Big South Week 6 Thread

[ToTheLeft]

Power Rankings:

1. Liberty (No explanation needed)
2. Stony Brook (Disappointing pre-conference, but a very impressive showing against the Blue Hose boosts them to second)
3. Gardner Webb (Weak showing against VMI, but pulled out a win)
4. VMI (Almost knocked off G-W)
5. Coastal (2-5 in the power ranking are all very close)
6. Chuck (Actually found someone they could beat at the D-I level this week)
7. Bye
8. Presby (They're worse than the bye week)

Week 6 games

Stony Brook at North Dakota
Gardner Webb at Buffalo
Presby at ODU
VMI at Coastal

My Picks:
SBU by 7
Buffalo by 28
ODU by 7
Coastal by 14

[kdinva]

Stony Brook 33; North Dakota 26
U Buffalo 28, Gard-Webb 21
ODU 32, Presby. 27
VMI 28, CCU 22

[justsaying]

Power Rankings:

1. Liberty (No explanation needed)
2. Stony Brook (Disappointing pre-conference, but a very impressive showing against the Blue Hose boosts them to second)
3. Gardner Webb (Weak showing against VMI, but pulled out a win)
4. VMI (Almost knocked off G-W)
5. Coastal (2-5 in the power ranking are all very close)
6. Chuck (Actually found someone they could beat at the D-I level this week)
7. Bye
8. Presby (They're worse than the bye week)

Week 6 games

Stony Brook at North Dakota
Gardner Webb at Buffalo
Presby at ODU
VMI at Coastal

My Picks:
SBU by 7
Buffalo by 28
ODU by 7
Coastal by 14

Weak Showing? I will be curious to see how other Big South teams do against the triple option... xeyebrowx... GWU is one of only two teams holding VMI high power option offense under 300 yards, and held the VMI rushing total 40 yard below season average....

Mark my words... VMI will be one of the toughest teams to beat in the Big South this year..... They are 1-3 but those losses came from some of the top teams in the nation(James Madison, Richmond, GWxpeacex).


1.Liberty- (Can't read them just yet, But they are the two time Defending Champs)
2.GWU- (Has won every game they are suppose to, Could knock off Buffalo)
3.VMI- (Better than what their record shows, will give Big South teams all they want.)
4.(Tie) SB- (Presby win does not impress me enough)
4.(Tie)Coastal- (Can Sneak up the rankings by season end)
5.Chuck South- (Hurt themselves by their out of conference scheduling)
6.Presby- (I'm just hoping they knock off Liberty again this year....)



Stony Brook 28 North Dakota 21
Buffalo 14, Gard-Webb 17
ODU 21, Presby. 24
VMI 28, CCU 21

[ToTheLeft]

It's not so much the defense from G-W, it's that they struggled to score against them and didn't get ahead for good until late. You can't stop VMI from scoring, but you should be able to score all over them. G-W didn't. It was a weak showing.

[justsaying]

It's not so much the defense from G-W, it's that they struggled to score against them and didn't get ahead for good until late. You can't stop VMI from scoring, but you should be able to score all over them. G-W didn't. It was a weak showing.

You can say the same about Liberty against NC Central;).....Anyways..There was allot of special team mistakes that played apart but I'm not going to try make excuses....Like I said before, VMI is a better than what their record shows....

[OLDLCOACH111]

You can say the same about Liberty against NC Central;).....Anyways..There was allot of special team mistakes that played apart but I'm not going to try make excuses....Like I said before, VMI is a better than what their record shows....

Yea, GWU Punt team gave up 8 points by themselves...( safety, punt return for a touchdown) And we missed a field goal in the red zone... Get special teams in order, and we should be hard to beatxthumbsupx

[GridFan]

Did PC really bus all the way up to SBU? I heard that today from a co worker. That's gotta be 14-15 hours on wheels.

I watched the G-W game on the big south's site, and listened online to the G-W radio crew. Moved the ball nearly at will, with a few hiccups on dropped balls in the passing game. Over 400 yards of offense. Patton said after that the focus was to hold on to the football, control the clock and keep the ball away from VMI. Looking at the stats they were successful doing that. Had a first and goal at the four that resulted in zero points early in the third quarter. Other than that they were perfect in the red zone.

The only area that really was a "weak showing" from what I saw was the kicking game. Coverage left much to be desired, snaps on punt gave up two points, had a blocked punt and missed an easy FG. Also hit two FGs, but I'm sure they'll be working on those areas this week.

Hopefully the Dogs stay healthy after Buffalo. If they can get to Stony Brook no worse than 5-2, then that Halloween battle in Spangler Stadium will be a barn burner I would guess. I'll be there for that one.

