SoCon Week 5 Power Rankings/Pick 'Em.

[SCPALADIN]

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


ETSU vs FURMAN
WOFFORD vs VMI
The CITADEL vs SAMFORD
WCU vs CHATTANOOGA
CAMPBELL vs MERCER

[bonarae]

Furman
Wofford
The Citadel
Chattanooga
Mercer

[Mocs123]

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



I'm not sure how to rank teams in the SoCon right now with all the Jekyll and Hyde teams that I see, but Samford is an odd pick for #2. I'm not saying that you may not be right in the end, as they have looked good at times, but have also looked bad at times.

I'm just trying to figure out how VMI beats ETSU and then loses to Robert Morris. You could argue that perhaps ETSU isn't that good, but they beat a pretty good Austin Peay team.

Furman seems like the only sure thing in the SoCon this year, and I don't mean that none of the other teams are any good - I think there are a lot of good teams in the league, but a lot of inconsistent teams, that are really good when they are on, and when their off.........well you have a team lose to a NEC team.

[ElCid]

Power Poll

1. Furman – Climbs back into first spot after dismantling the Bears
2. Samford – Bulldogs woke up and looked good
3. The Citadel – Got the W with backup QB, but looked sluggish
4. Wofford – Found their O, but it was G-W
5. ETSU – Saved SOCON honor
6. Chattanooga – Hard to ding them too bad against JMU
7. Mercer – Oh my
8. WCU – Kicked Bye’s butt
9. VMI – Should not have lost to Bob; losing to Bob gets you here every time

Predictions

ETSU @ Furman – Yikes; Can Furman keep it up? Probably; Paladins roll again - 41-13
Wofford @ VMI – Is Wofford back? TBD, but they squash any hope the Keydets have – 38-17
WCU @ Chattanooga – Will WCU's QB be back? Mocs are frustrated at this point and their O finally puts out against WCU’s woefully inadequate D - 31-17
Campbell @ Mercer – Not sure I would want to be the Camels going to Macon this week – 42-17
The Citadel @ Samford (Game of the Week) – Samford seems to have righted its ship. The Citadel looked inconsistent this past week; no doubt they underestimated CSU a little, and combine that with probably a little cockiness from their previous weeks win, and they almost blew it. It is important to point out that the backup QB started and played the entire game. He played the 4th Qtr at GaTech, but this was his first start. The starting QB should be back for this game, hopefully all healed. On D, The Citadel has had issues with scrambling QBs all year; against AA&M this week, Samford’s QB, Oladokun, ran for almost 100 yards and they had a 100 yard rusher on top of that; Samford probably equaled their entire 2018 rushing total in one game (exaggerating for effect). He also rushed for 77 against Wofford. The GaTech and CSU QB's each burned us for about 100 yards each rushing/scrambling. In pass D, my Bulldogs gave up over 300 passing yards against Towson, 226 to Elon, 118 to GaTech and 204 to CSU; so the trend is heading in the correct direction, but it looks like Samford has found a good QB again. But yards do not always translate into points. As always, if The Citadel can keep the ball away from Samford, they will have a chance. Samford can put a lot of points up quickly, but the Dogs can as well when everything is clicking (see The Citadel’s performance against Samford last year and 35 second half points). The key to this game will be Samford’s defense; they either stop The Citadel’s rushing attack for the whole game or they don’t. If they succeed Samford could win ridiculously big. Samford has the worst rush defense in the SOCON right now and they are 114/124 in FCS, but they are facing a familiar quantity, like their Wofford game; The Citadel has taken 3 of the last 4 against Samford, and I hate to say it, but the West Bulldogs will probably do just enough to pull it out this year...sure hope I'm wrong – 34-26

[FUGameBreaker]

I am fully expecting the victor of Citadel vs. Samford to emerge as FU's most dangerous threat in the SoCon

[PaladinNation]

I'm pulling for the Chucktown Dogs to win - should be an interesting game to watch.

Got a feeling Furman has been licking it's chops to get a shot at the Bucs after last year's fourth-quarter debacle.

[FUGameBreaker]

With the dismantling of Mercer yesterday the Paladins made a nice jump in the latest Sagarin ratings, FU now up to #11 in FCS
https://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/sagarin/

[SU DOG]

#11? That is probably several notches too low. If the Paladins can stay fairly injury-free and play at their current level, they will make lots of noise in the Playoffs. Not since App State's glory years have I seen an offense this machine like.

[FUGameBreaker]

#11? That is probably several notches too low. If the Paladins can stay fairly injury-free and play at their current level, they will make lots of noise in the Playoffs. Not since App State's glory years have I seen an offense this machine like.



Very nice of you to say!

[kdinva]

1. Furman – Climbs back into first spot after dismantling the Bears
2. Samford – Bulldogs woke up and looked good
3. The Citadel – Got the W with backup QB, but looked sluggish
4. Wofford – Found their O, but it was G-W
5. ETSU – Saved SOCON honor
6. Chattanooga – Hard to ding them too bad against JMU
7. Mercer – Oh my
8. WCU – Kicked Bye’s butt
9. VMI – Should not have lost to Bob; losing to Bob gets you here every time


I 2nd this........ VMI played in 2nd and 3rd gear all yesterday, {dropped INT on RM first drive, at least 5 dropped passes, more arm tackling, kicking game woes [long snapper needs work]}. RMU came to Lex with chip on shoulder......this week's game will define how the balance of 2019 goes for VMI..

[Milktruck74]

#11? That is probably several notches too low. If the Paladins can stay fairly injury-free and play at their current level, they will make lots of noise in the Playoffs. Not since App State's glory years have I seen an offense this machine like.

I'll second this... The furple guys are playing well and are the class of the SoCon...then the second Tier is everybody not named WCU or VMI...and VMI tried to clime out of that hole until they crapped the bd against RUM...RMU? seriously? yep the SoCon is probably a two bid league this year, Furple and who ever else decides to show up!!!!

[rtzlunar]

I’ll stick with my same rankings from last week:

1) Furman - By far the class of the SoCon
2) The Citadel - Only other team in the league that hasn’t sucked at some point this year.
3-8) 💩💩💩💩💩💩
9) WCU - Even worse than the 6 piles of ****e in the 3-8 slot.

[gofurman]

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-2019-week-four-recap-ndsu-jmu-ucdavis-furman-ajaj

article " So here's a strong take on what just happened in the last 24 hours: Furman is the team that needs to be flying high on everybody's poll ballot tomorrow. The Paladins aren't No. 17 in the country, pollsters (grrrrr, don't get me started), and I even had them at No. 9 on my ballot and they should be higher than that. I don't give a damn about the 2-2 record (think about who this team lost to and by how much, people). ( gofurman addition- Virginia Tech, Georgia State both by a TD or less...) If the world stopped today, Furman is an FCS seed with a first-round bye so the players can have some extra Thanksgiving turkey and not worry about a game in 48 hours. They could actually have some extra stuffing and cranberries and pumpkin pie, too. Hey, if that's not motivation for a starving offensive lineman (I weigh like an OL now, but I'm about a foot too short to be one), than I don't know what is. Furman is legit, folks."

straight from Hero

[Mocs123]

Furman is a top 10 team, and I think can make some noise in the playoffs. They are a young team with a young QB, so I'm sure they will have some trials and tribulations, but they certainly look to be the class of the SoCon right now. At the start of the season, I thought 6-2 would win the SoCon as we would all canabalize each other, but I'm not so sure Furman can't go through conference play unscathed. That doesn't mean there aren't SoCon teams that can beat the Paladins if they have an off game, but every other team has falterd somewhat (perhaps with the exception of The Citadel).

[ElCid]

Furman is a top 10 team, and I think can make some noise in the playoffs. They are a young team with a young QB, so I'm sure they will have some trials and tribulations, but they certainly look to be the class of the SoCon right now. At the start of the season, I thought 6-2 would win the SoCon as we would all canabalize each other, but I'm not so sure Furman can't go through conference play unscathed. That doesn't mean there aren't SoCon teams that can beat the Paladins if they have an off game, but every other team has falterd somewhat (perhaps with the exception of The Citadel).

No, we have faltered twice, almost three times. We could have won both games against Towson and Elon, but we just couldn't pull it all together. We finally did at Ga Tech, but it almost came undone against CSU. This week will be a big test to see if we can settle down and play consistently on both sides of the ball.

[PaladinFan]

Furman is a top 10 team, and I think can make some noise in the playoffs. They are a young team with a young QB, so I'm sure they will have some trials and tribulations, but they certainly look to be the class of the SoCon right now. At the start of the season, I thought 6-2 would win the SoCon as we would all canabalize each other, but I'm not so sure Furman can't go through conference play unscathed. That doesn't mean there aren't SoCon teams that can beat the Paladins if they have an off game, but every other team has falterd somewhat (perhaps with the exception of The Citadel).

Things have gone well, but are far from perfect. Furman was, frankly, sloppy against Mercer in the second half and there are still some things that concern me. They still have some key pieces missing with injuries that I hope will eventually be back and ready to go.

If things keep rolling along, Furman and The Citadel in Greenville on homecoming might be one to circle in a few weeks.

[Mocs123]

ETSU - 14
Furman – 38 – Furman continues to roll and beat the Bucs at home.

Wofford – 37 – Do the Terriers have their offense figured out? VMI will score some points, but I think Wofford wins this one comfortably.
VMI -21

The Citadel – 34 – Game of the Week – I could see this going either way based on a couple of factors including the health of Citadel’s starting QB. I’ll take the Charleston Bulldogs in a close game.
Samford - 31

Western Carolina 21
Chattanooga 31 – The Mocs start off conference play with a win at home. I’m not sure if Tyrie will be back or not, if he is, that may affect the score but not the outcome.

Campbell 21
Mercer 37 – The Bears pick on non-scholly Campbell and get the W.


Power Ranking
1. Furman – Clearly the top of the SoCon right now.
2. The Citadel – Two losses against good competition, and an FBS upset get you here.
.
.
3. Chattanooga – Haven’t lost any games we were supposed to win, so being the least disappointing of the group below gets the #3 spot.
4. Samford – Have the Bulldogs righted the ship after an abysmal start to the season?
5. Wofford – Did the pre-season favorites get it figured out on offense?
6. Mercer – Could be #3, or could be #6 – I’m not sure yet.
7. ETSU – Who is this team? Lose to VMI then beat a pretty good APSU team.
8. Western Carolina – Looks like a dumpster fire in Cullowhee without Tyrie.
9. VMI – Good win vs. ETSU, but losing to an NEC team gets you last place.

Possible D1 Wins (not counting FBS except The Citadel’s win over GT)
The Citadel – 10
Chattanooga – 9
Furman – 9
Mercer – 9
Samford – 9
Western Carolina – 9
Wofford – 8
ETSU – 8
VMI- 8

[Mocs123]

I hope you are circling November 2nd instead :)

[Smitty]

Word is that Tyrie will be back this week. Shouldn't change any predictions however...

