SoCon Week 3 Power Rankings/Pick 'Em.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I was 5-1 last week. Wow, it looked like I went out on a limb with Furman and I fell a few hundred feet or so. Would have been 4-2 if it wasn't for some later game heroics by Florida State. After last night games, here's where I see it.

1) Samford - Beginning to look like the team to beat.
2) Wofford - Already has two SoCon wins in the barn.
3) Chattanooga - Will get a better feel once the season progresses.
4) Mercer - Bears manhandle former conference foe.
5) East Tennessee State - Looked like they came out a trash compactor powered by the T.
6) Western Carolina - Took the week off.
7) Furman - Another year, another weak start.
8) The Citadel - Almost got one.
9) VMI - Two beatdowns in a row land them here.

This Week's Games
Colgate @ Furman - Raiders rule the day.
East Tennessee State @ VMI - Bucs dominate on the road.
Mercer @ Samford - Bulldogs defend this house.
Wofford @ Wyoming - Terriers get corraled on the road.
Chattanooga @ UT Martin - Mocs go to 3-0
Charleston Southern @ The Citadel - Bulldogs run roughshod over cross-town rival.
Western Carolina @ Gardner-Webb - Catamounts claw their way to another win.

[ElCid]

I was 5-1 last week. Wow, it looked like I went out on a limb with Furman and I fell a few hundred feet or so. Would have been 4-2 if it wasn't for some later game heroics by Florida State. After last night games, here's where I see it.

1) Samford - Beginning to look like the team to beat.
2) Wofford - Already has two SoCon wins in the barn.
3) Chattanooga - Will get a better feel once the season progresses.
4) Mercer - Bears manhandle former conference foe.
5) East Tennessee State - Looked like they came out a trash compactor powered by the T.
6) Western Carolina - Took the week off.
7) Furman - Another year, another weak start.
8) The Citadel - Almost got one.
9) VMI - Two beatdowns in a row land them here.

This Week's Games
Colgate @ Furman - Raiders rule the day.
East Tennessee State @ VMI - Bucs dominate on the road.
Mercer @ Samford - Bulldogs defend this house.
Wofford @ Wyoming - Terriers get corraled on the road.
Chattanooga @ UT Martin - Mocs go to 3-0
Charleston Southern @ The Citadel - Bulldogs run roughshod over cross-town rival.
Western Carolina @ Gardner-Webb - Catamounts claw their way to another win.

I realize that the power ratings are your own, but how on earth can you rate ETSU at 5 when they got thumped so bad? Or is a 59-3 loss a good performance in your eyes?

[The Cats]

Colgate @ Furman
ETSU @ VMI
Mercer @ Samford
Wofford @ Wyoming
Chattanooga @ UT Martin
CSU @ The Citadel
Western Carolina @ Gardner-Webb



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

[bonarae]

Colgate
ETSU
Samford
Wyoming
Chattanooga
The Citadel
Western Carolina

[wcugrad95]

Colgate @ Furman - this will be very interesting to see how FU responds. Taking them at home.
ETSU @ VMI - Me thinks you need players that match the air-raid to switch to the air-raid
Mercer @ Samford - I expect a bit of a letdown from Samford and Mercer will want to redeem themselves on O from last years game, so closer than many might think
Wofford @ Wyoming - really considered picking the Terriers, but taking the FBS home team over the FCS school that has to travel that far
Chattanooga @ UT Martin - UTC equals last year's win total and gets some revenge on UT-Martin
CSU @ The Citadel - this is my SoCon homerism (we need OOC wins)
Western Carolina @ Gardner-Webb - Cats offense rolls, but can the D rebound from their first game performance?

Power Rankings:
1 - Samford: Hodges probably won't throw 4 more picks the rest of the season, and they were the better team who just ran out of gas vs FSU
2 - Wofford: 2-0 in conference play
3 - 7: Who the heck knows. FU needs to find consistency at QB and were totally shell-shocked yesterday but have a ton of talent; UTC had talent last year and this year, and are definitely better (still just don't know how much better yet); Mercer is hard to gauge based on their first 2 games but has talent; WCU is going to have a high-powered offense again but still has to do something on D; ETSU got hammered yesterday, but that was kind of expected and I wouldn't be surprised to see them beat 1 or more of the teams in this grouping.
8 - Citadel: Have to be here because they are 0-2. But the caveat is they were in it to the end of both conference games. If they somehow pulled both off they would be #2 or #3.
9- VMI

3-8 just shows how topsy-turvy I think the SoCon is this season. The difference in finishing maybe tied for 3rd and tied for 6th very well might be 1 game (5-3 in conference versus 4-4). I think the middle teams will beat up on each other.

[Milktruck74]

Furman - Gets back on track.
East Tennessee State - Well, they are playing VMI
Samford - They shot their wad at FSU, but there is still plenty of powder to take out the mini bears
Wyoming - but Woffy keeps it respectable
Chattanooga - Mocs go to 3-0, it ain't pretty or flashy, but they get it done.
Citadel - they have plenty of fight in them to take out CSU
Western Carolina -the SoCon Homer says Cats, but something tells me GW will give them a better game than expected.

[Reign of Terrier]

I was 5-1 last week. Wow, it looked like I went out on a limb with Furman and I fell a few hundred feet or so. Would have been 4-2 if it wasn't for some later game heroics by Florida State. After last night games, here's where I see it.

1) Samford - Beginning to look like the team to beat.
2) Wofford - Already has two SoCon wins in the barn.
3) Chattanooga - Will get a better feel once the season progresses.
4) Mercer - Bears manhandle former conference foe.
5) East Tennessee State - Looked like they came out a trash compactor powered by the T.
6) Western Carolina - Took the week off.
7) Furman - Another year, another weak start.
8) The Citadel - Almost got one.
9) VMI - Two beatdowns in a row land them here.

This Week's Games
Colgate @ Furman - Raiders rule the day.
East Tennessee State @ VMI - Bucs dominate on the road.
Mercer @ Samford - Bulldogs defend this house.
Wofford @ Wyoming - Terriers get corraled on the road.
Chattanooga @ UT Martin - Mocs go to 3-0
Charleston Southern @ The Citadel - Bulldogs run roughshod over cross-town rival.
Western Carolina @ Gardner-Webb - Catamounts claw their way to another win.

