SoCon Week #2 Predictions

[The Cats]

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Week #1 is in the books, now it's time to look on to Week #2.

1:30 pm
Elon @ Presbyterian (Elon by 28 points)

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State (ASU by 21)

6:00 pm
Furman @ Chattanooga (FU by 17)

Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina (WCU by 10)

7:00 pm
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford (Samford by 28)

Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State (GSU by 14)

Charleston Southern @ Wofford (Wofford by 35)

[Reign of Terrier]

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Week #1 is in the books, not it's time to look on to Week #2.

1:30 pm
Elon @ Presbyterian (Elon by 28 points)

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State (ASU by 21)

6:00 pm
Furman @ Chattanooga (FU by 17)

Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina (WCU by 10)

7:00 pm
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford (Samford by 28)

Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State (GSU by 14)

Charleston Southern @ Wofford (Wofford by 35)

Elon by 30ish
App by over 20
Furman by 20ish
Western just barely
Samford by14
GSU by 14ish
Wofford takes their anger out on chuck south by 30ish

[B&G]

1:30 pm
Elon @ Presbyterian (Elon 52-14)

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State (ASU 38-21)

6:00 pm
Furman @ Chattanooga (FU by 17)

Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina (WCU 24-22)

7:00 pm
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford (Samford 40-6)

Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State (GSU 27-19)

Charleston Southern @ Wofford (Wofford 41-10)

[Saint3333]

That GSU/SDSU should be good. GSU will likely have to improve on week ones performance.

SoCon could sweep (sans UTC of course), good luck to all.

[LarryBoy]

Elon @ PC (Elon by 20)
McNeese @ ASU (ASU by 17)
Furman @ Chattanooga (Furman by 17)
Gardner Webb @ Western Carolina (Western by 3)
Jacksonville @ Samford (Samford by 24)
Georgia Southern @ SDSU (GSU by 10)
Charleston Southern @ Wofford (Wofford by 35)

[Mountaineer#96]

1:30 pm
Elon @ Presbyterian ( 31- 14 ELON )

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State ( 42 - 17 ASU )

6:00 pm
Furman @ Chattanooga ( 28 - 13 FURMAN )

Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina (24 - 21 GWebb )xsmhx

7:00 pm
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford (31 - 21 Samford )

Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State ( 23 - 20 SDSU ) xsmhx

Charleston Southern @ Wofford (34 - 10 WOFFORD )

[jhbeagle]

1:30 pm
Elon @ Presbyterian ( 42- 14 ELON )

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State ( 42 - 10 ASU )

6:00 pm
Furman @ Chattanooga ( 28 - 10 FURMAN )

Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina (21 - 24 WC)

7:00 pm
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford (31 - 21 Samford )

Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State (33 - 30 GSU )

Charleston Southern @ Wofford (34 - 17 WOFFORD )

[blueballs]

I can't see GSU travelling 1000+ miles and winning at SDSU by multiple scores. I can definitely see them winning because having a game under their belt is a big advantage but Hatcher's teams have shown a penchant for close games and I don't see that changing in this one. Pick'em game...

Otherwise I like App & Elon by multiple scores, Furman in a close one, WCU in a close one, while Wofford and Samford win in blowouts.

[wcucat85]

Western has the defense to have a decent year,but they have got to get some offense.To be running a west coast style of offense they go east and west far too much.I think they should give Zack a lot more room to just create.He was at his best last year when doing so.Last years Furman game was a prime example.

Otherwise its a long year and the defense will be on the field all the time.Right now I give G-W the edge and I hate saying that,but that is a fact.

The OLINE has got to get better and quickly!

GW 28-Western 13.......I went to the WCU-VANDY game and thats what I see unless Western finds the O.
Defense gets tired and makes mistakes,missed tackles just like late in the game against Vandy and leads to the score I predict.

[RabidRabbit]

1:30 pm
Elon @ Presbyterian ( 38 - 14 ELON )

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State ( 42 - 24 ASU ) Bigger difference if AE returns.

6:00 pm
Furman @ Chattanooga ( 28 - 10 FURMAN )

Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina (24 - 21 GW)

7:00 pm
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford (31 - 21 Samford )

Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State (33 - 30 SDSU ) Brookings is a TOUGH place to get a win. GSU has an advantage of a good challenging game under their belt. SDSU wasn't challenged by BYE. xlolx These two teams will be at the edge come play-off selection day. Prediction: Loser sits out, winner in play-offs.

Charleston Southern @ Wofford (34 - 17 WOFFORD )

[PaladinFan]

Elon @ Presby: Elon 38-17

McNeese @ App: ASU 44-28

Furman @ UTC: FU 34-21

GWU @ WCU: Western 21-14

Jacksonville @ Samford: Sammy 42-10

GSU @ SDSU: Jacks 24-21

CSU @ Wofford: Dogs 28-7

GSU needs this win against a tough SDSU team. I agree that both will be in the "bubble" conversation. I also think this is a huge game for the Catamounts in their push towards respectability.

I think Furman beats the Mocs, but early season conference games on the road always are nerve racking. UTC hasn't beaten Furman since Clinton's first term, and hopefully they don't put it together this year.

