SoCon 2019 Off-Season

[FUBeAR]

No plans for installing escalators. For decades(until 2009) the Samford Team climbed those same stairs, so opponents can just get over it by getting into shape where the walk isn't a problem, or bring your own portable stair-climb machine.xlolxThat’s OK. As far as I know, Mercer has no plans to install showers in their visiting Team locker room either.

[sudog03]

Am I understanding right that Furman has now lost two coaches on defense in the middle of "spring" training?

[PaladinFan]

Am I understanding right that Furman has now lost two coaches on defense in the middle of "spring" training?

It is true that Furman lost two defensive coaches. I cannot say that it was in the middle of spring training as I do not know when they left or when the coaching staff was made aware of their departure.

The newly announced defensive coordinator was already on staff. I would guess he has been running the defense during practice already. A new CBs coach was announced today, so I would guess he's already been on campus too.

http://www.furmansportsreport.com/2019/02/vaughn-promoted-to-defensive-coordinator.html

[sudog03]

So still one to hire, correct?

[PaladinFan]

So still one to hire, correct?

Yes. Furman is currently without a safeties coach.

[sudog03]

Our full schedule has been released. Since it has been the subject of much discussion here over the years, I thought I would post it just so none of you would miss it:

https://samfordsports.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=401

Probably my favorite schedule in my affiliation with Samford. A close neutral site game on ESPN, 3 FCS non-conference opponents, 2 in-state non-conference opponents, and like most this season, 12 games.

[PaladinFan]

Our full schedule has been released. Since it has been the subject of much discussion here over the years, I thought I would post it just so none of you would miss it:

https://samfordsports.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=401

Probably my favorite schedule in my affiliation with Samford. A close neutral site game on ESPN, 3 FCS non-conference opponents, 2 in-state non-conference opponents, and like most this season, 12 games.

I have been highly critical of Samford's past schedules, but this is a really good slate - marquee FCS matchup, locally relevant FBS game, and two winnable FCS ooc matches.

I think it is good that their longest road trip (VMI) comes after a home game and before the bye week. They'll face the two option teams over three weeks and then immediately follow with Furman, who has a lot of option elements in their offense.

The only part I'd be really worried about is that early season road game in Spartanburg against a Wofford team coming off a bye week.

Curious - why play YSU in Montgomery and not at Samford? What's the advantage to have YSU come all the way to Alabama and not play at home?

[sudog03]

Curious - why play YSU in Montgomery and not at Samford? What's the advantage to have YSU come all the way to Alabama and not play at home?

It's a game put together by ESPN packaged as the FCS Guardian Credit Union Kickoff on ESPN. They negotiate all the details, including the teams playing in the game.

[Mocs123]

It's a game put together by ESPN packaged as the FCS Guardian Credit Union Kickoff on ESPN. They negotiate all the details, including the teams playing in the game.


Yes, it's the game that Chattanooga and Jacksonville State played in 2017 and Jacksonville State and North Carolina A&T played in 2018 both in Montgomery.

Jacksonville State is close and travels well. Samford has a much smaller fanbase and I can't imagine Youngstown having many people travel to the game so I expect this game to be much less attended than the past couple of years.

[FUBeAR]

It's a game put together by ESPN packaged as the FCS Guardian Credit Union Kickoff on ESPN. They negotiate all the details, including the teams playing in the game.ESPN Events, an ESPN/Disney subsidiary based in Charlotte ( http://espnevents.com/ ) owns & operates the FCS Kickoff Game AND the Camellia Bowl (along with 30 other Football, Basketball, and Softball ‘events’). The 1st 3 years of the FCS Kickoff Game (‘14-‘16) were played at one of the Teams’ Home Stadiums. But, since ESPN Events assumed ownership of the game in 2017, it has been played at the Crampton Bowl in Montgomery. Probably part of their deal with the venue, which is owned by the City of Montgomery, AL. Or...it could be that they have similar deals with various venues/hosting organizations that they will bring this event to their locations in the future. I don’t know about that...and I guess it could depend on the success of the game in Montgomery. JaxSt & Chatt played the 1st one there in 2017 & JaxSt & NC A&T played there last year.

Here is the ‘tale of the tape’ on all of the previous instances of the game...



Date
Winning team
Losing team
Venue
Attendance


August 23, 2014
No. 1 Eastern Washington Eagles (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Eastern_Washington_Eagles_football_team)
56
No. 17 Sam Houston State Bearkats (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Sam_Houston_State_Bearkats_football_team)
35
Roos Field (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roos_Field) (Cheney, WA (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheney,_Washington))
10,310


August 29, 2015
No. 13 Montana Grizzlies (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Montana_Grizzlies_football_team)
38
No. 1 North Dakota State Bison (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_North_Dakota_State_Bison_football_team)
35
Washington–Grizzly Stadium (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%E2%80%93Grizzly_Stadium) (Missoula, MT (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missoula,_Montana))
26,472


August 27, 2016
No. 1 North Dakota State Bison (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_North_Dakota_State_Bison_football_team)
24
No. 7 Charleston Southern Buccaneers (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Charleston_Southern_Buccaneers_football_team)
17
Fargodome (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fargodome) (Fargo, ND (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fargo,_North_Dakota))
18,881


August 26, 2017
No. 6 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Jacksonville_State_Gamecocks_football_team)
27
No. 12Chattanooga Mocs (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Chattanooga_Mocs_football_team)
13
Cramton Bowl (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cramton_Bowl)(Montgomery, AL (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery,_Alabama))
12,952


August 25, 2018
No. 14 North Carolina A&T Aggies
20
No. 6 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Jacksonville_State_Gamecocks_football_team)17
17
Crampton Bowl(Montgomery, AL)
13,500



Some people are predicting that Samford & Youngstown Attendance will be around 6-7k. I would imagine, IF that happens, and the ESPN Events/Crampton Bowl/Montgomery deal allows it to relocate, we won’t see it back in Montgomery in 2020.

[Mocs123]

Our full schedule has been released. Since it has been the subject of much discussion here over the years, I thought I would post it just so none of you would miss it:

https://samfordsports.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=401

Probably my favorite schedule in my affiliation with Samford. A close neutral site game on ESPN, 3 FCS non-conference opponents, 2 in-state non-conference opponents, and like most this season, 12 games.


That is a nice schedule. Please go beat YSU and don't choke against TTU and Alabama A&M. Chattanooga will try and do our part and beat EIU and at least one of the two between JSU and JMU.

The SoCon has a chance to make some noise this year with quality wins. Youngstown State, Jacksonville State, James Madison, and Elon should all be ranked in the top 25.

[PaladinFan]

That is a nice schedule. Please go beat YSU and don't choke against TTU and Alabama A&M. Chattanooga will try and do our part and beat EIU and at least one of the two between JSU and JMU.

The SoCon has a chance to make some noise this year with quality wins. Youngstown State, Jacksonville State, James Madison, and Elon should all be ranked in the top 25.

I think if you had to circle a year for the SoCon to get back on the map nationally, this might be the year.

The Citadel opens with two CAA teams, including Towson.

While I think there are a few opportunities for the SoCon to upset some key players in conferences with a higher profile, also beating teams like Austin Peay, Charleston Southern, and Tenn. Tech will help keep the conference in the upper echelon of leagues nationally.

[FUBeAR]

I think if you had to circle a year for the SoCon to get back on the map nationally, this might be the year.

The Citadel opens with two CAA teams, including Towson.

While I think there are a few opportunities for the SoCon to upset some key players in conferences with a higher profile, also beating teams like Austin Peay, Charleston Southern, and Tenn. Tech will help keep the conference in the upper echelon of leagues nationally.Glad you asked...sorta

Here is the entire SoCon OOC Schedule for 2019. Predictions? I say 34-0!



Date
SoCon Team
Home/Away
OOC Opponent
Class


8/24/19
Samford
Neutral
Youngstown State
FCS


8/31/19
Chattanooga
Home
Eastern Illinois
FCS


8/31/19
East Tennessee
Away
Appalachian State
FBS - G5


8/31/19
Furman
Home
Charleston Southern
FCS


8/31/19
Samford
Away
Tennessee Tech
FCS


8/31/19
The Citadel
Home
Towson
FCS


8/31/19
VMI
Away
Marshall
FBS - G5


8/31/19
Wofford
Away
South Carolina State
FCS


9/7/19
Chattanooga
Away
Jacksonville State
FCS


9/7/19
East Tennessee
Home
Shorter
D2


9/7/19
Furman
Away
Georgia State
FBS - G5


9/7/19
The Citadel
Away
Elon
FCS


9/7/19
VMI
Home
Mars Hill
D2


9/7/19
Western Carolina
Away
NC State
FBS - P5


9/14/19
Chattanooga
Away
Tennessee
FBS - P5


9/14/19
Furman
Away
Virginia Tech
FBS - P5


9/14/19
Mercer
Home
Austin Peay
FCS


9/14/19
The Citadel
Away
Georgia Tech
FBS - P5


9/14/19
Western Carolina
Home
North Greenville
D2


9/21/19
Chattanooga
Home
James Madison
FCS


9/21/19
East Tennessee
Home
Austin Peay
FCS


9/21/19
Samford
Home
Alabama A&M
FCS


9/21/19
The Citadel
Home
Charleston Southern
FCS


9/21/19
VMI
Home
Robert Morris
FCS


9/21/19
Wofford
Home
Gardner-Webb
FCS


9/28/19
Mercer
Home
Campbell
FCS


10/5/19
Western Carolina
Home
Gardner-Webb
FCS


11/2/19
Wofford
Away
Clemson
FBS - P5


11/16/19
VMI
Away
Army
FBS - G5


11/23/19
East Tennessee
Away
Vanderbilt
FBS - P5


11/23/19
Furman
Home
Point
NAIA


11/23/19
Mercer
Away
North Carolina
FBS - P5


11/23/19
Samford
Away
Auburn
FBS - P5


11/23/19
Western Carolina
Away
Alabama
FBS - P5












OOC Games
34





FCS Games
17





FBS Games
13





.....FBS P5
9





.....FBS G5
4





D2/NAIA Games
4

[PaladinFan]

How about that. Wofford's playing Gardner Webb this year.

[ksu_owls]

We don't play any SoCon teams this year? I feel like we should always have at least 1. We originally had Furman on the schedule but I guess it got moved.

[walliver]

We don't play any SoCon teams this year? I feel like we should always have at least 1. We originally had Furman on the schedule but I guess it got moved.

There's a home-and-home with Wofford in a year or two.

I guess Furman had to rearrange their schedule to fit in Point (they're too scared to play Reinhardt).

[FUBeAR]

There's a home-and-home with Wofford in a year or two.

I guess Furman had to rearrange their schedule to fit in Point (they're too scared to play Reinhardt).
...as any SoCon Team should be.

[PaladinFan]

There's a home-and-home with Wofford in a year or two.

I guess Furman had to rearrange their schedule to fit in Point (they're too scared to play Reinhardt).

I don't know why the game was rescheduled. It was scheduled for Oct. 5, 2019 originally. KSU looks like they are off that week and Furman is playing Samford (and off the following week). So, not sure why they had to move it. Could be that Furman picked up another FBS game and didn't want to play 7 on the road in 2019.

Not to burst your bubble, but it appears KSU is playing Point as well in 2019. https://fbschedules.com/kennesaw-state-football-schedule/

Second glance, but Kennesaw State's schedule is horrific. The Owls have Kent State, Shorter, Point, Mo. State, and Alabama State out of conference. That goes along with an already pretty bad Big South slate. If the Owls aren't 12-0 or 11-1 against that schedule, I'll be mighty surprised. Furman would have probably been the best team they faced this year.

[ksu_owls]

I don't know why the game was rescheduled. It was scheduled for Oct. 5, 2019 originally. KSU looks like they are off that week and Furman is playing Samford (and off the following week). So, not sure why they had to move it. Could be that Furman picked up another FBS game and didn't want to play 7 on the road in 2019.

Not to burst your bubble, but it appears KSU is playing Point as well in 2019. https://fbschedules.com/kennesaw-state-football-schedule/

Second glance, but Kennesaw State's schedule is horrific. The Owls have Kent State, Shorter, Point, Mo. State, and Alabama State out of conference. That goes along with an already pretty bad Big South slate. If the Owls aren't 12-0 or 11-1 against that schedule, I'll be mighty surprised. Furman would have probably been the best team they faced this year.

That's why I wish we had at least one SoCon team on the schedule every year, or better yet, we were in the SoCon. Crazy to think we are starting year 5... as someone who has followed the program since day 1 it doesn't seem real. But, to continue to gain respect as a program, we HAVE to step up our scheduling game. That or beat the good teams we do eventually play in the playoffs.

[PaladinFan]

That's why I wish we had at least one SoCon team on the schedule every year, or better yet, we were in the SoCon. Crazy to think we are starting year 5... as someone who has followed the program since day 1 it doesn't seem real. But, to continue to gain respect as a program, we HAVE to step up our scheduling game. That or beat the good teams we do eventually play in the playoffs.

I don't know. Seems like the easiest path to a national title - almost guaranteed the conference auto-bid, don't play really anyone that's actually a threat to beat you, start in the top 10 and will just stay there all season.

I'd like to see KSU in the SoCon, though I think KSU will have to commit to FCS football.

[sudog03]

Personally, barring defections, I don't see another public, state school getting admittance into the SoCon, regardless of commitment to FCS football.

[ksu_owls]

I don't know. Seems like the easiest path to a national title - almost guaranteed the conference auto-bid, don't play really anyone that's actually a threat to beat you, start in the top 10 and will just stay there all season.

I'd like to see KSU in the SoCon, though I think KSU will have to commit to FCS football.

Hard to win a national title when your toughest 3 games of the season are back to back to back playoff games. If we want to be good we need to play and beat good teams in the regular season.

[FUBeAR]

Personally, barring defections, I don't see another public, state school getting admittance into the SoCon, regardless of commitment to FCS football.As I’ve stated previously, and as a dual fan of 2 of the ‘Privates,’ I would be thrilled to have KSU join the SoCon with a significant buy-in AND MORE importantly, with a ridiculously significant buy-out, perpetuous except in the rarest of occasions...such as the SoCon folding, merging with another conference, or VMI winning the SoCon title (JK). The SoCon has been around for almost 100 years. It’s been good enough for Furman (Private) and The Citadel (Public) for almost 80 years.

The SoCon ain’t going anywhere & if KSU truly wants to be in the SoCon, they can come off the hip a bit for that privilege...and if they TRULY want to be in the SoCon, they would never even need to worry about paying out on an 8 figure (before the decimals) buyout agreement.

If they’re looking for a railway station or a short-term motel, MARTA will get to Cobb County eventually and there are plenty of ‘by-the-hour’ establishments just down the road in South Cobb.

[PaladinFan]

Hard to win a national title when your toughest 3 games of the season are back to back to back playoff games. If we want to be good we need to play and beat good teams in the regular season.

It is, in a sense, the Jacksonville State phenomenon. JSU annually has perhaps the easiest path to a national title of any team in the country (with the possible exception of KSU). The Gamecocks start every season top 10 and rarely play a team anywhere near their equivalent.

[PaladinFan]

As I’ve stated previously, and as a dual fan of 2 of the ‘Privates,’ I would be thrilled to have KSU join the SoCon with a significant buy-in AND MORE importantly, with a ridiculously significant buy-out, perpetuous except in the rarest of occasions...such as the SoCon folding, merging with another conference, or VMI winning the SoCon title (JK). The SoCon has been around for almost 100 years. It’s been good enough for Furman (Private) and The Citadel (Public) for almost 80 years.

The SoCon ain’t going anywhere & if KSU truly wants to be in the SoCon, they can come off the hip a bit for that privilege...and if they TRULY want to be in the SoCon, they would never even need to worry about paying out on an 8 figure (before the decimals) buyout agreement.

If they’re looking for a railway station or a short-term motel, MARTA will get to Cobb County eventually and there are plenty of ‘by-the-hour’ establishments just down the road in South Cobb.

The commissioner seems not particularly interested in discussing expansion. The SoCon is currently well balanced and appears to have a lot of buy in from current members after the recent departure of the "perpetually dissatisfied."

There are, of course, other factors at play beyond simply whether KSU is a good football team in the SoCon footprint. Money is an issue. Commitment. Schedule balance. It's hard to argue with an 8 conference game round robin format and a balanced basketball schedule.

[ksu_owls]

It is, in a sense, the Jacksonville State phenomenon. JSU annually has perhaps the easiest path to a national title of any team in the country (with the possible exception of KSU). The Gamecocks start every season top 10 and rarely play a team anywhere near their equivalent.

At least both of our playoff appearances included quality win(s) and respectable exits. JSU gets an easy path and then gets humbled. We've also been 2/2 on being on the same side of the bracket as NDSU. I think KSU needs the SoCon but I agree the SoCon doesn't need KSU. We can continue improving in the Big South, but my fear is our potential is either slowed or ultimately limited by being in such a weak conference. I believe we change that by joining a more respectable conference, or beating quality opponents in the regular seasons OOC.

But, with this being a SoCon thread I will say you guys consistently bring the most logic to the table when talking about your teams. I do enjoy your conference.... sure would be fun to talk about games with people like you guys.... maybe one day

[PaladinFan]

At least both of our playoff appearances included quality win(s) and respectable exits. JSU gets an easy path and then gets humbled. We've also been 2/2 on being on the same side of the bracket as NDSU. I think KSU needs the SoCon but I agree the SoCon doesn't need KSU. We can continue improving in the Big South, but my fear is our potential is either slowed or ultimately limited by being in such a weak conference. I believe we change that by joining a more respectable conference, or beating quality opponents in the regular seasons OOC.

But, with this being a SoCon thread I will say you guys consistently bring the most logic to the table when talking about your teams. I do enjoy your conference.... sure would be fun to talk about games with people like you guys.... maybe one day

I would note that there really isn't a reason KSU shouldn't show up on one or more SoCon teams' schedules every year.

Look at Gardner Webb. They've played Wofford something like 6 of the last 8 or 9 years. The play multiple SoCon teams nearly every season. It makes sense, GWU doesn't have a ton of money for travel and has other quality FCS teams in shouting distance.

[Catamount87]

I've talked to two SoCon ADs that I know fairly well. Both told me "off the record" KSU won't be in the SoCon and there is little support within the SoCon for their inclusion. The biggest reasons were a) the long rumor that KSU has always had sights set on going FBS and b) their athletic budget capacity is far above the rest of the SoCon schools. In other words neither wanted to get into a athletic budget war with a school that doesn't plan on being a long term SoCon member.

[FUBeAR]

I've talked to two SoCon ADs that I know fairly well. Both told me "off the record" KSU won't be in the SoCon and there is little support within the SoCon for their inclusion. The biggest reasons were a) the long rumor that KSU has always had sights set on going FBS and b) their athletic budget capacity is far above the rest of the SoCon schools. In other words neither wanted to get into a athletic budget war with a school that doesn't plan on being a long term SoCon member.Here are those numbers for 2016-2017, comparing KSU to the Publics in the SoCon. The term allocated refers to, "the sum of student fees, direct and indirect institutional support and state money allocated to the athletics department, minus certain funds the department transferred back to the school. The transfer amount cannot exceed the sum of student fees and direct institutional support that the department receives from the school. (Under NCAA reporting rules, any additional money transferred to the school cannot be considered part of the department’s annual operating revenues or expenses.). So, I added a column called Operating Profit/Loss.

The things that makes all of this a little 'fuzzy,' as far as I can understand it, is the accounting for Scholarships - for 2 reasons...I don't think there is a specific 'tight' standard for how schools account for them AND the difference in costs across the schools.

They define Scholarship Expense as, "Athletically related student aid, including summer school and tuition discounts and waivers (including aid given to student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility or who are inactive due to medical reasons), and aid for non-athletes such as student managers."

...but I don't see that as being particularly helpful to resolve all differences in accounting treatment and definitely doesn't address the disparity in cost of one school vs. another

So, it's not purely 'apples-to-apples,' but it's about as close as we can get...I think.



RK
SCHOOL
TOTAL REVENUE
TOTAL EXPENSES
TOTAL ALLOCATED
% ALLOCATED
Operating Profit/Loss
(Rev less Exp less
Allocated $'s)


122
KSU
$25,326,240
$24,193,201
$19,449,114
76.79
-$18,316,075


144
ETSU
$18,870,608
$18,005,312
$13,550,570
71.81
-$12,685,274


151
UTC
$17,804,067
$17,804,067
$12,374,312
69.50
-$12,374,312


154
CIT
$17,610,176
$17,488,828
$10,793,876
61.29
-$10,672,528


182
WCU
$13,723,606
$13,421,220
$8,683,872
63.28
-$8,381,486


189
VMI
$13,359,816
$13,221,773
$6,157,119
46.09
-$6,019,076



So...back to your comment, it's clear that KSU is playing in a larger sandbox than the other SoCon publics...AND, when you think about the disparity in enrollment numbers, KSU can just 'tick up' their Student Activity Fee a bit and further dwarf the other SoCon members financially. That said, I'm still fine with letting them in...as long as they pay the 'cover charge' and agree to PAY, PAY, PAY if they ever want to leave.

[FUBeAR]

I thought I'd post just one more pic of Mercer's new video board because this one shows better perspective on the size. IMO, it's TOO big, but that's the way VidBoards are going these days...so, I guess it's good. Hopefully, it will be used as shown...it will if they ever let FUBeAR get a-hold of the controls!

https://i.postimg.cc/Ss2xcf0t/MUNew-Vid-CITFumb.jpg

[Mocs123]

Looks good

[Bisonoline]

...............

[FUBeAR]

https://twitter.com/gsupanthertalk/status/1096523571579572226

I guess we now know where Tyrie Adams will be playing next year. xshhhx

[FUBeAR]

https://twitter.com/JasonHabbal/status/1096832394215243777

Looks like the Catamounts have just extended the contract of their Head Coach for 5 or 6 more seasons/years.

Hmmm....I guess HERO Sport's rankings of Recruiting Classes aren't, in fact, entirely meaningless.

[Milktruck74]

An FCS coach’s contract means about as much as an FCS recruit’s stars. I know he loves being in the Whee, but if he makes back To back playoffs, a G5 school will be paying that buyout.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

An FCS coach’s contract means about as much as an FCS recruit’s stars. I know he loves being in the Whee, but if he makes back To back playoffs, a G5 school will be paying that buyout.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkBack to back playoffs? WCU hasn’t made the Playoffs since 1983.

And...au contraire, on the meaning of a contract...to an FCS Head Coach. Usually means A LOT to that Head Coach as most FCS schools aren’t going to fire the Coach & ‘eat’ the remaining years on the contract...maybe 1 year, at the most. If WCU did extend Coach Spier by 5 or 6 years, they are clearly showing they are “ALL IN” with him...after 7 seasons, no playoffs, no SoCon Championships, an overall record of 29-51 (.362), and a SoCon record of 18-36 (.333)...coming off a 3-8/1-7 8th place SoCon season, capped by losing 8 straight.

#RecruitingRankingsMatter

[Milktruck74]

Back to back playoffs? WCU hasn’t made the Playoffs since 1983.

And...au contraire, on the meaning of a contract...to an FCS Head Coach. Usually means A LOT to that Head Coach as most FCS schools aren’t going to fire the Coach & ‘eat’ the remaining years on the contract...maybe 1 year, at the most. If WCU did extend Coach Spier by 5 or 6 years, they are clearly showing they are “ALL IN” with him...after 7 seasons, no playoffs, no SoCon Championships, an overall record of 29-51 (.362), and a SoCon record of 18-36 (.333)...coming off a 3-8/1-7 8th place SoCon season, capped by losing 8 straight.

#RecruitingRankingsMatter

I guess I should clarify what I meant. An FBS school comes calling, and they don’t care very much about an FCS contract. They will pay the buyout and take the coach. Yes the coaches enjoy the vote of confidence and longevity that come with an extension, but it does not keep them from moving on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

I guess I should clarify what I meant. An FBS school comes calling, and they don’t care very much about an FCS contract. They will pay the buyout and take the coach. Yes the coaches enjoy the vote of confidence and longevity that come with an extension, but it does not keep them from moving on.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkYes - agreed. Buyouts, except one so high that no FCS Coach would ever agree to it, are pretty useless as a "Poison Pill" retention device for FCS Schools. They can do a few other things though...
1) Be a GREAT place to work
2) Be a GREAT boss
3) PAY Coordinators and Position Coaches exceptionally well
4) Provide exceptional funding for Recruiting and other operating expenses
5) Hire and retain by paying exceptionally for support staff - S&C, Trainers, Equip Mgr's, Admin's, DFO's, etc.
6) I suppose some sort of lump sum (and massive) annuity instrument could be devised and structure the payoff (if retained) so far out in the future that 'poaching' schools might have a hard time considering that part of comp/buyout and be more likely to be reluctant to spring for something so 'far out.'....maybe not.
7) 'Sneaky' stuff - hire spouse into university job that is so wonderful, she don't wanna go....involve spouse and kids SO deeply in the university and community that it becomes a true FAMILY for them...that they don't want to leave behind...."for all the money in the world"

All I got....

[Milktruck74]

Yes - agreed. Buyouts, except one so high that no FCS Coach would ever agree to it, are pretty useless as a "Poison Pill" retention device for FCS Schools. They can do a few other things though...
1) Be a GREAT place to work
2) Be a GREAT boss
3) PAY Coordinators and Position Coaches exceptionally well
4) Provide exceptional funding for Recruiting and other operating expenses
5) Hire and retain by paying exceptionally for support staff - S&C, Trainers, Equip Mgr's, Admin's, DFO's, etc.
6) I suppose some sort of lump sum (and massive) annuity instrument could be devised and structure the payoff (if retained) so far out in the future that 'poaching' schools might have a hard time considering that part of comp/buyout and be more likely to be reluctant to spring for something so 'far out.'....maybe not.
7) 'Sneaky' stuff - hire spouse into university job that is so wonderful, she don't wanna go....involve spouse and kids SO deeply in the university and community that it becomes a true FAMILY for them...that they don't want to leave behind...."for all the money in the world"

All I got....