1.Samford: can't say anything bad about them now
2. Wofford: one of our better wins. We set a school record for total yardage and we completed 15 of 17 passes. We made VMI look like an NAIA team, which was an improvement from last year
3. Chattanooga. 2-0. Nuff said
4. Citadel: I'm putting them here because they haven't been routed yet and could have easily been 2-0. They have problems though
5. Mercer: don't know enough about them yet
6. Western Carolina
7. ETSU
8. Furman: did not look good. Can't really spin that to a positive. I don't think they are a playoff team this year
9. VMI: I think they need to rethink their program

Picks:
Furman
ETSU
Samford (game of the week!)
Wofford (Wyoming is vulnerable)
Chattanooga
Citadel
Western Carolina

I'm really not confident about any of these picks, except for ETSU-VMI

[woffordgrad94]

1. Samford- had a shot to scalp the Seminoles
2. Wofford- 2-0 in the conference
3. Chattanooga- pulled out good road win in Charleston
4. The Citadel- two close losses to good teams
5. Mercer- still a bit hard to evaluate at this point
6. Furman- off to a disappointing start again
7. WCU- defense will hold them back
8. ETSU- still trying to rebuild the program
9. VMI- awful; a prototypical doormat

Furman 28, Colgate 24: Paladins right the ship a bit in their home opener and pull out a close win
ETSU 42, VMI 20: Bucs get a rare road conference win in Old Virginny
Samford 31, Mercer 17: Bulldogs beat Bears bloody in Birmingham
Wofford 25, Wyoming 24: Homer pick, but Cowboys ain’t Bama and Terriers pull a bit of a surprise in the Rockies
The Citadel 30, CSU 13: Bulldogs conquer Chucktown in crosstown confrontation
Chattanooga 45, UT-Martin 24: Mocs score lots of points and shoot down Skyhawks
WCU 42, Gardner-Webb 31: Catamounts win another high scoring game

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I realize that the power ratings are your own, but how on earth can you rate ETSU at 5 when they got thumped so bad? Or is a 59-3 loss a good performance in your eyes?

The 59-3 loss was against a Tennessee team that started playing with a chip on their shoulder. I fully expect Tennessee to be significantly improved over last season.

[walliver]

Power rankings:
1) Samford - still no FCS wins but played well against FSU.
2) Wofford - 2-0 in the SoCon. Played well last night, but the VMI team last night looked worse than any VMI team I have seen in years
3) Chattanooga - this ranking may be too high, but they are 2-0 with a conference win
4) Mercer - beat a non-schalrship FCS, but that is more than any team ranked beneath them
5-6) WCU/ETSU - beat a NAIA team, but a win is a won
7) The Citadel - two close losses, but I suspect many more are yet to come - Mike Houston and Brent Thompson both had great success with Kevin Higgins's players, but it may take a while to turn things around.
8) Furman - I picked Elon to win, but not in a blow-out.
9) VMI - Well on their way to a winless season.

This week:
Colgate at Furman - Colgate beat New Hampshire yesterday, and I don't see the Purple Horsies fixing major issues by next week and the toothpaste crowd wins 21-16
ETSU at VMI - I don't know if VMI could beat Mars Hill and mountain pirates plunder Kanga and Roo 48-10
Mercer at Samford - I don't have a good feel for Mercer yet but Sammy is playing well and pull out a 31-21 victory
Wofford at Wyoming - It's a winnable game, but will take better execution than we've seen the last two weeks. I never pick against my team but wouldn't bet any money at a 31-28 Terrier victory
CSU at The Citadel - This ain't Chadwell's CSU, but the bullpups aren't playing well either. Citadel wins a messy game 24-22.
Chattanooga at UT-Martin - The Indian footwear team goes to 3-0 with a 31-10 win.
WCU at GWU - The Boiling Spring pups will put up a fight against the Cullowhee Kitties, but the Cants find a way to pull out a 38-31 win.

[Milktruck74]

The 59-3 loss was against a Tennessee team that started playing with a chip on their shoulder. I fully expect Tennessee to be significantly improved over last season.

So 2 wins over P5 oponents?

[Reign of Terrier]

When it comes to the epistemic breakdown of the socon, this is what I think:

What little we know is positive, at least relative to last season:
Wofford, Samford, Chattanooga

We don't know enough either way
Mercer, ETSU, Citadel, Western

What we know is negative
VMI, Furman,

[ElCid]

Power rankings:
1. Samford – Really good effort against FSU, they are for real (a 10 point loss..should have been 3 point loss, to FSU is a bit better than a 45 point win over VMI)
2. Wofford – looked really good
3. Chattanooga – A good team who may be winning again
4. Mercer – I can’t believe they only scored 45 points…couldn’t resist for FuBear’s sake; seriously, they took care of business like they should have
5. The Citadel – they almost looked like themselves again; still some issues, but nice improvement over last week and that’s the correct direction
6. WCU – Bye scored too many points against the Cats D
7. Furman – Ummmm, ok
8. ETSU – saw a bit of this game, way over matched
9. VMI – ouch



Predictions:
Colgate @ Furman - Furman gets back on track at home - 28-17
ETSU @ VMI - VMI fights hard at home, but still trying to right the ship - 37-17
Mercer @ Samford - Will hinge on Samford's mental state after the heart breaker - 38-20
Wofford @ Wyoming - Wofford will give them fits; would be nice scalp, but ankle biters come up short - 31-20
CSU @ The Citadel - Dogs were much better on O this past week, with a few more things to clean up; D should be able to handle Bucs - 34-20.
Chattanooga @ UT-Martin - Chatty lost last year, not this time - 27-20
WCU @ GWU - This one might be closer than many think, but Cats pull it out - 35-24

[PaladinFan]

I'm not super concerned at this point with Furman. From what I am watching, we have two athletically talented QBs that are have been thrown up against two really good teams.

I am not sure how you explain what happened yesterday other than we stunk and got our butts beat. Hopefully, that's a wakeup call. If we lose to Colgate, I'll start to get worried.

I'd love to see Harris Roberts get the go ahead to play.

[sudog03]

From what I watched, I''d be really concerned if I was a Furman fan. For one, that kind of loss is one that can take you off the bubble from playoff consideration. Two, on 65 offensive plays, Furman had 3 fumbles (2 lost), an INT, and 3 sacks allowed. The loss of Blazejowski and the OC look to be very significant at this point.

[wcugrad95]

I agree - of course I worry/am concerned about Western pretty much every game. I know the Paladins have faced 2 very good teams to start, but the only 2 scores have come in mop-up time against the other team's bench. Clemson was not a surprise, but losing this way to a team they beat in the playoffs a year ago would have me at least a little concerned. I am still picking them to win at home this week - is Harris Roberts supposed to be back healthy?

