Balance Of Power
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Before the season started, all you heard is how dominant the SEC West was and that division carried the entire conference on its shoulders, while the SEC East was the weaker of the two.
Let me let you in on a little secret going into the final weekend of the season, the SEC East holds an 8-5 edge on the SEC West going into this weekend’s matchup with Arkansas and Missouri. If Missouri wins as expected then the east will win the crossover game series 9-5 in 2018. How can that be?
Is there a power shift occurring in the SEC? Let’s take a look at the state of the SEC East going into the last week of the season.
Georgia: Right now, UGA is king of the east and defending SEC Champions and most of their current roster is underclassmen.
The future is bright in Athens with Kirby Smart bringing five star athlete after five star athlete. Smart is building a monster in Athens and look for the Dawgs to be national power for some time to come.
Florida: The Gators under Dan Mullen have a chance to win 10 games in a season most experts wrote them off.
Mullen is a quality coach and the Gators are a QB away from being dangerous.
Florida may be the most fertile recruiting ground in the United States, and with both Miami and FSU struggling it could mean the Gators get all the way back really quickly.
Florida had a signature win at home this season against LSU, and a potential dream matchup with UCF in the Fiesta Bowl could shut up the smack talk coming out of Orlando once and for all.
Kentucky: The Wildcats are 8-3 and also have a chance to get their first ten win season since 1977. Yes, I said 1977.
Mark Stoops will be on top of many SEC coach of the year ballots. The Cats played UGA for the SEC East Championship on November 3rd, 2018. Kentucky football is ascending and Lexington will not be a fun road trip in the near future.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks are going to win seven games under Will Muschamp in 2018. Carolina was a dumpster fire after Steve Spurrier bailed on the program in 2015 in the middle of the season.
Muschamp is slowly building this program from the inside out. Be patient South Carolina fans, you have never been a great football program to begin with.
Missouri: The Tigers are 7-4 with with 2-9 Arkansas left on the schedule. A win by the Tigers means that every SEC East team will have beaten an SEC West Team in 2018.
Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State all failed to beat and SEC East teams in 2018. Barry Odom is doing a fine job in the Show Me State, but who is going to replace Drew Lock when Lock replaces Blake Bortles in Jacksonville?
Vanderbilt: The Commodores are sitting at 5-6 and should have probably beaten Missouri, Florida, and Notre Dame in South Bend. A win over Tennessee this week and Vandy goes bowling. This team is not a cupcake anymore.
Tennessee: The Vols went 0-8 in the SEC in 2017, but beat Auburn, and Kentucky in 2018. Pruitt needs two more recruiting cycles to get this team back to being Tennessee again, and when he does look out.
The SEC East went 3-11 against the West in 2017, and looks like they will turn that into 9-5 in 2018. If Georgia beats Alabama in Atlanta then you can say the balance of power has shifted in the SEC. Tua will have a huge say about that.
Picking Off The Panthers
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
By any measure imaginable, the 2018 Georgia Southern football season has been an overwhelming success.
The Eagles entered the fall with their third head coach in four seasons and their fifth offensive coordinator in the same span. The team went a program-worst 2-10 in 2017, losing its first nine games as one of the youngest rosters in the country was thrown into the deep end and struggled to stay afloat.
Those two wins came only after Chad Lunsford was named interim head coach midway through the season. Lunsford was given the official head coach title just before the final game of the season. He promised a return to the winning culture that Georgia Southern is synonymous with and he has delivered.
Armed with some new faces on the coaching staff and a team that has had an extra bounce in its step since before spring practice began, the Eagles currently sit at 8-3 and have a chance to notch their third nine-win season in five years at the FBS level.
But for all the success, there is one glaring wrong from the past few years of GS football that need to be righted.
On Saturday, the Eagles head to Atlanta to take on Georgia State and will try to end a three-game losing streak that stems back to the 2015 regular season finale.
The Panthers haven’t been the cause of the Eagles’ recent struggles. After all, a program with a lifetime record of 29-76 isn’t the cause of anyone’s main problems. But Georgia State has been there to rub salt in the wounds over the last few seasons, making all of the negatives sting just a bit more.
