SoCon Predictions for 10/29

[BlackSaturday]

Elon 7
WCU 24

Western's Defense/Special teams score 24 points and Elon nets their standard TD for the game.

Wofford 21
Citadel 24

After Hell Weekend in Statesboro, Citadel returns to the Boneyard to win the Dog Fight late in the game.

SDSU 13
GSU 27

SDSU is a glutton for punishment with an OOC including Tex St, Montana, and now GSU. Few in Eagle nation notice that GSU has won 4 of 5 while scoring over 40 in each of those wins.

Chatt 10
ASU 45

Chooo! Chooo! Mocs should get off the track, because the train is coming through. ASU seems to be hitting stride and should play well infront of the homecoming crowd. Let's not forget last years loss in Nooga, the defense will be looking to redeem itself.

[catamount man]

Elon-6
WCU-38 (as porous as our offense is, we'll find a way to score on Elon)

UTC-21
App State-37

Wofford-24
El Cid-21

GSU-44
SDSU-17 (I just want to see the temperature for this)

Furman-OPEN

GO CATAMOUNTS!!!

[yosefcity]

Elon 6
WCU 27
Elon has no offense. They get two field goals late.

Wofford 10
Citadel 21
Citadel will be fired up after last week and Wofford will be going into a heat trap.

SDSU 20
GSU 38
GSU is on a mission people.

Chatt 7
ASU 54
The defense takes this one personally after last year. Plus add the homecoming crowd of over 25,000 and you will have a blow out. Trey Elder will throw for 3 TD's in mop up duty.

[Baldy]

SDSU 20
GSU 38
GSU is on a mission people.


I think you might be on to something...here are portions of an article from today's Savannah paper. Looks as though the team might have finally received a wake-up call. Hopefully it hasn't been too late.

Eagles talk over issues, work over The Citadel (http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/102305/3381164.shtml)

Wasn't this group supposed to be done?

Wasn't last week's loss the last straw for these Eagles, the final blow to the title chances for a program that measures success less in postseason appearances than postseason triumphs.

"Sometimes you've got to take that and look at yourselves and prove who you are,'' junior linebacker Jason Earwood said of the fallout from last week's loss at Appalachian State that dropped GSU to fifth-place in the Southern Conference. "That was all the talk this week, about us needing to just get back out on the field and realizing we are Georgia Southern.''

It sure looked like they were in Saturday's 49-14 win over The Citadel, at least more so than at most points of this confounding season.

Not only did the Eagles move the ball consistently, they moved it around with seven different players scoring touchdowns. And a defense that has been regularly dented had a real impact, forcing three turnovers and limiting the Bulldogs to 256 yards.

But mostly this GSU team that has been one play too short in too many areas this year made all of the biggest ones Saturday.

It might have seemed as if this bounce-back win started to turn when Earwood returned an interception for a touchdown to give GSU its first lead late in the first quarter or after Lynon Jefferson's 5-yard touchdown run on third down five minutes later, when holding GSU to a field goal might have changed everything for the Bulldogs. Or maybe everything appeared to fall into place when Marquice Maynard scored on fourth-and-3 at the end of the Eagles' next possession, at a point when a field goal would have put the GSU up three scores, but the touchdown started to put the Citadel away.

Actually, though, everything came together well before any of that, when the Eagles got together for a meeting at the players' dormitory on Monday.

There were no coaches, several issues and, judging by what happened Saturday, plenty of results.

"Obviously, guys were upset, so emotions came out,'' said senior fullback Brandon Andrews. "The seniors really stepped up and laid everything on the table and pointed out some of the missing pieces of this crazy puzzle this season. We're all disappointed in the way things are going this year and we decided to change it.''

So they talked about a focus that hasn't always been there as well as a troubling lack of execution and an insufficient level of maturity.

Those are subjects that can either make mess or make a difference.

Guess which it was this time.

Monday's meeting was followed by perhaps the team's best single practice of the season later that afternoon and what most agree was the best practice week of the whole year.

And Saturday, it led to the kind of performance that just could shake up the season, a walk of a win when it seemed the Eagles were going to be in a race.

Understand, The Citadel coming to Statesboro for homecoming was a coincidence this time.

This wasn't a team anyone expected to just lay down and let the ceremony begin around them, not after the way the Bulldogs played both Florida State and Mississippi tight for a half and took Furman to triple overtime last week.

Of course, there's a difference between laying down and being laid out. And the Eagles pretty much did that to a pretty good team for just about 60 minutes.

