Running Wild
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Camden County Wildcats improved to 2-0 on the young 2021 season Friday night downing the Glynn Red Terrors 46-21, in a game that was not as close as the score indicates.
In fact, Camden was up on the Red Terrors 31-0 early in the 4th quarter and had dominated the game. At no point were the Red Terrors actually in the game.
The Wildcat Wing-T busted big play after big play against a confused Glynn Academy defense that had no answers for the Wing-T all night long. Camden accumulated 550 total yards Friday night in the win, 476 of that was on the ground.
Camden had 11 different running backs run the ball in total against the Red Terrors. The main damage coming from Jake Lindsey, who rushed 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. Deonte Cole rushed for 87 yards and had a 74-yard touchdown reception, Jamie Felix rushed for 99 yards with a TD and KK Albertie added 44 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Gray Loden only attempted 3 passes and completed the long TD pass to Cole for his second passing TD of the season.
The Red Terrors did score 21 points in the 4th quarter to make the score look respectable.
Tyler Devlin started the game at QB for Glynn but did not finish. Colton Seay Came in late in the game and did provide a spark for the Red Terror offense against a Camden defense that was basically playing a prevent formation the entire 4th quarter.
The Red Terrors did put up 282 total yards of offense most of that from the legs of RB John Moody. Glynn rushed for 228 on the night and 140 of that did come in the 4th quarter.
The Wildcats will return home next week to Chris Gilman Stadium to take on Beacon Hill out of Virginia. Beacon Hill lost their season opener last week 66-0 to Choctaw out of Oklahoma.
Knight Run
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
To put it mildly, the 2021 season opener for the Frederica Knights was a mixed bag.
On the plus side, the Knights were victorious, defeating their longtime rivals, the Valwood Valiants to the tune of 27-6.
On the downside, the already short-staffed team suffered a significant injury with starting quarterback Thomas Veal breaking his non-throwing arm.
The game started with a long drive from the visiting Valiants. Their opening drive covered 46 yards, notched three first downs, and ate almost half of the quarter off the clock.
The Knights defense bent but didn’t break, and the drive ended on the first of several bad snaps going over the head of the Valwood quarterback.
WR/DB Bryce “Ice” Reilly, who gave the Frederica faithful a present playing on his birthday, made his presence known early & often on the opening drive with his first three tackles of the night. He would at least double that total by the end of the game, as well as tacking on a fumble recovery, an interception, and a touchdown reception. Happy birthday, indeed!
Momentum was difficult to establish early, with the two squads swapping 3 & out drives and a 2 & out from Frederica ending on an interception.
Valwood got on the board first with a 40-yard drive, culminating with a 3-yard QB sneak on the third play of the second quarter.
After that, it became the Jordan Triplett show.
After a solid 13 yd kick return from freshman Hayes Carter, Triplett broke off his first big run of the night, scampering 33 yards to set up a 23-yard touchdown pass four plays later on 4th down from Veal to Triplett, putting the Knights in the lead for good, 7-6
By the end of the half, “The River” Jordan had put up 88 yards on the ground, and Veal had thrown a TD and an INT. Sophomore DL Hamp Thompson evened the turnovers at one apiece with a strip sack in the final moments of the 2nd Quarter.
The first drive after the half saw the return of the “Cherokee & Apache” wildcat formations and a steady stream of Jordan Triplett runs. The 12-play drive would burn more than half of the quarter, Triplett would add another 40 yards to his total, and Veal tossed his second TD of the night, this time to Bryce Reilly.
The next two Valwood drives in the 3rd would end in fumbles, recovered by Reilly and Veal respectively.
To start the 4th, Valwood was stringing together their first extended drive since the 1st. An interception by Reilly and stacked penalties for unnecessary roughness & unsportsmanlike conduct ended that and set the Knights up at the Valwood 35-yard line.
Two runs from Veal and five from Triplett led to the final score of the night, a nimble 4-yard run thru traffic from #4.
Unofficially, Jordan Triplett had 176 yards on the ground with two TD runs and one TD reception for 23 yards.
Before the injury late in the 4th, Thomas Veal had thrown for two TDs on a mere 35 yards, and had added a fumble recovery on defense.
The injury to his non-throwing arm will be further assessed, but initial speculation is that it will cost the senior 6 weeks of recovery time. That, more than anything is the big takeaway from the night.
With Coach Derrick’s squad coming into the game with only 21 players dressed, the loss of Veal will be noticeable and how Coach Derrick and his staff adapt will be a challenge to say the least.
Albeit a challenge they have overcome before.
Hurricane Force
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Miami Hurricanes are never short on swagger. Could this be the year they back it up on the field?