[catamount man]

21-17 Western Carolina
40-30 Furman
42-7 Wofford
31-10 App.State
Samford by a bunch
Elon 38-14
GSU 17-14
CITADEL-OFF

[drpnut]

elon @presby... Presby showed something at Furman... gained almost as much as Furple, got in redzone and couldn't converrt. They will not be pushovers for Elon.

Rising Bird 35 Hose 24

McNeese @ Appy... Mountian Boys are tough... cowboys struggled ... at the rock want be very close

Mountain Men 41 Cowboys 20

Furple at Chatty... Chatty is pretty tough at home, Furple didn't really impress me this weekend, although they played a decent game... This will be closer than Furple wants...

Lambs guys 28 Choo-choo 17

GWU at WCU... Western needs to find some O... GWU needs to run the ball at the cats... Kitties are home so I expect a "squeker"

Wagner's Felines 24 Running Dawgs 21

Jax @ Sammy... Bulldogs are pretty good team... the dolphins are pretty inept... I believe Sammy gets up early and gets "complacent"...

Sammy 35 "Flippers" 20

GaSouth at SDSU Eagles will try and snatch up the Rabbits... will be a great game... Eagles are game tested and probably ahve enough to eack out a win...and they like OT

Eagles 31 Rabbits 28

Chuck South @ Woffy... Woffy let one get away at USF... played a great game in first half... will have no mistakes or miscues this game... will rush for well over 300 yards... will get a little complacent... but will still romp

Pups 42 Bucs 17


Possible upset specials: Presby could nip the Bird, Chatty might surprise Furple

[GeauxLions94]

Elon @ Presbyterian
McNeese State @ Appalachian State
Furman @ Chattanooga
Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford
Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State
Charleston Southern @ Wofford

[ericsaid]

Samford will kill Jacksonvilla. If its the same team as App played last year the score was 56-7 with back ups put in the game in the second quarter.

[4th and What?]

Is GSU/SDSU going to have any sort of internet feed? Definately one I will be interested in. Socon teams didn't prove much in OOC games last season and this may be their first real test.

[PhoenixSupreme]

Elon @ Presbyterian (38-17)
McNeese State @ Appalachian State (17-31)
Furman @ Chattanooga (34-20)
Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina (24-21)
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford (21-35)
Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State (28-20)
Charleston Southern @ Wofford (14-38)

[Gringer1]

Is GSU/SDSU going to have any sort of internet feed? Definately one I will be interested in. Socon teams didn't prove much in OOC games last season and this may be their first real test.

You can get video from all Georgia Southern games online with Eagle Vision. If you just want this one game, you can order the one month package for $10. Just be sure to cancel the auto renewal or you'll get a second month before you know what happened.

https://www.nmnathletics.com//subs/Landing.dbml?db_oem_id=18700&TRACK_CROSS_DOMAIN=&gclid=

You can get the audio for free at

http://www.georgiasoutherneagles.com/newMediaPlayer/consolewmp.htm?oemid=18700&DB_OEM_ID=18700&KEY=MLHIWIWWQTTWDRD.20090411181531&CLIP_ID=0&id=0&CLIP_FILE_ID=0&type=vod&DB_MENU_ID=&SPID=&SPSID=

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

GSU looked better in this home opener than in any home opener since 2004. Our QB was kind of rattled at the first half but was able to recover in the second half. Everywhere else we look solid. I think we are going to surprise some people in Brookings. GSU wins 35-21

From looking at the stats, it looks like Furman's offense is going to be strong. The defense on the other hand gave up over 400 yards to PC's offense. Chatty doesn't look great in their home opener but doesn't look like a cream-puff. This will be closer than the Furples will probably like.
Furman beats Chatty 34-28

If AE isn't back in the game this game could be closer than App fans would like. McNeese should not be taken lightly. A mediocre MSU came into Statesboro and won in 2005. ASU wins 34-26.

Offensively I don't think Wagner opened up the playbook versus Vandy so there's no way to tell where they will be offensively. Defensively they don't look so hot with 400+ yards rushing. I think they'll still take GW down, though. Western wins 34-31

Sammy takes frustration of losing out on JU and wins 41-3.

Ayers' offense starts to gel in the second half and Wofford takes down Chuck South 35-17

[PaladinNation]

Furple at Chatty... Chatty is pretty tough at home, Furple didn't really impress me this weekend, although they played a decent game... This will be closer than Furple wants...

Lambs guys 28 Choo-choo 17



Dude… did you go to the Furman game or just read the box score? Furman played the entire second half with freshmen backups at the offensive skill positions (rb,wr) and on the last PC drive to score with :04 seconds remaining was against 2nd and 3rd team defense. Your dreaming if you think Lamb showed the entire offense. And Mike Brown and Kyle McKinney should be back this week.

[jmc_jackrabbit]

Is GSU/SDSU going to have any sort of internet feed? Definately one I will be interested in. Socon teams didn't prove much in OOC games last season and this may be their first real test.

http://www.gojacks.com


GSU at SDSU looks pretty interesting. GSU is unbelievably young, but also very talented. How will those youngsters respond to a 1,500 road trip to Brookings where they'll face a very experienced team? Who knows?

