World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
“The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” has called Jacksonville home since 1933.
That is the unofficial official name of the rivalry between Georgia and Florida. I was born and raised in Georgia so it is called the Georgia/Florida game. Enough said about that.
On October 28th the teams will meet on the football field for the 96th time with Georgia holding a 50-43-2 lead in the series.
This game in Jacksonville makes sense for both schools economically and generates millions for Coastal Georgia as thousands of UGA fans usually spend their money on St. Simons and Jekyll Island for the long four day weekend. With UGA being 7-0 going into the game this year thousands of Dawg fans should flock to the Golden Isles.
Once Steve Spurrier became head coach of Florida back in 1990 the Gators took control of the series and won 7 straight contests from 1990 to 1996 with a two year hiatus from Jacksonville as what is EverBank Field today was built for the Jaguars debut in 1995.
The series went home and home in 1994 and 1995. Since 1990 the Gators are 19-6 in Jacksonville which has Generation Z and some Millennial Georgia fans and alumni complaining about the game still being played in Jacksonville.
Excuses you hear from young Dawg fans about the game being played in Jacksonville (remember the term young Dawg fans): Georgia is at a disadvantage playing in Florida. Georgia fans have to travel farther and spend more money. Gainesville is closer to Jacksonville than Athens. Florida players have the travel advantage.
I’m going to shoot holes in the three myths young UGA fans use to promote the home/home series argument with the annual cocktail party.
One thing you never hear is Florida fans promoting a home/home series with UGA. They are fine with the game in Jacksonville. Yeah, I know Generation Z folks will point out excuse number one listed above.
The fact of the matter is prior to 1990 UF had an overall record 21-37-1 against UGA in Jacksonville, but you never heard them whining about going to a home and home series.
Georgia leads the overall series 43-40-1 in games played in Jacksonville against the Gators. So, the reality is that UGA is not at a disadvantage playing in Jacksonville. Generation Z and some Millennial Dawg fans think their history is more important than overall history. Get over yourself.
Georgia fans have to travel farther and spend more money. Another myth. Miami is 350 miles from Jacksonville, and Pensacola is 359 miles away. Most Dawg fans live in the Atlanta metro area which is 350 miles from Jacksonville. Hotels and food in the Jacksonville cost the same for the Red and Black and Orange and Blue. Advantage to the local economies which favor the color Green.
Gainesville is closer to Jacksonville than Athens. Florida players have the travel advantage. Geographically true, but ok the facts are UF takes a one hour bus ride to Jacksonville and UGA takes a one hour flight to Jacksonville. Baby Boomers and Generation X Dawgs would take a one hour flight over a one hour bus ride any day of the week. Generation Z Dawgs have never ridden a bus in their life. Advantage UGA.
When you lose you make excuses like young UGA fans have for 27 years. UGA leads Florida in the football series and Kirby Smart is going to take control of the UF series once again.
Neutral site games seem to be becoming more popular again as many early season games now are moving to neutral sites to provide higher profile match ups.
The game in Jacksonville is booked through 2021. Tradition matters in college football. The decision also to allow both schools to wear their home colors at the game has gone over very well.
As a big fan of the pageantry and tradition that surrounds college football, I hope this game never leaves Jacksonville.
South Georgia UGA season ticket holders drive roughly 300 miles to every home football Saturday to Athens, Georgia. Just saying Generation Z.
If it matters you’ll always show up. Isn’t it funny that when your favorite team is doing well money is not an object?
Notre Dame Fans can attest to that with the Dawg invasion that took over South Bend in September.
Florida/Georgia Weirdness
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In a series that has been dominated by Florida in recent history, a lot of traditional football knowledge can be tossed to the wayside.
Remember the year Treon Harris completed three passes IN THE ENTIRE GAME and Florida still demolished Georgia 38-20?
Yeah, this series is the definition of “throw out the record books”. So, in the spirit of the World’s Largest Outdoor…or whatever it is now, I’m throwing out the same old matchup rundown and digging deep and getting weird with the fringe matchups that will decide this decidedly weird, beautiful, annual tradition.
Upset Minded Gators
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Gators are off to a slow start this season, their .500 after six games.
