Southern Conference Week 7 Power Rankings/Pick 'Em.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I was 1-2 last week. Wofford and Samford showed me something. Here's where I have it after last week (numbers in parenthesis indicates the number of wins needed vs. games remaining for a chance at an at-large bid).


1) Wofford (3 of 6) - Still the alpha dog until someone proves otherwise.
2) East Tennessee State (3 of 5) - Sent the Homecoming crowd home happy as a lark.
3) Mercer (4 of 6) - Hibernating this week.
4) Chattanooga (3 of 5) - Another week, another tough loss.
5) Furman (6 of 6) - Paladins also resting up.
6) Samford (OUT) - Doggone, where have you been all of my life?
7) Western Carolina (5 of 6) - Proud recipients of a curbstomping.
8) The Citadel (OUT*) - Resting up for this week.
9) VMI (OUT) - Did not lose this week.

This week's games:
Mercer @ Yale - Bears pick up a win against a decent Ivy League team.
Wofford @ Furman - Terriers too much for Paladins.
ETSU @ The Citadel - Bucs continue their winning ways on the road.
VMI @ Samford - Bulldogs continue to play like an awakened giant.
Chattanooga @ Western Carolina - Mocs get back on track.

[Reign of Terrier]

1) Wofford: continues to look better and better. Could be a great team.
2) ETSU is 5-1 and worthy of everyone's respect. Officially a playoff contender and has the best home field advantage in the socon. Wow.
3) Chattanooga: ran into a wall against Wofford, but still can (and may) make the playoffs
4) The Citadel. I know, why so high for a 1-3 team? Well, their 3 losses are to teams that are 12-4 and will compete for a playoff spot.
5) Mercer: still have to put some defense together
6) Furman: still an unknown, but can announce their presence against Wofford this week
7) Samford: They put 66 on Western Carolina. Honestly...I don't think that's a huge deal because Western is terrible
8) Western Carolina: The worst defense in Socon history. Adams cannot save them. They've benefited from playing the lesser defenses in the conference.
9) VMI:They will beat someone.

Picks:
Mercer @ Yale
Wofford @ Furman
ETSU @ The Citadel (game of the week)
VMI @ Samford (upset of the week...it's going to happen to someone)
Chattanooga @ Western Carolina (I think this will be the first time Western Carolina fails to score 30 on a team)

[Reign of Terrier]

Also, I think the Citadel vs. ETSU is going to be the game to watch next week. If it's a blow out, the winner will be on the bubble. If it's a close game, the devil is in the details.

[SU DOG]

1) Wofford: continues to look better and better. Could be a great team.
2) ETSU is 5-1 and worthy of everyone's respect. Officially a playoff contender and has the best home field advantage in the socon. Wow.
3) Chattanooga: ran into a wall against Wofford, but still can (and may) make the playoffs
4) The Citadel. I know, why so high for a 1-3 team? Well, their 3 losses are to teams that are 12-4 and will compete for a playoff spot.
5) Mercer: still have to put some defense together
6) Furman: still an unknown, but can announce their presence against Wofford this week
7) Samford: They put 66 on Western Carolina. Honestly...I don't think that's a huge deal because Western is terrible
8) Western Carolina: The worst defense in Socon history. Adams cannot save them. They've benefited from playing the lesser defenses in the conference.
9) VMI:They will beat someone.

Picks:
Mercer @ Yale
Wofford @ Furman
ETSU @ The Citadel (game of the week)
VMI @ Samford (upset of the week...it's going to happen to someone)
Chattanooga @ Western Carolina (I think this will be the first time Western Carolina fails to score 30 on a team)

Whoa! I know you have good reason to dislike Samford, but I'm thinking you wouldn't want to 'bet the farm' on THAT prediction. xlolx

[PaladinFan]

1) Wofford: continues to look better and better. Could be a great team.
2) ETSU is 5-1 and worthy of everyone's respect. Officially a playoff contender and has the best home field advantage in the socon. Wow.
3) Chattanooga: ran into a wall against Wofford, but still can (and may) make the playoffs
4) The Citadel. I know, why so high for a 1-3 team? Well, their 3 losses are to teams that are 12-4 and will compete for a playoff spot.
5) Mercer: still have to put some defense together
6) Furman: still an unknown, but can announce their presence against Wofford this week
7) Samford: They put 66 on Western Carolina. Honestly...I don't think that's a huge deal because Western is terrible
8) Western Carolina: The worst defense in Socon history. Adams cannot save them. They've benefited from playing the lesser defenses in the conference.
9) VMI:They will beat someone.

Picks:
Mercer @ Yale
Wofford @ Furman
ETSU @ The Citadel (game of the week)
VMI@ Samford (upset of the week...it's going to happen to someone)
Chattanooga @ Western Carolina (I think this will be the first time Western Carolina fails to score 30 on a team)

I'm sure it is just coincidental that you rank highly the teams Wofford has played, but not the ones they haven't (VMI notwithstanding).

[OpTimeGuy]

So I will take my first shot at this for this season:

1-Wofford-Somebody has to take them out for any movement here.
2-ETSU-As the season moves along, I don't think they end up here. My heart wants them to, but my head still says we are a year or two away from contending for SoCon titles
3-UTC-I really didn't expect these guys to be here this year, but I think they stand a better chance than ETSU of remaining in the mix. I think they rebound this week after losing two in a row.
4-Furman This is just a big clump. I expect that 2 if not three of these teams will be in the mix before it is over.
4-The Citadel
4-Mercer
4-Samford
8-VMI-I am going to get grief for this one, I am sure. WCU beat VMI, WCU has three wins. But of those three wins, only two were FCS and between those two teams they currently only have one victory. I think VMI will spoil someone's season this year. I am not sure that WCU will be a factor going forward
9-WCU-see above

Mercer @ Yale-Not real sure why I am making this pick...just a gut feeling.

Wofford @ Furman-going with the home team here

ETSU @ The Citadel-William B. Greene Jr is a hard place for the visiting team to win. The same can't be said for us on road games. I want the Bucs, to prove me wrong, but I am not sure we are there yet.

VMI @ Samford-I think VMI will spoil someone's season this year....but not this week

UTC @ WCU-I think UTC ends their losing streak here.

[Reign of Terrier]

Whoa! I know you have good reason to dislike Samford, but I'm thinking you wouldn't want to 'bet the farm' on THAT prediction. xlolx
My brain says Samford wins 38-28

But my heart says it'll be something different. I wouldn't bet the farm, no, it's just a feeling. Maybe it's wishful thinking. I honestly still don't know what to make of Samford quite yet.

I'm sure it is just coincidental that you rank highly the teams Wofford has played, but not the ones they haven't (VMI notwithstanding).

spurious relationship. Wofford's only played 3 socon games. The rankings I put forward were a crapshoot, but no one is ranked above someone they lost to. It's a lot more obvious who deserves what ranking when you put their record next to them:

Wofford 4-1
ETSU 5-1
Chattanooga 4-2
Citadel 1-3
Mercer 3-2
Furman 1-3
Samford 2-4
Western 3-2
VMI 0-5

Say what you want about the top 5, but they either have a winning record or beat a team with a winning record that wasn't Western Carolina or a D2 team. Bottom 4 can't say that yet and Western Carolina is bad. The Citadel being at the top half of the conference may be a #hottake, but they've easily had the hardest schedule thus far and they've been competitive in every single game they've played.

[PaladinFan]

My brain says Samford wins 38-28

But my heart says it'll be something different. I wouldn't bet the farm, no, it's just a feeling. Maybe it's wishful thinking. I honestly still don't know what to make of Samford. quite yet.


spurious relationship. Wofford's only played 3 socon games. The rankings I put forward were a crapshoot, but no one is ranked above someone they lost to. It's a lot more obvious who deserves what ranking when you put their record next to them:

Wofford 4-1
ETSU 5-1
Chattanooga 4-2
Citadel 1-3
Mercer 3-2
Furman 1-3
Samford 2-4
Western 3-2
VMI 0-5

Say what you want about the top 5, but they either have a winning record or beat a team with a winning record that wasn't Western Carolina or a D2 team. Bottom 4 can't say that yet. The Citadel being at the top half of the conference may be a #hottake, but they've easily had the hardest schedule thus far and they've been competitive in every single game they've played.

You are just creating your own subjective rules to justify your rankings. That's fine, but call it what it is.

You justify the Citadel's season by noting their difficult season, but don't offer the same justification for Furman. Furman's competition this season is a combined 18-4. If they'd played Colgate, it would be 23-4 (and likely 24-4 as Elon also had their game cancelled against a winnable W&M team)

So you'll excuse me if I don't fawn over the Citadel's schedule.

[Reign of Terrier]

You are just creating your own subjective rules to justify your rankings. That's fine, but call it what it is.

You justify the Citadel's season by noting their difficult season, but don't offer the same justification for Furman. Furman's competition this season is a combined 18-4. If they'd played Colgate, it would be 23-4 (and likely 24-4 as Elon also had their game cancelled against a winnable W&M team)

So you'll excuse me if I don't fawn over the Citadel's schedule.The Citadel didn't blow a 3 score lead in the fourth quarter or get blown out by any of their opponents. Having a hard schedule is only part of the equation.

I'd like the citadel over VMI, Western and ETSU and it would be a toss up against Furman and Samford.

Chattanooga should beat VMI and western, and with the way Mercer and Furman are playing on defense, that'll be a toss up too. That would put them at at least 6-5, which would be better half the conference.

Meanwhile, creating subjective rules to justify ones rankings is literally the point of this thread. You haven't listed your own rankings because you also know it's a crap shoot and Furman doesn't look good so you're tearing down rankings xeyerollsx

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[ElCid]

You justify the Citadel's season by noting their difficult season, but don't offer the same justification for Furman. Furman's competition this season is a combined 18-4. If they'd played Colgate, it would be 23-4 (and likely 24-4 as Elon also had their game cancelled against a winnable W&M team)

So you'll excuse me if I don't fawn over the Citadel's schedule.

I think it was the combination of the hard schedule AND the actual competitiveness combined. We were competitive in all 4. It wasn't just the just the SOS. I know we are a good team. But the Dogs just are not playing all 4 quarters like as winning team should, hence our record. We should have lost at Mercer, but then again,we should have probably beaten Chatty. In other words, still too inconsistent. I am sure we can beat any team in the conf. But we can just as easily lose to any team as well. We really are pretty young still. I know everyone says that, but we got a lot of F/RS-F, and So starting. 8/22 starters and 22/44 on 2 deep. Especially at the key Oline.

[ETSUfan1]

We will find out if ETSU is really for real this week against the citadel. I find it interesting that everyone will rank ETSU second, but I bet 90% of the picks here will choose the Citadel to win. We will find out Saturday.

[Reign of Terrier]

We will find out if ETSU is really for real this week against the citadel. I find it interesting that everyone will rank ETSU second, but I bet 90% of the picks here will choose the Citadel to win. We will find out Saturday.I ranked ETSU in my AGS poll this week. I forsee a close game either way. Regardless of outcome, if they hold the citadel below 250 rushing, I think it's safe to say they will compete for a playoff spot

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[ElCid]

I ranked ETSU in my AGS poll this week. I forsee a close game either way. Regardless of outcome, if they hold the citadel below 250 rushing, I think it's safe to say they will compete for a playoff spot

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I will impressed if they do that. In chronogical order of games, our rushing has gone, 217, 290, 308, 341. Granted in the first game, we played you all, and you know how to defend it, but the trend is there and I have seen a great improvement in execution nonetheless. Don't think they hold us under 300, probably not 350, but depends on how many turnover we have.

[Reign of Terrier]

I will impressed if they do that. In chronogical order of games, our rushing has gone, 217, 290, 308, 341. Granted in the first game, we played you all, and you know how to defend it, but the trend is there and I have seen a great improvement in execution nonetheless. Don't think they hold us under 300, probably not 350, but depends on how many turnover we have.I say 250 because the decent defenses in the socon seem to do that but under 300 may be the better measure. So let me revise that:

Under 300=I'm impressed.

Under 250=ETSU has arrived, full stop

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[PaladinFan]

The Citadel didn't blow a 3 score lead in the fourth quarter or get blown out by any of their opponents. Having a hard schedule is only part of the equation.

I'd like the citadel over VMI, Western and ETSU and it would be a toss up against Furman and Samford.

Chattanooga should beat VMI and western, and with the way Mercer and Furman are playing on defense, that'll be a toss up too. That would put them at at least 6-5, which would be better half the conference.

Meanwhile, creating subjective rules to justify ones rankings is literally the point of this thread. You haven't listed your own rankings because you also know it's a crap shoot and Furman doesn't look good so you're tearing down rankings xeyerollsx

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I've been on this forum a few minutes (12 years?) and maybe done a power ranking a handful of times.

As I noted, I'm aware that the point of the power rankings is subjective. Your subjectivity, though, is to put all the teams Wofford has beaten at the top, and the other teams at the bottom.

Regarding the Citadel, I suppose reasonable minds can differ regarding whether losing to Towson by three touchdowns is a "blowout." Yeah, Furman lost badly to Elon. From what I've seen, I think Elon would beat the brakes off any team in the SoCon. The only team Elon's lost to is undefeated USF.

Wofford fans have a right to be bullish on their team. I cannot be disputed, though, they haven't exactly played murderer's row. VMI is terrible. Gardner Webb is terrible. Wyoming is a bad FBS program. The Citadel is going nowhere this season. And UTC is probably firmly "mediocre."

[ElCid]

I've been on this forum a few minutes (12 years?) and maybe done a power ranking a handful of times.

As I noted, I'm aware that the point of the power rankings is subjective. Your subjectivity, though, is to put all the teams Wofford has beaten at the top, and the other teams at the bottom.

Regarding the Citadel, I suppose reasonable minds can differ regarding whether losing to Towson by three touchdowns is a "blowout." Yeah, Furman lost badly to Elon. From what I've seen, I think Elon would beat the brakes off any team in the SoCon. The only team Elon's lost to is undefeated USF.

Wofford fans have a right to be bullish on their team. I cannot be disputed, though, they haven't exactly played murderer's row. VMI is terrible. Gardner Webb is terrible. Wyoming is a bad FBS program. The Citadel is going nowhere this season. And UTC is probably firmly "mediocre."

Furman sucks😀

[kdinva]

VMI is terrible.

VMI was terrible last year.........Keydets about 8 plays from being 3-1 in the Socon......VMI is winless, but VMI for now is NOT a bottom-40 FCS program.....

[OpTimeGuy]

We will find out if ETSU is really for real this week against the citadel. I find it interesting that everyone will rank ETSU second, but I bet 90% of the picks here will choose the Citadel to win. We will find out Saturday.

When you look at what we have accomplished the two seasons prior to this year, a pick for The Citadel makes perfect sense. In those two seasons we won exactly ONE game on the road. I understand it might not match with the #2 rank, but I don't expect us to remain there either. If we do, it will be a pleasant surprise, but I am just trying to be realistic.

[FCSfan]

I've been on this forum a few minutes (12 years?) and maybe done a power ranking a handful of times.

As I noted, I'm aware that the point of the power rankings is subjective. Your subjectivity, though, is to put all the teams Wofford has beaten at the top, and the other teams at the bottom.

Regarding the Citadel, I suppose reasonable minds can differ regarding whether losing to Towson by three touchdowns is a "blowout." Yeah, Furman lost badly to Elon. From what I've seen, I think Elon would beat the brakes off any team in the SoCon. The only team Elon's lost to is undefeated USF.

Wofford fans have a right to be bullish on their team. I cannot be disputed, though, they haven't exactly played murderer's row. VMI is terrible. Gardner Webb is terrible. Wyoming is a bad FBS program. The Citadel is going nowhere this season. And UTC is probably firmly "mediocre."
__________________________________________________ __________

Mr. PF....
I wouldn't bash the Citadel, call UTC mediocre and the knights still have to outscore the Keydets.
Bold assessment this early on.

[FCSfan]

1. Wofford
2. ETSU
3. UTC
4. Mercer
5. Samford
6. Citadel
7. Furman/WCU
8. VMI
_____________________

Mercer over Yale
Wofford over Furman
Citadel over ETSU
Samford over VMI
UTC over Western Carolina

[Reign of Terrier]

I've been on this forum a few minutes (12 years?) and maybe done a power ranking a handful of times.

As I noted, I'm aware that the point of the power rankings is subjective. Your subjectivity, though, is to put all the teams Wofford has beaten at the top, and the other teams at the bottom.

Regarding the Citadel, I suppose reasonable minds can differ regarding whether losing to Towson by three touchdowns is a "blowout." Yeah, Furman lost badly to Elon. From what I've seen, I think Elon would beat the brakes off any team in the SoCon. The only team Elon's lost to is undefeated USF.

Wofford fans have a right to be bullish on their team. I cannot be disputed, though, they haven't exactly played murderer's row. VMI is terrible. Gardner Webb is terrible. Wyoming is a bad FBS program. The Citadel is going nowhere this season. And UTC is probably firmly "mediocre."That is all fine and good, but you've set yourself up in a position where you can't lose, which is convenient. It just so happens to be the fact that Wofford beat 2 of the top 4 teams listed. I already admitted it's a crap shoot, which basically means it's all for not. But instead of talking about why it's a crap shoot or the merits of the rankings themselves, you're instead implying it's just a homer list without much substance other than that. It's possible to be both accurate and sympathetic to Wofford's wins. But then again, at this point in the season, it's not going to be accurate, given limited information. So instead of engaging on the merits, you're attacking credibility in a way that's total special pleading.

Who would you rank above Chattanooga that I haven't? It's pretty much a no on the citadel, Samford, VMI, or Western. We don't know what Mercer looks like without Riddle and we don't know enough about Furman. Hanging 40 on Western doesn't seem hard this year.

When the polls come out tomorrow we're going to see the citadel is 0-3 against top 25 teams, just watch.

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[Reign of Terrier]

Also I want to make it clear: I think the citadel will beat ETSU, but I'm going to be pulling for the Bucs.

Would love to see a 6-1 ETSU team come into Spartanburg on homecoming.

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[bonarae]

Mercer
Wofford
ETSU (not sure what to think of The Citadel now)
Samford
Chattanooga

[PaladinFan]

That is all fine and good, but you've set yourself up in a position where you can't lose, which is convenient. It just so happens to be the fact that Wofford beat 2 of the top 4 teams listed. I already admitted it's a crap shoot, which basically means it's all for not. But instead of talking about why it's a crap shoot or the merits of the rankings themselves, you're instead implying it's just a homer list without much substance other than that. It's possible to be both accurate and sympathetic to Wofford's wins. But then again, at this point in the season, it's not going to be accurate, given limited information. So instead of engaging on the merits, you're attacking credibility in a way that's total special pleading.

Who would you rank above Chattanooga that I haven't? It's pretty much a no on the citadel, Samford, VMI, or Western. We don't know what Mercer looks like without Riddle and we don't know enough about Furman. Hanging 40 on Western doesn't seem hard this year.

When the polls come out tomorrow we're going to see the citadel is 0-3 against top 25 teams, just watch.

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Since you asked:

1. Wofford - They are handling their business. They aren't the best Wofford team I've seen, but are doing what they need to do to win games. I think Conklin has inherited a largely veteran team (16 seniors) and an already strong defensive unit. A bit like Clay Hendrix did with Furman last season, Conklin took over a team with some pretty good veteran players at key positions. Again, I don't think they've played anyone remotely qualifying as a good team to this point, so we don't really know what Wofford will look like when they hit the meat of their schedule.

2. ETSU - They aren't a pretty 5-1, but an ugly 5-1 counts all the same. Pulled one out of their fannies against Furman, but have largely played well. Their defense is carrying them at this point, but I don't think their offense is good enough to keep them at this level all season.

3. Samford - They've had a disappointing start to the year, but I cannot believe they will continue to stumble through the rest of their schedule. I like them over Furman right now because of the Paladins' seeming lack of pass defense. I realize they haven't played up to snuff, but they have too much talent to suck.

4. Furman - The Paladins have played the league's toughest schedule and, in my opinion, it isn't even close. No SoCon team has played an FBS team the caliber of Clemson nor an FCS team as good as Elon. They had ETSU beat for three quarters and looked in complete control of the Bucs for much of that game until just an inexplicable meltdown late. I think we would have beaten currently undefeated Colgate as well, and in that regard aren't really that far away from being 3-2 with two losses to top teams on the road. I think Furman has a lot more in the tank and has improved each week. Their contest against Wofford will be an interesting one to watch because Furman is pretty decent against the run (depsite facing the CAA's top rushing team and the ACC's top running back) and will likely have the best offense Wofford has seen this year.

5. UTC - The Mocs are improved over last year, but are pretty bad on offense. Their defense has talent, but it comes in spurts and isn't good enough to pick up their offense. Like a few others, they've ridden an easy schedule to a nice looking record.

6. WCU - With Tyrie Adams, I think the Catamounts are dangerous. What I saw last week was not just a "Furman had a bad defensive game," but a QB that was playing out of his mind. If he's in the game, WCU will be in the game. Their defense is unbelievably bad, though. Just moderate improvement on that side of the ball and they'd be a legitimate contender.

7. Mercer - Without Riddle, I think the Bears will start looking a lot like last year's team without as good of a defense. The offensive look reminds me a lot of Furman under Tim Sorrell - single back zone read stuff that works for some teams, and doesn't for others. From what I've seen, their offense really needs to be to throw the ball in the general vicinity of Marquise Irvin. I could rank them higher, but I just don't see Mercer as being particularly standout on either side of the ball. Furman/WCU have better offenses, and UTC a better defense.

8. The Citadel - They are doing a good bit of what they did last year - losing close games. They got beat soundly by a good Towson team. Hopefully for Coach Thompsons' job security, the Cadets don't fold their tents and go home like they did last year. They are an athletic team, but a poor fundamental group with bad tackling habits. They haven't even begun to face the league's top offenses yet, which are going to punish them for taking bad angles and arm tackling.

9. VMI - The Keydets are surprising me. They are showing a lot more fight than I was anticipating. They may even knock someone off this year.

[ElCid]

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


And yes, I have Mercer behind Samford...now that they are minus QB, plus Samford looks to have awoken. I guess WCU's defense was a tonic.


Mercer at YALE - don't think Bears get it done, I hope so, but tall task on the road - 38-28
WOFFORD at Furman - Wofford 2-3 scores - 34-17
East Tenn at THE CITADEL - Dogs may hit their stride, with extra week of rest and ETSU's first road game in a month - 35-27
VMI at SAMFORD - VMI may still show improvement, but Bama Dogs roll - 56-31
WCU at UTC - Mocs bounce back - 31-21

[gofurman]

I've been on this forum a few minutes (12 years?) and maybe done a power ranking a handful of times.

As I noted, I'm aware that the point of the power rankings is subjective. Your subjectivity, though, is to put all the teams Wofford has beaten at the top, and the other teams at the bottom.

Regarding the Citadel, I suppose reasonable minds can differ regarding whether losing to Towson by three touchdowns is a "blowout." Yeah, Furman lost badly to Elon. IFrom what I've seen, I think Elon would beat the brakes off any team in the SoCon. The only team Elon's lost to is undefeated USF.

Wofford fans have a right to be bullish on their team. I cannot be disputed, though, they haven't exactly played murderer's row. VMI is terrible. Gardner Webb is terrible. Wyoming is a bad FBS program. The Citadel is going nowhere this season. And UTC is probably firmly "mediocre."

“From what I've seen, I think Elon would beat the brakes off any team in the SoCon. “

I am OBJECTIVE. Wofford May kill my Paladins this weekend. But Wofford is NOT Elon. Wofford isn’t going into JMU and winning like Elon did.