Georgia Southern has exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations this season and will soon receive an invitation to is second bowl game in program history.
The Eagles were in contention for the Sun Belt championship game into November and a still relatively young squad figures to keep the positive momentum rolling into 2019.
But there’s still a looming, panther-shaped box remaining to be checked off on this season’s list of goals.
College teams are often remembered season by season, but individual classes of players also take plenty of pride in what their group was able to accomplish during their time.
This year’s seniors already have a roller coaster resume. They signed on and took a chance with a team in its FBS infancy and were immediately part of a bowl winner. Then they endured a coaching change and – over two seasons – saw the team sink as low as it ever has.
But in their final season at Georgia Southern, this class has flipped the script. In less than 12 months, they have guided the Eagles from the depths of national bottom 10 lists to plenty of accolades about a team from Statesboro that is on the rise.
The one thing this class has left to do is to take down that team from Atlanta.
And based on how this season is going, those seniors are probably thinking the same thing as their fans.
Is it Saturday yet?
Georgia Tech To Sting Georgia?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is almost over. We’re going into the final week of the season, which features rivalry games. One of my favorites is Clean, Old Fashioned Hate from my home state.
This will be the 113th meeting between Georgia Tech and UGA. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 66-41-5. The longest win streak in the series is eight games by Georgia Tech from 1949-1956.
Since 1991 UGA has won 21 of the 27 games. To say they have been dominating recently would be an understatement. Tech did win the last meeting in Athens back in 2016, 28-27. Last season Georgia obliterated the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, 38-7.
No. 5 Georgia (10-1) has won the SEC East for the second consecutive year and guaranteed a spot in the SEC Championship.
“I try to have a 24-hour rule, too, but this one is different because you don’t have enough time to prepare for them,” Smart said, explaining why he would change things up to begin early preparations for rival Georgia Tech.
The Bulldogs have superior size, speed and talent. They are a 17-point favorite over Tech. On paper, they should win easily but that’s why they play the game.
Georgia Tech (7-4) got off to a slow start but they won four consecutive games. They have won the last two games in Athens so they should have some confidence. The Yellow Jackets lead the nation with 353.7 yards per game rushing.
The Dawgs run defense looked shaky against UMass in their 66-27 win. Georgia surrendered 125 yards rushing in the first half rushing before the Minutemen shifted into catch-up mode for the second half.
“Zero. None,” Smart said when asked after Georgia’s win over UMass if there was anything he could take from this week and apply to Georgia Tech. “No offense we faced all year. Zero. It has zero carry over. I think you see across the country if you watch teams play the triple option, it’s extremely different and so extreme that I don’t think you guys can understand. There’s not one call in our defense. The only common theme is you’ve got to tackle the man with the ball. That’s the only common theme. Outside of that, there’s nothing like it.”
One good thing for the rivalry is Paul Johnson playing the villain. He’s very outspoken about everything even it may come back to haunt him. He’s only 3-7 against Georgia but he still takes time to troll the SEC.
“Week in and week out, I promise you there isn’t any difference in lining up and playing those guys than there is playing North Carolina, Clemson and Virginia Tech,” Johnson said.
“What happened in my opinion is you had really good teams at the top of their league and they got credit. It was almost like the ACC in basketball this year. They all get ranked in the top 15 and then when they beat each other they don’t ever drop. Then you get to the tournament and you don’t do so well and you start thinking maybe they were overhyped.”
The Dawgs could make this game close if they are not focused. They may be looking ahead to their showdown with Alabama the following week. If they sleepwalk this can be a close game. No matter the scenario UGA will notch another W in the series.
Tailback U
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
A lot has been written about Georgia’s success when it comes to recruiting quarterbacks over the last few years. Signing 5-star QB’s in three straight classes tends to lend itself to those accolades.
One position I expect to see the Bulldogs copy that type of success with is in the backfield; partially because of the accomplishments their running backs are seeing on the collegiate level, but mainly because of what is starting to transpire among their backs in the NFL.
