SoCon 2023 Predictions and Power Rankings - Week 0 & Week 1

[FUBeAR]

Only 1 game in Week 0…so we’ll make this Week 0 and Week 1, but might as well get it started since the Bears will be tangling with the Lions in about 10 days…

SCHEDULE

Week 0 - Saturday, August 26


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Time


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/North_Alabama_2022.png?width=30North Alabama (http://www.roarlions.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
3:30P ET
Game is in Montgomery, AL


Week 1 - Thursday, August 31


Visitor
Home
Time


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Shorter_.png?width=30Shorter (http://goshorterhawks.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_samford.png?width=30Samford (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
7:00P


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Tennessee-Tech.png?width=30Tennessee Tech (http://www.ttusports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_furman.png?width=30Furman (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)
7:00P


Week 1 - Saturday, September 2


Visitor
Home
Time


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wcu.png?width=30Western Carolina (https://catamountsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Arkansas.png?width=30Arkansas (http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/)
1:00P


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Davidson.png?width=30Davidson (http://www.davidsonwildcats.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/VMI_spider_four_color-2015.png?width=30VMI (https://vmikeydets.com/)
1:30P


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/olemiss_200x200_02.png?width=30Mississippi (http://www.olemisssports.com/)
2:00P


https://soconsports.com/images/2020/1/2/etsu_logo.png?width=30ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/j5.png?width=30Jacksonville State (http://www.jsugamecocksports.com/)
2:00P


https://soconsports.com/images/2023/5/30/Terriers_StackedWHITE.png?width=30Wofford (http://woffordterriers.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/pitt_logo_200x200.png?width=30Pittsburgh (http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/)
3:30P


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_chatta_91.png?width=30Chattanooga (http://www.gomocs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/North_Alabama_2022.png?width=30North Alabama (http://www.roarlions.com/)
6:00P


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_citadel.png?width=30The Citadel (http://www.citadelsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Georgia-Southern.png?width=30Georgia Southern (http://gseagles.com/)
6:00P



FUBeAR will return with Full Rankings & Picks, but he will tease & share that he will be taking Mercer over North Alabama in the FCS Kickoff Classic and the top of his SoCon Power Rankings will look like this…

1T. Furman
1T. Mercer

[SU DOG]

Furman and Mercer tied for #1 - totally unbiased and who could possibly have guessed that would be FUBeAR's ranking?

[Sandlapper Spike]

Announcer assignments for the first couple of weeks are starting to pop up. I came across these:

North Alabama-Mercer: Roy Philpott, Roddy Jones, sideline reporter Taylor McGregor

--

Mercer-Mississippi: Justin Kutcher, Dave Steckel, A.J. McCarron
Wofford-Pittsburgh: Mike Monaco, Forest Conoly, sideline reporter Alex Chappell

[bonarae]

I'll go first:

Week Zero
Mercer

Week 1
Samford
Furman
VMI
Ole Miss
Jacksonville State
Pitt
Razorbacks
UTC
Georgia Southern

[Sir William]

Week 0
Mercer

Week 1
Samford
Furman
VMI (this will be a close one - VMI gets nod as home team)
Ole Miss
Jacksonville State
Pitt
Arkansas
UTC
Georgia Southern

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

[FUBeAR]

https://x.com/fcskickoff/status/1689308323252772868

Tweet / X comparing Mercer and UNA stats.

Sorry …

…don’t know how to embed the posts formerly known as Tweets. When the links went from having “Twitter.com” to “x.com” - they stopped embedding

[caribbeanhen]

https://x.com/fcskickoff/status/1689308323252772868

Tweet / X comparing Mercer and UNA stats.

Sorry …

…don’t know how to embed the posts formerly known as Tweets. When the links went from having “Twitter.com” to “x.com” - they stopped embedding

that’s not good

We need more player hi lights on AGS

maybe YouTube clips?

[The Cats]

https://twitter.com/FCSKickoff/status/1689308323252772868

[FUBeAR]

https://twitter.com/FCSKickoff/status/1689308323252772868

AHA - THANKS
https://twitter.com/FCSKickoff/status/1689308323252772868
seems that on a laptop - the links have the old 'twitter' in there and the old nomenclature works ... gonna try changing the "x" to "twitter" using iPad or iPhone.

[FUBeAR]

AHA - THANKS
https://twitter.com/FCSKickoff/status/1689308323252772868
seems that on a laptop - the links have the old 'twitter' in there and the old nomenclature works ... gonna try changing the "x" to "twitter" using iPad or iPhone.
https://Twitter.com/fcskickoff/status/1689308323252772868

Yep - that works - thanks to The Cats for leading FUBeAR to the solution

[Reign of Terrier]

I'll go first:

Week Zero
Mercer

Week 1
Samford
Furman
VMI
Ole Miss
Jacksonville State
Pitt
Razorbacks
UTC
Georgia Southern

This week is a little too easy to pick. So much so that it makes me wonder how the upsets will happen.

[Reign of Terrier]

I totally understand if people want to say I'm a hater and Wofford homer, but I genuinely will believe that Western's style of play (big offense, bad defense) will be different when the coaching staff stops dropping hints that their defense is awful. Between this and the comment about the spring game being a shoot out, it's not reassuring.

https://www.si.com/college/arkansas/hogs-football/razorbacks-western-carolina-jefferson-sanders-bell-run-tackle-sec

[FUBeAR]

Uh-oh! Looks like the Mercer Bears could be in trouble if a Dance-Off breaks out mid-game next Saturday…

https://twitter.com/unafootball/status/1692366466484510830

[The Cats]

Week 0 - Saturday, August 26


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https://soconsports.com/images/logos/North_Alabama_2022.png?width=30North Alabama (http://www.roarlions.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
Mercer



Week 1 - Thursday, August 31


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Winner


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Shorter_.png?width=30Shorter (http://goshorterhawks.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_samford.png?width=30Samford (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
Sanford


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Tennessee-Tech.png?width=30Tennessee Tech (http://www.ttusports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_furman.png?width=30Furman (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)
Furman




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https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Davidson.png?width=30Davidson (http://www.davidsonwildcats.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/VMI_spider_four_color-2015.png?width=30VMI (https://vmikeydets.com/)
VMI


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/olemiss_200x200_02.png?width=30Mississippi (http://www.olemisssports.com/)
Ole Miss


https://soconsports.com/images/2020/1/2/etsu_logo.png?width=30ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/j5.png?width=30Jacksonville State (http://www.jsugamecocksports.com/)
JSU


https://soconsports.com/images/2023/5/30/Terriers_StackedWHITE.png?width=30Wofford (http://woffordterriers.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/pitt_logo_200x200.png?width=30Pittsburgh (http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/)
Pitt


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wcu.png?width=30Western Carolina (https://catamountsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Arkansas.png?width=30Arkansas (http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/)
Arkansas


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_chatta_91.png?width=30Chattanooga (http://www.gomocs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/North_Alabama_2022.png?width=30North Alabama (http://www.roarlions.com/)
Mocs


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_citadel.png?width=30The Citadel (http://www.citadelsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Georgia-Southern.png?width=30Georgia Southern (http://gseagles.com/)
GA Southern




my picks above

[caribbeanhen]

Week 0
Mercer

Week 1
Samford
Furman
VMI (this will be a close one - VMI gets nod as home team)
Ole Miss
Jacksonville State
Pitt
Arkansas
UTC
Georgia Southern

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


Your Power rankings look good to me

I think FuBEaR is re organizing his rankings because they were a perfect match with Sam Herder’s …



Furman
Samford
Mercer
Chattanooga
Western Carolina
ETSU
The Citadel
VMI
Wofford

[FUBeAR]

Your Power rankings look good to me

I think FuBEaR is re organizing his rankings because they were a perfect match with Sam Herder’s …



Furman
Samford
Mercer
Chattanooga
Western Carolina
ETSU
The Citadel
VMI
Wofford


FUBeAR typically drops his weekly rankings & picks treatises on Thursday nights / EARLY Friday mornings of game weeks, with adjustments for Thursday games.

FUBeAR‘a Teams of Data Analysts, Technical Writers, and Proofreaders are hard at work and/or at the ready; looking forward to our 8/24 or 8/25 release.

[OrangeAndBlack]

Straightforward picks with all of the home teams and "home" team of Mercer. The only exception is Chattanooga over UNA. Let's see if these easy picks actually hold up! I'm concerned for VMI.

[FUBeAR]

Straightforward picks with all of the home teams and "home" team of Mercer. The only exception is Chattanooga over UNA. Let's see if these easy picks actually hold up! I'm concerned for VMI.
NEW TURF at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, AL https://www.wsfa.com/2023/08/22/cramton-bowl-turf-complete-just-time-football-season/#

SHINY…new turf…and a forecasted game time temperature of 106 degrees.

It’s going to be HOT, HOT, HOT (no Appy videos, please) on that field. Good news, if there is any, is that the humidity forecast is only for 20%…so that heat index is the same as the Temp - 106.

“Heat Index Temperature: 106°F
Danger: at this condition, heat cramps and heat exhaustion are likely; heat stroke is probable with continued activity.”

FUBeAR is concerned they might cancel the game or postpone (losing their ESPN Flagship slot) until the evening.

Any of y’all know if there are any NCAA rules governing playing games within heat / heat index’s that are in the “Danger Zone?”

[FUBeAR]

FUBeAR will return with Full Rankings & Picks, but he will tease & share that he will be taking Mercer over North Alabama in the FCS Kickoff Classic and the top of his SoCon Power Rankings will look like this…

1T. Furman
1T. Mercer
Furman and Mercer tied for #1 - totally unbiased and who could possibly have guessed that would be FUBeAR's ranking?
Sagarin just updated to his Season Start data - seems he’s still copyin’ off FUBeAR’s paper…at least for his Top 2…

Furman >51.42
Mercer >51.42
Samford 51.42
Chattanooga 49.64
Western Carolina 47.12
East Tennessee State 44.86
Wofford 41.43
VMI 38.57
The Citadel 35.78

[SU DOG]

Sagarin just updated to his Season Start data - seems he’s still copyin’ off FUBeAR’s paper…at least for his Top 2…

Furman >51.42
Mercer >51.42
Samford 51.42
Chattanooga 49.64
Western Carolina 47.12
East Tennessee State 44.86
Wofford 41.43
VMI 38.57
The Citadel 35.78

So, what do you think of these same ratings that have 11 FCS teams above Furman? Even I don't go along with that.

[SU DOG]

NEW TURF at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, AL https://www.wsfa.com/2023/08/22/cramton-bowl-turf-complete-just-time-football-season/#

SHINY…new turf…and a forecasted game time temperature of 106 degrees.

It’s going to be HOT, HOT, HOT (no Appy videos, please) on that field. Good news, if there is any, is that the humidity forecast is only for 20%…so that heat index is the same as the Temp - 106.

“Heat Index Temperature: 106°F
Danger: at this condition, heat cramps and heat exhaustion are likely; heat stroke is probable with continued activity.”

FUBeAR is concerned they might cancel the game or postpone (losing their ESPN Flagship slot) until the evening.

Any of y’all know if there are any NCAA rules governing playing games within heat / heat index’s that are in the “Danger Zone?”

