College Football
Eagles Talon UMass
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Southern did much more than avenge a blowout loss from last season on Saturday night at Paulson Stadium.
The Eagles dealt out a beating of their own.
Georgia Southern racked up 488 yards of offense and scored 24 of the game’s final 27 points as it avenged a 2017 loss to Massachusetts with a 34-13 victory to move to 2-0 on the season.
“We preached it throughout the week,” Georgia Southern coach Chad Lunsford said. “We’re a blue-collar team. We’re not sexy. We need to play a lot of guys and have them fill a lot of roles to win games, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Trailing 3-0 in the second quarter after a Mike Caggiano 32-yard field goal put the Minutemen up in the first period, Eagle quarterback Shai Werts hit Cam Brown for a 5-yard touchdown strike that put Georgia Southern up. The touchdown and catch were career firsts for Brown.
The Eagles kept the momentum rolling as Tyler Bass connected on a 41-yard field goal. UMass answered with a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Jordan Fredericks.
Primarily a rushing team, Werts got the Paulson Stadium crowd jumping with consecutive completions to Wesley Kennedy III for 25 and 28 yards, respectively. Werts skipped into the end zone from 3 yards out with 35 seconds to spare in the half, giving Georgia Southern a 17-10 lead that it never relinquished.
“It was a lot of fun out there,” Werts said. “(Fields) and all of our running backs were doing their thing all night. Once (UMass) had to respect the run, it really opened up what we could do passing.”
Tyler Bass kicked a career-long 50-yard field goal to begin the second half for the Eagles. The Minutemen answered as Caggiano split the uprights from 41 yards out, but the Eagles took full control after that, racing down the field on a five-play, 70-yard drive capped by a 17-yard play-action toss from Werts to Colby Ransom.
With just over two minutes to play, UMass had all but waived the white flag but the Eagles dealt a knockout blow. Georgia Southern ate up over five minutes of clock and Monteo Garrett plowed in from five yards out to make it a laugher.
“One of the things about being a blue-collar team is that you have to know how to finish games,” Lunsford said. “We missed a few chances to do that earlier in the game, but at the end we were able to step up and finish it.”
Werts followed up a 163-yard rushing performance in the opener with 154 passing yards and two touchdowns on a 6-of-9 performance Saturday.
He also chipped in 83 yards on the ground while Garrett ran for 90 to combine with Fields for the bulk of the Eagles’ effectiveness on the ground.
Massachusetts starting quarterback Andrew Ford completed 22 of his 33 attempts but a swarming Eagle secondary limited Ford to just 190 yards through the air.
The window finally shut for good on Ford’s final pass of the night as Eagle linebacker Benz Josue perfectly read a receiver settling into a hole in the GS zone and recorded his first career interception.
Georgia Southern is riding high and quickly putting the ghosts of 2017 behind it but the Eagles will face their toughest test of the year next week as they hit the road to take on No. 2 Clemson.
College Football Fallout Week 2
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week two of the college football season is now in the books and some great outcomes and storylines arose from the “Saturday that was”.
I wonder what it will take for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to consider moving in a different direction, away from Paul Johnson.
A loss to non-Power 5 South Florida has Tech fans groaning again about Johnson and that Triple Option. However, the problem isn’t the triple option or even Paul Johnson’s coaching, the problem is recruiting.
Georgia Tech was considerably outmanned against South Florida, which had athletes all over the field and that ultimately reflected on the scoreboard.
Also, currently, South Florida and UCF are the best 2 non-Power 5 teams in the country. Thus, there should not be a lot of outrage amongst the Yellow Jacket faithful about losing to the Bulls. They are currently better.
Speaking of better, I think it is pretty safe to say the Georgia Bulldogs are better than the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Dawgs went to half up by 10 and then Kirby Smart “let the Dawgs off the chain” in the second half and South Carolina had no answers.
In my opinion, Georgia and Alabama are the two best teams in the country, again.
A team that is not among the best 2 in the country is Florida. The Gators had beaten Kentucky 31 straight time and had not lost to the Wildcats since 1986.
That streak is over. Kentucky took advantage of a bad Florida offense and came away with a 27-16 win in Gainesville. Yes, in the swamp.