[PaladinFan]

From what I watched, I''d be really concerned if I was a Furman fan. For one, that kind of loss is one that can take you off the bubble from playoff consideration. Two, on 65 offensive plays, Furman had 3 fumbles (2 lost), an INT, and 3 sacks allowed. The loss of Blazejowski and the OC look to be very significant at this point.

I look at it this way.

Furman has played the toughest schedule of any SoCon team, and it isn't even close (in my opinion). So, while the team has not looked good (no debate there), I am not going to be an alarmist about it. At this point, everything is relative. If Furman had played two weak teams to start the season, we'd be 2-0 and no one would be batting an eye.

Now, that said, it has not looked pretty. Our two young QBs have been behind the game and struggled to make adjustments. They look nervous and are missing open receivers. That will not always be the case, I think. Unfortunately, we are watching the learning curve in real time.

Furman has very few upperclassmen on offense (Dirks and Gibson are it, I think), and Hendrix has expressed concern over the lack of veterans on that side of the ball.

I'm less concerned with the loss of Drew Cronic at OC. Cronic is a good coach, no question, but it wasn't his offensive system Furman ran last season. Furman's offense was starkly different than what Cronic ran at Reinhardt the year before, and incorporated elements of a bunch of different offensive looks. With the rest of the offensive staff returning, there shouldn't be a big gap there.

At bottom, we got out played and are having two QBs try to cut their teeth against good defense. Furman should be able to out-athlete Colgate this weekend, which will give us a win over a borderline top 25 team. Right the ship there, and the Elon contest will be a distant memory.

[PaladinFan]

I agree - of course I worry/am concerned about Western pretty much every game. I know the Paladins have faced 2 very good teams to start, but the only 2 scores have come in mop-up time against the other team's bench. Clemson was not a surprise, but losing this way to a team they beat in the playoffs a year ago would have me at least a little concerned. I am still picking them to win at home this week - is Harris Roberts supposed to be back healthy?

The Elon game is difficult to explain. We played them to a virtual draw last season twice. We beat them on the road in the playoffs. Both teams roughly had the same roster on Saturday that they did last year.

We got out played. It happens.

[ElCid]

We got out played. It happens.

Gee, that sounds familiar. I wonder if that happen to my Dogs last year? Hmm. I think it did......xrotatehx Like I said many times, it happens, especially after you realize your season is over. Not that yours is.....

[PaladinFan]

Gee, that sounds familiar. I wonder if that happen to my Dogs last year? Hmm. I think it did......xrotatehx Like I said many times, it happens, especially after you realize your season is over. Not that yours is.....

Season's not over. Furman still has all of their goals in front of them.

Again, Furman was 0-3 last season (although, they looked better), hit the Colgate game and put on the burners.

[Catamount87]

Colgate @ Furman - The Dins get back on track a bit but not without a fight
ETSU @ VMI - The Bucs ransack Lexington
Mercer @ Samford - Samford show's they are the team to beat in the SoCon
Wofford @ Wyoming - Another close score but not enough for the dogs
UTC @ UT Martin - UTC continues to exercise last year's demons
Charleston Southern @ The Citadel - Things fall into place for the dogs this time
WCU @ Gardner-Webb - GW is always a tough opponent but the Cats pull away in the 2nd half

[SU DOG]

I'm not trying to pile on here, this type of mushrooming game can just happen for sure. What I don't understand, however, is mainly the FU defense. I complimented that secondary after the Clemson game, but they didn't look that good vs Elon. Elon had 448 total yards, were 12-16 passing, and averaged 7.7 yards/play. There seemed to be lots of missed tackles and bad coverages. To be honest also, Elon could have run those figures even higher if they had not been merciful in the 4th quarter. Furman QBs I understand, the defensive performance I really don't.

[PaladinFan]

I'm not trying to pile on here, this type of mushrooming game can just happen for sure. What I don't understand, however, is mainly the FU defense. I complimented that secondary after the Clemson game, but they didn't look that good vs Elon. Elon had 448 total yards, were 12-16 passing, and averaged 7.7 yards/play. There seemed to be lots of missed tackles and bad coverages. To be honest also, Elon could have run those figures even higher if they had not been merciful in the 4th quarter. Furman QBs I understand, the defensive performance I really don't.

Hard to figure out anything from that game.

Elon's a good team. They made us look bad. I chalk it up to one of those contests where the offense just couldn't sustain anything and then eventually the defense started to crack. Elon was well prepared for us and we weren't ready to go.

Frankly, it was not something I expected from a Clay Hendrix team. I got used to it under Bruce Fowler.

[wcugrad95]

Interesting predictions by Massey:
Furman (52%) over Colgate (48%) 24-21 - toss-up game
ETSU (82%) over VMI (18%) 30-16
Samford (72%) over Mercer (28%) 28-21
Wyoming (94%) over Wofford (6%) 28-6
UT-Martin (62%) over Chattanooga (38%) 21-17
Citadel (51%) over CSU (49%) 21-20 - another toss-up game
WCU (71%) over GWU (29%) 31-24

The league needs to figure out how to win at least 3 of the 5 OOC games (4 would be better, and a Wofford win to go 5-0 would be very nice). But nobody is expected to have an easy time this weekend.

[Catamount87]

With hurricane Florence bearing down upon us it looks like quite a few of the games could be impacted in a big way. The only games that look like they are safe are Wofford/Wyoming, Mercer/Samford and UTC/UTM. Everyone else is in the path with the storm expected to be over central NC Saturday morning.

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at1+shtml/145000.shtml?cone#contents

[PaladinFan]

With hurricane Florence bearing down upon us it looks like quite a few of the games could be impacted in a big way. The only games that look like they are safe are Wofford/Wyoming, Mercer/Samford and UTC/UTM. Everyone else is in the path with the storm expected to be over central NC Saturday morning.

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at1+shtml/145000.shtml?cone#contents

This may not be indicative, but a few years ago Furman/SCSU played in a maelstrom after the governor told everyone to stay home.

[gofurman]

Season's not over. Furman still has all of their goals in front of them.

Again, Furman was 0-3 last season (although, they looked better), hit the Colgate game and put on the burners.


For all the people picking Colgate to win at Furman... FU was 0-3 last year and beat the shizzle out of Colgate. Hey, we are a game ahead this year at only 0-2 !!!