Heat discussion on this Montgomery TV interview:

2023 FCS Kickoff & Red Tails Classic (wsfa.com) (https://www.wsfa.com/video/2023/08/21/2023-fcs-kickoff-red-tails-classic/)

[FUBeAR]

Heat discussion on this Montgomery TV interview:

2023 FCS Kickoff & Red Tails Classic (wsfa.com) (https://www.wsfa.com/video/2023/08/21/2023-fcs-kickoff-red-tails-classic/)
Thanks and LOL

I hope any of those 3 stays super-hydrated and in the shade if they are attending....just sayin'

...AND...

"The players aren't the problem. They're practicing in the heat now." WTF????

FUBeAR once played in a game where the Heat Index was 100 (90 degree air temp / 60% humidity). Thermometer on the GRASS field said it was 112 degrees...It was HOT!! Lost about 15 pounds that day. FUBeAR thought he was gon' DIE! Of course Lawrence Taylor and friends may have had something to do with that also. UNC Defense 1980 had some PLAYERS! LT was 'just another guy' among them - at the start of the season when we played - he had a pretty darn good Sr. Year though. Look 'em up some time - (Hey - you don't have to - FUBeAR did it for you - https://keepingitheel.com/2020/08/11/top-5-greatest-tar-heel-football-teams-in-the-last-40-years/6/) - . FUBeAR still gets night sweats from that game....AND IT WAS HOT!!!!!!

[caribbeanhen]

Heat discussion on this Montgomery TV interview:

2023 FCS Kickoff & Red Tails Classic (wsfa.com) (https://www.wsfa.com/video/2023/08/21/2023-fcs-kickoff-red-tails-classic/)

The heat is actually a serious risk

Maybe another spring season is more in order than last time

[FUBeAR]

Maybe another spring season is more in order than last time
https://media.tenor.com/-1k8AbUdhRAAAAAC/not-serious.gif

[FUBeAR]

PICKS…

SCHEDULE
Week 0 - Saturday, August 26


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FUBeAR’s Prediculation


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/North_Alabama_2022.png?width=30North Alabama (http://www.roarlions.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
Gametime forecast is calling of 106 degrees…but only 20% humidity…so, it’s a dry heat. It’s gonna be HOT and FUBeAR expects the Bears to come out HOT also. Carter Peevy, Spring 2021 SoCon Freshman of the Year, will be making his re-debut and FUBeAR expects him to find his All-American targets - Harper & James - frequently for big gains/scores. Hard to know what to think of the Lions - lost a ton of games last year, but lost them close, to good Teams, and they are a heavy portal-user. They could surprise and pounce, but FUBeAR thinks the Bears will be ready

FINAL SCORE: Mercer 45 - UNA 10


Week 1 - Thursday, August 31


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FUBeAR’s Prediculation


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Shorter_.png?width=30Shorter (http://goshorterhawks.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_samford.png?width=30Samford (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
Unfortunately, for the bullpups, Homewood High didn’t have an open date…so they scheduled this game to damage the SoCon’s OOC reputation. FUBeAR predicts by the end of this game, most of Samford’s 43 Transfers will have had an opportunity to meet almost all of their Teammates.

FINAL SCORE: Samford 223 - Shorter 0


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Tennessee-Tech.png?width=30Tennessee Tech (http://www.ttusports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_furman.png?width=30Furman (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)
Furman D, seeking to win the SoCon AND earn a Top 2 Playoff Seed, takes this opportunity to shut down an All Big Sky / All-American RB that portaled hisself to Cookeville. Golden Eagles have a huge question mark at QB. Furman rolls.

FINAL SCORE: Furman 42 - TTU 6


Week 1 - Saturday, September 2


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FUBeAR’s Prediculation


https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Davidson.png?width=30Davidson (http://www.davidsonwildcats.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/VMI_spider_four_color-2015.png?width=30VMI (https://vmikeydets.com/)
VMI has better talent. VMI will know what Davy is going to do and VMI’s new Head Coach is a strong D Coach. Roos put the Kitties in their pouch

FINAL SCORE: VMI 24 - Davidson 21


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/olemiss_200x200_02.png?width=30Mississippi (http://www.olemisssports.com/)
Mercer will be coming off a big win. Ole Miss is coming off Lane Kiffin’s drunken rambling at SEC Media Day. Ole Miss lost 167 Players in the portal and only picked up 141 Inbound Transfers, so the LandsharkBears are not up to stopping the REAL Bears!

FINAL SCORE: Mercer 31 - Ole Miss 28


https://soconsports.com/images/2020/1/2/etsu_logo.png?width=30ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/j5.png?width=30Jacksonville State (http://www.jsugamecocksports.com/)
This is a rematch of an FCS Playoff game a few years back. ETSU fumbled on the goal line going in for the win and fell to the Cocks in that one. In a shocker, the Bucs give the SoCon their 2nd scalp of the day.

FINAL SCORE: ETSU 24 - JSU 20


https://soconsports.com/images/2023/5/30/Terriers_StackedWHITE.png?width=30Wofford (http://woffordterriers.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/pitt_logo_200x200.png?width=30Pittsburgh (http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/)
Looking ahead to W&M, the RatMutts let this one slip through their paws.

FINAL SCORE: Pittsburgh 51 - Wofford 14


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wcu.png?width=30Western Carolina (https://catamountsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Arkansas.png?width=30Arkansas (http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/)
The Cats show off some of their aerial tricks, but they persist in failing to defend their scratching post.

FINAL SCORE: Arkansas 70 - WCU 31


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_chatta_91.png?width=30Chattanooga (http://www.gomocs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/North_Alabama_2022.png?width=30North Alabama (http://www.roarlions.com/)
Fortunately for the SnakeTrains, the Bears tenderized the Lions in the prior week. This allows Chatt’s new QB(s) to FINALLY gain some experience after 7 years on College rosters.

FINAL SCORE: Chattanooga 31 - UNA 17


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_citadel.png?width=30The Citadel (http://www.citadelsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/Georgia-Southern.png?width=30Georgia Southern (http://gseagles.com/)
Coach Drayton is gonna get it goin’ on down in ChuckTown. He was smart enough to hire a Furman Alum to Coach his OL and be OC, augmenting that with a DL Coach with FU DNA. Bellhops WHIP FANNY and the SoCon picks up it’s 3rd scalp of the week.

FINAL SCORE: The Citadel 34 - GaSou 31



POWER RANKINGS…

FUBeAR mentioned his Team was working on this…so he just decided to outsource completely this week. FUBeAR turned this assignment over to his Top Analyst - Chad G. Peetee and this is the wAI Chad sees it…

1. Furman Paladins and Mercer Bears (Tied for 1st):We'll start off with the dynamic duo of the Furman Paladins and the Mercer Bears, both tied for first place because they're too busy practicing their paladin skills and bear growls to focus on petty competition. With their unbreakable alliance, they've declared themselves the ultimate champions of chivalry and honey hunting.

3. East Tennessee State Buccaneers:Ahoy, matey! The East Tennessee State Buccaneers are here to plunder and sail... well, their ship seems to be stranded in the middle of a landlocked state. But don't worry, they've got a map that leads to a secret treasure chest filled with "arr-guably" hilarious excuses for their lack of wins.

4. Wofford Terriers:The Wofford Terriers are known for their tenacious spirit, much like a terrier that won't let go of its chew toy. Rumor has it that their halftime show involves chasing their own tails in an attempt to distract the opposing team. Talk about a "fetching" strategy!

5. Samford Bulldogs:The Samford Bulldogs bring a bark that's worse than their bite, which probably explains why they're often seen fetching their pride after every game. Maybe their halftime entertainment should involve a dog trainer teaching them to sit, stay, and score touchdowns.

6. Western Carolina Catamounts:The Western Carolina Catamounts might be fierce, but they're still trying to figure out what a "Catamount" actually is. Is it a wild cat? A mountain lion? Perhaps it's a cryptic puzzle meant to confuse opponents into submission. Either way, they sure make other teams paws for thought.

7. Virginia Military Institute Keydets:The Virginia Military Institute Keydets march onto the field with precision, reminding us that the only thing more disciplined than their cadet formations is their ability to rack up creative excuses for their losses. Maybe they should try the "strategic nap" tactic during games?

8. Chattanooga Mocs:The Chattanooga Mocs are here to prove that a nickname doesn't have to make sense to strike fear into their opponents. Is a "Moc" a mythical creature or an abbreviation for "mockery"? Regardless, their opponents are left in a state of bewildered "moc-umentation" after every game.

9. The Citadel Bulldogs:The Citadel Bulldogs are like a pack of well-trained soldiers... except they seem to be advancing backwards on the field. Rumor has it that their pre-game chant involves barking commands at each other instead of the opposing team. At least they're consistent in confusion!

So there you have it, the Southern Conference Football Power Rankings.


* FUBeAR will be back doing the Power Rankings next week. He ain’t ‘zactly in agreement with Chad’s work, but Chad did seem to grasp the top of the SoCon perfectly well.

[SU DOG]

If this is an example of the intelligence of AI, the future looks truly bleak. LOL!

[Reign of Terrier]

As a slight follow up to the preview John Hooper wrote, Wofford is certainly not going to pass the ball 70% of the time. I looked back at Shawn Watson-led offenses since Colorado and he's basically maintained a 50-50 split between running and passing. The year he was fired at Pitt, he actually had 2 1000 yard rushers, which was a first time there. As I mentioned before, he did the 50-50 split last year too, even when we were objectively awful at running the ball.

As a medium-to-long-term strategy, I think this is a good call. I'm a big believer that the style of play that Western, Samford, and VMI (maybe still?) does isn't conducive to good defensive play over the long-term, because they rely on creating mistakes in a defense so much (which isn't a bad thing in itself) that, in theory, if your offense operates at a high level, it hurts your defensive development in practice. Western/Samford fans reading my posts can see my skepticism about their consistency in that light - I don't hate those two schools/teams - I'm just very skeptical they can be successful at this level and my opinions will reflect that. But, Samford and a lot of air raid teams like Incarnate World last year proved me wrong last year, so maybe that's changing. We'll need a couple years of data to have a better idea.

Anyway, I'm coming close to all I can say about how I think Wofford will do this year before we actually see a game, but I think the 50-50 temperament on offense will be a good move medium and long term. Obviously, balance is good, but I think that + the west coast style of passing + a commitment to a solid run game has the potential of a more holisitic offense and a more fundamentally sound defense. For example, I think one of the reasons why Wofford is like 1-10 against Chris Hatcher is because the option offense left us unable to really replicate the air raid in practice, and under Conklin (when we didn't suck) our defensive style was just way too aggressive to slow it down.

Long story short, we'll have more flexibility in what we can do, and it's a novel feeling for me as a football fan, because for my whole life my favorite team has been a run-first, run 70%+ of the time offense, and so the way I have to watch and learn about football is going to be different this year.

[FUBeAR]

Game Notes...

Mercer - https://mercerbears.com/documents/2023/8/24/Game_Notes_v_North_Alabama_08.24.23.pdf - no real surprises here. Mercer didn't have many slots to fill on their Top 44 and they've filled the few they had with solid options. Only ones of note for FUBeAR is that it appears the MoState transfer has won the backup QB job and the Charlotte transfer will be the 2nd Team RB.

