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Rotten Bananas
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Last month, the Savannah Bananas took off the mask.
The collegiate semi-pro team from Chatham County announced that they are abandoning their league affiliation and will be taking “Banana Ball” nationwide.
This move proves what I’ve been saying all along; the Bananas are a sideshow with a baseball game playing in the background.
Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m in the minority here. Everyone in America seems to be enamored with the Bananas. From ESPN specials and viral video clips, it seems that the yellow-clad sub-minor leaguers are everyone’s darlings. The saviors of baseball, some are even heralding.
Friends of mine from across the country are asking me what a game is like, and even non-sports fan friends are singing their praises. They seem genuinely surprised when I tell them I’ve never been to a Bananas game, nor do I have any desire to go to one.
My disdain for this whole situation actually goes back to my time in middle Georgia back in the late ‘90s. For most of the Atlanta Braves’ magical run from 1991-2005, their Class-A affiliate was a South Atlantic League team known as the Macon Braves.
Shady dealings and monetary disagreements with the local politicos led to the South Atlantic League team moving to Rome, Georgia in 2002. City leaders went on record saying that they were certain it wouldn’t be long until Minor League Baseball returned to the Heart of Georgia.
Fast forward to a decade later, where I was a season ticket holder for the Savannah Sand Gnats. Shady dealings and monetary disagreements with the local politicos led to the South Atlantic League team moving to Columbia, South Carolina in 2016. City leaders went on record saying that they were certain it wouldn’t be long until Minor League Baseball returned to the Coastal Empire.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Money-grubbing, power-hungry local officials under-estimating how difficult it truly is to not only get a MiLB franchise, but to get one after letting one go.
Since 2002, Macon has seen four unaffiliated semi-pro teams call Luther WIlliams Field home, three of them lasting a season or less.
The Bananas, on the other hand, started play the year after the Gnats became the Fireflies. Historic Grayson Field welcomed a new franchise that apparently didn’t mind the facilities that were substandard by any modern benchmark.
Grayson was a big part of why the Sand Gnats wanted a new stadium before they decided to leave in the first place; no in-house laundry, no in-house weight room, an outfield that often looked better prepared for the mud ‘rasslin’ portion of the Redneck Games to make a visit from Dublin than it did for a baseball game.
Kinda surprised the Bananas didn’t bring that to fruition.
That’s what the Bananas are. Sports entertainment, not a baseball team. They, especially now that they’ve gone full Globetrotter, are but half a step up from professional wrestling. There’s entertainment and there’s sideshows, often at the expense of the actual sport that’s allegedly being played. And that’s why I could never get on board.
The history of baseball in Savannah is long and rich, with championships dating back to 1906. With the Bananas’ disaffiliation from the Coastal Plains League, Savannah will be bereft of true competition on the diamond with no chance of raising another championship banner for the foreseeable future.
And that’s what really gets me. Call me a dinosaur, call me an old fogey, call me what you will (as long as it’s not “boomer.” I’m GenX, fer pete’s sake…), but I prefer my baseball to be just baseball.
There’s nothing wrong with nine frames, nine starters and the dugout, the seventh inning stretch, and a Sunday afternoon doubleheader with the occasional race against a goofily-costumed mascot between innings.
And now, thanks to the Banana Era in Savannah, Southeast Georgia is even further away from getting a real, affiliated minor league team to root for. At least here in the Golden Isles we can travel south and see the Jumbo Shrimp.
Oh, and stay the heck offa my lawn. Lousy punks.
Out Of The Swamp
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia Bulldogs aren’t leaving the SEC to fill their coaching vacancy. According to Jon Rothstein, Georgia will hire Florida Gators basketball coach Mike White.
Georgia fired Tom Crean on Thursday, March 10. His tenure at Georgia ended after four seasons and a 47-75 record, including a 15-58 conference record. The school owes Crean a $3.2 million buyout, per his contract.
This will be White’s third opportunity to run a program. He got his head coaching break at Louisiana Tech before taking the job at Florida. White also spent time as an assistant coach at Jacksonville State and Ole Miss. Most of White’s career has been spent in the SEC and he’ll stay in the conference with the Bulldogs.