Miami cruised thru most of their 2020 schedule (save for the lopsided mid-season loss at Clemson) before the wheels fell off at the end.
Their regular season finale was an embarrassing 36-point loss in a shootout to North Carolina, and a 3-point loss to Oklahoma State in their bowl game. That left the Hurricanes with an 8-3 record on the season.
In the months since, Miami has been one of the more successful programs in the transfer portal, adding DE Deandre Johnson from Tennessee and CB Tyrique Stevenson from Georgia on defense, as well as quite possibly the best name currently in college football on offense in WR Charleston Rambo from Oklahoma.
In addition to the transfers, Head Coach Manny Diaz has also managed to keep several upperclassmen from testing the waters in the NFL, most notably QB D’Eriq King.
The signal caller had already announced his intention to stay for a final year in college before he tore his ACL in the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl loss to Oklahoma State.
A Herculean rehab effort in the months between have landed King back among the ranks of the healthy, and back in the starting QB slot for the upcoming season.
He won’t have the luxury of easing into the season, though. The ‘Canes start off their 2021 campaign against the vaunted Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Miami faithful, however, are cautiously hopeful going into the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against the defending National Champions, with many actually predicting an upset victory over the Tide. Their quarterback has a lot to do with that.
With the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to Covid, the sixth year senior King will arguably have an advantage over first year starter Bryce Young.
In addition to King, the ‘Canes also have a slew of returning talent on offense – RB Cam’Ron Harris, WRs Mike Harley and the previously mentioned Rambo, TE Will Mallory, and linemen Jarrid Williams, Navaughn Donaldson, and Center Corey Gaynor.
The Defensive side of the ball also seems to have reloaded effectively as well, with fourth year DBs Bubba Bolden and Gurvan Hall and CB DJ Ivey leading the way.
DTs Nesta Jade Silvera and Jon Ford are fourth year players as well, as are DEs Zach McCloud and Deandre Johnson.
In short, game experience is not something the 2021 Miami squad will be short on. Whether that experience will be enough to dethrone the champs in the season opener is yet to be seen, but should be entertaining at least.
After the season opener, the Hurricanes schedule looks to be manageable, thanks to the lack of quality competition in most of the rest of the ACC. Right now, the only games that the Hurricanes aren’t favored to win are North Carolina & Florida State.
The Tarheels will be a tough opponent again, and it would take a lot of things to go right for Miami to avenge their 62-26 loss.
Florida State, on the other hand, always seems to play down to their competition, especially against in-state rivals. If I had to pick an upset to go their way this year, the ‘Noles game would be the one.
While I would be giddy if Miami could knock off Bama in the season opener, I just don’t see it happening. My prediction for “The U” is to wrap up the regular season with a 10-2 record with losses to Alabama and North Carolina, and an upset victory against Florida State.
Whether this slight improvement over a less than impressive slate of opponents would be enough to put them in the National Championship discussion is doubtful. Starting the season 1-0 would go a long way towards improving those chances.
Blazing
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Valdosta State University Blazers are ready to get back into action in 2021.
The Covid-19 Pandemic caused the Blazers 2020 season to be suspended. The last football VSU played was an upset loss to West Florida at home in the Division II playoffs that ended a school record 25 game winning streak.
Gary Goff enters his third year at the helm of the Blazers with a 10-1 record. The Blazers are picked 2nd in the preseason Gulf South Coaches Poll, and picked 6th nationally in The American Football Coaches Association preseason poll.
VSU returns great talent across the board as they have 8 preseason first team all-conference selections.
Headlining the preseason all-conference team for the Blazers are 2019 first team all-conference running backs Jamar Thompkins and Seth McGill, along with wide outs Brian Saunds and Lio’undre Gallimore. Saunds also was named to the preseason all-conference team as a return specialist.
Blazer standout offensive tackle Ralph Singleton also earned a spot on the preseason team as he earned second team all-conference honors in 2019.
Defensively, the Blazers had selections at all three levels with Ja’Davien Williams earning a spot up front, while Nick Moss was selected as a linebacker and 2019 second team all-conference selection Cory Roberts earned a spot in the secondary on the preseason team.
VSU will be attempting to win their third straight Gulf South Conference football title this fall.
Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll:
West Florida
Valdosta State
Delta State
West Alabama
West Georgia
Mississippi College
North Greenville
Shorter
Schedule/My Predictions:
Sep 4 vs. Savannah State: The Tigers will be looking for answers early in this one, but none will reveal themselves. Everyone with a Blazer uniform on plays. Blazers start 1-0 with a 52-7 win.
Sep 11 @ Virginia Union: Long road trip for the Blazers, but they shake off a first quarter hangover and end up pulling away for a 34-14 win to go to 2-0 on the season.