I'm glad for Mark Spier. He is a good man and he is where he wants to be...but dollars change things...If a school like App or ECU or MTSU came calling with a chance to double or triple his current salary, he and his "entrenched family" with a great boss and the other stuff, would pack the car and talk fondly about their time in Culowhee.

[ElCid]

I thought I'd post just one more pic of Mercer's new video board because this one shows better perspective on the size. IMO, it's TOO big, but that's the way VidBoards are going these days...so, I guess it's good. Hopefully, it will be used as shown...it will if they ever let FUBeAR get a-hold of the controls!

https://i.postimg.cc/Ss2xcf0t/MUNew-Vid-CITFumb.jpg

Let...it...go...

[FUBeAR]

Let...it...go...
You mean like the bellhop ball carrier did before he was down?

[The Cats]

Back to back playoffs? WCU hasn’t made the Playoffs since 1983.

And...au contraire, on the meaning of a contract...to an FCS Head Coach. Usually means A LOT to that Head Coach as most FCS schools aren’t going to fire the Coach & ‘eat’ the remaining years on the contract...maybe 1 year, at the most. If WCU did extend Coach Spier by 5 or 6 years, they are clearly showing they are “ALL IN” with him...after 7 seasons, no playoffs, no SoCon Championships, an overall record of 29-51 (.362), and a SoCon record of 18-36 (.333)...coming off a 3-8/1-7 8th place SoCon season, capped by losing 8 straight. So, I gues most are happy.

#RecruitingRankingsMatter

The only one that was "all in" on Coach Speir is the AD. Everyone expected this season to tell the tail on Speir's future in Cullowhee (this was to be his final year on his current contract).

WCU has a history of extending coaches with very little justification, usually, it's been a winning season, but never a good recruiting class. I'm a WCU grad and fan for many years, and I never understand what happens in the AD's office regardless of the AD.

Lots of fans are not happy with the way it happened, but most wanted Speir to continue at WCU regardless of the outcome of the 2019 season.

[The Cats]

My guess is that winning and football championships are only important to some of the fans at WCU, but certainly not to the university administration.

Take notice that this extension was rammed through by the AD while the university has an acting, caretaker Chancellor. I don't think it would have happened if the new chancellor was in place.

[PaladinFan]

Re the video board - and I'm not being anti-Mercer here - but why the need?

I know they say "fan experience," but I'm not sure how much the video board has to do with that. Some of my greatest experiences at Paladin Stadium were from a time before the stadium even had a video board, much less a bigger video board.

[FUBeAR]

Re the video board - and I'm not being anti-Mercer here - but why the need?

I know they say "fan experience," but I'm not sure how much the video board has to do with that. Some of my greatest experiences at Paladin Stadium were from a time before the stadium even had a video board, much less a bigger video board.I’ll make sure they don’t build one on your lawn. Now finish getting the latest info from reading your newspaper.

[FUBeAR]

Welp...looks like Mercer’s Football S&C Coach is heading to FBS. From what I have heard from the Players, this is a BIG loss. I know 1 former Bear OLman who is the “Mikey” of the old Life cereal commercials when it comes to S&C Coaches, but he RAVES about Coach Carl. Hope they find another one almost as good.

https://twitter.com/CoachCarlMiller/status/1096992395026186240

[Smitty]

Lots of fans are not happy with the way it happened, but most wanted Speir to continue at WCU regardless of the outcome of the 2019 season.

I wonder if it would be a different feeling if it was a 2 or 3 year contract instead. That is what I was hoping for anyway.

[FUBeAR]

I wonder if it would be a different feeling if it was a 2 or 3 year contract instead. That is what I was hoping for anyway.
So...are things just ‘out of control’ in Cullowhee right now?

This extension, for this length of time, given a lack of positive on-the-field results, seems to be quite abnormal.

Then, I read about the hiring back of a Coach who was previously terminated or left the WCU program, during the season, a few years back because he was indicted on & plead guilty to a Federal fraud charge.

And, I think I read that he was re-hired to replace another Coach who was terminated or left the program because of being recently arrested (not sure for what)...or maybe this was actually referring to the previous Coach/Arrest...not sure.

I expect to be ‘shot’ by my WCU friends for just being the ‘messenger,’ but I would think y’all would want the opportunity to clear it all up here. Maybe not, but this ‘noise’ is already certainly in the public domain...and doesn’t seem to be too good of ‘a look’ for the Catamounts.

[PaladinFan]

I wonder if it would be a different feeling if it was a 2 or 3 year contract instead. That is what I was hoping for anyway.

It is a bit surprising. I would have had Speir on the short list of coaches in the SoCon with fairly warm seats with 2019 as a "show me" season.

From an outsider's perspective, it seems like an agreement of convenience - coach who is happy coaching in Cullowhee and an administration that is comfortable having him. Other than that comfort level, I'm not sure what Speir has done to be the long term guy for WCU.

His 29-51 (18-36) record at WCU does not engender confidence that he's going to turn the program around. In 7 years at WCU, he's won fewer SoCon games than Bruce Fowler did in 6.

[walliver]

The WCU extension seems very long for FCS. I can see giving this kind of contract to Dabo Swinney or Nick Saban, but not to a coach whose greatest achievement is taking a bad team and elevating it to "above average". Maybe the WCU administration is happy with just having teams that offensively are fun to watch and puts fans in seats. Take away Tyrie Adams, and WCU doesn't have much of a team. At times, I wonder if WCU had a very successful year, if the administration would pull a Charleston Southern and run off the coaching staff.

[FUBeAR]

The WCU extension seems very long for FCS. I can see giving this kind of contract to Dabo Swinney or Nick Saban, but not to a coach whose greatest achievement is taking a bad team and elevating it to “above average.” Maybe the WCU administration is happy with just having teams that offensively are fun to watch and puts fans in seats. Take away Tyrie Adams, and WCU doesn't have much of a team. At times, I wonder if WCU had a very successful year, if the administration would pull a Charleston Southern and run off the coaching staff.

Is this “above average?”





Year
Overall
Conference
Standing
Bowl/playoffs


Western Carolina Catamounts (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Carolina_Catamounts_football) (Southern Conference (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Conference)) (2012–present)


2012 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
1–10
0–8
9th



2013 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
2–10
1–7
T–8th



2014 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
7–5
5–2
T–2nd



2015 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
7–4
5–2
3rd



2016 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
2–9
1–7
T–8th



2017 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
7–5
5–3
4th



2018 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
3–8
1–7
8th




29–51
18–36



Total:
29–51

[Milktruck74]

Signing day???? Well the Mocs took advantage of the Signing PERIOD and added a 3 star RB to the stable on Friday. There is still
Plenty of talent out there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[walliver]

Is this “above average?”





Year
Overall
Conference
Standing
Bowl/playoffs


Western Carolina Catamounts (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Carolina_Catamounts_football) (Southern Conference (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Conference)) (2012–present)


2012 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
1–10
0–8
9th



2013 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
2–10
1–7
T–8th



2014 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
7–5
5–2
T–2nd



2015 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
7–4
5–2
3rd



2016 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
2–9
1–7
T–8th



2017 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
7–5
5–3
4th



2018 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
3–8
1–7
8th




29–51
18–36



Total:
29–51




3 of those years were above average:D. Maybe I should have said "above average at best".

WCU has a bad defense. Although it is easy to blame the DC, in the end, the Head Coach is responsible for the entire team, and he doesn't seem to be doing his job.

[sudog03]

Surely they didn't guarantee the money all 5 seasons for a guy who just went 1-7 in the league, right? Contract length doesn't really matter, it's how the buyout is structured.

[Mocs123]

If I was a Catamount fan I would be worried about life after Tyrie Adams given how much they have leaned on him the last few years. He is the type of talent that doesn’t come along every day.

[The Cats]

If I was a Catamount fan I would be worried about life after Tyrie Adams given how much they have leaned on him the last few years. He is the type of talent that doesn’t come along every day.

If you were a Catamount fan you'd be worried about more than life after Adams.

[Smitty]

So...are things just ‘out of control’ in Cullowhee right now?

This extension, for this length of time, given a lack of positive on-the-field results, seems to be quite abnormal.

Then, I read about the hiring back of a Coach who was previously terminated or left the WCU program, during the season, a few years back because he was indicted on & plead guilty to a Federal fraud charge.

And, I think I read that he was re-hired to replace another Coach who was terminated or left the program because of being recently arrested (not sure for what)...or maybe this was actually referring to the previous Coach/Arrest...not sure.

I expect to be ‘shot’ by my WCU friends for just being the ‘messenger,’ but I would think y’all would want the opportunity to clear it all up here. Maybe not, but this ‘noise’ is already certainly in the public domain...and doesn’t seem to be too good of ‘a look’ for the Catamounts.

I'll start by saying I don't know enough about the charges for either coach to come up with a solid opinion. Supposedly the coach that was recently released/stepped down violated a restraining order. I don't think it should be a black eye for the program as it is a private affair dealing with issues off campus. The one coach with fraud I don't know any about but if he has done his time or resolved the issues then I'm not going to keep him from being hired.

Overall things are not out of control in Cullowhee. Many are questioning the extension of a coach without a Chancellor, especially for a 5 year extension. I feel that it is good to keep him even if his record isn't great currently. We have a history of firing a coach after X amount of years, rinse, repeat.

[Smitty]

Is this “above average?”





Year
Overall
Conference
Standing
Bowl/playoffs


Western Carolina Catamounts (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Carolina_Catamounts_football) (Southern Conference (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Conference)) (2012–present)


2012 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
1–10
0–8
9th



2013 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
2–10
1–7
T–8th



2014 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
7–5
5–2
T–2nd



2015 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
7–4
5–2
3rd



2016 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
2–9
1–7
T–8th



2017 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
7–5
5–3
4th



2018 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
3–8
1–7
8th




29–51
18–36



Total:
29–51




Considering the previous years, that is leaps and bounds better than previously...

[PaladinFan]

3 of those years were above average:D. Maybe I should have said "above average at best".

WCU has a bad defense. Although it is easy to blame the DC, in the end, the Head Coach is responsible for the entire team, and he doesn't seem to be doing his job.

And two of the "above average" years were 2014 and 2015 when Furman sucked.

[The Cats]

So...are things just ‘out of control’ in Cullowhee right now?

This extension, for this length of time, given a lack of positive on-the-field results, seems to be quite abnormal.

Then, I read about the hiring back of a Coach who was previously terminated or left the WCU program, during the season, a few years back because he was indicted on & plead guilty to a Federal fraud charge.

And, I think I read that he was re-hired to replace another Coach who was terminated or left the program because of being recently arrested (not sure for what)...or maybe this was actually referring to the previous Coach/Arrest...not sure.

I expect to be ‘shot’ by my WCU friends for just being the ‘messenger,’ but I would think y’all would want the opportunity to clear it all up here. Maybe not, but this ‘noise’ is already certainly in the public domain...and doesn’t seem to be too good of ‘a look’ for the Catamounts.

It's hard to disagree with facts. For your information, it is two different coaches, both with past or current law enforcement problems. In my opinion, if a coach ends up with legal problems it reflects on the head coach, just the same as if a player does. The head coach hires his assistants, just as the head coach "hires" his plays by providing scholarships. To me it all reflect poorly on the university, that is currently without a chancellor to take control of the situation. Obviously, the AD is happy with the situation to have provided a 5-year contract extension to the head coach.
------------------------
WCU BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVES SPEIR CONTRACT EXTENSION (https://www.goblueridge.net/sports/41794-wcu-board-of-trustees-approves-speir-contract-extension#)
Cullowhee, N.C. – A five-year contract extension for Western Carolina University head football coach Mark Speir has been unanimously approved by the executive committee of WCU’s Board of Trustees. The announcement came Saturday afternoon as a part of the National Signing Day Reception held in the Ramsey Center celebrating Speir and his staff’s 2019 incoming class, which was ranked 10th nationally by HERO Sports – tops in the Southern Conference.
The board initially granted the contract extension as a part of a teleconference in late December. Speir was entering the penultimate year of a first contract extension that was announced in February of 2015 and began in July of 2016.
“Mark Speir has done a phenomenal job since he came back to Cullowhee in late 2011. His focus on the ‘student’ and not just the ‘athlete’ is what led to us signing the best incoming recruiting class in the history of WCU this year,” said Randy Eaton, WCU director of athletics, of the decision to request the contract extension. “While we were not able to fund the football program anywhere close to our peers in the Southern Conference during Mark’s first seven years, he was still able to achieve three seven-win seasons – that speaks volumes to his, and his staff’s, ability to recruit and coach. Now that we finally have been able to reasonably fund the football program, I look forward to our successes on the field over the next six years.”
Eaton added, “In short, I believe in this man, and I know he is the right fit for Cullowhee, for Western Carolina University and, most importantly, for our student-athletes.”
A former assistant coach at WCU in the early to mid-1990s, Speir was hired as Western Carolina’s 13th head football coach all-time in December of 2011. He was originally signed to a four-and-a-half-year deal, with the first extension keeping him under contract in Cullowhee through June of 2020. With the current extension, Speir will be under contract through the summer of 2025.
“I am honored and blessed to be the head football coach at Western Carolina University. I’m very grateful for the confidence that Randy Eaton, the administration, and the WCU Board of Trustees have bestowed upon our coaching staff in continuing to lead and shape this football program,” said Speir. “This is a community, a university and a football program that Paige and I truly love. I am excited about the future of where this program is headed. Our staff’s sole vision continues to be leading young men and developing champions on and off the field. Bottom line… I’m excited to be a part of the Catamount Nation for another six years!”
Among 20 national finalists for the 2014 Eddie Robinson national FCS Coach of the Year award, Speir has guided the Catamounts to a trio of seven-win seasons and thrice to the doorstep of returning to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs during his tenure. Five different Catamounts have earned All-America honors, including four in the past five seasons on the STATS FCS All-America team.
Since taking over the program in 2012, several individuals have thrived under Speir’s tutelage. A combined 32 players have collected All-Southern Conference first or second-team plaudits, while 22 have earned SoCon All-Freshman selections, including quarterback Tyrie Adams, who became just the fourth WCU football player to earn SoCon Freshman of the Year in 2016. Three first-year Catamounts went on to be finalists for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award given to the nation’s top freshman performer, including Adams, who finished fourth in the national voting in 2016.
In 2018, WCU saw three players grace the three different STATS FCS national watch lists for awards that honor the top offensive, defensive, and freshman players. Adams, who became just one of 11 NCAA FCS quarterbacks all-time to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in the same season, finished 19th in the national voting for the Walter Payton Award. Adams led the SoCon in rushing as a QB, averaging 91.5 yards per game. Senior defensive back Marvin Tillman appeared on the Buck Buchanan Award for the top defensive player and Ronald Kent Jr., was on the Rice Award Watch List last season.
Two Catamounts recruited and coached by Speir and his staff landed with NFL teams following the 2017 season, headlined by rookie defensive back Keion Crossen who gave WCU its first draft pick since 1994 when he was selected in the seventh round by New England. He was joined by a former teammate in running back Detrez Newsome who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers. A two-time All-America selection, Newsome set a WCU school-record as the first player to post three-consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2015-2017. Crossen and Newsome met on opposite sidelines in the 2018 NFL postseason in the divisional round with Crossen becoming WCU’s fourth Super Bowl Champion with New England’s win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Speir’s successes aren’t just limited to the field as nine players earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, with Darius Ramsey becoming just the fourth Catamount football player all-time – and the first since 2003 – to garner Academic All-America status, collecting first-team honors in 2014. WCU has also put six players on the prestigious FCS ADA Academic All-Star team under Speir.
With the increased success, the fan base has reacted as Western Carolina has led the Southern Conference in home football attendance at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field the past two seasons, ranking 23rd nationally in the FCS in 2017.
Also, on Saturday, Speir announced the addition of former WCU assistant coach Arketa Banks to his coaching staff where he will coach the running backs and tight ends. Banks replaces former assistant Pat Mills who left WCU to pursue interests outside of coaching.
With Banks’ addition, Speir also unveiled several changes to the coaching responsibilities of the remainder of the staff. Reuben Wright, who coached the running backs a season ago, will move to the defensive side of the football to coach the defensive line while Mark Rhea will concentrate on the outside linebackers in WCU’s 3-4 defensive scheme. Justin Hood, who is in his second year at WCU, will take over coaching the nickelbacks on defense and assume the role as the special teams’ coordinator.

[PaladinNation]

Looks like Furman has replenished its defensive coaching staff… Ojong and Wright look like great additions.

Duane Vaughn - DC
http://www.furmanpaladins.com/sports/m-footbl/2018-19/releases/20190212j7n4be

Rod Ojong - Cornerbacks
http://www.furmanpaladins.com/sports/m-footbl/2018-19/releases/20190213hq1mkc

Corico Wright - Safeties
http://www.furmanpaladins.com/sports/m-footbl/2018-19/releases/20190218kcud9w

[Catamount87]

It is a bit surprising. I would have had Speir on the short list of coaches in the SoCon with fairly warm seats with 2019 as a "show me" season.

From an outsider's perspective, it seems like an agreement of convenience - coach who is happy coaching in Cullowhee and an administration that is comfortable having him. Other than that comfort level, I'm not sure what Speir has done to be the long term guy for WCU.

His 29-51 (18-36) record at WCU does not engender confidence that he's going to turn the program around. In 7 years at WCU, he's won fewer SoCon games than Bruce Fowler did in 6.

As a Catamount, the length gives me a little heartburn but I'm okay with it. Throw out his first two seasons (1-10 and 2-10) and the stats get a lot better, 26-31 overall and 17-21 SoCon.

Now where I have concern is assistant coaches. Coach Speir hasn't shown us he's willing to really make hard decisions when an assistant isn't working out. Look no further than our special teams play. Aside from great punting talent, our special teams play over Speir's tenure has been less than ideal. Then there's this issue of bringing back an assistant that was involved in something less than honest. Now there's an assistant that better be on a REALLY SHORT leash!

[Mocs123]

Speir hasn't been a bad coach, though last year didn't look good. It all depends on the terms of the contract - they could officially give him a long contract with little buyout and not be out much, but it would look good to recruits.

WCU has quite a bit of fan support so I would think that's a major help in driving for a sucessful football program - though perhaps the fans are fans of the band more than the football team.

As for Speir vs Fowler - I think Fowler probably inherited a better situation but I imagine the expecation for Furman is to compete for playoff spots, and the expectation for the Catamounts may be a .500 season. The AD hasn't scheduled for the playoffs and they seem to be willing to play D2 and Money Games OOC rather than play quality FCS games that would help them get in the playoffs.

[Smitty]

WCU has quite a bit of fan support so I would think that's a major help in driving for a sucessful football program - though perhaps the fans are fans of the band more than the football team.


It all depends on who you ask. If you ask anybody on the catamount message boards, they will show you the pitchfork and torch collection they have been building up...

[Catamount87]

It all depends on who you ask. If you ask anybody on the catamount message boards, they will show you the pitchfork and torch collection they have been building up...

I think that's limited to a few individuals. From talking to a lot of other Catamount Club members, I've not heard nearly the same level of displeasure. Most have been pleased but cautious.

[ElCid]

Word has it that our new turf will be delayed a year. Oh well, keep those mowers another year.

[FUBeAR]

Word has it that our new turf will be delayed a year. Oh well, keep those mowers another year.
Any update to the ‘not being half-a-stadium’ timetable?

[FUBeAR]

Thought I'd do a little PSA for my CIT 'friends' as I'm sure at least 1 of the 4 "philanthropy initiatives" mentioned involves funds going to CIT Football...if it helps them get a 'whole' stadium again, even I can support that...

https://twitter.com/JoeCrochet5/status/1097886186276864000

Sounds like a great book from a young man who was a heckuva a SoCon Player, but...I bet there are many bellhops and stories about bellhops in it, so I'll take a hard pass, but YOU should order several copies.

I've already gagged my way through "The Lords of Discipline," "My Losing Season" (notice Mr. Crochet's title - good job), and watched every episode of "House of Cards"....I think I've reached my lifetime limit.

[FUBeAR]

Looks like Mercer has filled their OLB Coaching spot with a Nittany Mountain(eer) Lion...

https://www.pennlive.com//pennstatefootball/2019/02/penn-state-football-grad-assistant-leaves-for-promotion-at-mercer.html

Think the Bears still need a CB’s Coach to complete the Staff

[PaladinFan]

https://twitter.com/paladinfootball/status/1098984932095991811?s=21

Furman throwing a little shade.

[FUBeAR]

https://twitter.com/paladinfootball/status/1098984932095991811?s=21

Furman throwing a little shade.Pretty funny. Would have shown a bit more moxie to @ the other SoCon Football Twitter accounts.

Sidenote - guess they only counted Mercer’s non D1 games since the Bears joined the SoCon in 2014...and ALL 3 of those non D1 games were IN 2014; none since...AND...2 of the 3 were previously scheduled 2-year ‘deals’ for ‘13 & ‘14. So...Bears just-a-shinin’ thru this shade attempt...others...not so much.

[PaladinFan]

Pretty funny. Would have shown a bit more moxie to @ the other SoCon Football Twitter accounts.

Sidenote - guess they only counted Mercer’s non D1 games since the Bears joined the SoCon in 2014...and ALL 3 of those non D1 games were IN 2014; none since...AND...2 of the 3 were previously scheduled 2-year ‘deals’ for ‘13 & ‘14. So...Bears just-a-shinin’ thru this shade attempt...others...not so much.

I didn't bother to do a deep dive. I don't know, for instance, whether they counted VMI's non-SoCon play.

It does sort of beg the question of whether Furman's athletic administration is sending a message with that tweet. Perhaps they are annoyed with Samford's constant scheduling of sub-D1 teams. Perhaps it is a nudge to the league office as well. The commissioner went on the record a few years ago about trying to reduce the number of sub-D1 teams that appeared on SoCon football schedules.

If I were Furman, I'd be moderately annoyed that the Paladins constantly roll out an all D-1 scholarship schedule (2019 is an outlier for a number of reasons) while other teams cannot seem to do it even once a decade.

[SU DOG]

Couldn't possibly have anything to do with some consternation about their scheduling an NAIA opponent(Point) for 2019 now could it? xrolleyesx

[FUBeAR]

I didn't bother to do a deep dive. I don't know, for instance, whether they counted VMI's non-SoCon play.

It does sort of beg the question of whether Furman's athletic administration is sending a message with that tweet. Perhaps they are annoyed with Samford's constant scheduling of sub-D1 teams. Perhaps it is a nudge to the league office as well. The commissioner went on the record a few years ago about trying to reduce the number of sub-D1 teams that appeared on SoCon football schedules.

If I were Furman, I'd be moderately annoyed that the Paladins constantly roll out an all D-1 scholarship schedule (2019 is an outlier for a number of reasons) while other teams cannot seem to do it even once a decade.
They counted Mercer, VMI, and ETSU the same way...only counted non D1 games since joining SoCon...since 2014 for Mercer & VMI; 2016 for ETSU...so...if we re-constructed this list & go from 2016 to 2019 when ALL current Teams were fully in...which is really ‘more fairer’ & more illustrative of the point (if there is one) it would look like this...

ETSU - 5
Samford - 3
VMI - 3
The Citadel - 2
WCU - 2
Chattanooga - 1
Furman - 1
Wofford - 1
Mercer - 0

...and, IF we want to give ETSU that 1st-year-in ‘pass’...(they had 2 in 2016)...so...really once the Bucs have been ‘all-in,’ all SoCon schools are more or less the same...from .25 to .75 non-D1 games/season...except Mercer...who remains at 0.

[PaladinFan]

Couldn't possibly have anything to do with some consternation about their scheduling an NAIA opponent(Point) for 2019 now could it? xrolleyesx

As I said, 2019 is an outlier.

Furman wanted to play 12 games and have 6 home games in 2019. To do that, Furman was going to have to schedule a lower division team. A lot of SoCon teams are opting to play only 11 games in 2019, which Furman could certainly have done. So, in that regard, Furman is sacrificing a second bye week to play another game a lot of teams are sitting out.

I imagine a lot of the rationale behind scheduling Point is to give the players and fans another home game. Remember, Furman had the home opener last season canceled (Colgate). The Paladins played 7 of 8 games from the end of 2017 until the beginning of 2018 on the road. They didn't play at home last season until the last weekend in September.

The last time Furman played a non D-1 scholarship opponent was the very first game of 2008. To give you a reference, Furman played their last non-D1 scholarship opponent before they ever played Samford as a SoCon foe.

[SU DOG]

Furman's rationale for playing Point was not a part of my post that you quoted. The timing and content of the Tweet, however, was.

[Mocs123]

Another look might be how many ranked teams SoCon teams have played in the OOC. Some schools play a very weak OOC.

Mercer might not have played many non D1's, which I give them credit for, but they do play a lot of non scholly FCS teams.

I admit, Furman does genreally play a pretty good schedule, but as already discussed, posting that on Twitter before they play Point is pretty comical.

[FUBeAR]

Mercer might not have played many non D1's, which I give them credit for, but they do play a lot of non scholly FCS teams.

3 D1 non-schollies from 2016-2019 (the appropriate years to consider, IMO); none scheduled in 2019.

1 of those 3 was in 2017, when Mercer also played Alabama AND Auburn. Guess they could have scheduled @ NDSU for their only other OOC game that year. xthumbsupx

Another 1 of those 3 was @ Yale in 2018. Yale was ranked in the FCS Top 25, by several rankings sources, at the end of 2017 & preseason 2018.

2 of those 3 were against Jacksonville U; a traditionally strong PFL Team that has defeated other FCS Scholarship Teams in the past, is a relatively short drive from Macon, is located within a key Recruiting ‘market’ for Mercer, and, in 2013 played against Mercer in one of the most exciting & fun Football games I have ever seen. A ‘return engagement’ of that uber-exciting matchup was heavily desired by many Mercer Football fans and Mercer agreed to a 2-year deal to make it happen.

So...if that’s “a lot,” then Mercer is ‘guilty as charged.’

[PaladinFan]

Another look might be how many ranked teams SoCon teams have played in the OOC. Some schools play a very weak OOC.

Mercer might not have played many non D1's, which I give them credit for, but they do play a lot of non scholly FCS teams.

