15 rushing yards


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ETSUfan1]

Loved the trip to Furmans campus today. A beautiful place. Was surprised to see the number of students tailgating. A total of about 15 of them actually made it into the game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PaladinNation]

Furman put up 609 total offensive yards without Thomas Gordon.
Now that Dirks appears out of the doghouse that Bruce Fowler put him in,
Furman's running game is getting scary.

Kudos to the Bucs they played tough and their QB is the real deal, he took 6 sacks, a bunch of hits and a couple of roughing the passer calls and still kept slinging the ball.

What has to be one of the craziest plays I've seen in a while. Furman's Logan McCarter catches a high bounce on-side kick and runs it 47 yards for a touchdown.

The Dins gave up a ton of yards but I loved the go big style - I think I saw Furman for the first time ever go all out blitz zero coverage. It cost them a touchdown but with all the freshmen Furman has to play I think Staggs is making the right calls.

[Mocs123]

Athough I don't think our scheme fits our players strengths, nor are the coaches putting us in great positions, our defense is fair, especially considering the positions the offense puts them in, but our offense is as pathethetic as Shorter's was a couple of years ago. I am not sure I have ever seen anything like it.

We did look better with Bennifield in the game for a couple of drives, but after he got knocked out, we regressed back to our suckiness we have seen this year.

Last year we averaged 406 yards of offense. This year, we have only been above 300 once.

[tenNesseeCat]

Congrats on the win you guys played well, but don’t put a gage on this game as to how well your defense is. They are better than years past, but we may have one of the worst offensive lines in all of FCS and I’m not exaggerating. I’ve never in nearly 40 years of watching Moc football ever seen anything like it. Wish guys well you have a good team.

Thanks! I wish we could have won vs a good UTC team, but I'll take it. I hope they can work some things out on O, and take out a SU or WC. I thought your D played us pretty well.
It's still kinda hard to believe. I might have to watch it again, to let it soak in.
Big game vs Wofford next week!

[ElCid]

Bennifield got killed and never saw it coming. Looked like helmet to helmet to me, but he didn't know what way was up when he got up and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Tiano hurt his shoulder

3rd string QB is a true freshman and they didn't want to burn the redshirt

4th string QB played the rest of the game.



If you think Samford can't run the ball, wait until you see us.

I don't know, did you see us today. Geez. We were sleep walking, at least in the first half, plus Samford saw something obviously. They blew more plays this game than have been blown up on us all year.

[Mocs123]

We also lost our starting tailback and cornerback to injury tonight.

Dumpster Fire in Chattanooga.

[gofurman]

As I said in another thread: ETSU has a legit pass game to where they will give people problems. But their defense isn't at D1 strength yet.

Meanwhile, Furman has an injured and young defense, but a very solid offense. I wish Wofford ran an offense like they do.

I appreciate young terrier.

He A) knows of what he speaks on our D - Furman doesn't have ONE senior starting on D. Not one. And based on injuries etc we have a total of one senior on the 22 man 2 deep on D. We have lost three LBs and a DT all while we are switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 (Staggs from CSU) which obviously requires more linebackers anyway. Not a recipe for a super D.

And yet we lead the league in sacks and have already eclipsed our sack total from last year by game 5 ! I am excited for our future. A lot. But we will take our lumps this year

B) he also notes our O.. Others think it is triple option like Woff or Citadel. Close but a hybrid. We lead the league in yards per pass attempt / reception or something like that and are close to top ten or 15 nationally in throwing deep. We are getting better at it every game. We had a 71 yard td pass on nc state etc. I swear we were at like 14 yards per pass completion or something


And yes, ETSU has a legit QB. Best I have seen in a while in SoCon. Very good receivers too. Just not much Defense or OL or running game. ETSU Passing game is outstanding

[gofurman]

We also lost our starting tailback and cornerback to injury tonight.

Dumpster Fire in Chattanooga.

Mocs123, You seem to be in the know. Are Benniffield and Tiano available to play v Furman??

[SU DOG]

We showed some signs of an improved running game. I mentioned a true Fr. RB in a post here, and #9 had a pretty good day. The Citadel had a really good number of fans, and the total attendance was announced at 9,233. That's a fine gate for us. As for the game, sometimes these things just mushroom as we have all seen. I wouldn't glorify us too much or crucify The Citadel too much. I've been saying here for a long time that Samford has some outstanding talent, and that we haven't been playing up to our potential. Our defense is actually pretty darn good, and hopefully now they will play better and play with more confidence. Sure I'm still giddy, but this is one unpredictable conference with lots of good, but young talent. Inconsistency and unpredictability may well be the order of the day in the SoCon this season.

[longtimemocfan]

Y'all should have promoted from within....

I could have seen that with one of Huesman’s former coordinators like Adam Fuller and now with what Will Healy is doing at Austin Peay.

[Toby]

I could have seen that with one of Huesman’s former coordinators like Adam Fuller and now with what Will Healy is doing at Austin Peay.

Austin Peay beat a good UT Martin team today to go to 3-2. Will Healy seems to be working miracles in Clarksville.

[Catamount87]

We showed some signs of an improved running game. I mentioned a true Fr. RB in a post here, and #9 had a pretty good day. The Citadel had a really good number of fans, and the total attendance was announced at 9,233. That's a fine gate for us. As for the game, sometimes these things just mushroom as we have all seen. I wouldn't glorify us too much or crucify The Citadel too much. I've been saying here for a long time that Samford has some outstanding talent, and that we haven't been playing up to our potential. Our defense is actually pretty darn good, and hopefully now they will play better and play with more confidence. Sure I'm still giddy, but this is one unpredictable conference with lots of good, but young talent. Inconsistency and unpredictability may well be the order of the day in the SoCon this season.

That was an impressive win for y'all. Nice to see the running game come alive a bit. Y'all exposed The Citadel in a big way. Jump on them big and early then they have a tough time catching up. Now the team for both of us to watch out for is Furman. Their offense is right behind us and their defense is competitive. They could easily be 4-1 rather than 2-3. Overlook them in any way and pay the price.

[Mocs123]

Mocs123, You seem to be in the know. Are Benniffield and Tiano available to play v Furman??

I am not in the know, but my guess is neither will play against Furman. Bennifield has what has to be a concussion after that absolutely brutal hit and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Tiano had what looked to me like a separated shoulder.

Boston, our corner, had an arm injury, was in a lot of pain, and in a sling the second half - doubt he will be there next week.

Bagley could be back - it was an ankle injury so it just depends how bad it is.

At QB, do you pull the redshirt off your 175lb freshman QB of the future and let him get destroyed behind that oline, or do you let your 4th string walkon play?

We have Trevor Wright at CB who has played a lot of football for us, so he will step (back) into that starting role.

At RB, Bagley was a weapon in the passing game catching balls out of the backfield, but I am not sure it matters who tries to run the ball. It would have to be Barry Sanders to get any yards behind our oline.