Outside of Herschel Walker, Georgia has always had good, but not great running backs in the NFL. Guys like Garrison Hearst and Knowshon Moreno certainly had respectable careers, but I’m not sure too many 17-18 year olds have any idea who they are.
However, they do know the name Todd Gurley, and more than likely at least familiar with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.
Gurley’s accomplishments are obvious, and even though Kirby Smart didn’t technically coach him at Georgia, that’s still a heck a name drop he can use in recruiting.
Chubb and Michel are just beginning their careers, but both are in good situations. Chubb is the featured back in Cleveland and has a great opportunity to solidify that position for years to come.
I do realize saying a player can be successful in Cleveland carries about as much weight as saying Dwight Schrute is the best beer farmer in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but along with Baker Mayfield, Chubb can play a huge part in turning the franchise around.
As for Michel, as long as he can stay healthy, being in New England will give him plenty of notoriety and he’ll be learning from the best in the business, Bill Belichick.
Even if neither of those two become upper echelon running backs, as long as they turn into consistent starters that will give Georgia three starting NFL running backs, and another talking point for Smart on the recruiting trail.
It’s not as if Georgia isn’t already bringing some heat from the tailback position, especially with D’Andre Swift. A consensus top five recruit at his position, Swift has really been a spark for the Bulldogs over the last month.
Although he’s just a sophomore, Swift has proven to be not only an effective runner but also capable of catching the ball out the backfield; something that will help his transition into the NFL.
Along with junior running back Elijah Holyfield, Georgia boasts one of the best backfields in college football. Like I said, it’s not as though Georgia is hurting in the tailback department.
Over the course of college football there have a been a plethora of teams given the moniker “Quarterback U”, used to display a particular dominance that program has shown over the years at the quarterback position. In most instances it revolves around the quarterback’s success at the professional level as opposed to college
Technically there isn’t a “Tailback U”, although Southern California was humble enough to give themselves that nickname a few years back.
Georgia still has a little ways to go before their name is added to that particular conversation, but they are on the right path. When you look at what they’re achieving at the collegiate level, along with how former players are performing in the NFL, the Bulldogs are beginning to show signs of being a prime destination for tailbacks.
As if Kirby Smart needs any more assistance when he walks into a recruit’s living room.
Frederica Gallops Past Valwood
By: Rich Bontrager
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The last time Valwood and Frederica met it was game two of the 2018 football season.
The game was a defensive battle and had to go to overtime to be decided. Eventually, Valwood would defeat the Knights 7-6.
However, that was not the case this week, as the Valiants returned to Frederica Academy in the second round of the GISA football playoffs.
Frederica received the opening kickoff, a rare occurrence this season. Several plays later, Frederica would score on a 5-yard TD pass from Jaylin Simpson (QB) to Harry Veal, who lined up as a secondary receiver. With the extra point made, the Knights led 7-0.
The rest of the first quarter settled into a seesaw battle of defensive stops by both teams, as well as many penalties.
Then in the second quarter, the Knights game plan seemed to emerge and they would score another 20 unanswered points. Many of the points came as Frederica’s defense continued to stop Valwood’s offense and force them to punt.
The offense exploded as Jaylin Simpson connected twice with fellow Auburn commit, Jashawn Sheffield, once on a 33-yard pass completion and then another on a 55-yard pass.
Senior RB Isaiah Jackson would add two other short yard TD scores, one for 2 yards and another for 6 yards.
Most of the offensive production was due to the offensive line producing massive holes for the running backs and exceptional blocking for Simpson to find open receivers.
Head Coach Brandon Derrick had said prior to the game, “For the Knight’s to win, we must get up on Valwood early and not let them find their rhythm”. It was evident that Frederica was doing just that in the first half.
As the Knights kicked off to Valwood to start the second half, they were hoping to build on their 33-0 lead and make a historical statement to one of their most heated rivals. Two costly turnovers early in the 3rd quarter gave the Valiants a fresh blast of energy as they scored off a short TD pass making it 33-7.