I'll guess it won't be the high-scoring affair some people think.

GSU 17
SDSU 24

[WCU LawCat]

Elon Big
App Big
Furman by 6
Samford by 24
SDSU by 9
Wofford by 17
Western by 11

[GaSouthern]

1:30 pm
Elon @ Presbyterian (Elon 33-10)

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State (McNeese 35-31)

6:00 pm
Furman @ Chattanooga (Furman 28-7)

Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina (WCU 38-17)

7:00 pm
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford (Samford 47-17)

Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State I wont pick this one

Charleston Southern @ Wofford (Wofford 28-10)

[furman94]

Dude… did you go to the Furman game or just read the box score? Furman played the entire second half with freshmen backups at the offensive skill positions (rb,wr) and on the last PC drive to score with :04 seconds remaining was against 2nd and 3rd team defense. Your dreaming if you think Lamb showed the entire offense. And Mike Brown and Kyle McKinney should be back this week.

Don't forget Forcier. I talked to him after the game and he said he should have played against PC, but the coaches didn't want to risk anything. And let them be ignorant. Come November, they won't know what hit em xcoolx

[App Attack]

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State (McNeese 35-31)

I know you hate us, but dude, come on.

[walliver]

Elon @ PC (Elon by 10) - PC makes a game of it at home
McNeese @ ASU (ASU by 14) (25 if AE plays healthy)
Furman @ Chattanooga (Furman by 24)
Gardner Webb @ Western Carolina (Western by 10)
Jacksonville @ Samford (Samford by 35) - It's the Dolphins not Gamecocks we're talking about.
Georgia Southern @ SDSU (tossup)
Charleston Southern @ Wofford (Wofford by 20)
BYE @ Citadel (Citadel by 31) - BYE is much tougher that Edward Waters.

[Reign of Terrier]

Dude… did you go to the Furman game or just read the box score? Furman played the entire second half with freshmen backups at the offensive skill positions (rb,wr) and on the last PC drive to score with :04 seconds remaining was against 2nd and 3rd team defense. Your dreaming if you think Lamb showed the entire offense. And Mike Brown and Kyle McKinney should be back this week.

I wasn't at the game but I watched it and wasn't overly impressed.

[SU 82]

Elon @ PC Elon 31, PC 10
McNeese @ ASU Appy 28, McNeese 21
Furman @ Chattanooga Furman 30, Chatt 7
Gardner Webb @ Western Carolina WCU 28, G-W 14
Jacksonville @ Samford Samford 27, J'ville 14
Georgia Southern @ SDSU GSU 34, SDSU 31
Charleston Southern @ Wofford Wofford 42, CSU 6

Could be a clean sweep on the intersectional games this weekend...GSU has a tough assignment, and I'm afraid the SU-JU game might be closer than we'd like. Still getting people healed up. Kerwin Bell is a good coach and he'll have JU ready to play. McNeese could win if AE isn't able to play.

[youwouldno]

Elon 52 @ PC 17

I think Riddle will put up big numbers in this one. PC does not have a great defense. While PC put up yards against Furman, there are some extenuating factors involved (e.g., PC's defensive coordinator was a secondary coach at Furman last year).

McNeese 13 @ App St. 35

I don't think McNeese is particularly good, though I haven't kept up with AE's health status.

Furman 41 @ Chattanooga 24

The Paladins have a potent offense. Sorrells is very solid at QB and has a lot of weapons to work with. Furman has a very young defense and I think UTC will have moderate success offensively, but the young Paladin defenders could also show improvement in their 2nd game.

Gardner Webb 14 @ Western Carolina 21

Jacksonville 16 @ Samford 37

I do not see any upset potential here at all, and a wider spread than this is definitely possible.

Georgia Southern 21 @ SDSU 27

I'm surprised so many are picking GSU to win. I think it will be close but its a very tough road contest for the Eagles, who did not exactly look dominant week 1.

Charleston Southern 10 @ Wofford 34

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Elon 52 @ PC 17

I think Riddle will put up big numbers in this one. PC does not have a great defense. While PC put up yards against Furman, there are some extenuating factors involved (e.g., PC's defensive coordinator was a secondary coach at Furman last year).

McNeese 13 @ App St. 35

I don't think McNeese is particularly good, though I haven't kept up with AE's health status.

Furman 41 @ Chattanooga 24

The Paladins have a potent offense. Sorrells is very solid at QB and has a lot of weapons to work with. Furman has a very young defense and I think UTC will have moderate success offensively, but the young Paladin defenders could also show improvement in their 2nd game.

Gardner Webb 14 @ Western Carolina 21

Jacksonville 16 @ Samford 37

I do not see any upset potential here at all, and a wider spread than this is definitely possible.

Georgia Southern 21 @ SDSU 27

I'm surprised so many are picking GSU to win. I think it will be close but its a very tough road contest for the Eagles, who did not exactly look dominant week 1.

Charleston Southern 10 @ Wofford 34

GSU got off to a slow start in the first half. In the second half our offense was cooking and I expect us to carry that momentum into Brookings. Albany is probably better than you think, also.