I admit, Furman does genreally play a pretty good schedule, but as already discussed, posting that on Twitter before they play Point is pretty comical.

In some years, scheduling a sub-D1 team is unavoidable. I don't take any issue with that. Even Virginia Tech is playing two FCS programs in 2019 (and they are hearing about it). Games get moved, canceled, flipped, and changed and sometimes you have to dance with who is available.

I am quite sure Furman would prefer not to play Point. They wanted a 12th game, struggled to find an available team that would play in Greenville, and that's the team that was available.

I would think teams constantly producing quality schedules - Furman, UTC, the Citadel - are getting tired of it. Interestingly, Samford, for the first time in a decade, didn't schedule a sub-D1 team in 2019. Given Furman's tweet and Samford's schedule, I wonder if there's pressure from the conference to stop scheduling cupcakes.

From what I can tell, the only SoCon schools that scheduled sub-D1 games in 2019 (VMI, Furman, WCU, ETSU) are playing 12 game schedules.

[FUBeAR]

In some years, scheduling a sub-D1 team is unavoidable. I don't take any issue with that. Even Virginia Tech is playing two FCS programs in 2019 (and they are hearing about it). Games get moved, canceled, flipped, and changed and sometimes you have to dance with who is available.

I am quite sure Furman would prefer not to play Point. They wanted a 12th game, struggled to find an available team that would play in Greenville, and that's the team that was available.

I would think teams constantly producing quality schedules - Furman, Mercer, UTC, the Citadel - are getting tired of it. Interestingly, Samford, for the first time in a decade, didn't schedule a sub-D1 team in 2019. Given Furman's tweet and Samford's schedule, I wonder if there's pressure from the conference to stop scheduling cupcakes.

From what I can tell, the only SoCon schools that scheduled sub-D1 games in 2019 (VMI, Furman, WCU, ETSU) are playing 12 game schedules.I don’t think our canine & our avian/reptilian/mechanical/cobbling(?) friends are taking any exception to Furman’s scheduling; neither historically, nor the scheduling of Point in 2019. I believe they are snickering, justifiably, at the timing of the Tweet in conjunction with the cited statistics in it...it’s kinda like Japan Tweeting out on 12/6/41 that they had 0 instances of bombing the US.

Oh...and AYP

[PaladinFan]

I don’t think our canine & our avian/reptilian/mechanical/cobbling(?) friends are taking any exception to Furman’s scheduling; neither historically, nor the scheduling of Point in 2019. I believe they are snickering, justifiably, at the timing of the Tweet in conjunction with the cited statistics in it...it’s kinda like Japan Tweeting out on 12/6/41 that they had 0 instances of bombing the US.

Oh...and AYP

I realize you'll disagree with me, but Mercer isn't in the same conversation schedule-wise as the other three. This is only the second time since joining the SoCon they haven't scheduled a Pioneer team.

[FUBeAR]

I realize you'll disagree with me, but Mercer isn't in the same conversation schedule-wise as the other three. This is only the second time since joining the SoCon they haven't scheduled a Pioneer team.
Unfortunately, I can’t locate historical FCS SoCon Strength of Schedule data for any season other than 2018; so that we could assess this beyond PaladinFan’s always-biased opinion or by using a single random snippet of data pulled from PF’s Southern Region...but here is the 2018 data from HERO Sports. Congrats to...wait for it...VMI! Looks like that ‘conversation’ might just be a bit broader than PF wants to frame it.



2018 SoCon SoS Rank
Team
2018 FCS SoS Rank


1
VMI
39


2
Samford
44


3
Furman
50


4
The Citadel
53


5
WCU
55


6
ETSU
60


7
Mercer
62


8
Wofford
66


9
Chattanooga
70



...and, Yes...FUBeAR knows that an OOC-only SoS ranking would be superior reflective data because, for example, VMI doesn’t ‘lose’ SoS ranking points because they don’t play VMI. Love to see someone access and post historical 2016-2018 (the most appropriate time-frame with ‘apples-to-apples’ data) OOC-only SoS data for SoCon Teams. I suspect Mercer may have just about ‘lapped the field’ in 2017; so I would be surprised if the Bears didn’t fare quite well in this metric during the reasonable time-frame to consider...despite PF’s specious claim supported by nothing more than a mere & single anecdotal instance.

[Mocs123]

Furman normally has good schedules - I might say off the top of my head, the best in the SoCon over the past ten years or so.

Even if you were just looking at OOC schedules, you have to throw out the money games. Mercer played both Alabama and Auburn a year or two ago and that probably gave them the toughest OOC SOS in the conference (if not all FCS) but getting beat down by two SEC teams does nothing to help Mercer or the SoCon's status in the FCS. I know money games are a reality and essential for pretty much all FCS teams, and Chattanooga plays them too, but they do skew the SOS.

I'm also not sure how VMI had the best SOS in 2018. They played Tuscullum a D2, and Toledo and Old Dominion two not so great G5 teams as their OOC.

2018 was one of the worst OOC schedules for Chattanooga with a bad TTU team (which isn't a bad game for us - Cookville is close and there are a lot of TTU grads in Chattanooga), and a UT Martin team that while normally is a decent team, had a down year. We normally play at least one top 10 FCS team and play two this season.

[walliver]

I chuckled when I read there Furman tweet. I suspect the intern or whatever who created the tweet really wasn't aware of FU's 2019 schedule.

It's nice to know that Furman NEVER plays sub D-1 teams, and when they do it's because they had no choice ... and it's Colgate's fault.

I don't read a lot into the all-D1 vs sub-D1 labels. There are some very bad FCS teams and a lot of D2 teams which would be very successful at beating them. My dislike of sub-D1 games is due to:
1) These games are poorly attended (fans don't care)
2) A win doesn't help (even if you beat a team like Valdosta State)
3) A loss can be devestating to at-large bid opportunity.

[FUBeAR]

Even if you were just looking at OOC schedules, you have to throw out the money games. Mercer played both Alabama and Auburn a year or two ago and that probably gave them the toughest OOC SOS in the conference (if not all FCS) but getting beat down by two SEC teams does nothing to help Mercer or the SoCon's status in the FCS. I know money games are a reality and essential for pretty much all FCS teams, and Chattanooga plays them too, but they do skew the SOS.Beat down by two SEC teams? You know, against Auburn in 2017, Mercer had the ball & a chance to take the lead halfway thru the 4th quarter, right?

The SoS, like a won/loss record, is what it is & was what it was.

[Mocs123]

Beat down by two SEC teams? You know, against Auburn in 2017, Mercer had the ball & a chance to take the lead halfway thru the 4th quarter, right?

The SoS, like a won/loss record, is what it is & was what it was.

So you are saying that a loss vs Auburn and Alabama should impress the Playoff Selection Committee more than a loss vs Alabama (or insert P5 team here) and a win vs a top 25 FCS team? Mercer has a shot against a top 25 FCS team, say KSU since you are close, but let's face it no SoCon school has much of a chance again an Alabama or Auburn. (que The Citadel fans talking about beating USC a couple years ago - which I admit was a HUGE win).

What the SoCon needs is FCS wins and especially quality wins (wins vs top 25 teams/playoff teams). We also need to win and advance in the playoffs.

[FUBeAR]

So you are saying that a loss vs Auburn and Alabama should impress the Playoff Selection Committee more than a loss vs Alabama (or insert P5 team here) and a win vs a top 25 FCS team? Mercer has a shot against a top 25 FCS team, say KSU since you are close, but let's face it no SoCon school has much of a chance again an Alabama or Auburn. (que The Citadel fans talking about beating USC a couple years ago - which I admit was a HUGE win).

What the SoCon needs is FCS wins and especially quality wins (wins vs top 25 teams/playoff teams). We also need to win and advance in the playoffs.No.
True.
So, you’re saying there’s a chance. Agreed.
True.
True.

[PaladinFan]

Unfortunately, I can’t locate historical FCS SoCon Strength of Schedule data for any season other than 2018; so that we could assess this beyond PaladinFan’s always-biased opinion or by using a single random snippet of data pulled from PF’s Southern Region...but here is the 2018 data from HERO Sports. Congrats to...wait for it...VMI! Looks like that ‘conversation’ might just be a bit broader than PF wants to frame it.



2018 SoCon SoS Rank
Team
2018 FCS SoS Rank


1
VMI
39


2
Samford
44


3
Furman
50


4
The Citadel
53


5
WCU
55


6
ETSU
60


7
Mercer
62


8
Wofford
66


9
Chattanooga
70



...and, Yes...FUBeAR knows that an OOC-only SoS ranking would be superior reflective data because, for example, VMI doesn’t ‘lose’ SoS ranking points because they don’t play VMI. Love to see someone access and post historical 2016-2018 (the most appropriate time-frame with ‘apples-to-apples’ data) OOC-only SoS data for SoCon Teams. I suspect Mercer may have just about ‘lapped the field’ in 2017; so I would be surprised if the Bears didn’t fare quite well in this metric during the reasonable time-frame to consider...despite PF’s specious claim supported by nothing more than a mere & single anecdotal instance.

I gave my opinion. I said you were free to disagree with it.

Citing something that isn't data, calling it data, and then manipulating it to support Mercer isn't persuasive.

Per usual, you don't actually address what I said, you change the facts, and argue something else. That's fine, take a position, but let us not pretend like it addresses what I said.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

You don't dispute my statement about Mercer's scheduling of Pioneer teams. It is my opinion that scheduling non-scholarship opponents from the Pioneer league is not the same as scheduling quality FCS scholarship programs. You can argue that Jacksonville, arguably the worst team in the worst conference in the FCS, is a quality opponent. It is my opinion that they are not. Feel free to disagree.

Generally, the only three teams that consistently attempt to produce a strong FCS ooc schedule are Furman, the Citadel, and UTC. It doesn't happen every year, but it happens most years.

[FUBeAR]

I gave my opinion. I said you were free to disagree with it.

Citing something that isn't data, calling it data, and then manipulating it to support Mercer isn't persuasive.

Per usual, you don't actually address what I said, you change the facts, and argue something else. That's fine, take a position, but let us not pretend like it addresses what I said.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

You don't dispute my statement about Mercer's scheduling of Pioneer teams. It is my opinion that scheduling non-scholarship opponents from the Pioneer league is not the same as scheduling quality FCS scholarship programs. You can argue that Jacksonville, arguably the worst team in the worst conference in the FCS, is a quality opponent. It is my opinion that they are not. Feel free to disagree.

Generally, the only three teams that consistently attempt to produce a strong FCS ooc schedule are Furman, the Citadel, and UTC. It doesn't happen every year, but it happens most years.

Just crazy talk....

SoS Rankings aren't "facts and statistics collected together for reference and analysis?" AKA DATA
Manipulating it to support Mercer - the only actual data I was able to find show Mercer in the bottom 3rd. Though FUBeAR never manipulates data, if he did, he would sure as H-E-double hockey sticks do a heckuva a lot better job of it than THAT!

And...here's a "Strawman" for you...

https://recruitingdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/03/scarecrow-wizard-of-oz.jpg

I think he must have written this post for you!

Jacksonville, "arguably the worst Team in the PFL?" - you KNOW better than that. They were down this year, but they have never even been in the bottom half of the League before (since Mercer has had a Team) and usually very near the top.

PFL worst FCS Conference - maybe...but I have seen them ranked ahead of the MEAC, the SWAC, and the NEC more than a few times...here's 1 example...



Rank
Conference (Teams)
All
Non-Conf
Index
Sos
Sos Rk





fcs 21
Pioneer League (http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_pneer_Men.html) 11
46-59 (44%)
6-19 (24%)
9.51
45.93
19


fcs 22
Mid-Eastern Athletic (http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_meac_Men.html) 11
43-63 (41%)
6-26 (19%)
9.18
44.69
22


fcs 23
Northeast (http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_neast_Men.html) 7
30-40 (43%)
9-19 (32%)
9.00
43.75
23


fcs 24
Southwestern Athletic (http://realtimerpi.com/college_football/ncaaf_swac_Men.html) 10
40-61 (40%)
9-30 (23%)
8.62
43.17
24



You may be correct in your OPINION about Furman, UTC, and CIT's scheduling vs. other SoCon schools or you may not be...scattershot anecdotes to support your case are what "isn't persuasive."

[ElCid]

Love to see someone access and post historical 2016-2018 (the most appropriate time-frame with ‘apples-to-apples’ data) OOC-only SoS data for SoCon Teams.

Ok, ask and ye shall receive. Not to mention I wasted a Sat evening on this.

First off some explanation. I used Massey for all these "Rankings" and "Ratings." If you don't like it, do it yourself. I put both the ratings and ranking because rankings basically mean nothing. As I have mention ad infinitum, you can have a slew of teams all close in rating or big gaps in rating. Ranking doesn't show that...RATING DOES. Also, be advised that the RANKINGS are for all of college football (FBS, FCS, DII, III, etc). It includes EVERYONE.

Also, I just did OOC SOS and broke it down into three sections (Sub DI, FCS, and FBS). For example in the first chart, for 2018; Furman played no sub DI, 1 FCS, ranked 153 and rated 1.050, and 1 FBS ranked 1 and rated 2.98. The average ratings for the Sub DI games is just sub DI games, FCS average ratings is just the FCS games, the average for the FBS ratings is just the FBS games. However, the overall average ratings are for all games and not the averages of the averages shown. I did not put each and every ratings on this chart in other words. Every ranking is listed though. If you really want them I can e-mail them to you. Hope that made sense. It is also important to note that the rank and rating used are for the END OF SEASON, and not when they teams played. Also, make note of the various negative values for some of the ratings.

In the first chart I have 2018. I only have one column for sub D1 because nobody played more. In the FCS I have two opponents listed if applicable and in the FBS I have two games as well. Again as an example, VMI played Tusculum (SUB DI) and ODU and Toledo (FBS) so they have no FCS games and are grayed out.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30151&stc=1

In the next two charts I changed it slightly Because ETSU had 2 Sub DI games in 2016 So I added a column. Also of note in the 2015 chart, Mercer had all 4 games as FCS so I just lumped them into the sub DI columns (they all sucked anyway), and VMI had 3 FCS games so I did the same for 2015. The FCS averages are correct though for all those FCS opponenets. I also excluded ETSU entirely form 2015 for obvious reasons.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30152&stc=1


So I did one more chart and averaged every OOC opponent that teams have played from 2015-2018 (ETSU is only 2016-2018).

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30153&stc=1

Enjoy. I have to go eat now.

[walliver]

SOS only helps if you win. Playing Clemson, Alabama, and mighty Elon only helps if you win. A win over Gardner Webb is worth much more than a good loss.

[ElCid]

SOS only helps if you win. Playing Clemson, Alabama, and mighty Elon only helps if you win. A win over Gardner Webb is worth much more than a good loss.

Well obviously, but I think this got started in the first place due to scheduling concerns. Who knows if you win or not at that point, but while SOS only matters is you win, you got to start out from a descent SOS position to begin with or it may not matter win or lose. I get why teams go in cycles. Lots of concerns, ... will we be strong 2-3 years from now? Do we need the money? Etc? I actually think that most of our teams have not done that poorly in the last 4 years. Sure you can argue a point here or there, but overall, it isn't that bad given the circumstances and scheduling constraints.

[FUBeAR]

Ok, ask and ye shall receive. Not to mention I wasted a Sat evening on this.

First off some explanation. I used Massey for all these "Rankings" and "Ratings." If you don't like it, do it yourself. I put both the ratings and ranking because rankings basically mean nothing. As I have mention ad infinitum, you can have a slew of teams all close in rating or big gaps in rating. Ranking doesn't show that...RATING DOES. Also, be advised that the RANKINGS are for all of college football (FBS, FCS, DII, III, etc). It includes EVERYONE.

Also, I just did OOC SOS and broke it down into three sections (Sub DI, FCS, and FBS). For example in the first chart, for 2018; Furman played no sub DI, 1 FCS, ranked 153 and rated 1.050, and 1 FBS ranked 1 and rated 2.98. The average ratings for the Sub DI games is just sub DI games, FCS average ratings is just the FCS games, the average for the FBS ratings is just the FBS games. However, the overall average ratings are for all games and not the averages of the averages shown. I did not put each and every ratings on this chart in other words. Every ranking is listed though. If you really want them I can e-mail them to you. Hope that made sense. It is also important to note that the rank and rating used are for the END OF SEASON, and not when they teams played. Also, make note of the various negative values for some of the ratings.

In the first chart I have 2018. I only have one column for sub D1 because nobody played more. In the FCS I have two opponents listed if applicable and in the FBS I have two games as well. Again as an example, VMI played Tusculum (SUB DI) and ODU and Toledo (FBS) so they have no FCS games and are grayed out.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30151&stc=1

In the next two charts I changed it slightly Because ETSU had 2 Sub DI games in 2016 So I added a column. Also of note in the 2015 chart, Mercer had all 4 games as FCS so I just lumped them into the sub DI columns (they all sucked anyway), and VMI had 3 FCS games so I did the same for 2015. The FCS averages are correct though for all those FCS opponenets. I also excluded ETSU entirely form 2015 for obvious reasons.

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30152&stc=1


So I did one more chart and averaged every OOC opponent that teams have played from 2015-2018 (ETSU is only 2016-2018).

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30153&stc=1

Enjoy. I have to go eat now.so...with this kind of Herculean effort by El Cid, we can distill his good data down a bit ...down to the avg’s of the avg’s that makes the most sense...2016 - 2018...



Team
2018
2017
2016
Avg OOC SoS ‘16 - ‘18


Furman
2.015
1.347
1.250
1.54


Mercer
0.913
1.707
1.013
1.21


The Citadel
1.410
0.973
1.130
1.17


Samford
0.743
1.580
0.963
1.10


UTC
0.863
1.310
0.803
0.99


WCU
0.587
0.593
1.210
0.80


Wofford
0.617
0.880
0.700
0.73


VMI
0.860
0.593
0.683
0.71


ETSU
0.640
0.627
0.237
0.50





...and we can see that PF owes an apology to Mercer & maybe to Samford.

[PaladinFan]

Furman held "spring" game yesterday.

Hendrix reported some 300 juniors in attendance. I guess one of the advantages of starting/finishing spring practice as early as Furman does is that you can largely have the stage to yourself in terms of having rising seniors on campus to watch practices.

[The Cats]

Arkansas will open 2023 season with Western CarolinaThe University of Arkansas will open the 2023 season on Sept. 2 with a home game against Western Carolina at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette received a copy of the game contract, with the game guarantee redacted, on Wednesday via a public records request.

[ElCid]

Arkansas will open 2023 season with Western Carolina

The University of Arkansas will open the 2023 season on Sept. 2 with a home game against Western Carolina at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette received a copy of the game contract, with the game guarantee redacted, on Wednesday via a public records request.


Cool. I hope you do your darnedest to get their coach fired.:D

[sudog03]

Just FYI on scheduling, when the original deal was signed we are supposed to play at KSU in 2020 with a return game in Birmingham in 2022. Not sure if that agreement is still in place as they are prone to change.

[FUBeAR]

I believe there have been quite a few Coaching changes up in the ‘Whee. Any Cats fans care to update/edify us?

[FUBeAR]

Just noticed someone’s signature said “CAA Pick’em Champion 2016”...

We SoCon peeps always do a weekly Pick’em thread, but I don’t know that we’ve ever kept ‘score.’ Anyone interested in doing that in 2019?

If so...a few FUBeAR suggestions...

1) Just straight-up winner picks...no “against the spread” stuff (KISS)
2) Picking scores can still be part of posts, but don’t matter for ‘Pick’em Contest,’ except maybe a tie-breaker in the final week. (KISS)
3) Pick all games involving SoCon Teams & 1 interesting non-SoCon (FCS) game each week - could be either all pick the same pre-determined non-SoCon game OR each contestant gets to select/add their own ‘sure thing’ (in their opinion) game weekly
4) Regular Season only
5) Winners/Rankings determined by Weekly Average correct (with a minimum number of weeks (say 10 weeks...maybe) entered required)...so if someone misses a week or 3, they can still be in the running

Thoughts?

[The Cats]

Just noticed someone’s signature said “CAA Pick’em Champion 2016”...

We SoCon peeps always do a weekly Pick’em thread, but I don’t know that we’ve ever kept ‘score.’ Anyone interested in doing that in 2019?

If so...a few FUBeAR suggestions...

1) Just straight-up winner picks...no “against the spread” stuff (KISS)
2) Picking scores can still be part of posts, but don’t matter for ‘Pick’em Contest,’ except maybe a tie-breaker in the final week. (KISS)
3) Pick all games involving SoCon Teams & 1 interesting non-SoCon (FCS) game each week - could be either all pick the same pre-determined non-SoCon game OR each contestant gets to select/add their own ‘sure thing’ (in their opinion) game weekly
4) Regular Season only
5) Winners/Rankings determined by Weekly Average correct (with a minimum number of weeks (say 10 weeks...maybe) entered required)...so if someone misses a week or 3, they can still be in the running

Thoughts?
I think everyone will go for it, IF you keep score......

[FUBeAR]

I think everyone will go for it, IF you keep score......I am a KNOWN Cheater, but OK - Lord & the IRS willin' - I'll 'volunteer' to keep up with the digits.

[walliver]

I am a KNOWN Cheater, but OK - Lord & the IRS willin' - I'll 'volunteer' to keep up with the digits.

Don't worry, Young Terrier will give a lengthy and detailed statistical and marketing analysis to all of your numbers.

My attention span is too short to read through his analyses, but I assume some of the more detail oriented (bored) AGS'ers will do so.

[walliver]

Just noticed someone’s signature said “CAA Pick’em Champion 2016”...

We SoCon peeps always do a weekly Pick’em thread, but I don’t know that we’ve ever kept ‘score.’ Anyone interested in doing that in 2019?

If so...a few FUBeAR suggestions...

1) Just straight-up winner picks...no “against the spread” stuff (KISS)
2) Picking scores can still be part of posts, but don’t matter for ‘Pick’em Contest,’ except maybe a tie-breaker in the final week. (KISS)
3) Pick all games involving SoCon Teams & 1 interesting non-SoCon (FCS) game each week - could be either all pick the same pre-determined non-SoCon game OR each contestant gets to select/add their own ‘sure thing’ (in their opinion) game weekly
4) Regular Season only
5) Winners/Rankings determined by Weekly Average correct (with a minimum number of weeks (say 10 weeks...maybe) entered required)...so if someone misses a week or 3, they can still be in the running

Thoughts?

It needs to be a fixed game, otherwise smart players will always pick either NDSU to win or PC to lose.

[Reign of Terrier]

Don't worry, Young Terrier will give a lengthy and detailed statistical and marketing analysis to all of your numbers.

My attention span is too short to read through his analyses, but I assume some of the more detail oriented (bored) AGS'ers will do so.

It's basketball season and youngterrier is no longer a thing

[FUBeAR]

It's basketball season and youngterrier is no longer a thingGotta admit, I like the new moniker...although you spelled the 1st word incorrectly...no worries...other people misspell homophonic words 'two.'


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYI8Algk6Ls

So...you know...when I reference you in a post in the future, and abbreviate it as "RoT," I'll be (mentally) spelling it correctly...and "RoT" itself is kinda funny too. I'll miss YT, but I already like RoT MUCH BETTER! xthumbsupx

[Reign of Terrier]

Gotta admit, I like the new moniker...although you spelled the 1st word incorrectly...no worries...other people misspell homophonic words 'two.'


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYI8Algk6Ls

So...you know...when I reference you in a post in the future, and abbreviate it as "RoT," I'll be (mentally) spelling it correctly...and "RoT" itself is kinda funny too. I'll miss YT, but I already like RoT MUCH BETTER! xthumbsupx

Let's just say I got tired of random strangers on the internet here and elsewhere (usually old people) making disagreements about my age and subsequently intelligence (because old people are cranky like that) when I'm probably as old and as least as smart everyone else. #Rebrand

[FUBeAR]

Let's just say I got tired of random strangers on the internet here and elsewhere (usually old people) making disagreements about my age and subsequently intelligence (because old people are cranky like that) when I'm probably as old and as least as smart everyone else. #RebrandI feel ya...I like it...seriously. "Reign of Terrier" is a very good brand...not as witty as "FUBeAR," but darn good. Still gonna have fun with "RoT" though...and maybe a few conversions to "Rain...," if applicable.

It's a bit like Chevy...when they tried to sell their popular "Nova" model in Spanish-speaking countries.... "No va" en espanol = "Not going" - didn't sell too well.

[PaladinFan]

If YT keeps the math, you may end up with a Wofford situation where they add points that they intended to have show up, but did not actually show up.

[dungeonjoe]

I feel ya...I like it...seriously. "Reign of Terrier" is a very good brand...not as witty as "FUBeAR," but darn good. Still gonna have fun with "RoT" though...and maybe a few conversions to "Rain...," if applicable.

It's a bit like Chevy...when they tried to sell their popular "Nova" model in Spanish-speaking countries.... "No va" en espanol = "Not going" - didn't sell too well.

I just noticed the little "e" in your moniker. I kinda thought you were FUBAR after a few posts. Now I know you are. :D either that or you truly are little e, Dale Earnhardt

[dungeonjoe]

If YT keeps the math, you may end up with a Wofford situation where they add points that they intended to have show up, but did not actually show up.

or if a Furple keeps the math, it will look wonderful on social media, but the numbers will be pretty meaningless.

[FUBeAR]

I just noticed the little "e" in your moniker. I kinda thought you were FUBAR after a few posts. Now I know you are. :D either that or you truly are little e, Dale Earnhardt

I thought it was pretty obvious....but I guess I should Fan-splain it for some....

FUBeAR

FU = Furman University - Alma Mater & Played/Coached there

BeAR = Mercer BEARS - Son's Alma Mater (currently a Grad Student & employee as a Software Engineer in their Eng. & Research Center (MERC)) & Played there; FUBeAR founded the Football Families Group in their start-up years and was as actively involved with the program's start-up as they requested as well as organized Home/Road Tailgates for Families, etc....as a SUPPORTIVE, but non-helicoptering Parent should be, if possible. Came to love a whole lot about Mercer U during those 4 or 5 years - from the President on down...So...still a Bears Fan.

e = using a lower case "e" and uppercase FUBAR is a play on the military-originated acronym of the phrase "Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition" (something like that)...and alludes to multiple aspects of FUBeAR as a message-board persona and to the man tapping the keyboard in his 'name.' It also alludes to the predicament of being a BIG Fan of 2 Teams in the same conference that have come to be fairly rivalrous and contentious with one another.