Valwood would try an onside kick, but Frederica would recover it and had another series of downs on a short playing field. Isaiah Jackson would add his third TD score, as he rushed for 44 yards. That play was highlighted by a great downfield block Patrick Brunson (WR). Jackson would score a total of six times and help lead the way for the decisive 60 – 27 win.
With this win, Frederica advances to the third round of the GISA playoff and will travel to Heritage Hawks in Newman, GA next Friday night.
If the Knights can defeat the Hawks they will play in the Championship game on November, 30th
Glynn Pitch Forked Out Of Playoffs
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In a second-round matchup in the GHSA playoffs, two 6A powerhouses squared off. The Glynn Academy Red Terrors and the Valdosta Wildcats went at it for a berth in the Elite Eight on the line.
Valdosta took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Red Terrors would respond with a touch down of their own to tie the game at 7-7.
The Red Terrors took their only lead on a field goal in the second, 10-7.
Valdosta would then score two touchdowns to take a 21-10 lead into the half.
The Wildcats would then score a third unanswered touch down on their first possession in the 3rd quarter for a 28-10 lead.
Glynn answered on a long, methodical TD drive to cut the lead to 28-17 with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
Valdosta punched back with another TD to go ahead 35-17, just before the end of the 3rd quarter.
The Red Terrors would not go away, punching home another TD to stay in the game at 35-24.
The Terrors had an opportunity to pull within a TD with around 3 minutes to go with an attempted field goal. That field goal was blocked and for all intents and purposes that would be it for Glynn’s season.
Valdosta took over on offense and milked the clock away for the win.
Glynn Academy finishes their season with an 8-4 record. The four losses for the Terrors all came to powerhouses within the state; Camden, Wayne, Ware and Valdosta.
This is the first time in the Rocky Hidalgo era that the Red Terrors did not at least make the Elite 8.
Valdosta will take on Dacula in the Elite 8 of the playoffs.
All four teams from Glynn Academy’s region lost at the hands of a team from Region 1 in the second round.
The Red Terrors were a young football team in 2018, having lost 19 seniors from 2017. However, Glynn won their 5th consecutive City Championship and 4th consecutive region championship.
The future looks bright for the Red Terrors moving into 2019. Glynn will be in the mix for a state title in 2019.
Not The End
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Georgia Southern football.
On one hand, it’s tough to say that the team has been disappointing. After all, the same Eagles that suffered their worst season ever in 2017 took the Sun Belt by surprise in racing out to a 7-1 start. Seven wins was about the highest win total anyone had projected for the Eagles, much less their mark two-thirds of the way through the schedule.
But as the season carries on, expectations have a way of changing. So, when the Eagles came up punchless in Monroe two weeks ago and then allowed 32 unanswered points to Troy last weekend, those seven wins somehow don’t seem like such a feel-good story.
That’s not an indictment of the team or even its play over the last two weeks. That’s just sports.
Coaches will drone on and on each year about how their teams aren’t as good as their best win, nor are they as bad as their worst loss. The cliches and platitudes might not do much for ailing fan bases, but there is plenty of truth behind them.
Rarely can a team look back at an entire season and not see a few places where an extra play here or there could have meant a couple of extra victories. And, if that same team is being honest with itself, it’s also usually true that it could identify a spot or two where wins could have turned into losses if not for some good fortune.
The fact is that nothing the Eagles can do over the final two weeks of the regular season will make 2018 anything other than a success. Head coach Chad Lunsford is steadily gaining folk hero status points for the job he’s done.
He has quickly turned around the program and the young guys who were thrown into the fire last season are steadily proving they are capable of forming the core of Georgia Southern squads that can compete for conference championships in the immediate future.
The current season is already a success, but the next test is whether or not that’s good enough for the 2018 Eagles.
There won’t be a top-25 ranking or a New Year’s bowl and a shot at the Sun Belt title is all but mathematically impossible. However, there is still a chance for another bowl win, a possible 10-win season and two more chances to pay back conference foes for losses suffered last season.
