Status Update
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Believe it or not we are already in the stretch run for playoff berths in High School Football.
For some the second season will start in November and for others it will be an early offseason to keep building.
Here is a rundown of some of the Coastal Georgia Teams and how they are doing.
Brunswick High Pirates: The Pirates are coming off of an improbable come from behind win over Glynn Academy in the City Championship Game 41-37.
The Pirates are 5-1 on the season and 4-0 in region 1-5A.
Brunswick’s offense is among the elite in the state and the Pirates have the inside track on winning the region and securing a #1 seed in the playoffs.
The Pirates have beaten Wayne County, Effingham, Evans, Greenbriar and Glynn Academy. The only loss for BHS came in the opening week on the road at Camden.
The Pirates still have Bradwell, Statesboro, Lakeside Evans and South Effingham on the schedule…all region games.
Glynn Academy Red Terrors: The Terrors took their second region loss to their archrival Brunswick High. The Terrors are 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the region. I don’t thing the Red Terrors will lose another regular season game and I predict them to claim the #2 seed in region 1-5A.
Glynn has beaten Wayne County, Statesboro and Lakeside Evans. The Terrors dropped games to Richmond Hill, Bradwell and Brunswick.
The remainder of the Terrors schedule is pretty favorable with games against Evans, South Effingham, Effingham and Greenbriar.
Camden County Wildcats: The Wildcats suffered a lopsided loss to Valdosta to start Region 1-6A play. It was the first loss of the season for the Wildcats.
Region 1-6A is arguably the toughest in the state and making the playoffs, no matter the seed, is an accomplishment.
Camden is 5-1 on the season and 0-1 in region play. The Wildcats have beaten Brunswick, East Lake, West Broward, Ribault and Royal Palm Beach.
The schedule moving forward will not be friendly for Camden as all will be region games. The Wildcats will travel to Richmond Hill, Colquitt and Tift. They only have one home game remaining, which is against Lowndes. I look for Camden to make the playoffs as a #3 or #4 seed.
MCA Buccaneers: The Buccaneers are 2-3 overall and are 1-2 in region 1-2A Division 2.
The first part of their schedule has been brutal but will ease over the last month of the season. MCA has beaten The Islands, and Claxton. The Bucs have dropped games to Charlton, ECI, and Screven County.
The remaining docket for the Buccaneers includes road trips to Jenkins County, and Metter while they will host Bryan and Savannah.
With 2 region losses the Bucs have their backs against the wall to make the playoffs. They will need wins against Bryan County and Metter in theory to get into the playoffs.
Brantley County Herons: It has been a very tough season for the Herons under second year coach David Shores.
The Herons are coming off of a 49-0 loss to Worth County. Brantley is 0-6 on the season. Losses include Charlton, Windsor Forest, Pierce, Vidalia, Jeff Davis and the aforementioned Worth County.
The 2025 schedule is brutal. The Herons still have games against Fitzgerald, Thomasville, Berrien and Bacon County.
This type of season will motivate the Herons to improve and strive to be a playoff team in 2026.
Frederica Academy Knights: The Knights opened the season on the road against GHSA Savannah and won convincingly 34-7.
Frederica is 3-3 on the season and will be entering play in October. The GISA does not seed teams based on region record but instead on Max Preps Power Rankings.
Frederica has beaten Savannah, Tiftarea, and Brookwood. The Knights of St. Simons have dropped games against West Nassau, Valwood, and to Stratford Academy.
In my opinion Frederica is a playoff caliber team and will prove that in the remaining game against Robert Toombs, Bulloch Academy, Pinewood and St. Andrews.
I look for Frederica to finish with a 6-4 record.
Unbelievable
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The City Championship Game between the Brunswick High Pirates and Glynn Academy Red Terrors makes for great Friday Night Football most years.
The 2025 edition was more than a great game; it may go down as the greatest City Championship game ever and with that launched Brunswick QB Grant Moore into legend Stratosphere.
Going into the game the Brunswick High Pirates were huge favorites. The Pirates came in with a 4-1 record and were undefeated in Region 1-5A.
Meanwhile, the Glynn Academy Red Terrors came in 3-2 and already lost a region game in an upset to Bradwell Institute.
The game was back and forth in the 1st half and the Red Terrors took a 14-13 lead into the locker room at the half.