They were ranked in the top 20 in the preseason in both the AP and Coaches Poll. Now they have a bye week before the showdown with No. 3 Georgia (7-0) in Jacksonville.
I honestly always give the edge to Florida because they’ve owned UGA since 1990, winning 21 of the 27 games. Florida having nine players suspended is why I think Georgia has a great opportunity to win.
There have been Gator teams in the past that faced long odds going in to a big game and found a way to win. I’m going to look at some of the best upsets in Florida history.
Sticking with this series, we can look back at 2002. Georgia was 8-0 and ranked fourth in the nation heading into the game. Florida was unranked with a 5-3 record. Ron Zook (remember him?) was in his first year as UF head coach.
On paper, this looked like a lopsided game. It turned out to be a tough game with both defenses playing well. Rex Grossman threw a touchdown in the fourth quarter to take a 20-13 lead. Georgia was not able to respond and that was the final score.
The Dawgs finished the season 13-1 and a win in the Sugar Bowl but that loss cost them a chance to play for a national championship. Florida finished the year 8-5.
The 2014 game also featured a Florida team that did not live up to expectations. Will Muschamp was never a good fit in Gainesville and he was in the last season of his lackluster tenure.
Florida was 3-3 and coming off an embarrassing 42-13 homecoming loss to Mizzou. Georgia was ranked ninth with a 6-1 record.
The Gators started true freshman quarterback Treon Harris who only attempted nine passes in the game. They ran wild over Georgia, rushing for 428 yards and won the game 38-20. That team also finished the season 8-5, which led to Jim McElwain being hired on December 4 of that year.
We can all agree the real turn around for Florida started when Steve Spurrier got hired as the head ball coach in 1990. During that season, they played No. 4 Auburn at home. The Tigers won the SEC the previous three years and were 6-0-1 with the tie against No.5 Tennessee.
The fifteenth ranked Gators pulled of the upset with a blowout win, 48-7. Auburn coach Pat Dye was dismissive about Spurrier’s offense before the game. That wound up being his worst loss of Dye’s career.
That following year in 1991 Florida State was 10-1 with the only loss against No. 2 Miami 17-16 the previous week. Florida was also 10-1 and ranked fifth. This was the first top five matchup in the series. The Gators won at home 14-9.
In Zook’s final game in 2004 he led his unranked team to a 20-13 win over No. 10 FSU in Tallahassee.
Even with the odds stacked against them Florida can still compete. They recruit well so they have talented players. Think twice before counting them out.
Hawks Rebuilding Nest
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Only a few seasons removed from having the best record in the NBA and only one season after a go-for-broke acquiring of superstar Dwight Howard, the Hawks have begun the process of breaking it all
down and rebuilding.
Generally any team in the midst of a rebuild can be counted on to be out of contention come playoff time and while that is likely to be the case for Atlanta, playing in a weak conference (and in a league where so many teams get into the postseason) means that those hopes aren’t completely dashed.
Knights Need Help
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Knights traveled to Edmund Burke Academy to attempt to wrap up its second consecutive region championship.
Coming off of a tough and emotional win against Bulloch Academy last week, Frederica turned their focus to a determined EBA team. The Knights beat EBA 34-7 last year, but this is not the same EBA team from last year and Coach Derrick stressed that to his team throughout the week.
Frederica would start off slow this week just as they did last week against Bulloch.
Frederica’s offense saw their first two drives end in punts. John Mitchell Brock did an excellent job helping flip the field position for the Knights.
Early on, Frederica’s defense struggled with the option offense of Edmund Burke. It’s all about eye discipline and assignment football when facing an offense like this. Edmund Burke was able to find success early on running the ball.
Frederica was finally able to move the ball on their 3rd drive. It started with a long pass from Jaylin Simpson to Jashawn Sheffield to the 4-yard line. Rett Thompson was able to punch it in from there.
A botched snap on the extra point attempt made the score 7-6, EBA. EBA would tack on one more score before the half. Their QB was able to break outside containment and make some nifty moves to score. At the half the score was 14-6, EBA.
The second half started off a little rocky for Frederica. The opening second half kickoff was a pooch kick that ended up in the hands of an EBA defender.
The Spartans scored on their next drive making the score 21-6. The Knights were able to tack on two more scores.