[walliver]

Power rankings:
1) Furman - They ain't Bama, but they haven't played a poor game all year - everybody else has
2) Samford - They may well pull a Hatch and lose a few more games, but team is under-rated by most
3) The Citadel - 1-0 in the ACC, 1-2 in FCS. When they enter conference play, every team will be familiar with their offense
4) Wofford - a win is a win at this point. This week we ran the offense we should have run all year.
5) ETSU - pulled out a win
6) Mercer - probably not as bad as they performed last week, and definitely a threat to all SoCon teams left on their schedule.
7) Chattanooga - not an unexpected loss last week, and they weren't blown out
8) WCU - Maybe Tyrie makes a difference, but things are going poorly
9) VMI - some things never change.

This week:
ETSU at Furman - The Mountain Pirates had a miracle season last year. This is this year and Furman wins 35-10
Wofford at VMI -The keydets show up this week and keep it closer but the Terriers new hybrid offense score enough to win (and if things get bad, we send in the 3d and 4th string QB's to run next year's offense.) Terriers 38-17
The Citadel at Samford - It won't be an embarassing blowout like the last game in Birmingham and Hodges is playing on Sunday, but the Bama pups outscore the Chucktown Pups 28-24
Western Carolina at Chattanooga - Will the Cants be revived by Tyrie? Will the Mocs offense come alive? I see a fairly low scoring 24-17 Trainbird win.
Campbell at Mercer - the Camels are still transitioning to scholarship football and may be a year or two from playing competitive football but should not be overlooked. After last week's game Mercer will not be overlooking anyone and wins 31-20.

Playoffs:
Furman would be the favorite now, but is still just 1-0 in the conference. App State's 2d national championship team beat Michigan but lost two SoCon games, so anything can happen.
With poor OOC performances, at large bids will be difficult for just about everybody else. This could be a one year bid unless a few other teams separate themselves from the field.

[FUBeAR]

Campbell 21
Mercer 37 – The Bears pick on non-scholly Campbell and get the W.

Campbell is a scholarship team - member of the Big South Conference...same as Gardner-Webb, PC, Kennesaw, et al

[Mocs123]

Tyrie is a special talent, and while I don't think he can turn WCU into a contender, I do think he gives them a chance to knock off anyone in the SoCon on any given Saturday. Are you sure he doesn't need to be suspended another week? :)

[Mocs123]

Campbell is a scholarship team - member of the Big South Conference...same as Gardner-Webb, PC, Kennesaw, et al


I didn't think they moved up from the Pioneer to the Big South until next year, but I guess I am wrong. Either way, the Bears win this one easily. The Big South just isn't a good conference after KSU. I do think UNA will be good though.

[walliver]

Campbell is a scholarship team - member of the Big South Conference...same as Gardner-Webb, PC, Kennesaw, et al

I believe this is PC's last year in the Big South as most of their scholarship players have left.

Campbell has a lot of financial resources and should do well. PC never had the resources to compete.

If anybody leaves the SoCon in the next decade - not particularly likely - Campbell will be knocking on the door seeking admission.

[FUBeAR]

I didn't think they moved up from the Pioneer to the Big South until next year, but I guess I am wrong. Either way, the Bears win this one easily. The Big South just isn't a good conference after KSU. I do think UNA will be good though.Campbell had 9 Players named to the Big South 2019 preseason All-Conference squad...the exact same number as Kennesaw.

[FUGameBreaker]

Week 5 SoCon ESPN+ & ESPN3:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/scoreboard/_/group/29/year/2019/seasontype/2/week/5

[PaladinFan]

Here's where I see things 1/3 of the way through the season:

Furman has looked solid. They have some holes and are young at a few positions, but they throw a lot at you and just keep coming. Furman has to do business the next three weeks - ETSU, Samford, and The Citadel. Survive that patch, and they'll be in prime position.

The Citadel has surprised folks a bit. They've played a tough schedule and control their destiny in SoCon play.

Samford righted the ship a bit with back to back wins and potentially saved their season by beating Wofford. With Auburn still on the schedule, and two FCS losses already, the Bulldogs really can't afford any more FCS losses in the quest for a potential at large bid. Their season, I think, is going to come down to the next two weeks where they get the Citadel and Furman in back to back games in Homewood.

Wofford still has a ways to go. I think you will see them climb back a bit in the standings given their lighter first half schedule. Finishing with Clemson, Mercer, Furman, and the Citadel (three of which will be on the road) won't be a cake walk. With Clemson looming, two FCS losses, and already 0-1 in the SoCon, they really can't afford any more losses. At best, they may go 8-3 if they win out in SoCon play. That seems unlikely from what I've seen to this point.

For Mercer, it's hard to look past the last two games. Furman dismantled them and their offense really struggled against APSU (who turned around and lost to ETSU). Those were big games for Mercer and for Bobby Lamb, who I can only assume is on the hot seat, and they really didn't look good in either of them. They may still make a playoff push with 5 of their next 6 at home. With UNC still on the schedule, they are just about in "win out" mode in SoCon play.

ETSU is a bit of an enigma at this point. They were blown out against a good team, blew out a bad team, inexplicably lost to VMI at home, but then beat a respectable APSU team. The Bucs have to circle the wagons this week, though. Like a few others, their season will be decided in the next few weeks (Furman, Wofford, Chattanooga, Samford). This game Saturday against Furman isn't a "must win," but close to it.

Not sure what to think of UTC. Defense isn't as good as it was last year, and the offense looks slightly better. They should beat WCU this weekend, but then have Mercer, ETSU, Wofford, and Furman. That stretch will likely decide their fate.

[The Cats]

ETSU vs FURMAN
WOFFORD vs VMI
The CITADEL vs SAMFORD
WCU vs CHATTANOOGA
CAMPBELL vs MERCER

[FUGameBreaker]

Furman is now set on Power 5 FBS money games through 2025
https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/furman/

[ElCid]

Furman is now set on Power 5 FBS money games through 2025
https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/furman/

That's good. We've been set for a while. We are probably not going to sneak up on any. You neither.

[kdinva]

Furman is now set on Power 5 FBS money games through 2025
https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/furman/

Keydets too....thru 2026, need one in 2025 ('cept for Kent St)

https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/vmi/

[FUBeAR]

Keydets too....thru 2026, need one in 2025 ('cept for Kent St)

https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/vmi/Mercer Bears are also set...thru 2023...SEC! SEC! SEC!

Vandy ‘20 (also @ Campbell), Alabama ‘21 (also Yale), Auburn ‘22, Ole Miss ‘23

[Mocs123]

Campbell had 9 Players named to the Big South 2019 preseason All-Conference squad...the exact same number as Kennesaw.

Is this same juggernaut Campbell team that needed a last second field goal to beat the mighty Davidson Wildcats?

Of course, Campbell might feel like an SEC team compared to Presbyterian who is ranked 126 out of 126 FCS teams

To be fair Davidson is 3-1 on the year, not that they are good, but not normal Davidson football bad, and I really do think picking up the Presbyterian game was a good move for Mercer. And Mercer should (and will) easily handle the Camels :)

[walliver]

Furman is now set on Power 5 FBS money games through 2025
https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/furman/

Wofford has money openings in 2024-2026
In the meantime, we have South Carolina in 2020 and 2022 - this series was rumored to end after 2020 due to the triple option, but apparently the chickens changed their minds.
North Carolina in 2021
Clemson this year, 2023, and 2027.

[FUBeAR]

Is this same juggernaut Campbell team that needed a last second field goal to beat the mighty Davidson Wildcats?

Of course, Campbell might feel like an SEC team compared to Presbyterian who is ranked 126 out of 126 FCS teams

To be fair Davidson is 3-1 on the year, not that they are good, but not normal Davidson football bad, and I really do think picking up the Presbyterian game was a good move for Mercer. And Mercer should (and will) easily handle the Camels :)
Campbell IS an SEC Team compared to PC & Davidson surely isn’t (old) Davidson anymore since they brought in a new Head Coach from Washington & Lee. They put up 852 yards (NOT a typo) of Offense, but lost on a last minute TD, to San Diego, winner of 2 recent FCS Playoff games over Big Sky opponents, last year. Davidson will challenge San Diego & Dayton for the PFL Auto-bid this season.

Campbell’s QB is a true dual-threat cut from the same cloth as FU’s Grainger & Samford’s QB “O” - he’s a 6-2/180 Atlanta kid, who committed to Army (over GaSou, FIU, JaxSt, Kennesaw, Mercer, et al) & played at Army Prep last year. He is their leading rusher, has completed 68% of his passes, with 7 TD’s & only 2 INT’s. Campbell has 14 Transfers on their roster, 7 from FBS Programs. The Camels were picked, pre-season 4th, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see them easily pass ChuckSouth & Monmouth and to make a run at the li’l hooters this year when they square off in Buies Creek on 11/9.

Mercer, based on their struggles I witnessed containing Grainger last week, will have their hands full with the Camels this Saturday.

Besides, if the game is tight in the end, we know there is at least one Camel toe capable of hiking up their britches a little tighter & hitting a 50 yarder for a Campbell win.

[gofurman]

Campbell IS an SEC Team compared to PC & Davidson surely isn’t (old) Davidson anymore since they brought in a new Head Coach from Washington & Lee. They put up 852 yards (NOT a typo) of Offense, but lost on a last minute TD, to San Diego, winner of 2 recent FCS Playoff games over Big Sky opponents, last year. Davidson will challenge San Diego & Dayton for the PFL Auto-bid this season.

Campbell’s QB is a true dual-threat cut from the same cloth as FU’s Grainger & Samford’s QB “O” - he’s a 6-2/180 Atlanta kid, who committed to Army (over GaSou, FIU, JaxSt, Kennesaw, Mercer, et al) & played at Army Prep last year. He is their leading rusher, has completed 68% of his passes, with 7 TD’s & only 2 INT’s. Campbell has 14 Transfers on their roster, 7 from FBS Programs. The Camels were picked, pre-season 4th, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see them easily pass ChuckSouth & Monmouth and to make a run at the li’l hooters this year when they square off in Buies Creek on 11/9.

Mercer, based on their struggles I witnessed containing Grainger last week, will have their hands full with the Camels this Saturday.

Besides, if the game is tight in the end, we know there is at least one Camel toe capable of hiking up their britches a little tighter & hitting a 50 yarder for a Campbell win.

I see what you did there. well played

[FU_Paladin08]

I'm not sure how to rank teams in the SoCon right now with all the Jekyll and Hyde teams that I see, but Samford is an odd pick for #2. I'm not saying that you may not be right in the end, as they have looked good at times, but have also looked bad at times.