Elon would OWN the SoCon... they look like a top 3 national team. JMU hasn’t lost at home in 20 consecutive games !!! Elon went in and won. As a “39 point underdog”...right. People are learning how that is a super team at Elon. No one in SoCon is as good as Elon. That’s a fact

[Mocs123]

“From what I've seen, I think Elon would beat the brakes off any team in the SoCon. “

I am OBJECTIVE. Wofford May kill my Paladins this weekend. But Wofford is NOT Elon. Wofford isn’t going into JMU and winning like Elon did.

Elon would OWN the SoCon... they look like a top 3 national team. JMU hasn’t lost at home in 20 consecutive games !!! Elon went in and won. As a “39 point underdog”...right. People are learning how that is a super team at Elon. No one in SoCon is as good as Elon. That’s a fact

It can't be long until Elon's coach gets a G5 job. They were a dumpster fire when they left the SoCon.

[Reign of Terrier]

Strengths/weaknesses of every team I see right now:

Chattanooga:
What's good: Good passing game and athletic defense.
What's bad: the running game. It's really really bad, actually.
Note: I am sympathetic to those who would say "well, actually, Chattanooga's offense is just bad" but here's the thing: for the rest of the season (sans USC) they have the Mercer, Furman, Western Carolina, and VMI. All of those defenses are vulnerable. I haven't seen enough of Mercer yet to judge their pass defense, but Mercer's overall defense is not as good as last year right now. I think Chattanooga wins at least 6 games and I think will compete for a playoff spot, especially if ETSU and Mercer have a strong showing this year.

The Citadel:
What's good: offense is definitely improved upon last year. they were only good for 2 scores last year, but so far they've been good for at least 3 against stiff defensive competition.
What's bad: the defense. They've fallen off over the last 2 years. Not sure if it's the pass defense or the overall defense, but the pass defense is bad.
Note: Anyone who says the Citadel is bad just isn't watching. I think they're the South Carolina gamecocks of the Socon. Seriously flawed, not gonna win the conference, but they will make plays and keep your focus.

ETSU:
What's good: Their defense. It's scrappy and has done basically everything you would ask of it thus far.
What's bad: Their offense. It's done just enough, but they need have struggled against so-so conference competition. It may be a stretch to say "they're bad on offense," but I don't think the performance they are showing will keep them competitive against Mercer, Wofford, the Citadel or Samford.
Note: still...their defense makes plays! I'm very skeptical of ETSU, but at the same time you have to give credit where credit is due. It's no longer a question *if* they are competing for a playoff spot. They are. Full stop. I think they'll win at least 7 games. That won't be enough to get in, but I think 8 wins would be good enough. I ranked them this week

Furman:
What's good: They have a pretty balanced attack and a QB who can throw. Nothing really jumps out at you if you look at the dins on paper, partially because they have a few lopsided losses to very good teams. They don't run the ball as good as they do last year, but you can see a commitment to more balance on offense which may or may not be a good thing. At the very least Hendrix is playing to his personnel's strengths.
What's bad: The defense. I've harped on them before so I'm not going to beat a dead horse. It's hard's to say one way or another what the strengths are in this unit because the stats are all over the place. On one hand, they contained Western's run game to less than 4 ypc...but they also allowed 400 yards through the air. Austin Herink had a field day with their secondary as well. They also let Elon run for nearly 300 yards on them. That's not a good stat because the personnel (as far as I know?) from last year to this year was pretty much the same from the playoff game where they held Elon to about 150. I may be belaboring the point, but we just don't know enough about Furman's defense one way or another other than it's not good right now.
Note: Furman's the team we know the least about. Yes, they played a tough schedule and yes, the played a great offensive game against Western Carolina, but at this point we don't know if their trajectory is toward an improvement like last year (I'm skeptical). The narrative would definitely be different had they played/beaten Colgate and not choked against ETSU (who is very hard to beat at home). If they were sitting at 3-2 right now, Elon would be getting #1 votes this week.

Mercer:
What's good: Their offense is better this year. Admittedly, I haven't watched them as much as I'd like and Riddle being hurt is a setback, but they still score the most frequently of any team in the Socon (if you discount FBS games)
What's bad: Their defense is not as good as last year. Last year's defense and this year's offense would be a playoff team (too bad that's not how it works). That's not to say that Mercer is a bad defensive team, they just aren't as good this year.
Note: Like Furman, we don't know enough about Mercer. They lost to the Citadel, but as already established, it's a safe bet that the Citadel's offense is better and special teams were the difference. They have a good win against Samford, a win against Jacksonville (which tells us nothing), and a win against VMI without Riddle (which tells us little). Their record through 5 games is about what you'd expect with the only surprises being Citadel and Samford being the opposite expected outcomes. The big thing is that the defense hasn't played up to par to what you want from them as evident by the VMI, Citadel, and Memphis games. The season's not over yet. They're probably one of the few Socon teams that could get in with 7 wins, pending on what the 4 losses. That's not to say that I think they'll go 7-4, but I do think they have one of the bigger margins of error in the conference.

Samford:
What's good: Devlin Hodges and Kelvin McKnight. And their remaining schedule. They probably won't get into the playoffs, but they could make it a controversy if they win out. Historically, teams like Wofford, Furman, and the Citadel play not-so-good pass defense. They have those 3 teams on the schedule and VMI and ETSU.
What's bad: everything else. Look, I give Samford a 50% chance of finishing with a winning record right now. 30% chance to make the playoffs and a 40% chance of winning out. Going on the road to play the Citadel, Furman, and ETSU is not going to be easy, even if they have some matchup advantages. Their defense has to step up and their offense has to score points.
Note: I'm not going to sit here and pretend like we don't know enough about Samford. We do. Based on what I've seen so far this year, I think they'll be favored against Furman, VMI, and the Citadel (all of their pass defenses are bad). They should also be favored against ETSU, but that game will be tough on the road. Wofford will be tough as well because Wofford is playing good pass defense for the first time since Matt Nelson was in the secondary in 2003 (see: my profile pic).

Western Carolina:
What's good: Tyree Adams. But even then, I think they've managed an easy schedule in terms of the defenses they've played. All five of the defenses they've played haven't been great and I'm interested to see how Western does against a solid defense like Wofford, Chattanooga, ETSU, and even Mercer. I don't think Tyree Adams is overrated, but I think their offense might be.
What's bad: The defense. I'm not joking, it's probably the worst defense statistically that I have ever seen. Western could be a 3-8 team this year.
Note: I really don't have much else to say other than that.

Wofford:
What's good: A LOT. Offense is racking up the most yardage since Eric Breitenstein graduated, and it's not dependent on one player. Defense is noticeably improved in the secondary, third down defense, and total yardage.
What's bad: turnovers and field goals. What's keeping our games competitive this year are turnovers. If we don't have a couple bone head turnovers against the Citadel, it's a blow out. If we don't fumble against Gardner Webb it's a worse blow out. If we don't fumble against Chattanooga it's at least 28-10. Luke Carter has also missed 3 FGs, including 2 last week.
Note: Wofford's in a weird spot because we were the ugliest socon champ ever last year. Last year we made bonehead mistakes that made games closer than they should have been, with us almost losing. This year we're doing that, but it's keeping games within 2 touchdowns instead of a blowout.

VMI:
What's good: they have an offense! They've probably scored more in the last couple games than they have over the last few seasons. They only scored 88 points or so last year on offense.
What's bad: Defense still needs work and their QB isn't great. Udinski isn't a bad QB, but he's definitely missed some easy passes at times this year. I bet the Keydets wish Hodges didn't transfer.
Note: VMI will beat somebody this year. I don't know who, but it will happen.

[Reign of Terrier]

So if Wofford blows out Furman, are we a super team now?

Asking for a friend.

[FUGameBreaker]

1. Wofford
2. ETSU (Winning on the road is tough, they will lose at Citadel this Saturday)
3. Furman (I will move FU to #1 after we beat Woff this Saturday) xthumbsupx
4. Mercer (Need to pick up an OOC win for the SoCon)
5. UTC (Need a win at WCU otherwise season will spiral down the drain)
6. Samford
7. Citadel
8. WCU
9. VMI

[FUBeAR]

I cannot be disputed

Freudian typo?

[ElCid]

Strengths/weaknesses of every team I see right now:

The Citadel:
What's good: offense is definitely improved upon last year. they were only good for 2 scores last year, but so far they've been good for at least 3 against stiff defensive competition.
What's bad: the defense. They've fallen off over the last 2 years. Not sure if it's the pass defense or the overall defense, but the pass defense is bad.
Note: Anyone who says the Citadel is bad just isn't watching. I think they're the South Carolina gamecocks of the Socon. Seriously flawed, not gonna win the conference, but they will make plays and keep your focus.

.

I think we have been improving in pass defense though. We looked a lot better against Towson than Mercer or UTC. It was at the expense of Towsons QB scampering for 50 yard runs, but he didn't get a completion by God. 😥Most of his runs were scrambles and not designed.

[gofurman]

So if Wofford blows out Furman, are we a super team now?

Asking for a friend.

Lol. Nah. Because my Paladins aren’t that good ... if you lose you have shown a weakness that should worry you ... if you win it is another data point that you are the best in the SoCon. I admit that. But a super team? If you can beat us like Elon 45-7 then yes. Win by 14 or less to us and you beat a mediocre FU team

[dungeonjoe]

Furman sucks
always and forever.

[CID1990]

1) Wofford: continues to look better and better. Could be a great team.
2) ETSU is 5-1 and worthy of everyone's respect. Officially a playoff contender and has the best home field advantage in the socon. Wow.
3) Chattanooga: ran into a wall against Wofford, but still can (and may) make the playoffs
4) The Citadel. I know, why so high for a 1-3 team? Well, their 3 losses are to teams that are 12-4 and will compete for a playoff spot.
5) Mercer: still have to put some defense together
6) Furman: still an unknown, but can announce their presence against Wofford this week
7) Samford: They put 66 on Western Carolina. Honestly...I don't think that's a huge deal because Western is terrible
8) Western Carolina: The worst defense in Socon history. Adams cannot save them. They've benefited from playing the lesser defenses in the conference.
9) VMI:They will beat someone.

Picks:
Mercer @ Yale
Wofford @ Furman
ETSU @ The Citadel (game of the week)
VMI @ Samford (upset of the week...it's going to happen to someone)
Chattanooga @ Western Carolina (I think this will be the first time Western Carolina fails to score 30 on a team)

That "someone" that VMI will beat is probably us...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PaladinFan]

Lol. Nah. Because my Paladins aren’t that good ... if you lose you have shown a weakness that should worry you ... if you win it is another data point that you are the best in the SoCon. I admit that. But a super team? If you can beat us like Elon 45-7 then yes. Win by 14 or less to us and you beat a mediocre FU team

Furman is fine.

Our best QB was hurt to begin the season. Harris Roberts has been back in as the starter for two games and the offense has improved drastically. Coach Hendrix has shuffled the offensive line and seems to have found a rotation that he likes.

Furman played two really good teams to start the season. I've had Elon as a top team in my poll for a while, and this weekend's win over JMU validated that decision. Malcolm Summers (who played sparingly against Furman in game 1 last year and not at all in the post season) may be the best running back in the FCS. They have some NFL prospects on their offensive line. Elon is a really really good football team.

Again, I think Furman is still in a rebuilding stage this season, but I think have a few things working for them against Wofford:

1. The Paladins play the run pretty well. They are an athletic run-and-hit defense. Joe Newman had a great game rushing against UTC. I'm excited to see how Furman may deploy some of their athletic defenders to disrupt him.

2. Furman's pass coverage has been suspect, which I think is largely the product of a very inexperienced linebacking corps. I think Wofford will try to exploit that, but Newman is not the passer Goodson was.

3. Furman's offense is a good bit different than what Wofford saw last season. Furman runs a lot more pitch option, deemphasizes the inside fullback run, and uses a lot more speed on the edge. Furman has some jackrabbits at the skill positions and Quarles moves them around all over the place probing for matchups. Furman has a lot more offensive firepower than UTC does.

4. Paladins get an extra week to work on the option.

[Reign of Terrier]

Lol. Nah. Because my Paladins aren’t that good ... if you lose you have shown a weakness that should worry you ... if you win it is another data point that you are the best in the SoCon. I admit that. But a super team? If you can beat us like Elon 45-7 then yes. Win by 14 or less to us and you beat a mediocre FU teamI think Furman should be concerned on offense this week. Even with the Western Carolina game, they average under 300 yards of offense. Yes, they have played good defenses, but Wofford is going to be on the same level defensively as Elon and ETSU (probably better than ETSU), both of which held Furman under 300.

From the looks of things, when it comes to FCS competition, Furman hasn't put together a full game yet on offense. It's hard to tell if they are progressing or not because the level of the competition has steadily decreased in quality, while the output has increased. I think it's safe to say Wofford will be a break in that trend. We're closer to Elon than Western Carolina.

If Furman forces some turnovers and capitalizes off of them, they will be in good shape. But they can't afford to turn it over themselves.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Reign of Terrier]

Joe Newman is so much lesser of a passer than Goodson that he's already matched the touchdown passes Goodson threw last year and is so low on the conference completion percentage that this guy named Devlin Hodges is completing .3% more passes than him (both at about 66%).

He's 12 of his last 16 for 2 touchdowns for 172 yards. He's on pace to throw for more yards and will almost certainly do it if he maintains his completion percentage. Meanwhile, Goodson was good last year because he only threw like 1 pick and it was against NDSU I think. But his completion percentage was way lower at about 50%. We haven't had a QB throw as accurately as Joe Newman since Ben Widmyer and that's saying something.

Wofford is one of the best teams in the conference and I think country when it comes to passing efficiency.

He had a couple bad picks against the Citadel and one bad pick against Wyoming (2 total, but 1 was one of those desperation picks). But other than that, he's been stellar.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[furpal87]

So in the Furman/Wofford game over/under 2 1/2 hrs?

[PaladinFan]

I think Furman should be concerned on offense this week. Even with the Western Carolina game, they average under 300 yards of offense. Yes, they have played good defenses, but Wofford is going to be on the same level defensively as Elon and ETSU (probably better than ETSU), both of which held Furman under 300.

From the looks of things, when it comes to FCS competition, Furman hasn't put together a full game yet on offense. It's hard to tell if they are progressing or not because the level of the competition has steadily decreased in quality, while the output has increased. I think it's safe to say Wofford will be a break in that trend. We're closer to Elon than Western Carolina.

If Furman forces some turnovers and capitalizes off of them, they will be in good shape. But they can't afford to turn it over themselves.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Furman played Clemson, arguably the best defensive team in the country, and Elon, who surrenders under 20 ppg. Again, Furman played those games without Harris Roberts.

Furman had 27 points against ETSU in three quarters. ETSU then shut out UTC for most of the game the next week. They are a pretty decent defense.

I will concede that Furman's early season numbers are ugly. They played without their best QB, have a lot of guys learning on the job, and have been shuffling their offensive line. They look much better recently and a lot more settled.

Just my opinion, but Furman will be the best offense Wofford has seen. Wofford will not be the best defense Furman has seen.

[FUBeAR]

I would just like to ask you all to join me in a moment of silence in tribute of this dedicated SoCon "D1" scheduling partner.

Thanks Runnin' Bulldogs. For almost an entire month, whether welcoming us into your home or visiting ours, you gave (some of) us all you had to give!

https://gwusports.com/images/logos/Western-Carolina.png?width=80&height=80&mode=maxSEP 14 (FRI) 6:00 PM - WESTERN CAROLINA (http://www.catamountsports.com/) - BOILING SPRINGS, NC SPANGLER STADIUM - L, 10-28




https://gwusports.com/images/logos/wofford_logo_200px.png?width=80&height=80&mode=maxSEP 29 (SAT) 6:00 PM - #6 WOFFORD (http://athletics.wofford.edu/) - BOILING SPRINGS, NC SPANGLER STADIUM - L, 14-45




https://gwusports.com/images/logos/East-Tenn-State.png?width=80&height=80&mode=maxOCT 6 (SAT) 3:30 PM - ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/) - JOHNSON CITY, TN - L, 0-45



Peace be with you.

[Reign of Terrier]

So in the Furman/Wofford game over/under 2 1/2 hrs?Nah man, it's gonna be on TV in the upstate so commercial breaks will push it toward 3

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Reign of Terrier]

I would just like to ask you all to join me in a moment of silence in tribute of this dedicated SoCon "D1" scheduling partner.

Thanks Runnin' Bulldogs. For almost an entire month, whether welcoming us into your home or visiting ours, you gave (some of) us all you had to give!

https://gwusports.com/images/logos/Western-Carolina.png?width=80&height=80&mode=maxSEP 14 (FRI) 6:00 PM - WESTERN CAROLINA (http://www.catamountsports.com/) - BOILING SPRINGS, NC SPANGLER STADIUM - L, 10-28




https://gwusports.com/images/logos/wofford_logo_200px.png?width=80&height=80&mode=maxSEP 29 (SAT) 6:00 PM - #6 WOFFORD (http://athletics.wofford.edu/) - BOILING SPRINGS, NC SPANGLER STADIUM - L, 14-45




https://gwusports.com/images/logos/East-Tenn-State.png?width=80&height=80&mode=maxOCT 6 (SAT) 3:30 PM - ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/) - JOHNSON CITY, TN - L, 0-45



Peace be with you.This made me laugh out loud xlolx

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[PaladinFan]

Gardner Webb has played more SoCon games than Furman has.

[Reign of Terrier]

Furman played Clemson, arguably the best defensive team in the country, and Elon, who surrenders under 20 ppg. Again, Furman played those games without Harris Roberts.

Furman had 27 points against ETSU in three quarters. ETSU then shut out UTC for most of the game the next week. They are a pretty decent defense.

I will concede that Furman's early season numbers are ugly. They played without their best QB, have a lot of guys learning on the job, and have been shuffling their offensive line. They look much better recently and a lot more settled.

Just my opinion, but Furman will be the best offense Wofford has seen. Wofford will not be the best defense Furman has seen.I would believe this if games were played in 3 quarters, had ETSU not struggled mightily against decent offenses last year, and had Furman had more than 300 yards of offense against them. Furman had like 5 3 and outs in the second half. That had just as much to do with the comeback as the pass defense.

So yeah, maybe ETSU is just that much better this year on defense. That is a valid hypothesis that I don't think we can dismiss yet. So I won't.

But Wofford brings back pretty much everyone on a defense that shut down Furman in ways no FCS team had done last year. And we have coaching leadership on defense that actually knows what he's doing. Meanwhile, Furman has a different OC, a different QB and some OL from last year.

I'll eat my crow if Furman beats us or even if they hang 24+ on us, but with the aforementioned information, I'm skeptical.

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[FUBeAR]

Gardner Webb has played more SoCon games than Furman has.
They've lost more than VMI has...um...no...wait.

Just kiddin' Keydets! I'm back on your side this week. Beat Sanford!

[FUBeAR]

But Wofford brings back pretty much everyone on a defense that shut down Furman in ways no FCS team had done last year.I've been finding myself agreeing with you so much lately...but.

"Pretty much everyone on a defense..?" - I'm looking at the Box Score vs Furman in the 2017 Playoff game and vs. UTC last week. I see 6 common names in the starting lineups on D - DL, Miles Brown; LB, Datavious/DT Wilson & Jireh Wilson (who was a backup last year, but started the FU game); CB's, Devin Watson & Domo Lemon; and SS, Mason Alstatt. That's a far cry from "pretty much everyone" - DLmen Priester, Vaughan, and Horton will be missing. LB's Morris, Vining, and Clemons will not be there. FS Malik Rivera will be suiting up in Atlanta to play Duke instead of in GreenVegas to face the Paladins. Those are 7 Defensive STUDS for the Terriers that will be ABSENT on Saturday. Let's look at what the guys who won't be suiting up in White Jerseys on Saturday contributed on D to last year's Playoff win for Wofford over Furman



Player
Solo
Ast
Tot
TFL/Yds
Sack/Yds
BrUp


Colton Clemons (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4958)
5
3
8
1.0/6
1.0/6
-


Daryl Vining (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5010)
2
4
6
1.0/2
-/-
-


Malik Rivera (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4996)
2
3
5
0.5/-
-/-
-


Terrance Morris (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4986)
3
-
3
-/-
-/-
-


Deon Priester (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5075)
-
2
2
-/-
-/-
1


Brandon Curtis (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4960)
-
1
1
-/-
-/-
-


Mikel Horton (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4972)
1
-
1
-/-
-/-
-


TOTALS
13
13
26
2.5/8
1/6
1



Nope...No Sir...NOT "Pretty much everyone back on defense." Not hardly.

[gofurman]

I've been finding myself agreeing with you so much lately...but.

"Pretty much everyone on a defense..?" - I'm looking at the Box Score vs Furman in the 2017 Playoff game and vs. UTC last week. I see 6 common names in the starting lineups on D - DL, Miles Brown; LB, Datavious/DT Wilson & Jireh Wilson (who was a backup last year, but started the FU game); CB's, Devin Watson & Domo Lemon; and SS, Mason Alstatt. That's a far cry from "pretty much everyone" - DLmen Priester, Vaughan, and Horton will be missing. LB's Morris, Vining, and Clemons will not be there. FS Malik Rivera will be suiting up in Atlanta to play Duke instead of in GreenVegas to face the Paladins. Those are 7 Defensive STUDS for the Terriers that will be ABSENT on Saturday. Let's look at what the guys who won't be suiting up in White Jerseys on Saturday contributed on D to last year's Playoff win for Wofford over Furman



Player
Solo
Ast
Tot
TFL/Yds
Sack/Yds
BrUp


Colton Clemons (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4958)
5
3
8
1.0/6
1.0/6
-


Daryl Vining (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5010)
2
4
6
1.0/2
-/-
-


Malik Rivera (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4996)
2
3
5
0.5/-
-/-
-


Terrance Morris (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4986)
3
-
3
-/-
-/-
-


Deon Priester (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5075)
-
2
2
-/-
-/-
1


Brandon Curtis (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4960)
-
1
1
-/-
-/-
-


Mikel Horton (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4972)
1
-
1
-/-
-/-
-


TOTALS
13
13
26
2.5/8
1/6
1



Nope...No Sir...NOT "Pretty much everyone back on defense." Not hardly.

is this right ? Horton - all conference - is out to injury... AND Priester is,out for the year. 1) Is that right? Both on DL and out this entire year?

second question. 2) Are both guys back next year?

[Reign of Terrier]

I've been finding myself agreeing with you so much lately...but.

"Pretty much everyone on a defense..?" - I'm looking at the Box Score vs Furman in the 2017 Playoff game and vs. UTC last week. I see 6 common names in the starting lineups on D - DL, Miles Brown; LB, Datavious/DT Wilson & Jireh Wilson (who was a backup last year, but started the FU game); CB's, Devin Watson & Domo Lemon; and SS, Mason Alstatt. That's a far cry from "pretty much everyone" - DLmen Priester, Vaughan, and Horton will be missing. LB's Morris, Vining, and Clemons will not be there. FS Malik Rivera will be suiting up in Atlanta to play Duke instead of in GreenVegas to face the Paladins. Those are 7 Defensive STUDS for the Terriers that will be ABSENT on Saturday. Let's look at what the guys who won't be suiting up in White Jerseys on Saturday contributed on D to last year's Playoff win for Wofford over Furman



Player
Solo
Ast
Tot
TFL/Yds
Sack/Yds
BrUp


Colton Clemons (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4958)
5
3
8
1.0/6
1.0/6
-


Daryl Vining (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5010)
2
4
6
1.0/2
-/-
-


Malik Rivera (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4996)
2
3
5
0.5/-
-/-
-


Terrance Morris (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4986)
3
-
3
-/-
-/-
-


Deon Priester (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5075)
-
2
2
-/-
-/-
1


Brandon Curtis (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4960)
-
1
1
-/-
-/-
-


Mikel Horton (https://woffordterriers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4972)
1
-
1
-/-
-/-
-


TOTALS
13
13
26
2.5/8
1/6
1



Nope...No Sir...NOT "Pretty much everyone back on defense." Not hardly.I can't read this because tapa talk is terrible with charts. We did lose a couple starters from last year, but we're still pretty deep. Most of the two deep is back from the Furman game. We don't have Vaughn or Horton, but we still have Thad Mangum, Miles Brown and linebackers Billy Hinton and Weston Roundtree. We also have some upgrades at outside linebacker with TJ Neil who will almost certainly be all conference this year. Vining was a stud who earned his scholarship after walking on on the team and Morris was all conference, but we were pretty thin last year at linebacker because two of our players had career ending injuries in 2016 (they would be seniors this year) and another left the tram. That's not to say these players weren't good. They were. But they would have likely been behind the 3 aforementioned players.