Put it all together and you have FUBeAR.

https://media.tenor.com/images/43e62dd3ca97164e58419ed163507e4e/tenor.gif

[Smitty]

I believe there have been quite a few Coaching changes up in the ‘Whee. Any Cats fans care to update/edify us?

It's complicated...

[FUBeAR]

It's complicated...
Pretty "complicated" down in Maconga too...

Just lost TE Coach, who has been there since Day1, to West Georgia. Bigger role for him there at UWG, but I hate to see a Mercer 'old-timer' (can they have those already?) leave the nest.

[PaladinFan]

Pretty "complicated" down in Maconga too...

Just lost TE Coach, who has been there since Day1, to West Georgia. Bigger role for him there at UWG, but I hate to see a Mercer 'old-timer' (can they have those already?) leave the nest.

For Mercer, I guess that is 6 new coaches on the staff (Adams, Legg, Fleischacker, Hawkins, Wright, and whomever now coaches TEs).

[The Cats]

Commissioner John Iamarino announces his retirement


Southern Conference Commissioner John Iamarino today announced his retirement, effective June 30. Iamarino has been with the conference for the past 13 years. He is the second-longest serving commissioner in the 98-year history of the Southern Conference.

During Iamarino’s term, the conference launched its own digital network, created a hall of fame, successfully returned the basketball championships to Asheville, North Carolina, increased the number of league sports from 19 to 22, and initiated the SoCon Academic Exchange, the first academically oriented collaboration in Southern Conference history.


http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&ATCLID=211795509&fbclid=IwAR1o-mT6-9U6XgqkaYnyOBpvzI33Fouk6rZcHTftEtG9LD_-RlrcK1IQ7o8


Is this good or bad for the conference?

[FUBeAR]

For Mercer, I guess that is 6 new coaches on the staff (Adams (DC & ILB's), Legg (OC & QB's), Fleischacker (OLB's), Hawkins (DL), Wright (CB's), and whomever now coaches TEs).

Math major @ FU, were you?

Yep - the holdovers from 2018 (as of 3/15/19) and their respective tenures are...

Bobby Lamb - Head Coach (since 2012...really 2011, but they didn't have Players until 2012)
Casey Vogt - Running Game Coordinator & OL Coach (since 2012)
Carter Barfield - Running Backs Coach & Co-Recruiting Coordinator (Co-Recruiting Coordinator is newly added role for Coach Barfield)(since 2012)
Mitch Doolittle - Safeties Coach (since 2012, interrupted by 1 year as DC @ Presbyterian in 2017)
La'Donte Harris - WR Coach & Co-Recruiting Coordinator (since 2017)

I also added the roles of the new Coaches into your post.

Lots of Coaching changes throughout the SoCon this off-season. Seems, to FUBeAR, to be more than in the past.


In other Mercer Football news - https://mercerbears.com/news/2019/3/15/mercer-football-opens-spring-practice-next-week.aspx
https://mercerbears.com/images/2018/10/11/20180921_SW_2257_WEB.jpg?width=1440&quality=80&format=jpg

MACON, Ga. – Mercer head football coach Bobby Lamb (https://mercerbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=410) announced his program's 2019 spring practice schedule on Friday, unveiling 15 future dates that the Bears will use to prep for the upcoming fall season.

Spring practice will start on Wednesday, March 20 and conclude on Saturday, April 13.

[FUBeAR]

Commissioner John Iamarino announces his retirement


Southern Conference Commissioner John Iamarino today announced his retirement, effective June 30. Iamarino has been with the conference for the past 13 years. He is the second-longest serving commissioner in the 98-year history of the Southern Conference.

During Iamarino’s term, the conference launched its own digital network, created a hall of fame, successfully returned the basketball championships to Asheville, North Carolina, increased the number of league sports from 19 to 22, and initiated the SoCon Academic Exchange, the first academically oriented collaboration in Southern Conference history.


http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&ATCLID=211795509&fbclid=IwAR1o-mT6-9U6XgqkaYnyOBpvzI33Fouk6rZcHTftEtG9LD_-RlrcK1IQ7o8


Is this good or bad for the conference?I think the answer to that question depends upon who replaces him. He took A LOT of heat from the Appy, GaSou, E*Loan, Davy, and C of (up)Chuck malcontents when they thought they were bigger & more important than the venerable Southern Conference. I’m sure some of the criticisms he has received from them (and others) was deserved, but he weathered the storm & it seems to me the SoCon is very much ‘on the right track’ today.

I’m sure there are bigger issues that others may bring up, but I hope the next Commissioner will address the Football & Basketball Officiating in the SoCon as a Top Priority. It is truly horrid & Mr. Iamarino didn’t seem to have much of an inclination to address that issue.

So...”TBD” is the answer...I think he’s done a very, very good job navigating a crippled ship through troubled waters and getting it patched up & back on course. Hopefully, his successor will be able to spend less time on plugging cannon holes in the hull & more time on upgrades & improvements. Hopefully, he or she will be a GREAT HIRE. We certainly could do a lot worse than who we have had.

Also, FUBeAR hopes & prays whatever “family issues” are precipitating Mr. Iamarino’s retirement will be resolved with the best possible outcomes.

[Milktruck74]

Still Waiting on the DC announcement from Chattanooga. It seems to be the worst kept secret in town...he was even in a picture in the Times Free Press a week or so ago. He has actually been on campus since Rusty’s first week, but won’t announce it due to contractual issues. He is a good one a really good one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[walliver]

Commissioner John Iamarino announces his retirement


Southern Conference Commissioner John Iamarino today announced his retirement, effective June 30. Iamarino has been with the conference for the past 13 years. He is the second-longest serving commissioner in the 98-year history of the Southern Conference.

During Iamarino’s term, the conference launched its own digital network, created a hall of fame, successfully returned the basketball championships to Asheville, North Carolina, increased the number of league sports from 19 to 22, and initiated the SoCon Academic Exchange, the first academically oriented collaboration in Southern Conference history.


http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&ATCLID=211795509&fbclid=IwAR1o-mT6-9U6XgqkaYnyOBpvzI33Fouk6rZcHTftEtG9LD_-RlrcK1IQ7o8


Is this good or bad for the conference?

I think that those that expected more of him had somewhat unrealistic expectations. ASU and GSU were never going to be happy in the SoCon, and likely won't be happy long-term in the Belch. Elon was a perpetual malcontent. The College of Charleston underperformed during their entire stay in the conference with only one basketball championship. Current SoCon schools don't have the fan support to support regional "linear TV", so the move to ESPN3 was not really avoidable.

The conference had a chance at a March Madness at-large with UNCG being the first team out. The Asheville Civic Center was full for the first semifinal game and the finals sold out. The new commissioner will have the opportunity to move basketball forward although I douobt we leave Asheville - previous tournaments in Greenville and North Charleston have been poorly attended.

There are a few things that should be fixed:
1) football scheduling is a mess with week 1 conference games and seemingly random arrangements. I know rivalries are complicated in the conference so a dedicated "rivalry weekend" would never work, but a little structure would help.
2) Quality of officiating is probably a get-what-you-pay-for deal, and I doubt changes any time soon.
3) The baseball tournament has attendance issues. Moving back to Charleston might help a little, but with CofC gone, I doubt it draws as well as it did in the past.
4) To build up the basketball reputation, and hopefully get an at-large bid, the conference might try to set up a "challenge" type series with the CAA or A-10 (although I don't know how desirable it would be to those conferences ... and the bottom half of the SoCon is not good at all).

Overall, Iamarino did nothing astounding, but did a very good job of keeping the core of the conference together during a very stormy period. Maintaining the public-military-private balance has stabilized the conference. Failure to maintain this balance lead to the collapse of the old Southwestern Conference.

[The Cats]

The Western Carolina Catamounts have added future football games against Oklahoma, Arkansas, Wake Forest, Gardner-Webb, Charleston Southern, Campbell, and Montana

FBS -
Oklahoma, Sept. 11, 2021
Arkansas, Sept. 2, 2023
Wake Forest,Sept. 6, 2025

FCS -
-Gardner-Webb, home-and-home series in 2020 and 2021
-Charleston Southern, home-and-home series on Sept. 3, 2022 & on Sept. 23, 2023
-Campbell, home-and-home series -on Sept. 7, 2024 in Cullowhee and Sept. 27, 2025 at Buies Creek
-Montana, a home-and-home series, at Grizzly Sept. 14, 2024, in Cullowhee on Aug. 30, 2025.



FUTURE WESTERN CAROLINA NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
2019 (https://fbschedules.com/western-carolina-football-schedule/)

09/07 - at NC State (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/nc-state/)
09/14 - North Greenville (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/north-greenville/)
10/05 - Gardner-Webb (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/gardner-webb/)
11/23 - at Alabama (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/alabama/)


2020 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2020/team/western-carolina)

09/05 - at Eastern Kentucky (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/eastern-kentucky/)
11/07 - Gardner-Webb (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/gardner-webb/)
11/14 - at Liberty (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/liberty/)



2021 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2021/team/western-carolina)

09/04 - Eastern Kentucky (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/eastern-kentucky/)
09/11 - at Oklahoma (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/oklahoma/)
09/25 - at Gardner-Webb (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/gardner-webb/)


2022 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2022/team/western-carolina)

09/03 - at Charleston Southern (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/charleston-southern/)



2023 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2023/team/western-carolina)

09/02 - at Arkansas (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/arkansas/)
09/23 - Charleston Southern (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/charleston-southern/)


2024 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2024/team/western-carolina)

08/31 - at NC State (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/nc-state/)
09/07 - Campbell (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/campbell/)
09/14 - at Montana (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/montana/)



2025 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2025/team/western-carolina)

08/30 - Montana (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/montana/)
09/06 - at Wake Forest (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/wake-forest/)
09/27 - at Campbell (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/campbell/)

[FUBeAR]

The Western Carolina Catamounts have added future football games against Oklahoma, Arkansas, Wake Forest, Gardner-Webb, Charleston Southern, Campbell, and Montana

FBS -
Oklahoma, Sept. 11, 2021
Arkansas, Sept. 2, 2023
Wake Forest,Sept. 6, 2025

FCS -
-Gardner-Webb, home-and-home series in 2020 and 2021
-Charleston Southern, home-and-home series on Sept. 3, 2022 & on Sept. 23, 2023
-Campbell, home-and-home series -on Sept. 7, 2024 in Cullowhee and Sept. 27, 2025 at Buies Creek
-Montana, a home-and-home series, at Grizzly Sept. 14, 2024, in Cullowhee on Aug. 30, 2025.



FUTURE WESTERN CAROLINA NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS


2019 (https://fbschedules.com/western-carolina-football-schedule/)



09/07 - at NC State (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/nc-state/)
09/14 - North Greenville (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/north-greenville/)
10/05 - Gardner-Webb (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/gardner-webb/)
11/23 - at Alabama (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/alabama/)


2020 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2020/team/western-carolina)



09/05 - at Eastern Kentucky (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/eastern-kentucky/)
11/07 - Gardner-Webb (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/gardner-webb/)
11/14 - at Liberty (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/liberty/)



2021 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2021/team/western-carolina)



09/04 - Eastern Kentucky (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/eastern-kentucky/)
09/11 - at Oklahoma (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/oklahoma/)
09/25 - at Gardner-Webb (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/gardner-webb/)


2022 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2022/team/western-carolina)



09/03 - at Charleston Southern (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/charleston-southern/)



2023 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2023/team/western-carolina)



09/02 - at Arkansas (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/arkansas/)
09/23 - Charleston Southern (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/charleston-southern/)


2024 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2024/team/western-carolina)



08/31 - at NC State (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/nc-state/)
09/07 - Campbell (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/campbell/)
09/14 - at Montana (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/montana/)



2025 (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa-2025/team/western-carolina)



08/30 - Montana (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/montana/)
09/06 - at Wake Forest (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/wake-forest/)
09/27 - at Campbell (https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/campbell/)



Nice...looks like WCU is getting back to 1 FBS and no Non-D1's after 2019's matchup with NGVL. Some fun games in there - Montana, Oklahoma, Arkansas...and I like the Liberty and Campbell games too.

[Milktruck74]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190326/7ff7d8291ea32604f7730f3db6996dd9.jpg Like the Sasquatch, Chattanoogas DC is elusive....but here is a sighting. Good
Luck figuring it out from the pic. The stance is much more telling than the blurry side of his head. Not
Sure why he has t been announced, but he has been in place since January. Was actually one of Rusty’s first staff members to be on campus.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190326/7ff7d8291ea32604f7730f3db6996dd9.jpg Like the Sasquatch, Chattanoogas DC is elusive....but here is a sighting. Good
Luck figuring it out from the pic. The stance is much more telling than the blurry side of his head. Not
Sure why he has t been announced, but he has been in place since January. Was actually one of Rusty’s first staff members to be on campus.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkResurrected Uncle Phil?

https://scontent-amt2-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/e42f0cdfa3032d389055529fab3c76f4/5CFB07BC/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/s640x640/50590539_844516465895976_831540126005258685_n.jpg? _nc_ht=scontent-amt2-1.cdninstagram.com

[Milktruck74]

Resurrected Uncle Phil?

https://scontent-amt2-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/e42f0cdfa3032d389055529fab3c76f4/5CFB07BC/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/s640x640/50590539_844516465895976_831540126005258685_n.jpg? _nc_ht=scontent-amt2-1.cdninstagram.com

Damn. You guessed it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JSUSoutherner]

Haven't popped in here for a while.

Hey Chatt fans, is your team still bad? I see there's DC talks, what's that about?

[Mocs123]

I guess you will still have to wait until September 7th to see.....

Honestly I'm not sure how good or bad we will be next year. We lost two really good defensive linemen, two starting linebackers, and two defensive backs. I think we have good replacements for the DBs. Our replacements for the DL and LB are untested so I'm not sure what we really have.

We return pretty much the entire offense from last year so we "should" be OK there although our offense still seemed to disappear from time to time, it was better than it was in 2017. Arth had already fired the OC when he left for Akron. We only have one scholarship RB on the roster for spring practice and have a converted WR taking some snaps there. We did sign four freshmen backs so help is on the way, but I'm not sure how much help they will be in 2018.

Tiano is back, and had a good year in '18 - he isn't the same QB you saw in '17 for sure. For backups we have a strong armed SR in Chris James, and a dual threat JR in Drayton Arnold. I assume that Tiano will be the starter, but with a new HC and OC, anything is possible.

Tyrell Price is back too at the RB spot. He played hurt most of '18 and I think he has the potential to have a really good '19. Like I mentioned before, after Price, it's pretty cloudy in the backfield. It may be a game or two into the season before another back emerges.

At Wideout Nunally is back after a record setting '18 and we have a good complement to him in McKinnon. We also have some young wideouts (and TE's) who I hear are really good.

Our entire OL is back, and though they didn't have a great season last year, they were miles better than the dumpster fire that was '17. I hope bringing Chris Malone back as OL Coach really helps to bring this group together.

Despite having (on paper) one of the best recruiting classes ever in 2018, Arth didn't do us any favors the two years he was here. While we still have talented players, we are not as deep of team as we were in '14-'16.


Of course we have a completely new coaching staff and I'm sure there will be some growing pains. I'm not sure exactly what type of schemes we will run at this point.

My guess is we are a 7-ish win team for 2019, which is pretty good considering our schedule, but it really depends on how fast the staff and team gels


The D-Coordinator has not been officially announced but has been on the staff for a couple of months. There are some reasons why he hasn't been announced and I wouldn't expect an official announcement until summer.

How about JSU, what is your take on the Gamecocks for 2019?

- - - Updated - - -

[JSUSoutherner]

I guess you will still have to wait until September 7th to see.....

Honestly I'm not sure how good or bad we will be next year. We lost two really good defensive linemen, two starting linebackers, and two defensive backs. I think we have good replacements for the DBs. Our replacements for the DL and LB are untested so I'm not sure what we really have.

We return pretty much the entire offense from last year so we "should" be OK there although our offense still seemed to disappear from time to time, it was better than it was in 2017. Arth had already fired the OC when he left for Akron. We only have one scholarship RB on the roster for spring practice and have a converted WR taking some snaps there. We did sign four freshmen backs so help is on the way, but I'm not sure how much help they will be in 2018.

Tiano is back, and had a good year in '18 - he isn't the same QB you saw in '17 for sure. For backups we have a strong armed SR in Chris James, and a dual threat JR in Drayton Arnold. I assume that Tiano will be the starter, but with a new HC and OC, anything is possible.

Tyrell Price is back too at the RB spot. He played hurt most of '18 and I think he has the potential to have a really good '19. Like I mentioned before, after Price, it's pretty cloudy in the backfield. It may be a game or two into the season before another back emerges.

At Wideout Nunally is back after a record setting '18 and we have a good complement to him in McKinnon. We also have some young wideouts (and TE's) who I hear are really good.

Our entire OL is back, and though they didn't have a great season last year, they were miles better than the dumpster fire that was '17. I hope bringing Chris Malone back as OL Coach really helps to bring this group together.

Despite having (on paper) one of the best recruiting classes ever in 2018, Arth didn't do us any favors the two years he was here. While we still have talented players, we are not as deep of team as we were in '14-'16.


Of course we have a completely new coaching staff and I'm sure there will be some growing pains. I'm not sure exactly what type of schemes we will run at this point.

My guess is we are a 7-ish win team for 2019, which is pretty good considering our schedule, but it really depends on how fast the staff and team gels


The D-Coordinator has not been officially announced but has been on the staff for a couple of months. There are some reasons why he hasn't been announced and I wouldn't expect an official announcement until summer.

How about JSU, what is your take on the Gamecocks for 2019?

- - - Updated - - -

I haven't even been paying attention.

Outside of the UTC game I have no hopes or expectations.

[FUBeAR]

And the Bears have a complete Football Coaching Staff again...for now.

https://mercerbears.com/news/2019/3/28/football-chase-haslett-named-mercer-tight-ends-coach.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1ZqCv14m6vGMfIMb854MMDc58w8q Rz64oqJKgzmGRvjPQ8_Mlwxbxm-V8

Chase Haslett Named Mercer Tight Ends Coach - The hire completes Mercer’s 2019 football coaching staff

MACON, Ga. – Mercer football head coach Bobby Lamb (https://mercerbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=410) completed his program's 2019 coaching staff with the hiring of Chase Haslett (https://mercerbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=2289) as the Bears' tight ends coach on Thursday.

Haslett was most recently a quality control assistant and offensive skill coach at Mississippi State, where he spent the 2018 season helping the Bulldogs reach the Outback Bowl with an 8-5 overall record. A former collegiate quarterback at Illinois and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), Haslett has had graduate assistant stints at both Mississippi State and Nebraska since 2016.

"Chase is going to be a great fit for Mercer as our new tight ends coach," Lamb said. "He had a connection with [offensive coordinator] Bill Legg (https://mercerbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=2279) at Mississippi State and is another young, energetic coach that we've added to our staff this offseason. Chase has a strong knowledge of the game, coming from a successful football family."

Haslett's Coaching Experience

Year
Team
Position


2018-19
Mississippi State
Quality Control/Grad Assistant


2016-17
Nebraska
Grad Assistant/Quarterbacks



FUBeAR likes this hire for the Mercer TE Coach.

[FUBeAR]

“In two weeks, the N.C.A.A.’s primary legislative body, the Division I Council, will vote on a measure that could severely restrict graduate transfers. The proposed rule change would require that colleges accepting graduate transfers be docked a scholarship the next year if the transfer does not earn his secondary degree within a year.”


Uh-oh...this could affect some SoCon schools’ recruiting approaches. Not naming any names. No sense in airing dirty luggage here.

[Milktruck74]

The NCAA continues to screw up everything. Maybe they should leave this one alone and spend a little
Time addressing the 4 game RS loophole that allows a kid to quit mid season and transfer.....I’m fine with the 4 game rule....in fact, I like it. What I don’t like is the unintended consequence of a kid taking advantage of it and quitting the team after he has played in his 4th game. Free agency is alive and well in college football.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PaladinFan]

The NCAA continues to screw up everything. Maybe they should leave this one alone and spend a little
Time addressing the 4 game RS loophole that allows a kid to quit mid season and transfer.....I’m fine with the 4 game rule....in fact, I like it. What I don’t like is the unintended consequence of a kid taking advantage of it and quitting the team after he has played in his 4th game. Free agency is alive and well in college football.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A road paved with unintended consequences.

Furman has certainly used the 4 game rule a bunch in its first season. It will be a nice luxury to start a redshirt freshman QB this season whose already played against Clemson, Elon, ETSU, and Samford.

[FUBeAR]

The NCAA continues to screw up everything. Maybe they should leave this one alone and spend a little
Time addressing the 4 game RS loophole that allows a kid to quit mid season and transfer.....I’m fine with the 4 game rule....in fact, I like it. What I don’t like is the unintended consequence of a kid taking advantage of it and quitting the team after he has played in his 4th game. Free agency is alive and well in college football.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalkyeah - should probably only be available for Players in 1st 2 years on campus & those with verifiable season-ending injuries...or if they take it after the 1st 2 years, they are not eligible to use that year of eligibility at another school...something like that.

[Milktruck74]

A road paved with unintended consequences.

Furman has certainly used the 4 game rule a bunch in its first season. It will be a nice luxury to start a redshirt freshman QB this season whose already played against Clemson, Elon, ETSU, and Samford.

I think this is exactly the intent of the rule. It’s the kids that use the 4 games for exposure to market themselves to another school. I’m actually all eliminating the entire RS rule and just giving 5 seasons to everyone. That’s what most regular students are taking to graduate these days, why not?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

Welp...I've already been in a little trouble recently for making a dumba$$ post on AGS, so I guess I'll push the envelope and see if I can get in more trouble with this one...

Mercer's Offensive Line Coach and Running Game Coordinator, Casey Vogt, is a GOOD man.

He has been at Mercer since before any Players arrived in 2012. Coach Vogt treated FUBeAR's son like his own son for 4 years; shepherding him through a very serious academic rough patch in his 2nd year, going above & beyond to aid him in getting back on the field after suffering serious early-season injuries in both his 3rd and 4th years at Mercer, and Coaching him up to being an All SoCon Player, despite all that AND him having weak genes, obviously. Coach Vogt's wife, Amber, like most Coaches wives, is a strong woman, but she's also sweeter than a ripe Georgia peach. As a couple, they have always treated ALL Mercer O-Linemen as their own extended Family.

Now, one of their 'real' children needs a hand. Actually, she really needs 4 paws. Click this link for more details: https://www.gofundme.com/superstellasdog

If you've ever had a Coach treat you or one of your children similarly to the way I described above, you know how much of themselves and of their families they give to their athletes. I know I sure had Coaches like that!

So, if you are so inclined, please click the link, and think about how you've been blessed with GREAT Coaching Families in your life. Also, if you do choose to make a contribution, I think it would be pretty cool to let them know that it came from a fan of your SoCon School. Just add a "<F>" or a "WoCo" or a block "C" (or is it "TheC?" :)) or a "Cats" or a "SnakeBirdTrainShoe"...maybe just "UTC" would be better...to your message of encouragement...or something like that, if you like.
https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/38322816_1554998969420894_r.jpeg

[Milktruck74]

Done. Us big guys stick together....regardless of team. Prayers for the entire family.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

Done. Us big guys stick together....regardless of team. Prayers for the entire family.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkREP +1

[Mocs123]

Done. I feel for her and her family.

[FUBeAR]

Done. I feel for her and her family.
REP +1

MOCS LEAD THE WAY!!

[SU DOG]

I was able to help in a very small way. Hope many others will, as this little girl certainly deserves to get her dog.

[FUBeAR]

I was able to help in a very small way. Hope many others will, as this little girl certainly deserves to get her dog.
Thanks SU DOG!

I saw Coach Vogt this morning & he was ‘blown away’ & most grateful to see those donations from other SoCon peeps. Think he had some dust in his eyes, or something, when he mentioned it to me.

[walliver]

“In two weeks, the N.C.A.A.’s primary legislative body, the Division I Council, will vote on a measure that could severely restrict graduate transfers. The proposed rule change would require that colleges accepting graduate transfers be docked a scholarship the next year if the transfer does not earn his secondary degree within a year.”


Uh-oh...this could affect some SoCon schools’ recruiting approaches. Not naming any names. No sense in airing dirty luggage here.

I have tried, without success, to find out how many graduate transfers actually complete their programs (or even come back for the second semester). I suspect a very large number of them do not finish. Whether or not that is the case at the school where players are taught how to take the dirty luggage to your hotel room, I am not sure.

[FUBeAR]

Thanks!!

+1 for WCUGrad95 - WCU’s best Fan (cuz he started out as a Paladin!)

[Mocs123]

I saw Coach Vogt this morning & he was ‘blown away’ & most grateful to see those donations from other SoCon peeps. Think he had some dust in his eyes, or something, when he mentioned it to me.

Though we don't often show it on here, there are things that are much more important than football.

[Reign of Terrier]

I donated and shared/RT on my twitter account

[FUBeAR]

I donated and shared/RT on my twitter accountAtta guy! THANKS!! +1

I saw Coach Conklin reTweeted Coach Lamb’s Tweet about it...

https://twitter.com/CoachConklin/status/1117790246584950784

...and was going to share that on “Terrier Fans,” but you guys are too mean to FUBeAR over there, so I opted out. FUBeAR has feelings too, y’know? ;)

I saw Chatt’s HC & Coastal’s HC & OL Coach (an FU Alum, btw) had also donated. Almost there!

[FUBeAR]

Thanks!!

+1 for WCUGrad95 - WCU’s best Fan (cuz he started out as a Paladin!)Just saw WCU’s Head Coach Speir dropped in a nice donation. Makes me happy now that he got that contract extension. The Lord works in mysterious ways. xthumbsupx

JK...really cool to see all these SoCon peeps coming together for a worthy cause.



