Welcome to week 11 of the SoConversation, featuring 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.
Before we discuss what happened elsewhere in the SoCon last week, let’s take a moment to go over what happened with the teams we cover. The Mocs looked hideous in the first half against Western Carolina before crushing the Cats in the second, while The Citadel’s big first half carried it past Elon. Thoughts?
JOHN: I don’t know if the Mocs didn’t take the Catamounts seriously or if they just came out flat, but the first half was pretty ugly. Down 24-16 at the half, UTC outscored Western Carolina 29-0 in the second. The Cats had one first down in the second half, while UTC rushed for 291 yards in the final two quarters.
You can’t read too much into what the Mocs did offensively because Western Carolina ranks No. 119 out of 121 FCS teams in total defense, but UTC’s rushing attack was still impressive.
As for the Catamounts, freshman quarterback Troy Mitchell looked pretty good, at least in the first half, and I can see why coach Mark Speir is really high on him. There are some good players on WCU’s squad, but the club out of the SoCon cellar won’t be easy.