So last year we were in a situation where Clemons made his first career start as a senior, Vining was a first time starter, and Morris was obviously the starter, but Roundtree and Hinton made their presence known as well. So we may have lost the starters, but something like 9 players came back this year that had at least one start last year (not all on defense...but likely most of them as Jerasaty is the only name that comes to mind on OL that wasn't the starter but started a game because Roo Daniel got hurt)

We didn't lose much from last year to this year, and what's weird is that next year would be similar (bringing back 3/4 of the defensive two deep and only losing 2 on offensive two deep). We've developed a lot of depth that I didn't appreciate until Conklin started rotating players in the final 20 minutes against Chattanooga. Apparently that was demoralizing.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Reign of Terrier]

is this right ? Horton - all conference - is out to injury... AND Priester is,out for the year. 1) Is that right? Both on DL and out this entire year?

second question. 2) Are both guys back next year?Horton will be back next year and presumably take redshirt and have 2 years of eligibility.

Priester is no longer on the team (I heard grades). Which sucks, but our DL has some good young players. So far as I can tell, none are as big as Miles or Mikel, but they have played well thus far.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[PaladinFan]

I would believe this if games were played in 3 quarters, had ETSU not struggled mightily against decent offenses last year, and had Furman had more than 300 yards of offense against them. Furman had like 5 3 and outs in the second half. That had just as much to do with the comeback as the pass defense.

So yeah, maybe ETSU is just that much better this year on defense. That is a valid hypothesis that I don't think we can dismiss yet. So I won't.

But Wofford brings back pretty much everyone on a defense that shut down Furman in ways no FCS team had done last year. And we have coaching leadership on defense that actually knows what he's doing. Meanwhile, Furman has a different OC, a different QB and some OL from last year.

I'll eat my crow if Furman beats us or even if they hang 24+ on us, but with the aforementioned information, I'm skeptical.

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You aren't reading what I am writing.

I stated quite clearly that Furman's offensive inefficiency in the second half was the major cause of the ETSU debacle. The pass defense played well most of the night. One or two more first downs in the second half and Furman likely wins that game. Not having the crippling mistake by a freshman kick returner and it is at least overtime.

ETSU has a good defense. As you are quite sure Wofford has an elite defense, certainly you noticed that ETSU held UTC to a similar offensive output as Wofford did the week prior.

Also, as I noted, Furman is doing different things offensively. You aren't going to see Keland Dirks (who didn't play in the FU/WC playoff game) run up the belly 15-17 times like you did last year. That played right into Wofford's strengths, which is their interior run defense. This Furman team has a lot more weapons on the edge than last year's group.

[FUBeAR]

Roundtree and Hinton made their presence known

OK, if you want to call it that.

In the Playoff game against Furman, Hinton played & did have 3 tackles and Roundtree “participated,” but did not register a Stat.

In the Regular Season game against Furman, Roundtree played & had 1 Assist. Hinton did not “participate.”

Clemons, Morris, and Vining combined for 37 Tackles & 1 sack in those 2 games. They won’t be playing this Saturday.

[PaladinFan]

OK, if you want to call it that.

In the Playoff game against Furman, Hinton played & did have 3 tackles and Roundtree “participated,” but did not register a Stat.

In the Regular Season game against Furman, Roundtree played & had 1 Assist. Hinton did not “participate.”

Clemons, Morris, and Vining combined for 37 Tackles & 1 sack in those 2 games. They won’t be playing this Saturday.

I think it is also notable that Dirks did not play in the post season game, which in last year's offense was a big deal. Furman was also on its third consecutive road game and Wofford was off a bye week. So, while I expected a bit of a closer game, it isn't shocking Wofford won.

I think going back into too much detail from last season is a mistake, though. Furman's offense is philosophically similar to last year's group (establish the run, play action, and look for high percentage throws), but goes about it differently.

[gofurman]

Horton will be back next year and presumably take redshirt and have 2 years of eligibility.

Priester is no longer on the team (I heard grades). Which sucks, but our DL has some good young players. So far as I can tell, none are as big as Miles or Mikel, but they have played well thus far.

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Thanks for info !!!

Loss of Priester and Horton hurts your front 7. Loss of Schmidt and Bush (the senior best OL) hurts our Furman O pretty bad - it has. they were C/G. I think that has contributed to what PFan is saying about our O uses more outside runs this year and a little less Dirks up the middle. We just arent getting the push up the middle that we did last year. It scares me that we couldn't get much push up the middle vs Western. OUtside runs and throws were all there. The one thing our O could not do v WCU was FB Dive up the middle. Took three tries to get a yard when we went for it on our own 18 yd line. That doesn't bode well. I hope it will come w Hendrix as coach but they need a year more in the weight room right now.

I believe in Hendrix so far.. their is a difference in what Hendrix did w Furman (taking a 3 win team and using same players to make playoffs and win 8 games...) and what Conklin is doing - taking an existing SoCon champ and continuing to win w many of same players. Doesn't mean Conklin isn't the best thing since sliced bread. He may be. But we won't know for 2 or 3 years with his own guys.

I think Wofford is definitely favored and should win by 20+ this weekend if they are as good as advertised. Elon (top 5) beat us by 38. To be fair, we didn't have our QB at Elon and that hurt a lot. So if you win by 20 (barring massive turnovers or something odd) I say you are strong. Win by 10+ you are good. Anything closer than that I think Wofford has to be a little concerned as I think Furman is a 3-7 or 4-6 team.

Granted, we do defend the run well in most years (Staggs from Charleston Southern) - I can't explain WTH that pass D was lately. that was just U G L Y. Not jsut Tyrie Adams but we made ETSU look like world beaters w Henrik.

Two things I will admit in our advantage.. week off, Furman option D is usually very good - my concern is the LBs seem out of place more than usual this year. Losing Reynard Ellis (Jerry RIce award list candidate for best freshman in nation) hurt a lot. He was MLB

[FUBeAR]

I think going back into too much detail from last season is a mistake, though. Furman's offense is philosophically similar to last year's group (establish the run, play action, and look for high percentage throws), but goes about it differently.

I hear ya on the ‘last year’ thing, but when YoungTerrier hikes his hind leg over my ear & tells me it’s rainin’, I feel obligated to respond.

BTW - It’s a fine detail, but I think we saw much more continuity in Furman’s O once the decision was made post-ETSU to go with the Roberts at QB. The game plan seemed much more customized to his ‘particular set of skills’ than had previously been the case.

I also think, perhaps contrary to your point, that more-well-defined plan moved closer to being more similar to last year’s O. I think personnel reasons, rather than philosophical or tactical, are why the O seems less ‘slam the RB-oriented.’ Those personnel issues are ‘settling’ (and improving) up front at the POA in the interior of the OL. Now, if we can get a bit more consistency from the OT’s/TE’s on their backside cutoff blocks, I think we will see more effectiveness out of that inside component of the FU O, along with a ‘return to form’ from Mr. Dirks...which will only help those 3 excellent TB’s (AND the WR’s in ‘orbit motion’) along with Mr. Roberts with the outside stuff & option game.

<F>ear the <F>

[Reign of Terrier]

You aren't reading what I am writing.

ETSU has a good defense. As you are quite sure Wofford has an elite defense, certainly you noticed that ETSU held UTC to a similar offensive output as Wofford did the week prior.

.

It's similar only if you're looking at the score and not much else.

Chattanooga converted only 2/9 third downs against us, 9/20 against ETSU.

We held them to 100 yards below their passing output and 20 yards below their rushing output for that ETSU game (but stopping chatts run game isn't saying much).

Chattanooga had 75 yards on their first drive and 110 yards (or so) for their next 8. Meanwhile, turnovers kept them from moving the ball against ETSU. They only had one turnover against us, late in the fourth quarter.

Chattanooga's offense may be unspectacular but their passing game was in the top 30 going into last week. We held them to season lows in both offense facets. In every game but ours, they had over 300 yards of offense. We held them to about half of their average.

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[PaladinFan]

I hear ya on the ‘last year’ thing, but when YoungTerrier hikes his leg over my ear & tells me it’s rainin’, I feel obligated to respond.

BTW - It’s a fine detail, but I think we saw much more continuity in Furman’s O once the decision was made post-ETSU to go with the Roberts at QB. The game plan seemed much more customized to his ‘particular set of skills’ than had previously been the case.

I also think, perhaps contrary to your point, that more-well-defined plan moved closer to being more similar to last year’s O. I think personnel reasons, rather than philosophical or tactical, are why the O seems less ‘slam the RB-oriented.’ Those personnel issues are ‘settling’ (and improving) up front at the POA in the interior of the OL. Now, if we can get a bit more consistency from the OT’s/TE’s on their backside cutoff blocks, I think we will see more effectiveness out of that inside component of the FU O, along with a ‘return to form’ from Mr. Dirks...which will only help those 3 excellent TB’s (AND the WR’s in ‘orbit motion’) along with Mr. Roberts with the outside stuff & option game.

<F>ear the <F>

I don't disagree with that. If I can summarize the distinctions, I'd say these are the most noticeable:

1. We "pound" the fullback less. I think that has a lot more to do with the loss of Schmidt and Bush than any decrease in Dirks' skill set. I know Coach Hendrix (and all Furman fans) want to see the Paladins be able to slam the ball up the middle on 3rd and shorts with a 250 lbs running back. I think Dirks is a dangerous back, he's just got very little room to operate at this stage.

Last season, by my calculations, Furman ran the fullbacks (Dirks, Wilcox, Gibson) close to 30 times a game (27.9). This year it is close to 14 carries a game (Dirks/Gibson).

2. Furman is utilizing the "tailback" more. Last year it was pretty much Darius Morehead, who averaged close to 9 touches a game (rush/pass). This year, Morehead is averaging under 5 touches, but his net average is up. Furman is rotating guys more with increased depth.

You also see a lot more balance in Furman's running game. Last year Morehead had 95 carries and almost none of them were between the tackles. The next highest "tailback" was Devin Wynn with 17 carries and Triston Luke with 15 (in 13 games). This season, Morehead has 17 carries, Wynn has 26, and Watkins has 18. Both Wynn and Watkins have the power/speed combination.

3. Furman is trying to get the ball in space. You really saw Furman emphasize this against WCU, and it really had nothing to do with WCU being a bad defensive team. Furman got the ball out quickly, in space, and then had success simply outrunning the Catamount defense. I think that sort of strategy is going to be the horse to ride the rest of the season.

Last year's team wanted to control the middle of the field (I'm sure we'd like to do that this year too) and then look for openings downfield. This group is far more focused on pitch option, quick throws, and getting the ball to the edge. While Roberts is not the shifty runner Blazejowski was, I think he might be better at running the pitch option.

[Mocs123]

It's similar only if you're looking at the score and not much else.

Chattanooga converted only 2/9 third downs against us, 9/20 against ETSU.

We held them to 100 yards below their passing output and 20 yards below their rushing output for that ETSU game (but stopping chatts run game isn't saying much).

Chattanooga had 75 yards on their first drive and 110 yards (or so) for their next 8. Meanwhile, turnovers kept them from moving the ball against ETSU. They only had one turnover against us, late in the fourth quarter.

Chattanooga's offense may be unspectacular but their passing game was in the top 30 going into last week. We held them to season lows in both offense facets. In every game but ours, they had over 300 yards of offense. We held them to about half of their average.

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ETSU’s pass rush got to our line and caused us some problems, but I think Wofford’s defense was considerably better (and that’s not a slight at ETSU’s D which is quite good )

[Reign of Terrier]

One thing I just noticed is that, barring Chris Hatcher getting fired and Chattanooga finding a run game, it looks like the socon now has 3 air-raid (ish) teams (would Chattanooga be better if they went to the air raid?). The FCS stats website has 3 Socon QBs in the top 8 in the country in terms of passing yards. We also have two wideouts in the top 5.

So, it looks like future defenses are going to need a diverse skillset. With 1/3 (VMI, Samford, Chattanooga) of the teams passing the ball as their primary weapon, 1/3 running the ball (Wofford, the Citadel, Furman) and the other 1/3 being somewhere in between (Mercer, ETSU, Western Carolina).

We've talked in other thread why pass-happy teams seems to play bad defense, maybe this development explains why the conference is not playing good defense right now?

[walliver]

Power rankings:
1) Wofford - here until we lose
2) Samford -horrible start, and much of last week's blowout was Catamount ineptitude, but this is a team to be feared down the stretch
3) ETSU - decent record, but probably not the second best team in the conference
4) Chattanooga - still have a winning record, and nothing much differentiates 4-7
5) Furman - one game winning streak
6) Mercer - QB injury keeps them here
7) The Citadel - they need to win to move up
8) Western Carolina - Is Cullowhee an ancient Indian Burial Ground? Is the school cursed? Do they realize the de-fence is more than that thing the separates the sheep from the goats?
9) VMI

With so many teams sitting out last week, most of my rankings are just guesses.

This week:
Mercer at Yale. Is the Ivy playing real football this year? With a healthy QB I would pick the cubbies, but fear the yankee pups win this one 24-13
Wofford at Furman - Wofford is better this year than last, Furman has taken a step back. Mike Ayers' teams struggles in Travellers Rest, will Conklin have that problem. T-Dogs escape with a 28-20 win.
ETSU at The Citadel - ETSU is higher on my list, but Chucktown pups are tough at home and win 31-17
VMI at Samford - VMI scores lots of points, but the Bama pups score more. This is the type of game Hatcher has lost in the past, but with their bad start, he won't overlook the kangaroos. Sammy wins 52-38
UTC at WCU - defense may not "win championships" but the absence of a defense doesn't win football games. UTC's ball-control passing game keeps the score down, but they only need to stop the Cants once to win and the Tran Birds win 31-23

[ETSUfan1]

Hope our lack of respect continues all the way to the playoffs.

[FUBeAR]

Power rankings:
1) Wofford - here until we lose
2) Samford -horrible start, and much of last week's blowout was Catamount ineptitude, but this is a team to be feared down the stretch
3) ETSU - decent record, but probably not the second best team in the conference
4) Chattanooga - still have a winning record, and nothing much differentiates 4-7
5) Furman - one game winning streak
6) Mercer - QB injury keeps them here
7) The Citadel - they need to win to move up
8) Western Carolina - Is Cullowhee an ancient Indian Burial Ground? Is the school cursed? Do they realize the de-fence is more than that thing the separates the sheep from the goats?
9) VMI

With so many teams sitting out last week, most of my rankings are just guesses.

This week:
Mercer at Yale. Is the Ivy playing real football this year? With a healthy QB I would pick the cubbies, but fear the yankee pups win this one 24-13
Wofford at Furman - Wofford is better this year than last, Furman has taken a step back. Mike Ayers' teams struggles in Travellers Rest, will Conklin have that problem. T-Dogs escape with a 28-20 win.
ETSU at The Citadel - ETSU is higher on my list, but Chucktown pups are tough at home and win 31-17
VMI at Samford - VMI scores lots of points, but the Bama pups score more. This is the type of game Hatcher has lost in the past, but with their bad start, he won't overlook the kangaroos. Sammy wins 52-38
UTC at WCU - defense may not "win championships" but the absence of a defense doesn't win football games. UTC's ball-control passing game keeps the score down, but they only need to stop the Cants once to win and the Tran Birds win 31-23Wow...a lot to chew on here...

1) So, #2 in your rankings has recent losses to #4 & #6 and you are granting them this lofty perch with their only wins over your #8 Team that they played, essentially, without their All-A-Lot-of-Things Starting QB & over a winless D2 Team that I, honestly, believe would lose to several GA HS Teams. OK. You are a canine of great faith.

2) Granted, Robert Riddle was quite impressive in his outings as Mercer’s starting QB. Just want to make sure you realize his ‘replacement’ has started 13 games in his career (Riddle started 3 - he split time in one of those & didn't (quite) finish another. He has only been Mercer's 'wire-to-wire' QB in 1 game) and was the 2017 SoCon Freshman of the Year...and he is “healthy,” as far as I know.

3) Are you saying that Chatt’s Football Team is, um, gender-fluid?

[Reign of Terrier]

Chattanooga will compete for a playoff spot. We will be talking about it the last 3 weeks of the season. Book it.

You can say their offense sucks, but they light it up through the air and still have Western Carolina, VMI, Mercer, and Furman, all who have question marks in the secondary. And their defense is solid.

I think if they make it they are out in round one, but they will compete for and deserve a spot if they win out

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[wcugrad95]

Power rankings - WCU drops to number 8, and only stay above VMI because just like in the game with the Keydets the Cats somehow pulled out the narrow win. I don't know what to do with Samford - they showed the kind of talent they have, but against a Western defense that somehow appears to be getting worse every week rather than at least staying the same. It also appears Adams may not play for WCU this weekend, so Jones is a very good backup but I expect the offense to struggle against a pretty good UTC defense.

Wofford is still my clear #1, WCU is now #8, VMI is still #9, and the rest will just have to get figured out on the field.

Mercer
Wofford
The Citadel
Samford
Chattanooga

[gofurman]

Power rankings - WCU drops to number 8, and only stay above VMI because just like in the game with the Keydets the Cats somehow pulled out the narrow win. I don't know what to do with Samford - they showed the kind of talent they have, but against a Western defense that somehow appears to be getting worse every week rather than at least staying the same. It also appears Adams may not play for WCU this weekend, so Jones is a very good backup but I expect the offense to struggle against a pretty good UTC defense.

Wofford is still my clear #1, WCU is now #8, VMI is still #9, and the rest will just have to get figured out on the field.

Mercer
Wofford
The Citadel
Samford
Chattanooga

So basically Furman gave the next WCU opponents a totally different WCU team. Last year we knocked Adams out - or he got hurt somehow, can't recall ... But he returned for the next games I believe. Another year, another loss of Adams vs FU. That's two years in a row. JK on that part - I truly hope he is ok. Heard mild rib injury and he played some vs Sammy so must be not too bad which is good. Our win against you looks less if - without Adams - you aren't competitive. WCU can win out as far as I am concerned. So Adams being out now doesn't help Furman

[FUBeAR]

Let's get it out of the way...Long road-trip for the FUBeAR sleuth (look it up) to New Haven, CT this week. Hate to miss my Paladins welcoming Coach Conklin to what Woffy-peeps think is a rivalry, but these plans were made long ago.

PowerPoll

1) Wofford - Let's see...after losing to #7 in my PowerPoll, how far down will I drop the AnkleBiters next week?
2) ETSU - I'm starting to hate my own PowerPoll just 2 entries in...because I'm not buying it, at all...
3) Chattanooga - still not believing my own PowerPoll. If I were you, I would stop reading now....if you made it this far.
4) The Citadel - nope, not really
5) Mercer - FINALLY, a Team that I believe I have in the right place
6) Samford - Probably higher, but a win over the boys from CullowheeWithoutTheirTyrie doesn't say much more than beating GHSA 3-A, Shorter
7) Furman - I see a shining light on a hill off in the darkness for this Team. Hope it's not a weaponized drone.
8) VMI - Surprised you, didn't I? Improvement has consequences. Tusculum is less than 1 month away!
9) WCU - With the Tyrie Show, they were 2 to 3 scores down most of the game to #7 on my list. Without him, they were down 15-20 scores to #6 on my list. Still better than Shorter.


This week's games:

Mercer @ Yale - With heavy rain in the forecast all day Thursday, this game is likely to resemble one of those currently fashionable "Mud Runs" or the Furman @ Wofford game of 2002 or the Furman @ Chatt game of 1982 in Chamberlain Field (I dang near drowned in a pile-up!). From what I saw on ESPNU last Friday night, the Yale Bowl turf is a disgrace to college football. Can we start an AGS GoFundMe to donate to Yale to fix their turf? Their endowment is only $29.4 BILLION, but imagine the broker's fees they have to pay on that...and the cost of free beer for all students must be astronomical, if what I learned watching the SCOTUS Confirmation Hearings is accurate. I have no idea how this game will play out. Dartmouth Powered, Countered, and Power-Read-ed them to DEATH all night, but Mercer doesn't run those plays anymore. O, where have you gone mobile, athletic OG's and John Russ? Why have you forsaken FUBeAR? Oh well, before the end of the game last week, Yale's QB checked out & the beating he received resembled what Tyrie Adams faced during the FU game and their STUD RB has some kind of injury, so I'm going to hang my paws on those things. Bears take the rubber match against the 3 Bulldogs on their schedule and bring home a decent OOC win for the SoCon 23-16

Wofford @ Furman - As the Paladins' Offensive game plan begins to gel around the particular set of skills of their R-SR QB and the OL continues to solidify and improve, I think the Terriers vaunted (but somewhat wounded) D is challenged. If FU can NOT get burned by the PorchYappers timely passing game AND their young & passionate LB's and their passionate, but not so young DB's play the run with DISCIPLINE, they will be fine. Special Teams may be the difference in this one and I believe that favors FU a wee bit. Paladins throw my PowerPoll into chaos and win another SoCon SlobberingKnockering 27-24.

ETSU @ The Citadel - The bellhops are, by now, a battle-tested crew. Having fought WARS against Wofford, Chatt, Mercer, and Towson, they are still young, but ready to face an experienced group of CapnJackSparrows. But Mars Hill, VMI, a discombobulated FU Team, and Gardner-Webb haven't prepared the Bucklers of Swash quite as well. If Jordan Black can throw the ball like he seems to be able to do in Macon (only...dammit), that will open up a lot of running lanes for CIT's RB's. The bellhops D will get burned some, but the boys in baby blue come out the other side on top 42-35

VMI @ Samford - Samford had their dose of WCU's Heal-Ur-O tonic last week and the Catamounts' O even gave them a booster dose of "Pre-Workout" to get it going, then made sure the patient was successfully rehabbing by not having their All-A-Lot-of-Things Player available. It was like a Recovery Spa week in Taos, New Mexico for Coach Hatcher's Team. VMI is getting better and I think Samford's secondary is still rather short-handed, so I think the Keydets are going to score (if they can block Gooden). VMI's Defense is much better than WCU's, so the overall tonic effects will be waning some, but I still see the Bullpups winning this one 41-31

Chattanooga @ Western Carolina - I understand Adams is likely "OUT" this week. My bet is he has a cracked rib high on the left side or possibly a crack in his sternum that he suffered against FU. I'm not a doctor, but like the guy from Farmers Insurance, FUBeAR has seen a thing or two. If that's the case, he's one tough hombre for returning to finish (and playing very well in) the FU game and giving it a shot to go against Samford. But, if he's out and WCU didn't get a wholesale transfer-in of Defensive Players (and Coaches) since last Saturday, I think Chatt can name the score. What say you, Mr. Tiano? Mocs coast 56-10.

[woffordgrad94]

Wow...a lot to chew on here...