UNA - https://mercerbears.com/documents/2023/8/24/North_Alabama_Notes_08.26.23.pdf - 40 Transfers - must be a State of Alabama thing. They're trying to keep pace with Samford.

[Reign of Terrier]

I think transfers are severely overrated. The volume of transfers is going to drop after next year, maybe even this year, with the extra year of COVID eligibility expiring. On an athletics call last spring, Wofford's compliance officer said that nationally, FBS players that hit the portal only have a 70% chance of landing a scholarship somewhere else, and for FCS, it's 40%.

One and dones are definitely going to be a thing in mid-major basketball, but unless someone is a supreme talent as a freshman in football, you're not going to get many looks. And having three years of eligibility is always more enticing than just two. Desperate FCS teams in need of players at a certain position groups will look to the portal, but FBS schools have 85 scholarships and so that desperation won't be as common. If you're an FCS player, the portal is not the option to move up in the world as people think it is. Maybe it will be for players at the pioneer league level or some other non-scholarshipped level, or players looking to go to grad school, but those options were pretty much already available, with the only wrinkle for the pioneer league being they no longer have to sit a year.

And when it comes to FBS transfers, we've chatted about this before, but if you look at the FCS programs with the most FBS transfers, or even top 10, there isn't really correlation with program success (Samford last year was the exception, which leads me to think it's more about the program itself, not the transfers). And the reason why is pretty straight forward: the FCS teams getting these players are usually bench warmers of some sort; maybe they get a grad school QB for a year, but is that functionally any better than have a senior QB who didn't see the field and turns out great?

Transfers have always been a little bit overrated, but there's just a lot of doomerism about the portal and NIL. At the end of the day, if you have a good coach that can develop players at this level, and have people buy in, you'll do okay.

[SU DOG]

Sweet Home Alabama - Those transfers can't resist our southern hospitality. Seriously though, if my ciphering is correct over 30% of Samford's transfers are from this state to begin with. Those returning/returned home would include QB Michael Hiers. The Birmingham Metro Area is a haven for D-1 signees and UAB (SU transfer source) is less than 10 miles away. The proximity of the Atlanta area and other Georgia cities also accounts for numerous transfer options. IMO, Samford is in a good position to attract many players who seek better opportunities. I offer some logical reasoning for our roster makeup, but I am not trying to defend Samford's transfer numbers. IDK what effects this policy will have long term, and I don't ever debate that question. I just say that time will tell.

[Reign of Terrier]

Was Hiers a scholarship athlete at his prior school? I remember something in the media day about Hatcher saying something about him being a walk on or recommended walk on before he transfered?

Recruiting, and evaluating transfers at this level is a crap shoot. I don't think using the option to hit the portal is something one has to defend. It's a valid way of recruiting. And if I'm not mistaken, athletes don't transfer more than the average student population (COVID notwithstanding)

[SU DOG]

Was Hiers a scholarship athlete at his prior school? I remember something in the media day about Hatcher saying something about him being a walk on or recommended walk on before he transfered?

Recruiting, and evaluating transfers at this level is a crap shoot. I don't think using the option to hit the portal is something one has to defend. It's a valid way of recruiting. And if I'm not mistaken, athletes don't transfer more than the average student population (COVID notwithstanding)

Hiers was recruited by Samford out of nearby Briarwood Christian HS. Samford had some really good QBs and Hatcher felt he didn't have a scholly available, and Michael was offered a PWO. He almost accepted but decided otherwise so last year he came from a Mississippi Juco.

[FUBeAR]

Sweet Home Alabama - Those transfers can't resist our southern hospitality. Seriously though, if my ciphering is correct over 30% of Samford's transfers are from this state to begin with. Those returning/returned home would include QB Michael Hiers. The Birmingham Metro Area is a haven for D-1 signees and UAB (SU transfer source) is less than 10 miles away. The proximity of the Atlanta area and other Georgia cities also accounts for numerous transfer options. IMO, Samford is in a good position to attract many players who seek better opportunities. I offer some logical reasoning for our roster makeup, but I am not trying to defend Samford's transfer numbers. IDK what effects this policy will have long term, and I don't ever debate that question. I just say that time will tell.
Appreciate your last couple of sentences. Up until then. FUBeAR couldn’t distinguish you from a Chatt fan ‘justifying’ their influx of transfers every year…but then you kinda just owned it. That’s the spirit. Don’t try to ‘splain / justify / excuse or whatever… JUST OWN IT.

Y’all got a crapload of Transfers. It is what it is. Own it..as you bravely did at the end of your post.

Now, if FUBeAR’s SoCon Team number 2 got to that level of Transfers, he might have to start thinking about how he felt about it and evaluating his relationship with #2. If FUBeAR’s SoCon Team #1 got to that level, he would have to have a discussion with the HC and the VP/AD to understand how it fit the mission of Team, the Athletic Departmenr, and the school (FUBeAR’s Alma Mater). And he might come away from those conversations feeling all hunky-dory…or he might come away with a lot more free time on Saturday’s in the Fall. Dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Will just have to see how he feels about it if we get there…but 12 is a long way from 43…so we ain’t worryin’ ‘bout it just yet…other than to make fun of the 43 crowd.

BTW - 18 of UNA’s Starters are Transfers. They may be better than SDSU or worse than Presbyterian….who knows????

[Reign of Terrier]

Hiers was recruited by Samford out of nearby Briarwood Christian HS. Samford had some really good QBs and Hatcher felt he didn't have a scholly available, and Michael was offered a PWO. He almost accepted but decided otherwise so last year he came from a Mississippi Juco.

This is why no one should really invest much brainpower in FCS recruiting. Outside of the laughable ratings of hero sports, it's hard to predict that a dude Hatcher didn't have a scholarship for would be QB1 in a couple years




BTW - 18 of UNA’s Starters are Transfers. They may be better than SDSU or worse than Presbyterian….who knows????

From the looks of things, UNA's coach is in year one. If the team eventually ends up being good, it's because they get better over the course of the year, but right now I imagine they aren't great. It's hard to be worse than last year though, they haven't beaten a D1 opponent since 2021

[FUBeAR]

From the looks of things, UNA's coach is in year one. If the team eventually ends up being good, it's because they get better over the course of the year, but right now I imagine they aren't great. It's hard to be worse than last year though, they haven't beaten a D1 opponent since 2021
UNA’s Coach is in Year 1. He has been in Year 1 at 5 schools in the past 6 seasons. Doesn’t look like he places much value in building cohesiveness, continuity, or tenure. Their record in 2021 or even 2022 is meaningless. This 2023 UNA Team has little, if anything to so with those Teams. As UIW has done and Samford did…UNA could be that guy this year…or they could be worse than Presbyterian. New paradigm. Last year don’t mean **** if you aren’t playing with last year’s Players or last year’s Coaches.

[caribbeanhen]

UNA’s Coach is in Year 1. He has been in Year 1 at 5 schools in the past 6 seasons. Doesn’t look like he places much value in building cohesiveness, continuity, or tenure. Their record in 2021 or even 2022 is meaningless. This 2023 UNA Team has little, if anything to so with those Teams. As UIW has done and Samford did…UNA could be that guy this year…or they could be worse than Presbyterian. New paradigm. Last year don’t mean **** if you aren’t playing with last year’s Players or last year’s Coaches.

Did Northern Alabama (flows from the lengua better n UNA) get any good ones?

[FUBeAR]

GAME DAY!!
https://twitter.com/Drew_Tranum/status/1695414973902532922

[FUBeAR]

In case any of y’all missed the Mercer Bears and the SoCon going undefeated Out of Conference this week.

Compressed / Highlighted Game - ESPN Broadcast


https://youtu.be/nOVOWbJlBc0?feature=shared

Field Level Views / Highlights - via Bluebloods


https://youtu.be/rv4cIIFgbQ0?feature=shared

[caribbeanhen]

Did Northern Alabama (flows from the lengua better n UNA) get any good ones?

Don’t know CH, I’ll get back to you in November

[FUBeAR]

BTW - 18 of UNA’s Starters are Transfers. They may be better than SDSU or worse than Presbyterian….who knows????
From the looks of things, UNA's coach is in year one. If the team eventually ends up being good, it's because they get better over the course of the year, but right now I imagine they aren't great. It's hard to be worse than last year though, they haven't beaten a D1 opponent since 2021
UNA’s Coach is in Year 1. He has been in Year 1 at 5 schools in the past 6 seasons. Doesn’t look like he places much value in building cohesiveness, continuity, or tenure. Their record in 2021 or even 2022 is meaningless. This 2023 UNA Team has little, if anything to so with those Teams. As UIW has done and Samford did…UNA could be that guy this year…or they could be worse than Presbyterian. New paradigm. Last year don’t mean **** if you aren’t playing with last year’s Players or last year’s Coaches.
Did Northern Alabama (flows from the lengua better n UNA) get any good ones?
Don’t know CH, I’ll get back to you in November
They must have thought so…

* 56 of the Players on the UNA 2023 Roster of 112 Players were not listed on their 2022 Roster of 110 Players.
* 33 of the Players listed on the UNA O&D 2-Deep for Mercer were not listed on their O&D 2-Deep for the final game of 2022.
* 20 of the Players listed on the O&D 2-Deep for Mercer were not listed on UNA's 2022 Roster

That meet your information request requirements?

BTW, GIYF2

[caribbeanhen]

They must have thought so…

* 56 of the Players on the UNA 2023 Roster of 112 Players were not listed on their 2022 Roster of 110 Players.
* 33 of the Players listed on the UNA O&D 2-Deep for Mercer were not listed on their O&D 2-Deep for the final game of 2022.
* 20 of the Players listed on the O&D 2-Deep for Mercer were not listed on UNA's 2022 Roster

That meet your information request requirements?

BTW, GIYF2

hey thanks

I missed the game or I would of had my answer

[PaladinNation]

It's hard to know what to expect in week one games.
Mercer's performance is criticized as not worthy of a top 25 team.
I'm not going to point to the heat as an excuses for the performances in that game.
But, I would love to see a BigSky or a MVC school come down to the deep south and play a season opener in 100 plus degree heat.

I have cautious optimism about the Paladins opener against Tenn Tech.
How will a year-two offense perform with Coach Roper and Tyler Huff?
I'm not worried about the Defense, I am curious to see how Furman uses all the weapons it has on offense.
How much of the playbook does Furman dig into in week one?

[MR. CHICKEN]

It's hard to know what to expect in week one games.
Mercer's performance is criticized as not worthy of a top 25 team.
I'm not going to point to the heat as an excuses for the performances in that game.
But, I would love to see a BigSky or a MVC school come down to the deep south and play a season opener in 100 plus degree heat.

I have cautious optimism about the Paladins opener against Tenn Tech.
How will a year-two offense perform with Coach Roper and Tyler Huff?
I'm not worried about the Defense, I am curious to see how Furman uses all the weapons it has on offense.
How much of the playbook does Furman dig into in week one?

.......EAGLES....NOT DAT GOLDEN......BRAWK!
.......FURBALLS STAY ON PAGE 1.....WHAA SHOW SAMFORD....DUH GOOD STUFF.........AWK?

[PaladinNation]

You do know we eat fried chicken in the south?
;-)

[SU DOG]

Coach Hatcher just got a 4-year contract extension.