In all seriousness, we have played Colgate 3 or so times over the past decade and won EVERY time. Usually easily. Last year 45-14. Kinda hard to pick against us with basically 8/9 of the same defensive players who jumped all over Colgate in that game playing this Saturday. I will allow we don't have many (ANY) seniors as we only start 1 on offense and 3? on defense and that is huritng us.. esp on the OL.

I think if our D could see something - ANYTHING - from our O they would play more motivated.

All of that to say, Colgate is often the game we turn things around from our ever-present 0-2 or 0-3 start ;( . it's a tradition

I think you pick Colgate at your own peril - and I am objective. I thought Elon would win by 10 or so this past Saturday. (Not 30+ but I thought they would win - we are too young with true freshman QBs and not a single senior on the OL !!! - that's not a recipe for winning)

[wcugrad95]

I think the Elon game just showed this is not last year - most of the same guys were also on the field for both teams in that game and there was a very different outcome. I am picking FU because they are at home and I don't expect Hendrix to let them play 2 stinkers in a row, but as I posted above Massey has this as basically a toss-up game. Furman will need to take better care of the ball and hit a few passes, and if they do I think they will be fine.

[PaladinFan]

I think the Elon game just showed this is not last year - most of the same guys were also on the field for both teams in that game and there was a very different outcome. I am picking FU because they are at home and I don't expect Hendrix to let them play 2 stinkers in a row, but as I posted above Massey has this as basically a toss-up game. Furman will need to take better care of the ball and hit a few passes, and if they do I think they will be fine.

I mean, I could quibble and state that Elon returned more starters than Furman, their QB, has a veteran OL, and had the services of one of the FCS's better running backs (who didn't play at all in game 2 last year and sparingly in game 1). But the general point is correct.

I agree with you on the last point. Furman is killing itself with sloppy play. Perhaps the best thing for a young team is to get their butts beat and forget about all the preseason atta boys.

[Reign of Terrier]

My perhaps unpopular hot take is that Furman's defense last year leaned heavily on their offense. Note: I'm not saying they were bad; they had their strengths and weaknesses (good at pass rush and stopping the run, etc) but they were a young team implementing the kind of defense you see on option teams like Wofford: keep the ball in front of you, stop the run, burn clock, be in a good position to force a stop on a short field. It's a great strategy, but it also has a trade off in that most teams that run it have a terrible pass defense in terms of completion percentage. You can dink and dunk all day. Furman had a dominant offense last year that didn't make mistakes, passed the ball efficiently (if only sparingly) and hit you in the mouth on the ground. It burnt clock and scored more frequently than any offense in the socon, which made opposing offenses have to play catch up (pass more, run less), which plays into the favor of your defense. That was the recipe for their domination of many Socon opponents.

But against decent teams last year (Wofford, Samford, Elon) they didn't dominate because those teams had better defenses (which kept the score low on Furman's end) and above average offenses (which kept it competitive).

I have to reiterate that I'm not taking away form Furman's season last year. They were a good team, but a flawed team (I'd like to think Wofford...another good yet flawed team exposed them in the playoffs) that the systemic weaknesses of socon play didn't quite capture.

But it *kinda* makes sense if you believe as I do that Blazejowki was a big f'n deal to this team that with his absence and the return of a lot of starters that they managed this drop off. When you turn the ball over 3 times, don't pass as efficiently and have a bend but don't break defense, scores are going to be more lopsided than they should be or even more equal than they should be.

So, I hypothesize that it's not over yet for Furman. They will probably grow more this year than they did last year. But for the next couple weeks, they will struggle to find their rhythm. If they they break even on turnovers and efficiency for the first half of the season, I'll presume my assumptions about them were pretty much verified. Having said that, I would not want to play them in the latter half of the season because they are still a young team that will continue to improve and once their QBs get in rhythm, it may not be the return of Blaze, but it's bad news either way for the socon.

[SU DOG]

Even in that debacle against Elon, one could see the value of BIG Kealand Dirks. He is going to not only run over some SoCon defenses, but this guy can hurt you.

[PaladinFan]

Even in that debacle against Elon, one could see the value of BIG Kealand Dirks. He is going to not only run over some SoCon defenses, but this guy can hurt you.

Dirks outweighs Colgate's ILBs by 30 pounds.

He's a big boy, but I think folks underestimate how fast he is.

[PaladinFan]

My perhaps unpopular hot take is that Furman's defense last year leaned heavily on their offense. Note: I'm not saying they were bad; they had their strengths and weaknesses (good at pass rush and stopping the run, etc) but they were a young team implementing the kind of defense you see on option teams like Wofford: keep the ball in front of you, stop the run, burn clock, be in a good position to force a stop on a short field. It's a great strategy, but it also has a trade off in that most teams that run it have a terrible pass defense in terms of completion percentage. You can dink and dunk all day. Furman had a dominant offense last year that didn't make mistakes, passed the ball efficiently (if only sparingly) and hit you in the mouth on the ground. It burnt clock and scored more frequently than any offense in the socon, which made opposing offenses have to play catch up (pass more, run less), which plays into the favor of your defense. That was the recipe for their domination of many Socon opponents.

But against decent teams last year (Wofford, Samford, Elon) they didn't dominate because those teams had better defenses (which kept the score low on Furman's end) and above average offenses (which kept it competitive).

I have to reiterate that I'm not taking away form Furman's season last year. They were a good team, but a flawed team (I'd like to think Wofford...another good yet flawed team exposed them in the playoffs) that the systemic weaknesses of socon play didn't quite capture.

But it *kinda* makes sense if you believe as I do that Blazejowki was a big f'n deal to this team that with his absence and the return of a lot of starters that they managed this drop off. When you turn the ball over 3 times, don't pass as efficiently and have a bend but don't break defense, scores are going to be more lopsided than they should be or even more equal than they should be.

So, I hypothesize that it's not over yet for Furman. They will probably grow more this year than they did last year. But for the next couple weeks, they will struggle to find their rhythm. If they they break even on turnovers and efficiency for the first half of the season, I'll presume my assumptions about them were pretty much verified. Having said that, I would not want to play them in the latter half of the season because they are still a young team that will continue to improve and once their QBs get in rhythm, it may not be the return of Blaze, but it's bad news either way for the socon.

At this stage, we have to be careful with overreacting to anything.