The 3rd quarter and early 4th quarter belonged to the Red Terrors as they extended their lead to 37-21 with about 7 minutes left in the football game.
Red Terrors Coach Rocky Hidalgo had pressed all the right buttons, 2-pont conversions, trick plays, a fake punt and more importantly had limited the Pirates’ offense playing a ball control type of game.
Glynn was driving late in the 4th and had the ball inside the Brunswick 20-yard line and were about to score the back breaking touchdown that would have created chaos in the region and given the Terrors an inside track to a region title.
Then things got crazy. Glynn fumbled the ball when they were about to score the knockout blow and the Grant Moore Show took centerstage at Glynn County Stadium.
Moore marched the Pirates down the field making big throw after big throw. The Pirates scored again on a TD pass from Moore and cut the lead to 37-34.
The Pirates attempted an onside kick and recovered with just under 2 minutes to play. Once again Moore made clutch pass after clutch pass before Nigel Gardener scampered into the end zone with 31 seconds to play giving the Pirates a miracle 41-37 lead.
Moore finished the football game 14/18 passing for 336 yards and 4 TDs.
The Pirates would intercept a desperation throw from Glynn QB Max Noonan to seal an improbable come from behind 41-37 win to remain unbeaten in the region and more importantly win their second consecutive City Championship.
Both Rocky Hidalgo and BHS coach Garrett Grady coached their tails off in this game and proved once again they are elite coaches in the state of Georgia.
If Grant Moore does not receive more Division 1 offers after his performance against Glynn I am not sure what scouts are looking for.
Grading The Boro
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Now that we are at the halfway point of the regular season (some slightly passed the halfway point, it’s time that we get a progress report on the Bulloch County football teams for the 2025 season.
Southeast Bulloch (3-3; 3-2 Region 3-3A) | Grade: B-
This grade would have been very different this time last week. The Southeast Bulloch offense took a step back this past Friday after falling to Liberty County 10-7 on the road in Hinesville.
The Yellow Jackets defense held their own as they have all season long. However, the Jackets offense struggled to get anything going. Southeast Bulloch is hoping the offensive woes (including two fumbles) were an anomaly, because the Jacket offense has been good this year at times.
Led by Colby Smith and Jayden Murphy at running back, Southeast Bulloch has used the ground game to dominate wins over Islands, Windsor Forest, and Johnson.
The only blemish in region play entering the Liberty County contest was a fantastic high school football game but ended in a Calvary win 28-24.
The Jackets opened the year falling to cross-county rival, Statesboro, but has grown exponentially since that weather-altered matchup.
While the defense has been knocking on the door of the “A” territory, the offensive struggles against Liberty County knock the grade down slightly, but the potential for this team is unmistakably there in Brooklet.
Statesboro (3-2; 2-1 Region 1-5A) | Grade: B+
Statesboro has been a little of Jekyll and Hyde this season with most of the time seeing vast improvements under third year head coach Matt Dobson.
Sophomore quarterback Beckham Jarrard has dazzled through four games played including a performance against Greenbrier that saw the young signal-caller throw for 156 yards and a score while also leading the team with 134 yards rushing as well.
The Blue Devils were thrown a curveball when Jarrard missed the Statesboro matchup with Bradwell Institute with injury.
The offense picked up the slack with Keon Childers (leads the team with nearly 600 rushing yards (587) and 10 touchdowns who converted from wide receiver to running back this offseason.
The Devils hope to get Beckham Jarrard back in the next few weeks after a coincidentally well-timed bye week this past weekend and the next match-up coming against a winless Lakeside team next week.
After tough losses to Veterans in week 2 and against Glynn Academy, Statesboro responded nicely with the win over Bradwell leading into the bye week and has momentum going down the back stretch.
Bulloch Academy (5-1; 0-0 Region) | Grade: A
Bulloch Academy…ahem…pardon me, that’s “2024 State Champion” Bulloch Academy has picked up where they left off in a championship claiming 2024 season.
Even through their first loss in two years, BA bounced back with convincing wins on the road against Strong Rock last week then at Tattnall Square Academy 52-13 in the most recent victory.
Danye Garvin (RB) and Sam Hubbard (QB) have led this team to a 5-1 record. There have been a couple of blemishes with some penalty issues, but playmakers have overcome that with names like Braylon Cone anchoring the D-Line with at 6’2” 294lbs. Look for BA to make some noise when postseason play rolls around.