....Now, we need to come together for another worthy cause...winning OOC games to boost Playoff selection chances. I still think if Mercer had beaten Yale or CIT beaten Towson last year (or both), then Furman would have made the Playoffs.

As it seems Stella is almost set to get her Pup (THANKS Y’ALL!!)...thought maybe we could return this thread to Off-Season FOOTBALL...see next FUBeAR post...

[FUBeAR]

So...here are all the SoCon's FCS OOC schedules vs. FCS Teams. We all know that winning over an FBS is unlikely (in general) and will certainly help a Team's at-large Playoff chances (almost) regardless of who that FBS Team is. And, we all know that a win over a non-D1 is essentially meaningless, but a loss is a (almost) certain Playoff killer...so let's just look at these FCS games and discuss...

Which ones are 'must wins' for SoCon 'prestige' (like I think CIT @ Towson and Mercer @ Yale were last year)
Which ones are 'can't lose' without really hurting SoCon prestige?
What's your projected FCS OOC record for your Team? For ALL Teams?
Whatever else y'all think is relevant and worthy of discussion on this topic...

17 Games - 11 Home Games, 4 Away Games, 2 Neutral Site Games (Samford vs. YSU in "The Gump" & Samford vs. AL AM&M in B'Ham) - Projected SoCon Record in these games?

BTW - FUBeAR sees a CLEAN SWEEP - 17-0!!! (C'mon Chatt!!!)

CHATTANOOGA

08.29.19 - 7:00 P.M. - EASTERN ILLINOIS (http://www.eiupanthers.com/) - CHATTANOOGA, TENN. - FINLEY STADIUM (https://gomocs.com/sports/2015/4/22/GEN_2014010112.aspx)
09.07.19 - 7:00 P.M. - JACKSONVILLE STATE (http://www.jsugamecocksports.com/) - JACKSONVILLE, ALA.
09.21.19 - 4:00 P.M. - JAMES MADISON (http://www.jmusports.com/) - CHATTANOOGA, TENN. - FINLEY STADIUM (https://gomocs.com/sports/2015/4/22/GEN_2014010112.aspx)


ETSU



SEP
21
SAT
Austin Peay
William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium




FURMAN



Sat. AUGUST 31
Charleston Southern
GREENVILLE




MERCER

SEP 14 (SAT) TBA - AUSTIN PEAY (http://letsgopeay.com/) - MACON, GA. FIVE STAR STADIUM (https://mercerbears.com/facilities/?id=3)
SEP 28 (SAT) TBA - CAMPBELL (http://www.gocamels.com/) - MACON, GA. FIVE STAR STADIUM (https://mercerbears.com/facilities/?id=3)


SAMFORD

AUG 24 (SAT) 2:00 PM (CT) - YOUNGSTOWN STATE (http://www.ysusports.com/) - MONTGOMERY, ALA
AUG 31 (SAT) 6:00 PM (CT) - TENNESSEE TECH (http://www.ttusports.com/) - COOKEVILLE, TENN.
SEP 21 (SAT) TBD - VS ALABAMA A&M (http://aamusports.com/) - BIRMINGHAM, ALA.


THE CITADEL

AUG 31 (SAT) TBA - VS TOWSON (http://www.towsontigers.com/) - CHARLESTON, S.C. JOHNSON HAGOOD STADIUM
SEP 7 (SAT) TBA - ELON (http://www.elonphoenix.com/) - ELON, N.C.
SEP 21 (SAT) TBA - VS CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (http://www.csusports.com/) - CHARLESTON, S.C. JOHNSON HAGOOD STADIUM


VMI

Sat, Sep 21 // TBA - vs.Robert Morris - Lexington, Va.


WESTERN CAROLINA

Sat, Oct 5 // TBA - vs.Gardner-Webb - E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field


WOFFORD
AUG 31 (SAT) 6:00 PM - SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY (http://scsuathletics.com/) - ORANGEBURG, S.C.
SEP 21 (SAT) TBA - GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITY (http://www.gwusports.com/) - SPARTANBURG, S.C. GIBBS STADIUM

[PaladinFan]

I think Furman has to beat Charleston Southern.

The Bucs are not a top 25 program, but are generally respectable. The Paladins will likely be favored, but have also had tough early opening slates the last few years. It'd be nice to see Furman come roaring out of the gate playing well instead of struggling a few weeks before turning up the heat.

[walliver]

Chattanooga wins against JSU and James Madison, as well as Citadel wins over Towson and Elon would really help the conference. Sammy should beat Youngstown, but we'll have to see how well they play with a new QB.

In general, all the other non-VMI games would be expected to be SoCon wins and won't help much. Losses against GWU would hurt.

I would heavily favor FU over CSU, but CSU has a new coach and a new scheme so there always a surprise factor there.

FUBeAR - I'm surprised you think Trevor Lawrence and the Tiggers will beat my Terriers.

[FUBeAR]

Chattanooga wins against JSU and James Madison, as well as Citadel wins over Towson and Elon would really help the conference. Sammy should beat Youngstown, but we'll have to see how well they play with a new QB.

In general, all the other non-VMI games would be expected to be SoCon wins and won't help much. Losses against GWU would hurt.

I would heavily favor FU over CSU, but CSU has a new coach and a new scheme so there always a surprise factor there.

FUBeAR - I'm surprised you think Trevor Lawrence and the Tiggers will beat my Terriers.I said "unlikely" and "in general" so the Terriers whipping the Tigers is not precluded.

So...serious...here are FUBeAR's SoCon FCS OOC thoughts...

Obviously Chatt has the toughest FCS OOC schedule & the overall most important for the SoCon's prestige with CIT and Sammy close behind...Realistically, I have no idea if they can win any of those 3. Their offense was pretty bad last year and the D lost their BIG ANCHORS...but, IMO, they have a MUCH IMPROVED Coaching Staff for 2019 and they always have Athletes in the fold. I don't know much about what JaxSt, EIU, or JMU have coming back...but all 3 Programs have certainly made BIG NOISE in the past with JMU and JaxSt being more recent heavy noisemakers. I'd just have to call all 3 of these games, "Toss-Ups" at best until we learn more about both sides of each contest.

Although APSU lost their 'wunderkind' Coach to a BIG FBS Salary, I think they very well may have upgraded with hiring Mark Hudspeth as their HC...





Year
Team
Overall
Conference
Standing
Bowl/playoffs
Coaches#
AP°


North Alabama Lions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Alabama_Lions_football) (Gulf South Conference (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_South_Conference)) (2002–2008)


2002 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_NCAA_Division_II_football_season)
North Alabama
4–7
3–6
T–8th





2003 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_NCAA_Division_II_football_season)
North Alabama
13–1
9–0
1st
L NCAA Division II Semifinal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_II_Football_Championship)




2004 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_NCAA_Division_II_football_season)
North Alabama
5–5
4–5
T–6th





2005 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_NCAA_Division_II_football_season)
North Alabama
11–3
7–2
T–2nd
L NCAA Division II Semifinal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_II_Football_Championship)




2006 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_NCAA_Division_II_football_season)
North Alabama (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_North_Alabama_Lions_football_team)
11–1
8–0
1st
L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_II_Football_Championship)




2007 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_NCAA_Division_II_football_season)
North Alabama (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_North_Alabama_Lions_football_team)
10–2
7–1
T–2nd
L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_II_Football_Championship)




2008 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NCAA_Division_II_football_season)
North Alabama (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_North_Alabama_Lions_football_team)
12–2
7–1
2nd
L NCAA Division II Semifinal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NCAA_Division_II_Football_Championship_playof fs)




North Alabama:
66–21
45–15



Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Ragin%27_Cajuns_football) (Sun Belt Conference (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Belt_Conference)) (2011–2017)


2011 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_season)
Louisiana–Lafayette (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Louisiana%E2%80%93Lafayette_Ragin%27_Cajuns_f ootball_team)
1–4*
1–2*
3rd* (vacated)
V New Orleans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_New_Orleans_Bowl)* (vacated)




2012 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_season)
Louisiana–Lafayette (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Louisiana%E2%80%93Lafayette_Ragin%27_Cajuns_f ootball_team)
5–4*
4–2*
T–2nd* (vacated)
W New Orleans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_New_Orleans_Bowl)




2013 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_season)
Louisiana–Lafayette (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Louisiana%E2%80%93Lafayette_Ragin%27_Cajuns_f ootball_team)
1–4*
0–2*
T–1st* (vacated)
V New Orleans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_New_Orleans_Bowl)* (vacated)




2014 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_season)
Louisiana–Lafayette (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Louisiana%E2%80%93Lafayette_Ragin%27_Cajuns_f ootball_team)
7–4*
5–1*
2nd* (vacated)
W New Orleans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_New_Orleans_Bowl)




2015 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_season)
Louisiana–Lafayette (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Louisiana%E2%80%93Lafayette_Ragin%27_Cajuns_f ootball_team)
4–8
3–5
T–5th





2016 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_season)
Louisiana–Lafayette (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Louisiana%E2%80%93Lafayette_Ragin%27_Cajuns_f ootball_team)
6–7
5–3
5th
L New Orleans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_New_Orleans_Bowl)




2017 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_season)
Louisiana (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Louisiana_Ragin%27_Cajuns_football_team)
5–7
4–4
T–5th





Louisiana–Lafayette/Louisiana:
29–38*
22–19*



Austin Peay Governors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Peay_Governors_football) (Ohio Valley Conference (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Valley_Conference)) (2019–Present)


2019 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_season)
Austin Peay
0-0
0-0






Austin Peay:
0-0
0-0



Total:
95–59*




...and even when they were TERRIBLE, APSU had good Players. They were VERY poorly Coached before Healy went there...and though they went backward last year, I wouldn't be surprised to see them rise up again this year...and give ETSU and Mercer all either of them want. If they Players buy into Hudspeth and the Staff quickly, I expect to see tough, close games with the Govs in both cases. Really, I'm between Toss-Up and slight edge to both SoCon schools in these games.

I see Mercer having another tough game with Campbell. They are a scholarship program now and Mike Minter has surprised me in that he has stayed the course and is creating something there in Buies Creek. They should be at or near Full Scholarship level now as 2019 will be their 3rd class of Schollie recruits and I believe they have hit the Transfer ranks pretty hard. A quick glance at their roster shows about 10 Transfers. They weren't great last year, but I doubt the Bears will walk over the Camels...slight edge to Mercer in this one.

Furman walks over ChuckSouth though...no question in my mind about that one...and FU's young QB has his 'real' debut.

All about the QB for Sammy - if their QB, Welch or the transfer or Hatcher the Younger picks up where Hodges left off, they can win all 3 of their OOC games. If that position sputters, they could lose all 3...if I HAD to pick, I'd say they will be fine and win all 3. C'mon Coach Hatcher...get 'em reloaded (for OOC...only...of course)

Gardner-Webb lays down (as usual) for Woffy & WCU...so those are wins...or should be. SC State takes their obligatory beating from Woffy and hopes the Terrier Fans spend A LOT of money in Orangeburg!

VMI finds a way to beat Bob Morris...just because they should dangit!

CIT....c'mon...ya gotta beat Towson in ChuckTown! Then catch Elon with a new staff and having lost a lot from last year...and y'all STILL owe ChuckSouth for cheating and knocking your best recent Team out of the Playoffs. CIT goes 3-0 in OOC!!!!

[PaladinFan]

Chattanooga wins against JSU and James Madison, as well as Citadel wins over Towson and Elon would really help the conference. Sammy should beat Youngstown, but we'll have to see how well they play with a new QB.

In general, all the other non-VMI games would be expected to be SoCon wins and won't help much. Losses against GWU would hurt.

I would heavily favor FU over CSU, but CSU has a new coach and a new scheme so there always a surprise factor there.

FUBeAR - I'm surprised you think Trevor Lawrence and the Tiggers will beat my Terriers.

There is certainly going to be a little mystery behind CSU's new look and their coaching staff. Furman should be as deep defensively as we've been in a decade, though we are also breaking in a new DC as well.

Honestly, I cannot imagine CSU could throw anything at Furman they wouldn't be prepared for. The SoCon sports so many varied offensive looks that I am quite sure each team spends a lot of time preparing for what they will see during conference play.

[Reign of Terrier]

I think this may be the year Wofford finally comes out and turns heads. We bring back so many players from our most productive offense in the last decade. We lose a couple on defense that will need replacing, but it's going to be year two under Coach Conklin. Arguably, last year's team was better on average than the prior two years in terms of production on both sides of the ball. The schemes are more complex, especially on defense, too. It sucks to lose your all-conference anything, but it's also hard to deprogram corners and safeties into more man sets when they're used to playing zone for the last 3+ years.

Wofford's been a top 20 program (or so) for the past decade, and we're often in the top 10, but if we continue to grow into this new Conklin system, we could be a little higher than normal.

The Socon is tough, but we were measurably better last year than we were the year before, with the best conference margin of victory in a decade and I don't see much evidence of a huge drop off. Heck, our offense should improve and it was already pretty stellar.

I have no doubt we'll run over Gardner Webb and SC State.

[FUBeAR]

The Socon is tough, but we were measurably better last year than we were the year before, with the best conference margin of victory in a decade and I don't see much evidence of a huge drop off. Heck, our offense should improve and it was already pretty stellar.

http://www.furmanpaladins.com/sports/m-footbl/2018-19/photos/0025/Score_vs._Wofford.jpg

NEVER FORGET!

[PaladinFan]

I think this may be the year Wofford finally comes out and turns heads. We bring back so many players from our most productive offense in the last decade. We lose a couple on defense that will need replacing, but it's going to be year two under Coach Conklin. Arguably, last year's team was better on average than the prior two years in terms of production on both sides of the ball. The schemes are more complex, especially on defense, too. It sucks to lose your all-conference anything, but it's also hard to deprogram corners and safeties into more man sets when they're used to playing zone for the last 3+ years.

Wofford's been a top 20 program (or so) for the past decade, and we're often in the top 10, but if we continue to grow into this new Conklin system, we could be a little higher than normal.

The Socon is tough, but we were measurably better last year than we were the year before, with the best conference margin of victory in a decade and I don't see much evidence of a huge drop off. Heck, our offense should improve and it was already pretty stellar.

I have no doubt we'll run over Gardner Webb and SC State.

Still hard to ignore that Furman beat the stuffing out of Wofford last year. Wofford was favored in that game, and Furman out coached, out executed, and physically whipped the Terriers for four quarters.

Wofford will be a good team. I do think that Conklin inherited a lot of talent from Mike Ayers. I think Wofford has had some notable losses on defense including, I think, all of their defensive backfield. A lot of Wofford's success to this point has been predicated on the Defense being the league's best and then buoyed by a competent offense. I'm not sure how clear cut that strategy will be if the defense takes a small step back.

[Reign of Terrier]

It wasn't just defense that got us there last year. Wofford had the best average yardage differential in school history (+120), which is made a little bit more impressive considering we played two playoff games and no Sub D1 teams (unless you want to count PC in there) whereas former teams did.

Yes, Furman beat the snot out of Wofford. Good for you. That's one data point. But we measurably played more consistent and at a higher level than the year prior and we bring back a more solid nucleus coming into 2019 than 2018.

At this point the Furman commentary is pretty predictable: I state the various reasons why I feel like Wofford will turn heads this year, updated with new data (Coach C says passing game will continue to evolve, we sign 4 wide outs, etc), but with no certain measurable hypothesis attached to it. Furman fans then say "but we beat you"

And repeat. There's lot of readily available examples of socon teams getting clobbered one year and returning the next to win or even return the favor (think WCU/ETSU, just for one).

It can both be the case that Wofford is going to be really good this year and Furman is comparable or better. These are not mutually exclusive hypotheses. I've been pretty silent on that part because I know it'll be tough for us regardless.

But there's really no nuance to the counter- perspective, it's just repeated every time I bring something up.

Anyway, former Kennesaw State QB and Payton Award finalist has joined Wofford as a defensive quality control coach. That's pretty solid.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[JSUSoutherner]

Chattanooga wins against JSU

No.

[Milktruck74]

Mocs will go 1-2 in OOC. There is a VERY outside shot at 2-1.....if they go 3-0 we the fans will start casting a bronze likeness of Rusty to look over Finley...ala Touchdown Jesus!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

Mocs will go 1-2 in OOC. There is a VERY outside shot at 2-1.....if they go 3-0 we the fans will start casting a bronze likeness of Rusty to look over Finley...ala Touchdown Jesus!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
https://i.postimg.cc/0Nk11NXz/E12-D203-C-C862-424-E-B1-E7-A84857527-D1-F.png

FUBeAR BELIEVES!!

[FUBeAR]

Per DraftScout.com, here are the SoCon's 29 2019 NFL Draft Prospects, their Rankings, and some info. Sorted 'em by Unit / Position / Ranking...



DS Rank
Player Name
O/D/S
Position
College
Projected
Height
Weight
Low 40 Time
Hometown
State
High School


148
Bradford Lemmons (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028953&DraftYear=2019)
D
CB
Furman (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=217.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

73
186
4.48
Columbia
SC
Dreher


193
C.J. Fritz (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1016441&DraftYear=2019)
D
CB
Chattanooga (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=421.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

68
183
4.52
Chattanooga
TN
McCallie School


197
Domo Lemon (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028950&DraftYear=2019)
D
CB
Wofford (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=462.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

69
189
4.84
Blythewood
SC
Blythewood


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


104
Ahmad Gooden (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1019869&DraftYear=2019)
D
DE
Samford (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=357.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

73
251
4.87
Talladega
AL
Talladega


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


23
Isaiah Mack (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1016442&DraftYear=2019)
D
DT
Chattanooga (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=421.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)
7
73
299
4.93
Tunnel Hill
GA
Northwest Whitfield


60
Miles Brown (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028948&DraftYear=2019)
D
DT
Wofford (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=462.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

73
319
5.22
Cheverly
MD
Sidwell Friends


131
Horace Roberts (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1029247&DraftYear=2019)
D
DT
Samford (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=357.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

74
299
5.20
College Park
GA
Banneker


153
Derek Mahaffey (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1018110&DraftYear=2019)
D
DT
Chattanooga (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=421.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

73
274
5.20
Oxford
AL
Oxford


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


36
Marvin Tillman (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1004463&DraftYear=2019)
D
FS
Western Carolina (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=441.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

73
196
4.62
Durham
NC
Southern Durham


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


77
Noah Dawkins (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028237&DraftYear=2019)
D
OLB
Citadel (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=414.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

73
227
4.32
Lyman
SC
Byrnes


127
Tavon Lawson (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1004718&DraftYear=2019)
D
OLB
Chattanooga (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=421.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

71
211
4.82
Talladega
AL
Munford


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


33
JoJo Tillery (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028951&DraftYear=2019)
D
SS
Wofford (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=462.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

71
205
4.58
Hixson
TN
East Ridge


76
Kareem Orr (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1003316&DraftYear=2019)
D
SS
Chattanooga (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=421.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

70
197
4.80
Chattanooga
TN
Notre Dame


110
LeMarkus Bailey (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028990&DraftYear=2019)
D
SS
Mercer (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=1388.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

71
193
4.70
Marietta
GA
Hillgrove


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


44
Tyler Davis (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1029263&DraftYear=2019)
O
C
Citadel (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=414.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

73
300
5.18
Murrells Inlet
SC
Waccamaw


48
Matt Pyke (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028792&DraftYear=2019)
O
C
East Tennessee State (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=196.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

74
306
5.56
Clinton
TN
Anderson County


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


46
Kealand Dirks (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028952&DraftYear=2019)
O
FB
Furman (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=217.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

71
271
4.94
Clemmons
NC
West Forsyth


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


23
Devlin Hodges (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1019870&DraftYear=2019)
O
QB
Samford (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=357.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

72
212
4.70
Kimberly
AL
Mortimer-Jordan


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


165
Tee Mitchell (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1029329&DraftYear=2019)
O
RB
Mercer (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=1388.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

70
195
4.70
Jacksonville
FL
The Bolles School


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


40
Ari Werts (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=132390&DraftYear=2019)
O
TE
East Tennessee State (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=196.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

76
227
4.65
Stone Mountain
GA
Stephenson


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


115
Kelvin McKnight (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1016162&DraftYear=2019)
O
WR
Samford (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=357.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

68
185
4.54
Bradenton
FL
Manatee


229
Marquise Irvin (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1029328&DraftYear=2019)
O
WR
Mercer (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=1388.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

74
217
4.60
Huntsville
AL
Madison County


243
Joseph Parker (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1007141&DraftYear=2019)
O
WR
Chattanooga (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=421.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

69
182
4.60
Castle Rock
CO
Cherry Creek


265
Wil Young (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028234&DraftYear=2019)
O
WR
Chattanooga (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=421.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

75
214
4.72
Mobile
AL
McGill-Toolen


316
Bingo Morton (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028940&DraftYear=2019)
O
WR
Chattanooga (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=421.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

73
209
4.68
Atlanta
GA
Langston Hughes


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


18
JJ Jerman (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1020231&DraftYear=2019)
S
K
East Tennessee State (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=196.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

71
165
5.10
Seymour
TN
Seymour


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


35
Ross Hammond (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1028949&DraftYear=2019)
S
LS
Wofford (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=462.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

72
223
5.12
Spartanburg
SC
Dorman


---------
-------------------
--------
----------
---------------------
------------
--------
--------
-------------
---------------
---------
------------------


18
Ian Berryman (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1019792&DraftYear=2019)
S
P
Western Carolina (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=441.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

72
204
4.95
Marietta
GA
Fellowship Christian


20
Matt Shiel (http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1029330&DraftYear=2019)
S
P
Mercer (http://www.draftscout.com/college.php?DSTeamId=1388.0&DraftYear=2019&sortorder=TSXPos&order=ASC)

71
192
4.84
Doncaster
Australia
St. Francis Xavier

[JSUSoutherner]

Mocs will go 1-2 in OOC. There is a VERY outside shot at 2-1.....if they go 3-0 we the fans will start casting a bronze likeness of Rusty to look over Finley...ala Touchdown Jesus!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Considering the UTC I've seen over the past two seasons I wouldn't consider EIU as "in the bag" either.

[Mocs123]

Considering the UTC I've seen over the past two seasons I wouldn't consider EIU as "in the bag" either.

It's hard to argue about our offensive production the past two years (particularly 2017).

I expect our offense will be much improved this year. We have a lot of guys back and I think a lot of the problem the past two years was offensive coaching. We absolutely should have beaten ETSU last year - at least put our players in a position to win at the end, but our coaching staff controlled the clock like a Middle School staff and we lost. One could argue that the same thing happened at Furman - clock mismanagement kept us from having a chance to win.

Our O-Line was historically bad in 2017 and average at best in 2018. I don't think it's a lack of talent with three 3-star kids and a 2-star kid (the one remaining starter with no stars was an all conference selection - he played DE in HS), they just didn't play together well as a unit. Chris Malone will fix the O-Line.

We have a lot of holes to fill on defense, and have some talented players that have yet to play much that are going to have to step up.

I know Rusty Wright wasn't a splash of a hire, but I think he will be good for Chattanooga, and I think he's put together a really good staff.

In my opinion, if we don't beat EIU, it's going to be a long season in the Scenic City. I'm not sure how good JSU will be in 2019, but I think they were a little down in 2018. I expect a good game, it always seems to come down to the wire (barring a 14pt loss in 2017) and I expect nothing different. My guess is 50/50 game.

JMU has a new coach, but returns a ton of talent from what I hear. Hopefully it's a competitive game, but I'm not sure what to expect. If you were going to make me place a bet, my money is on a loss here, but I hope I'm wrong.

My guess is 6-2 in SoCon play but perhaps I am optimistic and 5-3 is more realistic. I think the SoCon will be deep again this year.

- - - Updated - - -

[Reign of Terrier]

It won't be hard to improve UTC's offense this year. Really.

[PaladinFan]

It won't be hard to improve UTC's offense this year. Really.

I noted this during last season, but I don't think UTC's issue was lack of talent. From my view, they were entirely too predictable.

Close to 60% of all of UTC's rushes were to Tyrell Price. 85% of their carries were to Price or Nick Tiano.

In the passing game, it was a similar story. 35% of all completions went to Bryce Nunnally. 51% of completions went to Nunnally or Price.

Frankly, UTC last year reminded me a lot of the Bruce Fowler-era Furman offenses. Talent is there, but the offense was so predictable and executed so poorly that defenses could just about guess where the ball was going in any given situation.

[JSUSoutherner]

I noted this during last season, but I don't think UTC's issue was lack of talent. From my view, they were entirely too predictable.

Close to 60% of all of UTC's rushes were to Tyrell Price. 85% of their carries were to Price or Nick Tiano.

In the passing game, it was a similar story. 35% of all completions went to Bryce Nunnally. 51% of completions went to Nunnally or Price.

Frankly, UTC last year reminded me a lot of the Bruce Fowler-era Furman offenses. Talent is there, but the offense was so predictable and executed so poorly that defenses could just about guess where the ball was going in any given situation.

Sounds like JSU play calling.

[Reign of Terrier]

I noted this during last season, but I don't think UTC's issue was lack of talent. From my view, they were entirely too predictable.

Close to 60% of all of UTC's rushes were to Tyrell Price. 85% of their carries were to Price or Nick Tiano.

In the passing game, it was a similar story. 35% of all completions went to Bryce Nunnally. 51% of completions went to Nunnally or Price.

Frankly, UTC last year reminded me a lot of the Bruce Fowler-era Furman offenses. Talent is there, but the offense was so predictable and executed so poorly that defenses could just about guess where the ball was going in any given situation.

I mean, on the surface that sounds bad, but I would give minor pushback in that a lot of offenses (with more success) fixate on certain players getting the most touches. I don't have the information readily available, just saying there needs to be a baseline to compare it to

[Mocs123]

I noted this during last season, but I don't think UTC's issue was lack of talent. From my view, they were entirely too predictable.

Close to 60% of all of UTC's rushes were to Tyrell Price. 85% of their carries were to Price or Nick Tiano.

In the passing game, it was a similar story. 35% of all completions went to Bryce Nunnally. 51% of completions went to Nunnally or Price.

Frankly, UTC last year reminded me a lot of the Bruce Fowler-era Furman offenses. Talent is there, but the offense was so predictable and executed so poorly that defenses could just about guess where the ball was going in any given situation.