The biggest flaw last year for Furman was the inability to provide a complementary piece to Darius Morehead outside. When Furman's offense struggled, it did so against teams with bigger interior defensive linemen/linebackers (NC State, Elon, Wofford, Samford) that could take away to some degree Dirks and Wilcox. Those teams were able to deploy their run defense against Darius Morehead, because they could afford to let their interior defense absorb the barrage from the fullbacks. Oddly enough, Furman has those complimentary pieces this year.

I know this is overplayed, but Furman is still a really young team. Outside of Dirks, they don't have a single senior starter on offense. Against Elon, Furman started only two juniors (Godwin (RT) and Gordon (WR)). So, 8 of 11 starters on offense are freshmen and sophomores. You are going to have growing pains. The defense is veteran by comparison, but still has only 3 senior starters.

And, lest I forget, Elon is also really daggum good. You look at their schedule, and there are not many (if any) games were they will be underdogs outside of James Madison. They could well be a 9-2 or 10-1 playoff seed. They are likely the second best team in the CAA.

Right now we need some confidence. The young guys have to gel a bit. I think it is way too early to make too many generalizations at this point.

[ElCid]

Season's not over. Furman still has all of their goals in front of them.

Again, Furman was 0-3 last season (although, they looked better), hit the Colgate game and put on the burners.

I think my point went past you.

[SU DOG]

Colgate @ Furman - The Dins begin the task of returning to the expected, and have little trouble with Colgate.
ETSU @ VMI - Bucs easy.
Mercer @ Samford - Dogs win, but by less than expected because of FSU hang over. Still waiting to hear about a key injury or two.
Wofford @ Wyoming - Playing out there is sure different than in Sparkle City. Cowboys win. The margin of victory will be interesting.
UTC @ UTM - OK, I'm ready to get incoming, but I smell an upset with UTM winning. We(SoCon) do NOT need a loss for the Mocs, but watch out for Jason Simpson to have his guys ready. Hopefully I'm wrong here.
Charleston Southern @ The Citadel - This Bucs team is just not anywhere near the level of the Jamey Chadwell squads, and will be beaten soundly.
WCU @ Gardner Webb - Be careful Catamounts. I'm picking the Cats and the SoCon needs all the OOC wins it can get, but it could be uncomfortably close.

No power rankings from me for now.

[FUBeAR]

Mercer @ Sanford - Dogs win, but by less than expected”...less than expected...” Massey has Sanford winning by 7 & the interwebs betting line is Sanford by 9.5.

So, are you saying that Sanford will win by less than one of those margins or are you using an alternative frame of reference for your “expected” margin of victory?

[ElCid]

”...less than expected...” Massey has Sanford winning by 7 & the interwebs betting line is Sanford by 9.5.

So, are you saying that Sanford will win by less than one of those margins or are you using an alternative frame of reference for your “expected” margin of victory?

After watching Samford on Sat, I think that those margins are bit low. I am thinking two to three scores. But I agree with SU Dog, depends on the hangover. That is the thing with the SOCON, you just never know. Our teams are sometimes fickle. Just when you think you have a blowout planned, it comes up close, and vice versa. And BTW, Sagarin has it around 21 points in Samford's favor.

[FUBeAR]

And BTW, Sagarin has it around 21 points in Samford's favor.The question was for SU DOG. Please raise your hand and wait until I call on you.

BTW - Don’t you guys have a broom to steal, or something this week, anyway? Is that ChuckSouth’s mascot or what?

[wcugrad95]

And FWIW, I know I wasn't called upon but 5Dimes has Samford as 11.5 point favorites and an over-under of 55.5. So a 34 - 22 kind of game in favor of the Bulldogs. I think it could be closer with Samford having a little bit of a letdown and Mercer typically playing the better teams tough.

[wcugrad95]

For those who care about 5Dimes:
WCU -7 over GWU - over/under 54.5 - score around 31 - 24
Citadel -4.5 over CSU - over/under 45.5 - score around 25 - 21
Chattanooga - didn't see any odds
Furman -4.5 over Colgate - over/under 47.5 - score around 26 - 22
Wofford +14.5 losing to Wyoming - over/under 47.5 - score around 31 - 17
ETSU -9.5 over VMI - over/under 45.5 - score around 27 - 18
Samford 11.5 over Mercer - over/under 55.5 - score around 34 - 22

[ElCid]

For those who care about 5Dimes:
WCU -7 over GWU - over/under 54.5 - score around 31 - 24
Citadel -4.5 over CSU - over/under 45.5 - score around 25 - 21
Chattanooga - didn't see any odds
Furman -4.5 over Colgate - over/under 47.5 - score around 26 - 22
Wofford +14.5 losing to Wyoming - over/under 47.5 - score around 31 - 17
ETSU -9.5 over VMI - over/under 45.5 - score around 27 - 18
Samford 11.5 over Mercer - over/under 55.5 - score around 34 - 22

I never look at betting lines. For one, I do not like betting on college games. For two, the line will move based upon money flow and not necessarily a team's ability. Sure, they are close, but the computer ratings are a bit more accurate.

[wcugrad95]

I don't bet much on anything - but you have to admit the betting lines are typically very close (almost too close on some occasions).

[Milktruck74]

Moc's Soph WR Bryce Nunnley leads all of Division 1 (FCS and FBS) in Receiving yards with 429....I know that its week 2, and he will likely tail off, but it is a fun stat.....Also, he is a 4.0 student.

[ElCid]

I don't bet much on anything - but you have to admit the betting lines are typically very close (almost too close on some occasions).

The closest predictions to scores that I have seen consistently, in general, is Massey. A little bit better than Sagarin.

[FUBeAR]

And FWIW, I know I wasn't called upon but 5Dimes has Samford as 11.5 point favorites and an over-under of 55.5. So a 34 - 22 kind of game in favor of the Bulldogs. I think it could be closer with Samford having a little bit of a letdown and Mercer typically playing the better teams tough.it was 9.5 when I posted, but El Cid’s response moved the money.

[SU DOG]

Moc's Soph WR Bryce Nunnley leads all of Division 1 (FCS and FBS) in Receiving yards with 429....I know that its week 2, and he will likely tail off, but it is a fun stat.....Also, he is a 4.0 student.

Good looking receiver who reminds one somewhat of Clemson's Hunter Renfrow, though actually slightly bigger.

[Milktruck74]

Good looking receiver who reminds one somewhat of Clemson's Hunter Renfrow, though actually slightly bigger.