By the way, how did you guys give up over 400 yards of offense to PC? Was most of that on the backups?

[Reign of Terrier]

By the way, how did you guys give up over 400 yards of offense to PC? Was most of that on the backups?

my exact reason as to why I wasn't impressed. Furman may have a good offense bus their defense will be their Achilles heal, IMO they just lost to much talent their from last year. Their offense however should be greatly improved (I don't know about the OL though) they lost many players last year to injury and they should be greatly improved (however 2 yard slants could change thatxwhistlex)

[youwouldno]

GSU got off to a slow start in the first half. In the second half our offense was cooking and I expect us to carry that momentum into Brookings. Albany is probably better than you think, also.

By the way, how did you guys give up over 400 yards of offense to PC? Was most of that on the backups?

I just said GSU wasn't dominant, and I think that's a pretty safe view considering it was a 3 point win, at home, against a decent but not great opponent.

The yards given up to PC was due to various factors. As has been noted, PC's defensive coordinator came over from Furman in the off-season and was undoubtedly useful in game-planning. The last drive and score was against backups. A number of true freshmen made their debuts and probably had some jitters.

Plus PC made some nice plays. Their QB threw one pass 50+ yards in the air, in-stride to a 6'7 receiver (Vandy transfer). It wasn't a great defensive performance by the Paladins but there are no conclusions to be drawn at this point.

[PaladinNation]

my exact reason as to why I wasn't impressed. Furman may have a good offense bus their defense will be their Achilles heal, IMO they just lost to much talent their from last year. Their offense however should be greatly improved (I don't know about the OL though) they lost many players last year to injury and they should be greatly improved (however 2 yard slants could change thatxwhistlex)

Not trying to be a smart a$$ here… but I'm not surprised you weren't impressed. Since when have you said anything remotely positive about Furman in a post?

Furman is young on defense but the youth is for the better… speed, athletic ability, and by the time the T-Dogs visit they won't be young pups anymore.

As far as the o-line goes - the new starters Spisak, Lee, Frazier… are a nasty bunch, and young I think you will love to hate them.

[Reign of Terrier]

Not trying to be a smart a$$ here… but I'm not surprised you weren't impressed. Since when have you said anything remotely positive about Furman in a post?

Furman is young on defense but the youth is for the better… speed, athletic ability, and by the time the T-Dogs visit they won't be young pups anymore.

As far as the o-line goes - the new starters Spisak, Lee, Frazier… are a nasty bunch, and young I think you will love to hate them.

I don't know about you but I'll believe it when I see it:p

In the last 2 years you haven't stopped us yet, and last year Furman had probably one of the best D's in the Socon.

My point is that even when you had "old dogs" in there you weren't able to stop us so as long as you have the same D coordinator coaching, I feel securexthumbsupx

[PaladinFan]

I wasn't at the game but I watched it and wasn't overly impressed.

Eh, a few things to take from that.

1) FU was without Mike Brown and Chris Forcier on offense, so hanging 45 without your two fastest offensive threats bodes well for our future.

2) the Paladins are still extremely young on defense and were playing without a starting defensive end. Further, there was zero film out there on what PC was going to do with the football, so our defense, on top of their youth, was flying blind.

3) This is still game 1. Everyone is working on things. I'm sure you probably watched Wofford get shelacked and aren't terribly concerned with things the Terriers didn't do well. Same with Furman. Got some things to work on, but on the whole, the Paladins looked very good to begin the season despite missing some key pieces.

[OL FU]

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Week #1 is in the books, now it's time to look on to Week #2.

1:30 pm
Elon @ Presbyterian (Elon by 28 points)

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State (ASU by 21)

6:00 pm
Furman @ Chattanooga (FU by 17)

Gardner-Webb @ Western Carolina (WCU by 10)

7:00 pm
Jacksonville (Fl) @ Samford (Samford by 28)

Georgia Southern @ South Dakota State (GSU by 14)

Charleston Southern @ Wofford (Wofford by 35)


Winners

Elon
ASU
FU
GW
Samford
SDSU
WC

[OL FU]

my exact reason as to why I wasn't impressed. Furman may have a good offense bus their defense will be their Achilles heal, IMO they just lost to much talent their from last year. Their offense however should be greatly improved (I don't know about the OL though) they lost many players last year to injury and they should be greatly improved (however 2 yard slants could change thatxwhistlex)

I have concerns about the D. I think when you lose 7 of 11 starters you have to be concerned. but one point, I do believe this is a better PC team (offensively at least) than they have put on the field in the last two years. xthumbsupx

FU has some work to do on defense but as I said that shouldn't surprise anyone. a few games under their belt could make all the difference.

And as far as being able to stop Wofford, time will tell but this isn't the same Wofford team as the last two years either:p:D

[phoenix3]

Dude… did you go to the Furman game or just read the box score? Furman played the entire second half with freshmen backups at the offensive skill positions (rb,wr) and on the last PC drive to score with :04 seconds remaining was against 2nd and 3rd team defense. Your dreaming if you think Lamb showed the entire offense. And Mike Brown and Kyle McKinney should be back this week.

But PC with 432 total yards? xsmhx Is PC's offense that good or Furman's secondary/linebacker corps that bad?