Jaylin Simpson connected with Jashawn Sheffield for a long touchdown, and then Jaylin Simpson scored the next touchdown but the Knights failed to convert the two point conversion.
Frederica got the ball back one more time with 4 seconds left in the game. Jaylin’s pass came up short and the Knights dropped their first region game of the season, 21-19.
Frederica will now play the waiting game for second consecutive year. Last year, the Knights needed Pinewood to help them win the region championship.
This year it will be the Trinity Christian Crusaders. If the Crusaders beat the Spartans, the Knights will be the region champs. If EBA wins, the Knights will be the number 2 seed going into the playoffs.
Frederica will have their work cut out for them in round 1. Their first-round matchup will not be like the first-round matchup of last year.
No matter the seeding, the Knights will face a pretty good opponent in the first round. Coach Derrick’s message to his team was a simple one. “Prepare each week like you’re the Alabama Crimson Tide. We are going to get everyone’s best shot.”
The Knights must take advantage of the bye week next week. The injured and the sick get a week to heal up. The Frederica will also have a week to work on the small things before their first-round matchup.
Frederica finished the regular season 5-3. Two of those losses coming against (out of conference) Parklane Academy and Wesleyan School. The Knights have been tested this year. Now it is time to see if those tests will pay off in the playoffs.
Pirates Report Card Against Glynn
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In the most anticipated City Championship game in years the Brunswick High Pirates dropped their 4th straight to the Glynn Academy Red Terrors 26-13.
The Pirates were whipped in every phase of the game. Brunswick came into the contest as the highest scoring team in their classification, and when the clock struck zero this senior class left as the first senior class since 1974 to not beat Glynn Academy in football during their high school career.
Pirate Report Card:
Special Teams: F. BHS had a punt blocked that set up the touchdown that put Glynn up 19-7.
Special Teams had been much improved in 2017 but in the biggest game of the year you can’t have kicks blocked and give a team like Glynn the ball on your 1 yard line. Maybe this grade is harsh, but the punt block was a major turning point in the game where you cannot afford any margin of error.
Defense: D. Who has the dang pitch man? Who has the pitch man? A question that was asked all night long by the Pirate nation.
Third down defense was not good as Glynn converted too many third down medium to long plays.
Coach Pender talked all week about the trick plays and Glynn used two to set up their first two TD’s. In the first half BHS struggled stopping the dive play. BHS struggled stopping the pitch man the entire game with Glynn’s read option.
The frustration also comes from the fact that Glynn only threw the ball maybe four times the entire game which means that they ran the ball right down the Pirates throat.
In a game where talent level is very similar for both teams it just means Glynn physically dominated BHS on the line of scrimmage. Who has the pitch man???
Offense: D. The highest scoring team in 6A football was held to 13 points. Nobody saw that coming.
The bright spots were Shaq Robinson, who sparked a TD drive right before the half to cut it to 12-7.
Alonzo Brown had another big game receiving. Jamarius Stevens was under pressure most of the night. Game plan was there but just not executed.
BHS dropped a wide open TD late in the game that could have been a huge. I’m not going to mention the kids name because I know he feels awful today. Give Glynn credit they kept everything in front of them and did not miss tackles. Very disappointed in the fact that this unit got shut down in this contest.
Coaching: C. I thought the game plan was solid and adjustments were made, but coaches can’t get on the field and make plays. When it came down to it Glynn players had the mental edge in the contest, which is why they control the series currently.
Overall: D. You can’t lay an egg in a game of this magnitude. Glynn continues to be the gold standard in this region and BHS just did not get it done last night. You can learn from this and get ready for a playoff run but these seniors will never have a chance to beat Glynn again in football.
The team fought hard and never gave up which is something the Pirate nation is proud of.
Up Next: Effingham. This game is a must win at home next Friday if BHS wants to host a playoff game.
Finally, as a former BHS football player it hurts to say Glynn flat out owns us in football, but got to give credit to GA for punching us right in the mouth for the fourth straight time.
Something that has not happened in over 40 years. When these seniors see their GA counterparts in the grocery store in 2047 they will understand and will think about this everyday of their lives.
Only thing left to say is GATA! Outstanding job Glynn Academy.
Still a lot to play for Pirates. BHS will not lose another game in the regular season.