Play calling was pretty bad. Arth and Riscotti never seemed to gel. Arth wanted to run a pro set, but Riscotti was a spread guy and never seemed to be able to adapt. He was just never a good fit for what Arth was trying to do. Of course, talking about being a bad fit, I don't think Arth was a good fit for Chattanooga. I may have to send the Akron AD a Christmas Card this year.

I think Arth set the program back a ways, but Rusty Wright and his staff are going to right the ship and I think you will see a lot more fight in Chattanooga this year.

[PaladinFan]

I mean, on the surface that sounds bad, but I would give minor pushback in that a lot of offenses (with more success) fixate on certain players getting the most touches. I don't have the information readily available, just saying there needs to be a baseline to compare it to

I mean, I think UTC's offense was pretty poorly coached and didn't have great execution, particularly on the offensive line.

If you compare similar numbers to the SoCon's other "good" offenses, I think you'll see trends.

Tyrie Adams had 43% of WCU's carries last year. That's a lot, but he's also a lot better than anyone UTC has on their roster. WCU also distributed the ball a lot more to their WRs (primarily Mullen, Patten, and Mathis). Those guys all put up similar numbers 40-50 catches for 600ish yards.

With Furman, their leading rusher (Devin Wynn) had 23% of the carries. The Paladins also focus heavily on distributing passes to WRs, RBs, and TEs. It is really hard to key on any one player in the Paladin offense.

With Samford, who obviously throws it a lot more, Kelvin McKnight only caught 25% of Samford's completions. They had 8 players with 20+ catches.

So, yes, most teams have one or two guys they would like to get it to. Those good offenses, though, have a bunch of guys that can beat you. UTC really didn't. Their offensive line wasn't particularly good, and based on the game situation, you could pretty well figure out where the ball was going.

[PaladinFan]

Play calling was pretty bad. Arth and Riscotti never seemed to gel. Arth wanted to run a pro set, but Riscotti was a spread guy and never seemed to be able to adapt. He was just never a good fit for what Arth was trying to do. Of course, talking about being a bad fit, I don't think Arth was a good fit for Chattanooga. I may have to send the Akron AD a Christmas Card this year.

I think Arth set the program back a ways, but Rusty Wright and his staff are going to right the ship and I think you will see a lot more fight in Chattanooga this year.

I didn't watch enough UTC football to know if they had this problem, but I almost lost my hair watching Furman's offense run the spread a few years back.

This was typical scenario - single back next to Reese Hannon. Ball would be snapped and Furman would read an unblocked defensive lineman - the quintessential "read option" play.

The problem with that whole get up, and I assume the problem with UTC's offense to a degree, is the QB isn't a guy that is going to pull the ball and get to the edge. Hannon, like Tiano, is a big guy that can run, but he isn't shifty nor does he have great lateral speed. Defenses knew this. Furman would essentially leave a DL unblocked to read, but there was virtually no threat that the QB would ever pull the ball and run the option. It was almost as if Furman was just running a play, not blocking a dangerous defender, and then wondering why the offense wasn't working.

It was maddening.

[PaladinNation]

There have been fan rumblings that Furman should look for a QB transfer. Well, we got our wish. The father (https://www.facebook.com/chris.shiflett.5?__tn__=%2CdlC-R-R&eid=ARDd3rYBhm4WiyRi5jDHF7F99CDqzeD6cOraAosPnqi81b hNCoN_pn1eD2YxmF7DfJBMl-E8EcnGJDh_&hc_ref=ARQYN2UdFXevaL_X_mdrEQPVEekI7zXKjDA9uhOZrOq UJGwdkQwTgbH-s_HrtQoKAP0) of Luke Shiflett posted today that Luke has transferred from MTSU to Furman. Shiflett was a 247 3-Star dual quarterback. Shiflett broke his ankle during his senior season, MTSU coaches felt that injury helped them land Shiflett he was getting strong interest from GaTech before the injury.

Shiflett (6-2 205) played in six games as a true freshman at MTSU playing wide receiver, he punted and was a backup QB.

Link to Shiflett senior year highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/28Pp0s

[Mocs123]

Maybe a good get for Furman if he gels with the team. The Mocs have had really good luck with players who have had serious injuries their HS SR year and lost a lot of interest from other schools. Davis Tull and Keionta Davis come to mind.

Why did he transfer from MTSU, is it because he was playing WR and wanted to play QB?

[FUBeAR]

Maybe a good get for Furman if he gels with the team. The Mocs have had really good luck with players who have had serious injuries their HS SR year and lost a lot of interest from other schools. Davis Tull and Keionta Davis come to mind.

Why did he transfer from MTSU, is it because he was playing WR and wanted to play QB?
Yep

[PaladinFan]

Maybe a good get for Furman if he gels with the team. The Mocs have had really good luck with players who have had serious injuries their HS SR year and lost a lot of interest from other schools. Davis Tull and Keionta Davis come to mind.

Why did he transfer from MTSU, is it because he was playing WR and wanted to play QB?

Reading between the lines, MTSU had an entrenched senior starter last year and a bundle of capable backups.

My guess is Shiflett found out this spring that he probably wasn't going to be the guy at MTSU. Looking at their spring football prospectus (https://goblueraiders.com/documents/2019/3/8/2019_Spring_Guide.pdf), the Blue Raiders have a lot of young QBs on the depth chart. Shiflett, notably, is listed as a starting WR in Tony Franklin's spread system.

As I noted on Furman's forum, the kid was recruited to MTSU as a QB and ended up playing a bunch of WR. Probably is a kid they couldn't keep off the field.

At best, Furman gets a really good athlete who will compete for the starting job at QB in an offense that may be tailor made to his skill set. At worst, Furman gets a guy that is a talented WR and can mix in there as well.

Personally, Furman's biggest question mark in 2019 is consistent QB play. I think the Paladins are poised to make a deep run this year behind a deep defense and now-veteran offensive line. There are genuine concerns about depth and experience at quarterback.

Shiflett theoretically walks into a situation where he is going to be surrounded by a bunch of talent on offense and an innovative system that looks like it will fit his skill set.

[FUBeAR]

Just noticed that Mercer has a 3 Star FBS Transfer WR on their roster

https://mercerbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6915

Seems he was a WCU commit in 2018 until just before signing day when CCU offered. Hopefully, he has 'found a home' now.

[PaladinFan]

Just noticed that Mercer has a 3 Star FBS Transfer WR on their roster

https://mercerbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6915

Seems he was a WCU commit in 2018 until just before signing day when CCU offered. Hopefully, he has 'found a home' now.

How much eligibility does he have? He's listed as a true sophomore, though only played in three games at Coastal.

[FUBeAR]

How much eligibility does he have? He's listed as a true sophomore, though only played in three games at Coastal.I'm going to guess somewhere between 3 and 4 years and 'worry' about that, if necessary, sometime between January and August of 2022.

[Milktruck74]

He has 3 games played and no stats. Did he play WR or special teams in those games? If we was coming in with 20 catches, maybe he is something to brag about....I may be completely wrong, but he seems to be a kid that was a miss for CCU. Chattanooga had Two guys with 3 stars last year.... either of which played a down. DT Josh Walker is headed to a Juco and WR Genuine Potts has been in the portal since January and appears to have zero offers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

He has 3 games played and no stats. Did he play WR or special teams in those games? If we was coming in with 20 catches, maybe he is something to brag about....I may be completely wrong, but he seems to be a kid that was a miss for CCU. Chattanooga had Two guys with 3 stars last year.... either of which played a down. DT Josh Walker is headed to a Juco and WR Genuine Potts has been in the portal since January and appears to have zero offers.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkMaybe a 'miss'...maybe just a 'crowd' ahead of him, most with 2 or 3 years to play...



CCU Receiving Stats 2018 & 2019 WR Roster


Individual Receiving Statistics


#
Player
2019 Class
POS
GP
NO
YDS
AVG
TD
Long
AVG/G
HT
WT
Hometown / HS
Prev School


9
Williams, Malcolm
SR (2018 - Gone)
WR
12
47
724
15.4
5
61
60.33
70
190
Shreveport, LA / Woodlawn HS
Fort Scott CC


19
Tyler, Ky'Jon
R-SR
WR
11
26
397
15.3
2
81
36.09
69
180
Sumter, SC / Sumter, SC



84
Miller, Jeremiah
R-SO
WR
12
21
272
13.0
1
24
22.67
72
190
Monroe, NC / Sun Valley HS



6
Heiligh, Jaivon
SO
WR
12
14
202
14.4
2
28
16.83
74
195
Venice, FL / Venice HS



8
Collins jr., L
R-JR
WR
9
3
63
21.0
0
31
7.00
73
210
Hopkins, SC / Lower Richland HS



3
Holmes, T'Qele
R-JR
WR
12
1
17
17.0
0
17
1.42
71
190
Charleston, SC / West Ashley HS



5
Anderson, Josh
R-SR
WR
6
1
8
8
0
8
1.33
73
185
Volo, IL / Wauconda HS



35
David Brown Jr. (https://goccusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9709)
SR
WR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
74
190
Cheraw, S.C. / Cheraw HS
Dean College


85
Hakeem Ellington (https://goccusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9713)
JR
WR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
70
180
Summerville, S.C. / Ashley Ridge HS
Kentucky Christian


80
Rob Morrow (https://goccusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9619)
R-SO
WR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
68
180
Greer, S.C. / Riverside HS



86
Tre' High (https://goccusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9593)
R-SO
WR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
72
190
Columbia, S.C. / Ridge View HS



20
Greg Latushko (https://goccusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9605)
R-SO
WR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
70
180
Franklin Lakes, N.J. / Ramapo HS



82
Grant Thompson (https://goccusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9644)
R-FR
WR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
74
195
West Jefferson, N.C. / Ashe County HS



88
Conner McCarthy (https://goccusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9614)
R-FR
WR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
74
185
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. / Wando HS



21
Ty Johnson (https://goccusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9706)
R-FR
WR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
73
180
Johnston, S.C. / Strom Thurmond HS



27
Jai Williams (https://goccusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9650)
R-FR
WR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
72
170
Jacksonville, Fla. / Fletcher HS




+ 2 Signees...

* Deon Fountain – Valdosta, Ga./Brooks County, 5-11, 165, WR: Three-star recruit by 247Sports, all-purpose player with 16 TDs as senior
* Aaron Bedgood – Richmond Hill, Ga./Richmond Hill, 5-8, 165, WR: All-purpose player with 1,800 career yards

...giving them 17 WR's on the roster...


....and, BTW, I'll take Genuine Potts on 'my Team,' based on what I saw of his HS work in a top program in GA (and his name, of course)...unless he was a 'problem-child' at UTC.

[UpstateBison]

How does he qualify academically at Mercer? WCU and CCU are not noted for their academics. The Duke men's basketball team standard?

Also, I have $250 that a SoCon team does not win a quarterfinal playoff game. RoT, FuBear.....

My SoCon trolling spring game is this Saturday since several of you think I don't care about the SoCon.

[FUBeAR]

How does he qualify academically at Mercer? WCU and CCU are not noted for their academics. The Duke men's basketball team standard?

Also, I have $250 that a SoCon team does not win a quarterfinal playoff game. RoT, FuBear.....

My SoCon trolling spring game is this Saturday since several of you think I don't care about the SoCon.
You know your academics question is a really stupid question...right?

https://recruitgeorgia.com/players/steven-peterson-wrharrison/

[UpstateBison]

You know your academics question is a really stupid question...right?

https://recruitgeorgia.com/players/steven-peterson-wrharrison/

I was not talking about a specific student. My Wofford and Furman graduate friends do not think WCU and CCU have great academic standards. Good for him and best of luck.


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[The Cats]

I was not talking about a specific student. My Wofford and Furman graduate friends do not think WCU and CCU have great academic standards. Good for him and best of luck.


WOW, a guy from ND State talking trash about academics at Western Carolina?

ND state has an acceptance rate of 94%, while Western's acceptance rate is 40%. For admissions to ND state it's recommended an applicant have a cumulative high school grade point average of 2.75 (4.0 scale). For Western the average GPA is 3.75 (4.0 scale).

[Bisonoline]

WOW, a guy from ND State talking trash about academics at Western Carolina?

ND state has an acceptance rate of 94%, while Western's acceptance rate is 40%. For admissions to ND state it's recommended an applicant have a cumulative high school grade point average of 2.75 (4.0 scale). For Western the average GPA is 3.75 (4.0 scale).

You need to work on your reading comprehension.

[FUBeAR]

I was not talking about a specific student.How is this really stupid question NOT talking about a specific student?


How does he qualify academically at Mercer?

[FUBeAR]

Welp...I've already been in a little trouble recently for making a dumba$$ post on AGS, so I guess I'll push the envelope and see if I can get in more trouble with this one...

Mercer's Offensive Line Coach and Running Game Coordinator, Casey Vogt, is a GOOD man.

He has been at Mercer since before any Players arrived in 2012. Coach Vogt treated FUBeAR's son like his own son for 4 years; shepherding him through a very serious academic rough patch in his 2nd year, going above & beyond to aid him in getting back on the field after suffering serious early-season injuries in both his 3rd and 4th years at Mercer, and Coaching him up to being an All SoCon Player, despite all that AND him having weak genes, obviously. Coach Vogt's wife, Amber, like most Coaches wives, is a strong woman, but she's also sweeter than a ripe Georgia peach. As a couple, they have always treated ALL Mercer O-Linemen as their own extended Family.

Now, one of their 'real' children needs a hand. Actually, she really needs 4 paws. Click this link for more details: https://www.gofundme.com/superstellasdog

If you've ever had a Coach treat you or one of your children similarly to the way I described above, you know how much of themselves and of their families they give to their athletes. I know I sure had Coaches like that!

So, if you are so inclined, please click the link, and think about how you've been blessed with GREAT Coaching Families in your life. Also, if you do choose to make a contribution, I think it would be pretty cool to let them know that it came from a fan of your SoCon School. Just add a "<F>" or a "WoCo" or a block "C" (or is it "TheC?" :)) or a "Cats" or a "SnakeBirdTrainShoe"...maybe just "UTC" would be better...to your message of encouragement...or something like that, if you like.
https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/38322816_1554998969420894_r.jpegGREAT NEWS!! The GOAL has been reached and Stella will be getting one of the 2 pups in the Center Picture below as soon as they are 'Coached Up'

https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/38322816_1555723613277756_r.jpeg
THANKS to ALL who contributed!!!!

[Reign of Terrier]

How does he qualify academically at Mercer? WCU and CCU are not noted for their academics. The Duke men's basketball team standard?

Also, I have $250 that a SoCon team does not win a quarterfinal playoff game. RoT, FuBear.....

My SoCon trolling spring game is this Saturday since several of you think I don't care about the SoCon.

This is a dumb argument. This is like saying "Wofford wasn't a top 25 team in basketball, because they lost in the round of 32, against 2 seed Kentucky."

Single elimination tournaments are great at figuring out who the best team is, but they're terrible for determining the rank order of other teams . It's all about matchups and geography. Weird that the socon gets it held against us that we didn't win a quarterfinal game when similar animosity was spared the CAA after being boat-raced by multiple teams without a playoff victory last year.

The socon is in a unique position of having multiple decent teams, having to play all of them in a regular season, and then being within close geographic proximity to conferences that usually have a strong conference champion (OVC, Big South), or similarly deep team (CAA), or our own conference. The result is, we pummel each other, and we're more likely to get a harder first round game. Meanwhile, the Big Sky and MVFC benefit from the near-certainty that 1) geography is pretty much irrelevant (someone's flying no matter what!) 2) because of that, the likelihood of being matched with a so-so conference (NEC, Patriot, Pioneer) is pretty high.

Put simply, because the Big Sky doesn't play everyone in their league, teams are more likely to have easier schedules, inflated win totals, and less overall certainty about who is the better/worse team in the conference. Similarly, the MVFC plays most of their conference, but the parity in the conference combined with the geographic distribution means more teams have a better chance of winning the first round. That doesn't stop the basic trends from being abundantly clear: NDSU indiscriminately boat-races everyone; UNI gets playoff wins, but most of the time they're against pretty easy first round competition (Lamar, Monmouth, Stephen F Austin); Illinois State hasn't won a playoff game in 4 years (and almost half of their wins came that year). I concede that South Dakota State and North Dakota States are better teams than the socon has, but I have a hard time seeing the rest of the conference as relevant.

I don't really care if you don't care or care about the socon, it's just abundantly clear to anyone that you jump on these posts for the sake of a perverbial blumpkin: you take a dump on the socon for this same point (lack of getting past the quarterfinals) and ignore any counterpoint that shows that the implication you're throwing out there doesn't mean what you think it does. It's like betting whether or not a midmajor conference in basketball will get two bids to the NCAA tournament. I wouldn't do it, but it doesn't mean a second team from a specific midmajor conference couldn't win if given the shot. the NCAA procedures have it so the odds are stacked against the socon, as a whole, than other conferences in terms of final playoff slate.

You do all this, while arbitrarily whacking off to random MVFC accomplishments that even Furman has done. So again, I don't really care what your opinion is or if you like or dislike the socon. I'm annoyed that you only bring up one misleading point and don't correct yourself or say "hmmm maybe there's more there." And I'm probably not the only one


I was not talking about a specific student. My Wofford and Furman graduate friends do not think WCU and CCU have great academic standards. Good for him and best of luck.


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You have to have a certain GPA to be eligible to play sports at any level of NCAA athletics. Some schools have different thresholds, but just because player x goes to school x does not mean that he couldn't get into school y.

Put another way, if you have a 3.4 GPA (or so) you'll get into Wofford, Mercer, Furman and WCU and CCU. There are people who prefer going to other schools than those with high standards and that's fine. It's pretty obvious that this is the case here.

As someone who went to a ~hard college~ and thought this would be a huge deal when I was in like middle school, the "their school sucks!" point kind of bugs me because it ignores a lot of trends in education that kind of run counter to it. Ivy league schools have grade inflation, many schools are test optional, etc. So, for instance, Furman could say for a long time that their SAT score was higher than Wofford's because Furman's was test optional and Wofford was not (now Wofford is).

I've been friends with multiple athletes in different sports at Wofford and a couple at other schools. They aren't idiots, but they're not all super nerds either. I went to high school in a rural area that wasn't great, and every D1 athlete I met struck me the same as the ones I went to high school with that made it to the NCAA: Not dumb, works hard, and the occasional one is smarter than me.

TL;DR the dumb jock stereotype is kind of dumb

[Reign of Terrier]

But yeah no one thinks you hate/don't care about the socon upstate (as if that's the only thing necessary to be right or wrong), it's just abundantly clear to everyone that you only post on socon threads to **** on them in some manner and it's tiresome. Still waiting to see you say something positive that isn't offhanded.

[FUBeAR]

You have to have a certain GPA to be eligible to play sports at any level of NCAA athletics. Some schools have different thresholds, but just because player x goes to school x does not mean that he couldn't get into school y.

Put another way, if you have a 3.4 GPA (or so) you'll get into Wofford, Mercer, Furman and WCU and CCU. There are people who prefer going to other schools than those with high standards and that's fine. It's pretty obvious that this is the case here.

As someone who went to a ~hard college~ and thought this would be a huge deal when I was in like middle school, the "their school sucks!" point kind of bugs me because it ignores a lot of trends in education that kind of run counter to it. Ivy league schools have grade inflation, many schools are test optional, etc. So, for instance, Furman could say for a long time that their SAT score was higher than Wofford's because Furman's was test optional and Wofford was not (now Wofford is).

I've been friends with multiple athletes in different sports at Wofford and a couple at other schools. They aren't idiots, but they're not all super nerds either. I went to high school in a rural area that wasn't great, and every D1 athlete I met struck me the same as the ones I went to high school with that made it to the NCAA: Not dumb, works hard, and the occasional one is smarter than me.

TL;DR the dumb jock stereotype is kind of dumb

Wow - you gave that really stupid question about an individual Student Athlete's academic qualifications a whole lot more time and attention than it merited, IMO. But...yeah...what RoT said!

[gofurman]

This is a dumb argument. This is like saying "Wofford wasn't a top 25 team in basketball, because they lost in the round of 32, against 2 seed Kentucky."

Single elimination tournaments are great at figuring out who the best team is, but they're terrible for determining the rank order of other teams . It's all about matchups and geography. Weird that the socon gets it held against us that we didn't win a quarterfinal game when similar animosity was spared the CAA after being boat-raced by multiple teams without a playoff victory last year.

The socon is in a unique position of having multiple decent teams, having to play all of them in a regular season, and then being within close geographic proximity to conferences that usually have a strong conference champion (OVC, Big South), or similarly deep team (CAA), or our own conference. The result is, we pummel each other, and we're more likely to get a harder first round game. Meanwhile, the Big Sky and MVFC benefit from the near-certainty that 1) geography is pretty much irrelevant (someone's flying no matter what!) 2) because of that, the likelihood of being matched with a so-so conference (NEC, Patriot, Pioneer) is pretty high.

Put simply, because the Big Sky doesn't play everyone in their league, teams are more likely to have easier schedules, inflated win totals, and less overall certainty about who is the better/worse team in the conference. Similarly, the MVFC plays most of their conference, but the parity in the conference combined with the geographic distribution means more teams have a better chance of winning the first round. That doesn't stop the basic trends from being abundantly clear: NDSU indiscriminately boat-races everyone; UNI gets playoff wins, but most of the time they're against pretty easy first round competition (Lamar, Monmouth, Stephen F Austin); Illinois State hasn't won a playoff game in 4 years (and almost half of their wins came that year). I concede that South Dakota State and North Dakota States are better teams than the socon has, but I have a hard time seeing the rest of the conference as relevant.

I don't really care if you don't care or care about the socon, it's just abundantly clear to anyone that you jump on these posts for the sake of a perverbial blumpkin: you take a dump on the socon for this same point (lack of getting past the quarterfinals) and ignore any counterpoint that shows that the implication you're throwing out there doesn't mean what you think it does. It's like betting whether or not a midmajor conference in basketball will get two bids to the NCAA tournament. I wouldn't do it, but it doesn't mean a second team from a specific midmajor conference couldn't win if given the shot. the NCAA procedures have it so the odds are stacked against the socon, as a whole, than other conferences in terms of final playoff slate.

You do all this, while arbitrarily whacking off to random MVFC accomplishments that even Furman has done. So again, I don't really care what your opinion is or if you like or dislike the socon. I'm annoyed that you only bring up one misleading point and don't correct yourself or say "hmmm maybe there's more there." And I'm probably not the only one



You have to have a certain GPA to be eligible to play sports at any level of NCAA athletics. Some schools have different thresholds, but just because player x goes to school x does not mean that he couldn't get into school y.

Put another way, if you have a 3.4 GPA (or so) you'll get into Wofford, Mercer, Furman and WCU and CCU. There are people who prefer going to other schools than those with high standards and that's fine. It's pretty obvious that this is the case here.

As someone who went to a ~hard college~ and thought this would be a huge deal when I was in like middle school, the "their school sucks!" point kind of bugs me because it ignores a lot of trends in education that kind of run counter to it. Ivy league schools have grade inflation, many schools are test optional, etc. So, for instance, Furman could say for a long time that their SAT score was higher than Wofford's because Furman's was test optional and Wofford was not (now Wofford is).

I've been friends with multiple athletes in different sports at Wofford and a couple at other schools. They aren't idiots, but they're not all super nerds either. I went to high school in a rural area that wasn't great, and every D1 athlete I met struck me the same as the ones I went to high school with that made it to the NCAA: Not dumb, works hard, and the occasional one is smarter than me.

TL;DR the dumb jock stereotype is kind of dumb

"Single elimination tournaments are great at figuring out who the best team is, but they're terrible for determining the rank order of other teams . It's all about matchups and geography." - i AGREE. I would even go so far as to say single elimination tournaments (IN BASKETBALL ESPECIALLY) don't really determine the best team.. Duke was 2-0 vs UVA. 1-0 vs Texas Tech and 1-0 vs Auburn !! I.E. Duke was 4-1 versus the final four. 4-1 ! Basketball has too much variance. Most years the best team DOES NOT win the basketball tourney. I am a Duke fan so let me take it away from this year - best team in last 10 years? 38-0 UK in 2015... National champ from 2015? DUKE! Best team in last 30 years? 91 UNLV with Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon etc. Who won the title in 1991? DUKE ! Not pushing Duke. Saying that most years the best team does NOT win the ncaa basketball tourney. It's actually rare that they do. Gamblers know this - "always take the field".

It's all about matchups. this cannot be overstated. Here I am a Furman guy agreeing with Wofford :) ...

Now in FCS football (and FBS) the best team does often win but matchups still play a huge part in who advances one more round. As many Wofford fans would agree, I would have like to have seen Furman play Kennesaw State last year. Not a jab at KSU at all. Just FU defended the option very well and had a different style offense.

[UpstateBison]

"Single elimination tournaments are great at figuring out who the best team is, but they're terrible for determining the rank order of other teams . It's all about matchups and geography." - i AGREE. I would even go so far as to say single elimination tournaments (IN BASKETBALL ESPECIALLY) don't really determine the best team.. Duke was 2-0 vs UVA. 1-0 vs Texas Tech and 1-0 vs Auburn !! I.E. Duke was 4-1 versus the final four. 4-1 ! Basketball has too much variance. Most years the best team DOES NOT win the basketball tourney. I am a Duke fan so let me take it away from this year - best team in last 10 years? 38-0 UK in 2015... National champ from 2015? DUKE! Best team in last 30 years? 91 UNLV with Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon etc. Who won the title in 1991? DUKE ! Not pushing Duke. Saying that most years the best team does NOT win the ncaa basketball tourney. It's actually rare that they do. Gamblers know this - "always take the field".

It's all about matchups. this cannot be overstated. Here I am a Furman guy agreeing with Wofford :) ...

Now in FCS football (and FBS) the best team does often win but matchups still play a huge part in who advances one more round. As many Wofford fans would agree, I would have like to have seen Furman play Kennesaw State last year. Not a jab at KSU at all. Just FU defended the option very well and had a different style offense.