Long gone are the days where no one won in the Swamp except for Florida.
One thing that truly amazes me is how the University of Florida cannot find a decent QB when they are the flagship school for one of the four most talent rich states in the country.
Especially, when you thing about the great QB’s that have played there in the last 30 years. One thing is for sure, Feleipe Franks has a lot to work on.
One last thing, for people who are not paying attention, LSU is better than you think.
Next week the Bayou Bengals will have a chance to prove this to the country as they will take on the Tigers from the plains in Auburn.
The winner will have the inside shot of dethroning Alabama in the SEC West.
Positive Launch For Eagles
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Southern took a step in the right direction Saturday night, defeating South Carolina State 37-6 in the 2018 season opener.
The Eagles (1-0) weren’t quite the explosive offensive force of years past but they were drastically improved from last fall’s 2-10 campaign as they racked up a 348-151 advantage in yardage gained and controlled the momentum throughout all four quarters.
It wasn’t quite a blowout but that’s not what the Eagles needed most. “Getting the ‘W’ is what’s important for us,” GS coach Chad Lunsford said. “Our fans want a blowout and we want to give it to them, but the important part is getting the win.”
Throughout fall camp and preseason scrimmages, it was the defense that stole many of the headlines. The Eagles are in a new 3-4 alignment this season but a depth chart that is stacked with veteran experience seems to have shifted seamlessly into its new role.
The Eagles allowed just 2.9 yards per carry to the Bulldogs (0-1) and a trio of S.C. State quarterbacks combined to go just 2-for-10 through the air, including allowing the first career interception for Georgia Southern linebacker Tomarcio Reese.
Offensively, Eagle quarterback Shai Werts looked as if his sophomore season might be primed for a breakout showing.
Heading up the Georgia Southern attack for a second season, Werts began 2018 with a career high 163 rushing yards. He also rushed for multiple touchdowns for the first time in his career.
In fact, he found the end zone three times, extending an early lead in the final moments of the first quarter before capping off the Eagles’ big night with a pair of fourth quarter scoring runs.
Monteo Garrett put the first points of the season on the board for the Eagles as he powered in from a yard out in the first quarter. Those six points were all for Georgia Southern initially as kicker Tyler Bass couldn’t connect on a two-point pass attempt.
Bass performed perfectly in his intended role in the second quarter, splitting the uprights on a 19-yard field goal to send Georgia Southern into halftime up 19-0.
Wesley Kennedy III set up Georgia Southern with good field position on the opening kickoff of the second half. Werts directed an eight-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off by a 1-yard Wesley Fields touchdown run to make it 26-0.
The Eagles were wary of taking to the air, yet they were efficient when they chose to throw.
Werts connected on five of his seven pass attempts for 29 yards. Werts led the Eagles’ rushing efforts, with Matt LaRoche (39 yards), Wesley Fields (36), Monteo Garrett (30), Logan Wright (23) and Kennedy (22) all added at least 20 yards of rushing.
Georgia Southern will try to keep up the momentum through the week before hosting Massachusetts next week and trying to avenge a 55-20 loss from last season.
Georgia Bulldogs 2018 Season Opener.
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
A frenzied crowd awaited the 2018 kickoff for the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium.
The Bulldogs hosted the Austin Peay Governors from Clarksville, TN.
In the thirty minutes leading up to kickoff we saw video after video on the jumbotron in reference to the 2017 season and championship game run.
And why not it had been almost 30 years since Georgia had a chance to win a National Championship.
During the player intros on the video board it was very obvious there were several familiar names returning on offense.
However, not so much the case on the defensive side of the ball. It looks to be a very young Georgia defense.
Jake Fromm started the game for the Bulldogs at QB and Georgia scored 17 points in the 1st quarter to lead 17-0 at the end of the 1st.
Fromm led Georgia to 10 of those points of offense and the other TD was due to a turnover by Austin Peay inside the Georgia 15-yard line.
Justin Fields came out and started the 2nd quarter and on his first drive at the collegiate level, Demetris Robertson scored on a 74-yard running play.
The Dawgs would also score on Fields’ 2nd drive to go up 31-0.