[OL FU]

But PC with 432 total yards? xsmhx Is PC's offense that good or Furman's secondary/linebacker corps that bad?

I think PC has a good offense. They mixed it up well. Enough passing and running to keep you off guard. I also think we have some work to do on defense which shouldn't surprise anyone with the graduation effect we had on that side of the ball. FU still playing off the receivers a little too much. The defense getting better is critical the next few games.

[PaladinFan]

But PC with 432 total yards? xsmhx Is PC's offense that good or Furman's secondary/linebacker corps that bad?

As it's been noted, Furman had no way of really preparing for what PC was going to do on offense.

Personally, I'm more worried about the points on the board than the yards given up. Furman won a looooot of SoCon games and playoff games playing bend but don't break defense. I don't care how many yards you give up between the 20s as long as you keep them out of the endzone.

I'm not going to make excuses for why PC put up a lot of yards. I didn't read once where Furman's defense was supposed to be all-world. They are solid and return some very good players (Lerner and Brown for example) but they are very young and have some growing to do.

My initial thought is that Furman is going to start taking the App State approach of "Sure, you'll score some points....but you won't score as many as we're going to."

[89Hen]

Elon 42 - Presbyterian 17
AppSt 38 - McNeese 14
Furman 27 - UTC 17
G-W 38 - WCU 28
Samford 35 - Jax 10
SDSU 27 - GSU 24
Wofford 28 - CSU 7

[gophoenix]

"Sure, you'll score some points....but you won't score as many as we're going to."

That's the approach Elon has taken too, but you can see that only works out so far without having a defense that can stop yards. Eventually it bites you; see our past two seasons.

[gobluehose1]

I just said GSU wasn't dominant, and I think that's a pretty safe view considering it was a 3 point win, at home, against a decent but not great opponent.

The yards given up to PC was due to various factors. As has been noted, PC's defensive coordinator came over from Furman in the off-season and was undoubtedly useful in game-planning. The last drive and score was against backups. A number of true freshmen made their debuts and probably had some jitters.

Plus PC made some nice plays. Their QB threw one pass 50+ yards in the air, in-stride to a 6'7 receiver (Vandy transfer). It wasn't a great defensive performance by the Paladins but there are no conclusions to be drawn at this point.

here's the thing though.....PC didn't do anything crazy on offense. They ran power football between the tackles, some play action off the run, and the occasional boot-leg. They ran I-formation, some single back sets, double tights, and the occasional 4-wide. There was no crazy mis-direction, triple-reverse halfback passes, fumbleruskies, or even the option. It was old school.

I'd venture to say that Furman will see all these formations several times during the year. Do you really need film to prepare for the I-formation? Staying at home on a boot-leg? This is football 101. For the most part these are formations that Furman ran, so I think they had seen them before. When it comes down to it we only punted twice the whole game and went for it on 4th and 10 and 4th and 5, not to mention the infamous goal line stand.

I am much more likely to understand the "we're young on defense" idea because we are too. But to say we gained 430+ yards because you didn't know what we were going to do or because one of your former coaches is now our D-coordinator is not accurate IMO.

Time will tell whether PC offense is good or if Furman's defense is bad, young, or over the course of a few games, both improve.

[OL FU]

That's the approach Elon has taken too, but you can see that only works out so far without having a defense that can stop yards. Eventually it bites you; see our past two seasons.

I think the score may have had something to do with it also. FU typically plays soft on pass defense but even softer when they have a sizeable lead. Don't know if the stats would have been different if the score had been closer but I think it is possible. On the other hand, as I said I don't think it should surprise anyone that FU's defense is progressing slower than the O. The question is can they make the needed improvements with game experience.

[OL FU]

here's the thing though.....PC didn't do anything crazy on offense. They ran power football between the tackles, some play action off the run, and the occasional boot-leg. They ran I-formation, some single back sets, double tights, and the occasional 4-wide. There was no crazy mis-direction, triple-reverse halfback passes, fumbleruskies, or even the option. It was old school.

I'd venture to say that Furman will see all these formations several times during the year. Do you really need film to prepare for the I-formation? Staying at home on a boot-leg? This is football 101. For the most part these are formations that Furman ran, so I think they had seen them before. When it comes down to it we only punted twice the whole game and went for it on 4th and 10 and 4th and 5, not to mention the infamous goal line stand.

I am much more likely to understand the "we're young on defense" idea because we are too. But to say we gained 430+ yards because you didn't know what we were going to do or because one of your former coaches is now our D-coordinator is not accurate IMO.

Time will tell whether PC offense is good or if Furman's defense is bad, young, or over the course of a few games, both improve.

xnodx I am hoping for young but improving. xthumbsupx

We also should know alot more next week on whether PC's offense is a good one. I don't see any major surprises next week against Elon but playing them at home should be a good measure of what's good and what's bad.

[soweagle]

xnodx I am hoping for young but improving. xthumbsupx

We also should know alot more next week on whether PC's offense is a good one. I don't see any major surprises next week against Elon but playing them at home should be a good measure of what's good and what's bad.

Why did Forcier not play?