They scored more first-quarter points than anyone else had this season against the Citadel and had a larger halftime lead than FSU and Ole Miss combined.

They played the way GSU is supposed to play, no matter who's on the other side of the field or what the league standings say.

So for one afternoon, when the question was "what's wrong with Georgia Southern,'' the answer was "nothing.''

You wouldn't have known this was a program in turmoil. And by the end of the day, you might have even started to agree with the players, who seem to believe Saturday was the start of something and not the beginning of the end.

"Basically, from here on out, it's do or die,'' said Andrews. "It's like the NBA playoffs, win or go home. And we're just going to go out there every week and play with more focus and like we've got everything in our own hands.''

It was impressive that they did that Saturday. It's just more important that they keep doing it for the rest of the season.

Because whether they do will determine just how long that is.

[OL FU]

Elon @ WCU - - WCU 24 Elon 3

Wofford @ Citadel - - Wofford 24 Citadel 14

GSU @ SDSU - - GSU 24 SDSU ( This is not the same game as last year)

Chatt @ ASU - - ASU 38 Chatt 14

[ASU Kep]

ASU - 56
UTC - 10

(It's hard to play in Boone. It's really hard when we've got an extremely talented team fighting for the SOCON crown. It's even harder when it's homecoming weekend, and your team fluke-screwed App out of a playoff appearance last year. This game will not be close. Ever. Third-string ASU defense might allow them to get on the board, by the kindness of their hearts.)

WOF 17
CIT - 24

(It's at home, Citdael is also coming off a good arse-whoopin'. Citadel pulls of the (small) upset.)

GSU - 48
SDSU - 17

(It looks like the Eagles are finally pulling themselves together after the spankin' they caught up here in B-town ;) . I can't help but take GSU in this one, and when they win, they tend to do it BIG. Don't know much bout SDSU's defense, but I doubt they can stop that option.)

WCU - 17
Elon - 3

(If western has any offense at all, it'll come alive against this team. Elon, its not just your offense. You guys are really, really bad. Sorry.)

There ya go. BTW, 3-0 this past week (I refused to predict UTC/WCU on grounds that both teams are way too inconsistent. It wouldn't be fair. BUT, I did think western was gonna win. :D .)

[gophoenix]

(If western has any offense at all, it'll come alive against this team. Elon, its not just your offense. You guys are really, really bad. Sorry.)

Yep, and it is that lousy App grad that is killing us. I hate to say it, but we were better under Seagraves. At least he could coach his offennse rather than gearing an offense around the abilities of his kid.

Our defense is good, but after playing double the amount of time the offense has, they are tired and are in real need of an off week.

Elon of late has made me hate football season. And it will not get better under we fire Paul Hamilton.

[Mr. C]

Yep, and it is that lousy App grad that is killing us. I hate to say it, but we were better under Seagraves. At least he could coach his offennse rather than gearing an offense around the abilities of his kid.

Our defense is good, but after playing double the amount of time the offense has, they are tired and are in real need of an off week.

Elon of late has made me hate football season. And it will not get better under we fire Paul Hamilton.
You have absolutely no clue about your team. Do you not know how down your team was before Hamilton showed up? Things would be a lot worse, if Hamilton wasn't getting this group to play as well as it has. There isn't very much talent on offense and the defense has played its heart out. It is only natural that you are going to lose lopsided games to teams like Furman and Georgia Southern, because of the talent deficit. Hamilton was an oveachiever at East Tennessee State, even with forces that were trying to kill the program for years, and he has gotten a lot more out of the Elon players than you could have expected. This program wasn't close to competing at Southern Conference standards when it was brought into the league and still has a long way to go. You need to be patient. Two years is not a proper amount of time to evaluate a new coach. You need to give him four year minimum to establish his program. And say this much for Hamilton, at least he and his staff recognized that Chad Nkang was being wasted as a fullback and turned him into one of the top linebackers in the country. Seagraves didn't figure that out. Paul is also as classy of a coach as you will ever find and you need to give him a fair chance. As for his offense that is supposedly built around his son, it is exactly the same offense that her used at ETSU and Hamilton is the same coach that had one of the top-rated offenses year in and year out in when he was the offensive coordinator at Air Force.

[Mr. C]

Yep, and it is that lousy App grad that is killing us. I hate to say it, but we were better under Seagraves. At least he could coach his offennse rather than gearing an offense around the abilities of his kid.

Our defense is good, but after playing double the amount of time the offense has, they are tired and are in real need of an off week.