1) So, #2 in your rankings has recent losses to #4 & #6 and you are granting them this lofty perch with their only wins over your #8 Team that they played, essentially, without their All-A-Lot-of-Things Starting QB & over a winless D2 Team that I, honestly, believe would lose to several GA HS Teams. OK. You are a canine of great faith.

2) Granted, Robert Riddle was quite impressive in his outings as Mercer’s starting QB. Just want to make sure you realize his ‘replacement’ has started 13 games in his career (Riddle started 3 - he split time in one of those & didn't (quite) finish another. He has only been Mercer's 'wire-to-wire' QB in 1 game) and was the 2017 SoCon Freshman of the Year...and he is “healthy,” as far as I know.

3) Are you saying that Chatt’s Football Team is, um, gender-fluid?
He meant TRAIN Birds, but I think you knew that, tallywhackerhead.

[woffordgrad94]

SPECIAL EDITION JUST FOR FuBEAR

Wofford 34, Furman University Christian Knights (or F.U.C.K.s) 21 (late garbage TD by FU makes it look closer than it really was)
Yale 28, Murcr 13 (the Berenstain Bears ain’t gonna get it done up nawth, not without no quotaback)
ETSU 24, The Citadel 21 (SwashBUCklers show they are for real)
Samford 70, VMI 27 (they’re still Very Much Inept)
TRAIN Birds 45, CAN’Tamounts 24 (WCU is not too good I fear)

1. WOFFORD T-DOGS: Big, bad and CAN’T be had! (You mad? Or just sad?)
2. ETSU: Doubt them at your peril...you will fall to their swords
3. SAMFORD: EmBARKing on a winning streak
4 (tie) THE CITADEL: tough schedule for the Cadet Dogs
4 (tie) CHATTANOOGA: latest T-Dog victim; recovering from some vicious bites to their throats
6. F.U.C.K.s: I guess they were simply overrated
7. MURCR: “I want my quarter back!!!” Call the WAAAAAAMBULANCE!
8. CAN’TAMOUNTS
9. VERY MUCH INEPT

[PaladinFan]

So basically Furman gave the next WCU opponents a totally different WCU team. Last year we knocked Adams out - or he got hurt somehow, can't recall ... But he returned for the next games I believe. Another year, another loss of Adams vs FU. That's two years in a row. JK on that part - I truly hope he is ok. Heard mild rib injury and he played some vs Sammy so must be not too bad which is good. Our win against you looks less if - without Adams - you aren't competitive. WCU can win out as far as I am concerned. So Adams being out now doesn't help Furman

Adams had a whale of a game against Furman, but the Paladin defense hit him a bunch. I think there were at least four sacks and I lost count of the times he was knocked down or tackled.

Furman’s defense is a conundrum to me. There are good players, a deep defensive line, and a talented backfield. My only thought is that the youth in the inside linebacking corps has been the primary problem. The optimist in me thinks we’ll get that figured out.

[FUBeAR]

SPECIAL EDITION JUST FOR FuBEAR

Wofford 34, Furman University Christian Knights (or F.U.C.K.s) 21 (late garbage TD by FU makes it look closer than it really was)
Yale 28, Murcr 13 (the Berenstain Bears ain’t gonna get it done up nawth, not without no quotaback)
ETSU 24, The Citadel 21 (SwashBUCklers show they are for real)
Samford 70, VMI 27 (they’re still Very Much Inept)
TRAIN Birds 45, CAN’Tamounts 24 (WCU is not too good I fear)

1. WOFFORD T-DOGS: Big, bad and CAN’T be had! (You mad? Or just sad?)
2. ETSU: Doubt them at your peril...you will fall to their swords
3. SAMFORD: EmBARKing on a winning streak
4 (tie) THE CITADEL: tough schedule for the Cadet Dogs
4 (tie) CHATTANOOGA: latest T-Dog victim; recovering from some vicious bites to their throats
6. F.U.C.K.s: I guess they were simply overrated
7. MURCR: “I want my quarter back!!!” Call the WAAAAAAMBULANCE!
8. CAN’TAMOUNTS
9. VERY MUCH INEPT

So, #3 in your rankings has recent losses to #4 & #7 and you are granting them this lofty perch with their only wins over your #8 Team that they played, essentially, without their All-A-Lot-of-Things Starting QB & over a winless D2 Team that I, honestly, believe would lose to several GA HS Teams. OK. You are a canine of great faith (and drunk...I fear).

[PaladinFan]

So, #3 in your rankings has recent losses to #4 & #7 and you are granting them this lofty perch with their only wins over your #8 Team that they played, essentially, without their All-A-Lot-of-Things Starting QB & over a winless D2 Team that I, honestly, believe would lose to several GA HS Teams. OK. You are a canine of great faith (and drunk...I fear).

Samford got the benefit of playing Western's bad defense without the burden of playing Tyrie Adams and their offense.

[FUBeAR]

Samford got the benefit of playing Western's bad defense without the burden of playing Tyrie Adams and their offense.Yes...as previously noted...


Samford had their dose of WCU's Heal-Ur-O tonic last week and the Catamounts' O even gave them a booster dose of "Pre-Workout" to get it going, then made sure the patient was successfully rehabbing by not having their All-A-Lot-of-Things Player available. It was like a Recovery Spa week in Taos, New Mexico for Coach Hatcher's Team.

[woffordgrad94]

So, #3 in your rankings has recent losses to #4 & #7 and you are granting them this lofty perch with their only wins over your #8 Team that they played, essentially, without their All-A-Lot-of-Things Starting QB & over a winless D2 Team that I, honestly, believe would lose to several GA HS Teams. OK. You are a canine of great faith (and drunk...I fear).
I’ve never been more sober. Mercer took a drop because of their QB situation. Samford has been underachieving but I think they are ready to right the ship now. And just to clarify, my ranking are where I think the teams will be at the end of the year, not necessarily where they are right now.




And my rankings here just MIGHT be slightly influenced by the fact that I wanted to lowball your teams because your posts are always pissing me off.

[FUBeAR]

your posts are always pissing me off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnbuq7SWqWM

[PaladinFan]

I’ve never been more sober. Mercer took a drop because of their QB situation. Samford has been underachieving but I think they are ready to right the ship now. And just to clarify, my ranking are where I think the teams will be at the end of the year, not necessarily where they are right now.




And my rankings here just MIGHT be slightly influenced by the fact that I wanted to lowball your teams because your posts are always pissing me off.

I tend to rank teams based on my perception of their total talent. The 30,000 foot view, if you will.

If we ranked them where they are currently, then that's just the standings.

Some rankings will be internally inconsistent, but as long as you can make an argument, I'm good with that. Just don't put WCU ahead of Furman and say "because I said so." At least defend the position.

[woffordgrad94]

I had a hard time putting WCU ahead of VMI...that required a pause. xnodx

- - - Updated - - -



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnbuq7SWqWM
Thanks buddy...I needed that!

[Smitty]

I had a hard time putting WCU ahead of VMI...that required a pause. xnodx



At this point I wouldn't be sure we would win if we faced them again

[FUBeAR]

If we ranked them where they are currently, then that's just the standings.Not necessarily.

I typically rank them where I think they are right now, relative to the other Teams in the SoCon; considering their record & competition-level, both in and out of conference; the trend in those W’s & L’s; how they are playing in those games, along with the trend of how they are playing; and including any other relevant/material developments - injuries, locker room issues, etc.

...except this week...when I just lied to myself because I’m pretty much at a loss where everyone from 1-7 should be ranked.

[FUBeAR]

At this point I wouldn't be sure we would win if we faced them againWithout Adams doing Adams things, I would project VMI wins that matchup by 3 scores.

[Smitty]

Without Adams doing Adams things, I would project VMI wins that matchup by 3 scores.

It will be interesting to see what Will Jones can do as he was considered one of our decent prospects. I'm just hoping for 2 TDs and to keep UTC from scoring 70

[Reign of Terrier]

Couple notes on the games this week:

I don't see Furman scoring more than 21 on Wofford unless turnovers are a factor. Nothing we've seen out of Furman (so far) this year suggests they are better than average. Much how Wofford pulverizing Gardner Webb doesn't count against them but isn't impressive, so too is racking up points against Western. Meanwhile, I think Wofford's offense is good for at least 20 in this one, again barring turnovers. Because of turnovers and missed field goals, we have left at least 9 points on the field against Chatt, and I think their defense is better than Furman's. Conversely, turnovers and dumb penalties (Chatts FG drive was assisted by at least 30 yards in penalties) have put at least 31 points on the board for our opponents this year.

So I have to reiterate that it's certainly possible Furman can beat us (especially in Greenville) and that our trend of turning the ball over makes it all the more likely. But if we don't turn the ball over, I just don't see it happening.

As I've said a couple times, Chattanooga is going to compete for a playoff spot. Their beat writer pointed out that they played the top 3 defenses in the socon the last 3 weeks. Going forward they have the two worst the next 2 weeks. I think Chatt is the first team to both blow out Western and hold them below 20. Defense will take you a long way in this league.

ETSU has not played a team that will run the ball like the Citadel. Their run defense stats are slightly inflated. Furman isn't the rushing juggernaut they were last year, Gardner Webb is lol, Chattanooga can't run the ball, and VMI doesn't run the ball. I admit, Wofford has played those same opponents, sans Furman, but we know Wofford has a decent run defense from previous years. If they can't stop the Citadel, ETSU is in trouble. And it's hard to stop the Citadel

I think VMI and Samford will be more interesting than people think because VMI is improved and because Samfords offense is struggling if you take away the Western game. VMI defense isn't as bad as Western's. And Samfords defense is struggling too.

I think the Mercer game won't be close. the problem is I don't know who will win

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[PaladinFan]

Couple notes on the games this week:

I don't see Furman scoring more than 21 on Wofford unless turnovers are a factor. Nothing we've seen out of Furman (so far) this year suggests they are better than average. Much how Wofford pulverizing Gardner Webb doesn't count against them but isn't impressive, so too is racking up points against Western. Meanwhile, I think Wofford's offense is good for at least 20 in this one, again barring turnovers. Because of turnovers and missed field goals, we have left at least 9 points on the field against Chatt, and I think their defense is better than Furman's. Conversely, turnovers and dumb penalties (Chatts FG drive was assisted by at least 30 yards in penalties) have put at least 31 points on the board for our opponents this year.

So I have to reiterate that it's certainly possible Furman can beat us (especially in Greenville) and that our trend of turning the ball over makes it all the more likely. But if we don't turn the ball over, I just don't see it happening.

As I've said a couple times, Chattanooga is going to compete for a playoff spot. Their beat writer pointed out that they played the top 3 defenses in the socon the last 3 weeks. Going forward they have the two worst the next 2 weeks. I think Chatt is the first team to both blow out Western and hold them below 20. Defense will take you a long way in this league.

ETSU has not played a team that will run the ball like the Citadel. Their run defense stats are slightly inflated. Furman isn't the rushing juggernaut they were last year, Gardner Webb is lol, Chattanooga can't run the ball, and VMI doesn't run the ball. I admit, Wofford has played those same opponents, sans Furman, but we know Wofford has a decent run defense from previous years. If they can't stop the Citadel, ETSU is in trouble. And it's hard to stop the Citadel

I think VMI and Samford will be more interesting than people think because VMI is improved and because Samfords offense is struggling if you take away the Western game. VMI defense isn't as bad as Western's. And Samfords defense is struggling too.

I think the Mercer game won't be close. the problem is I don't know who will win

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Not that transitivity works in football, but Furman scored 27 on ETSU in three quarters on the road. ETSU shut out Gardner Webb. The Running Bulldogs found the endzone twice against Wofford.

Again, I think you can sort of take Furman's first two games and throw them out statistically. They played two very good defenses on the road without their starting QB. Against teams other than Elon and Clemson, and with Harris Roberts under center, the offense has looked considerably more explosive.

[FUBeAR]

It will be interesting to see what Will Jones can do as he was considered one of our decent prospects. I'm just hoping for 2 TDs and to keep UTC from scoring 70He is a darn good QB. His poise in his appearance in the FU game was notable. I didn’t watch much of his effort during Samford game, but that was a ‘bad spot’ for anyone. Kind of like running into a burning building. The thing is that the WCU O is not presently designed to best utilize his skill-set. Much like FU’s O was disjointed until they settled on a QB and started building around his assets & avoiding his liabilities. If WCU wants to & is able to make a similar adaptation, they won’t get boat-raced in every game. If not, it could be ugly...unless the D, magically, improves.

[PaladinFan]

He is a darn good QB. His poise in his appearance in the FU game was notable. I didn’t watch much of his effort during Samford game, but that was a ‘bad spot’ for anyone. Kind of like running into a burning building. The thing is that the WCU O is not presently designed to best utilize his skill-set. Much like FU’s O was disjointed until they settled on a QB and started building around his assets & avoiding his liabilities. If WCU wants to & is able to make a similar adaptation, they won’t get boat-raced in every game. If not, it could be ugly...unless the D, magically, improves.

You and I likely disagree on this, but from what I've seen, Tyrie Adams is WCU's best QB and I don't think it is remotely close.

[FUBeAR]

I think the Mercer game won't be close. the problem is I don't know who will win

That’s an interesting take. I agree that I have no idea who will win, but I’m wondering why you think it won’t be close. You could be exactly right, but I’m interested in the thought process.

Yale has some good-looking Players...getting off the bus good-looking, but it’s really hard for me to get a sense of their speed and athleticism. Only Secretariat would look fast on their muddy track, so I just don’t know. Their D definitely plays aggressive & downhill, but Dartmouth’s OL man-handled them. I’m not sure Mercer’s can...well, actually, I’m pretty sure they can’t, but they can create creases & the Bears have 2 RB’s who can turn those creases into substantial gains. Don’t know if they are “mudders” though. If Mercer can’t run the ball effeectively, they will get beat...and maybe by A LOT. After what Dartmouth did, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some WildBear plays this week with Tee Mitchell running a zone-Blocking version of power-read with Tyray Devezin as the RB option...if that’s even possible. IF they can run the ball, some passing opportunities will present themselves. Yale was unsound in some of their Man & Zone-Blitzes vs. Dartmouth & Mercer has much better WR’s to exploit those opportunities, IF their QB can withstand the rush and THROW the ball to them.

On D, Dartmouth’s Front 7 pushed around Yale’s good-looking Players all night...they made their OL look like Community College students taking an upper level Asian Philosophy class. Mercer has the beef up front that can do similarly IF they can stay on their feet in the slop. I didn’t see any Memphis-like WR’s wearing Yale blue out there, so the Bears should match-up well in the Secondary. If they can contain the (possibly hurting) QB and PRESSURE him at the same time, I think we could see a low-scoring affair as long as Mercer’s O holds up their end of the deal. If we have a repeat of Mercer vs. Samford 2017 from the Mercer O, it could be ugly.

Also, of note...Bears are 0-2 on plane trips & 0-1 north of the Mason-Dixon as they lost @ San Diego and @ Marist in 2013 - their only losses that year. Other than giving up a TD on the opening kickoff at SD, they were reasonably competitive in that game (all things considered). @ Marist, they soiled the mattress with a raft of turnovers and looked bad in a game that, if they won, would have made them PFL Champs & given them a Playoff berth in Year 1. As my FormerBear told me after that game, “Bears can’t fly.”

Hope he’s wrong...

[FUBeAR]

You and I likely disagree on this, but from what I've seen, Tyrie Adams is WCU's best QB and I don't think it is remotely close.No disagreement. You lookin’ for a fight or something?

Let’s save it for the ChewToyHumpers.

[Reign of Terrier]

That’s an interesting take. I agree that I have no idea who will win, but I’m wondering why you think it won’t be close. You could be exactly right, but I’m interested in the thought process.

Yale has some good-looking Players...getting off the bus good-looking, but it’s really hard for me to get a sense of their speed and athleticism. Only Secretariat would look fast on their muddy track, so I just don’t know. Their D definitely plays aggressive & downhill, but Dartmouth’s OL man-handled them. I’m not sure Mercer’s can...well, actually, I’m pretty sure they can’t, but they can create creases & the Bears have 2 RB’s who can turn those creases into substantial gains. Don’t know if they are “mudders” though. If Mercer can’t run the ball effeectively, they will get beat...and maybe by A LOT. After what Dartmouth did, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some WildBear plays this week with Tee Mitchell running a zone-Blocking version of power-read with Tyray Devezin as the RB option...if that’s even possible. IF they can run the ball, some passing opportunities will present themselves. Yale was unsound in some of their Man & Zone-Blitzes vs. Dartmouth & Mercer has much better WR’s to exploit those opportunities, IF their QB can withstand the rush and THROW the ball to them.

On D, Dartmouth’s Front 7 pushed around Yale’s good-looking Players all night...they made their OL look like Community College students taking an upper level Asian Philosophy class. Mercer has the beef up front that can do similarly IF they can stay on their feet in the slop. I didn’t see any Memphis-like WR’s wearing Yale blue out there, so the Bears should match-up well in the Secondary. If they can contain the (possibly hurting) QB and PRESSURE him at the same time, I think we could see a low-scoring affair as long as Mercer’s O holds up their end of the deal. If we have a repeat of Mercer vs. Samford 2017 from the Mercer O, it could be ugly.

Also, of note...Bears are 0-2 on plane trips & 0-1 north of the Mason-Dixon as they lost @ San Diego and @ Marist in 2013 - their only losses that year. Other than giving up a TD on the opening kickoff at SD, they were reasonably competitive in that game (all things considered). @ Marist, they soiled the mattress with a raft of turnovers and looked bad in a game that, if they won, would have made them PFL Champs & given them a Playoff berth in Year 1. As my FormerBear told me after that game, “Bears can’t fly.”

Hope he’s wrong...My thinking is simply this: either the ivys are very overrated and Mercer is a decent to good team (thus they blow them out)

OR

Mercer is in the range of .500 (where they have been) to good by socon standards (8-3ish) and the Ivy's aren't overrated (thus they get blown out)



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[kdinva]

That’s an interesting take. I agree that I have no idea who will win, but I’m wondering why you think it won’t be close. You could be exactly right, but I’m interested in the thought process.

Yale has some good-looking Players...getting off the bus good-looking, but it’s really hard for me to get a sense of their speed and athleticism. Only Secretariat would look fast on their muddy track, so I just don’t know. Their D definitely plays aggressive & downhill, but Dartmouth’s OL man-handled them. I’m not sure Mercer’s can...well, actually, I’m pretty sure they can’t, but they can create creases & the Bears have 2 RB’s who can turn those creases into substantial gains. Don’t know if they are “mudders” though. .....On D, Dartmouth’s Front 7 pushed around Yale’s good-looking Players all night...they made their OL look like Community College students taking an upper level Asian Philosophy class. Mercer has the beef up front that can do similarly IF they can stay on their feet in the slop.
Also, of note...Bears are 0-2 on plane trips & 0-1 north of the Mason-Dixon
Hope he’s wrong...

True in the fact the Yale Bowl's turf ain't the best, is kept at about a 2 to 2-1/2-inch cut (it looked that way to me, on TV...)....so Mercer's skill players may be slowed....

[kdinva]

Mercer 20 @ Yale 24
Wofford 34 @ Furman 21
ETSU 20 @ The Citadel 23
VMI 34 @ Samford 35
Chattanooga 35 @ Western Carolina 24

[Smitty]

You and I likely disagree on this, but from what I've seen, Tyrie Adams is WCU's best QB and I don't think it is remotely close.

You mean a QB with multiple years of experience at the helm and who has an offense based off his skills is the better QB than one that doesn't have all that? Color me shocked...

[wcugrad95]

You mean a QB with multiple years of experience at the helm and who has an offense based off his skills is the better QB than one that doesn't have all that? Color me shocked...

Agree with all that is being said. In the current WCU offense, Adams is by far the better player. In pure athletic ability, Adams is by far the better athlete (he was the SoCon high jump champion as a Freshman). I don't expect WCU to be able to totally shift their offensive scheme in 1 week to be more of a pro-style, so I would expect Jones to look worse in this offense than Adams does. Jones "looks like" a very good QB with his size and arm - just not necessarily the "fit" Adams is (although he has run the ball relatively effectively when he has gotten into games). Jones is the best backup-QB Western has had in a very long time, so I don't expect the offense to be inept. I just expect the D to continue to struggle and the O to not be as explosive.

[longtimemocfan]

Couple notes on the games this week:

I don't see Furman scoring more than 21 on Wofford unless turnovers are a factor. Nothing we've seen out of Furman (so far) this year suggests they are better than average. Much how Wofford pulverizing Gardner Webb doesn't count against them but isn't impressive, so too is racking up points against Western. Meanwhile, I think Wofford's offense is good for at least 20 in this one, again barring turnovers. Because of turnovers and missed field goals, we have left at least 9 points on the field against Chatt, and I think their defense is better than Furman's. Conversely, turnovers and dumb penalties (Chatts FG drive was assisted by at least 30 yards in penalties) have put at least 31 points on the board for our opponents this year.

So I have to reiterate that it's certainly possible Furman can beat us (especially in Greenville) and that our trend of turning the ball over makes it all the more likely. But if we don't turn the ball over, I just don't see it happening.

As I've said a couple times, Chattanooga is going to compete for a playoff spot. Their beat writer pointed out that they played the top 3 defenses in the socon the last 3 weeks. Going forward they have the two worst the next 2 weeks. I think Chatt is the first team to both blow out Western and hold them below 20. Defense will take you a long way in this league.

ETSU has not played a team that will run the ball like the Citadel. Their run defense stats are slightly inflated. Furman isn't the rushing juggernaut they were last year, Gardner Webb is lol, Chattanooga can't run the ball, and VMI doesn't run the ball. I admit, Wofford has played those same opponents, sans Furman, but we know Wofford has a decent run defense from previous years. If they can't stop the Citadel, ETSU is in trouble. And it's hard to stop the Citadel

I think VMI and Samford will be more interesting than people think because VMI is improved and because Samfords offense is struggling if you take away the Western game. VMI defense isn't as bad as Western's. And Samfords defense is struggling too.

I think the Mercer game won't be close. the problem is I don't know who will win

Sent from my Pixel 2 using TapatalkI don't see Furman scoring more than 21points on Wofford either. This is the best Wofford defense I have seen in some time. Unless Woffy's defense hands out some early Christmas presents I would tend to think Furman scoring around 14. Just looking at the stats suggest just that. Of course Furman could come out and score 30.

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[PaladinFan]

I don't see Furman scoring more than 21points on Wofford either. This is the best Wofford defense I have seen in some time. Unless Woffy's defense hands out some early Christmas presents I would tend to think Furman scoring around 14. Just looking at the stats suggest just that. Of course Furman could come out and score 30.

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It may happen, but I don't see Wofford holding Furman to 14.

It is my opinion that UTC is not a particularly good offense.

[FUBeAR]

It may happen, but I don't see Wofford holding Furman to 14.

It is my opinion that UTC is not a particularly good offense.

I would like to know what the heck happened from THIS (Chatt's 1st possession)...



Chattanooga at 15:00




1st and 10 at UTC25
PENALTY UTC false start (Noah Ramsey) 5 yards to the UTC20, NO PLAY.


1st and 15 at UTC20
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 6 yards to the UTC26


2nd and 9 at UTC26
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Joseph Parker for 12 yards to the UTC38, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at UTC38
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Tyrell Price for 8 yards to the UTC46


2nd and 2 at UTC46
PENALTY UTC false start (Harrison Moon) 5 yards to the UTC41, NO PLAY.


