Rays Still Swimming
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
From 2008 to 2013, the Rays were a consistently good team. They made the playoffs in four of those six years, including a World Series berth against the eventual champs, the Phillies in 2008.
In the three seasons since, it has been a rougher go for Tampa Bay. This year appears like it may shake out no differently. They’re too far back in the division to be anything other than a headache to the Red Sox and Yankees ahead of them, both of which have been holding onto playoffs slots for dear life.
However, that doesn’t mean that Tampa should be written off completely. They are in the hunt for the second wild card spot. They have two teams between them and, at the moment, Minnesota.
They just need to scrap and fight and claw and, of course, win. They also need to stay healthy. Middle of the season injuries to Colby Rasmus and Kevin Kiermaier have crippled the team’s potential in 2017.
They also need to play at least to their base level. Evan Longoria in particular needs to reach a consistent level of production in September for this snowball in hell not to melt.
The second wild card has changed the game so much (for the better), making teams that would be done for the year still competitive this late in the season. Having two wild card spots keeps so many clubs in the hunt and it alone is keeping the Rays’ ambitions alive.
It’s still not an entirely likely scenario; Tampa reaching that wild card game, since they’ll have to leapfrog three teams to get in but it’s not impossible.
Unfortunately, it leaves a lot in the hands of those three clubs. They need to lose while Tampa wins. On the bright side, the Angels are the only team ahead of the Rays that they don’t play in September.
Tampa hosts the Twins starting on Monday as well as playing a road and a home series against Baltimore in the coming weeks. They’ll have to make strong statements in those 9 games and by that I pretty much mean win ALL of them. Then pray those teams lose some more to others as well.
For the sake of covering all that there is to cover, the Rays also have a road series and a home series against the team currently holding the first wild card spot; the division rival Yankees.
Now this doesn’t mean that they’ve got a shot at getting to that first spot (though mathematically they of course do), but it is another team with a better record that they’ll need to play well against to not dash those playoff dreams.
Basically, they’ve got a lot of sway in their own destiny. Not as much as I’m sure they would like, but with 16 games against teams ahead of them in the standings, the schedule couldn’t do much more for them.
At the end of the day, they are still a long shot for a playoff spot but it’s a position they’ve thrived in before. Even during that six year run where they were consistently contending, they seemed to constantly either have their back against the wall or just flat out get overlooked. Overlooking this team could spell doom for their opponents.
Tampa is always the underdog and that’s the role they shine in. Their incredible game 162 in 2011, coming back from 7-0 to win in 12 innings stands as a testament to what this team has accomplished with their back against the wall.
That certainly is the case as September baseball gets underway in 2017. So, Tampa, what have you got to show us this year?
Tift Too Much For Glynn
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Glynn Academy’s week 3 loss to Tift County, 27-7, can be summarized into one word: Until.
The Terrors were moving the ball up and down the field, until they turned it over, when Randon Jernigan was strip sacked on Tift’s 29.
They had picked up a crucial third down, until they came up a yard short and failed on the fourth down conversion.
The defense held 4-star receiver Rashod Bateman in check, until they didn’t, when they seemingly forgot the Minnesota commit was on the field and he walked into to the endzone for an 80-yard score.
One thing remains true in football across all levels; When you face good teams, you can’t give up the ball. Glynn is a young team that is still trying to find its footing and it seems to have a propensity for coughing up the football. In an offense that puts the ball in a lot of people’s hands, like the option does, that’s catastrophic,
Tift County entered this game with a dominant defense (giving up 4.7 points per game). Much like Benedictine, Tift loaded the box all night. Glynn’s triple option, dominant last week against Ware, was held under 70 yards on the night. Caine Crews lead the way with 33 yards on 15 carries (2.2 ypc).
For the second week in a row, Glynn only completed two passes. One, a 60 yarder to Andrew Delaney, setup the Terrors’ only score.
If Glynn has any playoff aspirations they must find a passing game. Teams will continue to load the box until Jernigan can prove that he can beat them over the top. Jernigan shouldn’t shoulder all the blame, though. His line rarely gives him time to move off his first look, and his receivers can’t consistently beat their men.
Defensively, the team played well minus a couple of big plays. Tift quarterback Griffin Collier gashed the Terrors’ defense on the second play of the game for a 74-yard touchdown and found receiver Rashod Bateman for the aformentioned 80-yard bomb.