Elon of late has made me hate football season. And it will not get better under we fire Paul Hamilton.
You have absolutely no clue about your team. Do you not know how down your team was before Hamilton showed up? Things would be a lot worse, if Hamilton wasn't getting this group to play as well as it has. There isn't very much talent on offense and the defense has played its heart out. It is only natural that you are going to lose lopsided games to teams like Furman and Georgia Southern, because of the talent deficit. Hamilton was an ovearchiever at East Tennessee State, even with forces that were trying to kill the program for years, and he has gotten a lot more out of the Elon players than you could have expected. This program wasn't close to competing at Southern Conference standards when it was brought into the league and still has a long way to go. You need to be patient. Two years is not a proper amount of time to evaluate a new coach. You need to give him four year minimum to establish his program. And say this much for Hamilton, at least he and his staff recognized that Chad Nkang was being wasted as a fullback and turned him into one of the top linebackers in the country. Seagraves didn't figure that out. Paul is also as classy of a coach as you will ever find and you need to give him a fair chance. As for his offense that is supposedly built around his son, it is exactly the same offense that her used at ETSU and Hamilton is the same coach that had one of the top-rated offenses year in and year out in when he was the offensive coordinator at Air Force.

[SoCon48]

You have absolutely no clue about your team. Do you not know how down your team was before Hamilton showed up? Things would be a lot worse, if Hamilton wasn't getting this group to play as well as it has. There isn't very much talent on offense and the defense has played its heart out. It is only natural that you are going to lose lopsided games to teams like Furman and Georgia Southern, because of the talent deficit. Hamilton was an ovearchiever at East Tennessee State, even with forces that were trying to kill the program for years, and he has gotten a lot more out of the Elon players than you could have expected. This program wasn't close to competing at Southern Conference standards when it was brought into the league and still has a long way to go. You need to be patient. Two years is not a proper amount of time to evaluate a new coach. You need to give him four year minimum to establish his program. And say this much for Hamilton, at least he and his staff recognized that Chad Nkang was being wasted as a fullback and turned him into one of the top linebackers in the country. Seagraves didn't figure that out. Paul is also as classy of a coach as you will ever find and you need to give him a fair chance. As for his offense that is supposedly built around his son, it is exactly the same offense that her used at ETSU and Hamilton is the same coach that had one of the top-rated offenses year in and year out in when he was the offensive coordinator at Air Force.


Seagraves had a chance to prove how well he could coach in the SoCon...and sukked.
Elon needs to get on the stick and give the max in scholarships.
Big South standards won't work in the SoCon.

[SoCon48]

Elon-6
WCU-38 (as porous as our offense is, we'll find a way to score on Elon)

UTC-21
App State-37

Wofford-24
El Cid-21

GSU-44
SDSU-17 (I just want to see the temperature for this)

Furman-OPEN

GO CATAMOUNTS!!!


The Cats should take the Burnt Birds, but I would be surprised to see WCU put up over 30 on the Elon defense.

[AppGuy04]

I'm not very good with score predictions, but I'll give it a shot

Elon @ WCU - - WCU 17 Elon 7

Wofford @ Citadel - - Wofford 28 Citadel 17

GSU @ SDSU - - GSU 35 SDSU 7

Chatt @ ASU - - ASU 42 Chatt 17

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Western Carolina: 37
Elon: 7
Shouldn't be a contest

Citadel: 17
Wofford: 14
Wofford aint that great this year...why oh why did we not beat them...

Georgia Southern: 31
South Dakota State: 28
I hope you ASU people are better at predicting games than I am. I'm not convinced that South Dakota State will be a pushover or that our offensive coaches will not run it up the middle on first and second down for the entire half. A lot of GSU people seem to be talking just about Furman at this point and that worries me. We need this win to stay playoff eligible.

Appalachian State: 62
UTC: 10
App. should have no problem staying focused and playing hard. Big time win and moral booster.

[gophoenix]

Seagraves had a chance to prove how well he could coach in the SoCon...and sukked.

How many do you want us to give. We give 61.5, which is right there near the limit. An extra 1.5 isn't going to help us right now.

[grizband]

GSU-44
SDSU-17 (I just want to see the temperature for this)
GO CATAMOUNTS!!!
This game is early enough that temp shouldn't be much of a factor. The forecast calls for game day high of 65 degrees.

[gophoenix]

Seagraves had a chance to prove how well he could coach in the SoCon...and sukked.

How many do you want us to give. We give 61.5, which is right there near the limit. An extra 1.5 isn't going to help us right now.