[OL FU]

Why did Forcier not play?

Injury. Gravity Forciered him off a bycycle on to the ground. :o

Not sure but I think he should be ok next week. Brown (Starting TB) was also out due to injury.

Another interested point. Truss, the big tight end, didn't catch a pass. Not a bad thing but considering how important he is and 7 others did catch passes, then three potential offensive weapons didn't touch the ball.

[gophoenix]

I think the score may have had something to do with it also. FU typically plays soft on pass defense but even softer when they have a sizeable lead. Don't know if the stats would have been different if the score had been closer but I think it is possible. On the other hand, as I said I don't think it should surprise anyone that FU's defense is progressing slower than the O. The question is can they make the needed improvements with game experience.

We aren't exactly a league known for stout defenses anymore :D

[OL FU]

We aren't exactly a league known for stout defenses anymore :D

:o

[PaladinFan]

Injury. Gravity Forciered him off a bycycle on to the ground. :o

Not sure but I think he should be ok next week. Brown (Starting TB) was also out due to injury.

Another interested point. Truss, the big tight end, didn't catch a pass. Not a bad thing but considering how important he is and 7 others did catch passes, then three potential offensive weapons didn't touch the ball.

Three all-conference types.

[PaladinNation]

here's the thing though.....PC didn't do anything crazy on offense. They ran power football between the tackles, some play action off the run, and the occasional boot-leg. They ran I-formation, some single back sets, double tights, and the occasional 4-wide. There was no crazy mis-direction, triple-reverse halfback passes, fumbleruskies, or even the option. It was old school.

I'd venture to say that Furman will see all these formations several times during the year. Do you really need film to prepare for the I-formation? Staying at home on a boot-leg? This is football 101. For the most part these are formations that Furman ran, so I think they had seen them before. When it comes down to it we only punted twice the whole game and went for it on 4th and 10 and 4th and 5, not to mention the infamous goal line stand.

I am much more likely to understand the "we're young on defense" idea because we are too. But to say we gained 430+ yards because you didn't know what we were going to do or because one of your former coaches is now our D-coordinator is not accurate IMO.

Time will tell whether PC offense is good or if Furman's defense is bad, young, or over the course of a few games, both improve.

Your coach Harold Nichols has a triple option background… Rhode Island. Furman felt confident enough to practice against the option all week. What did PC do? No option. PC's final drive accounted for 75 yards against 2nd and 3rd teamers, hats off to PC for a nice pass in the back of the endzone for the score.

btw…Brandon Miley the QB at PC is pretty darn good. From what I hear Elon looked hard at him but took Riddle instead.

[drpnut]

PaladinNation

Hey bro... I did watch the game, and I stand by my opinion that it was just a decent game. You also need to know that I;'m not a Furple basher. THe only time I don't like them is when they play my Woffy team.

I give them that it was the first game, etc. and kinks had to be worked out. But a lot of people are making excuces "Our D is so young..." True as it may be, you are getting a lot more studs than PC, who plays in a very weak Conference and truly is an upstart program with a bright future.

I was expecting to be "wowed" and wasn't. Maybe it was faulty of me to expect you to really dominate the game. I was looking for more like 41-7, etc.

I know your "D" is young, but I am really salivating about Nov. 21. Wofford's system is built on "interchangeable" parts.

By the way Our young "D" never gave up a big play down the field. And I have no doubt the athletes we faced at USF are alot faster than any we will face in the SOCon. Those guys could flat-out fly. App can claim that they are as fast, but there is no way, in my eyes that claim will hold up.

[OL FU]

PaladinNation

Hey bro... I did watch the game, and I stand by my opinion that it was just a decent game. You also need to know that I;'m not a Furple basher. THe only time I don't like them is when they play my Woffy team.

I give them that it was the first game, etc. and kinks had to be worked out. But a lot of people are making excuces "Our D is so young..." True as it may be, you are getting a lot more studs than PC, who plays in a very weak Conference and truly is an upstart program with a bright future.

I was expecting to be "wowed" and wasn't. Maybe it was faulty of me to expect you to really dominate the game. I was looking for more like 41-7, etc.

I know your "D" is young, but I am really salivating about Nov. 21. Wofford's system is built on "interchangeable" parts.

By the way Our young "D" never gave up a big play down the field. And I have no doubt the athletes we faced at USF are alot faster than any we will face in the SOCon. Those guys could flat-out fly. App can claim that they are as fast, but there is no way, in my eyes that claim will hold up.


But you gave up a few against APP last year.xeekx xrolleyesx 70 point worth with an experienced defense so I would cut them too badly.

My opinion is it is difficult to tell squat from a game against an FBS opponent. You are as likely to play close and lose as you are to get blown out. I've seen FU almost beat bowl bound Pitt to lose the a mediocre ASU team the next game. confusedxxconfusedxxconfusedx


PS, you may not be a FU hater, but my guess from some of the other posts from before the FU game is you would just as soon see us fall on our face than notxtwocentsx:)

PPS, I should clarify my comment on playing FBS, It relates to games where the talent level etc is obviously a mismatch. I wasn't speaking of games like UR vs Duke or villanova versus Temple. I am speaking of USF versus WC and future games like FU versus Missouri.