White had received a two-year extension prior to the 2021-22 season. That kept him under contract through 2026-27.
“Though he’s still relatively young by coaching standards, White has already established himself as a successful head coach,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement on June 1, 2021. “Because of his work ethic, intelligence, and competitiveness his career has such a high ceiling, and it’s going to be fun watching what his Gator teams accomplish for years to come.”
The Gators are the only SEC team (one of nine power Six teams), who have not posted a losing conference record over the past seven seasons. While White’s teams were consistently making the tournament, he wasn’t winning over fans.
In seven years with the Gators, White comprised a 243-128 overall record. His teams were 122-69 in conference play. It’s worth noting that White ranked inside the top-20 in all-time SEC winning percentage during his seven-year tenure.
White’s family had stopped coming to games to avoid vitriol pointed towards White. Leaving to a program like Georgia would lend credence to that information. The Bulldogs are in total rebuild mode. White has been a solid recruiter while at Florida and Georgia is looking for a coach to rebuild a program in shambles.
White had led the Gators to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, the only SEC program to ever do that. However, the Gators hadn’t made it past the second round since their 2016-17 season’s Elite Eight run.
White, who has spent the last seven seasons guiding the Gators to each of the last four NCAA Tournaments prior to Sunday’s 2022 bracket announcement, also expressed his excitement to be headed to Athens.
“I am beyond excited for the opportunity to lead the men’s basketball program at the University of Georgia,” White said. “President Jere W. Morehead and Athletics Director Josh Brooks are united in a strong vision for UGA Basketball which resonated with me deeply. They believe, as I do, in developing our young men as students, athletes and leaders, as well as providing them with the support they need to be successful. I believe in the limitless future of Georgia Basketball.”
White will take over a Georgia team that went 6-26 this past season, the most single season losses in program history. UGA also had more losses than any other SEC program, with a 1-18 in conference record.
One program’s trash is another’s treasure, and there is reason for Georgia fans to be excited. White is a proven recruiter in a high-performance state where recruits are available.
Florida fans can hate him as he goes, and only time will tell if Mike White can raise Georgia’s basketball program from the abyss.
The 5th Major
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are a week away from returning to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for The Players Championship.
The total purse of $20 million is a record for the tournament. The winner will take home over $2 million. Justin Thomas won the 2021 Championship with a score of -14 under par.
The Favorites:
John Rahm 10/1: Rahm is the current favorite to win the TPC. Rahm is playing exceptionally good golf so far this year with three top ten finishes.
He is coming into this tournament with his game peaking. At last year’s tournament, Rahm finished in a tie for ninth. He finished with a Sunday score of 73.
You must think if he can improve his play in the final round, he stands a good shot at winning.
Rahm is currently the top ranked player in the world. Rahm is the type of player that can dominate the competition if he gets hot.
Justin Thomas 14/1: Thomas comes in second to Rahm as betting odds go for this year’s tournament.
Since the event last year, Thomas has not won another tournament. Thomas currently ranked seventh in the World Golf Rankings and is still playing as one of the best players on tour.
He already has three Top-10 finishes this season, his latest coming at The Genesis Invitational. In the history of the Players Championship no player has ever won in back-to-back years. History is working against Thomas in this area.
Other Odds:
Collin Morikawa 16/1: The Open Champion plays well on tough golf venues.
Morikawa just seems to hover near the top of leaderboards in about every big event on the PGA Tour. If he is within striking distance on Sunday, then he will be a major factor in the outcome.
Patrick Cantlay 20/1: Cantlay is one cool customer on the golf course. Pressure does not seem to bother him at all. He has the mental makeup to win the TPC.
Do not be surprised if Cantlay is holding the TPC trophy at the conclusion of this year’s event. He is that good. Also do not be surprised if Cantlay does not win The Masters in April.
Will Zalatoris 50/1: Who does not want to see Will win the TPC?
Zalatoris will be a huge crowd favorite if he is in contention. This kid brings a ton of excitement to the game of golf. Players like Will Zalatoris provide a bright future for the PGA Tour.