You have absolutely no clue about your team. Do you not know how down your team was before Hamilton showed up? Things would be a lot worse, if Hamilton wasn't getting this group to play as well as it has. There isn't very much talent on offense and the defense has played its heart out. It is only natural that you are going to lose lopsided games to teams like Furman and Georgia Southern, because of the talent deficit. Hamilton was an ovearchiever at East Tennessee State, even with forces that were trying to kill the program for years, and he has gotten a lot more out of the Elon players than you could have expected. This program wasn't close to competing at Southern Conference standards when it was brought into the league and still has a long way to go. You need to be patient. Two years is not a proper amount of time to evaluate a new coach. You need to give him four year minimum to establish his program. And say this much for Hamilton, at least he and his staff recognized that Chad Nkang was being wasted as a fullback and turned him into one of the top linebackers in the country. Seagraves didn't figure that out. Paul is also as classy of a coach as you will ever find and you need to give him a fair chance. As for his offense that is supposedly built around his son, it is exactly the same offense that her used at ETSU and Hamilton is the same coach that had one of the top-rated offenses year in and year out in when he was the offensive coordinator at Air Force.

Mr C - Exactly how much do you know about Elon? And how much have you kept up with Elon this year? They aren't accusations, just questions.

I realize that Hamilton's offense is exactly what he ran at ETSU. The problem is, we aren't ETSU. A good coach changes the offense to match the talent (or lack of talent) you have rather than using what you are comfortable coaching.

For instance. We play best running an I formation with short passes and a dual threat in the backfield. All but 2 TDs this year have been in that formation. The FB can catch and it gives an extra blocker for running the half back. Kye is accurate when given a shot, but all Hamilton calls are short hitch passes behind the line or a 1RB offense and uses that back for 40 carries a game. For God's sake, the QB can't run. Using 1 back the backfield with an immobile QB is suicide on those RBs. Defenses know that 90% of the time, that 1 RB is going to have the ball. He knocked John Taylor out like that last year and he's hurt Reggie Hall like that this year.

The fact of the matter is, we don't have good talent at all positions. The Defense is okay, could be better, but they are better than they've been since 2000 right now. The offense is just without talent, it is flat out poorly coached.

We made a mistake by hiring Hamilton. He was 3rd choice.

[Black and Gold Express]

I realize that Hamilton's offense is exactly what he ran at ETSU. The problem is, we aren't ETSU. A good coach changes the offense to match the talent (or lack of talent) you have rather than using what you are comfortable coaching.

For instance. We play best running an I formation with short passes and a dual threat in the backfield. All but 2 TDs this year have been in that formation. The FB can catch and it gives an extra blocker for running the half back. Kye is accurate when given a shot, but all Hamilton calls are short hitch passes behind the line or a 1RB offense and uses that back for 40 carries a game. For God's sake, the QB can't run. Using 1 back the backfield with an immobile QB is suicide on those RBs. Defenses know that 90% of the time, that 1 RB is going to have the ball. He knocked John Taylor out like that last year and he's hurt Reggie Hall like that this year.

The fact of the matter is, we don't have good talent at all positions. The Defense is okay, could be better, but they are better than they've been since 2000 right now. The offense is just without talent, it is flat out poorly coached.

We made a mistake by hiring Hamilton. He was 3rd choice.

By next season, you should start seeing the fruits of his recruiting efforts. If you still are without much talent on offense, that is an indictment of him on some level.

One problem their on-field struggles may lead to is a hit on local recruiting. I can see Elon having a hard time recruiting well in the Carolinas, considering who they are now going up against for players. I believe they are going to have to look out of the area for talent, perhaps into the northeast like in their NAIA and D-II days. With the ACC schools, and at least two top-flite I-AA options (ASU and Furman) in the relative area, finding that program-changing talent locally will be hard. Not impossible, but hard. And recruiting is what ultimately makes or breaks a program.

[SoCon48]

How many do you want us to give. We give 61.5, which is right there near the limit. An extra 1.5 isn't going to help us right now.

I thought you were giving less.

[SoCon48]

How many do you want us to give. We give 61.5, which is right there near the limit. An extra 1.5 isn't going to help us right now.



Mr C - Exactly how much do you know about Elon? And how much have you kept up with Elon this year? They aren't accusations, just questions.

I realize that Hamilton's offense is exactly what he ran at ETSU. The problem is, we aren't ETSU. A good coach changes the offense to match the talent (or lack of talent) you have rather than using what you are comfortable coaching.