I'm just trying to figure out how VMI beats ETSU and then loses to Robert Morris. You could argue that perhaps ETSU isn't that good, but they beat a pretty good Austin Peay team.

I’m right there with you. ETSU and VMI are perfect analogies for the SoCon teams. Is VMI capable of pulling it together any given week, or has ETSU’s string of close wins dating back to last year finally turned to close losses? Wofford is just plain trying to find themselves. Samford and Chattanooga seem to be coming around. Mercer is on the cusp, but needs to win the games they are supposed to win. WCU and Citadel having injuries/suspensions at QB isn’t helping. IMO it’s Furman, Citadel with a healthy QB, then everyone else. Doesn’t mean Furman will run the table since any of these teams can muster up one heck of a Saturday. But if Furman beats ETSU soundly, they solidify that they are back; and back for a while with all that young talent.

Furman
Citadel
ETSU
Mercer
Samford
Chattanooga
Wofford
VMI
WCU - until Adams is back

Wins this week: Furman, Wofford, Samford, Chattanooga, Mercer

[SU DOG]

I’m right there with you. ETSU and VMI are perfect analogies for the SoCon teams. Is VMI capable of pulling it together any given week, or has ETSU’s string of close wins dating back to last year finally turned to close losses? Wofford is just plain trying to find themselves. Samford and Chattanooga seem to be coming around. Mercer is on the cusp, but needs to win the games they are supposed to win. WCU and Citadel having injuries/suspensions at QB isn’t helping. IMO it’s Furman, Citadel with a healthy QB, then everyone else. Doesn’t mean Furman will run the table since any of these teams can muster up one heck of a Saturday. But if Furman beats ETSU soundly, they solidify that they are back; and back for a while with all that young talent.

Furman
Citadel
ETSU
Mercer
Samford
Chattanooga
Wofford
VMI
WCU - until Adams is back

Wins this week: Furman, Wofford, Samford, Chattanooga, Mercer

I don't understand. You have The Citadel picked 3 notches higher, yet pick us to win?

[chattownmocs]

Furman is the best team in the league. I don't see them running the table in conference play though. I could see them 7-1 with a loss to a 3-5 2-6 type team.

[chattownmocs]

UTC played ok, they just don't have any difference makers except Nunnelly. It seems like the other teams best players seem to get wide open an awful lot as well.

[PaladinFan]

Furman is the best team in the league. I don't see them running the table in conference play though. I could see them 7-1 with a loss to a 3-5 2-6 type team.

I don’t disagree with you that Furman might drop a game. After the first few weeks, though, I can’t really identify which team may beat them - maybe Samford with their ability to attack a young secondary or Citadel with their ability to play keep away.

To beat the Paladins, I think a team is going to have to win a shootout. I just don't see Furman losing a 24-17 game to a SoCon team. Virginia Tech slowed the offense down, but no SoCon team has VT's defense.

This was apparent the first few weeks and really apparent against Mercer, but defensively teams are going to have to have outstanding safety play against Furman. The Paladin offense just stresses a defensive backfield with their ability to both run and pass, and brief uncertainty by defensive backs can often lead to 60 or 70 yard plays. Safeties are in a pickle because they cannot commit too hard against the run because of the passing threat. They also can ill afford to stay back against the pass for threat of the run.

That said, there is still a lot of youth on the Paladin team. Grainger is still a freshman and has (and probably will continue to) make freshman mistakes (taking big sacks, not securing the ball, making an ill advised throw). Those have happened this season, but not really in a close game where it could swing the contest. I imagine that day is eventually coming.

Of course, I’ve been wrong before.

[Mocs123]

UTC played ok, they just don't have any difference makers except Nunnelly. It seems like the other teams best players seem to get wide open an awful lot as well.

Teams are locking Nunelly down, often having safety help on his side, and to date, none of our other receivers have really stepped up to be that #2 guy. We need that to happen quickly, and I think the talent is there, but we just have to have someone step up and do it.

Ford looked really good running the ball against JSU, but UTK and JMU held his numbers down. Ibitokun-Hanks looked pretty good against UTK and JMU so hopefully between the two of them we have an improved rushing attack.

We're still not getting much pressure on the QB, and at least partly due to that, or secondary has looked soft.

I think we can pull it together and place 2nd or 3rd in the SoCon, but if we don't improve and have some guys step up we could be in the lower half.

[FU_Paladin08]

I don't understand. You have The Citadel picked 3 notches higher, yet pick us to win?

I could have explained that better. I have Cit better overall assuming QB comes back. Samford winning this week at home.

[BearDownMU]

I don’t disagree with you that Furman might drop a game. After the first few weeks, though, I can’t really identify which team may beat them - maybe Samford with their ability to attack a young secondary or Citadel with their ability to play keep away.

To beat the Paladins, I think a team is going to have to win a shootout. I just don't see Furman losing a 24-17 game to a SoCon team. Virginia Tech slowed the offense down, but no SoCon team has VT's defense.

This was apparent the first few weeks and really apparent against Mercer, but defensively teams are going to have to have outstanding safety play against Furman. The Paladin offense just stresses a defensive backfield with their ability to both run and pass, and brief uncertainty by defensive backs can often lead to 60 or 70 yard plays. Safeties are in a pickle because they cannot commit too hard against the run because of the passing threat. They also can ill afford to stay back against the pass for threat of the run.

That said, there is still a lot of youth on the Paladin team. Grainger is still a freshman and has (and probably will continue to) make freshman mistakes (taking big sacks, not securing the ball, making an ill advised throw). Those have happened this season, but not really in a close game where it could swing the contest. I imagine that day is eventually coming.

Of course, I’ve been wrong before.

The most likely scenario (which you quasi addressed) in which Furman loses, is that they inexplicably have a stinker of a day across the board. We've all seen it. Teams appear to be cruising along and that Saturday juju lines up against them and they don't look like the team they look like every other week of the year. I talked to FUBeAR about this and that, in my estimation, is the *most* likely way that Furman drops a game. Just a bad day for multiple people.

That being said, the way they appear to be coached, while that might be the most likely way they lose, the likelihood of it occurring probably isn't all that likely.

I likely their chances to run the table.

[FUBeAR]

The most likely scenario (which you quasi addressed) in which Furman loses, is that they inexplicably have a stinker of a day across the board. We've all seen it. Teams appear to be cruising along and that Saturday juju lines up against them and they don't look like the team they look like every other week of the year. I talked to FUBeAR about this and that, in my estimation, is the *most* likely way that Furman drops a game. Just a bad day for multiple people.

That being said, the way they appear to be coached, while that might be the most likely way they lose, the likelihood of it occurring probably isn't all that likely.

I likely their chances to run the table.Hey - A Dick Sheridan (CCH’s Primary role model)-Coached Furman Team had 1 of those days in 1980 - Cost us a 10-1 Record, with the only loss to ACC Champ & AP #5, UNC, and a (possible) bid to the Tangerine Bowl. The ‘villains’ that day in Greenville at Home, the infernal porchyappers from lowly NAIA Woffy tied us 14-14 that day, just as they had tied Mars Hill the week before....the week after they lost to CIT by 30+...a CIT Team FU would trample a week later.

Yep - sometimes, even Paladins have a real BAD day!

[SU DOG]

Sometimes dropping that one game can cause a problem, but it isn't necessarily always a bad thing. A coach can certainly get his players' attention after this happens. I know this is true from personal experience, and I truly believe that dropping one game helped lead our team(I was on the staff) to a state of Alabama HS championship that year.

[FUGameBreaker]

https://twitter.com/PaladinFootball/status/1176897389170442241

[PaladinFan]

The most likely scenario (which you quasi addressed) in which Furman loses, is that they inexplicably have a stinker of a day across the board. We've all seen it. Teams appear to be cruising along and that Saturday juju lines up against them and they don't look like the team they look like every other week of the year. I talked to FUBeAR about this and that, in my estimation, is the *most* likely way that Furman drops a game. Just a bad day for multiple people.

That being said, the way they appear to be coached, while that might be the most likely way they lose, the likelihood of it occurring probably isn't all that likely.

I likely their chances to run the table.

I can get a big picture of a game like that.

Furman's offense has a lot of moving parts. They do not huddle, and there are constant substitutions, shifts, and pre-snap motions. The complexity makes it difficult for defenses to defend everything Furman is trying to throw at them, but also creates a lot of chances for things to breakdown. Just getting a play in with the right people on the field seems like a task worthy of note.

I think it is also beneficial that Furman has already played a couple four-quarter scraps (VT and GSU). There is always some concern in a bunch of blowout games as to how the team may respond when the pressure's on, but the Paladins have already been down that road.

[gofurman]

http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211812094
On Monday night, Speir indicated that redshirt senior QB Tyrie Adams had rejoined the team for its Sunday evening workout having served a two-game team suspension for a violation of team rules.

Adams, it appears, is back for SoCon. that makes them a team capable of winning - WCU guys, are the suspended starting OL and DL back too?

[ElCid]

I think it is also beneficial that Furman has already played a couple four-quarter scraps (VT and GSU). There is always some concern in a bunch of blowout games as to how the team may respond when the pressure's on, but the Paladins have already been down that road.

Yeah, that can be over done. Out of our 4 games, we have had...oh yeah, four 4th qrt scraps with us splitting them obviously. I long for a blow out, with us winning of course.

[gofurman]

rumors at ETSU have it Furman MAY face the starting QB (Coastal Carolina transfer ) as opposed to the R-Fr who has been playing. That could make a difference !

"I haven't seen anything on the quarterback situation. Is Thrasher 100% ready to go or are they going to stay with Mitchell? "

[PaladinFan]

Yeah, that can be over done. Out of our 4 games, we have had...oh yeah, four 4th qrt scraps with us splitting them obviously. I long for a blow out, with us winning of course.

I just like knowing that if the team finds itself in a four quarter fight in SoCon play, it isn't the first time.

I think Furman has already attempted three onside kicks and recovered two of them (I don't care what the ACC refs say). Each kick was set up differently. While I'd love to be in a spot where you don't need an onside (the one against Mercer was attempting to steal a possession), I'm glad that the team has had to try and pull them off in game conditions.

[PaladinFan]

rumors at ETSU have it Furman MAY face the starting QB (Coastal Carolina transfer ) as opposed to the R-Fr who has been playing. That could make a difference !

"I haven't seen anything on the quarterback situation. Is Thrasher 100% ready to go or are they going to stay with Mitchell? "

Bring him on.

[FUGameBreaker]

Bring him on.



Exactly xnodx

[PaladinFan]

Been a weird year when you look back at the preseason selections:

- The first team QB (Adams) has barely played
- Tyray Devezin isn't even in the top 10 in SoCon rushing average
- There are only 3 qualifying QBs with a 60%+ completion rate - Darren Grainger, Will Jones, and Chris Oladokun
- Robert Riddle has thrown 7 interceptions in 4 games.
- the two 1st team WRs (Nunnelly and Lara) are 5, 6 in receiving yards per game.
- Liam Welch is the worst among qualifying QBs in pass efficiency

[gofurman]

Bring him on.