It is all about matchups. Furman beat Wofford but Wofford won the SoCon. Wofford lost to KSU. You have to beat the team you play. I like the SoCon teams. I have lived in Spartanburg for 21 years. SDSU beat KSU after Wofford lost to KSU. No MVFC team runs the option.

I hope the SoCon becomes relevant again. I hope it happens this year. It helps FCS football.


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[gofurman]

It is all about matchups. Furman beat Wofford but Wofford won the SoCon. Wofford lost to KSU. You have to beat the team you play. I like the SoCon teams. I have lived in Spartanburg for 21 years. SDSU beat KSU after Wofford lost to KSU. No MVFC team runs the option.

I hope the SoCon becomes relevant again. I hope it happens this year. It helps FCS football.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

exactly.. matchups. And I think the SoCon is relevant (5th best conference?) but we do need to get a round farther in the playoffs - no doubt that would help our perception to see a Woff or Furman in the quarters or semifinals.

[UpstateBison]

exactly.. matchups. And I think the SoCon is relevant (5th best conference?) but we do need to get a round farther in the playoffs - no doubt that would help our perception to see a Woff or Furman in the quarters or semifinals.

Relevant was a bit strong of a term. Based on the FCS playoff structure, the SoCon will always have a quarterfinal team. They just need to win because that is the first OOC playoff game.

Talk to SDSU and UNI about the geographic FCS alignment. The SoCon has no argument. I think they are tied for 4th best conference. Southland and SoCon overall but KSU is a better individual team.


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[PaladinFan]

It is all about matchups. Furman beat Wofford but Wofford won the SoCon. Wofford lost to KSU. You have to beat the team you play. I like the SoCon teams. I have lived in Spartanburg for 21 years. SDSU beat KSU after Wofford lost to KSU. No MVFC team runs the option.

I hope the SoCon becomes relevant again. I hope it happens this year. It helps FCS football.


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I still think that few fans nationally seem to appreciate the significance of the SoCon's recent transformation. 5 years ago the conference lost two longtime football programs that were not just conference-level good, but national-level good (and had been for decades). There isn't another conference at this level that has had to endure that.

Frankly, the losses of App State/GSU would have likely put other conferences into obscurity. How would the MVFC look if it lost NDSU and UNI in the same years? Or the CAA losing James Madison and Delaware? I personally think it is impressive that within 5 years of losing two of the historically great programs at this level we are discussing the SoCon again.

I also think there are other factors at play that has contributed to a reordering of things. As I've mentioned numerous times, the SoCon is geographically situated in the nation's biggest football hotbed. There has been an influx of D1 football teams in this region in the last few years, and that is naturally going to dilute any one team's ability to hoard talent on a roster.

There is a vast increase in demand for players without necessarily a corresponding increase in supply. This is not a problem schools in the Big Sky and MVFC have - or at least not to the same level. Would NDSU be as big a fish if there were 9 D1 football schools in their state (like South Carolina has) and another 7 in Minnesota (like Georgia)?

Admittedly, some of it too is coaching and recruiting. SoCon schools haven't, perhaps, adapted as well as they should have - Furman chief among them. I think the Furman program went about its business thinking that the things they did for decades to stay relevant would keep working and failed to grasp the new world of college football (or at least fully appreciate it). I think that is changing, though.

[PaladinNation]

I still think that few fans nationally seem to appreciate the significance of the SoCon's recent transformation. 5 years ago the conference lost two longtime football programs that were not just conference-level good, but national-level good (and had been for decades). There isn't another conference at this level that has had to endure that.

Frankly, the losses of App State/GSU would have likely put other conferences into obscurity. How would the MVFC look if it lost NDSU and UNI in the same years? Or the CAA losing James Madison and Delaware? I personally think it is impressive that within 5 years of losing two of the historically great programs at this level we are discussing the SoCon again.

I also think there are other factors at play that has contributed to a reordering of things. As I've mentioned numerous times, the SoCon is geographically situated in the nation's biggest football hotbed. There has been an influx of D1 football teams in this region in the last few years, and that is naturally going to dilute any one team's ability to hoard talent on a roster.

There is a vast increase in demand for players without necessarily a corresponding increase in supply. This is not a problem schools in the Big Sky and MVFC have - or at least not to the same level. Would NDSU be as big a fish if there were 9 D1 football schools in their state (like South Carolina has) and another 7 in Minnesota (like Georgia)?

Admittedly, some of it too is coaching and recruiting. SoCon schools haven't, perhaps, adapted as well as they should have - Furman chief among them. I think the Furman program went about its business thinking that the things they did for decades to stay relevant would keep working and failed to grasp the new world of college football (or at least fully appreciate it). I think that is changing, though.

Putting a lens on Furman - PaladinFan made a great point above ^ while the Lamb era at Furman was coming to a close Furman Football was a tired program, zero funds were being put into the game day experience, and schools like Elon and Wofford started dominating Furman. Our recruiting became real spotty.
Hell, it's easy to forget the pressbox was condemned by the Fire Marshall and that helped stimulate and bring to real-need the stadium upgrade.

Heading into year three of CCF football, all you have to do is put into your Tweet Deck a few Furman Football search terms and Furman Football is obviously relevant with high school football players. Furman is also aggressively pushing out it's recruiting footprint, Hendrik and Lusk have recruiting ties in Texas, other coaches have connections in Oklahoma, Ohio, Illinois. New DB coach Rod Ojong is a great example of being relevant. Ojong is a hot-ticket coach, he served as a grad assistant at UNC, last season coached at Austin Peay and was highly recommended to CCH. In just a few months he's made a large impact on his player group, getting Quandarius Weems to come back for a redshirt senior season could prove to be a key for the Furman defense in 2019.

Still, the reality is -- the Socon needs to win against OOC competition during the regular season as well as to get back some of our lost national cred back someone has to step up and challenge past the quarter-finals.

[walliver]

I think the real issue with the SoCon's prestige is lack of a breakout team. Conference championships are often won by 2-loss teams.
Furman hasn't gotten the memo yet that football season starts the last week of August, not the end of September. Samford seems to randomly forget to show up for some games but always shows up for Wofford. The Citadel team that ran the table a few years ago could easily have finished middle of the pack without a few miraculous breaks. Wofford had a similar season two years ago.

Parity produces interesting Saturdays, but doesn' t generate the same prestige as playing in the Clemson Conference, Alabama-Georgia Conference, or NDSU Conference.

[FUBeAR]

The Citadel team that ran the table a few years ago could easily have finished middle of the pack without a few miraculous breaks. Wofford had a similar season two years ago.

Parity produces interesting Saturdays, but doesn' t generate the same prestige as playing in the Clemson Conference, Alabama-Georgia Conference, or NDSU Conference....and ETSU did last year...IMO, moreso than either of those CIT or WOF Teams did.

I don't expect anything different this year....WHICH...is why FUBeAR continues to beat the "WIN THE OOC GAMES" drum so loudly.

IMO, this is the 'rising tide' that will life all SoCon 'boats.' 1 SoCon Team that wins all of their OOC games (except their FB$ game) and loses 1 conference game to another SoCon Team that has also won all of their OOC games (except their FB$ game), but has lost to another (good) SoCon Team, at 9 or 10 - 2 could end up with a seed...If Wofford hadn't lost 2 SoCon games last year, I think they would have been seeded. Perhaps both of those 9 or 10-2 SoCon Teams garner seeds...and then the 'geography bondage' has a chance of being broken.

That's what I see happening for the Big Sky. Well that and the ability to 'duck' certain In-Conference games that SoCon Teams don't have a similar ability to do.

Anyway...WIN ALL OCC GAMES!!!!!

[SCPALADIN]

Putting a lens on Furman - PaladinFan made a great point above ^ while the Lamb era at Furman was coming to a close Furman Football was a tired program, zero funds were being put into the game day experience, and schools like Elon and Wofford started dominating Furman. Our recruiting became real spotty.
Hell, it's easy to forget the pressbox was condemned by the Fire Marshall and that helped stimulate and bring to real-need the stadium upgrade.

Heading into year three of CCF football, all you have to do is put into your Tweet Deck a few Furman Football search terms and Furman Football is obviously relevant with high school football players. Furman is also aggressively pushing out it's recruiting footprint, Hendrik and Lusk have recruiting ties in Texas, other coaches have connections in Oklahoma, Ohio, Illinois. New DB coach Rod Ojong is a great example of being relevant. Ojong is a hot-ticket coach, he served as a grad assistant at UNC, last season coached at Austin Peay and was highly recommended to CCH. In just a few months he's made a large impact on his player group, getting Quandarius Weems to come back for a redshirt senior season could prove to be a key for the Furman defense in 2019.

Still, the reality is -- the Socon needs to win against OOC competition during the regular season as well as to get back some of our lost national cred back someone has to step up and challenge past the quarter-finals.

Well, at least it wasn't our entire visitor's stands that were condemned...xsmiley_wix

[Reign of Terrier]

Wow - you gave that really stupid question about an individual Student Athlete's academic qualifications a whole lot more time and attention than it merited, IMO. But...yeah...what RoT said!

As someone who has a strong egalitarian streak, I just don't like it when people talk trash about state schools and directional state universities with their nose turned up. I graduated from Wofford with a pretty good GPA and got my masters in about 15 months, but I have two brothers who are doing, say, the "winding path." I'm a huge fan of higher education and there's definitely advantages to going to a good school, but if you look at the data, the benefits come from either or both of 1) what you learn while a student and 2) the connections you get while a student/alumni.

There are exceptions (many Ivy league schools, those admissions/cum laude darlings that every school has but elite colleges probably have more of), but for the most part, profiling someone's intelligence because of where they went *to college* (when something like only 35% of the population graduates college in the first place) grinds my gears. On the flip side, sandbagging athletes' athletic ability at good schools is the other side of this thinking. Part of the reason I hate both is because I see it as a reason some Wofford good ole boys will excuse us not doing better in some sports while at the same time talking trash about schools who may beat us. Wofford isn't the only one who does it, and it's not necessarily a prominent strain of thought nowadays, but I kind of feel compelled to stomp it out when I see it anyway.

[FUBeAR]

Well. at least it wasn't our entire visitor's stands that were condemned...xsmiley_wix...and, unless I'm mistaken, a NEW Press Box was constructed shortly following the condemnation.

As far as I can tell, there is still no definite timetable to re-construct permanent seating on the east side of JHS. The most recent update I can find was announced in Sept. of 2018...


The Citadel announced last month that it would delay renovation of the east side of Johnson Hagood Stadium by at least a year... a plan to put in 3,000 permanent seats on the east side, at a cost of about $4 million, won’t happen until at least the 2020 season.

...to me "at least" in those sentences means it could be 2021 or 2025 or...even 9595...and y'all know what Coaches Zager and Evans said about the year 9595...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQB2-Kmiic

[FUBeAR]

As someone who has a strong egalitarian streak, I just don't like it when people talk trash about state schools and directional state universities with their nose turned up. I graduated from Wofford with a pretty good GPA and got my masters in about 15 months, but I have two brothers who are doing, say, the "winding path." I'm a huge fan of higher education and there's definitely advantages to going to a good school, but if you look at the data, the benefits come from either or both of 1) what you learn while a student and 2) the connections you get while a student/alumni.

There are exceptions (many Ivy league schools, those admissions/cum laude darlings that every school has but elite colleges probably have more of), but for the most part, profiling someone's intelligence because of where they went *to college* (when something like only 35% of the population graduates college in the first place) grinds my gears. On the flip side, sandbagging athletes' athletic ability at good schools is the other side of this thinking. Part of the reason I hate both is because I see it as a reason some Wofford good ole boys will excuse us not doing better in some sports while at the same time talking trash about schools who may beat us. Wofford isn't the only one who does it, and it's not necessarily a prominent strain of thought nowadays, but I kind of feel compelled to stomp it out when I see it anyway.

TOTALLY agree on all points...Grad degree from Clemson, which I actually finished at Georgia State. Prof's from those schools were just as good and just as hard as the ones at FU...in some cases, better and harder...or both. Mrs. FUBeAR is a UGa grad, as is YoungestMissFUBeAR, who will start grad school @ Georgia State this Fall. It's ALL School man...and it's ALL GOOD!

Reality is some schools can get Athletes in their school that other schools can't - Doesn't NECESSARILY make either set of athletes smarter/dumber or more/less worthy than the other set and peeps who assume/think that it does are, well, just dumba$$e$.

Coaches/Athletics personnel 'knew the drill' when they took their jobs and it's on them to win, regardless. If they feel they have disadvantages due to higher academic selectivity, they either shouldn't have taken that job OR they need to find a way to make THAT an advantage AND/OR leverage other advantages that they do have.

Now, all that said...when a school's Administration decides to suddenly and drastically start raising the bar, as happened at FU a few years back; that ain't right, nor fair to those Coaches/Athletics Admins. IF a school wants to do that, then they need to gradually and slowly phase in those higher standards for athletes...allowing for sufficient time to adjust recruiting activities, divisions/levels, conferences, and/or schedules, IF desired.

Elitism is and always will be part of academia, but a large part (not all) of the associated bluster is pure mythology.

[UpstateBison]

TOTALLY agree on all points...Grad degree from Clemson, which I actually finished at Georgia State. Prof's from those schools were just as good and just as hard as the ones at FU...in some cases, better and harder...or both. Mrs. FUBeAR is a UGa grad, as is YoungestMissFUBeAR, who will start grad school @ Georgia State this Fall. It's ALL School man...and it's ALL GOOD!

Reality is some schools can get Athletes in their school that other schools can't - Doesn't NECESSARILY make either set of athletes smarter/dumber or more/less worthy than the other set and peeps who assume/think that it does are, well, just dumba$$e$.

Coaches/Athletics personnel 'knew the drill' when they took their jobs and it's on them to win, regardless. If they feel they have disadvantages due to higher academic selectivity, they either shouldn't have taken that job OR they need to find a way to make THAT an advantage AND/OR leverage other advantages that they do have.

Now, all that said...when a school's Administration decides to suddenly and drastically start raising the bar, as happened at FU a few years back; that ain't right, nor fair to those Coaches/Athletics Admins. IF a school wants to do that, then they need to gradually and slowly phase in those higher standards for athletes...allowing for sufficient time to adjust recruiting activities, divisions/levels, conferences, and/or schedules, IF desired.

Elitism is and always will be part of academia, but a large part (not all) of the associated bluster is pure mythology.

I agree. I graduated from Minnesota State University-Moorhead. I grew up in Fargo and have been a life long fan of NDSU. Once I passed the CPA exam, my undergraduate was irrelevant.


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[UpstateBison]

I still think that few fans nationally seem to appreciate the significance of the SoCon's recent transformation. 5 years ago the conference lost two longtime football programs that were not just conference-level good, but national-level good (and had been for decades). There isn't another conference at this level that has had to endure that.

Frankly, the losses of App State/GSU would have likely put other conferences into obscurity. How would the MVFC look if it lost NDSU and UNI in the same years? Or the CAA losing James Madison and Delaware? I personally think it is impressive that within 5 years of losing two of the historically great programs at this level we are discussing the SoCon again.

I also think there are other factors at play that has contributed to a reordering of things. As I've mentioned numerous times, the SoCon is geographically situated in the nation's biggest football hotbed. There has been an influx of D1 football teams in this region in the last few years, and that is naturally going to dilute any one team's ability to hoard talent on a roster.

There is a vast increase in demand for players without necessarily a corresponding increase in supply. This is not a problem schools in the Big Sky and MVFC have - or at least not to the same level. Would NDSU be as big a fish if there were 9 D1 football schools in their state (like South Carolina has) and another 7 in Minnesota (like Georgia)?

Admittedly, some of it too is coaching and recruiting. SoCon schools haven't, perhaps, adapted as well as they should have - Furman chief among them. I think the Furman program went about its business thinking that the things they did for decades to stay relevant would keep working and failed to grasp the new world of college football (or at least fully appreciate it). I think that is changing, though.

Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties have a similar population of the entire states of ND and SD. You have missed the prior conversations regarding this issue.


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[FUBeAR]

I agree. I graduated from Minnesota State University-Moorhead. I grew up in Fargo and have been a life long fan of NDSU. Once I passed the CPA exam, my undergraduate was irrelevant.
Cool - so you KNOW that your question about how an individual student transferring from Coastal Carolina University could gain admission to Mercer University, while implying (or really, I guess, just outright stating) that Mercer must have compromised their academic standards in order to admit him was a REALLY stupid question then...right?

If so, then I'm assuming you would like to apologize to young Mr. Peterson and his family, who very well may be reading this board, along with apologizing to the Admissions Staff and Administration of Mercer University, some of whom I KNOW for certain regularly read this board?


As anyone who reads my shtick knows, FUBeAR loves to twist and turn the 'knives' when it comes to 'programs' and fans...and occasionally Coaches (usually only the highly paid HC's though), but impugning an individual amateur student-athlete just don't set well in the FUBeAR craw. Falsely impugning, as was the case with your question/comment, only makes it worse.

[PaladinFan]

...and ETSU did last year...IMO, moreso than either of those CIT or WOF Teams did.

I don't expect anything different this year....WHICH...is why FUBeAR continues to beat the "WIN THE OOC GAMES" drum so loudly.

IMO, this is the 'rising tide' that will life all SoCon 'boats.' 1 SoCon Team that wins all of their OOC games (except their FB$ game) and loses 1 conference game to another SoCon Team that has also won all of their OOC games (except their FB$ game), but has lost to another (good) SoCon Team, at 9 or 10 - 2 could end up with a seed...If Wofford hadn't lost 2 SoCon games last year, I think they would have been seeded. Perhaps both of those 9 or 10-2 SoCon Teams garner seeds...and then the 'geography bondage' has a chance of being broken.

That's what I see happening for the Big Sky. Well that and the ability to 'duck' certain In-Conference games that SoCon Teams don't have a similar ability to do.

Anyway...WIN ALL OCC GAMES!!!!!

On the other hand, I also think that if Furman had pulled out the game at ETSU, Wofford probably isn't even in the post season. Furman would have been the sole conference champ and autobid and, I think, Wofford would have been the bubble team with ETSU getting the SoCon's second spot.

[PaladinFan]

I think the real issue with the SoCon's prestige is lack of a breakout team. Conference championships are often won by 2-loss teams.
Furman hasn't gotten the memo yet that football season starts the last week of August, not the end of September. Samford seems to randomly forget to show up for some games but always shows up for Wofford. The Citadel team that ran the table a few years ago could easily have finished middle of the pack without a few miraculous breaks. Wofford had a similar season two years ago.

Parity produces interesting Saturdays, but doesn' t generate the same prestige as playing in the Clemson Conference, Alabama-Georgia Conference, or NDSU Conference.

I'm a homer, of course, but I think Furman is on the precipice of being one of those breakout teams. They are in year 3 with Coach Hendrix and the differences between what I see now is in stark contrast to what I've seen the last ten years or so.

For the first time in a while the Paladins have a good schedule that is not also a crucible. They will have the opportunity to pick up wins, play some at home, and move up the rankings.

[FUBeAR]

On the other hand, I also think that if Furman had pulled out the game at ETSU, Wofford probably isn't even in the post season. Furman would have been the sole conference champ and autobid and, I think, Wofford would have been the bubble team with ETSU getting the SoCon's second spot.
So...a 7-4/5-3, tied for 3rd place in the SoCon, ETSU Team that lost 2 of its last 4 games (and darn near lost all 4) gets an At-Large bid over an 8-3/6-2 2nd place in the SoCon Wofford Team that beat ETSU by 2 scores? In fact, the Bucs don't even go in ahead of 6-5/5-3 Samford, who would have been tied with them for 3rd place & have beaten them by 2 scores in the last week of the season.

You might want to give your Magic 8-Ball a tuneup this off-season.

Here's what FUBeAR's Looking-behind-the-boat prediculation machine sez...
* IF FU beats ETSU, 7-3/7-1 FU wins the SoCon, gets the Autobid, but does not get a seed
* 8-3/6-2 Wofford gets an At-Large bid, but also does not get a seed.
* No other SoCon Teams make the Playoffs.
* Wofford beats Elon in Round 1 and loses to KSU in a deluge in Round 2.
* Furman, because they can't/won't be matched-up with Elon in Round 1, travels to Jacksonville State as ETSU did, but FU is better than ETSU, doesn't fumble on the 1 inch line, and upsets the Gamecocks.
* In round 2, Furman goes up to Maine, much better prepared than JaxSt was, and pulls off the shocker against the #7 seeded CAA Champs.
* Continuing an amazing run, as Maine did, FU goes out to Utah and cuts the #2 seeded Wildcats of Weber State in the Quarterfinals
* Unfortunately, in the 3rd LONG road trip of the Playoffs, the now 10-3/7-1 Paladins fall @ #3 seed EWU in the Semis, but it's a much closer game than Maine's 50-19 no-show
* Would have been nice to steal that one and see the 'Dins (in their 4th National Championship Game) vs. the bizuns in Frisco, TX

...but...

WE GOTTA BEAT ETSU FIRST!!!

[PaladinNation]

Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties have a similar population of the entire states of ND and SD. You have missed the prior conversations regarding this issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

^^^ ding ding ding

I haven't bothered with going back through archives of past years recruiting -- but if you had spent time in the past on the Furman message board, you'd find a common cry "why can't Furman recruit and sign local in-state talent?"

CCH and Staff blew that rant up in 2019 recruiting. Wofford had been raiding Furman's backyard… Thad Mangum is a perfect example, went to CCES in Greenville - is a great player, I don't think Furman ever attempted to recruit him. Andre Stoddard went to SJCS, Furman offered early he wanted to wait and go through the entire recruiting process - Wofford hangs in there and he becomes a Terrier.

The incoming 2019 class Furman has taken a page from Wofford and recruited heavily from two of the most successful local private school programs St. Joe's and Southside Christian. Luke Bynum QB/WR and Jake Johanning OL/DL from St. Joes and Jake Kimmelman WR and JR Schroeder from Southside. The biggest backyard recruit (in many ways) is 6-2 307 NG Devonte Jones of TL Hanna in Anderson. Jones choose Furman over Wofford - honestly, I thought he would be a Terrier. Furman also plucked a player from Wofford's backyard Jalen Miller from perennial powerhouse Byrnes.

Wofford has done an excellent job of building their program with excellent local recruiting, Furman at times appeared to sleep on local players. CCH appears committed to local talent, in-state talent Furman signed eight players from SC. I think you'll have to go back a good bit to find that large of an in-state class.
Homegrown players don't guarantee success, but it worked very well for Wofford.

I think both Wofford and Furman have to recruit SC hard to be successful and get to the next level. Furman will always recruit Georgia hard, but the reality is everyone recruits Georgia hard. Furman has to win some battles in the state - keeping a player like Evan Jumper (12 FBS offers) in the state was a huge step towards this goal.

[PaladinFan]

Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties have a similar population of the entire states of ND and SD. You have missed the prior conversations regarding this issue.


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Which is why I included Minnesota. Nearly 30 players on NDSU's roster are from Minnesota, which has a larger population than South Carolina and has exactly one (not very good) FBS football program and 0 FCS programs.

Again, there's just not that much competition in that part of the country for players.

[PaladinFan]

So...a 7-4/5-3, tied for 3rd place in the SoCon, ETSU Team that lost 2 of its last 4 games (and darn near lost all 4) gets an At-Large bid over an 8-3/6-2 2nd place in the SoCon Wofford Team that beat ETSU by 2 scores? In fact, the Bucs don't even go in ahead of 6-5/5-3 Samford, who would have been tied with them for 3rd place & have beaten them by 2 scores in the last week of the season.

You might want to give your Magic 8-Ball a tuneup this off-season.

Here's what FUBeAR's Looking-behind-the-boat prediculation machine sez...
* IF FU beats ETSU, 7-3/7-1 FU wins the SoCon, gets the Autobid, but does not get a seed
* 8-3/6-2 Wofford gets an At-Large bid, but also does not get a seed.
* No other SoCon Teams make the Playoffs.
* Wofford beats Elon in Round 1 and loses to KSU in a deluge in Round 2.
* Furman, because they can't/won't be matched-up with Elon in Round 1, travels to Jacksonville State as ETSU did, but FU is better than ETSU, doesn't fumble on the 1 inch line, and upsets the Gamecocks.
* In round 2, Furman goes up to Maine, much better prepared than JaxSt was, and pulls off the shocker against the #7 seeded CAA Champs.
* Continuing an amazing run, as Maine did, FU goes out to Utah and cuts the #2 seeded Wildcats of Weber State in the Quarterfinals
* Unfortunately, in the 3rd LONG road trip of the Playoffs, the now 10-3/7-1 Paladins fall @ #3 seed EWU in the Semis, but it's a much closer game than Maine's 50-19 no-show
* Would have been nice to steal that one and see the 'Dins (in their 4th National Championship Game) vs. the bizuns in Frisco, TX

...but...

WE GOTTA BEAT ETSU FIRST!!!

You're right. I forgot that ETSU would have taken another loss.

I don't know what happened against the Bucs. That was the first completely perplexing game I had seen Furman play since that debacle in Cullowhee in, I think, 2004.

I've seen us stink plenty, but I was expecting those games. Furman was the better team for virtually the entire game and somehow managed to just fall apart on a historic scale that night. Anything less than the wheels completely coming off and Furman is the sole champion of the SoCon.

I blame Colgate.

[Reign of Terrier]

I don't know what happened against the Bucs.



-Every Team in the socon

[walliver]

I'm a homer, of course, but I think Furman is on the precipice of being one of those breakout teams. They are in year 3 with Coach Hendrix and the differences between what I see now is in stark contrast to what I've seen the last ten years or so.

For the first time in a while the Paladins have a good schedule that is not also a crucible. They will have the opportunity to pick up wins, play some at home, and move up the rankings.

A homer? I don't believe it:)

I could post a copy of today's Topeka, Kansas weather report and you could explain how it all works to the greater glory of Furman Football.

[FUBeAR]

A homer? I don't believe it:)

I could post a copy of today's Topeka, Kansas weather report and you could explain how it all works to the greater glory of Furman Football.