For instance. We play best running an I formation with short passes and a dual threat in the backfield. All but 2 TDs this year have been in that formation. The FB can catch and it gives an extra blocker for running the half back. Kye is accurate when given a shot, but all Hamilton calls are short hitch passes behind the line or a 1RB offense and uses that back for 40 carries a game. For God's sake, the QB can't run. Using 1 back the backfield with an immobile QB is suicide on those RBs. Defenses know that 90% of the time, that 1 RB is going to have the ball. He knocked John Taylor out like that last year and he's hurt Reggie Hall like that this year.

The fact of the matter is, we don't have good talent at all positions. The Defense is okay, could be better, but they are better than they've been since 2000 right now. The offense is just without talent, it is flat out poorly coached.

We made a mistake by hiring Hamilton. He was 3rd choice.

What happened to choice 1 and 2?

[gophoenix]

One of the other two was an assistant at Air Force. I can't remember who the other way, seems like it was a BCS private school outside of the ACC.

[phoenixsq]

You have absolutely no clue about your team. Do you not know how down your team was before Hamilton showed up? Things would be a lot worse, if Hamilton wasn't getting this group to play as well as it has. There isn't very much talent on offense and the defense has played its heart out. It is only natural that you are going to lose lopsided games to teams like Furman and Georgia Southern, because of the talent deficit. Hamilton was an ovearchiever at East Tennessee State, even with forces that were trying to kill the program for years, and he has gotten a lot more out of the Elon players than you could have expected. This program wasn't close to competing at Southern Conference standards when it was brought into the league and still has a long way to go. You need to be patient. Two years is not a proper amount of time to evaluate a new coach. You need to give him four year minimum to establish his program. And say this much for Hamilton, at least he and his staff recognized that Chad Nkang was being wasted as a fullback and turned him into one of the top linebackers in the country. Seagraves didn't figure that out. Paul is also as classy of a coach as you will ever find and you need to give him a fair chance. As for his offense that is supposedly built around his son, it is exactly the same offense that her used at ETSU and Hamilton is the same coach that had one of the top-rated offenses year in and year out in when he was the offensive coordinator at Air Force.


You have got to be kidding about Hamilton? :confused: This guy is the worst offensive coach I have ever seen . It is not talent people. Under Seagraves we beat Furman in 1999. We won two games last year in the SoCon with less talent. If we had some offensive we would have beat Wofford and UTC this year. It is the head coach and the QB. Ask anyone who has seen us play. Have you seen us play?

[EagleCrusade]

Have you seen us play?

Yeah, you're not very good.

[Purple Knight]

You have got to be kidding about Hamilton? :confused: This guy is the worst offensive coach I have ever seen . It is not talent people. Under Seagraves we beat Furman in 1999. We won two games last year in the SoCon with less talent. If we had some offensive we would have beat Wofford and UTC this year. It is the head coach and the QB. Ask anyone who has seen us play. Have you seen us play?

Most coaches run what they are familiar with. They are reluctant to change. As long as Ga Southern hires from within, they will always run that offense. An effective passing game ain't going to happen. You think a Mike Ayers team at Wofford will be effective at passing? Furman will always run the soft pass defense. Jerry Moore at ASU changed his offense, but that is a rare occurance. Furman uses the same playbook, regardless of the QB. They just use more passing plays with Martin and more running plays with his backup.

[AppGuy04]

Yeah, you're not very good.

wait, you mean Elon has a football team?

[AppGuy04]

Most coaches run what they are familiar with. They are reluctant to change. As long as Ga Southern hires from within, they will always run that offense. An effective passing game ain't going to happen. You think a Mike Ayers team at Wofford will be effective at passing? Furman will always run the soft pass defense. Jerry Moore at ASU changed his offense, but that is a rare occurance. Furman uses the same playbook, regardless of the QB. They just use more passing plays with Martin and more running plays with his backup.

but don't you think with the success ASU has gotten with the change, that GSU or Woffy might give it a shot or atleast look at it very much

[OL FU]

but don't you think with the success ASU has gotten with the change, that GSU or Woffy might give it a shot or atleast look at it very much

Wofford maybe, GSU very tough
That is a tough thing to do for an option team. If you are going 7-4, 8-3, 9-2 every year (which may not be good enough for GSU) and then recruit for a different offense or switch before you start recruting changes, you are gong to have some tough years that the fans will not like.