Portal (2-4; 1-3) | Grade: C-
It’s been a tough go of it for the Portal Panthers this year but look to have some momentum after a big overtime win this week against Savannah 21-14 to cap off homecoming.
The Panthers, however, have had some impactful players emerge with three running backs with at least 250 yards rushing and combining for 12 touchdowns on the season as Zeke Percell leads the way with over 350 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns along with Jason Crawford and KJ Hunter adding quality depth.
The Panthers now head into a bye week and look to build off the homecoming win to make a playoff push in the final four contests.
While there have been some speedbumps for all four teams, there is also a real possibility that all four Bulloch County teams head into the postseason and keep the trend on the upward trajectory for all four programs.
Farewell Old Friend
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On Tuesday, the SEC will unveil every team’s conference opponents for the next four football seasons, including three designated annual foes. The three rivals each team will face went public recently, and most of the pairings made sense.
The SEC protected historic rivalries such as Georgia-Auburn, Alabama-Tennessee and games that mattered to nearby fan bases like Tennessee-Kentucky and South Carolina-Georgia.
A handful of the annual matchups, like Missouri-Texas A&M and Oklahoma-Ole Miss, are far from rivalries, and those are most likely to rotate after this four-year block when the league reassesses its schedules.
The SEC brass has not said what it used as a competitive balance barometer, but no team drew more than two permanent opponents in the upper half of the league’s wins leaderboard over the College Football Playoff and BCS eras. That tenet may allow for fair scheduling, but it cost the league one of its best annual rivalries.
Below, I list the SEC’s 7 best rivalries that, for now will no longer be played each year — starting with the most obvious omission.
- Alabama-LSU
This is painful. The LSU-Alabama series has become a staple of the November schedule, and the rivals have played every year since 1964. At least one team was ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in 12 of those matchups, and the programs have combined for nine national titles since 2003.
2.Tennessee-Florida
While this game had no real chance at annual preservation due to both sides’ rivalry priorities, it’s still a bummer to see it cycle off their schedules. Tennessee-Florida is a rivalry created by realignment, when the SEC placed both schools into the East Division in 1992. From 1916 until 1990, they played only 19 times. From 1990 through 2002, both teams were mainstays in the top 10, setting the stage for the SEC’s best rivalry over that time frame.
- Alabama-Georgia
Let’s start with the obvious: This had no shot at getting protected. Both programs must play Auburn, and the Alabama-Tennessee and Florida-Georgia rivalries are woven into the fabric of college football history. But even for these border heavyweights to face off twice every four years should be considered a win. This week’s matchup marks just the fourth time the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide have met in the regular season since 2008. Over that time frame, Alabama-Georgia played four times in the SEC title game and twice for the CFP title.
- Tennessee-Georgia
Both Tennessee and Georgia are in the running for the most rivals of any team in the country. This series has a limited number of games — they didn’t play at all for a 31-year stretch and met only eight times from 1937 until 1992. But Tennessee-Georgia (No. 53) has produced some massive games in recent years. The teams have battled 20 times as ranked opponents, and their 2022 game featured the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown in Sanford Stadium history.
- Florida-LSU
During the divisional era, this was a permanent crossover. Then Florida-LSU (No. 64) played some outstanding games and have met every year since 1971, which justified keeping the rivalry intact. They have faced off in 25 ranked matchups, second-most among longtime SEC rivalries behind only Alabama-LSU. It’s also an unpredictable series, with the teams combining for nine top-10 upsets (Florida won five of those, LSU four).
- LSU-Mississippi State
This was the only SEC series with more than 100 meetings to get sacked. LSU-Mississippi State (No. 100 in the Top 100) has been played 117 times, but the expanded SEC’s schedule adjustments in the last two years resulted in this matchup becoming collateral damage. LSU could have a full SEC slate of opponents deemed a rival (including Auburn), but the Tigers’ surging series with Texas A&M and its propensity for great games with Arkansas take precedence. Mississippi State preserves the Egg Bowl with Ole Miss and gets an 80-mile drive to Alabama, plus four years of dates with Vanderbilt.