The Course: THE PLAYERS STADIUM COURSE AT TPC SAWGRASS
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass was built in 1980 to be the permanent home of THE PLAYERS Championship.
As the first true Stadium Course, it was designed to improve the overall on-site fan experience.
The signature island green on the par-3, 17th hole is one of the most recognized in golf and the course is consistently named among the best in the world.
My Pick: Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay is on track to becoming the number one player in the world in 2022.
Dark Horse: Will Zalatoris. The kid is a great ball striker, and would it not be impressive if the kid wins his first PGA tournament at TPC Sawgrass?
I hope golf gets a big shot in the arm after the negativity surrounding some comments made by Phil Mickelson recently.
Phil has had a brutal week with sponsorship losses after his controversial comments about Saudi Arabia.
Can we give Lefty a break? Society seems so unforgiving these days.
Florida State Semi-Nos Recruiting
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Seminoles having a knockout season in 2022 looks to be an unrealistic expectation.
But progress is progress. Finishing above .500 for the first time since 2017 could help them significantly improve their recruiting efforts.
None of FSU’s recruiting classes under head coach Mike Norvell and since 2019 have finished in the top 15 nationally, per 247Sports and Rivals. Under former Seminole’s head coaches Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher, top 10 classes were the standard.
In an effort to improve recruiting, FSU added three off-field staff members this offseason: GM Darrick Yray, Director of Football Relations Corey Fuller, and Assistant Director of High School Relations Keiwan Ratliff.
These hires, along with top in-state recruiting could be the key to the Seminoles elevating their recruiting prowess.
In each of Norvell’s three recruiting cycles, FSU has finished below Miami and Florida in the overall team rankings.
247Sports pegged the Hurricanes at No. 18, 12 and 15 in the 2020-2022 classes, respectively. The Gators came in at No. 7, 13 and 17. The Seminoles landed at 25, 31 and 18.
To have a solid recruiting operation again, FSU will need to compete better against its in-state rivals. Especially when Miami and Florida struggle.
Head coaches Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier are hired. That may have enhanced the in-state recruiting competition.
Until that happened, Norvell was the best head coach recruiter in the state. So, it’s gotten competitive now for top in-state targets, because Mario Cristobal lives and breathes recruiting. He does a tremendous job – as good as any head coach at communicating with top targets.
Billy Napier is as organized of a head coach as you are going to find with their recruiting infrastructure as well. It just got a lot more competitive.
We’ve seen college football be great when all three of those teams have been great. So, you can live in a world where Florida, Miami and Florida State are all terrific football programs. We are just so far removed from that right now.
As FSU tries to build off a topsy-turvy 5-7 record heading into their third season under coach Mike Norvell, the Seminoles’ biggest recent splashes came once again through the transfer portal.
A year after landing transfers such as Jermaine Johnson and Keir Thomas, who would prove to be standout starters on defense, FSU landed seven transfers it hopes will add explosiveness to its offense including four wide receivers.
Oregon transfer Mycah Pittman (5-11, 195), Illinois transfer Deuce Spann (6-4, 194), as well as 6-6, 224-pound Johnny Wilson add some needed depth at the position.
FSU might have found its next big contributor from Miami Central High through the portal as well. Former Rockets linebacker Tatum Bethune transferred from UCF in early January after three years with the Knights.
Bethune totaled 185 tackles including 13 for loss with 4.5 sacks, three interceptions and two forced fumbles while playing in 35 games for the Knights, which included 16 starts.
Mike Norvell had the perfect storm this past recruiting cycle with Miami and Florida making coaching changes, but Norvell showed his inability to pull top tier talent to Tallahassee.
Stock Down on FSU and Mike Norvell.
Peachy Parades
By: Charles Skipper
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2021 sports seasons for fans in the state of Georgia were rewarding, memorable and will be talked about for eternity whenever fans reminisce about their teams’ successful campaigns.
The past year’s champions in Major League Baseball, NCAA Division I Football and the National Football League were either from Georgia or had strong ties to the state.