[youwouldno]

here's the thing though.....PC didn't do anything crazy on offense. They ran power football between the tackles, some play action off the run, and the occasional boot-leg. They ran I-formation, some single back sets, double tights, and the occasional 4-wide. There was no crazy mis-direction, triple-reverse halfback passes, fumbleruskies, or even the option. It was old school.

I'd venture to say that Furman will see all these formations several times during the year. Do you really need film to prepare for the I-formation? Staying at home on a boot-leg? This is football 101. For the most part these are formations that Furman ran, so I think they had seen them before. When it comes down to it we only punted twice the whole game and went for it on 4th and 10 and 4th and 5, not to mention the infamous goal line stand.

I am much more likely to understand the "we're young on defense" idea because we are too. But to say we gained 430+ yards because you didn't know what we were going to do or because one of your former coaches is now our D-coordinator is not accurate IMO.

Time will tell whether PC offense is good or if Furman's defense is bad, young, or over the course of a few games, both improve.

It's not a matter of formations. PC, via Evangelista, had intricate knowledge of each Furman defender's strengths and weaknesses, far more than would show up from some game tapes. A lot of it being technical things most fans don't notice.

Total yardage is often misleading anyway; efficiency is much more informative. Neither PC's 3.9 yards per carry nor 6.5 yards per pass are particularly great. Furman averaged 6.2 per rush and 9.5 per pass.

[drpnut]

OL FU

The only time I Pull against Furman is when they play Woffy. Period. Nuff Said

[OL FU]

OL FU

The only time I Pull against Furman is when they play Woffy. Period. Nuff Said

sounds good to mexthumbsupx

[drpnut]

OL FU

I do believe Woffy takes more postive away than negative in the USF game.

Remember in '03 we opened with a 49-0 a** whooping at the hands of Air Force and we had a pretty good year.

I'm not saying we will have that kind of year, but I"m not at all worried.

I believe we demolish Chuck South, see earlier post.


On a side note... I watched the Mizzou/Illinois game... If the same Mizzou team shows up to play you guys... well let's just say it will be very ugly...especially if Chatty gives you guys a good game.

[PaladinFan]

I don't even understand why the debate. Furman played hard, won the football game, beat a team they were supposed to beat, and did so by more than three touchdowns. An ugly win is better than a pretty loss any day of the week.

If you're going to make a generalized comment like "I was not impressed" be prepared to back it up with more than "You should have beat them by more."

[PaladinFan]

OL FU

I do believe Woffy takes more postive away than negative in the USF game.

Remember in '03 we opened with a 49-0 a** whooping at the hands of Air Force and we had a pretty good year.

I'm not saying we will have that kind of year, but I"m not at all worried.

I believe we demolish Chuck South, see earlier post.


On a side note... I watched the Mizzou/Illinois game... If the same Mizzou team shows up to play you guys... well let's just say it will be very ugly...especially if Chatty gives you guys a good game.

That, I think, is OL FU's point. It's game one. You, as a Wofford fan, aren't canceling your tickets because the Terriers got blown off the field against a decent FBS team. Likewise, Furman fans are not terribly concerned when our young defense gives up points to a team that has former members of our coaching staff.

[OL FU]

OL FU

I do believe Woffy takes more postive away than negative in the USF game.

Remember in '03 we opened with a 49-0 a** whooping at the hands of Air Force and we had a pretty good year.

I'm not saying we will have that kind of year, but I"m not at all worried.

I believe we demolish Chuck South, see earlier post.


On a side note... I watched the Mizzou/Illinois game... If the same Mizzou team shows up to play you guys... well let's just say it will be very ugly...especially if Chatty gives you guys a good game.

I am very concerned about how bad the Mizzou game could be. xnodx

On the other hand and while it is a long time off, watching Auburn this weekend gave me more than a little hope:)

My point on FBS games like those is that it is difficult to take much from them unless the talent level etc is close. Games can be close and games can be far apart depending on whether the FCS team can keep some momentum going and not make mistakes. Little things make a huge difference. Now you can say that for any game but the ramifications are significanly exacerbated in games like these.

[OL FU]

That, I think, is OL FU's point. It's game one. You, as a Wofford fan, aren't canceling your tickets because the Terriers got blown off the field against a decent FBS team. Likewise, Furman fans are not terribly concerned when our young defense gives up points to a team that has former members of our coaching staff.

Wasn't exactly my point but it is a good one and one I wish I had made it. Too many conclusions from too little data. xnodx

I will be interested in seeing how PC does against Elon. Understanding that Elon will have a little advantage in seeing film they will lose some advantage playing at PC. My guess is that PC may not gain the yardage but but may very well be a little more efficient when they get in the red zone. I think you will see a similar outcome in the Elon game next week. a 24-31 point win. 24 being what we won by 31 being less the last minute score.

[Hoseinexile07]

We're not good now. We might not be good next year. We'll be a force in 2011. To be sure, in the last drive Furman put in their reserves and freshmen, but we played a lot of freshmen the entire game. Something like 50 of the 75 players who made the trip for that game are either true freshmen or were redshirted last year. We've got young, raw talent, but we are hurting for depth and refined skills.