Terrors Sink Pirates
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There’s nothing quite like high school football. In a town with just two teams, everyone must choose a side.
From downtown Brunswick coffee shops, to the golf courses on Jekyll, City Championship smack talk reached a fever-pitch this week. Brunswick finally has a team their fans and alumni can be proud of, putting up a over 40 points a game and doing it in style.
On the other side, Glynn Academy entered this week as the pseudo undercard (an undercard that had won the past three matchups, but an undercard nonetheless.).
The Terrors started the year 1-2, and the offense seemed to be missing a little too much after the departure of Deejay Dallas. Sure, they’d won a couple to get to 3-2, but have you seen Brunswick’s offense?
All that hype led to an atmosphere on Friday night that can only be described as Bowl Game -esque. Because Glynn and Brunswick share a stadium, the teams rotate home and away sides of the field every year. This year the home side fell to Glynn, with Terror nation packing the stadium side under the press box, while Brunswick’s faithful equally filled up the “away” side.
White and red smoked mixed in the South Georgia night while both teams exploded onto the field. The stage was set, now could this game live up to the hype?
For Glynn it did and then some. After deferring until the second half, Glynn’s defense took the field to test their metal against an offense that hadn’t been held under 43 points since week one.
Glynn answered the challenge. Hunter Hall stuffed Brunswick on a fourth and short deep in Glynn’s territory, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Glynn consistently got Brunswick Quarterback Jamarius Stevens off his spot, never allowing him to settle in and throw.
Brunswick was able to gash Glynn up the middle on their lone scoring drive of the first half, but couldn’t consistently establish any ground game.
Offensively, Coach Hidalgo doesn’t hide what he wants to do. He wants his running backs to hit you in the mouth all night, try to stop them.
Senior Caine Crews has taken that philosophy to heart, rushing for over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hidalgo also unleashed his “Riverboat Gambler” side, with a throwback to Randon Jernigan that set up Glynn’s first score, and a reverse to back-up QB Sam Wagoner who pulled up and fired a strike to a wide open Jernigan streaking down the sideline for another touchdown.
With Glynn’s running game in full gear and Brunswick’s offense stuck in reverse, this game seemed to be headed to a blowout. Credit Brunswick for not backing down.
The Pirates put a touchdown on the board before the half to put the score at 12-7 headed into the break. The game hung in the balance deep into the third until Patrick Fulton came untouched on a Brunswick punt, blocking it and recovering it deep in Pirates territory.
Crews punched it in a few plays later, and that was that. Both teams would score once more, with Glynn emerging victorious 26-13.
Hidalgo has stated throughout the year that this region still runs through Glynn Academy. No matter how down they may seem, nothing will be given to you. You’ll have to pry this region from Glynn’s hands. Good luck.
This team has improved every week. If they can continue this formula of smash mouth running and smothering defense, another deep playoff run is in the cards. To the rest of Georgia… you’ve been warned.
Week 7 College Football Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We’re now in Week 7 of the college football season. We have a pretty good idea of the teams that will make the playoffs but there are some teams that are on the outside looking in. I’m going to take a look at the biggest matchups in the South.
You Favorite SEC Team Is What Tom Petty Song?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I can vividly remember the first time I heard “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”. I was in 8th grade, sitting in the back of an activity bus with a group of friends, on a field trip to see a play of “To Kill A Mockingbird”.
As we were approaching our destination, one of my buddies lent me his Walkman so I could listen to a song I didn’t know, from a group I had never heard before. I was hooked, immediately.
At some point over the following days I bought Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits album, starting a one sided love affair that is still going strong, 25 years after that initial listen.
In honor of the late musician, here is my take on each SEC team’s season so far, in Tom’s own words.
Chiefless Braves
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Monday after the MLB season ends, for a non-playoff team, really ought to be a slow news day.
Players can’t declare free agency until after the World Series ends; there are no moves to be made, aside from maybe the occasional replacement of a bullpen coach or something like that. But overall that Monday should be a time for a reflecting on the season that was and looking forward to the playoffs and the offseason that will follow.
For the Atlanta Braves, however, that day was quite the opposite, with General Manager John Coppolella resigning as news broke of a scandal. Assistant GM Gordon Blakeley would follow Coppy out the door shortly thereafter.