[AppGuy04]

Wofford maybe, GSU very tough
That is a tough thing to do for an option team. If you are going 7-4, 8-3, 9-2 every year (which may not be good enough for GSU) and then recruit for a different offense or switch before you start recruting changes, you are gong to have some tough years that the fans will not like.

but honestly, i think in I-AA it would be easier to switch, because so many guys are versatile, they do what they have to to get on the field

take Elon's Nkang, didn't he switch from FB to LB?

[EagleCrusade]

but don't you think with the success ASU has gotten with the change, that GSU or Woffy might give it a shot or atleast look at it very much

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I think Ga Southern has been very successful with their current offensive system.

1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 -SoCon Championships (since '93)
1985,1986,1989,1990,1999,2000 -National Championships
1988,1998- "Furman-style" Championships (Honorable Mentions)

[OL FU]

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I think Ga Southern has been very successful with their current offensive system.

1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 -SoCon Championships (since '93)
1985,1986,1989,1990,1999,2000 -National Championships
1988,1998- "Furman-style" Championships (Honorable Mentions)

Are you sure? Don't be too hasty. I think we should consider other options, no pun intended.

Yeah , I think you are right.

[AppGuy04]

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I think Ga Southern has been very successful with their current offensive system.

1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 -SoCon Championships (since '93)
1985,1986,1989,1990,1999,2000 -National Championships
1988,1998- "Furman-style" Championships (Honorable Mentions)

but it seems lately, especially with loses to ASU and possibly Furman, that this is not good enough

[OL FU]

but it seems lately, especially with loses to ASU and possibly Furman, that this is not good enough

IF they lose to Furman, it will not be due to their offense.

[AppGuy04]

IF they lose to Furman, it will not be due to their offense.

well, yeah, we saw that at the Rock

it will be a shootout IMHO

[blueballs]

but it seems lately, especially with loses to ASU and possibly Furman, that this is not good enough

Right you are. The GSU fans are fickle and demand success at every level.

Take a look at GSU's depth chart, especially offensively. If you're going to get them, it had better be this year- especially ASU and FU with SR. QB's.

In 2006 and 2007 GSU will be scary as all these FR & Sophs continue to season and grow within the system.

PS: GSU signed 28 kids this past Feb. and redshirted 26. Like I said, you'd better get them now...

[AppGuy04]

Right you are. The GSU fans are fickle and demand success at every level.

Take a look at GSU's depth chart, especially offensively. If you're going to get them, it had better be this year- especially ASU and FU with SR. QB's.

In 2006 and 2007 GSU will be scary as all these FR & Sophs continue to season and grow within the system.

PS: GSU signed 28 kids this past Feb. and redshirted 26. Like I said, you'd better get them now...

ASU has some of the same talent, albeit, not redshirted, but very young

as for Richie leaving, I'm not worried, Elder is very good and showed it against Wofford

[SoCon48]

Right you are. The GSU fans are fickle and demand success at every level.

Take a look at GSU's depth chart, especially offensively. If you're going to get them, it had better be this year- especially ASU and FU with SR. QB's.

In 2006 and 2007 GSU will be scary as all these FR & Sophs continue to season and grow within the system.

PS: GSU signed 28 kids this past Feb. and redshirted 26. Like I said, you'd better get them now...

ASU started 17 fresmen and sophs last year. These were the sophomores and juniors that beat GSU this year. Count on more of the same next year.
Soph Trey Elder moved the ball on every play in the 4th quarter and scored two TD's in less than one quarter.
I wouldn't count on losing Williams as any sign that GUS will fare better next year vs the Apps.

[Black and Gold Express]

I wouldn't count on losing Williams as any sign that GUS will fare better next year vs the Apps.

No, playing in Statesboro is sign enough that they will. We've rarely done well there, Bake Baker notwithstanding.

[eagleskins]

ASU started 17 fresmen and sophs last year. These were the sophomores and juniors that beat GSU this year. Count on more of the same next year.
Soph Trey Elder moved the ball on every play in the 4th quarter and scored two TD's in less than one quarter.
I wouldn't count on losing Williams as any sign that GUS will fare better next year vs the Apps.

Appy's recruiting class was WAY behind GSU's and Furman's. We'll see next year, but I expect a blowout like 2004.

[appst89]

Appy's recruiting class was WAY behind GSU's and Furman's. We'll see next year, but I expect a blowout like 2004.

Upon what criteria is that assessment based? I'm not trying to be a smartass, I just wondered where that info came from. ASU's last two recruiting classes have been small in number, but the players I have seen thus far seem to be very high quality.

As for the game in Statesboro, you may well be right. ASU plays as well down there as GSU does in Boone. I don't think a loss down there would be an indictment of our recruiting efforts, though a win would certainly say something about them.