Hatcher Receives Four-Year Contract Extension - Samford University Athletics (samfordsports.com) (https://samfordsports.com/news/2023/8/28/football-hatcher-receives-four-year-contract-extension.aspx)

[Reign of Terrier]

Coach Hatcher just got a 4-year contract extension.

Hatcher Receives Four-Year Contract Extension - Samford University Athletics (samfordsports.com) (https://samfordsports.com/news/2023/8/28/football-hatcher-receives-four-year-contract-extension.aspx)

I'm surprised that didn't come sooner? Judging by math and that it goes through January 2027, was his current contract running on fumes?

[FUBeAR]

Coach Hatcher just got a 4-year contract extension.

Hatcher Receives Four-Year Contract Extension - Samford University Athletics (samfordsports.com) (https://samfordsports.com/news/2023/8/28/football-hatcher-receives-four-year-contract-extension.aspx)
Guess your AD musta seen FUBeAR’s post about him Deion-ing y’all after this season…and decided it was easier to pay up now.

[SU DOG]

I'm surprised that didn't come sooner? Judging by math and that it goes through January 2027, was his current contract running on fumes?

Yeah, Coach Hatcher was literally coaching for his job last year, and I know this for a fact.

[Reign of Terrier]

Yeah, Coach Hatcher was literally coaching for his job last year, and I know this for a fact.

That's extremely interesting to me. I'm a Hatcher critic as much as anyone (I'm not going to be sold on the air raid until Samford or Western regularly makes the playoffs and is basically comparable to what Wofford and Furman were in the late 2010s), but I don't think before last year he was worse than Samford was historically. Arguably, he did things other Samford coaches couldn't do: beat top 15 opponents like Wofford regularly.

Now, you could also argue that Samford did the least with most with all of the NFL talent they had over the years, but I still think people underestimate how hard it is to be perennially successful in the Socon. IMO if Samford stayed in the OVC with Hatcher they would have dominated soon enough.

[kdinva]

FYI: WCU @ Arkansas now kicking off at 1 PM EDT......(ESPN+)

https://fbschedules.com/arkansas-adjusts-kickoff-time-for-season-opener-against-western-carolina/

[Milktruck74]

As FruBare points out the Mocs do have quite a few transfers on their roster....But like SU DOG pointed out about Sammy, many of the kids on the Mocs roster are kids that are from down the road or up the street and got a little homesick. Most are from within 100 miles of Chattanooga. Most are not scholarship guys, they are just kids that want to play and didn't like where they were. In fact, I would bet that of the 15-20 transfers that are on this year's roster for the first time, two are starters on Saturday and only about 4 or 5 more even crack the 2 deep. So there is that. I'm glad there is a place for kids to land and I'm glad when someone wants to come home they are welcomed by this staff...but the heart of the Mocs team will be guys that have been there for some time.

[SU DOG]

That's extremely interesting to me. I'm a Hatcher critic as much as anyone (I'm not going to be sold on the air raid until Samford or Western regularly makes the playoffs and is basically comparable to what Wofford and Furman were in the late 2010s), but I don't think before last year he was worse than Samford was historically. Arguably, he did things other Samford coaches couldn't do: beat top 15 opponents like Wofford regularly.

Now, you could also argue that Samford did the least with most with all of the NFL talent they had over the years, but I still think people underestimate how hard it is to be perennially successful in the Socon. IMO if Samford stayed in the OVC with Hatcher they would have dominated soon enough.

ROT, you might not be aware of how much better the running game has been for Samford recently. Look at last season stats and you will find that Samford had more yards rushing in the games with opponents TN Tech, Wofford, ETSU, and even Furman. Mercer had only 2 yards more. As for the passing game, the QBs like Duck Hodges and Michael Hiers along with some WRs that are now (and some current ones very possible) playing at the next level and it makes sense to employ a wide open type of attack.

[Reign of Terrier]

ROT, you might not be aware of how much better the running game has been for Samford recently. Look at last season stats and you will find that Samford had more yards rushing in the games with opponents TN Tech, Wofford, ETSU, and even Furman. Mercer had only 2 yards more. As for the passing game, the QBs like Duck Hodges and Michael Hiers along with some WRs that are now (and some current ones very possible) playing at the next level and it makes sense to employ a wide open type of attack.

Yeah, but it wasn't until the last couple of years that Samford actually ran the ball above 40% of the time. But even then, if sack yards are taken off, Samford's run game on a per carry basis last year was closer to VMI and Wofford (who were both awful last year) than the other peers.

Again, I could be wrong, maybe Samford is turning a corner, but the jury is out for a bit longer.

[SU DOG]

Yeah, but it wasn't until the last couple of years that Samford actually ran the ball above 40% of the time. But even then, if sack yards are taken off, Samford's run game on a per carry basis last year was closer to VMI and Wofford (who were both awful last year) than the other peers.

Again, I could be wrong, maybe Samford is turning a corner, but the jury is out for a bit longer.

Your first sentence saying "until the last couple of years" echoes my word "RECENTLY". The 4 teams that I named, Samford also had a better yds/carry. Do whatever you want with stats you know. Samford was second in the conference in 1st downs by rushing, but 8th in total rushing, so I give you that. I really don't give a rat's rear how we compare with our peers in rushing yardage as long as we win. Obviously, however, Hatcher has improved the recent Samford defense AND running game.

[FUBeAR]

Hatcher has improved the recent Samford defense...Really does depend upon how one defines the word “recent.”

Samford gave up almost 40 points per game in its 3 most recent contests. Hopefully the Bullpups can keep D2 Shorter under 40 this Thursday night.

[Reign of Terrier]

I'm just looking at that style of offense, and wherever it's gone, it's struggled and/or choked at bad times when it plays a team that plays good defense and can run the ball decently. Think 2014 Oregon, for instance. I'm not singling out Samford, Samford's just one data point.

But last year was a great counterpoint to that, especially with Incarnate Word. It could be the case that the FCS is shifting in a manner where defense is less important. It could be that my criticism of the spread air raid is valid - it makes ones defense sub-optimal - but it doesn't matter.

Still, I would rather run an offense like Furman or Wofford or ETSU and to some degree Mercer (I have hot takes about their offense: the bootlegs aren't worth it), that gives you that big play potential, but doesn't corrode the defense too much. Having said that, all of those teams got in shoot outs last year, and I don't like that direction of the conference.

Tbh the best formula of a socon team in the last decade, even if they didn't win a lot of playoff games, was probably Chattanooga under Huesman. Strong defense, strong run game, mobile QB with a good passing game. You look at the Dakota States, and the James Madisons of the last few years, that's more conducive to deep playoff runs.

[SU DOG]

OK, I will define my word "recent" to last season. Obviously, Hatcher hiring the new defensive coaches was the thing. I am not arguing pros and cons about the Air Raid Offense. My contention is that our running game and defense was better. It was good enough to hold 3 SoCon Teams from crossing the goal line. It wasn't where it needed to be, but anybody who says Samford's defense wasn't improved last year simply has an agenda. I usually make few if any predictions, but I am going to make an exception here based on what I have seen and say that Samford will have one of the top defenses in the SoCon this season. Hopefully, I can say that you heard it here first.

[FUBeAR]

OK, I will define my word "recent" to last season. Obviously, Hatcher hiring the new defensive coaches was the thing. I am not arguing pros and cons about the Air Raid Offense. My contention is that our running game and defense was better. It was good enough to hold 3 SoCon Teams from crossing the goal line. It wasn't where it needed to be, but anybody who says Samford's defense wasn't improved last year simply has an agenda. I usually make few if any predictions, but I am going to make an exception here based on what I have seen and say that Samford will have one of the top defenses in the SoCon this season. Hopefully, I can say that you heard it here first.Without question, it was heard here first…

So…Samford was #4 in SoCon Scoring Defense (23 PPG in conference games - the best comparative measurement) in 2022 behind Chattanooga (1T 20.25 PPG w/7 Starters returning (including SoCon DPOY)), Furman (1T 20.25 PPG w/10 Starters returning), and Mercer (21.75 PPG w/10 Starters returning).

Samford has exactly 2.6 Starters returning on their Defense. 1 DLman, 1.6 LB’s, and 0 DB’s.

Are you are projecting they will be the #1 Defense in the SoCon? If so…good luck with that projection, Nostradamutt!

Or, does “one of the top defenses” mean Top 4…cuz 5 is “just in the middle” and 6-9 can’t be called “top” here outside of The Upside Down.

And, the whole “message” seems to be about “improvement.”

Is your claim that they will be improved from 2022, when they gave up almost 40 points per game in their 3 most recent games…and be in the Top 3.

…OR…

…are your saying they will, as they were last year, be in the Top 4…which was good enough to go undefeated and win the SoCon Championship (with a tremendous assist from the notorious, infamous, no-longer-employed SoCon official, Mr. Graham)???

Since this is a “you heard it here first” prediction, FUBeAR thinks you would want it to be clear and definitive.

Are you saying..

A) Samford will be the #1 Defense in the SoCon OR
B) Samford will have an improved Defense, so they will be in the Top 3 of SoCon Defenses OR
C) Samford will be at least in the Top 4 SoCon Defenses, which means they could be about as good as they were in 2022, when they gave up almost 40 points per game in their 3 most recent games

[Reign of Terrier]

It wasn't where it needed to be, but anybody who says Samford's defense wasn't improved last year simply has an agenda. I usually make few if any predictions, but I am going to make an exception here based on what I have seen and say that Samford will have one of the top defenses in the SoCon this season. Hopefully, I can say that you heard it here first.

No one said that, so I guess we're good. My money is against Samford having a top 3 offense though. They probably won't need it. Being middle-tier is good enough.

[SU DOG]

I hope for at least top 4 and the 2022 defense was next to last in the SoCon in the total defense stat, so we have to only move up one notch there for me to point out I was right about improvement. To say our type of offense does not lend itself to allowing for a top spot in the defensive category may be a real factor. I don't have illusions of grandeur, so hopefully I won't be misunderstood here. Hatcher does claim to have more depth on defense than before, so that should help. To summarize, I do believe we will field a better defense in 2023 than in 2022. I think we will be in the upper half of the SoCon in team defense. If I'm proven wrong, then I will admit it without excuses.

[Reign of Terrier]

We're good fam, this is just message board shooting the ****. We're all just really amped about the season starting, and all the hopes and dreams that come with it.

[FUBeAR]

I hope for at least top 4 and the 2022 defense was next to last in the SoCon in the total defense stat, so we have to only move up one notch there for me to point out I was right about improvement. To say our type of offense does not lend itself to allowing for a top spot in the defensive category may be a real factor. I don't have illusions of grandeur, so hopefully I won't be misunderstood here. Hatcher does claim to have more depth on defense than before, so that should help. To summarize, I do believe we will field a better defense in 2023 than in 2022. I think we will be in the upper half of the SoCon in team defense. If I'm proven wrong, then I will admit it without excuses.
So…

Samford will be in the Top 4 in the SoCon Total Defense Stat (All games) is your specific “Heard it here 1st” projection?

