CSJ: Coulson: What A Fine Mess We Could Have in the SoCon

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://www.college-sports-journal.com/index.php/78-college-sports-journal/david-coulson/91-what-a-fine-mess-we-could-have-in-the-socon


I've always been a sucker for the old, slapstick comedy of the early years of motion pictures, whether it be stuff like the Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers, or Laurel and Hardy.

I'm more in the mood for Laurel and Hardy today as I consider the complications of the Southern Conference as we move into the final two weeks of the season.

After seeing what Furman had done to Wofford and Appalachian State in recent weeks, I can hear Oliver Hardy saying to Stan Laurel "What a fine mess you've gotten us into."

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[ursus arctos horribilis]

Just read the article. Good stuff.

[theasushow]

"It would be hard to see Appalachian State (6-3 overall, 5-2 in the SoCon) losing to either Western Carolina, or Elon in a pair of season-ending games at Kidd Brewer Stadium — a place where the Mountaineers have lost just four of their past 64 games...."


great article...but ASU is away for Elon, not home. (i wish)

[Gringer1]

"It would be hard to see Appalachian State (6-3 overall, 5-2 in the SoCon) losing to either Western Carolina, or Elon in a pair of season-ending games at Kidd Brewer Stadium — a place where the Mountaineers have lost just four of their past 64 games...."


great article...but ASU is away for Elon, not home. (i wish)

So you're telling me there's a chance...
http://www.gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs3/1623026_o.gif

[Ivytalk]

Good article. The SoCon is definitely the strongest conference this year.

[PaladinFan]

I wonder at what point Chris Forcier's first name stops becoming "UCLA transfer?"

Is there an unwritten rule that if you have a good player that transfers from an FBS school to the FCS you have to qualify it with his former school? I don't know if there's an answer.

[Mr. C]

I wonder at what point Chris Forcier's first name stops becoming "UCLA transfer?"

Is there an unwritten rule that if you have a good player that transfers from an FBS school to the FCS you have to qualify it with his former school? I don't know if there's an answer.
The fact is Forcier is a UCLA transfer. Considering this is his first full season as a starter at an FCS school, I see nothing wrong with letting an audience know that, just as it was relevant that Ingle Martin was a Florida transfer, or Joe Flacco went to Pittsburgh, or Pat Devlin went to Penn State. I haven't written that much about Forcier, so I haven't mentioned it a whole lot. If you don't like these mentions, don't recruit transfers.

[youwouldno]

Defensive much? There's nothing wrong with saying where a player transferred in from, but that doesn't make it especially relevant in most cases. It's just how things are done, because BCS-school transfers are seen as having a superior pedigree that makes their success unsurprising. Of course, in plenty of cases it doesn't work out, but then no one is writing about it.

[seantaylor]

Yeah, a guy that has been at a school 3 years being known as a "transfer" after not stepping on the field at a previous school is stupid. But, this is Coulson.

[PantherRob82]

Yeah, a guy that has been at a school 3 years being known as a "transfer" after not stepping on the field at a previous school is stupid. But, this is Coulson.

Maybe you don't know this, but Coulson came up with the name "Touchdown Yosef" for the statue at App St. Hopefully you will show more respect in the future. ;)

[seantaylor]

Maybe you don't know this, but Coulson came up with the name "Touchdown Yosef" for the statue at App St. Hopefully you will show more respect in the future. ;)

Should have sculpted the trademark mullet on Yosef. Then, he would have my ultimate respect.

[OL FU]

Nice article Davexthumbsupx

[PaladinFan]

The fact is Forcier is a UCLA transfer. Considering this is his first full season as a starter at an FCS school, I see nothing wrong with letting an audience know that, just as it was relevant that Ingle Martin was a Florida transfer, or Joe Flacco went to Pittsburgh, or Pat Devlin went to Penn State. I haven't written that much about Forcier, so I haven't mentioned it a whole lot. If you don't like these mentions, don't recruit transfers.

It's not a critique of the article. I thought it hit the right points. My point is on a different topic (which probably has no right answer).

At the end of the day, Forcier played for UCLA for two years and saw limited time in mop up duty. Is it relevant he was recruited by and had a cup of coffee with a big program? Probably. I guess my question is there at any point where "ex-UCLA" or "former UCLA" doesn't precede his name?

For the sake of argument, here's an article you wrote (I googled) in January discussing both Devlin and Flacco. No reference to either of their former schools (http://www.collegesportingnews.com/content.php?393-The-Best-Quarterback-In-FCS-Wants-A-Ring-Not-A-Trophy).