[elcid83]

Power Rankings:

1. Liberty (No explanation needed)
2. Stony Brook (Disappointing pre-conference, but a very impressive showing against the Blue Hose boosts them to second)
3. Gardner Webb (Weak showing against VMI, but pulled out a win)
4. VMI (Almost knocked off G-W)
5. Coastal (2-5 in the power ranking are all very close)
6. Chuck (Actually found someone they could beat at the D-I level this week)
7. Bye
8. Presby (They're worse than the bye week)

Week 6 games

Stony Brook at North Dakota
Gardner Webb at Buffalo
Presby at ODU
VMI at Coastal

My Picks:
SBU by 7
Buffalo by 28
ODU by 7
Coastal by 14

Lefty, you're not giving VMI enough credit here. I hope your coaches don't overlook them like you are. VMI will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big South this year.

Go Runnin' Bulldogs!

[kdinva]

Lefty, you're not giving VMI enough credit here. I hope your coaches don't overlook them like you are. VMI will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big South this year.

He's still sore about last Winter's basketball seasonxsmiley_wix. Our coaching staff and returning team is 100% intact.xreadx...........now, back to football:D.

[kdinva]

. You can't stop VMI from scoring, but you should be able to score all over them. G-W didn't. It was a weak showing.

If VMI had zero turnovers vs. Gar-Webb, VMI wins. Conversely, if VMI had 4 turnovers vs. U of R, UR wins by 28.......ask QB Doolittle if VMI's front 7 can hit.

[g-webb1994]

Buffalo narrowly lost at home to Central Michigan yesterday. They are on a two game skid and this Saturday against us is their homecoming game. I said at the start of the year that this game could be uglier than the one in Raleigh, I'll stick by it. I would love for G-W to play well, but I am more concerned with staying healthy in this game since there is no bye week following this one.

[jcmanson]

If VMI had zero turnovers vs. Gar-Webb, VMI wins. Conversely, if VMI had 4 turnovers vs. U of R, UR wins by 28.......ask QB Doolittle if VMI's front 7 can hit.

I read your first word, "if", and quit reading. If's don't count. Sorry. And bringing up basketball obviously shows you don't trust your football team this season. You've already lost a home game, zero chance you can still win the championship.

[SuperJon]

Rules of thumb about VMI:

VMI will score.

VMI will fumble.

VMI will give up points.

All three are true. All three happen every game. VMI can overcome them sometimes and if they can minimize either the fumbling or giving up points they can win, but that's always been their weakness.

[kdinva]

I read your first word, "if", and quit reading. If's don't count. Sorry. And bringing up basketball obviously shows you don't trust your football team this season. You've already lost a home game, zero chance you can still win the championship.
I trust the FB team will tighten things up and win at least 5 of their final 7. I brought up basketball because that is a touchy subject for you, JC. Plus, Coach Rocco uses "if" in his comments/quotes.......nothing wrong with that.

[SumItUp]

Stony Brook over North Dakota by 6
Buffalo over GW by 3
ODU over Presby by 10
VMI over Coastal by 14

[jcmanson]

I brought up basketball because that is a touchy subject for you, JC.

Can you blame us? ;)

[kdinva]

Can you blame us? ;)
Even as a "rival", it was painful to watch the mass exodus of folks last March. Y'all didn't deserve that.xsmhx

[Seawolf97]

This weekend should be an interesting game. I dont know very much about North Dakota and it is their Potato Bowl game which is a big event. So it is wait and see on this one.

[UND92,96]

This weekend should be an interesting game. I dont know very much about North Dakota and it is their Potato Bowl game which is a big event. So it is wait and see on this one.
UND has been really up and down so far this year. A respectable performance in a loss at Texas Tech and a win at Northwestern St. were followed by a horrible performance at Stephen F. Austin. Last week, UND was finally at home and responded well with a 27-12 win over South Dakota. If you have access to Fox College Sports Atlantic, you may be able to catch a replay of that game as it's been re-run several times in the past few days.

Historically, UND plays very well at home. It's a 12,300 seat indoor stadium which can be very, very loud. UND's strengths right now are that they haven't turned the ball over very much, and the special teams are pretty strong with a number of blocked PAT's and field goals, and a good kick returner and kicker. The offense had been pretty weak prior to the USD game, but really played well last week. The defense is up and down. There's not much of a pass rush, and the run defense has been disappointing the past two weeks.

I have no idea what to expect from Stony Brook. It should be an interesting matchup.