I know - just sayin' for information that seemingly is missing on gopaladins.com if one guy didn't post it. surprising. It ain't jyst about US -it's about THEM too. Thus, loss to VT because VT is better than Mercer. Who the other guys field is just as important as who we field.

ETSU has best DL in conference in my opinion. Maybe best DBs too. Just not a great O so far. If they change QBs. That part could change on O. did last year

[gofurman]

Been a weird year when you look back at the preseason selections:

- The first team QB (Adams) has barely played
- Tyray Devezin isn't even in the top 10 in SoCon rushing average
- There are only 3 qualifying QBs with a 60%+ completion rate - Darren Grainger, Will Jones, and Chris Oladokun
- Robert Riddle has thrown 7 interceptions in 4 games.
- the two 1st team WRs (Nunnelly and Lara) are 5, 6 in receiving yards per game.
- Liam Welch is the worst among qualifying QBs in pass efficiency

Here was preseason rankings for teams:

2019 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
Team (1st-place votes) Total
1. Wofford (7) 63
2. Furman (1) 55
3. ETSU (1) 44
4. Chattanooga 40
5. Mercer 34
6. Samford 33
7. The Citadel 22
8. Western Carolina 21
9. VMI 12

Other than possibly Woff being lower - though long way to go - and Samford and Citadel being better the list still looks close on most

[Mocs123]

Been a weird year when you look back at the preseason selections:

- The first team QB (Adams) has barely played
- Tyray Devezin isn't even in the top 10 in SoCon rushing average
- There are only 3 qualifying QBs with a 60%+ completion rate - Darren Grainger, Will Jones, and Chris Oladokun
- Robert Riddle has thrown 7 interceptions in 4 games.
- the two 1st team WRs (Nunnelly and Lara) are 5, 6 in receiving yards per game.
- Liam Welch is the worst among qualifying QBs in pass efficiency

Teams have covered Nunnelly up and not let him have the ball. So far we haven't had another receiver step up to be that #2 guy.

[ElCid]

Here was preseason rankings for teams:

2019 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
Team (1st-place votes) Total
1. Wofford (7) 63
2. Furman (1) 55
3. ETSU (1) 44
4. Chattanooga 40
5. Mercer 34
6. Samford 33
7. The Citadel 22
8. Western Carolina 21
9. VMI 12

Other than possibly Woff being lower - though long way to go - and Samford and Citadel being better the list still looks close on most


Not much serious thought went into this list. Or maybe too much thought and there was posturing.

[gofurman]

Not much serious thought went into this list. Or maybe too much thought and there was posturing.

probably true but hopefully our coaches do a little better job than media polls.

[ElCid]

probably true but hopefully our coaches do a little better job than media polls.

I don't think either do a well thought out or unbiased job.

[Smitty]

http://www.catamountsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12100&ATCLID=211812094
On Monday night, Speir indicated that redshirt senior QB Tyrie Adams had rejoined the team for its Sunday evening workout having served a two-game team suspension for a violation of team rules.

Adams, it appears, is back for SoCon. that makes them a team capable of winning - WCU guys, are the suspended starting OL and DL back too?

He played in week one and we still managed to find a way to lose by a billion. I don't think him on the field is going to make a huge difference

[FUGameBreaker]

Hot take, I am actually super hyped to see how that Citadel @ Samford game plays out xnodx

[ElCid]

Hot take, I am actually super hyped to see how that Citadel @ Samford game plays out xnodx

It's a mystery. Always is. Over the last 4, each team has had a blow out win. The other two games were dominated by Samford in first half only to be dominated by The Citadel in the second half for a come from behind win. The box scores are interesting reading. What kind of game will this be? Who knows.

[SU DOG]

It's a mystery. Always is. Over the last 4, each team has had a blow out win. The other two games were dominated by Samford in first half only to be dominated by The Citadel in the second half for a come from behind win. The box scores are interesting reading. What kind of game will this be? Who knows.

Who knows is right, but I really believe(just thinking about the kid's health, of course) that Rainey should stay out ONE more week. LOL

[gofurman]

He played in week one and we still managed to find a way to lose by a billion. I don't think him on the field is going to make a huge difference

are the OL and DL that got suspended back too?

[ElCid]

Who knows is right, but I really believe(just thinking about the kid's health, of course) that Rainey should stay out ONE more week. LOL

I think he will be just fine. He could have played this past week. This was gravy for his recovery. I was actually a bit relieved our #2 got some good reps in actual games. He did ok, but as I have mentioned, he is a hair off of Rainey's ability. He may be just as good, but Rainey just has more experience. I think Rainey's year as the BBack has been paying dividends for him at QB. At least we know we got QB that can step up if need be. It's been so long since we have had a QB go down, it was a bit nerve-racking.

[SUPharmacist]

Predictions
ETSU
Wofford
Chattanooga
Mercer
Samford

[FUGameBreaker]

Predictions
ETSU
Wofford
Chattanooga
Mercer
Samford



xthumbsdownx

[PaladinFan]

xthumbsdownx

Same poster picked Mercer last week. Just a touch off on that one.

[FUGameBreaker]

https://twitter.com/AthlonSports/status/1177266364513476610

[SU DOG]

Serious question, how can Samford, which is not even in the ORV list, be picked by so many sources to win this game against a ranked opponent?

[ElCid]

Serious question, how can Samford, which is not even in the ORV list, be picked by so many sources to win this game against a ranked opponent?

That is interesting indeed. But I like playing the underdog Bulldog. I think people are finally recognizing that Samford is improving. If you just hadn't of lost to TT or to YSU so bad....

[SU DOG]

NO excuse flies with me for that last minute collapse in Cookeville.:(

[PaladinFan]

Serious question, how can Samford, which is not even in the ORV list, be picked by so many sources to win this game against a ranked opponent?

I think Samford can be maddeningly inconsistent, but on any given night they have a quirky fast-paced offense that can give a defense a lot of trouble. I think going into the season many would have pegged Samford as a better team in this game.

I do not think the last two weeks made me forget the first two, but the Bulldogs are plenty dangerous. If today you asked which team I considered the biggest threat in SoCon play to Furman, I'd say Samford.

[Scrappy94]

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

ETSU @ Furman
Wofford @ VMI
The Citadel @ Samford
Western Carolina @ Chattanooga
Campbell @ Mercer

[FUBeAR]

First, I had to stop drunk dialing, then I had to stop drunk texting, then drunk tweeting. Now, after last week, it looks like I’m going to have to swear off drunk posting.

So, tonight, I’ve only been to our Thirsty Thursday event (celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month) at my office & then met a former FU Teammate in from out of town for beers & sharing of memories advantaged by the years. So, I’m good.

Speaking of good, it’s a good thing I didn’t miss on my pick for the Mercer @ Furman game last week. On to this week...after a brief pause...ok, I’m back...

POWER RANKINGS

1) Furman - I ain’t sayin’ the ‘Dins (& FUBeAR) are confident, but as a Top 4 seed lock, FU is starting to watch video of projected 2nd & 3rd round Playoff Teams coming in to Paladin Stadium.

2) Samford - To satisfy SU Dog’s demands for logic & order, since I’m picking SU to beat CIT on Saturday, I MUST rank them ahead of the bellhops. OK. Now, you guys stop having every player on the roster grow 4” every off-season.

3) bellhops - Call me Shania, but that win over ChucklesSouth & even the one over dis-Gorging Yecch don’t impress me much. I’m only putting you @ #3 so people won’t yell at me.

4) Mercer - yeah, they are on a skid & got shellacked by the #3 Team in FCS last week. Counting on some significant personnel challenges on D that hurt ‘em bad in those last 2 outings to get resolved (somehow). Could have made a difference in the outcome of the APSU game; not so much against FU, but the score woulda been a tad more respectable...maybe. Also, counting on them to unleash some kind of creativity on Offense. They’re very talented, but ‘getting the ball to playmakers in space’ is not a fully-baked gameplan...especially when the other team won’t allow you to do that. There is no Team...NO TEAM...in this FCS division that can simply rely on out-Athleting their opponents; certainly Mercer cannot. They proved that the past 2 weeks.

5) Chattanooga - no particular reason that they are #5. I like turtles...and trains.

6) ETSU - Unless this Xfer QB from Coastal Carnalina U is all that (and plays this week), JUST RUN THE DANG BALL! They will give FU some different challenges this week, but they still get pummeled & live at #6...but their win over APSU lifts them over their recent vanquishers, VMI.

7) VMI - Who knew Bob & Moe would turn into the Dynamic Duo last week and who knew VMI would turn into...well...VMI? Take solace though marsupial soldiers, you only dropped one spot & aren’t in your reserved parking spot in last place.

8) WCU - with Tyrie (never-yet-suspended-from-a-SoCon-game) Adams back, the Cantamounts hold off the anklesnappers for 1 more week...maybe more. (Looking at you VMI!)

9) Wofford - back for yet another week appearing live in the Shaus Family’s basement, YOUR LittleDogs! Y’now, those CIT wins that didn’t impress me? Take those, add them together, divide by 4, now divide that number by a googolplex and you still won’t be below the level of the impression that win over Guardians Web had on me. The O looked better, but Spartan High’s JV D would have posed more of a challenge than the Runnin’Away Bulldog’s did. Wofford has some good LB’s though...and that concludes anything at all that I can find to say positive about their D. Based on what I saw, VMI can expect to see the porchsnarlers in a 0-5-6 alignment on D this week. Don’t be fooled though, my friends from Down Under VA, 2 or 3 of those 5 LB’s are gonna blitz. No worries though, you’ll find 3 WR’s running free amongst the 8 or 9 remaining defenders - just throw it to one of them - something the G-W QB’s couldn’t do if you threatened to drown their new puppies. Still a lot of work to do, mini-dogs.


Week 5 Games

* Furman jumps out to a 27-6 lead over the Luckaneers...and then...doubles it. Paladins win 54-12
* VMI bounces back to their ETSU-emasculating form and neuters the Terriers, in a shoot-out 56-42
* Samford is smooth. bellhops are rough. BamaDogs over PalmettoDogs 31-21
* Chattanooga wins by more than expected. Mocs coast 45-17
* Mercer actually runs some designed running plays on Campbell’s woeful run D. Devezin goes for over 200 & Bears win 56-24

[SU DOG]

ETSU vs Furman - Paladins by a wide margin.

Wofford vs VMI - The Terriers will take care of business rather easily in this one.