….moving up from 8th in 2022…



TOTAL DEFENSE
G
Rush
Pass
Plays
Yards
Avg/P
TD
Avg/G


1.
Chattanooga
11
1188
2338
696
3526
5.1
28
320.5


2.
Mercer
11
1321
2390
753
3711
4.9
27
337.4


3.
The Citadel
11
1650
2143
621
3793
6.1
34
344.8


4.
Furman
13
1511
3537
917
5048
5.5
33
388.3


5.
Western Carolina
11
2010
2285
755
4295
5.7
46
390.5


6.
ETSU
11
1538
2981
807
4519
5.6
40
410.8


7.
Wofford
11
2106
2658
733
4764
6.5
42
433.1


8.
Samford
13
2258
3400
1030
5658
5.5
37
435.2


9.
VMI
11
2372
2445
818
4817
5.9
46
437.9

[caribbeanhen]

I signed up for ESPN + this morning via Roku

credit card charged $ 9.99

went to check some games and saw the replay of Mercer Northern Alabama with the little ESPN+ below

clicked on game, and was immediately asked to log into cable TV provider but I only have the company for internet no cable tv package

I checked in with the ESPN chat to ask a question, representative was very patient but more confused than I

I was able to get from the person was that you’re not able to watch a replay of that game because it was not carried by one of the ESPN networks. It was probably on Apple TV, or some other choice.

My other question to ESPN was do you now need a cable TV provider to be able to watch games on ESPN plus via Roku or ESPN app on cell phone ? Hold on Caribbeanhen I gotta phone a friend….. click…. Chat disconnected



clicked on game and was asked for

[SCPALADIN]

I signed up for ESPN + this morning via Roku

credit card charged $ 9.99

went to check some games and saw the replay of Mercer Northern Alabama with the little ESPN+ below

clicked on game, and was immediately asked to log into cable TV provider but I only have the company for internet no cable tv package

I checked in with the ESPN chat to ask a question, representative was very patient but more confused than I

I was able to get from the person was that you’re not able to watch a replay of that game because it was not carried by one of the ESPN networks. It was probably on Apple TV, or some other choice.

My other question to ESPN was do you now need a cable TV provider to be able to watch games on ESPN plus via Roku or ESPN app on cell phone ? Hold on Caribbeanhen I gotta phone a friend….. click…. Chat disconnected



clicked on game and was asked for

Hopefully this helps....
ESPN channels that are actual channels on cable (eg ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) are NOT part of the ESPN+ streaming package. To access content on these channels you need to have cable and use your cable provider login and password to access these through the ESPN app.

[caribbeanhen]

Hopefully this helps....
ESPN channels that are actual channels on cable (eg ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) are NOT part of the ESPN+ streaming package. To access content on these channels you need to have cable and use your cable provider login and password to access these through the ESPN app.

hey thanks Paladin, and I am familiar with that from last year

but anytime a game has ESPN plus on it, like the Mercer northern Alabama replay game does, if you have an ESPN plus account you could watch it without having a cable TV provider and that wasn’t the case this morning, I assume that game was probably on ESPN though and that’s why I can’t watch it…

by the way, the Jackson State South Carolina State game is on ESPN3 or the free channel and that’s working fine for me on the replay…..

I’ll see how it goes with the ESPN plus here this weekend for watching FCS games because if it’s going to be a pain I’m canceling this ****

[ElCid]

Hopefully this helps....
ESPN channels that are actual channels on cable (eg ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) are NOT part of the ESPN+ streaming package. To access content on these channels you need to have cable and use your cable provider login and password to access these through the ESPN app.

Exactly. ESPN wants you to have cable. They make HUGE money off cable. The Mercer game was on ESPN. If you want to watch it, you have to have cable.

This sort of blackmailing people into making choices is why cable is dying. People don't want to put up with it, and resent it. Before I moved my dad down with me his cable provider forced bundled Turner Classic Movies with some NFL package. So if you have zero desire to watch the NFL but love TCM, you had to subsidize the NFL. This was just another example. ESPN is poison. I'd love the SOCON to go some other route than ESPN+, but it just isn't there yet.

[MR. CHICKEN]

hey thanks Paladin, and I am familiar with that from last year

but anytime a game has ESPN plus on it, like the Mercer northern Alabama replay game does, if you have an ESPN plus account you could watch it without having a cable TV provider and that wasn’t the case this morning, I assume that game was probably on ESPN though and that’s why I can’t watch it…

by the way, the Jackson State South Carolina State game is on ESPN3 or the free channel and that’s working fine for me on the replay…..

I’ll see how it goes with the ESPN plus here this weekend for watching FCS games because if it’s going to be a pain I’m canceling this ****

.....N. ALABAMA vs MERCER....WAS ON ESPN @ 3:30 PM EST........BUT B/CAUSE OF LONG WEATHER DELAY....ESPN MOVED IT TO ESPN3....B/CAUSE THEY HAD UMASS-NEW MEXICO STATE SKEDDED FOR ESPN 7PM EST....SOUFF CAROLINA STATE/JACKSON STATE WAS INITIALY SHOWN ON ABC 7:30 P EST......BRAWK!

[MSUBobcat]

hey thanks Paladin, and I am familiar with that from last year

but anytime a game has ESPN plus on it, like the Mercer northern Alabama replay game does, if you have an ESPN plus account you could watch it without having a cable TV provider and that wasn’t the case this morning, I assume that game was probably on ESPN though and that’s why I can’t watch it…

by the way, the Jackson State South Carolina State game is on ESPN3 or the free channel and that’s working fine for me on the replay…..

I’ll see how it goes with the ESPN plus here this weekend for watching FCS games because if it’s going to be a pain I’m canceling this ****

You're a step ahead of me then. My ESPN+ package is free via my Verizon service, but I don't get ESPN3. Apparently Verizon (phone) is not "participating high speed internet service providers". My UNA-Mercer game shows just "ESPN" on it, no +, so I know I can't watch it, just like I can't watch the JSU-SCSU game.

[ElCid]

The Citadel's new head coach putting the hammer down...on his team. Ouch! Telling it like he sees it.

https://twitter.com/SEisbergWCIV/status/1696220104520835530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1696220104520835530%7Ctwgr% 5E81ecea2baba5f461c883e026ce394909de7a4844%7Ctwcon %5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd385qf6ikjhym6.cloudfront.ne t%2Fapi%2Fiframe%3Furl%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Fs eisbergwciv2Fstatus2F16962201045208355303Fs3D6126t 3Dro9IvvTAkHXxERmMlgHgHw26fbclid3DIwAR1XwaR9FeSgGF wCHMBt0aaMWvh0JLnLotWI8wla2EEJfNCAOXSYToNuzcUv%3D1 app%3D1key%3Db05dc6ed163f14e585698ef5ffaa454f

[caribbeanhen]

Exactly. ESPN wants you to have cable. They make HUGE money off cable. The Mercer game was on ESPN. If you want to watch it, you have to have cable.

This sort of blackmailing people into making choices is why cable is dying. People don't want to put up with it, and resent it. Before I moved my dad down with me his cable provider forced bundled Turner Classic Movies with some NFL package. So if you have zero desire to watch the NFL but love TCM, you had to subsidize the NFL. This was just another example. ESPN is poison. I'd love the SOCON to go some other route than ESPN+, but it just isn't there yet.

Indeed El Cid,
Im kind of living In a Bermuda triangle right now traveling from Puerto Rico to New York to Miami and I have Internet service in Puerto Rico and I also pay for a different one for New York, and I was thinking about adding one for Miami I said wait a minute now, I should be able to combine this. Last thing I’m gonna do is sign up for cable TV… I’ll just close my eyes and watch an eye lid game before I do that

[ElCid]

Indeed El Cid,
Im kind of living In a Bermuda triangle right now traveling from Puerto Rico to New York to Miami and I have Internet service in Puerto Rico and I also pay for a different one for New York, and I was thinking about adding one for Miami I said wait a minute now, I should be able to combine this. Last thing I’m gonna do is sign up for cable TV… I’ll just close my eyes and watch an eye lid game before I do that

I think I may take a trip back in time and listen to games on the radio. I can actually pick up a Greenville station for real, that has our games on it. But the Internet has lots of radio choices. There was a span of time, after internet but before streaming video, where I listened to a lot of games. Ah, those were the days.

[MR. CHICKEN]

I think I may take a trip back in time and listen to games on the radio. I can actually pick up a Greenville station for real, that has our games on it. But the Internet has lots of radio choices. There was a span of time, after internet but before streaming video, where I listened to a lot of games. Ah, those were the days.

....AH TO....LISTENED ON INTERNET RADIO.....USED TA HEAR DUH CAL-POLY GAMES LATE SATURDAY NIGHT....WHEN DEY HAD DUH REAL GOOD RB.....AN IMAGINE DUH TRIPLE-O IN UH CLOUD UH DUST....BRAWK!

[caribbeanhen]

I think I may take a trip back in time and listen to games on the radio. I can actually pick up a Greenville station for real, that has our games on it. But the Internet has lots of radio choices. There was a span of time, after internet but before streaming video, where I listened to a lot of games. Ah, those were the days.

oh yes indeed I can totally relate to listening to games on radio…. I just can’t hear them anymore in real time

[Reign of Terrier]

So, as someone who is younger than most of y'all (I probably won't be able to say that for long - heck, I'll probably be disallowed when I turn 30):

Cable is worth it. ESPN+, if you like FCS football, is worth it. A lot of people have been beating around the bush, doing chord cutting, etc, but at the end of the day, whatever you're getting for cable + the sports package + the $100 annual fee for ESPN+ is just so much better/cheaper than finding a bar or looking for a bootleg or subscribing to something and then canceling before you're billed. I probably pay $50-90 a month for my cable + sports package (on top of wifi) and in terms of not having to plan where the hell I'm going to watch a game, and just turn it on when it's time - it's worth it. Sure, I probably don't use it after March madness and before football season, which is like half the year, but it's just so much more convenient, and if you can afford it, why not?

[Reign of Terrier]

Also, maybe this is a hot take, but Maurice Drayton gives off HUGE Conklin vibes. I watched his interview for ESPN+ for media day and lots of buzzwords, lots of slogans and aphorisms that remind me more of the hustle bros you see on Youtube who try to sell suckers their $300 coarse.

Now, as always, I am open to being wrong here. I bet he's not nearly as insufferable as Conklin was toward the end, but that sort of comment to the media is kind of a red flag to me.

[ElCid]

Also, maybe this is a hot take, but Maurice Drayton gives off HUGE Conklin vibes. I watched his interview for ESPN+ for media day and lots of buzzwords, lots of slogans and aphorisms that remind me more of the hustle bros you see on Youtube who try to sell suckers their $300 coarse.

Now, as always, I am open to being wrong here. I bet he's not nearly as insufferable as Conklin was toward the end, but that sort of comment to the media is kind of a red flag to me.

I certainly hope he is just not playing mind games. But he is the coach and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until I see how we do. He is a defense animal so I hope to see him solidify an already decent defense. We will see.

[caribbeanhen]

So, as someone who is younger than most of y'all (I probably won't be able to say that for long - heck, I'll probably be disallowed when I turn 30):

Cable is worth it. ESPN+, if you like FCS football, is worth it. A lot of people have been beating around the bush, doing chord cutting, etc, but at the end of the day, whatever you're getting for cable + the sports package + the $100 annual fee for ESPN+ is just so much better/cheaper than finding a bar or looking for a bootleg or subscribing to something and then canceling before you're billed. I probably pay $50-90 a month for my cable + sports package (on top of wifi) and in terms of not having to plan where the hell I'm going to watch a game, and just turn it on when it's time - it's worth it. Sure, I probably don't use it after March madness and before football season, which is like half the year, but it's just so much more convenient, and if you can afford it, why not?