Tift had a clear game plan: Get up early and ride our defense. The Blue Devils, a pass heavy offense, threw the ball only 21 times for 198 yards. Tift felt they could shut down Glynn, so why get risky?
Glynn finds themselves at an interesting place. Again, it can’t be understated that this team is hurt, but they’re getting healthier every week.
Yet, every week the offense becomes more one dimensional. They must choose now if they open the offense up, or continue to pound the rock and trust the system.
We’ll get to see what they choose next week when they take on Camden County at Glynn County Stadium. Camden is coming off an extremely solid come from behind win at home against Fitzgerald and will look to improve their record to 3-1 when they take on the Terrors.
This is a tough match up for Glynn. Camden is another team that rides their great defense. In what should be a low scoring game, the difference will biggest factor will be Glynn’s ability or inability to hold on to the ball. Camden will pounce on any mistake you make.
Glynn is 1-2, and largely looking for consistency before region play begins. A win over a good team like Camden would not only bring the Terrors back to .500, it would be a huge confidence boost for a team that needs it.
Glynn Academy vs Camden County kicks off at 7:30 at Glynn County Stadium on Friday, September 8th.
Pirates Blast Cook
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The All Weather Brunswick High Pirates playing their second game in five days drilled the Cook County Hornets 53-7 in a strange game. The 2017 season so far has been marked by weather delays. Bad weather caused two delays in Thursday night’s contest.
The Pirates rolled up 415 yards of total offense in only 27 minutes of action. With a running clock in second half after being up 47-7 at the half the Pirates immediately scored to make it 53-7 and Cook threw the towel in with 9:42 left in the third quarter.
Pirate Report Card:
Offense: A+: How could it have been better? The Pirates had 20 points in 4 offensive plays in the first three minutes of the game and 156 yards.
Jamarius Stevens had the game of his life as a Brunswick High Pirate. Stevens played the first half only and was 11-13 for 310 yards and 6 TD’s. He also had a 4-yard rushing TD.
Jaylen Jackson had three TD’s in his first game playing just offense including a great 75-yard TD catch off his shoe top and just ran away from Cook defenders.
The OL blew holes in the Cook defensive line and just mauled them for 27 minutes until Cook threw in the white towel.
Shaq Robinson had another good night running the football. DJ Whitfield and Alonzo Brown had long TD receptions. This WR group is talented and fast and when the entire group is clicking then opposing defenses have to man up and cover each one on one and that is what the air raid offense is all about.
Defense: A: This unit caused Cook problems all night long with the speed at LB. Sharrod Frazier and Kam Futch flew around all night long.
The game plan was solid and the run defense was dominant. Cook had one 36-yard TD drive after a long kickoff return. Defensive lineman George Mincey ran down a Cook punter on a fake punt and prevented a first down on a great hustle play when the game was well in hand.
The Pirates packed 9 men in the box to stop the Cook single wing offense and completely smothered the Cook rushing attack.
The speed on this defense will cause problems for teams later on the schedule. This unit will continue to get better.
Special Teams: B: The weather was not good. The ball was wet and the unit had a high snap on an extra point, which BHS did not convert. The unit gave up a long kickoff return but Sean Ward made a highlight reel body slam hit on a Cook player on one kickoff return.
Dalton Thrift kicked the ball deep to around the 10 yard line on kickoffs. His leg may be sore today as BHS kicked off seven times in the contest. It was a big turnaround from the Coffee game.
Coaching: A+: This team was ready to play and the game plan went right at Cook and the Hornets folded early.
The passing game was phenomenal, which opened up running lanes. The defense was striking hard, and the effort was there by the players in a short week due to the game time being moved up 24 hours. Sean Pender said the biggest improvement would be from game one to game two and he was correct.
On a wet night, no turnovers meant that ball security issues from the Coffee game were addressed and coached up in practice. Great plan and execution by players and that reflects solid coaching.
Overall: A: Total team effort to come out and dominate a team that is used to making the playoffs in their classification. BHS made a team quit and go home. Enough said.
The Cook radio broadcast team told me post game that the Brunswick team is by far the best team they have seen this year. This is a team that has played Lee County, Brooks County, and Tift County all highly thought of teams around the State.
Up Next: Wayne County in Jesup. That game is going to be tough. Wayne County beat Valdosta in Bazemore-Hyder Thursday night 23-13.
ACC Coastal Week 1 Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s my favorite time of year again, football season. Seriously, the opening weekend should be declared a national holiday. Lucky for us it coincides with Labor Day weekend, so we get three days of games.