- Auburn-Florida
There was hope this one might return to yearly status, but it was competitively unbalanced. Auburn already has games with Alabama and Georgia, which rank No. 1 and No. 2 in total victories in the BCS/CFP era among SEC teams. To add Florida (which was sixth) would create major schedule disparity for the Tigers. Some Florida fans contend Auburn was the Gators’ No. 2 SEC rival after Georgia. It’s too bad because the teams played every year from 1945 through 2002, with 84 total meetings (Auburn leads 43-39-2).
Some fans do not like the new scheduling because they are so accustomed to the regional games, while others welcome the new balance in SEC scheduled. College football and especially the SEC is now on a national landscape and the schedule changes, promoting television eyes around the country.
Pay for Play?
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Ryder Cup is one of those rare sporting events that just feels different.
Every two years the best from the United States and Europe square off and the pressure is unlike anything else in golf.
Players who are used to grinding for individual trophies suddenly become teammates. The roars are louder. The stage is bigger.
And for as long as most fans can remember, it has always been about pride and passion, not about money.
That is why the latest story about American players getting paid has stirred up so much noise. For the first time the PGA of America is giving each U S player and captain half a million dollars.
Three hundred thousand of it has to go to charity but the other two hundred thousand can go right into a player’s own pocket if he chooses.
That is where the controversy begins. Europe has stayed firm on playing for free. Rory McIlroy even said he would pay for the chance to play in the Ryder Cup. To them it is about history and honor, not about cash.
So which side has it right?
On one hand the American players have a fair point. The Ryder Cup makes a fortune for the PGA of America. Fans buy tickets, merchandise, and even $7,500 gold coins in the merchandise tent.
The television money is huge too. None of it happens without the players. They are the show. So why should they not share in the revenue?
But the flip side is pretty clear too. These golfers are already millionaires.
The lowest paid American Ryder Cupper this year still made more than three million in official earnings. Several made north of eight million.
Does anyone really believe two hundred thousand is going to change their lives? Probably not.
What it does change is the perception. Europe gets to look like they care more. They get to stand on the moral high ground and rally around the idea of playing for nothing but their flag and their tour. That matters in a team competition.
The Europeans love to remind everyone that they are in it for something bigger than themselves. The Americans now have to answer questions about greed and optics.
Even if guys like Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and captain Keegan Bradley all say they will donate their full share to charity, the fact that players could keep the money is enough to make the whole thing messy.
Here is the simple answer. Give it all to charity. Every single dollar. Let the Ryder Cup be the one golf event where money is not the headline.
These players have plenty of income from purses, sponsorships, and appearance fees all year long. The Ryder Cup can be different. If the PGA of America wants to spread millions around, do it through foundations, junior golf programs, and local communities.
At the end of the day, fans do not come to Bethpage or watch from home because they want to see rich players get richer.
They come for the drama, the pressure, and the pride. Europe understands that and they use it as fuel. The United States risks losing more than just the moral argument if they cannot embrace the same spirit.
The Ryder Cup is too special to get bogged down in dollars. If American players really want to prove they care just as much as Europe, they should tell the PGA of America to send every penny to charity and then let their golf do the talking.
Left Behind?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Dabo Swinney became the head coach at Clemson on October 13, 2008.
Tommy Bowden resigned six games into the season and he was named the interim head coach. The Tigers beat South Carolina 31-14 on November 29, 2008. He went 4-3 and was named the head coach on December 1, 2008.
One of the first things Swinney did when he was hired as the interim head coach was introduce a new tradition, the “Tiger Walk”. This is when all players and coaches walk through the parking lot outside of Memorial Stadium about two hours before a game as they head inside for final game preparations. I though this tradition was around a lot longer so I was surprised to find that out.
He made Clemson into a national powerhouse and won two national championships. Coming into the 2025 season, the Tigers were ranked #4 in the preseason poll. They returned several starters from the 2024 team that was 10-4. They won the ACC Championship and made it to the College Football Playoffs.
Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik was considered a candidate to win the Heisman Trophy coming into the season. As you know Clemson has started the season 1-3.
The season started with a home loss to #9 LSU, 17-10. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. They beat Troy the next week, 27-16. The Tigers trailed at halftime, 16-3 before scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter. We should have seen then that Clemson has a problem.
They lost at Georgia Tech Week 3, 24-21. The Yellow Jackets were unranked at the time but they are 4-0 now and ranked #16 in the AP Poll.
