College Football
The Wrong Kind Of Buzz
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At what point does Georgia Tech (1-3) move on from Paul Johnson? Why do they believe in rewarding mediocrity? These are questions asked by every Tech fan after another loss.
The Yellow Jackets got beat down by Clemson 49-28. The Tigers primarily played true freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence and he tossed 4 touchdown passes.
Tech fumbled 8 times, recovering 7. Clemson’s first touchdown came when Clelin Ferrell recovered a fumble in the end zone.
“Well, we got our tails kicked. We got outplayed, outcoached and we got beat by a really good football team. And we’re not good enough to fumble the ball seven or eight times and jump offsides and take ourselves out of field-goal range to start the game with two sacks in a row. All those things,” Johnson said.
Let’s take a look at Johnson to see what’s going on. On the surface, he seems like he is doing a great job since taking over as head coach in Atlanta back in 2008. His record is 77-56 so he as a 0.579 winning percentage.
He did his best work when he first took over and inherited Chan Gailey’s players. CPJ is notoriously known for his poor recruiting and that is catching up. In 2015, they finished 3-9 with one conference win.
Last season they were 5-6 and had the UCF game cancelled. They would have lost to Central Florida if the game were played. Johnson also led Tech to a losing 6-7 record in 2010 but at least that came from a bowl loss. He had two seven-win seasons in 2012 and 2013.
Since winning the Orange Bowl and finishing No. 8 nationally during the 2014 season, the Yellow Jackets are 18-22 overall and 9-17 in the ACC.
Following last year’s sub-par campaign, his contract was extended for some reason. It was a move as bizarre as Johnson’s play calling. He already had three years remaining on his contract before the extension, now he is signed to remain on The Flats until 2022.
Athletic Director Todd Stansbury had to explain this head-scratching move.
“Aside from Bobby Dodd, no head coach in Georgia Tech football history has won more games in his first 10 seasons than Paul Johnson,” Stansbury said. “By extending Coach Johnson’s contract through 2022, we not only keep one of the most successful coaches in our illustrious history right here on The Flats, but we also ensure continued stability within our coaching staff. Stability is a vital piece in recruiting and student-athlete development, which are key components to any successful college program. I’m excited that Coach Johnson’s extension is officially complete and I’m looking forward to achieving even more success under his leadership in future years.”
The fan base is tired of these results but nobody at Tech seems to care. I thought Johnson should have been fired in 2012 after they lost to Middle Tennessee at home by 21 points. It seems like he will not be going anywhere but it’s time to reevaluate that.
On the bright side, the next game is at home against Bowling Green. This will be an easy win. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if they will win any more games after that. The conference games that looked like easy wins now seem difficult.
Virginia is 3-1. North Carolina started 0-2 but they just beat Pitt. Duke has won three of the last four meetings.
I think the best case scenario this season is 5 wins.
The Wrong Kind Of Buzz
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I applauded Georgia Tech a few months ago when they decided to extend Paul Johnson’s contract.
In a profession where the people making these decisions tend to suffer from long term memory loss, it was refreshing to see a program reward their coach for his overall body of work and not just the past twelve months.
I admit it’s easy for me to say that based on the fact I’m not a Georgia Tech fan. If I were a fan, I’m sure my feelings would be quite different.
After the Yellow Jackets slow start to the season it would be easy, if not a bit premature, to write about whether or not Johnson needs to keep his job.
So, I’m going to do my best not to get too deep down that rabbit hole; besides, those articles have already started.
To me the more interesting question isn’t whether or not Johnson should be fired if this season continues on its current downward slope, but what direction will athletic director Todd Stansbury go, if it does.
When Johnson’s contract was extended after two losing seasons within the last three years, it gave off the impression there was a confidence that he would be able to turn things around.
Or at the very least, Johnson would be given time to turn things around, since his extension goes through 2022. You don’t give a coach who still has three years left on his contract an additional two years if you’re contemplating firing him after one season.
If you look at Tech’s first few games this season, along with how their future opponents have fared up to this point, you can see a scenario play out where they win only 4-5 games this season.