2nd and 7 at UTC41
Nick Tiano OUT pass complete to Joseph Parker for 12 yards to the WOF47, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at WOF47
Alex Trotter rush right for 2 yards to the WOF45


2nd and 8 at WOF45
Nick Tiano OUT pass complete to Wil Young for 9 yards to the WOF36, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at WOF36
Tyrell Price rush over left guard for loss of 2 yards to the WOF38


2nd and 12 at WOF38
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 10 yards to the WOF28


3rd and 2 at WOF28
Nick Tiano rush quarterback draw for 4 yards to the WOF24, 1ST DOWN UTC.


1st and 10 at WOF24
Tyrell Price rush over right guard for 4 yards to the WOF20


2nd and 6 at WOF20
Nick Tiano slant pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 8 yards to the WOF12, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at WOF12
Nick Tiano rush quarterback sneak for 1 yard to the WOF11


2nd and 9 at WOF11
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 11 yards to the WOF0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:03.


TOTAL
13 plays , 75 yards Time of Possession: 6:57







...to not scoring another TD the rest of the game.

I've tried to watch the ESPN replay, but I keep falling asleep after this impressive, METHODICAL & EFFECTIVE (Tiano was 8/8 for 76 yards) drive. Yeah, I see they only had 9 yards on 5 running plays, but those 9 yards came on the last 3 running plays...and if you can pick up about 3 yds/play and skosh more, you can win with that...or at least keep the D honest).

I'll try to watch again tonight...but what happened Sports Fans?...cuz I'll probably ZZZZZZ out again

[Reign of Terrier]

I would like to know what the heck happened from THIS (Chatt's 1st possession)...



Chattanooga at 15:00




1st and 10 at UTC25
PENALTY UTC false start (Noah Ramsey) 5 yards to the UTC20, NO PLAY.


1st and 15 at UTC20
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 6 yards to the UTC26


2nd and 9 at UTC26
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Joseph Parker for 12 yards to the UTC38, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at UTC38
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Tyrell Price for 8 yards to the UTC46


2nd and 2 at UTC46
PENALTY UTC false start (Harrison Moon) 5 yards to the UTC41, NO PLAY.


2nd and 7 at UTC41
Nick Tiano OUT pass complete to Joseph Parker for 12 yards to the WOF47, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at WOF47
Alex Trotter rush right for 2 yards to the WOF45


2nd and 8 at WOF45
Nick Tiano OUT pass complete to Wil Young for 9 yards to the WOF36, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at WOF36
Tyrell Price rush over left guard for loss of 2 yards to the WOF38


2nd and 12 at WOF38
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 10 yards to the WOF28


3rd and 2 at WOF28
Nick Tiano rush quarterback draw for 4 yards to the WOF24, 1ST DOWN UTC.


1st and 10 at WOF24
Tyrell Price rush over right guard for 4 yards to the WOF20


2nd and 6 at WOF20
Nick Tiano slant pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 8 yards to the WOF12, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at WOF12
Nick Tiano rush quarterback sneak for 1 yard to the WOF11


2nd and 9 at WOF11
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 11 yards to the WOF0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:03.


TOTAL
13 plays , 75 yards Time of Possession: 6:57







...to not scoring another TD the rest of the game.

I've tried to watch the ESPN replay, but I keep falling asleep after this impressive, METHODICAL & EFFECTIVE (Tiano was 8/8 for 76 yards) drive. Yeah, I see they only had 9 yards on 5 running plays, but those 9 yards came on the last 3 running plays...and if you can pick up about 3 yds/play and skosh more, you can win with that...or at least keep the D honest).

I'll try to watch again tonight...but what happened Sports Fans?...cuz I'll probably ZZZZZZ out againThe short answer is that, from the looks of things, Conklin and company play a pretty conservative first defensive series. Something similar happened against VMI and Gardner Webb. First possession, they drove into field goal range or better. Then for the next few series it's all famine.

That's the only explanation I can think of. Our first possessions look like our defense last year and then the rest of the game is all Conklin innovation it seems.

Chatt had 75 yards on their first drive and then ~120 for the rest of the game (including only 1 3rd down conversion). If I could point point to one stat that demonstrates Wofford's improvement this year on defense, it's pass defense. Because all the other stats, namely third down defense, trickles down from that.

I know many think Chattanooga's offense sucks, but they're actually better than Wofford's offense last year in terms of points per game (I think). They just can't run the ball. That game may not tell us much about how Wofford will play Furman, but I feel a lot better about playing Samford this year.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[ElCid]

I would like to know what the heck happened from THIS (Chatt's 1st possession)...



Chattanooga at 15:00




1st and 10 at UTC25
PENALTY UTC false start (Noah Ramsey) 5 yards to the UTC20, NO PLAY.


1st and 15 at UTC20
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 6 yards to the UTC26


2nd and 9 at UTC26
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Joseph Parker for 12 yards to the UTC38, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at UTC38
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Tyrell Price for 8 yards to the UTC46


2nd and 2 at UTC46
PENALTY UTC false start (Harrison Moon) 5 yards to the UTC41, NO PLAY.


2nd and 7 at UTC41
Nick Tiano OUT pass complete to Joseph Parker for 12 yards to the WOF47, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at WOF47
Alex Trotter rush right for 2 yards to the WOF45


2nd and 8 at WOF45
Nick Tiano OUT pass complete to Wil Young for 9 yards to the WOF36, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at WOF36
Tyrell Price rush over left guard for loss of 2 yards to the WOF38


2nd and 12 at WOF38
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 10 yards to the WOF28


3rd and 2 at WOF28
Nick Tiano rush quarterback draw for 4 yards to the WOF24, 1ST DOWN UTC.


1st and 10 at WOF24
Tyrell Price rush over right guard for 4 yards to the WOF20


2nd and 6 at WOF20
Nick Tiano slant pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 8 yards to the WOF12, 1ST DOWN UTC


1st and 10 at WOF12
Nick Tiano rush quarterback sneak for 1 yard to the WOF11


2nd and 9 at WOF11
Nick Tiano sideline pass complete to Bryce Nunnelly for 11 yards to the WOF0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:03.


TOTAL
13 plays , 75 yards Time of Possession: 6:57







...to not scoring another TD the rest of the game.

I've tried to watch the ESPN replay, but I keep falling asleep after this impressive, METHODICAL & EFFECTIVE (Tiano was 8/8 for 76 yards) drive. Yeah, I see they only had 9 yards on 5 running plays, but those 9 yards came on the last 3 running plays...and if you can pick up about 3 yds/play and skosh more, you can win with that...or at least keep the D honest).

I'll try to watch again tonight...but what happened Sports Fans?...cuz I'll probably ZZZZZZ out again

Are you really confused? It was the first drive. Scripted well without giving the D time to adjust. Most teams do well on their first possession as a result. I know you know this. I say most teams. All except mine apparently. Geez, we got a bad 1st possession success percentage. Hence we are usually playing from behind.

[Reign of Terrier]

Are you really confused? It was the first drive. Scripted well without giving the D time to adjust. Most teams do well on their first possession as a result. I know you know this. I say most teams. All except mine apparently. Geez, we got a bad 1st possession success percentage. Hence we are usually playing from behind.Chattanooga has scored on almost all of their opening possessions this year, except ETSU I think.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Mocs123]

Our first two possessions were pretty good then......????? I give Wofford’s D credit as they didn’t give us any decent looks downfield. We had some success throwing underneath routes for a while.

[PaladinFan]

Our first two possessions were pretty good then......????? I give Wofford’s D credit as they didn’t give us any decent looks downfield. We had some success throwing underneath routes for a while.

I note that elsewhere (I forget where - maybe here) but UTC is statistically predictable on offense. They mostly throw it, and mostly throw it to Nunnelly. When they run it, it primarily goes to Price. If Price doesn't have it, Tiano keeps it. Tiano is not a great runner. That's pretty much the offense.

UTC has run 371 plays this season. 56% of those plays have either been a Tiano keeper or an attempt to get the ball to Nunnelly or Price (not counting incompletions).

I'm not Nick Saban, but if you told me that close to 60% of the time the opposing offense would try to get it to one of two guys or let a non-running QB try to keep it, I could probably scheme a defense around those percentages alone.

[FUBeAR]

Our first two possessions were pretty good then......????? I give Wofford’s D credit as they didn’t give us any decent looks downfield. We had some success throwing underneath routes for a while.Watched some again last night - still fell asleep. I diverge from PaladinFan's opinions (not unusual) on Tiano. I think he's a fine runner IF used appropriately...which is not happening. Seems like Coach Arth wants to make him into Peyton Manning Lite, when he's actually Tim Tebow Lite...Maybe they should hire the Broncos OC from 2011 as a Consultant.

Anyway - Tiano does throw a nice deep ball. You mentioned that Wofford didn't give any looks downfield. Did the Mocs TRY any. I think I saw one...a single Retriever route on the sidelines. Didn't break it down, but it seemed that Woffy was giving a good bit of 1-High and keeping an extra guy closer to the box, which helped them squash Chatt's running game. What about trying some 4 Verts with Nunnelly, Young, Parker, and Morton? That's 3 6-2+ dudes and Parker getting down the field on 5-8/5-10/5-11 CB's...who are aggressive (PI possibilities?)...plus you back 'em off a bit and can maybe run the ball a little better. Woffy's pass rush ain't bad, but their Starting Front 7 only has a couple of sacks. I know they got to Tiano once & I know Chatt's OL has some issues with PassPro and blitz pick-up, but I just didn't see Chatt putting the ball down the field enough vs. Wofford (IMO)...as they have done in other games. I did also notice that Tiano had some 'happy-feet' when he got pressured...so maybe his PTSD from last year and the sacks he took vs. ETSU were 'acting up' on him. Oh well, water over the dam or under the bridge or thru the tunnel (whatever the right saying is)...

Oh - 1 other observation/question for Chatt peeps - When I watch Chatt's D later in games, they look frickin' EXHAUSTED. The score by quarters numbers don't bear out a substantial fall-off, but I wonder if yards/3rd down conversions, etc. might. Seems they have a bit of a conditioning issue OR a lack of depth on that side of the ball. And' it's not just the larger DL guys I'm talking about...it's also LB's and DB's. You guys seeing this or is FUBeAR hallucinating (again)?

[Reign of Terrier]

Our first two possessions were pretty good then......????? I give Wofford’s D credit as they didn’t give us any decent looks downfield. We had some success throwing underneath routes for a while.A 30 yard penalty on the second one helps

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[FUBeAR]

A 30 yard penalty on the second one helps

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No doubt those penalties helped advance the Moc field position on that drive, but BEFORE the penalties, Chatt completed 2 passes for 1st downs as Tiano upped his Stats to 10/10 for 92 yards & 1 TD.

AFTER those penalties, they did bupkiss on that drive & really for the rest of the game. Tiano went 11/23 (from 100% to 48%) for 84 yards, 0 TD’s & 1 INT over the rest of the game. Truly Jekyll to Hyde.

It may be a specious connection that I’m trying to ascribe to the situation, but it seems those penalties were quite the turning point for Chatt’s O and/or Wofford’s D in that game.

[Reign of Terrier]

No doubt those penalties helped advance the Moc field position on that drive, but BEFORE the penalties, Chatt completed 2 passes for 1st downs as Tiano upped his Stats to 10/10 for 92 yards & 1 TD.

AFTER those penalties, they did bupkiss on that drive & really for the rest of the game. Tiano went 11/23 (from 100% to 48%) for 84 yards, 0 TD’s & 1 INT over the rest of the game. Truly Jekyll to Hyde.

It may be a specious connection that I’m trying to ascribe to the situation, but it seems those penalties were quite the turning point for Chatt’s O and/or Wofford’s D in that game.Kind of like when Furman played chatt last year and Copeland completed his first 12 passes ;)

But it seems like Arth is really good at drawing up/scripting initial drives but not so much when it comes to adjustments

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[SU FAN]

No way VMI gets us, no way!!!!

[bigred]

VMI was terrible last year.........Keydets about 8 plays from being 3-1 in the Socon......VMI is winless, but VMI for now is NOT a bottom-40 FCS program.....


"You are what your record says you are" -- Bill Parcells

[SU DOG]

"You are what your record says you are" -- Bill Parcells

But your record does NOT tell the whole story. VMI is coming on and is showing much improvement. I think the whole SoCon is glad to see this. I just hope it's not THIS Saturday that you guys finally break the ice.

[FUBeAR]

But your record does NOT tell the whole story. VMI is coming on and is showing much improvement. I think the whole SoCon is glad to see this. I just hope it's not THIS Saturday that you guys finally break the ice.

Very
Much
Improved

#BewareTheRoos #NewStreak #HoppingMadHomewood

[FUBeAR]

Just wanted to post this to give all my good Catamount friends an opportunity to participate if they plan to attend the WCU @ Mercer game on 10/20.

See the links & info below - If you buy your game ticket via this method, you will be making a nice donation to a worthy cause.

https://mercerbears.com/news/2018/10/10/-pink-out-slated-for-oct-20-mercer-football-game.aspx

https://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?orgid=21638&pid=8563029

‘Pink Out’ Slated for Oct. 20 Mercer Football Game

Bears to partner with United Way of Central Georgia for Pink Out game

MACON, Ga. – In light of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mercer has partnered with United Way of Central Georgia (UWCG) for a "Pink Out" when the Mercer football team hosts Western Carolina at 4 p.m. on Oct. 20 at Five Star Stadium.

Mercer and UWCG's partnership stems from the organization's "Pink Promise United" initiative, which provides breast cancer awareness, education and screening mammograms for women with the fewest resources who are uninsured, under-insured, low-income and unable to access care.

$10 of every ticket purchased through Mercer's ticket website (https://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?orgid=21638&pid=8563029) using the coupon code PINKOUT will be donated to UWCG's Pink Promise United. Fans who purchase tickets using the PINKOUT coupon code will receive a commemorative "Pink Out" T-shirt, which can be picked up at the United Way table outside of the main entrance to Five Star Stadium on Oct. 20. The deadline for T-shirt orders is Oct. 14. Season ticket holders may purchase the commemorative T-shirt for $10 at the main gate starting at 1 p.m. on Oct. 20.

—————————

And you get a T-Shirt as a bonus! But I know you all will want to be more creative than that; so I wanted to give you time to get your Game-Day outfits together...

https://cdn8.bigcommerce.com/s-to15yve7gb/images/stencil/500x659/products/1254/1528/ru886751__02710.1527882056.jpg?c=2?imbypass=on

Please feel free to share the “Pink Out” / Ticket Purchase / Donation info on the WCU message boards, if you would like to do so.

NOTE: As FUBeAR is a full-service notifier, I checked out the Ticket purchase process for you guys. Looks like the PINKOUT code only allows you to purchase tix on the Home Bench side (but don’t let that dissuade you - more info on that just a few words ahead); which are $20 vs. Visitor Side Tix, which are $15; or Berm Tix, which are $8. So, unless you wanted a Berm Seat, you could look at it as you are ‘splitting the $10 donation’ with Mercer Football OR you are paying $5 for the T-Shirt. Don’t worry about which side your actual seats are on though. It is very easy to walk around to the other side of the stadium & you will be able to find plenty of seats with the other WCU fans, I’m certain. Or...you could wise up, stay on the Home side, & just BECOME Mercer Fans! xthumbsupx

[gofurman]

But your record does NOT tell the whole story. VMI is coming on and is showing much improvement. I think the whole SoCon is glad to see this. I just hope it's not THIS Saturday that you guys finally break the ice.

agreed. VMI is much improved. I don't care the record. Much like my Paladins last year at 0-3 barely losing to playoff Elon and then on a 2pt conversion we lost to playoff Wofford. We were 0-3 (2 playoff teams and one FBS in there) but you saw how it turned... we ended the regular season 7-4. 7-3 vs FCS.

I know people like to say 'scoreboard' but we all know there is more to it than W and L unless you are talking playoffs and championship games where you just need that W !

VMI is right there... and I fear them as my Paladins have a bad pass D as it stands now

[gofurman]

So here is how we should judge Wofford - since top 5 Elon beat FU by 38... (this is somewhat in jest but man, Elon was scary) If Wofford is top 10 they should win 30; If they are very good but not great they should win by 20+; If they are good they win by 10+ and if they win by less than 10 or Furman wins Wofford has some soul searching... LOL

[Scrappy94]

1. Wofford – Separated themselves as the clear leader. Still not a fan of the triple option. It may be effective, but to me it’s like watching paint dry.
2. ETSU – Still don’t think this team should be this high, but have to for now with their record. This team is being overrated, having played many bad teams. Defense looks decent, but offense not so much. I do not think they will be in the mix in a few weeks. I do not think they make the playoffs. I do not think they reach 7 D1 wins. Outside of the record, I do not think their wins are worthy of putting in the Top 25. I see them going 1-4 for the remainder of their schedule.
3. Chattanooga – Granted Wofford has a fantastic defense, but the offense has me concerned after not being able to get anything going after the first two drives. The continued lack of a run game has me concerned as well. Can’t rely on the deep pass to win games. Having said that, this team is still doing much better than anyone expected this year. Defense is still great this year, but it would be nicer if our offense wouldn’t put the defense on the field so much or put them in bad situations. Still probably about a season away from contending for the top spot again.
4. Mercer – Had a week to rest. Will they be able to stay this high with the starting QB out?
5. The Citadel – Also had a week to rest. Had some close games with a few good teams.
6. Furman – Also had a week to rest. Not really sure what to think of this team other than they have a weakness in their defense.
7. Samford – Finally won a D1 game, but it took playing against a terrible defense to do so.
8. Western Carolina – Defense is already terrible. How is the offense going to do with possibly having the starting QB out?
9. VMI – Also had a week to rest. This team is improving.

Mercer @ Yale – As much as I would like to see the Bears win this one for the SoCon, Yale is too much. Bulldogs win 34-24.
Wofford @ Furman – Paladins struggling defense with not be able to stop a strong Terriers offense. Terriers win 34-21.
ETSU @ The Citadel – The triple-option is too much the Bucs defense and wears them out. ETSU offense won’t have much time to see the field, and struggles against the Bulldogs defense. The Citadel brings ETSU back down to Earth. Bulldogs win 31-17.
VMI @ Samford – Samford’s passing attack picks apart the bad VMI defense. Can the keydets improving offense keep up? I don’t think so. Bulldogs win 52-21.
Chattanooga @ Western Carolina – Mocs passing game with thrive. I think Arth might use this game as an opportunity to establish a running game vs a bad defense. Cats offense struggles against a tough Chattanooga D while having their starting QB out. Mocs win 45-14.

[Scrappy94]

Hope our lack of respect continues all the way to the playoffs.

LOL

[FUGameBreaker]

1. Wofford – Separated themselves as the clear leader. Still not a fan of the triple option. It may be effective, but to me it’s like watching paint dry.
2. ETSU – Still don’t think this team should be this high, but have to for now with their record. This team is being overrated, having played many bad teams. Defense looks decent, but offense not so much. I do not think they will be in the mix in a few weeks. I do not think they make the playoffs. I do not think they reach 7 D1 wins. Outside of the record, I do not think their wins are worthy of putting in the Top 25. I see them going 1-4 for the remainder of their schedule.
3. Chattanooga – Granted Wofford has a fantastic defense, but the offense has me concerned after not being able to get anything going after the first two drives. The continued lack of a run game has me concerned as well. Can’t rely on the deep pass to win games. Having said that, this team is still doing much better than anyone expected this year. Defense is still great this year, but it would be nicer if our offense wouldn’t put the defense on the field so much or put them in bad situations. Still probably about a season away from contending for the top spot again.
4. Mercer – Had a week to rest. Will they be able to stay this high with the starting QB out?
5. The Citadel – Also had a week to rest. Had some close games with a few good teams.
6. Furman – Also had a week to rest. Not really sure what to think of this team other than they have a weakness in their defense.
7. Samford – Finally won a D1 game, but it took playing against a terrible defense to do so.
8. Western Carolina – Defense is already terrible. How is the offense going to do with possibly having the starting QB out?
9. VMI – Also had a week to rest. This team is improving.

Mercer @ Yale – As much as I would like to see the Bears win this one for the SoCon, Yale is too much. Bulldogs win 34-24.
Wofford @ Furman – Paladins struggling defense with not be able to stop a strong Terriers offense. Terriers win 34-21.
ETSU @ The Citadel – The triple-option is too much the Bucs defense and wears them out. ETSU offense won’t have much time to see the field, and struggles against the Bulldogs defense. The Citadel brings ETSU back down to Earth. Bulldogs win 31-17.
VMI @ Samford – Samford’s passing attack picks apart the bad VMI defense. Can the keydets improving offense keep up? I don’t think so. Bulldogs win 52-21.
Chattanooga @ Western Carolina – Mocs passing game with thrive. I think Arth might use this game as an opportunity to establish a running game vs a bad defense. Cats offense struggles against a tough Chattanooga D while having their starting QB out. Mocs win 45-14.



Have you not been watching your own offense the last 2 weeks? Its been worse than watching paint dry, more like watching paint rust, lol
Sure you put some points on Tenn Tech and UT Martin early but those teams are a horrid 1-10 combined record, pretty sure just about anybody in the SoCon would have put big points up on those teams as well

[Reign of Terrier]

Weird that Furman fans are pretending Elon is as good as Clemson so they can pretend they've only played 2 games thag tell us anything when all 3 of their of their FCS games suggest some defensive weaknesses and, at the least, offensive stagnation

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[FUGameBreaker]

Weird that Furman fans are pretending Elon is as good as Clemson so they can pretend they've only played 2 games thag tell us anything when all 3 of their of their FCS games suggest some defensive weaknesses and, at the least, offensive stagnation

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I put more of that on the fact that we were playing without Harris Roberts, instead we were stuck with a true freshman that only played QB for 1 season in high school, makes a huge difference

[FUBeAR]

Weird that Furman fans are pretending Elon is as good as Clemson so they can pretend they've only played 2 games thag tell us anything when all 3 of their of their FCS games suggest some defensive weaknesses and, at the least, offensive stagnationElon is not as good as Clemson, but they seem, empirically, to be better than James Madison.

Contrary to your assertion, I think the Clemson & Elon games tell us the absolute least about the Furman Team that will take the field in Paladin Stadium this Saturday against the HindLegLifters.

The ETSU & WCU games do tell us that Furman has/has had some significant issues defending the pass. If Wofford can beat Furman running their “Air Raid” O, then they will probably win BIG. Oh wait, I see that Wofford is near the bottom of the SoCon in almost every quantitative Passing Stat, so I guess they aren’t running an “Air Raid” O this year. Who knew? While Wofford’s qualitative passing stats are excellent, as is often seen with an Option Team that can throw it just a little bit (which Woffy can), no Option Team has ever gone into a game expecting to win it because of their passing game. Furman will need to be a whole lot better at defending the 8-10 passes that Woffy will throw than they were in stopping the 71 that ETSU/WCU threw at them. I think they’ll be up to that task. The outcome to this game really comes down to 3 questions...

1) Can FU contain Woffy’s EXCELLENT run game? No idea on the answer. They held ETSU/WCU to 2.9 yds/attempt, but Clemson & Elon ran for 6.8. If FU can hold Woffy to under 5.0/carry vs. the 7.3 they average, that should be good enough. Don’t know if they can, but I’ll bet on Coach Staggs to put them in position to. Woffy avg’d 5.1 vs. FU last year.

2) Can FU move the Football & score on Woffy’s EXCELLENT D? The FU O that played against Clemson, Elon, and probably the one that played against ETSU could not. I am certain of that. There were many changes & improvements in that O that began @ETSU & began to gel & were expanded upon vs. WCU. Have they continued to improve in the off week? I would bet so. Is it enough? No idea, but I wouldn’t bet against Clay Hendrix & George Quarles coming up with what they need to do with 2 weeks to ‘find’ it.

3) Which Team will have more negative Special Teams plays - missed FG’s, give up KOR for TD, get a Punt blocked, etc? My sense is that Furman will ‘win’ on this question.