Swinney was asked about that loss and he went into a diatribe against his critics that he supposedly does not listen to.
“Why are we held to a different standard to all these other teams out there who ain’t never won nothing?” Swinney said.
“If Clemson wants me gone, they are tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’m going to go somewhere else to coach,” Swinney said. “I ain’t going to the beach. Hell, I’m 55, I’ve got a long way to go.”
Then they played Syracuse at home this past Saturday. The Orange won, 34-21. The game was never close. Syracuse went into halftime with a 24-14 lead.
Swinney has been outspoken against using the transfer portal and NIL. It seems like he is being left behind with the changing landscape of college football. He has a new critic, Nick Saban.
“Dabo needs to look at what he needs to do in his program to make his program continually be successful” Saban said. “Do you have to change (the use of) the portal? Do you have to change name, image and likeness? …The game has changed. You need to change with it. Otherwise, you’re not going to put yourself in the same position other people are and having the chance to be successful.”
Clemson has a bye week now and the next game is at North Carolina (2-2) on October 4th. This should be an easy win for Clemson.
The real question is, how will the rest of the 2025 season be remembered for the Tigers?
This could be the beginning of the end for Dabo or he could finally adapt with the times and make Clemson a dominant program again.
O-ffensive
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When Florida quarterback DJ Lagway threw his fifth interception Saturday night to seal the game at No. 3 LSU, athletic director Scott Stricklin pursed his lips and turned away.
Stricklin did not watch the replay. He clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the ground.
What else was there to see? What else is there to say?
The Gators 20-10 loss dropped them to 1-2 this season with plenty of the nation’s hardest schedule still ahead.
The numbers are grisly enough to spark questions about Napier’s buyout ($19.4 million at the end of this contract year) to intensify:
Three games into his fourth season, Napier is 20-21. That’s as many losses as Will Muschamp had, and Muschamp coached in eight more games. Napier’s winning percentage (.487) is the worst by any non-interim Florida coach since 1950.
He needs to win his next 28 games to match the winning percentage of Dan Mullen, who was fired.
Napier is 3-10 against Florida’s primary annual rivals. That’s 0-3 against Georgia, 1-2 against Tennessee and Florida State and 1-3 against the Tigers after last week.
Napier dropped to 4-15 against ranked opponents and 5-14 away from The Swamp.
Saturday was especially troubling if you watch the way the game played out. The athletes have not quit on Napier, and this loss wasn’t due to a lack of fight.
Florida was a willing participant in pregame shouting matches and a brief in-game scuffle.
The defense was good enough to win, starting the game with three consecutive three-and-outs and holding LSU to 316 total yards — the Tigers’ third-lowest output in three seasons under Brian Kelly.
The problem is the offense. Napier’s offense can’t score. Napier leads it after refusing to hire a play caller and doubling down on his role after last week’s 18-16 loss to South Florida.
This is an offense that Florida fans expect to light up scoreboards like they did under Steve Spurrier. This offense looks like it’s squandering a third consecutive NFL talent at quarterback, and this one might be the most promising of them all.
In Year 1, Napier’s quarterback was the No. 4 NFL Draft pick, Anthony Richardson. The Gators went 6-7.
For the next year and a half, Napier’s quarterback was Graham Mertz, who was drafted in the sixth round this spring. Gators went 8-10.
Since mid-October, Napier’s quarterback has been Lagway, the former five-star recruit and Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. After encouraging performances in 2024, Napier and Lagway have lost two in a row in 2025. Lagway’s five interceptions Saturday were the most by a Florida quarterback since 1992.
Despite those turnovers, the Gators were still competitive. An optimistic spin is: if you take away the pick six Lagway threw and add the 87-yard touchdown pass that was nullified by a holding call, Florida would’ve been right there.
“We’ve lost two in a row like that,” Napier said.
He’s right. The Gators had a pair of touchdowns negated by penalties in last week’s loss.
That doesn’t make Saturday night look or feel any better, especially because of how poorly the “Bull spit” game aged.
South Florida was blown out 49-12 on Saturday by No. 5 Miami — the same No. 5 Miami that hosts the Gators this week.
Napier is 0-1 against the Hurricanes, in case anyone was wondering.