The Citadel vs Samford - SAMFORD - Homer pick ONLY. Reasoning and logic would remember that Rainey gnashed Samford for over 200 yards last year averaging over 8 yds/carry, in a 35-3 second half Citadel comeback win. So what is the difference this year? The Samford defense has gotten better, but still has too many missed tackles and assignments. Samford's offense can be very good, and actually also has a running game this year. True Fr. Jay Stanton may be the best Samford RB since Fabian Truss. Obvious question is will Samford be able to get their defense off the field? I just don't know.

WCU @ UTC - Mocs win in a fairly competitive game.

Campbell vs Mercer - Bears will have very little trouble with the Camels.

[PaladinFan]

ETSU vs Furman - Paladins by a wide margin.

Wofford vs VMI - The Terriers will take care of business rather easily in this one.

The Citadel vs Samford - SAMFORD - Homer pick ONLY. Reasoning and logic would remember that Rainey gnashed Samford for over 200 yards last year averaging over 8 yds/carry, in a 35-3 second half Citadel comeback win. So what is the difference this year? The Samford defense has gotten better, but still has too many missed tackles and assignments. Samford's offense can be very good, and actually also has a running game this year. True Fr. Jay Stanton may be the best Samford RB since Fabian Truss. Obvious question is will Samford be able to get their defense off the field? I just don't know.

WCU @ UTC - Mocs win in a fairly competitive game.

Campbell vs Mercer - Bears will have very little trouble with the Camels.

I think Furman is the better team, but I'm not comfortable that the margin will be "wide."

ETSU's defense is going to have to come to play. They have one of the league's better (maybe best) defensive fronts. They are going to have to limit Furman's ability to pick up big chunk plays and try to take away some part of the offensive attack.

While I am not yet totally comfortable with Furman's defense, I think they've earned more from me than I've given them. They struggled against Georgia State, but played great in the other three games and continue to improve each week. Their strong effort against a good Mercer offense was particularly notable.

[PaladinFan]

The Citadel vs Samford - SAMFORD - Homer pick ONLY. Reasoning and logic would remember that Rainey gnashed Samford for over 200 yards last year averaging over 8 yds/carry, in a 35-3 second half Citadel comeback win. So what is the difference this year? The Samford defense has gotten better, but still has too many missed tackles and assignments. Samford's offense can be very good, and actually also has a running game this year. True Fr. Jay Stanton may be the best Samford RB since Fabian Truss. Obvious question is will Samford be able to get their defense off the field? I just don't know.


One thing I always appreciate about you is your constant optimism that the Samford run game will one day materialize.

I think the Bulldogs running backs are a good looking group. The issue isn't their talent level, but the fact that Samford runs a single back offense and tries to block 7 men with 5. Hard to run the ball with those numbers.

I think if a guy like Ware played for Furman or Wofford, he'd be among the league's best backs. He's a solid player, just hamstrung by the system.

[SU DOG]

One thing I always appreciate about you is your constant optimism that the Samford run game will one day materialize.

I think the Bulldogs running backs are a good looking group. The issue isn't their talent level, but the fact that Samford runs a single back offense and tries to block 7 men with 5. Hard to run the ball with those numbers.

I think if a guy like Ware played for Furman or Wofford, he'd be among the league's best backs. He's a solid player, just hamstrung by the system.

I don't think it is just optimism this season. Our QB now gives us a different dimension with his running ability. Ware has been injured and did not see action, but he may have trouble moving the Fr. Stanton from starting. Last game, Samford had 225 yds rushing and 245 passing. Stanton had 116 rushing yards and 3 TDs, although one was on a wheel route. He is just a terrific RB with great cuts and seems to always fall forward. Oladokun, a true dual-threat, is a good passer, but not Hodges(who is?), so I think the running game has got to be a vital part of our offense this year. BTW, AAMU is not a bad team at all.

[FUGameBreaker]

Revenge on our minds tomorrow at 1pm xnodx

https://twitter.com/PaladinFootball/status/1177598772802506752

[PaladinFan]

I don't know who does the voice for those videos, but you can almost hear him trying to stifle the laughter.

[PaladinFan]

I don't think it is just optimism this season. Our QB now gives us a different dimension with his running ability. Ware has been injured and did not see action, but he may have trouble moving the Fr. Stanton from starting. Last game, Samford had 225 yds rushing and 245 passing. Stanton had 116 rushing yards and 3 TDs, although one was on a wheel route. He is just a terrific RB with great cuts and seems to always fall forward. Oladokun, a true dual-threat, is a good passer, but not Hodges(who is?), so I think the running game has got to be a vital part of our offense this year. BTW, AAMU is not a bad team at all.

I think the numbers were impressive last week, but I'm not ready to put a lot of stock in a win over Alabama A&M, a historically mediocre SWAC team.

Right now, we've seen Samford get pummeled by a top 25 teams. They lost a big lead to an OVC underdog. Objectively good teams don't necessarily have those things happen to them.

They've beaten Wofford, but we really don't have any idea if Wofford is any good. The Terriers only looked good against a bad Gardner Webb team. A&M is decent, but still a far cry from what Samford will see the next two weeks.

If Stanton can put up those sorts of numbers against Citadel and Furman defenses, then you may be on to something.

[youwouldno]

I think the numbers were impressive last week, but I'm not ready to put a lot of stock in a win over Alabama A&M, a historically mediocre SWAC team.

Right now, we've seen Samford get pummeled by a top 25 teams. They lost a big lead to an OVC underdog. Objectively good teams don't necessarily have those things happen to them.

They've beaten Wofford, but we really don't have any idea if Wofford is any good. The Terriers only looked good against a bad Gardner Webb team. A&M is decent, but still a far cry from what Samford will see the next two weeks.

If Stanton can put up those sorts of numbers against Citadel and Furman defenses, then you may be on to something.

I don't think Samford is particularly good, but the SoCon is so weak this year that they could easily put up a strong conference record. They already took down Wofford on the road and are solid favorites in at least 4 of their remaining conference games (you could make an argument for 5, depending on your view of Mercer). But their OOC woes mean that they pretty much need the autobid. The Samford-Citadel game is a coin flip.

[gofurman]

First, I had to stop drunk dialing, then I had to stop drunk texting, then drunk tweeting. Now, after last week, it looks like I’m going to have to swear off drunk posting.

So, tonight, I’ve only been to our Thirsty Thursday event (celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month) at my office & then met a former FU Teammate in from out of town for beers & sharing of memories advantaged by the years. So, I’m good.

Speaking of good, it’s a good thing I didn’t miss on my pick for the Mercer @ Furman game last week. On to this week...after a brief pause...ok, I’m back...

POWER RANKINGS

1) Furman - I ain’t sayin’ the ‘Dins (& FUBeAR) are confident, but as a Top 4 seed lock, FU is starting to watch video of projected 2nd & 3rd round Playoff Teams coming in to Paladin Stadium.

2) Samford - To satisfy SU Dog’s demands for logic & order, since I’m picking SU to beat CIT on Saturday, I MUST rank them ahead of the bellhops. OK. Now, you guys stop having every player on the roster grow 4” every off-season.

3) bellhops - Call me Shania, but that win over ChucklesSouth & even the one over dis-Gorging Yecch don’t impress me much. I’m only putting you @ #3 so people won’t yell at me.

4) Mercer - yeah, they are on a skid & got shellacked by the #3 Team in FCS last week. Counting on some significant personnel challenges on D that hurt ‘em bad in those last 2 outings to get resolved (somehow). Could have made a difference in the outcome of the APSU game; not so much against FU, but the score woulda been a tad more respectable...maybe. Also, counting on them to unleash some kind of creativity on Offense. They’re very talented, but ‘getting the ball to playmakers in space’ is not a fully-baked gameplan...especially when the other team won’t allow you to do that. There is no Team...NO TEAM...in this FCS division that can simply rely on out-Athleting their opponents; certainly Mercer cannot. They proved that the past 2 weeks.

5) Chattanooga - no particular reason that they are #5. I like turtles...and trains.

6) ETSU - Unless this Xfer QB from Coastal Carnalina U is all that (and plays this week), JUST RUN THE DANG BALL! They will give FU some different challenges this week, but they still get pummeled & live at #6...but their win over APSU lifts them over their recent vanquishers, VMI.

7) VMI - Who knew Bob & Moe would turn into the Dynamic Duo last week and who knew VMI would turn into...well...VMI? Take solace though marsupial soldiers, you only dropped one spot & aren’t in your reserved parking spot in last place.

8) WCU - with Tyrie (never-yet-suspended-from-a-SoCon-game) Adams back, the Cantamounts hold off the anklesnappers for 1 more week...maybe more. (Looking at you VMI!)

9) Wofford - back for yet another week appearing live in the Shaus Family’s basement, YOUR LittleDogs! Y’now, those CIT wins that didn’t impress me? Take those, add them together, divide by 4, now divide that number by a googolplex and you still won’t be below the level of the impression that win over Guardians Web had on me. The O looked better, but Spartan High’s JV D would have posed more of a challenge than the Runnin’Away Bulldog’s did. Wofford has some good LB’s though...and that concludes anything at all that I can find to say positive about their D. Based on what I saw, VMI can expect to see the porchsnarlers in a 0-5-6 alignment on D this week. Don’t be fooled though, my friends from Down Under VA, 2 or 3 of those 5 LB’s are gonna blitz. No worries though, you’ll find 3 WR’s running free amongst the 8 or 9 remaining defenders - just throw it to one of them - something the G-W QB’s couldn’t do if you threatened to drown their new puppies. Still a lot of work to do, mini-dogs.


Week 5 Games

* Furman jumps out to a 27-6 lead over the Luckaneers...and then...doubles it. Paladins win 54-12
* VMI bounces back to their ETSU-emasculating form and neuters the Terriers, in a shoot-out 56-42
* Samford is smooth. bellhops are rough. BamaDogs over PalmettoDogs 31-21
* Chattanooga wins by more than expected. Mocs coast 45-17
* Mercer actually runs some designed running plays on Campbell’s woeful run D. Devezin goes for over 200 & Bears win 56-24


Devezin is hard to tackle. beast

[gofurman]

I think Furman is the better team, but I'm not comfortable that the margin will be "wide."

ETSU's defense is going to have to come to play. They have one of the league's better (maybe best) defensive fronts. They are going to have to limit Furman's ability to pick up big chunk plays and try to take away some part of the offensive attack.

While I am not yet totally comfortable with Furman's defense, I think they've earned more from me than I've given them. They struggled against Georgia State, but played great in the other three games and continue to improve each week. Their strong effort against a good Mercer offense was particularly notable.

this- any time you bring possibly the league's best front 7 you have a chance

[FUGameBreaker]

https://twitter.com/ETSUFootball/status/1177613474769313793

[kdinva]

ETSU 17 vs FURMAN 41
WOFFORD 28 vs VMI 35
The CITADEL 24 vs SAMFORD 22
WCU 17 vs CHATTANOOGA 27
CAMPBELL 13 vs MERCER 38

[gofurman]

I dont see Furman scoring 41 on ETSU d. They have a strong d. I’ll be happy w a win !