So...I’m expecting an outstanding contest & I’m thinking/hoping Furman answer those 3 questions in a way that enables the Paladins to pull off the major upset.

[Reign of Terrier]

I put more of that on the fact that we were playing without Harris Roberts, instead we were stuck with a true freshman that only played QB for 1 season in high school, makes a huge differenceFair enough, but the QB doesn't play run defense against Elon either. Admittedly, for reasons elaborated upon in the wofford/Furman thread, it's likely that Furman will take a different approach.

But my point is, I'm being told Furman has this secretly great offense and great defense stopping the run, but the only evidence that's really being used is the Western Carolina game... which isn't a great metric. Also saying "we racked up 280 yards in 3 quarters against ETSU" is as much an argument for as it is against the hypothesis.

On top of that, Furman hasn't allowed an opponent to score less than 20 this year, while Wofford hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 17 (on offense). I think Wofford's offense will be comparable to Elon's and Western Carolina this year when the dust settles. Though Furman has a good DC to stop the TO, I don't think they have the personnel quite yet.

Meanwhile, Wofford's still not getting a lot of respect in the media, for what little that's worth, in terms of superlatives. Some folks like Craig Haley are picking Furman. Players notice these things. I think Wofford will be more fired up for this one.

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[Reign of Terrier]

Elon is not as good as Clemson, but they seem, empirically, to be better than James Madison.

Contrary to your assertion, I think the Clemson & Elon games tell us the absolute least about the Furman Team that will take the field in Paladin Stadium this Saturday against the HindLegLifters.

The ETSU & WCU games do tell us that Furman has/has had some significant issues defending the pass. If Wofford can beat Furman running their “Air Raid” O, then they will probably win BIG. Oh wait, I see that Wofford is near the bottom of the SoCon in almost every quantitative Passing Stat, so I guess they aren’t running an “Air Raid” O this year. Who knew? While Wofford’s qualitative passing stats are excellent, as is often seen with an Option Team that can throw it just a little bit (which Woffy can), no Option Team has ever gone into a game expecting to win it because of their passing game. Furman will need to be a whole lot better at defending the 8-10 passes that Woffy will throw than they were in stopping the 71 that ETSU/WCU threw at them. I think they’ll be up to that task. The outcome to this game really comes down to 3 questions...

1) Can FU contain Woffy’s EXCELLENT run game? No idea on the answer. They held ETSU/WCU to 2.9 yds/attempt, but Clemson & Elon ran for 6.8. If FU can hold Woffy to under 5.0/carry vs. the 7.3 they average, that should be good enough. Don’t know if they can, but I’ll bet on Coach Staggs to put them in position to. Woffy avg’d 5.1 vs. FU last year.

2) Can FU move the Football & score on Woffy’s EXCELLENT D? The FU O that played against Clemson, Elon, and probably the one that played against ETSU could not. I am certain of that. There were many changes & improvements in that O that began @ETSU & began to gel & were expanded upon vs. WCU. Have they continued to improve in the off week? I would bet so. Is it enough? No idea, but I wouldn’t bet against Clay Hendrix & George Quarles coming up with what they need to do with 2 weeks to ‘find’ it.

3) Which Team will have more negative Special Teams plays - missed FG’s, give up KOR for TD, get a Punt blocked, etc? My sense is that Furman will ‘win’ on this question.

So...I’m expecting an outstanding contest & I’m thinking/hoping Furman answer those 3 questions in a way that enables the Paladins to pull off the major upset.It's not really fair to say Wofford has bad passing stats. We're not near the bottom on all of them, we're actually I think second in completion percentage and passing efficiency. We're also passing for more yardage than Furman.

I'm still not sold that ETSU has a run game worth comparing to Wofford (or any option team for that matter). I know it's apples and oranges between them and us in terms of defensive look, but Chattanooga also held ETSU under 100 yards and 2.9 ypc. And then we ran for over 400 on chatt.

It is true that Furman held Western Carolina in check in the run game, and they ran it 43 times. That is one data point. Western Carolina has had an up and down year in terms of running the ball, and Samford held them to similar numbers the next week.

My general feeling is that in the last ~4 years the best run defenses in the conference (in terms of ypc and total yardage) was Wofford, Chattanooga, and the citadel (and maybe Mercer). I know one gets the impression that's the case because they don't play their own offense, but if you've run for more than 100-125 yards against these teams (and you weren't an option team), that was a bad day for that defense. Put another way, unless you're Furman or the Citadel, I don't expect you to run for more than 100ish yards against us.

I don't get that impression from Furman yet. Last year, the efficiency of the offense put teams in catch up mode which naturally made them pass more and run less which padded the stats *slightly.* This year, it's much too early to say either way. We only have 3 data points.

I will say that Elon ran for more yards against Furman than their average and I think any other team and their QB only threw 12 passes. That's a more similar gameplan to what Wofford will do than Western or ETSU. But again, it's an apples and oranges comparison because Wofford runs the option.

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[PaladinFan]

Fair enough, but the QB doesn't play run defense against Elon either. Admittedly, for reasons elaborated upon in the wofford/Furman thread, it's likely that Furman will take a different approach.

But my point is, I'm being told Furman has this secretly great offense and great defense stopping the run, but the only evidence that's really being used is the Western Carolina game... which isn't a great metric. Also saying "we racked up 280 yards in 3 quarters against ETSU" is as much an argument for as it is against the hypothesis.

On top of that, Furman hasn't allowed an opponent to score less than 20 this year, while Wofford hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 17 (on offense). I think Wofford's offense will be comparable to Elon's and Western Carolina this year when the dust settles. Though Furman has a good DC to stop the TO, I don't think they have the personnel quite yet.

Meanwhile, Wofford's still not getting a lot of respect in the media, for what little that's worth, in terms of superlatives. Some folks like Craig Haley are picking Furman. Players notice these things. I think Wofford will be more fired up for this one.

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You can accept the fact that Furman has played much tougher competition than Wofford or not. It does not change the fact. So you can throw all the statistics you want out there, but the statistics don't mean much when you ignore that all things are not equal.

[FUBeAR]

It's not really fair to say Wofford has bad passing stats. We're not near the bottom on all of them, we're actually I think second in completion percentage and passing efficiency. We're also passing for more yardage than Furman.

I'm still not sold that ETSU has a run game worth comparing to Wofford (or any option team for that matter). I know it's apples and oranges between them and us in terms of defensive look, but Chattanooga also held them under 100 yards and 2.9 ypc. And then we ran for over 400 on them.

It is true that Furman held Western Carolina in check in the run game, and they ran it 43 times. That is one data point. Western Carolina has had an up and down year in terms of running the ball, and Samford held them to similar numbers the next week.

My general feeling is that in the last ~4 years the best run defenses in the conference (in terms of ypc and total yardage) was Wofford, Chattanooga, and the citadel (and maybe Mercer). I know one gets the impression that's the case because they don't play their own offense, but if you've run for more than 100-125 yards against these teams (and you weren't an option team), that was a bad day for that defense. Put another way, unless you're Furman or the Citadel, I don't expect you to run for more than 100ish yards against us.

I don't get that impression from Furman yet. Last year, the efficiency of the offense put teams in catch up mode which naturally made them pass more and run less which padded the stats *slightly.* This year, it's much too early to say either way. We only have 3 data points.

I will say that Elon ran for more yards against Furman than their average and I think any other team and their QB only threw 12 passes. That's a more similar gameplan to what Wofford will do than Western or ETSU. But again, it's an apples and oranges comparison because Wofford runs the option.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using TapatalkYou must have missed the distinction I made between QUANTITATIVE & QUALITATIVE Passing stats.

Unless Wofford played ETSU in a secret scrimmage this year, I can’t make any sense of your 2nd paragraph.

You’re really going to try to draw some comparison of WCU’s game with Furman WITH Tyrie Adams & their game with Samford without him. C’mon, you already tried to pee in my ear & tell me it’s raining once this week. Ain’t nobody buyin’ that ish!!

[Reign of Terrier]

You can accept the fact that Furman has played much tougher competition than Wofford or not. It does not change the fact. So you can throw all the statistics you want out there, but the statistics don't mean much when you ignore that all things are not equal.Statistics don't become irrelevant because they are inconvenient. The stats against FBS games are irrelevant because it's a different game all together (which is why I don't even bring up Wyoming...even though it has minimal effect on our stats either way), but with Elon it's fair to take a look because you can extrapolate some general trends.

I think it's significant that Elon ran for more yardage against Furman than most/all(?) of the teams they played. That tells you something about Furman's defense. It's not like with Clemson where they blow out everyone and the diminished stats are somewhat random.

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[Reign of Terrier]

You must have missed the distinction I made between QUANTITATIVE & QUALITATIVE Passing stats.

Unless Wofford played ETSU in a secret scrimmage this year, I can’t make any sense of your 2nd paragraph.

You’re really going to try to draw some comparison of WCU’s game with Furman WITH Tyrie Adams & their game with Samford without him. C’mon, you already tried to pee in my ear & tell me it’s raining once this week. Ain’t nobody buyin’ that ish!!I think Western Carolina's offense is, in general, a little overrated. They rack up yards against bad defenses and then they faulter against tough ones. If you want to talk about overrated, most of their yardage on the ground comes against the most depleted front in FCS, a D2 team, and VMI (VMI's offense actually outscored them).

I'm still not convinced that they've replaced Newsome yet. Tyrie Adams leads the team in yards gained this year and I can't find last year's stats but I'm pretty sure that was not the case.

Again, that's not to say that what Furman did wasn't an accomplishment, Adams or not, but there are signs the "Western has a great offense" hypothesis will come crashing down against Chattanooga, Wofford, or even ETSU

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[FUBeAR]

I think Western Carolina's offense is, in general, a little overrated. They rack up yards against bad defenses and then they faulter against tough ones. If you want to talk about overrated, most of their yardage on the ground comes against the most depleted front in FCS, a D2 team, and VMI (VMI's offense actually outscored them).

I'm still not convinced that they've replaced Newsome yet. Tyrie Adams leads the team in yards gained this year and I can't find last year's stats but I'm pretty sure that was not the case.

Again, that's not to say that what Furman did wasn't an accomplishment, Adams or not, but there are signs the "Western has a great offense" hypothesis will come crashing down against Chattanooga, Wofford, or even ETSU

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalkyou ain’t hearing me say WCU has a great anything, other than Mr. Adams. Well, their Punter has been great in the past. And they played NOBODY until they played FU & Samford. But you really can’t compare those games (which you did) because they might as well be a completely different Team was without him than they are with him.

Furman was totally & embarrassingly punked by E*Loan. You can consider that game statistically or not. You’re choice. I don’t expect to see a Furman Team EVER get punked like that again under Coach Hendrix. If it does, he’ll be looking for a lot of new Players & if it happened with any kind of frequency, I would encourage Furman to find a new Head Coach...but it won’t...so I’m not worried.

[PaladinFan]

Statistics don't become irrelevant because they are inconvenient. The stats against FBS games are irrelevant because it's a different game all together (which is why I don't even bring up Wyoming...even though it has minimal effect on our stats either way), but with Elon it's fair to take a look because you can extrapolate some general trends.

I think it's significant that Elon ran for more yardage against Furman than most/all(?) of the teams they played. That tells you something about Furman's defense. It's not like with Clemson where they blow out everyone and the diminished stats are somewhat random.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Elon returned four starters on the offensive line with, I think, 110 combined starts between them. Their RT is an NFL prospect and perhaps the top prospect in FCS football. Their running back, Summers, is arguably the best RB in the CAA and one of the better backs in the country. Summers didn't play at all against Furman in the post-season game and barely in the first contest last year.

They just put 27 points on James Madison. Over the last 24 contests, James Madison has only allowed 20 points 3 times (Weber State last year in the playoffs, NC State this year, and Elon).

Elon rushed for 212 against James Madison Saturday. They put up almost 500 yards of offense against one of the most dominating defenses in FCS history.

No, Furman didn't look good against them. Elon is also a really good football team.

[FUBeAR]

Elon returned four starters on the offensive line with, I think, 110 combined starts between them. Their RT is an NFL prospect and perhaps the top prospect in FCS football. Their running back, Summers, is arguably the best RB in the CAA and one of the better backs in the country. Summers didn't play at all against Furman in the post-season game and barely in the first contest last year.

They just put 27 points on James Madison. Over the last 24 contests, James Madison has only allowed 20 points 3 times (Weber State last year in the playoffs, NC State this year, and Elon).

Elon rushed for 212 against James Madison Saturday. They put up almost 500 yards of offense against one of the most dominating defenses in FCS history.

No, Furman didn't look good against them. Elon is also a really good football team.All that may be true, but still Furman looked like they wanted to be the nicest Team on the field against the Formerly Fightin’ Former Christians. They looked like they were afraid they might make E*Loan’s Players mad if they played too hard or got nasty with them. They were completely unready mentally & emotionally to play a Football game. Another way to say this is, “E*Loan hit them in the mouth and, not only did they ‘take it,’ they said, “Please, sir, may I have another.”” I didn’t see them do that all year last year, nor against Clemson, nor since...so, I’m sure the Coaching Staff had some long come-to-eight-pound-six-ounce-newborn-Baby Jesus conversations with the Players after that game and reminded them that despite all of the whiz-bang technical cool stuff we do, the essence of the game of Football is man-on-man violence. If they don’t want to violently keep another man from doing what he violently wants to do, then they are playing the wrong game and don’t need to bother stepping on the field ever again. I was on the sidelines for the WCU game & can assure that the ‘Dins were dishing out PLENTY of violence. I expect that they will again this Saturday.

[PaladinFan]

All that may be true, but still Furman looked like they wanted to be the nicest Team on the field against the Formerly Fightin’ Former Christians. They looked like they were afraid they might make E*Loan’s Players mad if they played too hard or got nasty with them. They were completely unready mentally & emotionally to play a Football game. Another way to say this is, “E*Loan hit them in the mouth and, not only did they ‘take it,’ they said, “Please, sir, may I have another.”” I didn’t see them do that all year last year, nor against Clemson, nor since...so, I’m sure the Coaching Staff had some long come-to-eight-pound-six-ounce-newborn-Baby Jesus conversations with the Players after that game and reminded them that despite all of the whiz-bang technical cool stuff we do, the essence of the game of Football is man-on-man violence. If they don’t want to violently keep another man from doing what he violently wants to do, then they are playing the wrong game and don’t need to bother stepping on the field ever again. I was on the sidelines for the WCU game & can assure that the ‘Dins were dishing out PLENTY of violence. I expect that they will again this Saturday.

I don't disagree with that. I think we gave up an early touchdown after a fumble and it started to snowball from there. While I think Elon is the better team, I don't think they are 38 points better than Furman (or whatever the margin was).

Coach Hendrix voiced concerns a few weeks ago about leadership on our offense. You look at the roster and there are two senior starters and a bunch of freshmen and sophomores. Those guys have to grow up and the only way to do that is to get thrown out there and get better.

[gofurman]

It's not really fair to say Wofford has bad passing stats. We're not near the bottom on all of them, we're actually I think second in completion percentage and passing efficiency. We're also passing for more yardage than Furman.

I'm still not sold that ETSU has a run game worth comparing to Wofford (or any option team for that matter). I know it's apples and oranges between them and us in terms of defensive look, but Chattanooga also held ETSU under 100 yards and 2.9 ypc. And then we ran for over 400 on chatt.

It is true that Furman held Western Carolina in check in the run game, and they ran it 43 times. That is one data point. Western Carolina has had an up and down year in terms of running the ball, and Samford held them to similar numbers the next week.

My general feeling is that in the last ~4 years the best run defenses in the conference (in terms of ypc and total yardage) was Wofford, Chattanooga, and the citadel (and maybe Mercer). I know one gets the impression that's the case because they don't play their own offense, but if you've run for more than 100-125 yards against these teams (and you weren't an option team), that was a bad day for that defense. Put another way, unless you're Furman or the Citadel, I don't expect you to run for more than 100ish yards against us.

I don't get that impression from Furman yet. Last year, the efficiency of the offense put teams in catch up mode which naturally made them pass more and run less which padded the stats *slightly.* This year, it's much too early to say either way. We only have 3 data points.

I will say that Elon ran for more yards against Furman than their average and I think any other team and their QB only threw 12 passes. That's a more similar gameplan to what Wofford will do than Western or ETSU. But again, it's an apples and oranges comparison because Wofford runs the option.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

If Citadel was one of the best run D last year (we ran for like 280 on em and passed for abotu 260) to win 56-20 ? And we CRUSHED UTC w their vaunted run defense last year. I guess I feel better about Furman than I used to.


anyway, I am NOT saying Furman will win. Why should we ? - you guys are Alabama right? I guess you are the Notre Dame of FCS - top 5, etc. I think Wofford wins by 20 - so, seeing that I am objective:

But I will say Elon was IMPRESSIVE. I'll be shocked if I see you do to my Paladins what Elon did.

... and I agree, I think Hendrix and Staggs inherited some decent players last year... and took those SAME GUYS and went from 3 wins to 8 wins and the playoffs... clearly these guys can coach. Do we miss our OC? that is yet to be seen - will take 2 years just like it will take 2/3 years to see Conklin recruiting.

Still, our D has Staggs and Hendrix is an OL genius - that's why Air Force hired him from Furman. We are just in a trough of players right now. To wit, he have Roberts a 'serviceable' senior QB and then no QB on the roster except for FR that Hendrix brought in. It happens..

But I see strength in Hendrix recruiting - Hope is a freshman and leads FCS in sacks (or did). McKoy is a sophomore and is our best LB. Reynard Ellis (transferred) was at LB and was on the Jerry Rice List for best freshman in the nation. - so Hendrix brought in two superstars at LB and a freaky sack bandit. Others - "Dejuan Bell (true Fr) fashioned quite aperformance in the Paladins’ 44-38 victory over Western Carolina on Sept. 29, returning a kickoff97 yards for a touchdown and also collecting a 45-yard touchdown reception. Bell, who finishedthe game with 208 all-purpose yards, was named SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week" .. Wynn true Sophomore seems a speedy guy . Burnette is a nice receiver and true sophomore

So we have seen Hendrix can recruit... and last year saw he can coach - so that's all very encouraging ! I do hope Cronic as OC leaving doesn't hurt. That is what FU has to watch. Wofford has to watch Conklin's recruiting and ability to transition from DC to HC - sometimes it works.. sometimes not. Conklin has a lot of talent to work with this year. Not sure how many are seniors.??

[gofurman]

All that may be true, but still Furman looked like they wanted to be the nicest Team on the field against the Formerly Fightin’ Former Christians. They looked like they were afraid they might make E*Loan’s Players mad if they played too hard or got nasty with them. They were completely unready mentally & emotionally to play a Football game. Another way to say this is, “E*Loan hit them in the mouth and, not only did they ‘take it,’ they said, “Please, sir, may I have another.”” I didn’t see them do that all year last year, nor against Clemson, nor since...so, I’m sure the Coaching Staff had some long come-to-eight-pound-six-ounce-newborn-Baby Jesus conversations with the Players after that game and reminded them that despite all of the whiz-bang technical cool stuff we do, the essence of the game of Football is man-on-man violence. If they don’t want to violently keep another man from doing what he violently wants to do, then they are playing the wrong game and don’t need to bother stepping on the field ever again. I was on the sidelines for the WCU game & can assure that the ‘Dins were dishing out PLENTY of violence. I expect that they will again this Saturday.

Yep - no excusing the lack of tackling .. that was HORRID. just no effort after we got down 14. kids hanging their heads etc. pathetic

[PaladinFan]

If Citadel was one of the best run D last year (we ran for like 280 on em and passed for abotu 260) to win 56-20 ? And we CRUSHED UTC w their vaunted run defense last year. I guess I feel better about Furman than I used to.


anyway, I am NOT saying Furman will win. Why should we ? - you guys are Alabama right? I guess you are the Notre Dame of FCS - top 5, etc. I think Wofford wins by 20 - so, seeing that I am objective:

But I will say Elon was IMPRESSIVE. I'll be shocked if I see you do to my Paladins what Elon did.

... and I agree, I think Hendrix and Staggs inherited some decent players last year... and took those SAME GUYS and went from 3 wins to 8 wins and the playoffs... clearly these guys can coach. Do we miss our OC? that is yet to be seen - will take 2 years just like it will take 2/3 years to see Conklin recruiting.

Still, our D has Staggs and Hendrix is an OL genius - that's why Air Force hired him from Furman. We are just in a trough of players right now. To wit, he have Roberts a 'serviceable' senior QB and then no QB on the roster except for FR that Hendrix brought in. It happens..

But I see strength in Hendrix recruiting - Hope is a freshman and leads FCS in sacks (or did). McKoy is a sophomore and is our best LB. Reynard Ellis (transferred) was at LB and was on the Jerry Rice List for best freshman in the nation. - so Hendrix brought in two superstars at LB and a freaky sack bandit. Others - "Dejuan Bell (true Fr) fashioned quite aperformance in the Paladins’ 44-38 victory over Western Carolina on Sept. 29, returning a kickoff97 yards for a touchdown and also collecting a 45-yard touchdown reception. Bell, who finishedthe game with 208 all-purpose yards, was named SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week" .. Wynn true Sophomore seems a speedy guy . Burnette is a nice receiver and true sophomore

So we have seen Hendrix can recruit... and last year saw he can coach - so that's all very encouraging ! I do hope Cronic as OC leaving doesn't hurt. That is what FU has to watch. Wofford has to watch Conklin's recruiting and ability to transition from DC to HC - sometimes it works.. sometimes not. Conklin has a lot of talent to work with this year. Not sure how many are seniors.??

I think as fans we need to be patient.

I think there are a small subset of FCS fans of schools like Delaware, Furman, Richmond, Montana who are probably more antsy than most to "get things right." Fans of those schools remember vividly winning and being among the premier programs in the country.

Furman fans, in particular, got excited about where the team was heading last year. Perhaps our fan base glossed over some concerns like we are still a really young football team (particularly on offense), have a guy that has never been a college coordinator calling the plays, and lack experience at the two most key positions on the field (QB and ILB).

I like the direction Furman is heading. I like the offense. I like the defense. I like the recruiting. At some point, guys just have to step up to the next level. I see a group that needs to grow up some out there. Once things start to click, though, I think it will be fun to watch.

[PaladinNation]

I think as fans we need to be patient.

I think there are a small subset of FCS fans of schools like Delaware, Furman, Richmond, Montana who are probably more antsy than most to "get things right." Fans of those schools remember vividly winning and being among the premier programs in the country.

Furman fans, in particular, got excited about where the team was heading last year. Perhaps our fan base glossed over some concerns like we are still a really young football team (particularly on offense), have a guy that has never been a college coordinator calling the plays, and lack experience at the two most key positions on the field (QB and ILB).

I like the direction Furman is heading. I like the offense. I like the defense. I like the recruiting. At some point, guys just have to step up to the next level. I see a group that needs to grow up some out there. Once things start to click, though, I think it will be fun to watch.

I liked Coach Ayers, I also like Eric Nash former OL coach now the AD at my wife's school plus Coach Wheeler who is now the head football coach there too. My point, Wofford had tremendous consistency at head coach for three decades - hard to believe When Ayers started Satterfield was the HC for the Dins. As of 2018 Furman has had five head coaches since 1988, the Terriers as of this season now are on their second in 30 years. Impressive!!! Conklin, may never miss a beat as the Terriers HC, but if successful will he stay or take a bigger paycheck (Bobby Johnson).

Reality is Hendrix and staff are basically rebuilding the program, we're young, we have talent, but with that youth comes a lack of leadership and confidence. I'll ditto what Bear said… I heard that Hendrix chewed tail over the Elon performance. Maybe we get out tails clipped tomorrow, I expect Furman to be ready and give it they're all.