I’m going to break down the matchups of the best conference, the ACC. I’ll focus on the weaker Coastal division.
North Carolina vs. California: The Tar Heels are replacing the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft quarterback Mitch Trubisky. LSU transfer Brandon Harris is his replacement. Frankly, Harris was not a good player in Baton Rouge so I can’t imagine him being great in Chapel Hill.
The Golden Bears were 5-7 in 2016 so they aren’t very good. Sophomore QB Ross Bowers will be making his first collegiate start so I give the advantage to UNC.
Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman: This is a game against an FCS opponent to start the season. The Hurricanes are replacing their all-time passing leader Brad Kaaya. Junior Malik Rosier is hoping to take his place and lead Miami to their first ACC Championship. He’ll have the chance to build a lot of confidence in this game. This will be an easy 40-point win.
Pittsburgh vs. Youngstown State: Youngstown State is also from the FCS but their pretty good, especially against Pitt. They beat the Panthers in 2012 31-17.
They met again in 2015 and lost 45-37. Pitt is coming off of two consecutive 8-5 seasons and their looking to improve. That will be difficult because they lost five players to the NFL Draft including QB Nathan Peterman and running back James Conner.
Sticking with the theme of breaking in a new quarterback Max Browne will make his debut. I expect a close game but Pitt should win.
Virginia vs. William & Mary: The Cavaliers are one of the few teams that return their starting QB, senior Kurt Benkhert. At first glance it seems like he was pretty decent last year, throwing for over 2,500 yards and 21 touchdowns. He set the all-time record for single-game passing against Central Michigan, with 421 yards. Unfortunately, his 56% completion rate was the lowest for a UVA starter since Dan Ellis in 2000.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall is in his second season and looks to improve after a disastrous 2-10 campaign. The Wahoos lost to an FCS opponent (Richmond) to open the 2016 season so it won’t be unheard of for them to lose. I’m expecting them to win by single digits.
Duke vs. North Carolina Central: The Blue Devils got the memo to play an FCS team. They are coming off a 4-8 season and missed the postseason for the first time since 2011. They do return quarterback Daniel Jones and they’ll get a blowout win.
#21 Virginia Tech vs. #22 West Virginia: This game is played Sunday night at the home of the Washington Redskins, FedEx Field. This is actually a rivalry game where the winner gets the Black Diamond Trophy.
This is their first meeting in twelve years and I expect it to be intense. The Hokies will start redshirt freshman QB Josh Jackson. I expect him to struggle against the Mountaineers and Va Tech will lose.
Georgia Tech vs. #25 Tennessee: This is a prime time game on Labor Day at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Both teams are breaking in new starting quarterbacks.
I think Tech’s biggest concern is replacing B-back and leading rusher Dedrick Mills. He was dismissed two weeks ago for violation of unidentified athletic department rules.
Even without Mills I believe the triple option will be too much for Tennessee and the Yellow Jackets will win.
College Football Week One
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After 8 long months the wait is finally over: the college football season has finally arrived. And nothing welcomes the beginning of a new year quite like the obligatory “Five Week 1 Prognostications Guaranteed To Go Wrong, But It Doesn’t Matter Because I’ll Write About Something Completely Different Next Week And Never Mention These Predictions Again.” Sounds like a good time, right?
- Georgia will beat Appalachian State, but not by much and will actually trail at some point in the second half.
I know I’m not going on too much of a limb to predict a Georgia win, and as much as I wanted to pick an Appalachian victory, I just can’t do it. The Mountaineers return an experienced team on both sides of the ball and a 5th year senior in Quarterback, Tyler Lamb. They should’ve beaten Tennessee last year and will make UGA work for it this year. The Dawgs are too athletic and too talented not to come away with a win, though.
- Alabama will lose to Florida State.
I know it’s not all that wise to go against Alabama, basically ever, but intelligence has never really been my strong suit. What I do know is this, the last time Nick Saban lost back to back games was probably when he was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He handled that adversity so well he decided to leave the NFL and go back to college. My hope is that if he loses to Florida State maybe he’ll leave college football and go back to high school. One can dream, right?
- LSU will fail to score 20 points on a BYU team that thinks about defense the same way Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor think about humility.
Ed Orgeron did some good things for the Tigers last year after replacing Les Miles; mainly reinvigorating the fan base. Their offense SHOULD be better than it was last year, but then again, I should know better than to eat an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream before watching Game of Thrones, yet I do it anyway. Point is, a lot of things that should be different, oftentimes never change. See, LSU Offense.