Fromm returned to the game with a little more than 2 minutes to go before halftime. The Georgia QB would promptly hit Mecole Hardman for a 59-yard touchdown in the middle of the field. Hardman would simply outrun the angles for the TD after the catch. Georgia led at the half 38-0.
Fields would start the second half at QB and throw a 12-yard TD pass late in the third quarter to TE Isaac Nauta. That would end any chance of a miraculous comeback for Austin Peay, looking at a 45-0 deficit.
Matthew Downing would come in after the TD pass from Fields at QB for some late game playing time.
One thing is for sure, Georgia is loaded at RB. D’Andre Swift, Elijah Holyfield, Brian Herrien, James Cook, and Demetris Robertson all had impactful carries.
Georgia would go on to win the game impressively. It was a positive season opener for UGA, a big win against a team they should blowout and no serious injuries.
The South Carolina Gamecocks await the Bulldogs next week in Columbia for a key SEC East matchup.
Flying Around
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Heading into any new college football season, teams must always deal with graduated seniors from the previous year while leaning heavily on returning starters who know how to get things done in games.
Georgia Southern isn’t quite sure what to expect in 2018, after a 2-10 showing last year that included a mid-season coaching change and more coaching hires in the offseason. However, one point of continuity is a roster that returns the vast majority of its starters for a chance to get the program moving back in the right direction.
Nowhere is the retention of talent and playing experience greater than on the Eagles’ defensive front. Of the 17 players listed on the official depth chart for the Eagles’ front seven in this Saturday’s opener against South Carolina State, 14 saw appreciable playing time last season.
Of course, for all of the returning talent, the offseason coaching shuffle means that the veterans will have to learn a new playbook. Specifically, they’ll have to learn new defensive coordinator Scott Sloan’s 3-4 scheme after years of the Eagles lining up in a four-man front.
“I think they’re coming along really well,” Georgia Southern defensive line coach Vic Cabral said. “We want to play athletic and fast and we’re starting to do that. The next step is picking up some of the nuance and the pre-snap reads that can help us make plays.”
The change in scheme isn’t immediately evident when looking at the roster. Many players are listed at familiar positions but those positions carry different responsibilities than in last year’s 4-3 alignment.
Sophomore Raymond Johnson III is still a defensive end, but instead of lining up wide to rush quarterbacks, he will now set up on the interior and have many more reads and assignments.
“It’s different, but I’m comfortable with it,” Johnson said. “I played the same system in high school, so I think it’s been a little easier to learn the new things. I worked hard to get on the field last season and I worked hard to improve for this season, so now I’m just ready to see what we can do.”
The change in scheme also affects the next line of defense. In previous seasons, the Eagles utilized three linebackers when setting up against the run and two (in a nickel-type scheme) when looking out for the pass.
This year’s base setup will feature a pair of middle linebackers, as well as an ‘Anchor’ and a ‘Dog’ – linebacker positions that skew toward pass and run defense, respectively.
“This is a faster scheme,” middle linebacker Tomarcio Reese said. “If we’re doing everything right, there’s going to be room for everybody to fly around and make plays.”
Of course, the 3-4 scheme depends on the linebacking corps to do everything from stuffing the running game, to covering crossing routes, to pressuring the quarterback on the edge. It’s a job they’re up for, but one that requires constant discipline to execute throughout an entire game.
Eagles To Soar?
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
College Football season is here and the Georgia Southern Eagles are hoping that they will take the field fully healed.
The Eagles were relatively healthy on the injury report throughout 2017, but a final record of 2-10 – the worst in program history – left some lasting blows to the pride of both players and fans alike.
But hope springs eternal and, with Chad Lunsford ready to begin his first full season as head coach, the Eagles certainly give off the impression of a team ready to make a huge leap forward this season.
The main culprit in the Eagles’ consecutive losing seasons has been the disappearance of what had always been a dominant rushing attack. Georgia Southern led the nation in rushing in each of its first two seasons as an FBS member as its option attack routinely left defenses chasing skill players through open space.
The 2016 season brought about new head coach Tyson Summers and new co-offensive coordinators that saw the rushing attack start to spin its wheels despite a senior-laden depth chart.
And last year saw it all fall apart as another new coordinator (Bryan Cook) was ineffective with an offense that was breaking in a freshman quarterback and an inexperienced offensive line.