Furman thrashed us. There's a good chance that Elon will too.

[OL FU]

We're not good now. We might not be good next year. We'll be a force in 2011. To be sure, in the last drive Furman put in their reserves and freshmen, but we played a lot of freshmen the entire game. Something like 50 of the 75 players who made the trip for that game are either true freshmen or were redshirted last year. We've got young, raw talent, but we are hurting for depth and refined skills.

Furman thrashed us. There's a good chance that Elon will too.

You just moved up. Ask the GSU people what coaching instability can do to an FCS stalwart

[ElonPride]

We're not good now. We might not be good next year. We'll be a force in 2011. To be sure, in the last drive Furman put in their reserves and freshmen, but we played a lot of freshmen the entire game. Something like 50 of the 75 players who made the trip for that game are either true freshmen or were redshirted last year. We've got young, raw talent, but we are hurting for depth and refined skills.

Furman thrashed us. There's a good chance that Elon will too.

You guys do have a very good QB. I am also under the impression that Elon was looking at him, but ended up with Riddle in the end. I believe Riddle was holding out for a couple ACC schools, but knew he would be a starter at Elon from day 1.

Give a little more time for your program to mature. Remember how bad Elon was from 2001-2006?

[furman94]

No comment to the Wofford fans. Let the smack be played out on the field. Time will decide who wins and loses and, after all, isn't that all we care about?

Touching on what Hoseinexile07 said, we played alot of young guys late in the game. This could have been a deciding factor in the final score.

[Hoseinexile07]

You guys do have a very good QB. I am also under the impression that Elon was looking at him, but ended up with Riddle in the end. I believe Riddle was holding out for a couple ACC schools, but knew he would be a starter at Elon from day 1.

Give a little more time for your program to mature. Remember how bad Elon was from 2001-2006?

To clarify my post:

1. Collectively, we still have a long way to go. Individually, we're loaded with talent at the skill positions, especially running back, receivers, and QBs. Our second stringer, Tim Webb, was last season's starter until he had his ankle broken at Liberty. So there's no drop off in talent if Miley goes down. What we lack is an experienced defense because the New Bentley Era decided that defense wasn't really necessary. So our players have had to unlearn bad habits on D since 2007 as well as learning a new scheme.

2. I know we're young and that we've had hurdles to overcome. We'll be OK, I just am tired of being a punching bag. I love my team and support them as much as I can financially [I'm in grad school so I probably contributed the shoes on one of our boys' feet this season] and otherwise. That's why I want to see us win against quality opponents.

[The Cats]

It's almost time to head up to the mountains.......

[The Moody1]

It's almost time to head up to the mountains.......

Your'e coming to Boone? :D

[The Cats]

Your'e coming to Boone?

Sorry, but Boone's a little far north for my taste.....

[PhoenixMan]

You guys do have a very good QB. I am also under the impression that Elon was looking at him, but ended up with Riddle in the end. I believe Riddle was holding out for a couple ACC schools, but knew he would be a starter at Elon from day 1.

Give a little more time for your program to mature. Remember how bad Elon was from 2001-2006?

PC has a lot of strengths, but the Phoenix shouldn't have any problem scoring points. Riddle was holding out for ECU and at one time NC State. They both backed off because 1) they thought his height would be a huge detriment at that level 2) the ACC schools were getting the feeling that he would go to Elon, where he could play right away, and his dad was an Elon player/mom an Elon cheerleader. I'm glad they backed off, I have loved watching him the past 2 years and I'm looking forward to the next two years.xthumbsupx

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

I just said GSU wasn't dominant, and I think that's a pretty safe view considering it was a 3 point win, at home, against a decent but not great opponent.

The yards given up to PC was due to various factors. As has been noted, PC's defensive coordinator came over from Furman in the off-season and was undoubtedly useful in game-planning. The last drive and score was against backups. A number of true freshmen made their debuts and probably had some jitters.

Plus PC made some nice plays. Their QB threw one pass 50+ yards in the air, in-stride to a 6'7 receiver (Vandy transfer). It wasn't a great defensive performance by the Paladins but there are no conclusions to be drawn at this point.

I completely agree. Furman usually plays good defense and I think even if they are as bad as they appear on paper now they will certainly get better as the season goes on.

Te point that I was trying to make is that the box score doesn't tell the whole story. In the case of GSU, we are much better than we were in the season openers in 2007 and 2008. Considering how Hatcher was able to keep us in the SoCon race with those teams, you can undersand why we'd be optimistic about things.

[GaSouthern]

3:30 pm
McNeese State @ Appalachian State (McNeese 35-31)


Man, I was close!


I see the crAPP fan that called me out on my prediction deleted his thread, pathetic.

Now if GSU can just pull one out of their rears and get a win.

[wcucat85]

I was right on as well.......................Western has reached a new low...............Lost at home to Gardner Webb Tonite...27-20.................I predicted 28-10 or so..............We are horrible...........just horrible...............Thanks Bob Waters for destroying the program before you died.

[youwouldno]

I took flak from GSU fans for suggesting their game would even be close... overconfident Eagles fans, who would have thunk it?