[FUGameBreaker]

I dont see Furman scoring 41 on ETSU d. They have a strong d. I’ll be happy w a win.



Same, ill be happy with any win tomorrow

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I'm just trying to figure out how VMI beats ETSU and then loses to Robert Morris. You could argue that perhaps ETSU isn't that good, but they beat a pretty good Austin Peay team.


Maybe the ETSU-VMI game went down as a bizarro fluke. If you ask me, this game had no business being played under the circumstances it was held under and I would say the same if ETSU won. That is also no excuse for how ETSU played as VMI had a short field from time to time (they apparently had one kickoff at the ETSU 35 yd line). Kinda reminded me of the Comedy of Errors at Neyland at the first of the season. VMI played like they had a purpose. That is my last word on this game.



Furman seems like the only sure thing in the SoCon this year

Furman, where were you guys all of last season? Ever since you lost to us, you began to play like you had a purpose in life. I had you picked to win it all last season but you ended up starting out flat (to be fair, ETSU started out flat last season). To be honest, I believe ETSU is where Furman was last year except it looks like Mitchell is a little more established than Grainger was at this time last year.

[PaladinFan]

Maybe the ETSU-VMI game went down as a bizarro fluke. If you ask me, this game had no business being played under the circumstances it was held under and I would say the same if ETSU won. That is also no excuse for how ETSU played as VMI had a short field from time to time (they apparently had one kickoff at the ETSU 35 yd line). Kinda reminded me of the Comedy of Errors at Neyland at the first of the season. VMI played like they had a purpose. That is my last word on this game.



Furman, where were you guys all of last season? Ever since you lost to us, you began to play like you had a purpose in life. I had you picked to win it all last season but you ended up starting out flat (to be fair, ETSU started out flat last season). To be honest, I believe ETSU is where Furman was last year except it looks like Mitchell is a little more established than Grainger was at this time last year.

Personal opinion, but I think Furman's canceled home game and immediate road game got in their heads a bit. Just broke the routine. You then add in a weather delay which, as ETSU saw two weeks ago, can screw with momentum and flow of a football game.

I don't know necessarily why, but Hendrix talks a lot about having depth and personnel to do things this year Furman couldn't do the last two years.

Grainger has made massive steps. He only played QB a single season in high school, and even then not in a particularly sophisticated offense (Grainger's high school film is a lot of him just out running defenders). You saw flashes ot the talent last season, but he's really put a lot of it together this season.

[gofurman]

Maybe the ETSU-VMI game went down as a bizarro fluke. If you ask me, this game had no business being played under the circumstances it was held under and I would say the same if ETSU won. That is also no excuse for how ETSU played as VMI had a short field from time to time (they apparently had one kickoff at the ETSU 35 yd line). Kinda reminded me of the Comedy of Errors at Neyland at the first of the season. VMI played like they had a purpose. That is my last word on this game.



Furman, where were you guys all of last season? Ever since you lost to us, you began to play like you had a purpose in life. I had you picked to win it all last season but you ended up starting out flat (to be fair, ETSU started out flat last season). To be honest, I believe ETSU is where Furman was last year except it looks like Mitchell is a little more established than Grainger was at this time last year.

Grainger didn’t really play last year. He was a backup to Snr Roberts. You probably knew that but Grainger is redshirt Fr this year.

[gofurman]

Same, ill be happy with any win tomorrow

Any team that holds AP to 14 has got some big D

AP scored 45+ on Mercer and then just 14 on ETSU ! Granted Mercer scored 34 on AP and ETSU only scored 20 on AP. Mercer -O and ETSU-D

[FUBeAR]

Any team that holds AP to 14 has got some big D

AP scored 45+ on Mercer and then just 14 on ETSU ! Granted Mercer scored 34 on AP and ETSU only scored 20 on AP. Mercer -O and ETSU-DAPSU’s Defense scored 14 on Mercer’s O & another 7, essentially, on Mercer’s Punt Team.

APSU’s O, essentially, scored 20 points (2 TD’s...same number of TD’s they scored on ETSU’s D) on Mercer’s Starting Defense.

Furman’s Offense scored 45 points (6 TD’s) on Mercer’s Starting Defense.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I was 4-3 this past week. I owe an apology to Samford and Wofford for doubting them. VMI laid an egg at home. This week's rankings experienced a lot of upheaval, so let's get the rankings out of the way first.

1) Furman - Won the Lamb Bowl by slaughtering the Bears
2) The Citadel - Won the Battle of Charleston in a not-so-impressive manner
3) ETSU - Beat a team that beat up on Mercer
4) VMI - is it me or was the ETSU game the beginnings of a bizarro fluke?
5) Samford - defended their house very well
6) Wofford - Terriers showed me something
7) Mercer - first they lose to AP, then they get hammered
8) Chattanooga - fell off the tracks
9) Western Carolina - season is nothing to write home about

Week 5 Games
ETSU @ Furman (Game of the Week) - Paladins will be looking for some form of revenge after last year's debacle. Grainger looks and plays the part of a more than competent quarterback. Furman since that loss a year ago started to play like they had some form of purpose. ETSU played mucho better against Austin Peay, shutting them down in the second half. Mitchell although less battle-tested than Grainger has shown he is a capable QB. ETSU's defense appears to be legit and would love no better than to help pick up a road conference win. Bucs win in a matchup that will be much closer than you think.
Wofford @ VMI - Keydets appear to be much improved over last season (see ETSU). Udinski seems to be more capable than previous VMI QBs. Wofford is in the process of retooling their offense (don't know why) and it's biting them hard. Keydets take advantage of Wofford's weaknesses and defend their house.
The Citadel @ Samford - The Citadel showed great promise against CAA competition and collected a FBS scalp. Samford had a rough start but rebounded with wins against Wofford and Alabama A&M. The Citadel finds a way to win on the road.
Western Carolina @ Chattanooga - Western Carolina appeared to be a potential threat but after Adams' suspension they appear to be on life support. Mocs showed some form of mettle against JMU before faltering. Mocs get back on track at home.
Campbell @ Mercer - Campbell comes in with a winning record as they are relatively new to the Big South. Mercer and Campbell have a history of being brief conference mates from the Pioneer. Bears used to the run the Pioneer in their only season there and show the Camels who's the boss still.

[Milktruck74]

I dont see Furman scoring 41 on ETSU d. They have a strong d. I’ll be happy w a win !

I've been to watch their practice a few times and that kid coming off the edge is a BAD MAN!!! Run away from him!!!

- - - Updated - - -


I dont see Furman scoring 41 on ETSU d. They have a strong d. I’ll be happy w a win !

I've been to watch their practice a few times and that kid coming off the edge is a BAD MAN!!! Run away from him!!!

[ElCid]

So, close to the end of 1st. Who would have thought that The Citadel would have more pass yards than Samford? Make that 3x as many pass yards!

7 all end of first.

[ElCid]

Well, at half time the good news for my Bulldogs is we are up 14-10. Pretty much gave then 7 when we went for a deep 4th and 2....and didn't make it and they had the short field. Oh my. So far, out gaining Samford 196 to 102 including a minus 1 for Samford rushing. TOP is about 22-8....wow.

Now the bad news. Samford can score real fast if they get it clicking. We needed to be up by 21+ for me to feel good. Our D is maturing and getting better every game. But they need to keep it up. Samford has held our rushing pretty well, but not entirely. With their D on the field for 22 minutes already, they better be in shape for the second half.

[kdinva]

at halftime, woffy over VMI 35-24...

[ElCid]

at halftime, woffy over VMI 35-24...

Nice recovery in 2nd qrt.

[ElCid]

Wow. We are 6-6 passing for 196 yards and 2 TDs. Can't run? Pass. I didn't see this coming at all. Glad Samford didn't either. The Citadel up 28-24 now. 11 min or so to go in game.

[ElCid]

Samford come back from 14 down to tie with under 2 minutes with back up QB. We had this wrapped up. Uhg.

[cx500d]

Samford come back from 14 down to tie with under 2 minutes with back up QB. We had this wrapped up. Uhg.

NAU thought it had Montana Sate wrapped up too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gofurman]

Citadel is throwing and then halfback throw.. and INT but called back. they are doing crazy stuff

[ElCid]

Citadel is throwing and then halfback throw.. and INT but called back. they are doing crazy stuff

But we are 6-6 for 196 with 2 TDs.

Lol. We blew this.

[kdinva]

Wofford runs past VMI; 51-36. Udinski sets the SoCon record for most pass attempts without an INT. now at about 220

[PaladinFan]

I'm amazed the Citadel has put up 55 points on the road with a QB that can't move.

[ElCid]

Well. We blew it. Woulda coulda, shoulda. Hats off to Samford in stopping the run. This is not the Samford of week 1 or 2. I think they may have a QB fight to figure out.

[PaladinFan]

Well. We blew it. Woulda coulda, shoulda. Hats off to Samford in stopping the run. This is not the Samford of week 1 or 2. I think they may have a QB fight to figure out.

Watched most of the game. Gritty win for Samford, who was really playing for their season.

I appreciate that the Citadel let Furman's coaches get 100+ plays to look at how Samford defenses a run-first offense, though.

[ElCid]

Watched most of the game. Gritty win for Samford, who was really playing for their season.

I appreciate that the Citadel let Furman's coaches get 100+ plays to look at how Samford defenses a run-first offense, though.

No crap. Long game. They did a good job slowing us down to basically a crawl. They didn't give up either. They did see Wofford already. But we had almost 200 yards on 6 passes. Too funny.

[PaladinFan]

No crap. Long game. They did a good job slowing us down to basically a crawl. They didn't give up either. They did see Wofford already. But we had almost 200 yards on 6 passes. Too funny.

Well, I think running an option offense with a QB that isn't full speed is tough. Samford knew late in the game that Rainey wasn't going to beat them outside the tackles. The Citadel offense basically became fullback dive, QB dive, and halfback pitch.

[Scrappy94]

Final:

Chattanooga - 60
Western Carolina - 36

[PaladinFan]

Final:

Chattanooga - 60
Western Carolina - 36

You could have just told me that UTC scored 60 and I could have told you who the opponent was without looking.

[FUGameBreaker]

I am guessing Mark Speir is getting fired this season

[FUGameBreaker]

Also if Mercer and/or Citadel wind up with losing seasons Bobby Lamb and Brent Thompson's jobs will be in jeopardy

[ElCid]

Also if Mercer and/or Citadel wind up with losing seasons Bobby Lamb and Brent Thompson's jobs will be in jeopardy

No. At least for us.

[Scrappy94]

Mocs win! jsu and etsu lose! What a great day!

[PaladinFan]

Also if Mercer and/or Citadel wind up with losing seasons Bobby Lamb and Brent Thompson's jobs will be in jeopardy

If Mercer loses to Campbell, I imagine Lamb will be on some really thin ice after last week's shelacking in Greenville.