Georgia Southern now has its’ fourth OC in as many seasons, but there is reason to think that things aren’t looking up. Bob DeBesse now takes the reins of the offense after spending the last five years turning New Mexico into a rushing juggernaut.
The Eagles also have the gift of experience on both sides of the ball. Last year, there were only eight seniors on the roster, making them the youngest team in the nation. This fall, 19 starters return and – while their performance on the field needs to improve – there is plenty to be said for having a veteran starter at nearly every position.
Youth is still key however, as the Eagles pulled in one of the top-rated recruiting classes in the Sun Belt this spring and aren’t afraid to give their freshmen a chance immediately.
Helping out with that strategy is the new NCAA rule that permits players to be redshirted even with up to four games of action.
During a preseason booster event, Lunsford stated that some guys would see action immediately and would be reevaluated after four games. Other freshmen might be kept on the sidelines until the last month for more development and then given an audition in the last month.
Singled out among the true freshmen by Lunsford were C.J. Wright – a 285-pounder who could be the perfect fit as a nose guard in the Eagles’ new 3-4 defense.
Also mentioned was Davarious Bagnare, a receiver in high school who is now a slot back in an offense that needs the position to run, catch and block equally well.
The first two games will be vital for any hope of a big bounceback season.
An opener against South Carolina State should provide a quick win before Massachusetts – who beat the Eagles 55-20 last season in Summers’ final game before his midseason firing – comes to town.
If the Eagles can notch out a pair of early wins, they will be riding high. The Sun Belt projects to have three frontrunners in Arkansas State, Appalachian State and Troy, but the rest of the league is wide open.
If the Eagles’ offense can return to even a reasonable image of their former selves, there’s a decent chance that Georgia Southern could still be in the hunt for a bowl game in the final weeks of the regular season.
Rolling Tide
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Alabama has been a college football powerhouse since the 1920’s. They returned back to the top program in the nation when they hired Nick Saban in 2007. He has won 5 national championships since taking over in Tuscaloosa, including last year.
The topic all off-season has been the quarterback controversy. Everyone is aware Jalen Hurts has been the quarterback the last two seasons. He led the Crimson Tide to the national title game in both years. He played poorly against Georgia and he was replaced by freshman Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa led the comeback and threw the game winning touchdown.
He is the starter but it seems like Saban doesn’t want to lose Hurts by making that announcement. This could be a distraction throughout the season.
Hurts has already spoken to the media and said nobody including coaches talked to him at all about his playing situation.
I’m going to assume Tagovailoa is the QB for the entire season. He can add an element that Bama has lacked in the Saban era, a big-time quarterback. They typically rely on a strong running game and defense and they have average quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see how the offense will look with someone that has NFL first round talent.
Senior running back Damien Harris will get the bulk of the carries. He rushed for 1,000 yards the past two seasons. Left tackle Jonah Williams is also a great lineman so he will help open holes and protect the passer.
Linebackers Mack Wilson, Dylan Moses, defensive ends Raekwon Davis and Isaiah Buggs, will lead the defense. I expect the defense to be good again but the secondary will be the weakest unit.
The season begins on September 1st in Orlando against Louisville. Lamar Jackson left for the NFL so the Cardinals will have a new quarterback. Bama will win the game by 30 plus points.
The first home game of the season is Week 2 versus Arkansas State. The Red Wolves are overmatched and will get destroyed.
The Crimson Tide travel to Oxford, MS to take on Ole Miss next. The Rebels got spanked 66-3 last year. I expect another big loss for Ole Miss but not nearly that bad.
Texas A&M will be the next opponent. The Aggies have only beaten Alabama once since joining the SEC and that was during their first year in 2012. Jimbo Fisher is now the head coach at A&M. This is a 20-point win for Bama.
Louisiana-Lafayette comes to town to end September. This will be another game to pad stats and correct mistakes.
The next three games are at Arkansas, Mizzou and at Tennessee. Arkansas and Tennessee have new head coaches. These will all be easy double-digit wins for the Tide.
After a bye week, the first real test is November 3rd at LSU. I call this a test because the Tigers also recruit well and have great athletes.