Good comparison. He still isn't really big or really fast (maybe deceptively fast) at 6'2" and 190#. He just has great routes. I'll go Waaaaaaaayyyy back and go Largent-esque....well maybe that's a stretch, but he is a smart solid player and he will be a Moc for 3 more seasons.

BTW, Hodges is 2nd in FCS, behind the kid from Incarnate Word, there are two others out front of them, but they have played 3 games.

[ElCid]

it was 9.5 when I posted, but El Cid’s response moved the money.


See what I mean.xlolx

[SU DOG]

For those who care about 5Dimes:
WCU -7 over GWU - over/under 54.5 - score around 31 - 24
Citadel -4.5 over CSU - over/under 45.5 - score around 25 - 21
Chattanooga - didn't see any odds
Furman -4.5 over Colgate - over/under 47.5 - score around 26 - 22
Wofford +14.5 losing to Wyoming - over/under 47.5 - score around 31 - 17
ETSU -9.5 over VMI - over/under 45.5 - score around 27 - 18
Samford 11.5 over Mercer - over/under 55.5 - score around 34 - 22

The Mocs are currently a 2.5 point favorite.

[JSUSoutherner]

Colgate @ Furman
ETSU @ VMI
Mercer @ Samford
Wofford @ Wyoming
Chatt @ UTM
Chuck South vs. El Cid Florence
WCU @ GWU

Sam
Wof
Chat
Cid
Mercer
Furman
WCU
ETSU
VMI

[ElCid]

For those who care about 5Dimes:
WCU -7 over GWU - over/under 54.5 - score around 31 - 24
Citadel -4.5 over CSU - over/under 45.5 - score around 25 - 21
Chattanooga - didn't see any odds
Furman -4.5 over Colgate - over/under 47.5 - score around 26 - 22
Wofford +14.5 losing to Wyoming - over/under 47.5 - score around 31 - 17
ETSU -9.5 over VMI - over/under 45.5 - score around 27 - 18
Samford 11.5 over Mercer - over/under 55.5 - score around 34 - 22

So, I'm bored and just had to do a comparison with Massey and Sagarin using their rating number. I point that out because Sagarin has like 6 different methods for predicting score. Pretty ridiculous. Massey is pretty straight forward.

WCU -7 over GWU - over/under 54.5 - score around 31 - 24 - Massey WCU 31-24 -7 - SAME //Sag WCU by 14.48 - more than line
Citadel -4.5 over CSU - over/under 45.5 - score around 25 - 21 - Massey El Cid 21-20 -1 - closer than line //Sag Cid by 6.81 - more than line
Chattanooga - didn't see any odds I think I saw someone post UTC -2.5 - Massey UTM 21-17 -4 - different winner //Sag UTC by 0.21 - less than line
Furman -4.5 over Colgate - over/under 47.5 - score around 26 - 22 - Massey Fur 24-21 -3 - closer than line //Sag Colgate by 1.22 - different winner
Wofford +14.5 losing to Wyoming - over/under 47.5 - score around 31-17 - Massey Wyom 28-6 -22 - more than line //Sag WY by 10.78 - less than line
ETSU -9.5 over VMI - over/under 45.5 - score around 27 - 18 - Massey ETSU 30-16 -14 - more than line //Sag ETSU by 4.13 - less than line
Samford 11.5 over Mercer - over/under 55.5 - score around 34 - 22 - Massey Samford 28-21 -7 - closer than line //SAG Samford by 21.2 - more than line

Massey and Sagarin each have one game where winner is different than line. Most are a bit more or less than line. A couple pretty close. Hopefully I will remember to come back and check after Saturday to see how each did.

[wcugrad95]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to ElCid again.

Nice job!

[FUBeAR]

Furman Sag Colgate by 1.22 - different winner
Samford SAG Samford by 21.2
I don't know this guy, Carl Sagarin, but I never liked his space mumbo-jumbo books and I dang sure don't like his Football picks. I've half-a-mind to head up to Mars Hill and whip his a$$...but...with the hurricane comin' and all...I'll let him off this time.

[MarkCCU]

I was 5-1 last week. Wow, it looked like I went out on a limb with Furman and I fell a few hundred feet or so. Would have been 4-2 if it wasn't for some later game heroics by Florida State. After last night games, here's where I see it.

1) Samford - Beginning to look like the team to beat.
2) Wofford - Already has two SoCon wins in the barn.
3) Chattanooga - Will get a better feel once the season progresses.
4) Mercer - Bears manhandle former conference foe.
5) East Tennessee State - Looked like they came out a trash compactor powered by the T.
6) Western Carolina - Took the week off.
7) Furman - Another year, another weak start.
8) The Citadel - Almost got one.
9) VMI - Two beatdowns in a row land them here.

This Week's Games
Colgate @ Furman - Raiders rule the day.
East Tennessee State @ VMI - Bucs dominate on the road.
Mercer @ Samford - Bulldogs defend this house.
Wofford @ Wyoming - Terriers get corraled on the road.
Chattanooga @ UT Martin - Mocs go to 3-0
Charleston Southern @ The Citadel - Bulldogs run roughshod over cross-town rival.
Western Carolina @ Gardner-Webb - Catamounts claw their way to another win.

I'm not sure I agree with your rankings. Furman and El Cid haven't played their best nor have they played the same caliber opponents. Is Furman getting a bump b/c they played Clempson? 5-8 is a toss up, honestly. VMI is perpetually at the bottom rung.

[ElCid]

Furman and Colgate canx. Looking for opponent on 6 Oct open date. We have am open date as well on 6 Oct. Maybe we could play twice????xlolx

[ElCid]

IS the Stetson PC game still on? If not Stetson has an open date on 6 Oct.

[PaladinFan]

IS the Stetson PC game still on? If not Stetson has an open date on 6 Oct.

That seems to be a scuttlebut on our forum. If Stetson/PC cancels, then Stetson may make sense.

It looks like Clemson's game with GSU is still on, but moved from 3:30 to noon.

Hard call to make, but with Colgate being a New York school and having to try and rearrange flights, it complicates matters

[ElCid]

That seems to be a scuttlebut on our forum. If Stetson/PC cancels, then Stetson may make sense.

It looks like Clemson's game with GSU is still on, but moved from 3:30 to noon.

Hard call to make, but with Colgate being a New York school and having to try and rearrange flights, it complicates matters

I still think we could have played twice, but I think we are locked in now with CSU. We could have played in Columbia or something. Maybe at Orangburg at the State fair! Like the old days. I think it is that week.