OK, but try it in three different locales bucko

Actually, now that fall football watchin practices are about over, I’m getting more into mid season football watching form as I remember the YouTube app on Roku or you can just pull up the game on “Matthew loves ball”

25 minutes of action on N Alabama Mercer game… beautiful thing

by the way, the Albany quarterback Puffenburger puts The Mercer QB to shame .. a gamer

[BearDownMU]

Rumors are that you will soon be able to buy ESPN streaming in full as a standalone service. As of yesterday, there are rumbling that it will be offered via Amazon Prime. No final word yet on where, but in the near future I think you will no longer need cable for full access to ESPN streaming if you buy their streaming product.

[BearDownMU]

by the way, the Albany quarterback Puffenburger puts The Mercer QB to shame .. a gamer

Maybe our guy would have looked different if he had thrown it 40 times. lol

[Reign of Terrier]

OK, but try it in three different locales bucko

Actually, now that fall football watchin practices are about over, I’m getting more into mid season football watching form as I remember the YouTube app on Roku or you can just pull up the game on “Matthew loves ball”

25 minutes of action on N Alabama Mercer game… beautiful thing

by the way, the Albany quarterback Puffenburger puts The Mercer QB to shame .. a gamer

So, if you remember your cable login information, you should be able to use it in ESPN+. And lots of cable service providers have mobile apps where you can stream their cable live. And Fox, ESPN, and CBS all have mobile apps that you can log in with your cable info and watch. In my case, I have a roommate and only one TV connected to the cable, and on many occasions he's been watching one game on the cable, while I watch a game via streaming in my room. It's just so much more convenient.

[caribbeanhen]

So, if you remember your cable login information, you should be able to use it in ESPN+. And lots of cable service providers have mobile apps where you can stream their cable live. And Fox, ESPN, and CBS all have mobile apps that you can log in with your cable info and watch. In my case, I have a roommate and only one TV connected to the cable, and on many occasions he's been watching one game on the cable, while I watch a game via streaming in my room. It's just so much more convenient.

convenient? If remembering 16 passwords and using 13 apps is convenient, you are a better man than I.

Back in the day, there was only one game on and you watched it whether you liked or not ….

I take that back, they were basically three channels and maybe two games would be on a Saturday afternoon and if you were lucky you had a clicker

they were all free … no cable required

[atthewbon]

Hopefully this helps....
ESPN channels that are actual channels on cable (eg ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) are NOT part of the ESPN+ streaming package. To access content on these channels you need to have cable and use your cable provider login and password to access these through the ESPN app.

There have been rumors that ESPN and Amazon (or another number of companies looking to acquire a stake in ESPN) may soon be offering a streaming service for EPSN cable channels (ESPN, ESPN2, and ESNPU). The price estimates are $20-35 a month which is expensive, but if it's all you use cable for could be worth it vs cable. https://www.techradar.com/streaming/amazon-could-soon-deliver-espn-sports-streaming-for-an-eye-watering-price

edit

just saw BearDownMU already posted something similar

[atthewbon]

OK, but try it in three different locales bucko

Actually, now that fall football watchin practices are about over, I’m getting more into mid season football watching form as I remember the YouTube app on Roku or you can just pull up the game on “Matthew loves ball”

25 minutes of action on N Alabama Mercer game… beautiful thing

by the way, the Albany quarterback Puffenburger puts The Mercer QB to shame .. a gamer

It might be worth looking into streaming services like HULU TV or Youtube TV. They are cheaper than cable, still have all the channels, and would allow you to watch from multiple different locations (not at the same time but they allow you to change locations for your TVs and you can always watch on a phone or laptop). It's not perfect but way better than traditional cable IMO.

[FUBeAR]

Don’t know who to quote, but FUBeAR gets no Conklin vibes from Coach Drayton. As RoT well-knows FUBeAR’s L-Detector began pinging on Conklin from Day1.

Drayton’s persona is vibing as "No BS Winner." Reminds FUBeAR of another Charleston native Bellhop Alum Football Player who FUBeAR Coached Middle School ball with a while back. We went 24-1 (still pissed about the 1) over 2 seasons - so that vibe can definitely yield positive results - DAMMIT - FUBeAR wants the bellhops to go 0-12 every year, but he doesn’t foresee that with Coach Drayton.

[kdinva]

Furman 38, Tenn. Tech 20
Samford 58; Shorter 13
VMI 31; Davidson 17
Mississippi 35; Mercer 14
Jacksonville St. 38; ETSU 23
Pitt 44; Wofford 20
Arkansas 53, WCU 28
UTC 30; UNA 17
Ga. Southern 38; The Citadel 21

[Reign of Terrier]

convenient? If remembering 16 passwords and using 13 apps is convenient, you are a better man than I.

Back in the day, there was only one game on and you watched it whether you liked or not ….

I take that back, they were basically three channels and maybe two games would be on a Saturday afternoon and if you were lucky you had a clicker

they were all free … no cable required

Your devices remember your account/password. You're welcome!


Don’t know who to quote, but FUBeAR gets no Conklin vibes from Coach Drayton. As RoT well-knows FUBeAR’s L-Detector began pinging on Conklin from Day1.

Drayton’s persona is vibing as "No BS Winner." Reminds FUBeAR of another Charleston native Bellhop Alum Football Player who FUBeAR Coached Middle School ball with a while back. We went 24-1 (still pissed about the 1) over 2 seasons - so that vibe can definitely yield positive results - DAMMIT - FUBeAR wants the bellhops to go 0-12 every year, but he doesn’t foresee that with Coach Drayton.

See, I would agree with you if Drayton had actually won any games as a head coach. If he did this in year 2 or year 3, I'd also be inclined to believe. Now it seems more of a "look at me" performance. Like what upperclassman player is going to look at that and say "yes, coach has my back." Some things are meant for locker room, some for the media. Heck, I would be even okay with this if he said this upon starting 0-3 or something. Now it seems like he's setting expectations low so when he meets or slightly surpasses them at 3-8 or something, he's a genius.

I've seen this before.

[BearDownMU]

Are people really not using password vaults in 2023?

[ElCid]

Don’t know who to quote, but FUBeAR gets no Conklin vibes from Coach Drayton. As RoT well-knows FUBeAR’s L-Detector began pinging on Conklin from Day1.

Drayton’s persona is vibing as "No BS Winner." Reminds FUBeAR of another Charleston native Bellhop Alum Football Player who FUBeAR Coached Middle School ball with a while back. We went 24-1 (still pissed about the 1) over 2 seasons - so that vibe can definitely yield positive results - DAMMIT - FUBeAR wants the bellhops to go 0-12 every year, but he doesn’t foresee that with Coach Drayton.

Holy crap. Hope his achievements equal his sense of duty. I'm good even if they don't. He apparently turned down an NFL job worth infinitely more money than he is making now.

https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/citadel/college-football-preview-for-love-of-citadel-drayton-turned-down-nfl-job/article_eaec1b9e-45de-11ee-945a-4fea106ef624.html?fbclid=IwAR0R-LtISIEcbs_Lo5WlTFjDmplu9ZimNzwmhPAcqHbn9Lfpg3MocEA dxUQ

"And the money — a four-year, guaranteed contract worth nearly $5 million — would be life-changing money that could set up Drayton and his family for years to come.

The Berkeley High School graduate and former cadet at The Citadel didn’t have to think long about his decision.

“Duty, honor, respect ... those words mean something to me,” Drayton said. “I am a man of my word. That’s the way my parents raised me. This is home to me. I love this school. I love the city of Charleston, the Lowcountry and, of course, Moncks Corner."

[Milktruck74]

I think I may take a trip back in time and listen to games on the radio. I can actually pick up a Greenville station for real, that has our games on it. But the Internet has lots of radio choices. There was a span of time, after internet but before streaming video, where I listened to a lot of games. Ah, those were the days.

A good radio guy can paint a picture and you feel just like you are there. I wish the Mocs Radio guy would sync up with the ESPN+ broadcast. Jim Reynolds at Chattanooga is a VERY GOOD radio guy....the "tallent" on ESPN 9....ehhhh, not so much so!!!

[JSUSoutherner]

PICKS…




https://soconsports.com/images/2020/1/2/etsu_logo.png?width=30ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/j5.png?width=30Jacksonville State (http://www.jsugamecocksports.com/)
This is a rematch of an FCS Playoff game a few years back. ETSU fumbled on the goal line going in for the win and fell to the Cocks in that one. In a shocker, the Bucs give the SoCon their 2nd scalp of the day.

FINAL SCORE: ETSU 24 - JSU 20









You tried.

[Reign of Terrier]

Not a great half for Wofford, but I'm not too worried about it. We have a couple OL out for injury or suspension (two tackles as it happens), and apparently Pitt is very good at causing pressure (most sacks in the FBS in the last 4 years, and their front 7 is filled with seniors and 5th years). On 4 plays we turned the ball over and lost 35 yards. Currently sitting at under 50 yards of offense at the half. Not great!

Having said that, I'm not too much of a pessimist because we have a month to get it together before UTC. The bad news is that Pitt showed the world how to beat us on both sides of the ball, the good news is that there's just not that many teams in the Socon that will be just as talented in the front 7 to do what they're doing, and there's no OL in the Socon (and most of the FCS) that averages 6 '5 320 and will also run the ball under center, down hill, with two tight ends.

So yeah, not ideal. Not really gonna explain it away. It sounds weird, but I'm not worried, just because I don't think we're going to face a team with these strengths and tendencies. And by the time we do play those kinds of teams, I think we'll patch up some of the problems we saw today. I've seen Wofford play much worse against worse FBS opponents.

My priors are updated in that I like what little I've seen of Bryce Corriston and the defense (we tackle really well, all things considered), but the OL has got to improve next week if we're going to have a shot against William & Mary.

[BearDownMU]

Guess UNA wasn't that bad after all.

[Reign of Terrier]

I'm always a little skeptical of Chattanooga, Western Carolina, and Mercer. Though Mercer can graduate from this list if they make the playoffs. Samford graduated last year. Chattanooga looks vulnerable.

[kdinva]

the margin of defeat by ETSU shocked me more than the Mercer-Ole Miss game

[UNAPride]

Guess UNA wasn't that bad after all.

UNA's best player, Takairee Kenebrew, was out last week. He had 5 catches tonight for 172 yards and 3 TDs.

[wcugrad95]

I know this will sound weird given the final score in the WCU game, but I was pretty impressed with our defense. We gave up a total of 379 yards to what I think is a pretty good offensive team, and we only gave up 105 rushing yards (Arkansas RB "Rocket" Sanders was widely thought of as a top-10 RB in FBS and he had 42 yards on the ground). This was also with 2 of our expected starters out, including Micah Nelson (who was on some pre-season all-conference lists). For a number of years most teams just lined up knowing they could run at will against us.