Georgia Tech isn’t exactly considered a powerhouse in college football but I also don’t see their fans and alumni being ok with three losing seasons sandwiched around one 9-4 year.
I imagine if that scenario were to come to fruition there would be a loud majority calling for Johnson’s job.
Would the outside pressure cause Stansbury to make a change or would he stand his ground and continue to have Johnson’s back?
One thing that has the potential to be a big factor revolves around Johnson’s buyout. If I’m not mistaken, it would “only” cost Georgia Tech about $4 million if they were to fire Johnson.
I know that amount of money isn’t chump change but in relation to what it costs most Power 5 schools to fire their head coach, $4 million certainly isn’t a deterrent.
As I stated earlier I’m not here to debate whether or not Johnson should lose his job if the remainder of the season mirrors what has taken place so far.
There are a lot of things that would need to be taken into consideration; actual win/loss record, how did the team play, were they competitive in most games.
It’s intriguing though to see how all this could possibly play out. Johnson has been one of the winningest coaches in Georgia Tech history and seems to have a substantial amount of support within the program.
Could another bad season negate all that good will and confidence or will he be able to maneuver through it for yet another year?
Of course, the Yellow Jackets could reel off a bunch of wins and finish the season 9-4, completely rendering this entire situation a moot point.
Outside of Paul Johnson there may not be a single person hoping that takes place more than Todd Stansbury.
College Football Top 10 Week 2
I’m A Believer
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It took to the end of last season before I could finally allow myself to believe the Georgia Bulldogs were a national champion caliber team.
I mean it was literally halftime of the championship game when I thought “Damn, they may actually pull this off.”
I know we’re only a few weeks into the season but I don’t plan on making the same mistake again.
Normally, I would be doubling down on how we need to wait and see what happens over the next few weeks before anointing the Bulldogs as national title contenders; make sure that last year wasn’t some sort of aberration.
I’d mention all the accolades they’re currently receiving are just people being prisoners of the moment and the rest of this column would be spent bringing up all their areas of weakness.
However, this year, I just don’t feel that this way.
For one, despite the reputation, they play in an extremely weak division. I don’t mean it as a backhanded compliment, it’s just the truth.
The difference between Georgia and the rest of the division is like the difference between Guns N’ Roses and a GN’R cover band. The cover band may look the part but they’re not the real thing.
To be honest, the school I went to- Appalachian State- would have just as good a shot to finish 2nd in the SEC East and I truly don’t believe that’s hyperbole.
Even if their schedule was more difficult, I still think I’d feel the same way about Georgia’s potential for this season.
Kirby Smart, in a much shorter time period than I thought possible, has turned Georgia into an extremely solid team, from top to bottom.
Their defense is one of the best the country and the ground game isn’t that far behind. Jake Fromm, one of the main reasons I was hesitant to buy in last year, may never be a Heisman winning quarterback but it doesn’t look like he will suffer from any type of “Sophomore Slump”. (I get the coaching staff wants to get Justin Fields on the field, and I completely understand why. But, unless something drastic happens, this is Fromm’s team and it should be.)
I’m not putting them in the same category as Alabama but I feel like if everything is equal Georgia should be the best team on the field in every game they play, leading up to the SEC Championship game.
It’s not something I’ve ever said about the Bulldogs before and I feel a little uncomfortable saying it now. It basically goes against everything I’ve ever felt about the Georgia program.
Obviously, there are unforeseen circumstances that could happen, mainly injuries, that would change the trajectory of the season.
If you happen to be a superstitious person and blame my sudden confidence in Georgia’s ability last year as the reason for their second half swoon against Alabama, I can understand; it is a bit coincidental.
All I can say is if that is the case, at least I’m expressing that confidence in them early in the season. That way, if I am a jinx, it’s better to happen during the regular season and not when you’re 30 minutes away from a championship, right?
Of course, the kicker is this year I don’t mean to be a jinx. I truly believe Georgia is one of the four best teams in college football and anything less than a playoff appearance should be considered a disappointment. No pressure.
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.
