Welcome to Week 9 of the college football season and the ninth SoConversation between The Citadel beat writer Jeff Hartsell of the Charleston Post and Courier, Elon beat writer Adam Smith of the Burlington Times News and UTC beat writer John Frierson of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Also joining us this week is Appalachian State beat writer Tommy Bowman of the Winston-Salem Journal, who will offer some added insight into this week’s biggest game: No. 1 Georgia Southern at No. 5 Appalachian State.
Here are last week’s results: Appalachian State def. Samford 35-17, UTC def. Elon 42-18, Furman def. Wofford 26-21, Georgia Southern def. Presbyterian 48-14 and The Citadel def. Western Carolina 35-7 in a Catamounts homecoming game that certainly played some part in WCU athletic director Chip Smith getting fired Monday. What are your thoughts on the game you covered last week and the rest of the scores?
JEFF: I wasn’t there in Cullowhee to see it (don’t get me started), but Citadel coach Kevin Higgins said that was the best the Bulldogs have executed the option in the 18 games they’ve been running it. Of course, it was against the SoCon’s worst defense.
The Bulldogs now have gotten a coach (Arkansas’ Jack Crowe back in 1992) and an AD fired after their teams lost to The Citadel. What’s next, a school president? Heck, Georgia Southern fired Chris Hatcher a few minutes after his team BEAT The Citadel a couple of years ago. And Presbyterian fired its defensive coordinator after giving up 48 points to Georgia Southern. It’s scary out there.
I whiffed on two picks last week, the Furman shocker and App State’s win over Samford. With Jamal Jackson at QB and De’Andre Presley at cornerback (!), the Mountaineers seemed to have found something.
JOHN: The Mocs snapped a five-game losing streak to Elon with an impressive road win. The story of the game was turnovers. Elon committed four and the Mocs turned all of them into touchdowns. The score was 28-0 before Elon got on the scoreboard, though the Phoenix did make things a bit interesting in the third quarter before UTC pulled away for good.
I didn’t give Furman much of a chance against Wofford and I was proven quite wrong by the Paladins. That’s a big win for first-year coach Bruce Fowler.
ADAM: Besides learning that stud receiver Joel Bradford also punts for Chattanooga – oh yeah, left-footed, too – it was a third loss in the last four games for Elon that followed a familiarly agonizing script. As Frierson pointed out, more turnovers (four) dumped the Phoenix into another deep hole (down 28-0) that proved too steep to climb out of.
And so Elon’s turnover epidemic has reached rock bottom, in terms of rankings, at least. With 29 on the season, no team playing Division I football (FBS or FCS) has coughed up more turnovers than Elon. Thomas Wilson has been intercepted 17 times and that’s more than any quarterback on the FBS or FCS level.
Yeesh. Awful stuff.
Props to Furman on upsetting Wofford. Solid win by App State, which, as Hartsell mentioned, could be catching fire. Also, on the Western Carolina front, definitely strange seeing an AD get fired when the calendar reads Oct. 24. But Chip Smith’s contract was up in May and first-year chancellor David Belcher, after four months on the job, made it clear he felt like now was the time to pull the trigger.
Since the start of the 2006 season, Western Carolina is 3-40 in SoCon games. Obviously, there’s nothing pleasing about that.
TOMMY: I had ASU-Samford. The Mountaineers seem to have righted the ship on offense, following those back-to-back 14-point performances a few weeks ago. They’ve scored 84 the last two games.
New QB Jamal Jackson is the first ASU player to pass for more than 200 yards in each of his first two starts since Joe Burchette back in 2000. Richie Williams, Armanti Edwards and DeAndre Presley have played since. And displaced QB Presley’s appearance at cornerback was interesting, as well as productive for an increasingly thin ASU defense, although Samford never really tried to isolate and challenge him.
Now on to Saturday’s matchups: VMI at The Citadel, Elon at Wofford, Furman at UTC, Georgia Southern at Appalachian State and Western Carolina at Samford. Obviously the marquee game this weekend will take place in Boone, N.C. What are your thoughts on that game and the rest of the lineup?
TOMMY: For ASU, can it stop Georgia Southern’s running game? For Georgia Southern, can it put the clamps on Jackson and the passing game? ASU went to Statesboro unbeaten and No. 1 last season and lost. The Eagles go to Boone unbeaten and No. 1 this year. If this game lives up to the paperwork, it should be a memorable one. The next most interesting game of the week should be Furman at Chattanooga. We’ll see if Furman has a hangover from tying one on Wofford.