[AppGuy04]

I may be wrong, but in my mind, its a little more difficult to recruit kids to a town that there is nothing to do, and its cold as a bitch, yes the fans and the football atmosphere are great, but the weather has to be a deciding factor for some kids

[OL FU]

Upon what criteria is that assessment based? I'm not trying to be a smartass, I just wondered where that info came from. ASU's last two recruiting classes have been small in number, but the players I have seen thus far seem to be very high quality.

As for the game in Statesboro, you may well be right. ASU plays as well down there as GSU does in Boone. I don't think a loss down there would be an indictment of our recruiting efforts, though a win would certainly say something about them.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/misc/dougherty_archive/extrapoint_022205.htm

One persons opinion. I seem to recall some recruiting sites that said the same thing. I will see if I can find. On the other hand, you never know with recruits until they start playing

[AppGuy04]

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/misc/dougherty_archive/extrapoint_022205.htm

One persons opinion. I seem to recall some recruiting sites that said the same thing. I will see if I can find. On the other hand, you never know with recruits until they start playing

IMHO, I-AA recruiting is vastly different than bigger schools, there isn't any "hype" around most kids, and even the walk ons have a chance to be stars, so you never know

[EagleCrusade]

but it seems lately, especially with loses to ASU and possibly Furman, that this is not good enough

so because we lost to ASU and we MIGHT lose to Furman we should change our offense? Wow, if teams changed their entire offensive scheme each time they lost....I can't imagine the state of the game.

You're saying throw all those championships out of the window because we've lost a couple of games and change the offense? The offense that is averaging almost 400 yds per game? We didnt get 400 vs. APP but its one game.

App had the same offense set last season when they lost 6 games. Why didnt you change?

When you run the option, you have to be perfect or you will fail. There is 0 room for error. That statement was rediculous. Show me a team that runs the option to perfection they will score a lot of points. Show me a team that runs the option to perfection AND has a great defense, I'll show you a winner that won by a lot.

[OL FU]

IMHO, I-AA recruiting is vastly different than bigger schools, there isn't any "hype" around most kids, and even the walk ons have a chance to be stars, so you never know


That is true but Matt's specialty is I-AA.

[rosy410]

The only issue I would have with Southern changing it's offense is that we would not be able to recruit the QB's and OL needed. Most throwing QB's go to larger schools along with the bigger lineman. Our OL is small and quick. Our QB's are speed players.

The option offense plays to Southern's recruiting advantage by allowing us to get the types of players needed. And it's kicka$$ to watch.

[appst89]

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/misc/dougherty_archive/extrapoint_022205.htm

One persons opinion. I seem to recall some recruiting sites that said the same thing. I will see if I can find. On the other hand, you never know with recruits until they start playing

Considering that ASU's entire recruiting class consisted of, I believe, eight people, I doubt we would have showed up on any lists. I think people are looking at the small number of players we signed and interpreting that as a bad recruiting class. If we got talented guys to fill the limited number of spaces we had, then I consider that a successful recruiting class. As you said, we'll just have to wait and see how they perform on the field.

[SoCon48]

Considering that ASU's entire recruiting class consisted of, I believe, eight people, I doubt we would have showed up on any lists. I think people are looking at the small number of players we signed and interpreting that as a bad recruiting class. If we got talented guys to fill the limited number of spaces we had, then I consider that a successful recruiting class. As you said, we'll just have to wait and see how they perform on the field.
And the number of red-shirts that became included in that class.

[SoCon48]

The option offense plays to Southern's recruiting advantage by allowing us to get the types of players needed. And it's kicka$$ to watch.

Well, most of the time, anyway.

[SoCon48]

so because we lost to ASU and we MIGHT lose to
App had the same offense set last season when they lost 6 games. Why didnt you change?

.

Because our offense didn't suk last year. Our freshman and soph defense did.

[youwouldno]

GSU's offense is fine, though I think they would be better off with someone a tick slower, if need be, but with an arm.

There's no question it's impossible to judge a recruiting class until the players actually play for some time-- and even then you have to consider the needs being addressed by the particular class. Still, GSU and especially Furman added a ton of potential impact players the last couple years, whereas App has perhaps filled needs but not upped their talent level.

[blueballs]

We'll see next year, but I expect a blowout like 2004.

I consider that 2004 game an anamoly. The 2006 ASU/GSU will be a very physical game and closely contested as it will be a big game in the conference and nationally. I'll settle for a one point win.