Our offense was horrible, turning the ball over 5 times and making it even harder on our defense. Assuming the Bells can work their normal magic and get our offense in gear, I believe we can see a very competitive Western squad against SoCon teams if we get the same kind of defensive effort the rest of the year. Of course we are going to find out real quick with Samford up next.

[caribbeanhen]

I know this will sound weird given the final score in the WCU game, but I was pretty impressed with our defense. We gave up a total of 379 yards to what I think is a pretty good offensive team, and we only gave up 105 rushing yards (Arkansas RB "Rocket" Sanders was widely thought of as a top-10 RB in FBS and he had 42 yards on the ground). This was also with 2 of our expected starters out, including Micah Nelson (who was on some pre-season all-conference lists). For a number of years most teams just lined up knowing they could run at will against us.

Our offense was horrible, turning the ball over 5 times and making it even harder on our defense. Assuming the Bells can work their normal magic and get our offense in gear, I believe we can see a very competitive Western squad against SoCon teams if we get the same kind of defensive effort the rest of the year. Of course we are going to find out real quick with Samford up next.

If they have a magic wand, three shells and a quarter they will, if not will be a long season…. Good coaches know it’s about talent

[The Cats]

If they have a magic wand, three shells and a quarter they will, if not will be a long season…. Good coaches know it’s about talent

So, you don't think there's not talent on the WCU team? or the Bells aren't good coaches?

[PaladinNation]

Not a great half for Wofford, but I'm not too worried about it. We have a couple OL out for injury or suspension (two tackles as it happens), and apparently Pitt is very good at causing pressure (most sacks in the FBS in the last 4 years, and their front 7 is filled with seniors and 5th years). On 4 plays we turned the ball over and lost 35 yards. Currently sitting at under 50 yards of offense at the half. Not great!

Having said that, I'm not too much of a pessimist because we have a month to get it together before UTC. The bad news is that Pitt showed the world how to beat us on both sides of the ball, the good news is that there's just not that many teams in the Socon that will be just as talented in the front 7 to do what they're doing, and there's no OL in the Socon (and most of the FCS) that averages 6 '5 320 and will also run the ball under center, down hill, with two tight ends.

So yeah, not ideal. Not really gonna explain it away. It sounds weird, but I'm not worried, just because I don't think we're going to face a team with these strengths and tendencies. And by the time we do play those kinds of teams, I think we'll patch up some of the problems we saw today. I've seen Wofford play much worse against worse FBS opponents.

My priors are updated in that I like what little I've seen of Bryce Corriston and the defense (we tackle really well, all things considered), but the OL has got to improve next week if we're going to have a shot against William & Mary.

Watched a good bit of this game-I was very curious to see how you guys performed. I agree I wouldn't put too much weight on that performance related to how the Terriers will perform in conference play.

I do think where Pitt took advantage is similar to what Furman is trying to do, and I think will do. Furman's quality of depth is real, and Furman is built to wage war for four quarters.

Furman ran a heavy rotation all night against TTU of ten players at DE, DT, NG, and Bandit. Furman's first line goes; 6-4 264, 6-4 296, 6-3 296, and 6-3 250. Furman rotated in the second line; 6-0 260, 6-2 268, 5-11 288, and 6-2 225. By the time Furman gets into conference play Maier (6-4 238) will be back in the rotation at Bandit, I'd also expect Hernández (6-4 316) to be in the rotation at both DT and NG.

Furman held TTU to net 79 yards rushing on 32 attempts (2.5 yards per rush). We'll see how good of a measuring stick the TTU offense will be.

Furman was very vanillia on offense, missing All-American Jake Johanning, hopefully he's back in the lineup for KSU. Furman appears to be intent on playing in primarily a two tight-end offense. And Furman is pretty massive there; Gissinger 6-4 240 and Pline 6-7 260. Based on comments by Clay I would expect one of the freshmen TE's to be in the mix. Either Chappell 6-5 250 or Tormey 6-7 225.

I'm pulling for you guys to beat the Tribe.

[caribbeanhen]

So, you don't think there's not talent on the WCU team? or the Bells aren't good coaches?

haven’t seen enough to know if Bell has the talent he needs to win, I think he’s a good enough coach yes

but remember, all these coaches recruit hard for a reason

[caribbeanhen]

Massey predicted Pitt Wofford game 42-7

Final
Pitt 45
Wofford 7

pretty close

[Reign of Terrier]

Watched a good bit of this game-I was very curious to see how you guys performed. I agree I wouldn't put too much weight on that performance related to how the Terriers will perform in conference play.

I do think where Pitt took advantage is similar to what Furman is trying to do, and I think will do. Furman's quality of depth is real, and Furman is built to wage war for four quarters.

Furman ran a heavy rotation all night against TTU of ten players at DE, DT, NG, and Bandit. Furman's first line goes; 6-4 264, 6-4 296, 6-3 296, and 6-3 250. Furman rotated in the second line; 6-0 260, 6-2 268, 5-11 288, and 6-2 225. By the time Furman gets into conference play Maier (6-4 238) will be back in the rotation at Bandit, I'd also expect Hernández (6-4 316) to be in the rotation at both DT and NG.

Furman held TTU to net 79 yards rushing on 32 attempts (2.5 yards per rush). We'll see how good of a measuring stick the TTU offense will be.

Furman was very vanillia on offense, missing All-American Jake Johanning, hopefully he's back in the lineup for KSU. Furman appears to be intent on playing in primarily a two tight-end offense. And Furman is pretty massive there; Gissinger 6-4 240 and Pline 6-7 260. Based on comments by Clay I would expect one of the freshmen TE's to be in the mix. Either Chappell 6-5 250 or Tormey 6-7 225.

I'm pulling for you guys to beat the Tribe.

I wouldn't be *too* confident of the Paladins replicating the same game plan as Pitt with the same level of success, at the very least because this was in game one and we don't play the 'Dins until game 11. As a matter of fact, I'll go so far to say that teams gameplanning to do what Pitt did will be doing a Wofford a huge favor because they almost certainly can't replicate it. On top of the other stats I mentioned, I looked at how Pitt performed against FCS competition and this is what I found:

Pat Narduzzi started at Pitt in 2015. Here's how their run defense did against FCS teams (in order of year)


YSU had 2 runs that combined for about 100 yards, but their other runs amounted to 30 yards on 30 rushes (32 rushes)
Villanova: take out their longest run of 24 yards and they were 33 rushes for 29 yards. Nova was a playoff team too that year (34 rushes)
YSU had a consistent 4 yards per carry (but only 100 yards) (25ish rushes) [they are the outlier]
Albany had 2 carries that went for 34 yards, but the other 26 went for 26 (28 rushes)
Delaware had 2 runs of about 14 yards each, but was otherwise rushing 29 times for 14 yards (31 rushes)
Austin Peay ran it 22 times for one yard.
New Hampshire had 1 big run of 70 yards and 1 rush for 21 yards, but otherwise had 27 rushes for 9 yards (28 rushes)
And last year Rhode Island was able to break a 63 yard run, but otherwise had 21 rushes for no yards (22 rushes)


Since 2018, they've given up about 240 yards to FCS opponents on 130ish carries, and 133 of those yards came on two plays.


The one thing you'll notice about all those games compared to what Wofford did is that Wofford only ran 36 total plays, and only ran the ball like 15 times. Pitt had the ball for 40 minutes because Wofford wasn't letting out huge plays (which is paradoxically good on our end), but we just couldn't match the strength of their run game from getting 3 or 4 yards a carry. If you go back and look at these games for the last 5 or 6 years, it's the same formula: dominate time of possession, and overwhelm the inferior trenches. Pitt's a rare power 5 team that just loves to run the ball and won't not-run-the-ball if they know it works, especially if they had a size advantage. As I said before, no one is going to replicate that size advantage AND run downhill with 2+ tight ends.

I will say, I didn't pay much attention to Pitt going into this game, I thought they were your typical pro-style offense and pro-style defense, but I can see why they're the second best team in the ACC relative to Clemson since Narduzzi started there. And if you'll look at the above stats, when they stepped up as a program from like 2019 to now, they've really stepped up their defense. They run a unique defense, and their offensive line is also uniquely huge. It's definitely a formula to smack around a team that's inferior to you, which is a total money offense when you're a second-tier program like Pitt. Ever since I've watched Wofford play FBS teams that were bigger up front, they tended to pass-for-the-sake-of-passing as it was their tendency, but they would consistently dominate us when they did power run. They just chose *not* to do power run. Pitt wasn't about that life.

If Furman or anyone tries to replicate their style, they're going to find they don't have Pitt's talent and Wofford's OL will get better by then, to say nothing of how Corriston reads the defense.

[TribeNomad1]

Watched a good bit of this game-I was very curious to see how you guys performed. I agree I wouldn't put too much weight on that performance related to how the Terriers will perform in conference play.

I do think where Pitt took advantage is similar to what Furman is trying to do, and I think will do. Furman's quality of depth is real, and Furman is built to wage war for four quarters.

Furman ran a heavy rotation all night against TTU of ten players at DE, DT, NG, and Bandit. Furman's first line goes; 6-4 264, 6-4 296, 6-3 296, and 6-3 250. Furman rotated in the second line; 6-0 260, 6-2 268, 5-11 288, and 6-2 225. By the time Furman gets into conference play Maier (6-4 238) will be back in the rotation at Bandit, I'd also expect Hernández (6-4 316) to be in the rotation at both DT and NG.

Furman held TTU to net 79 yards rushing on 32 attempts (2.5 yards per rush). We'll see how good of a measuring stick the TTU offense will be.

Furman was very vanillia on offense, missing All-American Jake Johanning, hopefully he's back in the lineup for KSU. Furman appears to be intent on playing in primarily a two tight-end offense. And Furman is pretty massive there; Gissinger 6-4 240 and Pline 6-7 260. Based on comments by Clay I would expect one of the freshmen TE's to be in the mix. Either Chappell 6-5 250 or Tormey 6-7 225.

I'm pulling for you guys to beat the Tribe.


Watched some of the game, Wofford played hard. Tough to play FBS teams with advantages in size and depth.

Our offense a lot different than what I saw from Pitt. Pretty traditional, line up, heavy with TE sets, and run it. Our offense with much more misdirection, different sets etc....
Weather looks good, I wish I could see in person, but have other game commitment.

[Reign of Terrier]

Watched some of the game, Wofford played hard. Tough to play FBS teams with advantages in size and depth.

Our offense a lot different than what I saw from Pitt. Pretty traditional, line up, heavy with TE sets, and run it. Our offense with much more misdirection, different sets etc....
Weather looks good, I wish I could see in person, but have other game commitment.

Don't jinx it! There's a 50% chance of rain according to Google.

And yeah, I don't think we can expect William and Mary to do the same things. Y'all run the 2019 Wofford playbook (basically). Running 70% of the time, but a lot of it is option, zone, pulling tight ends, etc. Thankfully for Wofford, I don't think William & Mary's offensive line goes for 6'4 320 across the board, so I think we'll do a little better.

[Tribe4SF]

Don't jinx it! There's a 50% chance of rain according to Google.

And yeah, I don't think we can expect William and Mary to do the same things. Y'all run the 2019 Wofford playbook (basically). Running 70% of the time, but a lot of it is option, zone, pulling tight ends, etc. Thankfully for Wofford, I don't think William & Mary's offensive line goes for 6'4 320 across the board, so I think we'll do a little better.