The Atlanta Braves won the World Series to become champions of Major League Baseball. The Georgia Bulldogs won the National Championship Game to bring back the trophy to the Classic City. The Los Angeles Rams are not from the state of Georgia obviously, but they were led by former Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Stafford.
One title in a major sport for a state or city’s faithful following is an achievement in itself but for a group of fans in Georgia that follow all 3 of these teams it was a year that saw unparalleled success.
These teams not only won it all this year but they broke droughts that lasted decades and accomplished one feat that had never been done before.
Braves teams won 14 division championships in a row starting in 1991 but could only muster one World Series crown in 1995 to show for all that regular season success.
The Braves finished on top of the Eastern Division at season’s end to win their fourth consecutive division championship. To say the team struggled in the early going is being nice. The fact that the team did not reach the .500 mark until August 5th illustrates that point.
Savvy front office moves by Alex Anthopoulos at or near the trading deadline brought the pieces to the team that provided the extra spark and firepower to propel them to their first World Series trophy in 26 years.
The 2021 edition of the Georgia Bulldogs Football team brought an even longer drought to a close. Georgia fans have not celebrated a National Championship since the Herschel Walker led squad gained victory over Notre Dame on New Years Day 1981 to bring the prize back to the Empire State of the South.
The Dawgs were undefeated all season until they ran into nemesis Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Georgia was fortunate enough to get another shot at the Crimson Tide in the playoffs. Georgia beat them in the rematch to become winners of the Championship game and become the Top Dawg in College Football.
The immortal Run Lindsey Run play in the historic Gator Bowl, the Junkyard Dog defense and the season long heroics of Herschel Walker are memories forever associated with the 1980 team.
There were memorable plays and circumstances that will be linked to the 2021 Red and Black also. The interception by Kelee Ringo to seal the victory in Indianapolis will be etched in the minds of fans forever.
Great plays were made throughout the year but the hot topic that surrounded the team for most of the season was whom the quarterback should be.
Highly touted, USC transfer J.T. Daniels started the season opener at Clemson but went down early in the year with an injury and that opened the door for Pierce County graduate and former walk on Stetson Bennett to get on the field and he never came off.
Daniels became the modern-day version of Wally Pipp and the Mailman became a folk hero.
We cannot forget the two Brunswick local members of the team who played major roles also. Starting right tackle Warren McClendon and placekicker Jake Podlesny gave solid and consistent performances all year long and represented the Golden Isles in style.
The Los Angeles Rams was special to fans because Matthew Stafford became the first former Bulldogs quarterback to win the Super Bowl.
Fran Tarkenton and Zeke Bratkowski are the only other two former Georgia players with an opportunity to claim that honor. Stafford made history by winning but former Georgia standouts Sony Michel and Leonard Floyd will be sporting a ring also, which adds further pride to Dawg Nation.
Our state’s sports fans may never see results from their teams like this again but 2021 will always be a year that left fans in the Peach State feeling warm and fuzzy.
Wonder and Ponder
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
2021 has been a pretty good sports year in these parts. As we close out the year here are a series of sports questions that you can ponder.
- Why did UGA fans eat the “rat poison” before the SEC title game against Alabama? Everyone knows UGA has one of those head scratcher games every season.
- Stetson or JT? The media loves to create drama. Kirby knows what he is doing. Kirby is 11-7 in his career against top ten teams and 64-15 overall. Relax folks. January 10th is coming soon and then there will be no more 1980 jokes.
- Will Georgia finally beat Alabama once again in football? Tune in 0n January 10, 2022 Dawg fans.
- Does Dan Mullen think recruiting is important now? I’m thinking maybe so.
- How many times has Florida made the College Football Playoff? Tim Tebow seems so long ago.
- How will Urban Meyer and Jacksonville mesh? Oops we got that answer 3 weeks ago at 1AM in the morning.
- Why is FSU horrible in football? It has been a nightmare in Tally. I don’t see it ending soon either. Coach Prime is waiting by the phone Seminoles.
- Will Nick Saban retire soon? Damn I hope so.