The big difference is they are coached by Ed Orgeron and they can never develop a competent quarterback.
Miss State comes to Tuscaloosa and this will be a tough game. The Bulldogs have lost former head coach Dan Mullen so I give the edge to Alabama.
The Citadel is the tune up game before the season finale. The goal is stay healthy during this 50-point win.
Finally, they get a chance to avenge the loss to Auburn last season November 24th. Their stud running back Kerryon Johnson has departed for the NFL. This will also be a tough game.
Alabama should finish undefeated or 11-1 at worst.
Tough Hunt For Tigers
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
To steal a quote from The Office, “It’s like we’re touring Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and dropping off, one by one… Well, guess what? I’m not falling in a chocolate river.” The comment is made by Ed Helms’ character, Andy Bernard, in reference to the number of Bernard’s coworkers that have quit since the Stamford branch merged with Scranton.
However, when I came across that episode the other night, it automatically made me think of the LSU Tigers.
In recent weeks, leading up to the start of the college football season, LSU players having been diving head first into the chocolate river. The Tigers have lost two players to transfer and another three to indefinite suspensions.
Granted four of those players weren’t expected to make much of an impact this season- Ed Ingram being the one possible exception- but this is not the kind of publicity any team wants before the season starts.
So, what about the players LSU will actually put on the field this year? It’s kind of a wash, rinse, repeat situation. Their defense will be one of the league’s best; they have a new offensive coordinator that promises to open up the playbook and throw the ball downfield more; and they have a quarterback who they guarantee will be able to handle the passing game, even though there’s nothing in his past that should make you believe it. Sound at all familiar?
Like most SEC schools, the expectations are always high in Baton Rouge, but even those seem to be tempered somewhat this year.
While I’d be hesitant to put too much stock into their success this season based on the product they’re likely to put in the field, it’s their schedule that’s really daunting.
Things will change as the season begins and games are played but don’t be surprised if LSU winds up playing seven games against teams that will wind up spending time in the Top 25.
Besides the normal gauntlet of SEC West teams (Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State) they’ll face, their two opponents from the SEC East will be Georgia and Florida.
That’s like entering a three-point shooting contest against two other people, only to find out those two people happen to be Steph Curry and JJ Redick.
It’s not like they took it easy with their out of conference scheduling, either. They could’ve gone the route of other programs and had home games against teams like the College of Underwater Basket Weaving, and the University of Perpetual Sorrow.
Instead, they begin their season on a neutral site against the Miami Hurricanes, a team with legitimate playoff aspirations.
It may not bode well when it comes to their overall record, but you won’t be able to knock the level of competition the Tigers will be facing.
Speaking of their record, 1999 was the last time the LSU Tigers failed to win at least eight games. Not that it’s impossible, but I have a hard time seeing them reach that eight win plateau this year.
Every football season at LSU begins with the goal of winning the national championship; the proverbial “goose that lays gold eggs for Easter”, so to speak. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, as I believe every program should start the season with that goal in mind, even if it’s a bit unrealistic.
All I’m saying is don’t be surprised if three weeks into the season the Tigers remind you more of Veruca Salt’s ultimate fate than Charlie Bucket’s.
KIller Owls
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For Kennesaw State, it’s going to be hard to look past the first game of the season. The Owls take on the Georgia State Panthers at Turner Fie- I mean Georgia State Stadium. It’s FCS versus FBS and while that tends not to bode well for the FCS school, this is not the case. If you had to pick a game for an upset during the 2018 season, this might be the place to look.
The Panthers are rebuilding and Kennesaw’s high-powered offense reloaded, this could be a big game for the Owls.
But there are ten more games that will need to be played regardless of whether or not KSU can get one over on Georgia State, so let’s dive into what the team looks like.
For a team that is about to enter its fourth year of existence, Kennesaw State has made quite a statement. Last season they won 12 games and fell a touchdown and an extra point shy of reaching the FCS semifinals, in year three.
From that stellar team returns 18 starters, including Chandler Burks, who accounted for 27 touchdowns in 2017, as well as linebacker Bryson Armstrong, outside lineman C.J. Collins, wide receiver Justin Sumpter and linebacker Anthony Gore, just to name a few.