If Napier is feeling the heat at this biggest pressure-cooker program, he isn’t necessarily showing it. When Urban Meyer lost in Baton Rouge in 2005, he cried in his postgame news conference. Napier started Saturday night’s address by complimenting his players and team leadership.
Stricklin, again, turned his head to the ground. He did not need to watch that replay, either. He’s seen this trainwreck too many times before, only difference is the conductor.
King Bee Down
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Wednesday morning, the Wayne County School System announced that Wayne County Football Head Coach John Mohring has resigned in agreement with the school board.
The news comes after a 0-5 start in the second season under Mohring.
With a bye week this week for the Yellow Jackets, Wayne County will transition to new leadership this week as Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Justin McDonald will take over as the interim Head Coach for football.
In the 15 games under Mohring since he took over prior to the 2024 season, Wayne County was winless on the field.
One caveat to that was the 2024 matchup with Appling County. Appling defeated Wayne on the field, but Appling County was forced to vacate wins for the 2024 season due to GHSA violations in regard to recruiting and an ineligible transfer player.
There have been plenty of folks that have been unhappy around the Wayne County program with the on-the-field product, and rightfully so.
Since the beginning of 2024, Wayne County has been outscored in those 15 games by a mark of 584-100 including a 390-41 discrepancy last season. In the 10 games of 2024, Wayne County only scored more than 7 points once (the season opener against Glynn Academy) including being shutout 4 times on the year.
The offensive struggles continued this season through the first 5 games of the year as the offense only producing 106.8 yards of total offense per game (national average is 261.0 for reference).
A team that once dominated teams on the ground is now only averaging 62.4 yards rushing per game and putting up only 44 yards passing per game.
One of the most surprising numbers is this year, the Wayne County offense has only put up 28 points (including extra points), while the defense has elevated a couple scores with 2 defensive touchdowns.
Mohring took over the program after Jaybo Shaw left following the 2023 season.
Mohring left his position at Savanah Country Day in March.
At Savannah Country Day, Mohring led the Hornets to two playoff appearances and a 16-16 record in 3 seasons.
Now Mohring becomes the third GHSA coach to step down/be fired this season already with Banks County Todd Winter fired and Windsor Forest’s CJ Frazier stepping down for “personal reasons.”
Interim Head Coach Justin McDonald joined the Wayne County community when he took over the Wayne County baseball program in 2012.
Since then, he has added the Athletic Director title and also amassed over 300 wins on the diamond and is the all-time winningest baseball coach in Wayne County history.
Along the horizon for Wayne County, they open region play after the bye week with Warner Robins coming to Jesup on September 26th before 5 straight weeks of region matchups.
This year, three of the 5 region contests are set to take place at Jaycee Stadium with road trips going to Benedictine and Ware County.
I’m never a huge fan of making coaching moves in-season, but this felt like one that needed to be made.
Now Wayne County still has everything in front of them with an entire region schedule.
Does this turn around the season? Time will tell, but I know that Justin McDonald is not only a great coach, but a fantastic person and leader of men that can hold a team together.
House of Cards?
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
LSU is 3-0, ranked 3rd in the country, and last Saturday beat Florida 20-10 in a rivalry game. On paper, things look great in Baton Rouge. But if you really watch the games, the Tigers’ start isn’t as flawless as it seems.
Brian Kelly made headlines after that Florida win for snapping at a reporter about LSU’s struggling running game. He later apologized, but honestly, you can’t blame him.
The offense has been frustrating to watch. Through three games, LSU is last in the SEC in scoring at just 20 points per game and has only five offensive touchdowns.
In a league like the SEC, if your offense isn’t clicking, even wins start to feel shaky.
The running game has been the biggest problem.
Against Florida, LSU barely managed 100 yards on the ground, and half of those yards came on one big burst from Caden Durham. Outside of that play, the Tigers were stuck in neutral.
Kelly insists LSU can run the ball and points to the last play of the game as proof. Sure, one play is nice, but relying on a single breakaway won’t get you through the tougher SEC matchups coming up.
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has had a lot to deal with too. He’s now battling a torso injury and lingering knee issues and is limited on how much he can throw in practice.
Still, he’s completing 65 percent of his passes, but the offense hasn’t looked like the high-powered unit everyone expected with a potential first-round talent at quarterback. If Nussmeier isn’t 100 percent, the pressure on the running game only grows.