[ElCid]

Charlotte has an open 6 Oct as well. Supposed to be home this week. Probably still go, but maybe not.

[The Cats]

Western Carolina at GWU game has been moved to Friday night, September 14, 2018, at 6pm!

[wcugrad95]

Charlotte has an open 6 Oct as well. Supposed to be home this week. Probably still go, but maybe not.

The Charlotte game with ODU was moved to Thursday, so they will already have 12 games (assuming they can get it in tomorrow). I would think they can. From what I read, ODU is already in town for the game.

[PaladinFan]

Looks like PC/Stetson is moving to Stetson. http://www.gobluehose.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=89737&SPID=10734&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211771657&DB_OEM_ID=18100

[walliver]

Looks like PC/Stetson is moving to Stetson. http://www.gobluehose.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=89737&SPID=10734&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211771657&DB_OEM_ID=18100

Hopefully, they have already left. Otherwise the drive may take a very long time through bad weather.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

ETSU vs. VMI moved to Friday at 2:30pm. http://www.etsubucs.com/football/news/2018-19/15306/etsu-vmi-football-game-moved-to-friday-at-230-pm/

[Scrappy94]

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

Colgate @ Furman (Canceled) – Would have picked Paladins by 3
ETSU @ VMI – Buccaneers by 10
Mercer @ Samford – Bulldogs by 10
Wofford @ Wyoming – Cowboys by 21
Chattanooga @ UT-Martin – Mocs by 17
Charleston Southern @ The Citadel (Canceled) – Would have picked Bulldogs by 7
Western Carolina @ Gardner Webb – Catamounts by 7

[kdinva]

East Tennessee State 21 @ VMI 27
Mercer 24 @ Samford 34
Wofford 21 @ Wyoming 35
Chattanooga 27 @ UT Martin 20
Western Carolina 35 @ Gardner-Webb 14

[Smitty]

East Tennessee State @ VMI
Mercer @ Samford - It would be funny if Mercer could pull it off
Wofford @ Wyoming
Chattanooga @ UT Martin
Western Carolina @ Gardner-Webb - I am really hoping that I don't have to give up on the team this year after the second game...

[Reign of Terrier]

If I were a betting person, I would guess that Wyoming would beat Wofford by no more than 21 points, and Wofford would beat Wyoming by no more than 10 points.

So my informal "spread" if you Wyoming by 5.5

I would predict Wyoming 24 Wofford 19

But I want the terriers to win, so...

[maninthehighcastle]

Colgate @ Furman East Tennessee State @ VMI
Mercer @ Samford
Wofford @ Wyoming
Chattanooga @ UT Martin
Charleston Southern @ The Citadel
Western Carolina @ Gardner-Webb

[FUBeAR]

Due to Hurricane Florence, FUBeAR has canceled SoCon Picks and Power Rankings for this week.

JK...but I guess, since ETSU @ VMI is now heading to the 4th quarter, I am a cheating...perhaps I have a future as an FBS Official.

Anyway...

This Week's Games
Colgate @ Furman - Paladins and Raiders both get Florenced, but Chick-fil-A meals all-around

East Tennessee State @ VMI - With VMI ahead 24-20 as I type, I want to pick them...but MountainRaiders pluck out a win from the pouch 34-24

Mercer @ Samford - Samford comes out laser-focused & immediately scores 24 points to take a 2 Touchdown Lead, but those scores are imaginary TD's against Florida State, the game that the "We're-2-touchdowns-better-than-Florida-State" SeminoleSlayingDogs are laser-focused upon. Bears win 20-4.

Wofford @ Wyoming - AirTerriers scare BroncoBusters but a late Pick6 sends the AnkleBiters on a long plane ride home and back to 6-8 passes/game. LariatSwingers win 37-31

Chattanooga @ UT Martin - SnakeTrains persist in doing ManningThings when they should be doing TebowThings, but they are good enough to overcome the SkyBirds. SoftHand-SewnFootwear prevails 24-21

Charleston Southern @ The Citadel - This game is a Route: 26

Western Carolina @ Gardner-Webb - After needing a week of rest following their extremely narrow escape from Alabama-WSSAS (Without Such Stringent Academic Standards) (AKA Newberry), the MountainFelines move down a level to take on an FCS Team - Gardner-Webb, which is in a 2-year Transitional Process to D2, but hasn't told anyone about it. Their last FCS win was in 2016. After the game, we will learn that all of their Players could have played for the 1967 Green Bay Packers, if only they'd been born sooner. G-W's Head Coach's Lifetime record soars to 38-77 as the Runnin'(Away) Bullpuppies lose to the CreativeCullowheeCrowd 38-10

Power Ratings
1) Samford - Not many better than #8 and #6 at any level of College Football. As they conclude their 7 years of eligibility at Samford this year, along with Sam Pettway, who was awarded his 3rd Medical Waiver and 10th year of eligibility, I will not be sad to see them GTHO!!!! (and I have enjoyed watching them display their talents...except for a couple of weeks each year)

2) Wofford - IF they can continue to demonstrate that they can effectively throw the ball (against Teams other than VMI), they will be tough for ANY TEAM to beat

3) Chattanooga - I like what I see of this Mocs Team...mostly...for now. I did notice some of those Defensive Assignment and Effort breakdowns that have hurt the Mocs in the past during their game with the bellhops. That will not bode well for them in games against many SoCon Teams, if they don't fix it...fast.

4) Mercer - Young RB, Devezin, is the real deal, Riddle (new QB - listed as Starter (no "OR") this week) has impressed, Tee Mitchell (RB) is a known All-SoCon-level quantity, as is Marquise Irvin (WR) and Sam Walker (TE). OL remains a BIG question mark (that has not particularly impressed me in either of their 1st 2 games) as is the ability to utilize the Talent they have on O. Some questions/inconsistency in the Secondary, but the D Front 7 is solid. Special Teams are solid to exceptional. Can challenge any of the Top Teams AND can lose to both ETSU & VMI. We'll know which is more likely after this week...I think.

5) Western Carolina - I'm not sure they are better than the bellhops, but I like purple better, so they are here...for now

6) The Citadel - Did some good things vs. Chatt., but losing close Conference games doesn't matter. It's all about the final score...Gosh, those words sound so familiar to me. I feel like I've heard them somewhere, repeatedly, before. I'm getting a vision of a man in uniform...carrying a suitcase...oh yeah...now I know where I heard it.