The Owls offense was the star of the show last year, with Kennesaw State possessing the ball for more than 33 minutes per game – good for 8th in the FCS.
They also had the best turnover margin in the country and ranked second in third-down conversions. But the real sexy number is 330, as in rushing yards per game. Six players on the squad rushed for at least 300 yards on the season in 2017 and all six of them are back for more in 2018.
The other side of the ball didn’t get as much love but Armstrong was the best freshman in the nation last year and led the team in sacks, tackles for loss, fumble recoveries, forced fumbles, and tackles. And the next two guys (who are back) had at least 50 each.
It also doesn’t hurt that Kennesaw’s top recruit, Markeith Montgomery, is a defensive back.
Needless to say, this still-fresh football program has already set the bar very high for itself. Expectations are in the stratosphere, with the Owls the heavy favorite to win the Big South Conference and are expected to compete for the FCS Championship at the end of the season.
They have continued to build upon each season, so making it to and even through the semifinals is the next logical step. The likes of James Madison University and North Dakota State University await them at the top of the heap. Not too shabby for a school without a football team in 2014.
That Georgia State game looms large and is the first time the Owls have put an FBS team on the schedule. While an upset would certainly make a huge statement, the Owls need to make sure that win or lose they keep their offense and defense firing on all cylinders as they move on to Alabama State and Samford in the early part of the season before a stretch of five Big South matchups in a row.
Those are the games that will end up being meaningful, regardless of the outcome of that showdown against the Panthers.
With so many of the key pieces returning and a (short) history of constant improvement, this is going be a fun season for Kennesaw State.
Bears With Bite?
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As Mercer enters its sixth season of play since reviving its football program in 2013, the biggest question is whether the Bears can get over the hump.
After bursting onto the scene with a 10-2 record in their first season back on the field, Mercer made the jump from the Pioneer League to the much more challenging Southern Conference. For the last four seasons, the Bears have shown their teeth at times, but have always settled near the middle of the pack.
Mercer has finished a combined total of 8-8 in league play over the last two seasons, but with plenty of question marks around the SoCon outside of prohibitive favorite Samford, 2018 seems to be the perfect time for the Bears to make a move.
As the season begins, the most dependable facet of the team remains its head coach.
Serving as the head Bear since the team’s return to competition, Bobby Lamb – formerly of Furman – has been a steadying force. He faced the steep task of starting a program from scratch and has quickly made the Bears a concern on any team’s schedule.
So, when it comes to 2018, the question remains the same as the last couple of years. Can the Bears take the next step?
To ask the SoCon media that question, you’ll get the same, tepid maybe? Mercer didn’t get a first-place vote in the preseason poll and is picked to finish fourth – right in the range of another 4-4 conference mark.
But the Bears have plenty of reasons to hope for more than that. First and foremost, in that optimism is the return of quarterback Kaelan Riley. Pressed into action as a redshirt freshman last season, Riley responded with over 2,000 yards of offense, including 13 touchdown passes and four more rushing touchdowns.
Riley will continue to lead the Bears’ shotgun, no-huddle attack that will be further balanced out by the return of 2017 leading rusher Tee Mitchell.
Experience across the board will be Mercer’s biggest offensive asset as Lamb’s years of guidance, Mitchell’s seniority, and Riley’s proven leadership will have the Bears confident in any situation.
The defensive side of things also hints at an upward trend for Mercer. The Bears allowed a respectable 23.4 points per game last season and return six of their eight leading tacklers from the 2017 squad.
Highlighting the returners on defense is Will Coneway who was involved on 66 tackles last season, with six of those tackles going for a loss and three fumbles forced.
Mercer should continue to put up workable offensive numbers each week. The Bears’ ultimate fate this season will lie in how well its defense can adjust and perform from week to week.
Pass-heavy Samford and run-heavy Furman are the favorites in the SoCon. Running down the preseason rankings, the conference is full of teams whose offensive attacks will force defensive coordinators to vary their schemes wildly from week to week.
With the Southern Conference strong enough to send two or three teams to the playoffs, this will be a barometer season for Mercer. The Bears have been and should continue to be playoff-caliber on certain Saturdays.
The next step is to keep it consistent through an entire season and clinch the Bears’ first FCS playoff appearance.