As far as recruiting goes… it's great to see Furman with some 2019 commits with lofty accolades, Jumper #2 OL, and Barton #4 DL.

[wcugrad95]

I think Western Carolina's offense is, in general, a little overrated. They rack up yards against bad defenses and then they faulter against tough ones. If you want to talk about overrated, most of their yardage on the ground comes against the most depleted front in FCS, a D2 team, and VMI (VMI's offense actually outscored them).

I'm still not convinced that they've replaced Newsome yet. Tyrie Adams leads the team in yards gained this year and I can't find last year's stats but I'm pretty sure that was not the case.

Again, that's not to say that what Furman did wasn't an accomplishment, Adams or not, but there are signs the "Western has a great offense" hypothesis will come crashing down against Chattanooga, Wofford, or even ETSU

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Just cleaning up a few things. WCU no doubt had some big offensive games (especially statistically) in the first 3 games. In the last 2 losses, against Furman we put up 38 points and fumbled twice inside the redzone (once on the 1 as we were going into the endzone), and we generated 570+ yards of offense - I think that is the most the Paladins have given up all season. So I would think that shows the offense is pretty good. Against Samford, hard for me to judge. Tyrie Adams should have NEVER seen the field, and him playing hurt actually allowed the flood gates to open with 3 turnovers on our first 3 series that led to 21 easy points for Samford before we even tried to settle down on offense. So I would not read too much specifically into the offensive production against Samford - which would be the only game somebody would say we "faltered" on offense. We very well may struggle against a pretty good Chattanooga defense this weekend, especially if Adams is unavailable. But with a healthy Adams it is hard for me to think of the offense being too overrated.

And I kind of find your comment about us not finding a replacement for Newsome amusing. He didn't show out as a Senior due to playing injured for about 1/2 the season, but he is one of the all-time best RBs in the history of the school (and arguably one of the all-time best all-purpose guys in the history of the conference). I don't think anybody expected us to have a direct replacement step in, but I think we were hopeful between Adams' running ability and the combination of Young/Holloway (who has been injured all year)/Spencer that we would be solid at running the football.

As for last year's stats, Newsome still led the conference in all-purpose yardage without returning very many kicks, and he also led the league in rushing with 1100 yards in only 9 games (and 2 of which he played where he was less than 100%). Adams had 746 yards rushing last year. That is 1846 or our 2772 rushing yards (12 games). This year, Tyrie has 343 rushing yards and is second on the team behind Connell Young's 367 (and Young has averaged more YPC that Adams at 5.1 as part of a committee run game).

But sorry - I didn't mean to post in the SoCon week 7 thread and breakup all the Wofford and Furman talk (isn't there a thread for that already???).

[PaladinFan]

If Tyrie Adams is healthy, WCU is going to be in most games. They have well documented problems on defense, but I think they'll score on just about anyone.

I think the Furman/WCU game was probably a bit closer than it should have been, but that is a credit to the Catamount offense, who just kept coming back.

[Reign of Terrier]

I liked Coach Ayers, I also like Eric Nash former OL coach now the AD at my wife's school plus Coach Wheeler who is now the head football coach there too. My point, Wofford had tremendous consistency at head coach for three decades - hard to believe When Ayers started Satterfield was the HC for the Dins. As of 2018 Furman has had five head coaches since 1988, the Terriers as of this season now are on their second in 30 years. Impressive!!! Conklin, may never miss a beat as the Terriers HC, but if successful will he stay or take a bigger paycheck (Bobby Johnson).

Reality is Hendrix and staff are basically rebuilding the program, we're young, we have talent, but with that youth comes a lack of leadership and confidence. I'll ditto what Bear said… I heard that Hendrix chewed tail over the Elon performance. Maybe we get out tails clipped tomorrow, I expect Furman to be ready and give it they're all.

As far as recruiting goes… it's great to see Furman with some 2019 commits with lofty accolades, Jumper #2 OL, and Barton #4 DL.

My unpopular opinion among the terrier fanbase (so unpopular that this is probably the first/only time I've said it on any forum) is that Ayers got stuck in his ways after EB graduated/Nate Woody left after the 2012 season and we failed to sufficiently innovate/play to our potential between 2013-2017. Yes, I'm aware we won a conference title out-right last year and that we made the playoffs in 2016. But I know a little too much about psychology and from my limited experience with organizational thinking, having someone at the helm for 30 years is just too long.

It's actually kind of crazy how close to mediocre we were last year, even as a conference champion. The year before we played great, but that's partially because we found a DC (who is now with Georgia State).

Now, many of you may be reading this and saying "but Mike Ayers! So many wins! Also, Jerry Moore! Remember! ANGER!"

But every college football team is more than just their head coach. Scott Satterfield, in App's case, had a lot to do with their winning ways (and continues to this day), as did beating Michigan and recruiting and other factors. A lot of times, fanbases get caught up in the personalities of these coaches, or what they represent and over-invest in how great they are. Like, if you're a good coach and you've been there 30 years of course things are much better than they were before you were there. If they weren't, you'd probably not be there long enough.

In Wofford's case, we had the same OC/DC/HC for *10 years.* That's crazy and will probably never happen again anywhere in division one. Between 2007 and 2012, we won 49 games, 46 of those if you take away 2009. (take away the 3-9 year where literally 1/4 of them team tore their ACL...I'm only barely exaggerating). In those playoff years, that's about 9 wins a year. So, 8-3 + a playoff win. Solid.

But then Breitenstein left and Nate Woody left and we clearly weren't the same team between 2013-2015. Heck, you could argue we stopped being the same team when a decent defense showed up in 2012, at the halfway point. Having one losing season or sub-par season was expected in 2013...but then 3 straight where we didn't have more than 5 D1 wins and we lost twice to Gardner Webb, something was clearly wrong. A lot of people on terrierfans who now sharpen their pitch forks if you criticize the option or "how it's always been" were wondering why we even cared about football institutionally. Losing sucks, and it'll take a lot out of a program.

Yet somehow, in all of this, we recruited really well. So much so that former players who were on socon championship teams that beat Montana and App State and competed with JMU are talking about how we look more athletic than we've always been. Ayers changed things up in 2016 by playing freshmen and not giving seniors starts by default (one of our all conference CBs left his 5th year right before the season because he was not starting in the two deep behind Watson, Lemon, Gbese, etc). And there were more changes that I imagine we don't see from the bleachers.

I'm very critical of Wade Lang, but I've kind of stepped off criticism because we are playing much better on offense. Conklin admits he spends 80% of his time with the defense, which means he more than likely lets Lang do the playcalling too. I'm not being a fair weather critic, but for me it's too early to say whether or not our offense has improved when WL got more control over things when Ayers left. It's possible, but 5 games isn't a trend. One of the things I like about Conklin is that he's an openly critical coach who throws around CEO lingo, talks about red vs. blue thinking, self-scouting and all that stuff. It's possible that Ayers was for that stuff and Conklin just has the personality where he talks about it more, but I'm skeptical.

It may be the case that Conklin is only here for less than five years. If that happens and we win, I'm okay with it because I like what he brings to the table. Another unpopular opinion I have is that recruiting and moderate success isn't that hard at this level. There are too many examples of coaches taking teams to the playoffs in their second or third year and being competitive with teams OOC (the folks at CSU can attest to that). Furman's just had a string of bad fits at the head position in the last few years. Hendrix will be the guy.

[Reign of Terrier]

But sorry - I didn't mean to post in the SoCon week 7 thread and breakup all the Wofford and Furman talk (isn't there a thread for that already???).

You'll miss it when the illiterate wing of the ETSU fandom makes their way to AGS from twitter after back to back 7-4 seasons. It will be unbearable. book it.

[PaladinFan]

I think one of the interesting matchups this weekend is Wofford's defensive staff v. Furman's offensive staff.

Wofford has had among best defenses in the SoCon for a while. Furman's offense lead the league last year and is, in my opinion, the most innovative group in the conference. The Paladins will throw a lot at you, mix and match personnel, operate out of dozens of formations, and change up their pacing.

As you look at Wofford's schedule, they've faced the fourth worst offense in the FBS (Wyoming ranks 126/129 in scoring offense at 17.5 ppg). They've faced a team they are just more talented than (GWU). They've faced two teams that don't run the ball well (VMI/UTC). They've seen one team that doesn't throw the ball well (the Citadel).

Furman is, I think, the most well-balanced offensive attack Wofford will have seen this year. I expect them to really try and test Wofford's young defensive coordinator, especially with another week to prepare.

[ElCid]

Good defensive game going on in Charleston. 9-9. Dogs and Bucs.

Dogs held Bucs to 74 total yards in the first half. Bucs held Dogs to 69 rushing yards. But Dogs are 8/9 passing with 125 yards. Say what?

Bucs scored FG on short fields when Dogs don't make 4th downs. Dogs miss a PAT.

Should be good second half.

[ETSUfan1]

ETSU scores. Up 16-9.

[Mocs123]

Wow - congrats to Furman. I haven't even looked at the box score yet, but a convincing looking win on what I feel is a good Wofford team.

[PaladinFan]

Wow - congrats to Furman. I haven't even looked at the box score yet, but a convincing looking win on what I feel is a good Wofford team.

Furman put together perhaps one of the most complete efforts I've seen from them in years. Just outplayed Wofford for four quarters.

[ETSUfan1]

ETSU @ The Citadel – The triple-option is too much the Bucs defense and wears them out. ETSU offense won’t have much time to see the field, and struggles against the Bulldogs defense. The Citadel brings ETSU back down to Earth. Bulldogs win 31-17.


LOL

[PaladinFan]

I do fear that the fourth quarter against ETSU is going to really haunt Furman this year.

[ETSUfan1]

Can’t wait to hear why ETSU is not that good this week.

[ElCid]

LOL

You all did struggle on O a bit. Our d played like winners for most of the game. But your d did do well against the run. The two 4th and 1 stops were obviously key. We did only rush for 203. Color me impressed. We did have our highest pass yards in like three years though. Our o line is still a bit dysfunctional at times. Still young mostly. Good job.

[Mocs123]

Can’t wait to hear why ETSU is not that good this week.

IMO - ETSUs D is the real deal. ETSUs O isn’t that great, but has been good enough. Do I think they are the best team in the SoCon - I really don’t, but right now they are the top team in the SoCon. ETSU should be proud as they are light years ahead of where they were just a couple years ago.

[Reign of Terrier]

I'm gonna sandbag wofford the rest of the year.

I think we definitely got overconfident. I know there's some who think fan speculation has no effect on player performance, but I think it's indicative of the attitude everyone has, and in the age of social media it bleeds through.

Between that + getting outcoached on defense, that's why we lost. In the end, we'll learn from it. FWIW I think the same happened to Furman in the playoff game last year. Socon is still up in the air.

I think any power ranking worth taking seriously has to have ETSU at 1, Furman 2, and Wofford 3.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[ETSUfan1]

That is exactly what I want people to keep thinking. That ETSU just really isn’t that great. They aren’t the best team. Looks like that will continue for another week.

[Reign of Terrier]

Also I think I'm more pissed that Furman ate one at Elon than Furman fans are right now.

Because I see what y'all are saying now about Furman's strengths and weaknesses on O (I wish Wofford ran that offense), but literally no one outside of the socon is going to believe it.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[ETSUfan1]

You all did struggle on O a bit. Our d played like winners for most of the game. But your d did do well against the run. The two 4th and 1 stops were obviously key. We did only rush for 203. Color me impressed. We did have our highest pass yards in like three years though. Our o line is still a bit dysfunctional at times. Still young mostly. Good job.

That’s no disrespect to the citadel. I think they are a good team, who just can’t seem to get over the hump in close games. Their schedule has been tough. That is a jab at scrappy. Good luck to the Bulldogs as the season goes on.

[PaladinFan]

Also I think I'm more pissed that Furman ate one at Elon than Furman fans are right now.

Because I see what y'all are saying now about Furman's strengths and weaknesses on O (I wish Wofford ran that offense), but literally no one outside of the socon is going to believe it.

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It's a fun scheme to watch. It's "old school" with a lot of modern wrinkles.

I think it is going to be really over the next few years. The Paladins have only two seniors on offense (Roberts and Dirks). The OL starts four sophomores and a junior.

Of the 7 Paladins who caught a pass, only Gordon is a junior. Everyone else is freshmen or sophomores. You'll be seeing a lot of these guys the next few years.

[Reign of Terrier]

Gotta give credit to Hendrix for scheming around the strengths of his QB. Roberts can't run like Blazejowski, but he doesn't have to.

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[gofurman]

I do fear that the fourth quarter against ETSU is going to really haunt Furman this year.

Well, if Samford does to us through the air what they did today.. we want have to worry. I still think we are 5-5 At Best. SHEESH Samford 73-22 ? I know it's VMI but VMI was playing better ball.

***MATCHUPS count as much or more as talent. Thus FU v Wofford - we defend the option really really well. I always preach being objective - UTC / Samford may have better athletes? Some team may. But they aren't as well coached vs the option. Thus I think we (esp in Greenville) are not the team Wofford wants to matchup with.

Samford may not be any more talented than Wofford.. maybe more, maybe less. But sammy will be a 50/50 game for us at best I think. We haven't shown me (ETSU comeback, WCU) that we can withstand a good passing attack.. ETSU came back in a flurry in 20 minutes down 27-6 ! WCU made that game way too interesting.

[gofurman]

Gotta give credit to Hendrix for scheming around the strengths of his QB. Roberts can't run like Blazejowski, but he doesn't have to.

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thanks, you are a good man YT. I really think it hurt Furman not having Roberts at Elon. Again, I still think a HEALTHY Elon would beat us by 14 but it would not have been ugly. And who can say really? We had a true FR QB .. he fumbles on the second play they scoop and score and the rout was on... No whining. Kudos to Elon - they KICKED OUR A*S

[ElCid]

That’s no disrespect to the citadel. I think they are a good team, who just can’t seem to get over the hump in close games. Their schedule has been tough. That is a jab at scrappy. Good luck to the Bulldogs as the season goes on.

Yeah we are 1-4 with the 4 losses to teams that are or have been in top 25. And the one win to a team that received votes. Hard way to start a season. Builds character for the future. The Bucs are doing just fine but I see a fur ball in the coming weeks for the autobid if youdont take care of business.

[PaladinFan]

Well, if Samford does to us through the air what they did today.. we want have to worry. I still think we are 5-5 At Best. SHEESH Samford 73-22 ? I know it's VMI but VMI was playing better ball.

***MATCHUPS count as much or more as talent. Thus FU v Wofford - we defend the option really really well. I always preach being objective - UTC / Samford may have better athletes? Some team may. But they aren't as well coached vs the option. Thus I think we (esp in Greenville) are not the team Wofford wants to matchup with.

Samford may not be any more talented than Wofford.. maybe more, maybe less. But sammy will be a 50/50 game for us at best I think. We haven't shown me (ETSU comeback, WCU) that we can withstand a good passing attack.. ETSU came back in a flurry in 20 minutes down 27-6 ! WCU made that game way too interesting.

Samford has put up a lot of passing yards against two teams that play no defense. They've lost to everyone else.

[Reign of Terrier]

Samford has put up a lot of passing yards against two teams that play no defense and have kept Hodges in up multiple scores in the fourth quarter. They've lost to everyone else.

FIFY

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[FUBeAR]

Been somewhat off the grid up here in KavanaughLand today, but I believe Coach Staggs took FUBeAR’s secret tip and made sure that the ‘Dins tackled #8 all day...right? Proud of those men & young men!!

Am I mistaken or there now only 2 SoCon Teams that have 100% control of their own destiny - ETSU & Mercer. If either wins out, they are SoCon Champs and get the auto-bid...correct? And that is not the case, necessarily, for any other SoCon Team...right?

[PaladinFan]

Gotta give credit to Hendrix for scheming around the strengths of his QB. Roberts can't run like Blazejowski, but he doesn't have to.

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Roberts is a nice story. He sat four years behind Hannon and Blazejowski and only had limited playing time in mop up duty last year.

He's clearly Furman's best option at QB. He's a big guy, has enough speed to get up the field, throws a nice ball, and runs the option pitch game really well.

[UpstateBison]

I am sorry but prove to me that the SoCon is not a dumpster fire. What is there best OOC win?


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[Reign of Terrier]

Been somewhat off the grid up here in KavanaughLand today, but I believe Coach Staggs took FUBeAR’s secret tip and made sure that the ‘Dins tackled #8 all day...right? Proud of those men & young men!!

Am I mistaken or there now only 2 SoCon Teams that have 100% control of their own destiny - ETSU & Mercer. If either wins out, they are SoCon Champs and get the auto-bid...correct? And that is not the case, necessarily, for any other SoCon Team...right?I would say yes and no. They were clearly doing the right things in the first half and on some third downs anticipated what we would do (hand it to Stoddard). Wofford adjusted in the second half, and that's why the stats don't look too terrible on our part. The story was Furman's offense in this one. But even then, Wofford forewent points a couple times because we we're down. We had enough of a passing game to stay in it, but I would have to rewatch the film because we didn't seem to have a lot of variety in playcalling. Very little load option, not enough Andre Stoddard, etc. If Wofford can force some more stops on defense and Furman doesn't go the length of the field 3x, this game is closer (that's tautology, I know).

As for the socon, 6 teams are still in it. Everyone but ETSU has a loss and no one has lost to Western, the citadel or VMI. The only teams that control their own destiny with an autobid is Furman and Mercer...but really, if Wofford wins out they'll get in the playoffs regardless of what Furman does. 9-2 Wofford doesn't get left out.

Too bad our OOC record sucks or else we could have had 4-5 teams compete this year.

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[SU DOG]

FIFY

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Hodges did NOT play in the 4th quarter today.

[Reign of Terrier]

I am sorry but prove to me that the SoCon is not a dumpster fire. What is there best OOC win?


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkNothing that would have happened this weekend would have changed this answer. It's impossible to prove a negative with 100% certainty. There's nothing to suggest the conference is worse than last year.

Put another way, the socon only got one team to the field of 8 last year and they beat a socon team to get there. That one team lost today. I don't see how that one outcome changes the outlook of the whole conference.

When you call something a dumpster fire, it's implied that no sense can be made from it because the teams are so bad. We can't really say anything about where the conference fits compared to the rest of the division, but we couldn't anyway. But there's no evidence that the conference is worse other than we lost 2 OOC games that we won last year

Meanwhile, it's half way through the season and any of the top 6 teams can win a share of the title. Furman, Samford, and the citadel have losing records for now, but they haven't lost to anyone with a losing record. As a matter of fact, the only losses they have are to teams that were ranked or had votes. Same with Chattanooga.

Wofford and Mercer's losses today look kinda bad, but their overall records look better in greater context.

Chattanooga, ETSU, the citadel, and VMI are all playing better. Samford is a little down. Wofford, Mercer and Furman are about the same. Western is probably the only team really down.

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[PaladinFan]

I would say yes and no. They were clearly doing the right things in the first half and on some third downs anticipated what we would do (hand it to Stoddard). Wofford adjusted in the second half, and that's why the stats don't look too terrible on our part. The story was Furman's offense in this one. But even then, Wofford forewent points a couple times because we we're down. We had enough of a passing game to stay in it, but I would have to rewatch the film because we didn't seem to have a lot of variety in playcalling. Very little load option, not enough Andre Stoddard, etc. If Wofford can force some more stops on defense and Furman doesn't go the length of the field 3x, this game is closer (that's tautology, I know).

As for the socon, 6 teams are still in it. Everyone but ETSU has a loss and no one has lost to Western, the citadel or VMI. The only teams that control their own destiny with an autobid is Furman and Mercer...but really, if Wofford wins out they'll get in the playoffs regardless of what Furman does. 9-2 Wofford doesn't get left out.

Too bad our OOC record sucks or else we could have had 4-5 teams compete this year.

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It was my thought that the game would come down to whether Furman's offense was up to the challenge. I thought we'd do a respectable job against the Terrier option game.

I'm not a guru on defending the option, but it certainly appeared the Paladins played things a lot more aggressively than UTC did. The interior guys all but took away Stoddard, who outside of one 42 yard run Wofford caught Furman in an edge blitz, did very little all game.

Furman had great backside pursuit against Newman and the option. Furman would engage, not give ground, and run Wofford to the sideline. Backside pursuit kept him from finding any cutbacks as the Paladins used the sideline as a 12th defender. I'm not sure load option would help that much because Wofford wasn't turning the edge. Terrier blockers were not getting to the second level.

Not only that, but Furman wasn't missing tackles. Most Wofford ball carriers were going down with first contact. It was just a strong defensive effort.

[UpstateBison]

Nothing that would have happened this weekend would have changed this answer. It's impossible to prove a negative with 100% certainty. There's nothing to suggest the conference is worse than last year.

Put another way, the socon only got one team to the field of 8 last year and they beat a socon team to get there. That one team lost today. I don't see how that one outcome changes the outlook of the whole conference.

When you call something a dumpster fire, it's implied that no sense can be made from it because the teams are so bad. We can't really say anything about where the conference fits compared to the rest of the division, but we couldn't anyway. But there's no evidence that the conference is worse other than we lost 2 OOC games that we won last year

Meanwhile, it's half way through the season and any of the top 6 teams can win a share of the title. Furman, Samford, and the citadel have losing records for now, but they haven't lost to anyone with a losing record. As a matter of fact, the only losses they have are to teams that were ranked or had votes. Same with Chattanooga.

Wofford and Mercer's losses today look kinda bad, but their overall records look better in greater context.

Chattanooga, ETSU, the citadel, and VMI are all playing better. Samford is a little down. Wofford, Mercer and Furman are about the same. Western is probably the only team really down.

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What is the best OOC win for the SoCon? All conferences beat up on each other in the FCS playoffs! Ask SDSU and UNI going to Fargo almost every year.


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[Reign of Terrier]

What is the best OOC win for the SoCon? All conferences beat up on each other in the FCS playoffs! Ask SDSU and UNI going to Fargo almost every year.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkAgain, Everyone here knows our OOC is not great. But had Mercer beaten Yale today, no one would have a radically different outlook on the SoCon.

You're only saying this now because Wofford lost to Furman in an unexpected way. That was the only crazy unexpected thing that happened today

It seems to be the perception of everyone outside of the socon that the conference is a one trick pony with Wofford and because we lost the immediate response is that the conference must suck. Because it's an easier answer that requires less thinking.

But this comment reminds me of when App State fans would bring up blow out wins from years ago or the miracle on the mountain whenever discussing upcoming big games. Technically correct, but not really new or helpful insight.

Honestly, the socon getting 3 teams in with no seed may be the best thing for conference because it would force us to play a tough OOC schedule. Having a small in the Carolinas leads to us cannibalizing each other.

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[UpstateBison]

Again, Everyone here knows our OOC is not great. But had Mercer beaten Yale today, no one would have a radically different outlook on the SoCon.

You're only saying this now because Wofford lost to Furman in an unexpected way. That was the only crazy unexpected thing that happened today

It seems to be the perception of everyone outside of the socon that the conference is a one trick pony with Wofford and because we lost the immediate response is that the conference must suck. Because it's an easier answer that requires less thinking.

But this comment reminds me of when App State fans would bring up blow out wins from years ago or the miracle on the mountain whenever discussing upcoming big games. Technically correct, but not really new or helpful insight.

Honestly, the socon getting 3 teams in with no seed may be the best thing for conference because it would force us to play a tough OOC schedule. Having a small in the Carolinas leads to us cannibalizing each other.

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Sorry but you are wrong. I like Wofford as I have lived in Spartanburg for 21 years. The SoCon needs some OOC wins to prove they are competitive. You need to take off your Gold/Black glasses. As of now, the SoCon is a one bid conference.