7) Furman - I think Furman can be right up there in the Top 2 or 3 this season, but the Paladins' Offense was absolutely punk'd by E*Loan's D last week. I love cool schemes and out-smarting the other Team as much, or more than, most, but sometimes, this game comes down to whether or not me or my opponent is the meaner son of a beeeyatttch. Time too MEAN UP, 'Dins!

8) ETSU - Just seem sloppy to me - some talent and good effort, but sloppy in all phases. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my sense - SLOPPY

9) VMI - Love ya Roos - thought you were going to get one while I was typing this. Well, I didn't really...but I wanted you to. I saw some pretty good stuff that can be built upon today, but the tackling is horrendous. I was cringing it was so bad. They may still put it all together one week and shock someone...I already mentioned #4 on my list as a likely candidate for that. Others are not immune. Keep Charging VMI!

[Reign of Terrier]

Miles Brown apparently didn't make the trip to Wyoming. Looks like the altitude will have an effect on the game, as wofford is also somewhat thin at the front 7.

Now I'm just hoping we keep it competitive...

[Reign of Terrier]

T dawgs are hungry for this one

https://twitter.com/DevinWatson_24/status/1040994982151249926

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford will be without Miles Brown because he has a sickle cell trait. Here's the story, per Todd Shanesy via his facebook group:


Elevation in Laramie, Wyo, where Wofford plays at 4 p.m. today (Eastern time), is 7,000 feet above sea level. It’s more than twice as high as Boone, N.C.
The Terriers, as a result, will be without defensive lineman Miles Brown, their best defensive player, preseason first-team All-American and on the Buck Buchanan watch list for best at overall defender at the FCS level.
Brown has sickle cell trait, meaning he doesn’t necessarily carry the symptoms of sickle cell disease but has the same potential disastrous problem with hemoglobin, the red blood cell that carry oxygen throughout the body. He could certainly pass sickle cell disease to his children.
Wofford's staff decided it is not worth the risk to send him on this trip.
“If he went up and was there for an extended period of time, he would be able to play,” Wofford head coach Josh Conklin said. “It’s the short turnaround that is a concern. Our doctors don’t want to take a chance on having an episode. We had lengthy discussions about it and we talked to him about it.”
“Staying home is going to be tough for him,” said linebacker Jireh Wilson, who shares a suite with Brown. “I think he’s taking it well. He’s been coaching guys to take his spots (at defensive end and nose tackle). That’s just what he does. He’s a great leader. Every day, he’s out there teaching the younger guys and getting them to be even better.”
Higher elevation seemed to be a problem (not only for players but visiting reporters) when Wofford played at Air Force in 2003. But Conklin said he is not overly concerned.
“It is what it is,” he said. “We’ll have oxygen on the sideline and we’ll take care of our guys. But you can’t think about that. You just have to go out there and play.”

[Milktruck74]

Missing a game sucks, but good call by him and the staff. It is not worth it.

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford's forced Wyoming to punt on their first two possessions. Wofford ball.

[PaladinFan]

Wofford gives a good account of themselves. Mercer surprises Samford. UTC undefeated.

Hard to know what to think of the SoCon.

[Reign of Terrier]

I'm not a big fan of pointing fingers...

but playcalling cost us this one

[PaladinFan]

Samford’s loss is pretty crippling in the context of playoff eligibility.

By playing Shorter, Samford now has to win 7 or their final 8 to reach 7 D1 wins. Their margin of error got really small.

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford pass defense is terrible. We benefited tremendously by Wyoming having 0 confidence in their QB until they absolutely had no choice. Mercer, Chattanooga, and Samford will eat our lunch.

We are a 7-4 team at best right now. We haven't fixed our pass defense problems and we probably won't ever.

[PaladinFan]

Wofford pass defense is terrible. We benefited tremendously by Wyoming having 0 confidence in their QB until they absolutely had no choice. Mercer, Chattanooga, and Samford will eat our lunch.

We are a 7-4 team at best right now. We haven't fixed our pass defense problems and we probably won't ever.

Furman will eventually get to the point where our QB is throwing it and our receivers are catching it.

[Reign of Terrier]

Eventually Wofford will either scheme and play call around the skills of our players or gameplan around the systemic strengths/weaknesses of our black sheep offense/defense

But we've been saying that for 5 years now and no cigar.

Why do we try to throw a bomb into the endzone while in the redzone on 3rd and 5 with an INT prone QB? Why do we assume our defense will hold against a dink and dunk offense when we never do and hadn't played that style in this game?

This **** is obvious to the intermediate to basic observer (me) but for the coaches who get paid to gameplan we still like to do **** like throw on first and second down and run a dive on third down.

[PaladinFan]

Eventually Wofford will either scheme and play call around the skills of our players or gameplan around the systemic strengths/weaknesses of our black sheep offense/defense

But we've been saying that for 5 years now and no cigar.

Why do we try to throw a bomb into the endzone while in the redzone on 3rd and 5 with an INT prone QB? Why do we assume our defense will hold against a dink and dunk offense when we never do and hadn't played that style in this game?

This **** is obvious to the intermediate to basic observer (me) but for the coaches who get paid to gameplan we still like to do **** like throw on first and second down and run a dive on third down.

I said this a few weeks ago, but if Wofford wants Newman to be their QB, they need to run the option and forget the passing game.

[gofurman]

Furman will eventually get to the point where our QB is throwing it and our receivers are catching it.

Maybe not by the time we play Wofford. We have a LONG ways to go w our passing game right now. Long ways. Its honestly as bad as I've seen in years - no time from our OL. QB true FR not confident yet, overthrown balls etc. I could see us being real good next year - this year maybe 6-5? Or only 10 games 😖... I'll go on record we woulda beaten Colgate and I am as objective as they come. BAD Furman teams (4 win teams) have beaten Colgate by 20+. But we need better OL play, better run game to take pressure off QB and let him develop

[PaladinFan]

Maybe not by the time we play Wofford. We have a LONG ways to go w our passing game right now. Long ways. Its honestly as bad as I've seen in years - no time from our OL. QB true FR not confident yet, overthrown balls etc. I could see us being real good next year - this year maybe 6-5? Or only 10 games ... I'll go on record we woulda beaten Colgate and I am as objective as they come. BAD Furman teams (4 win teams) have beaten Colgate by 20+. But we need better OL play, better run game to take pressure off QB and let him develop

Let's not be alarmist after one bad game.