- South Alabama will beat Ole Miss.
South Alabama is a middle of the pack, Sun Belt conference team, that should have no business bearing any SEC team. Fortunately for them, they’re playing the one SEC team that probably doesn’t have any business winning a SEC game either. I have no idea what to expect from the Rebels this year, except it’s not going to be a pretty site in Oxford.
- The Florida/Michigan game will wind up being the most intriguing game of the weekend.
I have no idea if it’ll be because the play on the field will be that exciting or because there’s a 50/50 chance that Jim Harbaugh and Jim McElwain will fight it out Mortal Kombat style halfway through the game. Either way, one of those two things will happen and it will be glorious to behold.
Now that I have channeled my inner Nostradamus feel free to enter this most sacred of weekends with the knowledge that these outcomes have already been foretold.
Of course, if I happen to be mistaken don’t waste your time letting me know. At that point, I’ll have already forgotten what I said and moved on to my next topic. You didn’t think I would hold myself accountable for my own thoughts, did you?
Brunswick Ship Off To Slow Start
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The BHS season opener against Coffee County got delayed by 24 hours because of a terrible lightning storm that rolled through Douglas on Friday night, the kickoff was moved back to Saturday evening and when it was all said and done the Pirates fell to the Coffee Trojans 30-13.
The Pirates did some good things and some not so good things in the game. Here is you’re the first Pirate report card for the 2017 season:
Defense B-: Coffee is very good football team, let me just say that.
They had a 230-pound running back that ran down hill like a grown man. In the first half, the Pirates struggled on run defense as the Trojans ran right at the middle of this defense.
Three long drives in the first half were given up mostly on the ground. Nice adjustments were made at the half and the defense bailed out the team early in the third quarter when the offense turned the ball over on two straight possessions inside their own 35-yard line and did not allow a point off those turnovers.
Sean Ward played well in the middle. Kam Futch had a huge sack in the first half and Sharrod Frazier was all over the field. George Mincey had a couple of nice plays on the DL, but Brunswick needs more folks to step up on the DL.
This group played as well as could be expected in the second half against a ranked team. The offense turned it over 5 times and this unit stayed on the field too much and gave up some points in the 4th quarter. This unit will get better as it just played the best team it will see during the regular season.
Offense C-: This grade may seem harsh because this group moved the football against a quality defense up and down the field all night long, but you just can’t beat quality teams when you turn the ball over 5 times.
The offense was in the red zone 5 times and only came away with 13 points. This really must be eating at Coach Pender this morning, but these are things that can get fixed. The positive is that we saw the potential of this offense.
Jamaruis Stevens did some good things and some not so good things. The arm talent is there but he forced the ball into a couple of windows and got picked twice, one of which was in the end zone.
He will be a solid QB in this offense. Shaq Robinson ran the ball well. Alonzo Brown is a beast at WR and we must get him the ball more. The OL did a pretty good job against a good defensive line.
This unit will improve and the Air Raid offense will be a force to be dealt with in 2017.
Special Teams D: Kickoff coverage was fine. A missed XP and 27-yard field goal cost BHS 4 points. The turning point in the game, in my opinion, was being down 10-7 in second quarter and forcing Coffee to punt on 4th and 3 around mid-field the Pirates lined up offsides on a punt and gave Coffee a first down and they go in and make it 17-7.
Coaching B: The plan was in place to beat Coffee. It was a pretty good game plan developed by Pender and his staff, but five turnovers will kill any game plan.
Overall C: Typical opening type game with mistakes. This is a good football team that will get better each game. Don’t be surprised if Coffee and Brunswick meet again in 2017.
Up Next: Cook County in the home opener at Glynn County Stadium on September 1st.
Frederica Academy Knights Destroys Bethesda
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Frederica Knights traveled to Savannah to take on Bethesda Day School and brought a lot of the rain they had on St. Simons this week with them.
Frederica got off the bus and only had the pleasure of staying dry for about 10 minutes. The rest of the night they would be saturated with water.
The Knights started off very fast. The first play of the game saw Jaylin Simpson sprinting up the sideline on a quarterback zone read.
The next play was not as positive. Jaylin Simpson tried connected with Santana Clark in the end zone for a long pass but was intercepted by the Bethesda defender. The ensuing defensive play the Knights registered a safety by defensive tackle Cole Hinson. This would be the last play for 45 minutes due to a lighting delay.