- What in the world has happened to Auburn football? You fire Gus because you hated being 8-4 every season. Now you are sitting at 6-7 after losing to Houston in the Birmingham Bowl.
- Will Georgia Tech football ever recover? The 373 GT fans in state of Georgia want to know.
- Will the Jacksonville Jaguars finally hire the right head coach? Eric Bieniemy fans like me would like to know. Please get it right this time Jags.
- How did college football get so bad in the state of Florida? UCF is the best college football program in the state currently. Wow, just wow!
- Who blew the largest lead ever in the Super Bowl? The Atlanta Falcons haven’t been the same since that debacle. The Matty Ice era is over. It is time to draft a QB for the future.
- Why haven’t the World Champion Atlanta Braves resigned Freddie Freeman yet? Seems like they could have taken care of this right after the championship parade.
- Who is the third best team in the SEC currently behind Alabama and Georgia? The 10-2 Sugar Bowl bound Ole Miss Rebels would like to know.
- Who bailed out on the Gator Bowl this year? Nobody has heard from the 8-4fit Texas A&M Aggies lately. Jimbo is laughing all the way to the bank.
- Is the SEC overrated in football in 2021? Auburn lost to Houston, Mississippi State lost to Texas Tech, Missouri lost to Army, and Florida lost to UCF in bowl games. The evidence is strong in favor.
- Are the Brunswick High Pirates the premier high school football program in Glynn County, Georgia? Of course they are.
- Has AEW surpassed WWE? A resounding yes! Glynn County’s own Anna Jernigan will be the AEW Women’s World Champion before her 30th birthday. Take it to the bank.
- Why is John Willis not in the Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame? My football coach deserves to be in the local hall. It is way past time. Make it happen soon please.
Happy New Year to all. May all of your sports wishes come true in 2022.
Big Game Dan
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Dan Mullen likes to play Darth Vader, but this recent stretch of Florida Gator football has exposed Dan as more of a Wile E Coyote.
The last time the Gators played, it was like Coach Orgeron painted a tunnel on the side of a mountain, and Mullen ran right into it.
Mullen has become the hapless villain more likely to have an anvil fall on him than to succeed in chasing down the roadrunner.
LSU lost their star receiver and top two corners. On paper, the Tigers had no chance to win.
But, through the power of Mullen mayhem, the Florida Gators found a way to make it happen.
Todd Grantham, a fan favorite in every SEC town except Gainesville, coached a defense that surrendered 321 yards in rushing yards alone.
Tyrion Davis-Price ran for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns, the most ever against a Gator defense, breaking a record previously held by Herschel Walker. With all due respect to David-Price, it took a special kind of defensive breakdown to let a running back of this caliber not only break a Herschel Walker record, but do it by 50 yards.
Richardson did look terrific on the bulk of his offensive drives, but even that story comes with a twist. The Gators’ quarterback said after the game he couldn’t write off the possibility that he’d transfer. On the plus side, no one threw a shoe!
Losing sucks, and the Gators are going to have more than 3 losses for the first time since 2017.
Mullen’s Record…
LSU is 1-3
UGA is 1-2 (1-3 on Saturday)
UK is 2-2
Alabama is 0-2
His first three seasons were fun. It felt like the swag and excitement were back. For a moment, The Swamp was rocking again. Florida was a top 10 team hungry for more. Playing in the SEC Championship and winning NY6 bowl games. For a moment, The Gator Standard had returned.
How did Florida get to where they are now?
Let’s start with three years of mediocre recruiting, as well as settling on a mediocre staff; and it is finally catching up.
Mullen will not want to get rid of Grantham, but Mullen’s hand will be forced. The heat will turn onto the head coach instead if nothing is done, or better yet, accomplished soon.
Last year, Mullen opted to retain Grantham, instead firing a pair of assistant coaches in the secondary, content that should be enough to fix the issues.
If you go back and look at their last 15 quarters in SEC play, Florida has given up 37 points per game. 49 LSU points later, it might be time for a change.
Florida and Georgia will face off in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, but Florida fans might want to as well start drinking now. The less you remember, the better.