[FUGameBreaker]

No. At least for us.


Why not?

That would be 5-6, 5-6 and 5-7 or worse, clearly the opposite direction Mike Houston had your program going

[ElCid]

Why not?

That would be 5-6, 5-6 and 5-7 or worse, clearly the opposite direction Mike Houston had your program going

Well, I don't see us going 5-7. But if we did by chance, no way he is in hot seat after beating a P5. Plus three one score losses to two top 25 teams and the other to a team that "may" be before long. And the "other" year of his tenure was 10-2 with a Conf Championship. That is still fresh. Fresh enough to poopoo any talk, ...yet.

[youwouldno]

Any team that holds AP to 14 has got some big D

AP scored 45+ on Mercer and then just 14 on ETSU ! Granted Mercer scored 34 on AP and ETSU only scored 20 on AP. Mercer -O and ETSU-D


If Mercer loses to Campbell, I imagine Lamb will be on some really thin ice after last week's shelacking in Greenville.

I think Lamb is pretty much finished at Mercer regardless of the Campbell game. They are stuck in mediocrity, an outcome that's not very surprising given his head coaching track record.

Ironically, one of the obvious candidates to succeed Lamb would be his former assistant, Drew Cronic.

[Smitty]

I am guessing Mark Speir is getting fired this season

NOPE!

He was signed to a 5 year contract last year.

[Mocs123]

I am guessing Mark Speir is getting fired this season

My guess is they can't afford to after giving him a big extension in the off season.

[Smitty]

I personally count it a victory if we can keep a team from scoring 40 points on us...

[PaladinFan]

I think Lamb is pretty much finished at Mercer regardless of the Campbell game. They are stuck in mediocrity, an outcome that's not very surprising given his head coaching track record.

Ironically, one of the obvious candidates to succeed Lamb would be his former assistant, Drew Cronic.

Yeah, but after the Furman debacle, Mercer needed to have a convincing win over Campbell. Campbell is a former Pioneer team with Mercer and struggled to beat Davidson last week.

[kdinva]

Mercer needed to have a convincing win over Campbell. Campbell is a former Pioneer team.....

Campbell leads Mercer 27-13, 11 minutes remaining.

[PaladinFan]

Good grief. Mercer had a lot of us duped. Riddle's a good player, but they really don't have that much depth or talent.

Looking down their schedule, I just don't see a lot of wins.

[Mocs123]

I had Mercer as real SoCon title contender. It certainly doesn't look like that now. Hopefully we can take care of the Bears next week. If we don't defend the run better next week, we'll be in trouble.

[kdinva]

I had Mercer as real SoCon title contender. It certainly doesn't look like that now. .

it's now Campbell 34, Mercer 20, 6:23 to play.

[FUGameBreaker]

Oh Bobby Lamb xrotatehx

[ElCid]

Here is an odd stat from our game. Both teams had exactly 462 yards of Offense, including the 4OTs. Weird. Sure wish Rainey had been 100%. Our starting Punter was out as well. Apparently banged up also.

[gofurman]

Here is an odd stat from our game. Both teams had exactly 462 yards of Offense, including the 4OTs. Weird. Sure wish Rainey had been 100%. Our starting Punter was out as well. Apparently banged up also.

your punter is a good one too

[BearDownMU]

Good grief. Mercer had a lot of us duped. Riddle's a good player, but they really don't have that much depth or talent.

Looking down their schedule, I just don't see a lot of wins.

There's talent. Just not playing to potential, which is a big problem. Secondary is extremely suspect and Oline just isn't what it needs to be. And that causes problems everywhere else. Riddle has tons of physical talent but the decision making is just not good. Another pick 6 this week, and another pick on just a terrible decision combined with a terrible throw. Our best offensive player and heart of the offense was out (Durden). The leader of the defense was out (Fleming). The whole thing is just a mess.

I'm Captain Always Positive and I've never felt like this 5 weeks into a season. It's just not acceptable, and, to everyone's point, I think there has to be serious consideration as to who's running the team in the future. The goal should be to win a conference title and I've now seen a bunch of years of "you won't be terrible, but won't compete for the crown either." Except for this is is looking like it might be our first year of being terrible. And I don't think we should be at a point in the program where that's the case. Guess we will have to see where this all ends up, but I'm having a hard time seeing a lot of wins on the schedule either. And it really upsets me.

[gofurman]

There's talent. Just not playing to potential, which is a big problem. Secondary is extremely suspect and Oline just isn't what it needs to be. And that causes problems everywhere else. Riddle has tons of physical talent but the decision making is just not good. Another pick 6 this week, and another pick on just a terrible decision combined with a terrible throw. Our best offensive player and heart of the offense was out (Durden). The leader of the defense was out (Fleming). The whole thing is just a mess.

I'm Captain Always Positive and I've never felt like this 5 weeks into a season. It's just not acceptable, and, to everyone's point, I think there has to be serious consideration as to who's running the team in the future. The goal should be to win a conference title and I've now seen a bunch of years of "you won't be terrible, but won't compete for the crown either." Except for this is is looking like it might be our first year of being terrible. And I don't think we should be at a point in the program where that's the case. Guess we will have to see where this all ends up, but I'm having a hard time seeing a lot of wins on the schedule either. And it really upsets me.

whats odd to me is the OL returned 4 of 5 guys from last year, right?

[PaladinFan]

There's talent. Just not playing to potential, which is a big problem. Secondary is extremely suspect and Oline just isn't what it needs to be. And that causes problems everywhere else. Riddle has tons of physical talent but the decision making is just not good. Another pick 6 this week, and another pick on just a terrible decision combined with a terrible throw. Our best offensive player and heart of the offense was out (Durden). The leader of the defense was out (Fleming). The whole thing is just a mess.

I'm Captain Always Positive and I've never felt like this 5 weeks into a season. It's just not acceptable, and, to everyone's point, I think there has to be serious consideration as to who's running the team in the future. The goal should be to win a conference title and I've now seen a bunch of years of "you won't be terrible, but won't compete for the crown either." Except for this is is looking like it might be our first year of being terrible. And I don't think we should be at a point in the program where that's the case. Guess we will have to see where this all ends up, but I'm having a hard time seeing a lot of wins on the schedule either. And it really upsets me.

I've watched Mercer play a few games. Riddle's talent is clear, but decision making isn't great. It's as though he feels the need to win the game by himself.

Offensively, they've got weapons, but they try to force the offense through just a couple of guys. If those guys aren't producing (or out), it doesn't seem like anyone steps up. Defensively, they just haven't been good, especially in the backfield.

[Scrappy94]

I was 4-3 this past week. I owe an apology to Samford and Wofford for doubting them. VMI laid an egg at home. This week's rankings experienced a lot of upheaval, so let's get the rankings out of the way first.

1) Furman - Won the Lamb Bowl by slaughtering the Bears
2) The Citadel - Won the Battle of Charleston in a not-so-impressive manner
3) ETSU - Beat a team that beat up on Mercer
4) VMI - is it me or was the ETSU game the beginnings of a bizarro fluke?
5) Samford - defended their house very well
6) Wofford - Terriers showed me something
7) Mercer - first they lose to AP, then they get hammered
8) Chattanooga - fell off the tracks
9) Western Carolina - season is nothing to write home about

Week 5 Games
ETSU @ Furman (Game of the Week) - Paladins will be looking for some form of revenge after last year's debacle. Grainger looks and plays the part of a more than competent quarterback. Furman since that loss a year ago started to play like they had some form of purpose. ETSU played mucho better against Austin Peay, shutting them down in the second half. Mitchell although less battle-tested than Grainger has shown he is a capable QB. ETSU's defense appears to be legit and would love no better than to help pick up a road conference win. Bucs win in a matchup that will be much closer than you think.
Wofford @ VMI - Keydets appear to be much improved over last season (see ETSU). Udinski seems to be more capable than previous VMI QBs. Wofford is in the process of retooling their offense (don't know why) and it's biting them hard. Keydets take advantage of Wofford's weaknesses and defend their house.
The Citadel @ Samford - The Citadel showed great promise against CAA competition and collected a FBS scalp. Samford had a rough start but rebounded with wins against Wofford and Alabama A&M. The Citadel finds a way to win on the road.
Western Carolina @ Chattanooga - Western Carolina appeared to be a potential threat but after Adams' suspension they appear to be on life support. Mocs showed some form of mettle against JMU before faltering. Mocs get back on track at home.
Campbell @ Mercer - Campbell comes in with a winning record as they are relatively new to the Big South. Mercer and Campbell have a history of being brief conference mates from the Pioneer. Bears used to the run the Pioneer in their only season there and show the Camels who's the boss still.[emoji90]

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[FUBeAR]

Uggh!

[rtzlunar]

Final:

Chattanooga - 60
Western Carolina - 36

Watching Chattanooga football for over 30 years I’ve seen a lot of bad defenses - most of them UTC’s. But I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more pitiful defense than what Western put on the field today.

Buddy Ryan is rolling over in his grave.

[PaladinFan]

Interesting stat line from the Wofford/VMI game.

VMI's Alex Ramsey rushed for 209 yards. It was the first time since 2008 that a Keydet had hit 200 yards rushing in a game.

[walliver]

Interesting stat line from the Wofford/VMI game.

VMI's Alex Ramsey rushed for 209 yards. It was the first time since 2008 that a Keydet had hit 200 yards rushing in a game.

A lot of that yardage came on 2d and long and frequently on screens.. Our defensive scheme was suspect. The D was effective when pressure was applied, but other times we went conservative and gave the QB enough time to pick us apart.

as for Mercer. I have always felt that Bobby Lamb was a good coach, but with a fatal flaw of some sort which prevents him from being a great coach.

[Mocs123]

Watching Chattanooga football for over 30 years I’ve seen a lot of bad defenses - most of them UTC’s. But I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more pitiful defense than what Western put on the field today.

Buddy Ryan is rolling over in his grave.

Our D wasn't exactly lighting it on fire. We've had very good run defenses for the last seven or eight years but yesterday we looked like a Donnie Kirkpatrick Defense. We started off OK, but it looks like we wore down. Perhaps it was because of the heat, and we were wearing all blue which probably didn't help.

[PaladinNation]

A lot of that yardage came on 2d and long and frequently on screens.. Our defensive scheme was suspect. The D was effective when pressure was applied, but other times we went conservative and gave the QB enough time to pick us apart.

as for Mercer. I have always felt that Bobby Lamb was a good coach, but with a fatal flaw of some sort which prevents him from being a great coach.

I like Booby a great guy - IMO got served a bad hand during his last years at Furman by the administration.

I watched the fourth quarter of the Campbell/Mercer game - it looked to me that the Camels had worn the Bears D down. On offense I agree about Riddle, he's doing too much to win the game. I'm also starting to think Mercer has several very good offensive weapons but not enough.