ADAM: Such a tough call for me – plus I’m always terrible at these things – with the Georgia Southern/App State clash. Georgia Southern has won 13 of its last 14 games and the swagger is back in Gnat Country USA (Statesboro).
Jamal Jackson makes just his third start at quarterback for App State, but the Mountaineers, winners of 16 straight SoCon games at home, haven’t lost since October 2007 up there 3,333 feet above sea level in Boone.
I’ll go with App State, by a whisker on Yosef’s chin, to knock off unbeaten and No. 1 Georgia Southern.
Gotta say I was impressed with Chattanooga last weekend, especially the young skill players on offense – tailback Marquis Green, receiver Marlon Anthony, tight end Faysal Shafaat – at the disposal of redshirt freshman QB Terrell Robinson.
So it should be intriguing to see what happens between the Mocs and Furman, which suddenly snapped back to life after deflating defeats against Samford and Georgia Southern.
Coming off its first SoCon loss, Wofford should be particularly ornery for struggling Elon to deal with.
JEFF: It’s great to have The Citadel vs. VMI back on the slate. Games where the winner gets to hoist a trophy are cool, and the Silver Shako is one of the coolest. GSU at App State will be worth the money, and worth finding on the SoCon TV Network. I’ve been picking against App a lot this year, so I’m going against type and taking the Mountaineers to throw the SoCon race wide open.
Furman at Chattanooga, both seemingly revitalized, also bears watching.
JOHN: Boone is a good place to be on most any Saturday in the fall, but things should be pretty awesome at The Rock this weekend. Top-ranked Georgia Southern is definitely walking into the lion’s den, but I think the Eagles will walk out with their undefeated record intact.
The Mocs host Furman in what is a playoff elimination game because neither team is getting to seven wins if it loses. (OK, Furman could if it won out, including beating Florida, which probably won’t happen.) UTC has cruised to wins the past two weeks, but beating the Paladins should prove more difficult than knocking off Western Carolina and Elon.
There are numerous SoCon title implications in the Georgia Southern-Appalachian State game, both for those two teams and Wofford, but is there something bigger on the line in terms of the top dog in the SoCon? Is this game more important for the Mountaineers because there is a perception out there that the program is sliding a little bit from its very lofty perch?
TOMMY: I think the jury is still out in regard to if ASU’s is slipping. But there’s no doubt that Georgia Southern has been a program destined to rise again, and this year’s team should be up to furthering that train of thought with virtually every starter back from last year’s team that made it to the FCS semifinals. If Georgia Southern wins Saturday, I think it might be more of a statement about how much Georgia Southern has improved rather than how much ASU has declined, although a win in Boone would be a notable coup.
JOHN: I do think this game is more important for App State than it is Georgia Southern. The Mountaineers aren’t falling to the bottom of the SoCon, or even the middle, but they’ve certainly got more competition for the league title than they had a few years ago. Some of that is maybe a little slippage on their part and some is most definitely other teams (Georgia Southern and Wofford) raising their games.
From a playoff perspective, a loss would hurt ASU’s seeding more and might force the Mountaineers to play on the road earlier than they would like.
ADAM: I’d love to hear this question posed to App State coach Jerry Moore, who I was lucky enough to join for a round of golf one summer. “Perception? I don’t get into our perception or any of that mess. Now, what I do know is Georgia Southern plays hard… .”
If the stakes are big, which, of course, they are, whatever that comes attached with the result will take on a significant feel, too. But I wouldn’t say the game is any more important for App State than it is Georgia Southern.
Just in terms of name recognition and fan bases of the teams involved, this as magnetizing as it gets for SoCon football. Wish I could click on PBS, sit back and enjoy what promises to be great theater.
JEFF: As impressive as Georgia Southern has been, I can’t get past the feeling that the Eagles have not really been tested yet. Who is the best team the Eagles have played, 4-3 Furman? Coach Jerry Moore’s team will be very eager to show that it’s not yet time for a changing of the guard.
There have been some interesting developments at quarterback in the SoCon this season. The Mocs are on a bit of a roll with redshirt freshman Terrell Robinson playing in place of the injured B.J. Coleman; App State has gone with Jamal Jackson ahead of last season’s SoCon Offensive Player of the Year DeAndre Presley (now a cornerback); and The Citadel seems to play better with Aaron Miller running the offense instead of starter Ben Dupree. What do you make of all this?
TOMMY: That there were some fine backup QBs in the SoCon at the start of the season.