When play resumed the Knights’ offense dominated. The Knights scored quickly out of the break with Jaylin Simpson connecting with Santana Clark on a screen pass. The rain did not seem to slow the Knights down on the night.
Jaylin Simpson scored on an 80-yard touchdown run to keep the scoring going. Trace Dorminy got in on the quarterback rushing touchdowns as well by scoring on a quarterback keeper. Trace also found sophomore, Avery Cobb for a touchdown.
Isaiah Jackson did a great job running the ball is well. His field vision allows him to make every run an opportunity for 6. Jackson found pay dirt as well on the night.
Senior Rett Thompson ran the ball hard viscously on the night. Thompson found the end zone twice on the night. He had a rushing touchdown and also a kick return for a touchdown as well. The Knights went on to score 49 straight points. There were a lot of freshmen that got to see action on the night. This will pay off as the season progresses.
The Frederica defense was lights out. Led by Harry Veal, the Knights forced several turnovers on the night.
Harry Veal is may be one of the best linebackers in Glynn County this year. He could be one of those guys we watch on Saturdays.
There were a few highlights plays on defense. Hard hits by Deke Jernigan, Tyler Pierce, Josh Meadows, Matthew Hagstrom, and others and also an interception and big return by Santana Clark.
The biggest play on defense came from junior defensive back, Jackson Wetzler. Wetzler broke on a bubble screen from his cornerback position and intercepted the ball and returned it 50 yards for the pick 6. This was indeed the defensive play of the night.
Frederica’s youngsters did a great job as well. William Brock, Eli Fritchman, Kyle Perez, Josh Elliot, and Will Counts all made excellent defensive plays on the night.
The Knights finished off Bethesda 62-12. Head Coach Brandon Derrick addressed his team at the end of the game. He praised his team for coming in, battling the conditions and dominating the game the way they did.
Frederica has a huge game next week. This week will be a GISA versus GHSA battle in Atlanta against Wesleyan. FA will face a very talented and disciplined team that has a few division 1 players.
This is will be a test but Coach Derrick knew that when Wesleyan was scheduled. Coach Derrick’s favorite message to his team is, “In the words of Ric Flair, if you want to be the man you have to beat the man.”
The Knights will step into the ring next week to take on the man and they hope to make some noise in Atlanta.
Glynn Academy Beats Ware….Again
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
What a difference a week can make. Glynn’s 31- 7 victory over Ware County was a huge momentum boost after the week one loss to Benedictine.
This time last week some were wondering if the success of Glynn’s past three seasons was behind them. Now those same people are wondering just how far the Terrors can go.
The Gators of Ware County came into this game under the impression that they were facing a down team. Instead, they ran into a meat grinder of a team that was looking to take it’s frustrations out on someone.
Offensively, Glynn was finally able to get the ball moving down hill. Coach Hidalgo stressed all week the importance of getting the dive game going. Well they did, and a whole lot more.
Like Denzel Washington’s Coach Boone said in “Remember the Titans”, the option offense is like novocaine, “Just give it time, always works.”, and work it did. Glynn rushed to the tune of 303 yards and were a couple shoestring tackles away from a lot more. Caine Crews was the bell cow, rushing 21 times for 139 yards.
The offensive line, which Coach Rock credited with a good performance last week, was borderline dominant in this one. Glynn running backs consistently found huge holes to run through.
Passing the ball wasn’t necessary much of the game, but when they did Jernigan looked more comfortable. Jernigan completed 2 of 3 attempts, but it was the noticeably different pace on the ball that has to be encouraging for Glynn as his injured right shoulder continues to heal.
Defensively, it was very much a bend but don’t break mindset in the first half. Gator’s quarterback Jeremiah O’hara was able to move his team up and down the field, but Glynn always came away with a 3rd down stop or turnover. Diandrez Wilcox was a huge part of that, forcing two fumbles and recovering one.
The return of linebacker Cameron McClellan can’t be overstated. His play was sorely missed, but his presence was missed even more. The defense looked much more comfortable behind his direction, along with that of Hunter Hall.
Once Glynn’s offense got going, the Terror’s defense was able to pin its ears back and attack as Ware had to pass more. E.J. Thomas constantly harassed the Ware County backs behind the line of scrimmage.
Just like last year, Glynn was able to steady itself against Ware after a week one loss, but this one seemed different. This game was a statement that the Terrors are not a team to be forgotten or looked over.