Georgia Southern isn’t a world-beater. The fast start was nice and there have been tons of positives when compared to 2017, but the plain truth is that there are plenty of things that need to continue to improve if the Eagles want to head into the final month of 2019 with another good shot at winning the Sun Belt.
The good news is that the players seem to realize that. The better news is that there are still a few games remaining in this season to get a head start.
Much is always made about how a team deals with success after a big win or how it handles adversity after a loss. What the Eagles need to do is figure out how they want to deal with themselves.
Either they can stay at their current level and notch some accolades with upset wins here and there while not quite having the consistency to make it to the finish line, or they can continue to improve and become a team that is feared rather than just favored.
One would assume that the Eagles want to be in the latter category. And with two possible payback games left on the schedule this season, now is as good a time as ever for them to start being feared.
All Buzz
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 1973 season holds a special place in the hearts of Southeast Bulloch fans as it was the second of consecutive state championships for the Yellow Jackets.
But in modern times, the year has become a spectre. While the Jackets walked of the field as the best in Georgia in 1973, that title game also marks the last time SEB won a state playoff contest.
Unfortunately, for Southeast Bulloch, that winless streak has now reached a full 45 years. The Yellow Jackets mounted an impressive 9-1 mark in the regular season and earned a No. 2 seed and a home game to begin the Class AAA playoffs, but Liberty County wrecked the party, managing a slim lead after one half of play and shutting out the Jackets in the second half en route to a 38-14 triumph.
The first half was a seesaw battle as the Jackets threw the first punch.
With leading running back Jamari Daniel hampered by an ankle injury, SEB was still able to drive down the field and C.J. Coney punched in a 3-yard run to give the Jackets an early lead.
Liberty answered with a 3-yard touchdown run of their own as Kris Coleman scored the first of his four touchdowns on his way to 15 carries for 143 yards on the evening.
In what became a running gag, Liberty missed the ensuing extra point and SEB still led. But the Panthers answered with another touchdown on a 26-yard Coleman run and another missed conversion gave Liberty County a 12-7 advantage.
The teams traded scores over the final minutes of the half to send the Panthers into the locker room with an 18-14 lead.
On the first drive of the second half, SEB appeared to stop Liberty, only to have Coleman strike again. The Panthers’ star running back took a short snap on a fake punt and danced through a pair of tackles on his way to a 44-yard touchdown to extend the Liberty lead.
The Jackets couldn’t answer on their next offensive possession and, following a punt, Liberty began to sink the knife into the Jackets.
Liberty County quarterback Dionte Bowens led his offense on a 12-play, 79-yard drive and Bowens capped off the long trek with a 5-yard touchdown plunge.
A last-gasp from the Jackets’ offense took them all the way to the Liberty County 1, but that’s where the Panther defense made its stand. To add insult to injury, the Panthers drove the length of the field to add on their final score of the night and put the game out of reach.
With the win, Liberty County moves on to the second round of the state playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. The Panthers will travel to Peach County next week.
Meanwhile, another year can be added onto the Jackets’ postseason victory drought.
Chief Of The Year?
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The offseason has already seen the 2018 Atlanta Braves start to rack up big time hardware, with several Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers being handed out to the National League East Division Champions.
All-Star Nick Markakis, put a nice cap on his Cinderella season by winning both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.
This upcoming week could (and should) see even more trophies dished out to members of the Braves; with the Rookie of the Year award and the Manager of the Year award being handed out on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Ronald Acuna Jr. has stiff competition in the form of Washington Nationals’ stud outfielder Juan Soto, but he has a very good shot of coming home with the award. His case has already been made here in the pages of the Georgia Sports Edition.
Instead, it’s time to advocate for an award for the Braves’ skipper, Brian Snitker.
To me, this seems like a no-brainer. Snit lead the Braves to a nearly double-digit division win, besting the heavily favored Nats, as well as a stacked New York Mets pitching rotation and a young and hungry Philadelphia Phillies team that was in contention until the very end of the season.