ADAM: Very true, Tommy. But – and I’ll have to turn in my homer card for this one – not at Elon, where Thomas Wilson, while leading the league in passing yards and total offense, is averaging more than two interceptions per game.
He’s on pace to finish the season with 23 interceptions. That’s enough to make Jay Cutler’s eyes bug out. If first-year Elon coach Jason Swepson and his staff had any confidence in the backups, I’ve got to think a change would’ve been in order by now, at least just to give Wilson some time to catch his breath and reassess.
The seamless transitions at App and Chattanooga remind me of anecdotes former Elon coach Pete Lembo used to tell. He placed great importance on preparing backup QBs. That emphasis paid off again and again in his five years (2001-2005) in charge at Lehigh. During important stretches in four of those seasons, Lehigh lost its starting QB to injury.
JOHN: Tommy’s answer was short, but right on the money. The Mocs were planning to use Robinson this season all along, but wrist surgery last January forced him to miss spring practice, which kept UTC from installing some spread packages for him.
When Coleman has time to look around, he’s an exceptional passing quarterback. He hasn’t had that time this season with the Mocs’ very young offensive line. The line is on the small side, but quick, and the guys seem to be much more effective with Robinson making things happen with his feet or by moving out of the pocket.
As for Presley, I’m not surprised he could suddenly line up at corner and make plays. But it is still rather stunning that someone who was so good last season could lose his starting job.
JEFF: The App State situation had to be wrenching for Jerry Moore and DeAndre, who was a Payton Award candidate to start the season. But Presely apparently accepted the situation with grace, started at CB after two days of practice and making six tackles with a forced fumble. Must be a great athlete and a team player, too.
At Chattanooga, “Silk” might be taking advantage of a situation where foes think of and game plan for a certain type of offense with B.J. Coleman, then get something different with Robinson. As more film becomes available, defenses can/should adjust, but the Mocs have done a good job changing their system on the fly.
At The Citadel, Kevin Higgins sees no need to make a big pronouncement about Aaron Miller being “the starter”, with all the attention and pressure that would bring to a freshman in the Corps of Cadets, where knobs like to stay anonymous. Miller’s going to play a lot no matter his place on the depth chart.
Bonus question: Among the current or former SoCon players mentioned in last week’s SoConversation were Western Carolina’s Ace Clark, The Citadel’s Tolu Akindele and former UTC wideout Blue Cooper. Those are some good names, which begs the question: what are some of your favorites over the years?
JOHN: I thought of this question a few weeks ago while typing in Western Carolina’s defensive starters. The Catamounts’ top four tacklers are Rock Williams, Ace Clark, Andre Shishkin and Jideofo Okwudiri – all great names.
Blue Cooper will always be a favorite (his name certainly got a boost after the movie “Old School” came out) and Buster Skrine was great, as well. On the current UTC roster, it’s hard to top Gunner Miller, especially since he plays up to the name.
Elsewhere in the league, Furman has two good ones in Tersoo Uhaa and Dakota Derrick.
JEFF: My favorite nickname: Former Citadel RB Nehemiah Broughton was known as “The Nemo-sapien.”
TOMMY: In terms of unusual names I remember in my years of covering ASU, Ray Gama comes to mind. That was a rather clever name. In the interesting character category, I’ll never forget linebacker Justin Seaverns. He once had the tip of a finger cut off during a game, after it was smashed between two helmets, and said that his mom kept it in the freezer the rest of the season for a keepsake.
ADAM: Darn you, Frierson. (Shaking my fist like an angry old man). Having recently ventured to Cullowhee, I know the Western Carolina D has some fantastic names. Figured they might be hidden gems that I could unearth for our loyal audience.
Is Armanti Edwards too obvious of a choice here? I mean, the guy’s first name is a letter shy of one of the most prestigious brands in the fashion industry. Still doubtful that Boone has even been flush with much from the Armani collection, though.
I’ve always thought former Georgia Southern quarterback J.R. Revere had a great name.
Former Elon receiver Arketa Banks – a current Western Carolina assistant coach – made big plays that set up perfect exclamations of his three-syllable name: R-kee-tah!
Currently, Chattanooga redshirt freshmen Faysal Shafaat and Muhasibi Wakeel are mouthfuls that will give announcers fits for years.
If you’ve got a question, e-mail the writers at jhartsell@postandcourier.com, asmith@thetimesnews.com or jfrierson@timesfreepress.com. The guys are also on Twitter: @Jeff_fromthePC, @Adam_Smith10 and @MocsbeatCTFP. And so is Tommy: @AppTrailWSJ.