[Seawolf97]

UND has been really up and down so far this year. A respectable performance in a loss at Texas Tech and a win at Northwestern St. were followed by a horrible performance at Stephen F. Austin. Last week, UND was finally at home and responded well with a 27-12 win over South Dakota. If you have access to Fox College Sports Atlantic, you may be able to catch a replay of that game as it's been re-run several times in the past few days.

Historically, UND plays very well at home. It's a 12,300 seat indoor stadium which can be very, very loud. UND's strengths right now are that they haven't turned the ball over very much, and the special teams are pretty strong with a number of blocked PAT's and field goals, and a good kick returner and kicker. The offense had been pretty weak prior to the USD game, but really played well last week. The defense is up and down. There's not much of a pass rush, and the run defense has been disappointing the past two weeks.

I have no idea what to expect from Stony Brook. It should be an interesting matchup.

The stength of our offense has been our running game. We have the luxury of two 1000 yard backs who have been struggling so far this season. Most of the reason is our run blocking needs to improve. We lost a good portion of our offensive line to graduation. Our QB is improving in his first real year.
Our strength right now is the secondary and our linebackers. We have had
at least 1 interception each game this year. Kicking is another strong area.
Our freshman kicker has yet to miss on field goals and has only one miss on PAT's.
I'm looking forward to Saturday you are a strong opponent at home and I
expect a close game. I still think it's great we are going out West to play
you guys.

[elcid83]

Buffalo narrowly lost at home to Central Michigan yesterday. They are on a two game skid and this Saturday against us is their homecoming game. I said at the start of the year that this game could be uglier than the one in Raleigh, I'll stick by it. I would love for G-W to play well, but I am more concerned with staying healthy in this game since there is no bye week following this one.

94, Buffalo won their first game of the season and have lost the last four. They are not NC State. I don't know why you want to continue hating the Bulldogs [I'm assuming you hate a coach or two] but Buffalo is not going to beat GW by 31 points like the Wolfpack did.

Go Runnin' Bulldogs!

[EagleDawg]

ElCid83 - Coaches Poll has GW at 31st and the TSN Poll has them at 37th. A win over Buffalo might propel them into the top 25 for the first time in a long time. The Dawgs can do it, they just need to go get it. Weather is looking a bit chilly with a high of 50, 15 mph winds so wind chill will be in the lower 40's or so. Pack up some warm clothes we're heading to Buffalo.

I know G-Webb94, I'm drinking the Kool-Aid but hey it's a Monday night and like most I gotta go to work tomorrow morning so Kool-Aid it is, not been so bad thru the first 4 weeks I might add.

Go Runnin Bulldogs!

[justsaying]

94, Buffalo won their first game of the season and have lost the last four. They are not NC State. I don't know why you want to continue hating the Bulldogs [I'm assuming you hate a coach or two] but Buffalo is not going to beat GW by 31 points like the Wolfpack did.

Go Runnin' Bulldogs!

lol... Yea, i'm starting to think g-webb1994 has switched sides on the bulldogs... I never see anything positive coming from his/her post... Are you a bitter fan, former coach, or former player????

Justsaying...

Whatever grudge you have, at least act like a fan and stand by your team.............. if you are a fanxeyebrowx...

[Redwyn]

Looking forward to a fantastic ND game. The ascent of those SBU lost to (two are now top 25, one justt outside) can help justify our slow start.

Here's hoping we take it out on our friends in the Dakotas!

[darell1976]

I think its funny how you guys post a Stony Brook win over UND, while in the GWFC board we all pick UND over Stony Brook. Obviously we know nothing about our opponents. This should make for a great game!! Good luck Stony Brook.xthumbsupx

[g-webb1994]

So if I take off the scarlet and black glasses and try to objectively look at the game, then I am a hater of my alma mater and the people that work there. Gotcha.xnonono2x Guess the yearly donations don't mean **** either.xnonono2x

Maybe elcid, when you went to Citadel you learned how to hate...that's your choice. I don't hate, I may disagree, and calling me a hater when G-W the institution gave me a shot at a damned good education is pretty damned shallow.xnonono2x

I'm pleased with the season so far, but going up to Buffalo and pulling out a win while sacrificing players to the injury list isn't going to win us a Big South title. Injuries are what I am concerned with this weekend. Let's get home healthy and keep the roll going.

Nice to see today that the kickoff for the Coastal game has been moved up to 12:30 instead of 7. We catch a break there, night games down there are not a festive time at all.

The way Liberty is playing, if we can keep the roll going, that game in Boiling Springs might not just be for the conference title, but for a playoff bid as well.