Florida has now lost six of their last eight games against Power 5 teams, dating back to last year.
Of course, Mullen has already explained that the final game of 2020 came before the blowout loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, and in fairness, he’s never said when the 2021 season was officially going to start, and with his performance, he could fool me!
Down South
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 1 of the NFL is in the books. We have some early takeaways from each team. Let’s take a look at the AFC South to see if any of the teams are contenders.
Arizona Cardinals 38, Tennessee Titans 13: Tennessee received a lot of hype in the offseason. They traded for Julio Jones. Paired with A.J. Brown, several analysts speculated they were the best wide receiver duo in the league.
Derrick Henry led the league in rushing in 2020 with over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith left to take the head coach position in Atlanta. Todd Downing has taken over as OC and things did not go well in the opening game.
They fell behind early and could not establish the run like they wanted. Henry rushed for 58 yards on 17 carries.
Chester Rogers led the team in receiving with 62 yards. Chandler Jones single-handedly terrorized the offense with 5 sacks. Ryan Tannehill complete 21 of 35 passes for 212 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
The Titans had questions on defense going into the season and they still do. Kyler Murray threw for 289 yards, 4 touchdowns, completed 66% of his passes and he ran for another score. Chase Edmonds only had 12 carries but he out-gained Henry with 63 yards.
Seattle Seahawks 28, Indianapolis Colts 16: Philip Rivers retired, and the Colts acquired Carson Wentz. He did not play well his last couple of seasons in Philadelphia, so he is trying to regain his confidence.
The Colts have one of the best defenses, but they could not stop Seattle. Russell Wilson completed 78% of his passes for 254 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Chris Carson had 16 carries for 91 yards. Tyler Lockett caught 4 passes for 100 yards and 2 TD’s.
Wentz threw for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns. He attempted 38 passes, which is more attempts than Indy wants.
Starting left tackle Eric Fisher did not play and he was under constant pressure. Running back Jonathan Taylor had 17 carries for 56 yards.
Houston Texans 37, Jacksonville Jaguars 21: Jacksonville has Urban Meyer in his first year as a professional coach. They drafted Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft and he’s the opening day starting quarterback. They are coming off of a 1 – 15 season, so they have several holes to fill on the roster.
Lawrence completed 55% of his passes for 332 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He had 51 pass attempts which is too many for a rookie QB to be successful.
“Losing is always hard, especially when you feel like you are prepared and had a great week,” Lawrence said. “I really think we were ready and obviously didn’t play well. It starts with me. I didn’t play well, for sure.”
Jacksonville had 10 penalties which is uncharacteristic for a team coached by Meyer.
Houston is not playing star quarterback Deshaun Watson because of open sexual assault allegations.
Veteran Tyrod Taylor is the starter and he passed for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brandin Cooks had a monster day with 5 catches and 132 yards. Mark Ingram II ran for 85 yards and a TD.
Tennessee and Indy are still the best teams in the division. The Colts have a brutal schedule though and play the Rams next.
It doesn’t get much easier for the Titans because they play Seattle on the road. Houston travels to Cleveland Week 2. Jacksonville hosts Denver next and that’s a game they can win.
Bounce House Crazy!
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Lying Season is over! College football is in full swing this weekend and all the preseason reviews and prognostications can be thrown in the trash. To steal a line from Hank Williams Jr., “ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?”
As I browse the games this week around the State of Florida, three games stick out with Playoff indications. The first features the number 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide taking on the number 14th ranked Miami Hurricanes in Atlanta. Can D’Eric King handle the Bama defense? No, Alabama 49 Miami 24
The second game is Sunday night, Notre Dame travels to Tallahassee to take on FSU. This game is tough to predict with so many unknowns. The Irish are rebuilding on offense and the Noles have a lot of new faces on defense. Notre Dame 27 FSU 24
The feature game in the State of Florida is on Thursday night as Boise State travels to Orlando to take on UCF. Why does this game have major playoff ramifications? For both teams, whoever loses is out week 1. The Playoff committee will give many teams a pass for losing one game but “Non-Power 5” teams do not have that luxury.