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[gofurman]

Samford has put up a lot of passing yards against two teams that play no defense. They've lost to everyone else.

I will agree the scary scores of Samford are v Western and VMI. Can't deny that. They did pull off today after hitting 70. Sheesh.

The key is MATCHUPS - Wofford runs option which we are well versed in defending. I haven't seen us stop a good passing game yet. I thought I had hope when we started v ETSU and they realized they has the wrong guy at QB. Once Henrik was in we were on our heels. Granted, if we could have found a little more O versus ETSU and a few more first downs we could have won. Then do-everything Adams lit us up but he doesn't have ANY defense or a receiver as good as the guy at Samford (WR name escapes me - he KILLS everyone.. killer at 5'7 or so).

I just see it as a bad matchup. Our best D is to stay on the field on O. That's my hope

But if you are confident I am holding you to it that we will win :D. As a big fan, I FEAR every team

[PaladinFan]

Sorry but you are wrong. I like Wofford as I have lived in Spartanburg for 21 years. The SoCon needs some OOC wins to prove they are competitive. You need to take off your Gold/Black glasses. As of now, the SoCon is a one bid conference.


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Part of the problem is laughable scheduling.

Typically Furman and the Citadel are the only two SoCon schools who consistently roll out a serious out of conference schedule. UTC generally makes a good push to schedule up. Most everyone else is between bad and awful.

I don't know what controls the SoCon has over it, but Samford and Western Carolina should be drawn and quartered for scheduling teams like Shorter and Davidson. Mercer has gotten better, but can't seem to let some of their old A-Sun teams go. Wofford basically schedules the same teams every year (Gardner Webb and Presbyterian).

SoCon teams should schedule two scholarship FCS schools every season and an FBS money game. It's fine to occasionally play a game against a Gardner Webb, but it shouldn't be every season. Gardner Webb shouldn't have 3 or 4 SoCon teams on their schedule every season.

This is not just a random season for a lot of these programs. Samford schedules a D2 every season for some inexplicable reason. Most of those are woefully bad even by D2 standards.

[UpstateBison]

Part of the problem is laughable scheduling.

Typically Furman and the Citadel are the only two SoCon schools who consistently roll out a serious out of conference schedule. UTC generally makes a good push to schedule up. Most everyone else is between bad and awful.

I don't know what controls the SoCon has over it, but Samford and Western Carolina should be drawn and quartered for scheduling teams like Shorter and Davidson. Mercer has gotten better, but can't seem to let some of their old A-Sun teams go. Wofford basically schedules the same teams every year (Gardner Webb and Presbyterian).

I agree with you. I was just busting YoungTerrier as he has continually talked about how good Wofford is this year. I like the SoCon but the OOC schedule has been terrible. I was at the WCU-GWU game. It was a bad representation of FCS football. Sorry WCU fans. I enjoyed talking to you.


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[Reign of Terrier]

Sorry but you are wrong. I like Wofford as I have lived in Spartanburg for 21 years. The SoCon needs some OOC wins to prove they are competitive. You need to take off your Gold/Black glasses. As of now, the SoCon is a one bid conference.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkNotice I didn't contradict your assessment that the SoCon lacks an OOC win. I'm just pointing out that this isn't new information, and that the fact that you're bringing this up now demonstrates more of a bias on your part than an actual insight. So I'm not being a homer, just pointing out that your assessment of it being a dumpster fire seems to be reliant on Wofford's performance, which is itself fallacious. If not, why bring it up now? Why not chime in every week?

Socon got 3 in the playoffs last year with only 1 quality OOC win in the entire conference. I think that will happen again if the overall balance of the conference shifts like we've seen it.

The socon will get no more than 3.

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[PaladinFan]

I agree with you. I was just busting YoungTerrier as he has continually talked about how good Wofford is this year. I like the SoCon but the OOC schedule has been terrible. I was at the WCU-GWU game. It was a bad representation of FCS football. Sorry WCU fans. I enjoyed talking to you.


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Wofford had far superior statistics than Furman. Furman played an infinitely more difficult schedule than Wofford.

[UpstateBison]

Wofford had far superior statistics than Furman. Furman played an infinitely more difficult schedule than Wofford.

I agree. Wofford has played no one this year.


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[Reign of Terrier]

I just realized that Furman doesn't control it's own destiny. If you're Furman, you want ETSU to lose twice. Furman's interests are at odds with the conference getting more bids. Go figure.

I think the best case scenario for the socon looks like this in terms of playoff bids:

Furman 7-3 (7-1)
Wofford 9-2 (7-1)
ETSU 8-3 (6-2)
Chattanooga 7-4 (5-3)

And neither Chattanooga or ETSU is guaranteed to make it in that situation.



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[UpstateBison]

Notice I didn't contradict your assessment that the SoCon lacks an OOC win. I'm just pointing out that this isn't new information, and that the fact that you're bringing this up now demonstrates more of a bias on your part than an actual insight. So I'm not being a homer, just pointing out that your assessment of it being a dumpster fire seems to be reliant on Wofford's performance, which is itself fallacious. If not, why bring it up now? Why not chime in every week?

Socon got 3 in the playoffs last year with only 1 quality OOC win in the entire conference. I think that will happen again if the overall balance of the conference shifts like we've seen it.

The socon will get no more than 3.

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No, Wofford is the only team in the SoCon that has looked decent. They have played an incredibly weak OOC and you kept saying how much better they are this year than last year. The SoCon lost to KSU and NDSU in the playoffs last year. What do think the SoCon will do I’m the playoffs this year?


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[Reign of Terrier]

No, Wofford is the only team in the SoCon that has looked decent. They have played an incredibly weak OOC and you kept saying how much better they are this year than last year. The SoCon lost to KSU and NDSU in the playoffs last year. What do think the SoCon will do I’m the playoffs this year?


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkNo idea, it all depends on the matchups. If we don't have teams playing each other in the first two rounds or get shipped to Fargo, we'll look good.

ETSU is making me a believer and Furman will give anyone fits, as will Wofford. Wofford's last 3 playoff losses have come to the team that plays in the title. Samford is an egg-layer. Furman and the citadel haven't left the Carolinas and lost to teams they already played in the regular season. Chattanooga always performs well in the playoffs when they get there.

So, with Chatt being down and Wofford being better than Furman's and the citadel the last couple years, we have been collectively screwed by geography.

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[gofurman]

No, Wofford is the only team in the SoCon that has looked decent. They have played an incredibly weak OOC and you kept saying how much better they are this year than last year. The SoCon lost to KSU and NDSU in the playoffs last year. What do think the SoCon will do I’m the playoffs this year?


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Furman did beat Elon in the playoffs last year. No one (at least not me) is saying the SoCon is a killer.. but it's a good conference. I so wish FU could play the mighty Colgate right now... LOL. I am not going to think through them all but the SoCon is probably 3rd/4th best conf? something like that. We don't have a national champion contender right now.. we don't. but are we the 4th best conference? maybe.. not sure

[UpstateBison]

No idea, it all depends on the matchups. If we don't have teams playing each other in the first two rounds or get shipped to Fargo, we'll look good.

ETSU is making me a believer and Furman will give anyone fits, as will Wofford. Wofford's last 3 playoff losses have come to the team that plays in the title. Samford is an egg-layer. Furman and the citadel haven't left the Carolinas and lost to teams they already played in the regular season. Chattanooga always performs well in the playoffs when they get there.

So, with Chatt being down and Wofford being better than Furman's and the citadel the last couple years, we have been collectively screwed by geography.

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Every good conference gets screwed by geography, it is the FCS. The one bid conferences get destroyed in the quarters or semi’s. See SHSU. ETSU, Furman and Wofford will not give anyone fits this year. We heard that last year before the NDSU game from Wofford fans.


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[PaladinFan]

No idea, it all depends on the matchups. If we don't have teams playing each other in the first two rounds or get shipped to Fargo, we'll look good.

ETSU is making me a believer and Furman will give anyone fits, as will Wofford. Wofford's last 3 playoff losses have come to the team that plays in the title. Samford is an egg-layer. Furman and the citadel haven't left the Carolinas and lost to teams they already played in the regular season. Chattanooga always performs well in the playoffs when they get there.

So, with Chatt being down and Wofford being better than Furman's and the citadel the last couple years, we have been collectively screwed by geography.

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ETSU's defense looks solid and will carry them. Like Wofford last year, they probably benefit from getting Furman early instead of late.

[gofurman]

I just realized that Furman doesn't control it's own destiny. If you're Furman, you want ETSU to lose twice. Furman's interests are at odds with the conference getting more bids. Go figure.

I think the best case scenario for the socon looks like this in terms of playoff bids:

Furman 7-3 (7-1)
Wofford 9-2 (7-1)
ETSU 8-3 (6-2)
Chattanooga 7-4 (5-3)

And neither Chattanooga or ETSU is guaranteed to make it in that situation.



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true, IF ETSU wins out they are conference champs but if Furman wins out (I DONT think we will - again I am elated at 5-5 as young as we are and missing a game /cancellation and really thats 5-4 vs FCS w Clemson)... but if Furman wins out they are in playoffs.. but you are right - they need ETSU to lose TWICE for FU to be a conference champs. I don't really think conf champ is very possible for FU based on that. If Woff beats ETSU we would need someone else to get them AND we would have to win out. Very low chance of all that

5-5 for FU would impress me. that's 5-4 vs FCS including a win over "top 10 Woff' and whomever... hopefully we learn to defend the pass. We held WCU at bay by outscoring them. Prob need much the same v Samford

[gofurman]

Every good conference gets screwed by geography, it is the FCS. The one bid conferences get destroyed in the quarters or semi’s. See SHSU. ETSU, Furman and Wofford will not give anyone fits this year. We heard that last year before the NDSU game from Wofford fans.


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SoCon is no killer. But could play w most teams not named NDSU or JMU... SoCon could play w most teams 10-20 in rankings

[PaladinFan]

One encouraging thing for Furman is how they closed out the game. The Paladins couldn't close out ETSU. They made the plays they needed to topple WCU, but let them back into the game.

Against Wofford, Furman had a 9+ minute drive late that took 16 plays, 71 yards, and ended in a touchdown to push the lead back to 20 and all but seal the game.

[Reign of Terrier]

Every good conference gets screwed by geography, it is the FCS. The one bid conferences get destroyed in the quarters or semi’s. See SHSU. ETSU, Furman and Wofford will not give anyone fits this year. We heard that last year before the NDSU game from Wofford fans.


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You keep moving the goal posts and making demonstrably falsifiable claims. First you want me to defend the socon's OOC and then you want me to defend a hypothetical socon team in the playoffs when I've made no claim of either

Let's take an arbitrary time frame: 5 years

14 of the last 30 quarter and semifinal games have been decided by 3 scores or more.

This has happened to teams in the CAA, the MVFC and the socon. It's happened to Richmond, it's happened South Dakota State, it's happened to many teams. The numbers get worse if you expand it to the earlier round. MVFC types chest beat because NDSU pulverizes everyone in the playoffs this way (most of these blowouts come from JMU and NDSU and JSU a few years ago) but they don't count it against *themselves* when a team in their own conference gets that treatment.

By this definition, literally every conference is a one bid league because every conference seems to have at least one team not show up in the playoffs. Wofford has only lost 2 games by double digits in the playoffs and last year was our worst showing. That's one data point, not a trend.

You can knock the socon all day long, but the best you can say is that Wofford fails to produce against the MVFC, and formerly the CAA (but we have only played one in the last decade). Wofford is 7-1 against non-CAA, non-MVFC teams in the playoffs. But 0-4 against the MVFC. Because geography screws the socon more to where we can't prove ourselves in the postseason.

There's only 2 current socon teams that have had a home playoff game in the last decade

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[UpstateBison]

You keep moving the goal posts and making demonstrably falsifiable claims. First you want me to defend the socon's OOC and then you want me to defend a hypothetical socon team in the playoffs when I've made no claim of either

Let's take an arbitrary time frame: 5 years

14 of the last 30 quarter and semifinal games have been decided by 3 scores or more.

This has happened to teams in the CAA, the MVFC and the socon. It's happened to Richmond, it's happened South Dakota State, it's happened to many teams. The numbers get worse if you expand it to the earlier round. MVFC types chest beat because NDSU pulverizes everyone in the playoffs this way (most of these blowouts come from JMU and NDSU and JSU a few years ago) but they don't count it against *themselves* when a team in their own conference gets that treatment

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How did I move the goalposts? I agree that all conferences get beat by each other because of FCS regionalization. I also stated that one bid conferences get crushed in the playoffs when they face their first good team. How am I wrong?


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[UpstateBison]

Serious question? When was the last SoCon quarterfinal win? Last year at NDSU was the the most recent quarterfinal game for the SOCon since GSU/App left that I recall. Sorry, Wofford lost at YSU in 16 in the quarters.


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[Reign of Terrier]

How did I move the goalposts? I agree that all conferences get beat by each other because of FCS regionalization. I also stated that one bid conferences get crushed in the playoffs when they face their first good team. How am I wrong?


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Because there's plenty of evidence of CAA, Big Sky and MVFC teams getting blown out in the playoffs. You just ignore them because it contradicts your narrative.

But the extent of rematches is greater than you're giving credit. In the last 3 years, 4 socon teams made the playoffs a total of 9 times. They played 16 games, 7 were not rematches of regular season games (conference or otherwise). That sounds totally fair until you realize Chattanooga played 3 of those 7. The socon was 3-4 in those nonrematch games, dishing out two blowouts, and being on the receiving end of two.

So, socon scheduling may suck but the playoffs don't do us a favor in telling us more about each team. Even if all conferences are screwed equally by geography, it's clear that some schools within conferences are screwed less. 25% of Chatts games are rematches. 100% for Furman. 66% for the citadel. 40% for Wofford. 50% for Samford.

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[Reign of Terrier]

Serious question? When was the last SoCon quarterfinal win? Last year at NDSU was the the most recent quarterfinal game for the SOCon since GSU/App left that I recall. Sorry, Wofford lost at YSU in 16 in the quarters.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkIts been a while. Wofford's only made the semis once. Furman did it in 2005. Chattanooga, never, citadel probably never.

I don't know what you're asking me to defend. The conference is obviously not as good as when GSU or App were here, but literally every conference but the MVFC or CAA fails these metrics.

There are individual teams that have advanced outside of those conference (Jacksonville state and Sam Houston), but I don't think anyone would argue that the OVC is better than the SoCon.

Heck, very few teams in the Big Sky have made noise outside EWU in the last few years.

You're bashing the socon for being bad, when a better interpretation is that the CAA/MVFC are good and the Southland/Socon are mid tier.

How far the best team gets in the playoffs isn't the best measure for the conference's overall strength.

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[UpstateBison]

Its been a while. Wofford's only made the semis once. Furman did it in 2005. Chattanooga, never, citadel probably never.

I don't know what you're asking me to defend. The conference is obviously not as good as when GSU or App were here, but literally every conference but the MVFC or CAA fails these metrics.

There are individual teams that have advanced outside of those conference (Jacksonville state and Sam Houston), but I don't think anyone would argue that the OVC is better than the SoCon.

Heck, very few teams in the Big Sky have made noise outside EWU in the last few years.

You're bashing the socon for being bad, when a better interpretation is that the CAA/MVFC are good and the Southland/Socon are mid tier.

How far the best team gets in the playoffs isn't the best measure for the conference's overall strength.

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I am not bashing the SoCon. I am trolling you for all your statements of how much better Wofford is this year than last year with Conklin. I like Wofford but I just think the SoCon is down this year. The SoCon does not have a good OOC win this year. That reflects on the conference.


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[Reign of Terrier]

I am not bashing the SoCon. I am trolling you for all your statements of how much better Wofford is this year than last year with Conklin. I like Wofford but I just think the SoCon is down this year. The SoCon does not have a good OOC win this year. That reflects on the conference.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI stand by what I said before this game. Based on the information we had, Wofford was clearly better than last year. We still may be. But now we have new information and I updated my priors. That's how analysis works.

No one saw Roberts completing 16 of 19 passes. No one saw Wofford giving up 30 points, having not let that up in 20ish socon games. I can admit when I'm wrong, but I don't draw my conclusion/predictions without evidence. A Furman win was within the realm of possibility but nothing suggested the whipping like that.

The only way that "the socon is down" makes sense is if you think ETSU is overrated or if you think Wofford is the only decent team. You can't come to that conclusion without believing one or both of them. The evidence suggests otherwise.

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[FUBeAR]

The only teams that control their own destiny with an autobid is Furman and Mercer.I think you already corrected this for Furman, but let’s cipher it out...

Definition of “control their own destiny” - ‘only’ have to win remaining SoCon games and they are SoCon Champs AND get the autobid...

1) ETSU - 4-0 - If they beat WC, WCU, MU, & SU = 8-0 - Solo Champs + Autobid
2) MU - 2-1 - If they beat WCU, WC, ETSU, UTC, & FU = 7-1 - At worst, tie for Champ w/ETSU + Autobid. Outright Champ if ETSU loses 1+ ‘other’ game

3) FU - 2-1 - If they beat SU, CIT, UTC, VMI, & MU = 7-1 - At worst, tie for Champ w/ETSU, but no Autobid unless ETSU loses 2+
4) WC - 3-1 - If they beat ETSU, MU, SU, & WCU = 7-1 - At worst, tie for Champ, but no Autobid if FU is also 7-1

5) UTC - 3-2 - If they beat VMI, FU, & MU = 6-2 - Would need ETSU to lose 3+ AND WC to lose 2+ to get Autobid
6) SU - 2-2 - If they beat FU, WC, CIT, ETSU = 6-2 - Would need ETSU to lose 1 ‘other’ game AND need MU to lose 2+, and need UTC to lose 1+ to get Autobid

7) WCU - 1-3 - If they beat MU, ETSU, CIT, & WC = 5-3 - Would need ETSU to lose 2+ ‘other’ games AND MU & WC to lose 1+ ‘other’ game, AND FU to lose 3+ AND need UTC & SU to lose 2+
8) CIT - 1-3 - If they beat VMI, FU, WCU, & SU = 5-3 - Would need ETSU to lose (all) 4 AND need MU AND UTC to lose 2+ AND would need FU to lose 1 ‘other’ game AND would need WC to lose 3+

Not sure if there is a ‘combination path’ that could work for WCU & CIT or not.

9) VMI - 0-5 - Cannot win SoCon nor get Autobid

So...as stated...right now...only ETSU & Mercer control their own destiny to win SoCon Championship AND Autobid.

Where am I mis-cipherin’ ?????

[PaladinFan]

Is this a penalty?

This is Furman's touchdown pass to Alex Deluca (another example of Furman beating Wofford's man coverage). What struck me was the play on Furman's TE, Jake Walker, who looks to begin the play as a tight slot receiver on the right side.

Walker carries out the run fake, plants hard, and then moves to the flat as the short option on a three-level route. Wofford's defender just dives and trips him. It is in the "free blocking zone" and Walker initially was blocking, but my thought is you can't just dive at a receiver and grab his ankles as he runs past you. It's not pass interference. Illegal contact? Defensive holding? No penalty was called.

https://twitter.com/PaladinFootball/status/1051186057859887104

[FUBeAR]

Is this a penalty?

This is Furman's touchdown pass to Alex Deluca (another example of Furman beating Wofford's man coverage). What struck me was the play on Furman's TE, Jake Walker, who looks to begin the play as a tight slot receiver on the right side.

Walker carries out the run fake, plants hard, and then moves to the flat as the short option on a three-level route. Wofford's defender just dives and trips him. It is in the "free blocking zone" and Walker initially was blocking, but my thought is you can't just dive at a receiver and grab his ankles as he runs past you. It's not pass interference. Illegal contact? Defensive holding? No penalty was called.

https://twitter.com/PaladinFootball/status/1051186057859887104yes - should have been Defensive Holding.

BUT - there may have been a recent change in the rules of Football because there is, apparently, no such thing as Defensive Pass Interference anymore...at least not in the Ivy League.

I almost called 911 after 3 or 4 of the Assaults/Muggings that I witnessed in New Haven today.

[Mocs123]

Chattanooga made the semi's in 2014 where the outplayed but lost to #1 New Hampshire 35-30. Chattanooga lost in the second round in 2015 to #1 Jacksonville St. 35-41 in OT, and in 2016 to #1 Sam Houston State 41-36.

[Mocs123]

On that same note, the SoCon has not had a great year OOC. Furman laid an egg against a good Elon team, Samford got beat by KSU, Furman's game against Colegate got canceled, Mercer lost to Yale today.

We won our OOC games, but didn't play too tough of teams. We played a bad TTU team and a decent UTM team. We make up for it next year where we play both JMU and JSU.

[PaladinFan]

On that same note, the SoCon has not had a great year OOC. Furman laid an egg against a good Elon team, Samford got beat by KSU, Furman's game against Colegate got canceled, Mercer lost to Yale today.

We won our OOC games, but didn't play too tough of teams. We played a bad TTU team and a decent UTM team. We make up for it next year where we play both JMU and JSU.

Cit also lost to Towson.

[PaladinFan]

yes - should have been Defensive Holding.

BUT - there may have been a recent change in the rules of Football because there is, apparently, no such thing as Defensive Pass Interference anymore...at least not in the Ivy League.

I almost called 911 after 3 or 4 of the Assaults/Muggings that I witnessed in New Haven today.

Wofford had a few no-calls today that were probably penalties, and a few ticky tack ones that really set up Wofford's first touchdown.

One of those rare instances where the team that lost by three touchdowns got most of the benefit from the refs.

[Reign of Terrier]

Chattanooga made the semi's in 2014 where the outplayed but lost to #1 New Hampshire 35-30. Chattanooga lost in the second round in 2015 to #1 Jacksonville St. 35-41 in OT, and in 2016 to #1 Sam Houston State 41-36.That wasn't the semifinals, it was the quarterfinals.

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[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford had a few no-calls today that were probably penalties, and a few ticky tack ones that really set up Wofford's first touchdown.

One of those rare instances where the team that lost by three touchdowns got most of the benefit from the refs.Disagree. On Furman's second drive that was set up by a punt return, there was a very very clear block in the back. On the drive with penalties, a PI was called that people said wasn't catchable. It wasn't catchable because of the PI.

Furman hit us in the mouth, but it was a pretty even keeled bad call game

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[walliver]

yes - should have been Defensive Holding.

BUT - there may have been a recent change in the rules of Football because there is, apparently, no such thing as Defensive Pass Interference anymore...at least not in the Ivy League.

I almost called 911 after 3 or 4 of the Assaults/Muggings that I witnessed in New Haven today.

Schedule a few Big South games. In that league, any action taken by a defender to prevent a successful completion by a Big South team is pass interference.

[FUBeAR]

Schedule a few Big South games. In that league, any action taken by a defender to prevent a successful completion by a Big South team is pass interference.BTW - in case y'all think my comments about the lack of DPI's called on Yale is just FUBeAR whinin' & cryin'...here's a direct quote from the Yale Football Blog, which is written/curated by former Yale Players...

"We had no answers in the secondary. Bulldog defensive backs were holding, interfering and not turning their heads to play the ball. Fortunately, most of the pass interference penalties were missed by the officials."

It was truly a spectacle, the likes of which I have never seen. I thought Coach Lamb's head might explode at one point. Can't believe he didn't draw an Unsportsmanlike flag. I imagine if the game weren't so close or in his younger days he would have.

It was a very good thing that FUBeAR was not on the sidelines for this one. I suspect, though the Refs were able to completely disregard the A&B's occurring on the field, I don't suppose the New Haven magistrate on duty would have released FUBeAR on his own recognizance for Assaulting & Battering a Yale Employee...er, I mean an Ivy League Official.