Topeka Forecast - Thursday, April 25th

Thursday
74°/45°
Partly Cloudy - 0%


Day: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the middle 40s.
Night: Clear skies. Low near 45F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.
UV Index: 7
Sunrise: 06:32am
Humidity: 62%
Sunset: 08:09pm
Wind: 8 mph SE
Moonrise: 01:39am
Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Moonset: 11:25am Thursday



Go ahead, PaladinFan...show 'em your stuff!!

[PaladinFan]

A homer? I don't believe it:)

I could post a copy of today's Topeka, Kansas weather report and you could explain how it all works to the greater glory of Furman Football.

Oh, I've been plenty critical of the program over the years. They nearly lost me as a fan the last year of the Fowler administration.

I'm not going to apologize for being bullish on the Paladins, though. I endured nearly 15 years of watching the program go from a national power house to an also ran. I have seen a complete transformation in the program and look at the current roster and think we could seriously put our stamp back on the map nationally in 2019.

[PaladinFan]

Furman signs new media partnership deal. http://furmanpaladins.com/general/2018-19/releases/201904240z5954

Admittedly, I don't understand it and am not smart enough to comment on it.

I have begun to find amusing, though, the mad libs used by the people that draft press releases. They are all roughly the same - insert adjective, insert coach's name, etc.

According to my highly detailed analysis of the question, I would say approximately 95% of all usage of the word "thrilled" comes in the form of a university press release. This release is special because BOTH Furman and the media company are "thrilled." Double thrilled.

[PaladinFan]

So, there's now this.

https://twitter.com/CoachPeterLusk/status/1121809057541709824

[SCPALADIN]

So, there's now this.

https://twitter.com/CoachPeterLusk/status/1121809057541709824

BARF

[Sir William]

So, there's now this.

https://twitter.com/CoachPeterLusk/status/1121809057541709824

Love the silver stripe down middle of helmet.

It’s gonna be a great year - can hardly wait!

[The Cats]

SoCon John's RB rankings

https://twitter.com/SoConJohn22/status/1122657142429966337 (https://twitter.com/SoConJohn22/status/1122657142429966337)



Revised RB rankings...SoCon RB Rankings:
1. Quay Holmes (ETSU),
2. Tyray Devezin (MU),
3. Devin Wynn (Furman),
4. Tyrell Price (UTC),
5. Connell Young (WCU),
6. Clay Harris (The Citadel),
7. Nathan Walker (Woff),
8. Corey Watkins (FU),
9. Ryan Lovelace (Woff)


Thoughts....

[FUBeAR]

SoCon John's RB rankings

https://twitter.com/SoConJohn22/status/1122657142429966337 (https://twitter.com/SoConJohn22/status/1122657142429966337)

Revised RB rankings...SoCon RB Rankings:
1. Quay Holmes (ETSU),
2. Tyray Devezin (MU),
3. Devin Wynn (Furman),
4. Tyrell Price (UTC),
5. Connell Young (WCU),
6. Clay Harris (The Citadel),
7. Nathan Walker (Woff),
8. Corey Watkins (FU),
9. Ryan Lovelace (Woff)


Thoughts....Not a big ‘quibble’ with that list, but here’s another ranking of some of them, IMO...



RUSHING
G
Att.
Yards
Avg.
TD
Long
Avg/G


Tier 1
Corey Watkins-FUR
10
65
431
6.5
2
29
42.0


Tier 1
Devin Wynn-FUR
10
113
722
6.4
6
50
72.2


Tier 1
Tyray Devezin-MER
11
164
949
5.8
8
45
86.3













Tier 2
Connell Young-WCU
9
106
529
5.0
2
31
58.8


Tier 2
Quay Holmes-ETSU
12
205
928
4.5
13
34
77.3













Tier 3
Clay Harris-CIT
11
91
353
3.9
4
19
32.1


Tier 3
Tyrell Price-UTC
11
190
697
3.7
9
40
63.4



Wofford’s Walker & Lovelace, between them, averaged 23 total carries for the whole 2018 season...not even 2 carries each/game. They may both be the next Barry Sanders & Walter Payton rolled up into 1 (or 2), but that’s not enough of a body of work to evaluate fairly. If someone wants to quibble with including Watkins & not Walker/Lovelace, that’s fine. Take him & Harris off of the list & I’m good with a 100 carry minimum to be included.

[PaladinNation]

Not a big ‘quibble’ with that list, but here’s another ranking of some of them, IMO...



RUSHING
G
Att.
Yards
Avg.
TD
Long
Avg/G


Tier 1
Corey Watkins-FUR
10
65
431
6.5
2
29
42.0


Tier 1
Devin Wynn-FUR
10
113
722
6.4
6
50
72.2


Tier 1
Tyray Devezin-MER
11
164
949
5.8
8
45
86.3













Tier 2
Connell Young-WCU
9
106
529
5.0
2
31
58.8


Tier 2
Quay Holmes-ETSU
12
205
928
4.5
13
34
77.3













Tier 3
Clay Harris-CIT
11
91
353
3.9
4
19
32.1


Tier 3
Tyrell Price-UTC
11
190
697
3.7
9
40
63.4



Wofford’s Walker & Lovelace, between them, averaged 23 total carries for the whole 2018 season...not even 2 carries each/game. They may both be the next Barry Sanders & Walter Payton rolled up into 1 (or 2), but that’s not enough of a body of work to evaluate fairly. If someone wants to quibble with including Watkins & not Walker/Lovelace, that’s fine. Take him & Harris off of the list & I’m good with a 100 carry minimum to be included.


FuBear beat me to this - I expect Furman to heavily rotate Wynn and Watkins, Watkins is good enough to be a feature back, I felt like he is underrated in the pre-season ranking. I'm wondering, with Morehead hanging up his cleats, will FU stick with Wynn/Watkins as primary backs and redshirt Wayne Anderson, Morehead only played in 8 games (his best game was against Wofford)?

Furman's scheme puts the ball in a lot of hands —16 players had a rushing attempt in 2018, You could see the duo of Maples/Abrams (h-backs) get plenty of touches and touchdowns.

Furman had a very slow offensive start to 2018, fingers-crossed 2019 will break that trend.

[Reign of Terrier]

I mean, Furman already uses the gray for basketball so I guess it's not too bad. better than the black.

[SU DOG]

Notice that the RB rankings were a 'Revised' list. The first list had Samford's Demarcus Ware at #7 while this list doesn't even include him. Of course even though the mention of a SAMFORD RB doesn't strike fear into anyone, I still wonder why the list was changed like this. Homer opinion, but I think Ware(6 TDs)should be included, or at least not suddenly excluded.

[FUBeAR]

Notice that the RB rankings were a 'Revised' list. The first list had Samford's Demarcus Ware at #7 while this list doesn't even include him. Of course even though the mention of a SAMFORD RB doesn't strike fear into anyone, I still wonder why the list was changed like this. Homer opinion, but I think Ware(6 TDs)should be included, or at least not suddenly excluded.

Based on his stats, I’d say he should be in FUBeAR’s Tier 2...

DeMarcus Ware 10 87 429 4.9 7 66 42.9

...assuming the 100 carry minimum is not applied

[ElCid]

So, there's now this.

https://twitter.com/CoachPeterLusk/status/1121809057541709824

Always knew they had Cadet Gray envy.

Oh yeah...purple makes me puke.

[Sir William]

Always knew they had Cadet Gray envy.

Oh yeah...purple makes me puke.

I’ll bet our 60-35-3 all-time record against you makes you puke, too. 👍

[FUBeAR]

Always knew they had Cadet Gray envy.That’s funny. In the 5 Furman victories over the bellhops with which I personally assisted in the 70’s & 80’s, I always had plenty of Paladin Silver on my uniform jersey, pants, and helmet. Robin’s egg blue & white were the only colors I saw on the bellhops, if you don’t count the red embarrassment on their faces. Seems the bellhops must’ve thought copying & adding some Paladin Silver to their uniforms would change the outcomes...but 60-35-3. Still red-faced & maybe green from puking, I guess.

[ElCid]

I’ll bet our 60-35-3 all-time record against you makes you puke, too. 👍

Eh, we are 5 and 5 over the last 10. Times change.

[Sir William]

Eh, we are 5 and 5 over the last 10. Times change.

Yep, Paladins 2-0 over past two seasons, and likely to make it 3-0 this fall. The more times change, the more they stay the same.

[FUBeAR]

Thought ‘everyone’ would enjoy a side-by-side look at the winning threads the Furman Paladins will be donning in 2019.

NOTE: For you older folks, don’t be skeered of seeing #27 in that purple jersey. Though it does look like his physique, that’s not Furman great, 3-Time-SoCon-Player-of-the-Year, 3rd-Round-NFL-Draft-Choice, 93-yard-TD-scoring-in-the-Super-Bowl, Standiford Jenkins. It’s just a mannequin. You can relax.

https://i.postimg.cc/4N3tNMFC/C9-FA7-ACA-7895-40-FD-AB8-A-F2-BE9-FEC02-EC.jpg

[PaladinFan]

FuBear beat me to this - I expect Furman to heavily rotate Wynn and Watkins, Watkins is good enough to be a feature back, I felt like he is underrated in the pre-season ranking. I'm wondering, with Morehead hanging up his cleats, will FU stick with Wynn/Watkins as primary backs and redshirt Wayne Anderson, Morehead only played in 8 games (his best game was against Wofford)?

Furman's scheme puts the ball in a lot of hands —16 players had a rushing attempt in 2018, You could see the duo of Maples/Abrams (h-backs) get plenty of touches and touchdowns.

Furman had a very slow offensive start to 2018, fingers-crossed 2019 will break that trend.

Furman's slow offensive start, in part, had a bit to do with not having a healthy starting QB and playing Clemson and Elon.

[PaladinFan]

I mean, Furman already uses the gray for basketball so I guess it's not too bad. better than the black.

I had not thought much about it, but when you start looking through Furman athletics, there's a lot of gray now where there used to be none.

Given the option of silver or black, I'd vastly prefer silver as a third color.

[walliver]

Furman signs new media partnership deal. http://furmanpaladins.com/general/2018-19/releases/201904240z5954

Admittedly, I don't understand it and am not smart enough to comment on it.

I have begun to find amusing, though, the mad libs used by the people that draft press releases. They are all roughly the same - insert adjective, insert coach's name, etc.

According to my highly detailed analysis of the question, I would say approximately 95% of all usage of the word "thrilled" comes in the form of a university press release. This release is special because BOTH Furman and the media company are "thrilled." Double thrilled.

from the article:

Since 2014, VWSE Collegiate Services has become a leader in college sports marketing and developed to represent the sponsorship or multimedia rights for multiple schools and athletic conferences, including the America East Conference, Big South Conference, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Colonial Athletic Association, Western Athletic Conference, and the West Coast Conference, as well as Arizona State National Sales, Canisius College, East Tennessee State University, Florida International University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Liberty University, Longwood University, Loyola University Maryland, Loyola Marymount University, Niagara University, Pepperdine University, Samford University, University of San Francisco, Rider University, Siena College, Saint Joseph's University, Santa Clara University, Stony Brook University, Towson University, Valparaiso University and The College of William & Mary.

It sounds like a competitor to IMG.

I guess with more radio broadcasts being streamed, it helps to have someone sell national ads instead of just hitting up local alumni for ads for broadcasts and websites.

[gofurman]

FuBear beat me to this - I expect Furman to heavily rotate Wynn and Watkins, Watkins is good enough to be a feature back, I felt like he is underrated in the pre-season ranking. I'm wondering, with Morehead hanging up his cleats, will FU stick with Wynn/Watkins as primary backs and redshirt Wayne Anderson, Morehead only played in 8 games (his best game was against Wofford)?

Furman's scheme puts the ball in a lot of hands —16 players had a rushing attempt in 2018, You could see the duo of Maples/Abrams (h-backs) get plenty of touches and touchdowns.

Furman had a very slow offensive start to 2018, fingers-crossed 2019 will break that trend.

I am a data guy.. but w RBs on the list the three I saw that scare me most are Devezin at Mercer (FU won but couldn't stop him), Quay (ETS) and Wynn (FU)

[gofurman]

I'm a homer, of course, but I think Furman is on the precipice of being one of those breakout teams. They are in year 3 with Coach Hendrix and the differences between what I see now is in stark contrast to what I've seen the last ten years or so.

For the first time in a while the Paladins have a good schedule that is not also a crucible. They will have the opportunity to pick up wins, play some at home, and move up the rankings.

I'm actually Not a homer. Try to look at things objectively. With our QB being SO young this year - a redshirt FR in Grainger or SIsson, or Sophomore transfer from MTSU new to our system! I just don't see how we can look at better than 7-5/8-4. Like w ETSU last year, we melted in that game because Roberts was just getting back on the field. And without him we were beat to hell at Elon. With Roberts, Wofford saw our whole gameplan and how much our QB matters in our system. Ability to throw to the RB and make reads. Remember we were beating Samford too until he went out... With a healthy Roberts for the year we could have beaten Samford and ETSU and easily won the SoCon. So yes, Hendrix is doing great things ! Great ! But this year I could see a 'good' but not great year until 2020 when we have a more seasoned QB..

THE OL will be good this year but here are our 3 QBs:
Grainger - very talented RFr but he didn't play but one year of QB in HS ! So most QBs would have 3 more years of experience. He was a HS WR
Sisson - more polished but still a RFr
Transfer from MTSU. Shiflett. 6'2 180 Dual Threat. Athletic kid who went to MTSU as a hopeful QB. They couldn't keep him off the field as he played WR as a true Freshman.. even punted. Wants to try to be a QB at FCS level. I.E. he was recruited as QB but MTSU put him at WR and then a JUCO kid came in probably meaning he wasnt going to play QB soon. That's encouraging to see that he could play WR as a FR at MTSU. *- but he doesn't know our system at all

So there just isn't much QB experience anywhere. Talent yes, experience no. Not an indictment - just one of the few places we are still building depth as Hendrix keeps building FU -


Under Hendrix:
Year 1 2017 - playoffs and a playoff win over Elon !
Year 2 2018 - SoCon CHAMPS !
Year 3 2019 - ? (this year is the one year w no QB experience)... but as PaladiFan said, we do have a better schedule. I completely agree there. No more of this Clemson, Elon, Wofford all in first 3 games which, if you lose them all is tough on kids to recover pyschologically...

[PaladinFan]

I'm actually Not a homer. Try to look at things objectively. With our QB being SO young this year - a redshirt FR in Grainger or SIsson, or Sophomore transfer from MTSU new to our system! I just don't see how we can look at better than 7-5/8-4. Like w ETSU last year, we melted in that game because Roberts was just getting back on the field. And without him we were beat to hell at Elon. With Roberts, Wofford saw our whole gameplan and how much our QB matters in our system. Ability to throw to the RB and make reads. Remember we were beating Samford too until he went out... With a healthy Roberts for the year we could have beaten Samford and ETSU and easily won the SoCon. So yes, Hendrix is doing great things ! Great ! But this year I could see a 'good' but not great year until 2020 when we have a more seasoned QB..

THE OL will be good this year but here are our 3 QBs:
Grainger - very talented RFr but he didn't play but one year of QB in HS ! So most QBs would have 3 more years of experience. He was a HS WR
Sisson - more polished but still a RFr
Transfer from MTSU. Shiflett. 6'2 180 Dual Threat. Athletic kid who went to MTSU as a hopeful QB. They couldn't keep him off the field as he played WR as a true Freshman.. even punted. Wants to try to be a QB at FCS level. I.E. he was recruited as QB but MTSU put him at WR and then a JUCO kid came in probably meaning he wasnt going to play QB soon. That's encouraging to see that he could play WR as a FR at MTSU. *- but he doesn't know our system at all

So there just isn't much QB experience anywhere. Talent yes, experience no. Not an indictment - just one of the few places we are still building depth as Hendrix keeps building FU -


Under Hendrix:
Year 1 2017 - playoffs and a playoff win over Elon !
Year 2 2018 - SoCon CHAMPS !
Year 3 2019 - ? (this year is the one year w no QB experience)... but as PaladiFan said, we do have a better schedule. I completely agree there. No more of this Clemson, Elon, Wofford all in first 3 games which, if you lose them all is tough on kids to recover pyschologically...

QB experience doesn't necessarily correlate directly to wins. A couple of years ago, Furman had unbelievable experience at that position with Hannon and Blazejowski and the offense was a disaster.

The Paladins, in all likelihood, will have a young QB. They will also have a veteran and talented offensive line. They are going to have a strong running game complemented by skilled route runners. They also have the league's best kicker. The defense should also be one of the league's better units and will likely give our offense good field position more often than not.

All of those things are going to be huge benefits to a young QB. Whomever wins the job isn't going to have to carry the offense. He's going to need to hand the ball off, make 12-15 throws a game (out of 65 or so plays) and, most importantly, not turn the ball over. He will have strong infrastructure around him.

I should also note that most of Furman's potential options at QB have more experience right now than, say, Devlin Hodges or Robert Riddle when they took over as starters for their respective teams.

I'd be way more concerned if Furman had a veteran QB playing behind a crappy offensive line.

[PaladinNation]

The off-season is also where you do the digging to find your next batch of players. Furman has three Texans arriving in the fall. That appears to not be an anomaly.

Coach Pete Lusk (OL coach, Running Game Coordinator, Recruiting Coordinator) is building on the past recruiting in Texas of he and CCH's time at Air Force.
Furman has offered at least five players so far, I'm sure that will continue to rise.

Not sure of the recruiting footprint of the rest of the SoCon - my guess is its very similar - except for an outlier state like Texas or Ohio. Here is the Paladins recruiting footprint.

https://twitter.com/PaladinFootball/status/1122893631130677248

[PaladinFan]

I'd be interested to hear Clay Hendrix talk about that. It probably takes some confidence during the recruiting season to send assistants to outlying places that don't produce a lot of SoCon talent.

[PaladinNation]

I'd be interested to hear Clay Hendrix talk about that. It probably takes some confidence during the recruiting season to send assistants to outlying places that don't produce a lot of SoCon talent.

great point. Furman was one for one last season… picking up Wayne Anderson, Jr.
I know very little about Texas schools other than I have several friends who went to Baylor, TCU, and North Texas.
They have always been impressed with Furman academically and they love the campus. I think Furman sells well in Texas.
When Furman got Anderson on campus last year his social posts were telling, Furman stood out against some very good schools that had offered Anderson.

Following Coach Lusk's Texas trail - he obviously knows the local environment, knows the coaches, and he came with offers.
To Paladin Fan's point - what is the ROI of a small southern FCS school sending the recruiting coordinator to TEXAS for a week?
I count as of this morning 11 offers, that's a bunch. That tells me CCH is bullish on Texas.

One more thing, our Wofford friends can answer this, I've always felt Wofford has done a great job plucking a player or two from the midwest (Ohio) is that continuing under Conklin?

[PaladinFan]

great point. Furman was one for one last season… picking up Wayne Anderson, Jr.
I know very little about Texas schools other than I have several friends who went to Baylor, TCU, and North Texas.
They have always been impressed with Furman academically and they love the campus. I think Furman sells well in Texas.
When Furman got Anderson on campus last year his social posts were telling, Furman stood out against some very good schools that had offered Anderson.

Following Coach Lusk's Texas trail - he obviously knows the local environment, knows the coaches, and he came with offers.
To Paladin Fan's point - what is the ROI of a small southern FCS school sending the recruiting coordinator to TEXAS for a week?
I count as of this morning 11 offers, that's a bunch. That tells me CCH is bullish on Texas.

One more thing, our Wofford friends can answer this, I've always felt Wofford has done a great job plucking a player or two from the midwest (Ohio) is that continuing under Conklin?

I thought some about this. The investment makes sense.

Furman routinely recruits against the service academies. All of those schools routinely recruit Texas.

Texas has a population of close to 30 million people. Houston and Dallas are two of the top 5 largest metro areas in the country. Both have direct flights to GSP. A single coach can access two of the great football hotbeds in the country on a nonstop flight.

There is not a dense market of competition for a school like Furman in Texas. Many of the private schools are huge, and a lot of the smaller private schools have brand new or hardly well-established football programs. Furman has something to sell that no program in that part of the country can - small academic school with a history of championship FCS football.

I don't know about other SoCon schools, but Furman has (or at least did when I attended) a large contingent of Texans. Houston and Dallas are already areas the University recruits for students, so it makes sense that the football program would follow the same trail. A lot of Texans come east to go to school.

[Sir William]

I thought some about this. The investment makes sense.

Furman routinely recruits against the service academies. All of those schools routinely recruit Texas.

Texas has a population of close to 30 million people. Houston and Dallas are two of the top 5 largest metro areas in the country. Both have direct flights to GSP. A single coach can access two of the great football hotbeds in the country on a nonstop flight.

There is not a dense market of competition for a school like Furman in Texas. Many of the private schools are huge, and a lot of the smaller private schools have brand new or hardly well-established football programs. Furman has something to sell that no program in that part of the country can - small academic school with a history of championship FCS football.

I don't know about other SoCon schools, but Furman has (or at least did when I attended) a large contingent of Texans. Houston and Dallas are already areas the University recruits for students, so it makes sense that the football program would follow the same trail. A lot of Texans come east to go to school.

🤫👍

[walliver]

great point. Furman was one for one last season… picking up Wayne Anderson, Jr.
I know very little about Texas schools other than I have several friends who went to Baylor, TCU, and North Texas.
They have always been impressed with Furman academically and they love the campus. I think Furman sells well in Texas.
When Furman got Anderson on campus last year his social posts were telling, Furman stood out against some very good schools that had offered Anderson.

Following Coach Lusk's Texas trail - he obviously knows the local environment, knows the coaches, and he came with offers.
To Paladin Fan's point - what is the ROI of a small southern FCS school sending the recruiting coordinator to TEXAS for a week?
I count as of this morning 11 offers, that's a bunch. That tells me CCH is bullish on Texas.

One more thing, our Wofford friends can answer this, I've always felt Wofford has done a great job plucking a player or two from the midwest (Ohio) is that continuing under Conklin?

I think the Ohio connection is still intact. Our assistants, many of whom have been around for a while, still have relationships with the HS coaches.

Fortunately, unlike our basketball coach, when Ayers retired he didn’t take half the staff, recruits, and current players with him.

[FUBeAR]

SoCon Players who are UDFA's or have tryouts with NFL Teams (condensed from smallcollegefootballfan's post)



Pick
Team
Pos
First Name
Last Name
School


Signed
Tennessee
DT
Isaiah
Mack
Chattanooga


Tryout
San Francisco
WR
Joseph
Parker
Chattanooga


Tryout
Cleveland
TE
Evan
Wick
East Tennessee State


Signed
LA Chargers
CB
Bradford
Lemmons
Furman


Tryout
Atlanta
TE
Sam
Walker
Mercer


Signed
Denver
WR
Kelvin
McKnight
Samford


Signed
Denver
OLB
Ahmad
Gooden
Samford


Tryout
NY Giants
QB
Devlin
Hodges
Samford


Tryout
Seattle
OLB
Noah
Dawkins
The Citadel


Signed
Pittsburgh
P
Ian
Berryman
Western Carolina


Tryout
Kansas City
FS
Marvin
Tillman
Western Carolina


Signed
Arizona
DT
Miles
Brown
Wofford


Signed
Tennessee
SS
Jo Jo
Tillery
Wofford

[PaladinFan]

Didn't the Mercer TE get locked in somewhere?

[FUBeAR]

Didn't the Mercer TE get locked in somewhere?
Yep - tryout with Falcons https://mercerbears.com/news/2019/4/28/football-sam-walker-earns-falcons-mini-camp-invite.aspx - thx - I’ll add that.

[FUBeAR]

http://www.furmanpaladins.com/sports/m-footbl/2018-19/releases/20190506vxscu5

Jimmy Satterfield, Furman Football National Championship Head Coach, Passes Away
I am honored to have played for and Coached with Coach Satterfield. He was our OC during my entire tenure at Furman. He was an excellent Coach, an outstanding man, and he raised a fine family.

[Milktruck74]

http://www.furmanpaladins.com/sports/m-footbl/2018-19/releases/20190506vxscu5

Jimmy Satterfield, Furman Football National Championship Head Coach, Passes Away
I am honored to have played for and Coached with Coach Satterfield. He was our OC during my entire tenure at Furman. He was an excellent Coach, an outstanding man, and he raised a fine family.

Condolences to the Furple Family.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Milktruck74]

The Mocs Dereck Mahaffey
And Kareem Orr got rookie camp
Invites to the Rams and Titans, respectively. Orr has very little chance of making the Titans, they are pretty set in the backfield. If the planets align and a few injuries pop up Mahaffey has a puncher chance. I actually like Joe Parker’s chances at the 49ers, he can play special teams and has great hands (those help expand his value). And last, Isaiah Mack at the Titans, he just has to
Prove he belongs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SU DOG]

While this is a question that is off-subject, I am curious and just thought maybe some UTC fans might know something as they are next door. Lee University was supposed to reconsider starting football this year. The Pres in 2014 sounded supportive(as my link states), but I have heard nothing so far this year.
http://www.leeuniversity.edu/NewsItem.aspx?id=6498

[kdinva]

http://www.furmanpaladins.com/sports/m-footbl/2018-19/releases/20190506vxscu5

Jimmy Satterfield, Furman Football National Championship Head Coach, Passes Away


I am honored to have played for and Coached with Coach Satterfield. He was our OC during my entire tenure at Furman. He was an excellent Coach, an outstanding man, and he raised a fine family.

A fine coach and gentleman, rest in peace, Coach.

[Milktruck74]

While this is a question that is off-subject, I am curious and just thought maybe some UTC fans might know something as they are next door. Lee University was supposed to reconsider starting football this year. The Pres in 2014 sounded supportive(as my link states), but I have heard nothing so far this year.
http://www.leeuniversity.edu/NewsItem.aspx?id=6498

I’ve heard nothing, but I think they would benefit greatly from adding FB. I have a friend that is an AD at a D2 school in TN. I asked when he was going to add FB, to which he quickly responded....as soon as you give me $10 million. Because that’s why it would take to start a team. Seemed a bit high, but he said that’s what it would take to do it right. I guess he is going to be waiting a while. Hahahah


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[SU DOG]

I don't know any details, but it was announced today that Devlin Hodges has signed a 3 year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers!!!