The defense, thankfully, has been carrying the team.
Even after All-American linebacker Whit Weeks was ejected for targeting in the first half, LSU forced five turnovers against Florida and played physical from start to finish. Transfer Jack Pyburn and the secondary stepped up big time.
But let’s be real: in the SEC, you can’t expect the defense to win every game. The offense has to start showing up, or the schedule is going to catch up to them fast.
Outside of on field action, there’s been some good news for the Tigers this week. LSU just landed 2027 quarterback Peyton Houston, the top-rated pocket passer in the nation for his class, and the godbrother of former LSU star Devin White.
He’s the first commit of that class and gives hope for the future at a spot where LSU has struggled to find consistency. With Nussmeier leaving after this season, Houston or another QB recruit is going to have to step up eventually.
So where does all this leave LSU? Unbeaten? Yes. Ranked in the top five? Check. But the offense looks sloppy, the quarterback isn’t fully healthy, and the run game has no rhythm.
Kelly might be right that fans can get spoiled, but when you’re running an SEC powerhouse, just winning isn’t enough. People expect domination.
The next few games will tell the story. The Tigers host Southeastern Louisiana this Saturday in what is supposed to be a tune-up, but the real test comes when LSU heads to Ole Miss on September 27.
If the Tigers struggle there, all the questions about the offense will come screaming back. If they pull off a convincing win, Kelly’s outburst and early offensive struggles might just fade into the background.
Right now, LSU is a bit of a paradox: unbeaten with a frustrated coach, a hobbled quarterback, and an offense that hasn’t hit full stride.
Wins are nice, but the cracks are already showing, and the rest of the SEC is ready to expose them if LSU doesn’t clean things up.
At The Top
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are almost midway through the high school football regular season. Let’s take a look at some of the top teams in 6A.
#1 Grayson: The Rams are the defending state champions and are off to a 4-0 start. They started the season with a 51-3 win at Colllins Hill. They beat Rabun Gap-Nacoochee 24-19 and Thompson (AL) 24-23. Their last game was September 5th against Mallard Creek (NC) and they won 63-13.
The Rams start region play this week against Grovetown (3-1). Grayson is by far the best team in Region 4 AAAAAA and they are the only ranked team in the region. I expect them to finish the season undefeated.
#2 Buford: The Wolves (4-0) just beat #4 Douglas County 34-26. This game featured at least 25 players with Power 4 offers. Florida State coach Mike Norvell and Georgia State coach Dell McGee attended this top five showdown.
The Wolves started the season with a 20-13 win over Milton. They followed that up by beating Benedictine on the road, 42-14. They destroyed Roswell 65-21 in Week 3. They begin region play this week against Discovery (0-3). Buford does not face any other ranked teams in Region 8AAAAAA.
#3 Carrolton: The Trojans (5-0) lost the 2024 state championship to Grayson. Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis graduated and he plays for Colorado now. Carrolton is showing they are an elite program and they were not just successful because of Lewis.
The only game that was decided by one score was the Week 3 win at Rome, 28-21. In the other four games, the closest margin of victory has been 22 points.
They are in Region 2AAAAAA with #4 Douglas County. They will play in the season finale. Region play will start 10/3 at Westlake. I think the winner of the last game will be the region champs.
#4 Douglas County: The Tigers (3-2) have a lot of talent but they have played a tough schedule. They lost to the #2 team in 5A on the road, Hughes 44-31. They lost to #2 Buford on the road the following week, 34-26.
They started the season with wins over #6 North Gwinnett, Jonesboro and Newton.
Their next game is against 2A Columbia (0-4), so they should blow them out. Like I said above, their next challenge will be in the season finale against #3 Carrolton.
#5 Valdosta: The Wildcats (5-0) are looking to win their first state title since 2016. The only close game they have played was against Jesuit (FL) 21-14. They have beaten Tucker 63-19, Mundy’s Mill 60-14, Dougherty 52-3 and South Gwinnett 41-3.
They are in the toughest region in the state, Region 1AAAAAA. They have a bye this week and start region play 9/26 at #10 Camden County. The following game is at #9 Colquitt County and the season finale is against #8 Lowndes. If you are keeping track, that’s four top 10 teams in the state in the same region.
I don’t think Valdosta will make it out of region play unscathed.