Both teams have new head coaches, Boise’s Andy Avalos and UCF’s Gus Malzahn. Both teams are in the running for the Group of Five’s bid on a New Year’s Six bowl game, with an outside chance to sneak into the big show, the College Football Playoffs.
The winner of the season opener in the Bounce House will keep themselves right in the conversation, but the loser will see themselves out.
It’s been a while since Boise State played in a full stadium. The Bounce house is very unique. As soon as you hear KernKraft 400’s “Zombie Nation”, the fans start jumping, and the metal bleachers wiggle and sway the stadium with every impact. Not a typical college football Saturday by any means, especially to first timers.
The Broncos are led by junior quarterback Hank Bachmeier, who threw for 1,150 yards and six touchdowns in five games last season. Boise State will likely run a West Coast style offense and will try to get the ball in the hands of senior receiver CT Thomas. Thomas had 20 catches for 347 yards and two touchdowns last season.
On defense, Boise State’s linebacker Riley Whimpey set the tone for the Broncos. Whimpey has led the Broncos in tackles the last two years, finishing with 61 last season and 83 in 2019. He joined this season with Brock Wilson, a transfer from the Wolfpack at North Carolina State.
Boise State has been to Florida in recent years, they even came home victorious; In 2019, the Broncos upended the Florida State Seminoles 36-31. This team is no stranger to winning on the road.
The Gus Bus has parked, and now it is time to see what Coach Malzahn has in store for the 2021 UCF Knights.
The Knights return quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a junior who has passed for 7,223 and 61 touchdowns over the past two seasons. In both seasons, he’s passed for over 3,000 yards, becoming the third quarterback in school history to do it twice. The other two were NFL quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper and Blake Bortles.
UCF will feature wide receivers Jaylon Robinson, Ryan O’Keefe, Jordan Johnson, Brandon Johnson and Mokiao-Atimalala. This is one of the most talented and fastest receiver units in college football. It has earned them the nickname UCFast.
UCF’s defense was (honestly) hot garbage last season. Luckily, for Orlando, Travis Williams has been brought in to turn things around. With the key additions of Big Kat Bryant, Bryson Armstrong, Ricky Barber in addition to the return of Kalia Davis, look for the Knights to cause disruption on defense.
The crowd, weather, a new coach, and traveling across the country are all factors to the downfall of the Broncos. Most importantly, UCF is a more talented team on both sides of the ball and in this contest, UCF has the best player on the field.
Final: UCF 38 Boise State 20.
Running Wild
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Camden County Wildcats improved to 2-0 on the young 2021 season Friday night downing the Glynn Red Terrors 46-21, in a game that was not as close as the score indicates.
In fact, Camden was up on the Red Terrors 31-0 early in the 4th quarter and had dominated the game. At no point were the Red Terrors actually in the game.
The Wildcat Wing-T busted big play after big play against a confused Glynn Academy defense that had no answers for the Wing-T all night long. Camden accumulated 550 total yards Friday night in the win, 476 of that was on the ground.
Camden had 11 different running backs run the ball in total against the Red Terrors. The main damage coming from Jake Lindsey, who rushed 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. Deonte Cole rushed for 87 yards and had a 74-yard touchdown reception, Jamie Felix rushed for 99 yards with a TD and KK Albertie added 44 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Gray Loden only attempted 3 passes and completed the long TD pass to Cole for his second passing TD of the season.
The Red Terrors did score 21 points in the 4th quarter to make the score look respectable.
Tyler Devlin started the game at QB for Glynn but did not finish. Colton Seay Came in late in the game and did provide a spark for the Red Terror offense against a Camden defense that was basically playing a prevent formation the entire 4th quarter.
The Red Terrors did put up 282 total yards of offense most of that from the legs of RB John Moody. Glynn rushed for 228 on the night and 140 of that did come in the 4th quarter.
The Wildcats will return home next week to Chris Gilman Stadium to take on Beacon Hill out of Virginia. Beacon Hill lost their season opener last week 66-0 to Choctaw out of Oklahoma.