[EagleCrusade]

Because our offense didn't suk last year. Our freshman and soph defense did.

Taking the 54-7 score from the game last season, the offense sucked. I mean thats what this whole argument was based on. The lack of offensive production demonstrated by Georgia Southern and Wofford based on their games vs. ASU.

[AppGuy04]

Maybe its just simply that the ASU defense is much better

[BlackSaturday]

The GSU game last year, everyone was terrible. It was coaching, offense, defense, special teams. We were young last year, and are again this year. With Elder next year, I don't expect us to skip a beat. I want to know our OOC next year. I know we are at NCSU, but don't know any of the other games.

The offesne is different this year too. 2005 ASU and GSU have taken opposite opproaches. Last year, GSU got you into the box and would then burn you on a deep pass. This year, I didn't see that. Last year, ASU threw almost every play. This year, we still spread it out, but have implemented QB draw, option, and a nice counter run. ASU is averaging 243.7 via the air, and 205.0 on the ground. That balance has really transformed App's offense this year.

[AppGuy04]

I know we are at NCSU, but don't know any of the other games.

man, I'm gonna be torn on this game

I'm assuming its at Carter-Finley

hell, right now I think App could prolly beat them, sad

[appst89]

GSU's offense is fine, though I think they would be better off with someone a tick slower, if need be, but with an arm.

There's no question it's impossible to judge a recruiting class until the players actually play for some time-- and even then you have to consider the needs being addressed by the particular class. Still, GSU and especially Furman added a ton of potential impact players the last couple years, whereas App has perhaps filled needs but not upped their talent level.

I still don't see how you can say they didn't up their talent level. Just because we only had eight scholarships available doesn't mean we didn't get eight good players. If those eight guys have better careers than the eight they replaced, then the talent level was increased. I still think this is more about the number of players than anything else.

[youwouldno]

Maybe, but I know the Paladins added a lot of guys that had I-A offers or a lot of I-AA offers. Doesn't mean they'll for sure be great players, but numbers aside, it looks to me like Furman and GSU brought in more highly-touted guys.

[blueballs]

.

The offense is different this year too. 2005 ASU and GSU have taken opposite approaches. Last year, GSU got you into the box and would then burn you on a deep pass. This year, I didn't see that. Last year, ASU threw almost every play. This year, we still spread it out, but have implemented QB draw, option, and a nice counter run. ASU is averaging 243.7 via the air, and 205.0 on the ground. That balance has really transformed App's offense this year.

Excellent analysis. I agree with you totally, though GSU's passing is largely hampered by having a 3 year starter SR QB last year and a 1st year starter SOPH this year.Also, GSU defense-particularly the front 7- was way better last year.

[soweagle]

I may be wrong, but in my mind, its a little more difficult to recruit kids to a town that there is nothing to do, and its cold as a bitch, yes the fans and the football atmosphere are great, but the weather has to be a deciding factor for some kids

Jerry Moore may be the best recruiter if he can get kids from south carolina, Georgia and Florida to sign after a January recruiting visit to Boone. :D

[AppGuy04]

Jerry Moore may be the best recruiter if he can get kids from south carolina, Georgia and Florida to sign after a January recruiting visit to Boone. :D

those kids from Hotlanta and Florida haven't ever seen cold like that

[SoCon48]

Taking the 54-7 score from the game last season, the offense sucked. I mean thats what this whole argument was based on. The lack of offensive production demonstrated by Georgia Southern and Wofford based on their games vs. ASU.

Sukked vs GSU but not everyone else.
Hell, the 54 points is waaay more disturbing than the 7. Ja notice we would still have tied you guys this year with just 7.

[SoCon48]

We would have beaten H out of Chatt last year if we could just held them to under 50! Scored 49 on EKU, 28 on Cit, 35 on NW State, 41 on Tex State, 29 on Furmie, 56 on Chatt, 48 on Elon, 27 on WCU.
Don't see that the offense needed any changes..except maybe staying on the field more.

[EagleCrusade]

Sukked vs GSU but not everyone else.
Hell, the 54 points is waaay more disturbing than the 7. Ja notice we would still have tied you guys this year with just 7.

Ok, what?

Wait, I still dont get it. Let me try responding like that....I dont know how. I'll try in Pirate Speak:

Arrr ye scuvry Mountaineer! 54-7 was a keelhauling the way of Cap'N Cat would take a liking to! AVAST!! It's like bollacks trying to decipher your message! BOLLACKS I SAY! ARRRR!!!