Let's use the Furman/ETSU game for example. Furman starts Corey Watkins at tailback over Wynn. My guess due to his speed. The game is one of the more physical games I've seen in person in a long time. Furman's up 10-0 Watkins busts a run for a first down, takes a wicked blindside hit and is knocked out. Thankful the Dins have four more running backs to tote the rock. It's still not half way into the season, and were already seeing teams nicked-up. Mercer had several players out, the Citadel's QB was very limited, Samford has a gimpy QB.

I came into the season wondering how Furman will use some of the young talent we appear to be stock piling. I will admit it's scary as a fan to see an entire defensive backfield of true freshmen and redshirt freshmen. Same goes for the offensive backfield the Dins are already missing Maples at running back so another true freshman has had to step in. Same goes for Wayne Anderson at tailback, another freshman who's load is going to increase now.

I'm curious how do the rest of you feel about your depth?

[PaladinFan]

Riddle has 9 picks through 5 games, 1/3 of which have been for touchdowns (I think).

While I don't think he's on pace to break Tom Schultze's (VMI) SoCon record of 27 interceptions in 1973, he's on pace to be in the top 5.

Bottom line, Mercer isn't good enough for the QB to continue to throw touchdown passes to the other team. Not sure what the SoCon record for most pick sixes in a season is, but 3 seems like it'd be up there.

[FUBeAR]

Riddle has 9 picks through 5 games, 1/3 of which have been for touchdowns (I think).

While I don't think he's on pace to break Tom Schultze's (VMI) SoCon record of 27 interceptions in 1973, he's on pace to be in the top 5.

Bottom line, Mercer isn't good enough for the QB to continue to throw touchdown passes to the other team. Not sure what the SoCon record for most pick sixes in a season is, but 3 seems like it'd be up there.*4

[PaladinFan]

Another interesting stat.

In 2019, Samford's offense has run 323 plays. Opponents have run 429.

Samford's defense has been on the field for almost 100 more plays than their offense. That's crazy.

[sudog03]

-8 turnover margin and allowing a few too many 3rd down conversions will do that to you

[PaladinFan]

-8 turnover margin and allowing a few too many 3rd down conversions will do that to you

Most likely. The Bulldogs are last in the SoCon on third downs and last in time of possession. I hadn't realized they were -8 in turnovers.

[SU DOG]

A few interesting tidbits from the game yesterday;

First off Brandon Rainey is incredibly competitive. He certainly exemplies that old addage of "he would be my choice for a foxhole buddy." As for the game, however, he was reportedly at or near 100% coming in. He was reinjured on a play during the game that resulted in him limping and not being nearly as effective. Oladokun was also injured and unable to complete the game. We chose to use a backup whereas Rainey gutted it out. I was mildly surprised we didn't see Brian Murdaugh. I sure hope Rainey's injury was not significantly worsened.


The Citadel was without their AA punter. Really, however, would Campbell have done better than Russell's 3 punts for a 52 yard average? Samford was without our punt returner, WR, and possibly fastest man on the team. Montrell Washington was serving a 1 game suspension. Even without playing yesterday, he still ranks 3rd in all purpose yards in the SoCon.

The Citadel's starting B-Back, Clay Harris went down with a shoulder injury and did not return(here's hoping he is OK). Samford's starting RB, Demarcus Ware saw limited playing time, as he has been out with an injury. His Fr. replacement has been phenomenal however.

Interesting to me is the fact that The Citadel averaged 2.8 yds/carry on 95 RUSHING attempts, while Samford averaged 3.9(on37 attempts).

Also, of Samford's 8 TDs, five were scored by 3 TRUE Fr. Two rushing TDs and 3 reception YTDs.

There were just so many parallels to this game that it almost seems incredible. How crazy is it that both teams had exactly the same total yardage even after 4 OTs? That was 2 teams that neither really deserved to lose. The Citadel will win MANY SoCon games this season.

What a slobber knocker! I'm still trying to recover.

[ElCid]

A few interesting tidbits from the game yesterday;

First off Brandon Rainey is incredibly competitive. He certainly exemplies that old addage of "he would be my choice for a foxhole buddy." As for the game, however, he was reportedly at or near 100% coming in. He was reinjured on a play during the game that resulted in him limping and not being nearly as effective. Oladokun was also injured and unable to complete the game. We chose to use a backup whereas Rainey gutted it out. I was mildly surprised we didn't see Brian Murdaugh. I sure hope Rainey's injury was not significantly worsened.


The Citadel was without their AA punter. Really, however, would Campbell have done better than Russell's 3 punts for a 52 yard average? Samford was without our punt returner, WR, and possibly fastest man on the team. Montrell Washington was serving a 1 game suspension. Even without playing yesterday, he still ranks 3rd in all purpose yards in the SoCon.

The Citadel's starting B-Back, Clay Harris went down with a shoulder injury and did not return(here's hoping he is OK). Samford's starting RB, Demarcus Ware saw limited playing time, as he has been out with an injury. His Fr. replacement has been phenomenal however.

Interesting to me is the fact that The Citadel averaged 2.8 yds/carry on 95 RUSHING attempts, while Samford averaged 3.9(on37 attempts).

Also, of Samford's 8 TDs, five were scored by 3 TRUE Fr. Two rushing TDs and 3 reception YTDs.

There were just so many parallels to this game that it almost seems incredible. How crazy is it that both teams had exactly the same total yardage even after 4 OTs? That was 2 teams that neither really deserved to lose. The Citadel will win MANY SoCon games this season.

What a slobber knocker! I'm still trying to recover.

I may never recover. Good game though. A couple questionable "go for it" decisions by our coach however. I think Samford has turned the 2019 corner in finishing games.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I like Booby a great guy - IMO got served a bad hand during his last years at Furman by the administration.

I watched the fourth quarter of the Campbell/Mercer game - it looked to me that the Camels had worn the Bears D down. On offense I agree about Riddle, he's doing too much to win the game. I'm also starting to think Mercer has several very good offensive weapons but not enough.

Let's use the Furman/ETSU game for example. Furman starts Corey Watkins at tailback over Wynn. My guess due to his speed. The game is one of the more physical games I've seen in person in a long time. Furman's up 10-0 Watkins busts a run for a first down, takes a wicked blindside hit and is knocked out. Thankful the Dins have four more running backs to tote the rock. It's still not half way into the season, and were already seeing teams nicked-up. Mercer had several players out, the Citadel's QB was very limited, Samford has a gimpy QB.

I came into the season wondering how Furman will use some of the young talent we appear to be stock piling. I will admit it's scary as a fan to see an entire defensive backfield of true freshmen and redshirt freshmen. Same goes for the offensive backfield the Dins are already missing Maples at running back so another true freshman has had to step in. Same goes for Wayne Anderson at tailback, another freshman who's load is going to increase now.

I'm curious how do the rest of you feel about your depth?

I believe ETSU is a year away from having the depth/player development that Furman has now. Mitchell showed me some things, I noted he had some issues but he never struck me as a quitting type. If he was, Sanders would send him to the bench and keep him there (unlike a certain former colleague of his who is a SEC head coach). I still think we can salvage the season and maybe get in to the playoffs but we're kinda behind the 8 ball as far as repeating is concerned. ETSU had nothing to be ashamed of against Furman given the number of folks who said ETSU was going to get the ever living daylights kicked out of them.

[gofurman]

I believe ETSU is a year away from having the depth/player development that Furman has now. Mitchell showed me some things, I noted he had some issues but he never struck me as a quitting type. If he was, Sanders would send him to the bench and keep him there (unlike a certain former colleague of his who is a SEC head coach). I still think we can salvage the season and maybe get in to the playoffs but we're kinda behind the 8 ball as far as repeating is concerned. ETSU had nothing to be ashamed of against Furman given the number of folks who said ETSU was going to get the ever living daylights kicked out of them.

BG, ETSU has maybe the best overall defense in the league I think. DL and DBs for sure. I think Furman has best LBs but overall you guys are probably best. The simple "forest-not-trees" view is that Furman is top 2 or 3 in both O and D in SoCon. ETSU is maybe best on D but 6th or 7th on O. Just too limited on O right now. My worthless opinion is you need more passing threat. Just a little to soften the run D you will face. Furman, unlike VMI or APSU, was able to hold you to 10 with our D bc of DL and LBs while you got 24 and 20 on the other teams even if they knew you were going to run. You have a great OL and Homes and Sayers but against best D teams there needs to be a pass threat. I give you credit, you only need to score 20-25 with that great D you have and you would win most games.

The only concern I would have as an ETSU fan is both Player and #49 graduate next year as does one of your best DBs. That will hurt on DL as they are aweseome!. I understand you are injured on QB as the Miami Fl (!) kid and Coastal kid are out.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I had Mercer as real SoCon title contender. It certainly doesn't look like that now. Hopefully we can take care of the Bears next week. If we don't defend the run better next week, we'll be in trouble.

I didn't. I pity the Mercer folks right now. Mercer fans are probably wondering why Lamb got canned at Furman.

[gofurman]

I like Booby a great guy - IMO got served a bad hand during his last years at Furman by the administration.

I watched the fourth quarter of the Campbell/Mercer game - it looked to me that the Camels had worn the Bears D down. On offense I agree about Riddle, he's doing too much to win the game. I'm also starting to think Mercer has several very good offensive weapons but not enough.

Let's use the Furman/ETSU game for example. Furman starts Corey Watkins at tailback over Wynn. My guess due to his speed. The game is one of the more physical games I've seen in person in a long time. Furman's up 10-0 Watkins busts a run for a first down, takes a wicked blindside hit and is knocked out. Thankful the Dins have four more running backs to tote the rock. It's still not half way into the season, and were already seeing teams nicked-up. Mercer had several players out, the Citadel's QB was very limited, Samford has a gimpy QB.

I came into the season wondering how Furman will use some of the young talent we appear to be stock piling. I will admit it's scary as a fan to see an entire defensive backfield of true freshmen and redshirt freshmen. Same goes for the offensive backfield the Dins are already missing Maples at running back so another true freshman has had to step in. Same goes for Wayne Anderson at tailback, another freshman who's load is going to increase now.

I'm curious how do the rest of you feel about your depth?

Booby? haha.. JK (all men are really 12 years old at heart) - on a more serious note, I think the HUUGE point of injuries and depth is a great one by PaladinNation but he did not note a specific one that helped our Furman guys GREATLY !!!!!!!! ETSU was on their third QB yesterday ! that makes our defense (who is good) look better than we are. They are desperately trying to get the Coastal Carolina kid back out there but he is still hurt

People on our Furman board posted "bring him on" when I noted that the better QB might return vs us.. I don't think we wanted to see a better QB in hindsight of a 17 - 10 game. It really helped us that they were determined to run inside and not throw much