Yeah, our line is 6'4" 295 and athletic. Was surprised at Campbell by a steady rotation of seven guys who frequently switched spots. Using two of our redshirt freshmen mixing at the four spots other than LT who is All-CAA Charles Grant. Difficulty defending the Tribe is that you can't scheme based on personnel. Pretty much anything can happen regardless of who lines up where.

[Reign of Terrier]

Yeah, our line is 6'4" 295 and athletic. Was surprised at Campbell by a steady rotation of seven guys who frequently switched spots. Using two of our redshirt freshmen mixing at the four spots other than LT who is All-CAA Charles Grant. Difficulty defending the Tribe is that you can't scheme based on personnel. Pretty much anything can happen regardless of who lines up where.

Since I'm used to option teams and FCS programs in general, I'm used to OL being in the 250-280 range (for option teams) and 280-300 for everyone else. I remember in the mid-2000s, a bunch of 300 pounders was considered somewhat big, but I've noticed the entire subdivision has silently gotten bigger. Wofford's currently at 6 '3 300 across the board too and before yesterday I thought that was just D1 standard at this point, but *apparently* 320-330 is the new 300.

For obvious reasons, I think we'll do better against W&M than Pitt. I'm not *too* worried about the misdirection component of things, as our linebackers typically tackle really well and have recent experience with teams of comparable tendencies (KSU and the Citadel last year).

I've also noticed recently that a lot of FCS schools (foolishly, in my opinion) will go with a 4-down look against heavy run teams (I think I saw Campbell do that last week against W&M, and maybe saw film of Richmond doing it too). That team in Fargo can pull that off, but most teams just don't have the depth with 63 scholarships available, and so I don't think it's a good move. It's better to have your linebackers run and your DL plug holes/cause disruption. Over the last few years of watching Kennesaw, Wofford, the Citadel, and others (often playing each other!), the four man look just didn't seem to be as effective. You won't see Wofford do that.

This may sound a touch arrogant of me to say, but I do think Wofford's front 7 will be among the best W&M plays this year; down the stretch last year we played pretty good, and our weaknesses that appeared in the run defense (or defense in general) came from bad fundamentals in the secondary (we replaced the secondary coaches). Those weaknesses didn't appear yesterday (though different ones did - it's hard to say if other teams can exploit us in the same way). We have 6 of 7 returning starters back of that front 7 this season, though one of them is suspended for the first half next week because of a targeting foul. Our offensive line has questions marks, so I think if we pull the upset next week, it will have to be because our front 7 shows up and shows out.

[caribbeanhen]

Don't jinx it! There's a 50% chance of rain according to Google.

And yeah, I don't think we can expect William and Mary to do the same things. Y'all run the 2019 Wofford playbook (basically). Running 70% of the time, but a lot of it is option, zone, pulling tight ends, etc. Thankfully for Wofford, I don't think William & Mary's offensive line goes for 6'4 320 across the board, so I think we'll do a little better.

Wofford playbook? Didn’t know that but the big difference is The Tribe has some good RBs

Yoda

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford playbook? Didn’t know that but the big difference is The Tribe has some good RBs

Yoda

Just watch some highlights from back then, the similarities are pretty abundant:

1) Athletic QB that's more of a run threat, but he can definitely pass it (Wilson has a pretty strong arm)
2) Running 70% of the time (or so), through different methods. Triple option, zone read, inside zone, some power, tight ends get involved.
3) Efficient vertical passing game that minimizes reads (if all goes well)

I don't think W&M has a good of a defense as Wofford did back then, but that could just be incompatible stats (CAA likes to pass more, W&M was up big a lot last year, and often "catch up/garbage time" stats are strategic concessions). But if Wofford doesn't make major strides from game one to game two, that won't really matter.

[FUBeAR]

Ready to move to Week2, FUBeAR will summarize Week1…

* Furman used a dominating, opportunistic Defense and excellent Special Teams to overwhelm a full-scholarshipped FCS opponent’s Offense holding an All-American / ALL BIG SKY Running Back to 19 yards and ~2 yards/carry while getting 6 takeaways and 2 TD’s. This will not be the last FCS Offense that the Pala-D-ins will overwhelm. Offense needs to turn a few wrenches in practice this week and we’ll see what happens in COLA.

* Mercer notched a nice win against a quality opponent, as FUBeAR previously stated...to much (uninformed) pooh-poohing

* Coach Rocco is known for Defense and VMI is 1-0 relying on a solid Defensive performance.

* Chatt needs to fix (a lot of) ****.

* Samford gets no credit for that win. Talk to FUBeAR after next week.

* Final Week1 Score … Mercer, Wofford, WCU, CIT, and ETSU = ~$2.5 million - 5 Professional Football / FBS Opponents = **** ‘em

Let’s move on…

[Reign of Terrier]

Ready to move to Week2, FUBeAR will summarize Week1…

* Furman used a dominating, opportunistic Defense and excellent Special Teams to overwhelm a full-scholarshipped FCS opponent’s Offense holding an All-American / All Big Sky Running Back to 19 yards and ~2 yards/carry while getting 6 takeaways and 2 TD’s. This will not be the last FCS Offense that the Pala-D-ins will overwhelm. Offense needs to turn a few wrenches in practice this week and we’ll see what happens in COLA.

* Mercer notched a nice win against a quality opponent, as previously stated to much pooh-poohing

* Coach Rocco is known for Defense and VMI is 1-0 relying on a solid Defensive performance.

* Chatt needs to fix (a lot of) ****.

* Samford gets no credit for that win. Talk to FUBeAR after next week.

* Final Week1 Score … Mercer, Wofford, WCU, CIT, and ETSU = ~$2 million - FBS Opponents = **** ‘em

Let’s move on…

I already started the thread for week 2 fwiw

[FUBeAR]

I already started the thread for week 2 fwiw
Cool, cool

* Seems like y'all should have also started the Woffy & Bill & the BeeYatch thread

[caribbeanhen]

Since I'm used to option teams and FCS programs in general, I'm used to OL being in the 250-280 range (for option teams) and 280-300 for everyone else. I remember in the mid-2000s, a bunch of 300 pounders was considered somewhat big, but I've noticed the entire subdivision has silently gotten bigger. Wofford's currently at 6 '3 300 across the board too and before yesterday I thought that was just D1 standard at this point, but *apparently* 320-330 is the new 300.

For obvious reasons, I think we'll do better against W&M than Pitt. I'm not *too* worried about the misdirection component of things, as our linebackers typically tackle really well and have recent experience with teams of comparable tendencies (KSU and the Citadel last year).

I've also noticed recently that a lot of FCS schools (foolishly, in my opinion) will go with a 4-down look against heavy run teams (I think I saw Campbell do that last week against W&M, and maybe saw film of Richmond doing it too). That team in Fargo can pull that off, but most teams just don't have the depth with 63 scholarships available, and so I don't think it's a good move. It's better to have your linebackers run and your DL plug holes/cause disruption. Over the last few years of watching Kennesaw, Wofford, the Citadel, and others (often playing each other!), the four man look just didn't seem to be as effective. You won't see Wofford do that. Ya

This may sound a touch arrogant of me to say, but I do think Wofford's front 7 will be among the best W&M plays this year; down the stretch last year we played pretty good, and our weaknesses that appeared in the run defense (or defense in general) came from bad fundamentals in the secondary (we replaced the secondary coaches). Those weaknesses didn't appear yesterday (though different ones did - it's hard to say if other teams can exploit us in the same way). We have 6 of 7 returning starters back of that front 7 this season, though one of them is suspended for the first half next week because of a targeting foul. Our offensive line has questions marks, so I think if we pull the upset next week, it will have to be because our front 7 shows up and shows out.

but just because they move a LB up to the line is it really 4 down lineman? Sounds silly but what’s really going on with that LB?

[Reign of Terrier]

but just because they move a LB up to the line is it really 4 down lineman? Sounds silly but what’s really going on with that LB?

If the linebacker is in a 3 point stance, it's 4 down-linemen. The tactical reason why it's bad is if you're in a three point stance you are likely committed to engaging the OL/rushing the passer, while a 2 point stance gives you more freedom to run or hide what you're doing (zone, covering a back/tight end, rushing). It's a bad tactic at the FCS level because you're defensive linemen likely don't have the conditioning and depth to be out in a 4-3 for a whole game. If you're doing the linebacker move described here, it's even worse, because you're taking a player out of his realm of competence (being a linebacker) and into the realm of someone else's (run blocking).

The 3-4 is pretty good at the FCS level because you're more likely to have better linebackers (inside or outside) on roster than you are DL (because good DL in numbers are rare). With it, you can rush 4 or 5, or have 5 on the line of scrimmage and it's only slightly worse than the FCS equivalent of a 4 or 5 man front for stopping the run, but better for scheme flexibility.

The drawback is (and we saw this with Wofford against Pitt), is that your typical linebacker (inside or outside) is going to be in the 210-240 range at best, and is at a huge disadvantage defending 300 pound offensive linemen running downhill, even more so than the 260-280 pound defensive linemen. In my opinion, part of the reason why NDSU is so good in the trenches is because they are one of the few teams in the FCS who runs a 4-3 (because they can recruit to it), and they have such great tight ends and fullbacks. So, they can stop the run (downhill or otherwise) better than most (almost all?) FCS teams, and they can out-size most (almost all?) FCS teams in the trenches. And it's not something that opposing coaches can just radically change with recruiting. The number of quality defensive linemen that will trickle down the FCS ranks is just so rare, while other positions like linebackers are seemingly abundant.

[caribbeanhen]

If the linebacker is in a 3 point stance, it's 4 down-linemen. The tactical reason why it's bad is if you're in a three point stance you are likely committed to engaging the OL/rushing the passer, while a 2 point stance gives you more freedom to run or hide what you're doing (zone, covering a back/tight end, rushing). It's a bad tactic at the FCS level because you're defensive linemen likely don't have the conditioning and depth to be out in a 4-3 for a whole game. If you're doing the linebacker move described here, it's even worse, because you're taking a player out of his realm of competence (being a linebacker) and into the realm of someone else's (run blocking).

The 3-4 is pretty good at the FCS level because you're more likely to have better linebackers (inside or outside) on roster than you are DL (because good DL in numbers are rare). With it, you can rush 4 or 5, or have 5 on the line of scrimmage and it's only slightly worse than the FCS equivalent of a 4 or 5 man front for stopping the run, but better for scheme flexibility.

The drawback is (and we saw this with Wofford against Pitt), is that your typical linebacker (inside or outside) is going to be in the 210-240 range at best, and is at a huge disadvantage defending 300 pound offensive linemen running downhill, even more so than the 260-280 pound defensive linemen. In my opinion, part of the reason why NDSU is so good in the trenches is because they are one of the few teams in the FCS who runs a 4-3 (because they can recruit to it), and they have such great tight ends and fullbacks. So, they can stop the run (downhill or otherwise) better than most (almost all?) FCS teams, and they can out-size most (almost all?) FCS teams in the trenches. And it's not something that opposing coaches can just radically change with recruiting. The number of quality defensive linemen that will trickle down the FCS ranks is just so rare, while other positions like linebackers are seemingly abundant.

nice summary thank you!