[EagleDawg]

GWebb1994 - I don't think you're a hater but one of the slang terms of today is "u hatin on my &*^$%%" so when I posted earlier don't go hatin on the Bulldogs, it was a fun poke said in jest. You have many years of observation as opposed to several of us who have jumped on the GW train now that our sons are part of the Runnin Bulldogs football team. I'm sure your comments are well based on your past observations but we do sense that GW is turning a corner and not just based on their start. They are getting more and better quality players. They are building better and more experienced depth. The future looks bright if all involved continue to put in the work including contributions of time, support and funding to the institution.

We're all part of the same pack! The Kool-Aid has been pretty good so far.

[Seawolf97]

I think its funny how you guys post a Stony Brook win over UND, while in the GWFC board we all pick UND over Stony Brook. Obviously we know nothing about our opponents. This should make for a great game!! Good luck Stony Brook.xthumbsupx

I will be listening to the game on the radio but I suspect both coaches will try and feel eachother in at least the 1st quarter. Kind of like two prize fighters probing each other. Nothing fancy at first just use what works.
GooD Luck like wise to UND - this is going to be interesting xthumbsupx

[g-webb1994]

GWebb1994 - I don't think you're a hater but one of the slang terms of today is "u hatin on my &*^$%%" so when I posted earlier don't go hatin on the Bulldogs, it was a fun poke said in jest. You have many years of observation as opposed to several of us who have jumped on the GW train now that our sons are part of the Runnin Bulldogs football team. I'm sure your comments are well based on your past observations but we do sense that GW is turning a corner and not just based on their start. They are getting more and better quality players. They are building better and more experienced depth. The future looks bright if all involved continue to put in the work including contributions of time, support and funding to the institution.

We're all part of the same pack! The Kool-Aid has been pretty good so far.


The facilities have been infused with major $$$, and are top-notch, not like back in the day when Woody Fish would take the team down on the hill where the entrance to the G-W football complex is during halftime, while the opposing team used our locker room. I'm still getting used to night games, and we've had those lights for quite a few years now....those September day games long ago were real roasters. Even before all the move up through D-2 to FCS, Spangler Stadium was listed in the top five places to see a college football game in the state of NC.

I can't see G-W finishing any worse than 8-3 now, unless the injury bug shows up.

Also, here is a decent read from the Niagara Gazette today, UB showing us some respect...

http://www.niagra-gazette.com/sports/local_story_279225303.html (http://www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/local_story_279225303.html)

[jcmanson]

So if I take off the scarlet and black glasses and try to objectively look at the game, then I am a hater of my alma mater and the people that work there. Gotcha.xnonono2x Guess the yearly donations don't mean **** either.xnonono2x

Maybe elcid, when you went to Citadel you learned how to hate...that's your choice. I don't hate, I may disagree, and calling me a hater when G-W the institution gave me a shot at a damned good education is pretty damned shallow.xnonono2x

I'm pleased with the season so far, but going up to Buffalo and pulling out a win while sacrificing players to the injury list isn't going to win us a Big South title. Injuries are what I am concerned with this weekend. Let's get home healthy and keep the roll going.

Nice to see today that the kickoff for the Coastal game has been moved up to 12:30 instead of 7. We catch a break there, night games down there are not a festive time at all.

The way Liberty is playing, if we can keep the roll going, that game in Boiling Springs might not just be for the conference title, but for a playoff bid as well.

If you guys don't beat Buffalo, you have ZERO shot at the playoffs.

[Bull Fan]

Guys, Buffalo (University AT Buffalo, to correct your website....) is down this year but by no means should the previous losses to I-AA's as a I-A team earlier in the decade be a gauge.

We've had a couple of setbacks due to injury and graduation, but overall the talent level and quality of coaching is up. I don't expect to roll over G-W, but I don't expect to lose to you guys. This isn't smack, it's just a prognostication.

[CarolinaGirl]

Stony Brook at North Dakota - I admit, I know nothing about North Dakota but it's hard to argue a loss at home with a game named after a potato :p

Gardner Webb at Buffalo - I agree with Bull Fan in that UB is improving and they have gained some good coaches in their program. I'm from that area and UB was so bad for so long, I never paid a lot of attention to them. Last year, they were actually fun to watch. GW may give them a hard time, but UB will win that one. Y'all better wear your long johns up there. It's a little chilly!! ;)

Presby at ODU - PC should. Can they and will they? For the conference, I will pick them to win.

VMI at Coastal - CCU always struggles against VMI. Even in 2006 when we went to the playoffs, we barely beat them. But I always pull for my beach chickens in conference games AND we are at home. BTW 1994, I have to disagree with you. Night games at Coastal are definitely festive! :D