This team has studs all over the field and more coming back from injuries weekly. Glynn started to find it’s footing this week and everyone else in Southeast Georgia should be on notice.
Glynn Academy now goes on the road for the first time this year. Their opponent, Tift County, has outscored their opponents 76-7 in their first two games. The game will kick off at 7:30.
Sophomore running back Nolan Grant is getting more comfortable, rushing for 64 yards including a 20 yard touchdown.
Freshman Caden Hutchinson punched in his first career touchdown in the fourth.
Senior running back Tyler Grant returned from last year’s ACL injury. He played sparingly and left the field with what appeared to be a leg injury, but returned to the game.
Cameron McClellan returned to action nursing a foot injury. The injury isn’t expected to cost him anymore game time.
For the second year in a row, after allowing points in the first, Glynn was able to shut the Gators out in the final three quarters.
Miami Hurricanes Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The University of Miami has to be one of the greatest programs in recent history. Most traditional powerhouses like Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan or USC were dominant back in the 1930’s and 40’s. Miami won their first national championship in 1983 and won a total of five in 18 years (1983-2001).
The Hurricanes have also had their share of controversy, being placed on probation by the NCAA a few times. Most recently they were on probation for 3 years and that just ended October 2016.
The Canes defected from the Big East and joined the ACC in 2004 along with Boston College and Virginia Tech. Since joining the ACC they’ve never won a conference championship or even played in the ACC Championship game.
This could be the year for that to change. Long time Georgia head coach Mark Richt returned to his alma mater last season. He led them to a 9-4 record and a win in the Russell Athletic Bowl over No. 14 West Virginia (10-3).
They have to replace prolific quarterback Brad Kaaya, who left school early for the NFL. He wasn’t selected until the sixth round (215th overall) so he honestly should have stayed at U of M but that’s a discussion for another day.
Junior Malik Rosier is the only QB on the roster with any experience, throwing two touchdowns and three picks in 61 career pass attempts. The fan favorite is dual-threat freshman N’Kosi Perry.
The offensive line also needs to improve drastically. They struggled in pass protection last season. They are comprised of three seniors and two juniors so they have experience.
Junior running back Mark Walton should have another big year. He ran for 1,117 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2016. He finished second to Lamar Jackson in the number of votes for the All-ACC preseason team this year.
Ahmmon Richards was one of three Canes to be named a Freshman All-American. The speedy receiver led Miami last season in receiving yards and yards per catch.
Manny Diaz was hired as defensive coordinator in January after one year at Mississippi State. Miami has one of the best D-lines in the country, with a gifted front four of Chad Thomas (11 tackles for loss last season), Kendrick Norton (10 TFLs), RJ McIntosh (nine TFLs) and Joe Jackson (8.5 sacks as a freshman last year).
The defense only gave up 18.5 points per game last year, 12th-fewest in the country. A trio of freshman linebackers started last year. Two of them, Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney were named to the freshman All-American team. The secondary is where they might struggle. They were ranked 47th in passing defense.
Playing in the much weaker Coastal division means they have an easier chance at playing in the ACC Championship game. They don’t have Louisville or Clemson on the schedule.
The season opens with FCS Bethune-Cookman. The next week is at Arkansas State. This is basically the college version of preseason games, both easy blowout wins.
Things will get drastically harder week 3, which is in Tallahassee against No. 3 FSU. I think they’ll lose.
The only game after this that they may not be favored in is home against Notre Dame on November 11. The last out of conference game is against Toledo and the other Atlantic division opponent is Syracuse. Based on superior talent they should also run through Duke, Pitt, GA Tech, Virginia, VA Tech and North Carolina.
I think Miami can realistically win ten regular season games and finally compete to win the ACC.
North Carolina Tar Heels Preview
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
You’ll have to excuse North Carolina football fans if they’re simultaneously over-zealous, yet skeptical, about any decent football coach their school gets.
You see, after witnessing arguably the most successful ten year period in their program’s history during the Mack Brown era, they still vividly remember losing him to Texas after back to back 10 win seasons. It’s embedded in their psyche, really.
After the coaching carousel they went through after Brown’s departure- Carl Torbush (the Matt Doherty of Carolina football coaches); John Bunting (nice guy, bad coach); Butch Davis (NCAA investigation ring a bell)- you can understand their trepidation when it comes to current head coach, Larry Fedora.