The Braves were not picked to be in the playoff hunt at all, let alone topping the other teams in the NL East. In fact, the Braves probably should have finished in third place.
Instead, Atlanta kicked off the 2018 season with a comeback, walk-off victory against the rival Phillies and took control of the East before the month was out.
Teams with those kinds of low expectations and surprising performances will often get a good amount of love for their manager for leading them to play above their level. It stands to reason that Snitker should receive votes for just that very reason.
Comparing his team’s success with that of the other two MOTY finalists’ successes, the same argument holds up.
Bud Black’s Colorado Rockies may have also surprised some folks in the National League West, but they were not expected to win a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the mix. While they made it exciting by forcing a game 163, they settled for a Wild Card slot.
Craig Counsell’s Milwaukee Brewers did manage to win their division in yet another thrilling game 163, expectations for the Brew Crew were high. The acquisitions of Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich signaled to the world that Milwaukee was going for it; playoffs or bust.
So, while they were somewhat of an underdog squad to the Chicago Cubs, the Brewers had set their sights on making a postseason run.
Despite what anyone from the Braves’ front office might have you believe, the success Atlanta enjoyed was not expected.
Snit’s deservedness goes behind his team’s record (which, admittedly, is barely in his hands anyway). The old cliché about “player’s managers” is that players are always talking about how they love playing for their guy. It’s believable with Snit. Freddie Freeman was more than vocal about keeping Snitker on as manager after he took over for Fredi Gonzalez.
More recently, watch Snitker’s postgame interview after Miami Marlins’ pitcher Jose Urena blatantly went after Acuna’s hand with a fastball.
The words and fervor were that of a man that any baseball player would go into battle for. Watch Snitker speak of his pride for his guys after they clinched the division in September. Of course, they want to play for him.
Following the Braves season, the MOTY choice is clear and on Tuesday we’ll find out if the BBWAA has been paying attention.
Playoff Terrors
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The GHSA playoffs kicked off on Friday night.
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors were matched up with the #4 seed from the Augusta Region, the Evan Knights.
Glynn earned home field for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs and hosted Evans at Glynn County Stadium.
Glynn finished up the regular season with a 7-3 mark, region champs and a #1 seed in the playoffs.
Evans came in with a 3-7 record and earned the #4 seed from the Augusta Region.
Both teams got off to slow starts. However, Evans would put a TD on the board midway through the 1st quarter for a 7-0 lead. The touchdown came on 3 plays that covered 95 yards.
They would not score again. The Evans 7-0 lead would through the remainder of the 1st quarter.
The Red Terrors would respond with a touchdown early in the second quarter going 80 yards to tie the game at 7-7. The score coming on a Nolan Grant 6-yard TD run.
The Terrors would take the lead on a 51-yard TD run by Quany Bostick midway through the 2nd quarter, 14-7. Glynn would add another TD from TJ Lewis, scoring on a 1-yard TD run. That would be good for a 21-7 Red Terror lead in the 2nd quarter. Glynn scored on 11 plays for 78 yards. That score would hold to halftime.
The Terrors defense would stop Evan offense on their first drive of the second half to get the ball back. Glynn would march the ball downfield to put the game away, scoring another touchdown for a 28-7 lead.
With about 5 minutes left in the game the Red Terrors would pour it on, running the ball down the throat of Evans for another touchdown for a 35-7 lead. With a minute and change Caden Hutchinson would push the ball into the endzone for another TD. Glynn would now lead 42-7 and that would be the final. The Red Terrors scored the final 42 points of the game.
With the win the Terrors improve their record to 8-3 for 2018.
The Red Terrors will host the Valdosta Wildcats in the second round of the playoffs at Glynn County Stadium. The Wildcats, a first round winner over Lovejoy, 63-21.
Glynn played Valdosta in the preseason scrimmage in which the Wildcats beat the Terrors handily.
The Red Terrors have advanced to at least the Elite 8 in every year Coach Rocky Hidalgo has been at the helm.