[Mr. C]

Defensive much? There's nothing wrong with saying where a player transferred in from, but that doesn't make it especially relevant in most cases. It's just how things are done, because BCS-school transfers are seen as having a superior pedigree that makes their success unsurprising. Of course, in plenty of cases it doesn't work out, but then no one is writing about it.

There have been plenty of cases where this writer HAS written about the dangers of taking transfers into a program. In small does, transfers can be a good thing.

And by the way, your defense at Furman was great last week.

[Mr. C]

It's not a critique of the article. I thought it hit the right points. My point is on a different topic (which probably has no right answer).

At the end of the day, Forcier played for UCLA for two years and saw limited time in mop up duty. Is it relevant he was recruited by and had a cup of coffee with a big program? Probably. I guess my question is there at any point where "ex-UCLA" or "former UCLA" doesn't precede his name?

For the sake of argument, here's an article you wrote (I googled) in January discussing both Devlin and Flacco. No reference to either of their former schools (http://www.collegesportingnews.com/content.php?393-The-Best-Quarterback-In-FCS-Wants-A-Ring-Not-A-Trophy).


The difference is that I wrote numerous times about Devlin and Flacco BEFORE that article. Like I said earlier, I've only written about Forcier a couple of times before. Believe me, the fact that those two were from Penn State and Pittsburgh was a huge thing when they began playing at Delaware. Devlin got a standing ovation when he came out to play in his SPRING game and had Delaware QB royalty standing all around him near the sidelines (Flacco, Rich Gannon, Scott Bruner etc.). The Furman folks seem pretty nit-picky today over what was a pretty positive spin on the Paladins' season.

[blueballs]

Nice retrospective Dave, very nice article...

There is only one team out of the SoCon contenders that can straighten out that mess today, GSU. If they win it is a done deal and they are no doubt a seed hosting at least twice.

Football, like almost any other sport, is a game of matchups. It has been an interesting year in the conference seeing how these teams match up with one another and how different matchups produce results you wouldn't anticipate.

[T-Dog]

I am rooting for clusterfudgery for some very important reasons.

-We are conference champions. Duh.
-It means we pass GSU for consecutive SoCon titles.
-It means we will have won our final two games.

[youwouldno]

There have been plenty of cases where this writer HAS written about the dangers of taking transfers into a program. In small does, transfers can be a good thing.

And by the way, your defense at Furman was great last week.

And for the two weeks prior. That's basically the reason for the turnaround, since the offense has been fairly consistent throughout the year. Really impressive coaching by Fowler and his staff.

The thing to keep in mind about Forcier is that's it's been a long journey at Furman, let alone his college career as a whole. So for Furman fans the transfer aspect has long since receded. But it is true that he is only just now becoming a larger story.

[FurmanWins!!]

Go Paladins, Beat Elon!!!!

[OL FU]

From most articles I have read, if a player is a standout and they are a transfer, the fact that they are a transfer is mentioned. It isn't good or bad, it is just the way it is typically written about. I find positives in it. Transfers are a fact of life in FCS. They fact that Furman has had two "stand out" (actually more than that but two QBs) speaks well of the program, that we can attract that type of talent.

[blueballs]

From most articles I have read, if a player is a standout and they are a transfer, the fact that they are a transfer is mentioned. It isn't good or bad, it is just the way it is typically written about. I find positives in it. Transfers are a fact of life in FCS. They fact that Furman has had two "stand out" (actually more than that but two QBs) speaks well of the program, that we can attract that type of talent.

In Furman's case, there is an academic side to it too. Furman can't recruit "just any transfer," I would think that it is harder for schools like Furman and Wofford to get transfers than (for example) GSU and App, so the fact that you have been able to get a couple of good 'uns is pretty cool.

[KJ Eagle]

Maybe you don't know this, but Coulson came up with the name "Touchdown Yosef" for the statue at App St. Hopefully you will show more respect in the future. ;)

LOL

[theasushow]

Well...it was fun while it lasted. Grats GSU.

[MTfan4life]

Furman may have beaten App. St. and Wofford, but it looks like the losses to Coastal Carolina, Samford, and Elon will be their doom.

[OL FU]

Furman may have beaten App. St. and Wofford, but it looks like the losses to Coastal Carolina, Samford, and Elon will be their doom.

Only one of them doomed us, take your pick