Sep 18 vs. Albany State: The Rams travel to Bazemore-Hyder and get a rude welcome. Blazers go to 3-0 on the season with a 38-17 win.
Oct 2 vs. Shorter: Shorter is not a very good football team, and they get blown out on the road 49-3. VSU goes to 4-0 on the season.
Oct 9 vs, Delta State: The Statesmen give the Blazers a test on the road, but come up short in a good contest 31-24. Blazers are 5-0 and ranked #2 in the nation.
Oct 16 @ West Alabama: Trips to Livingston, Alabama are never easy. Blazers pull one out against a very good Tiger team 27-23. VSU is 6-0 on the season.
Oct 23 @ Mississippi College: Back-to-back long conference road trips are never easy. MC is down and VSU whips the Choctaws 42-17. Blazers go to 7-0 on the season.
Oct 30 vs. West Georgia: Rivalry game at home. Wolves get hammered by the Blazers 49-20. Blazers are 8-0 on the season.
Nov 6 vs. North Greenville: Homecoming week where folks like me show up and reminisce about our days at old Valdosta State College from the 1980’s while the Blazers rip the Crusaders just like the Delta Chi’s did the Kappa Alpha Order in anything considered athletic back in the day. VSU wins 42-0. VSU is 9-0 on the season.
Nov 13 @ West Florida: The Argos are preseason #1 in the county and defending national champions. This could be the Division II game of the century.
The Argos ended a 25 game Blazer winning streak in 2019. VSU has been looking forward to this game for two years and will go on the road and get it done in Pensacola with a hard fought 31-28 win, and win their third straight GSC title.
Valdosta State will enter the playoffs as the #1 seed and will be a strong pick to win another National Title for Winnersville, USA also known as Valdosta, Georgia.
Gator Chomp
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida will begin the 2021 season where they ended in 2020; ranked 13th by the AP.
Florida sits behind three SEC teams, two of which will appear on this year’s schedule.
Week 3 the number 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to Gainesville, and Halloween weekend, the annual cocktail party with number 5 Georgia.
Remember, it was just three years ago that the Gators were 4-7. Dan Mullen was hired and the turnaround began. The Gators have gone 21-5 the past three seasons.
Of course, the 8-4 record was disappointing, but beating Georgia and playing in the SEC Championship game were signs of the program heading in the right direction.
This year’s Gators have the potential and talent to challenge for the College Football Playoffs.
Sept 4 vs FAU: Willie Taggart will bring his Owls to the Swamp to be plucked. Florida 51 FAU 10.
Sept 11 at South Florida: USF brings back 15 total starters but that is not going to mean much as the Bulls get barbecued. Florida 49 USF 17.
Sept 18 vs Alabama: It is hard for me to believe that Florida or any other SEC team takes down the Tide this season. The fact the game is at the Swamp and it will be Bryce Young first SEC road start gives the Gators a puncher’s chance.
Alabama is one of the most talented and coached teams in the country. No SEC title game revenge. Alabama 34 Florida 27.
Sept 25 vs Tennessee: Tennessee is in total rebuild mode. Josh Heupel will have an up-tempo offense but the lack of talent will be apparent. Florida 49 Tennessee 20.
Oct 2 at Kentucky: The Cats have been a thorn in the side of the Gators for the last few years, but they have only won once against UF. This game is always close (other than last year’s blowout) but Florida will sneak out a win on the road. Florida 34 Kentucky 28.
Oct 9 vs Vanderbilt: Vandy is going to be bad, and I mean really bad. This may be the worst Vandy team in the last 10 years. New coach has the same results. Florida 58 Vandy 3.
Oct 16 at LSU: Everyone remembers the last year when an LSU’s player shoe was tossed and a flag followed. This event led to a game winning field goal. Florida wants revenge, but I think the Tigers are going to be much better than they were last season. In my opinion, revenge is Sweet this year for the Gators! Florida 27 LSU 24.
Oct 30 vs Georgia: I’m calling this the “What If Game.” All offseason. Georgia fans have been saying “What If JT Daniels was healthy?” Daniels will be full go this season, but who will he throw the ball to?
That answer is hard to find with the SEC’s best wide receiver George Pickens recovering from an ACL injury and Arik Gilbert leaving the team.
The winner of this game represents the SEC in the Championship. Gators’ defense gets a late sack from Georgia transfer Brenton Cox. Florida 34 Georgia 27.
Nov 6 at South Carolina: Trap game after an emotional win in Jacksonville, the Gamecocks will keep it close until the fourth quarter. Florida 27 South Carolina 17.
Nov 13 vs Samford: Another win over the Bulldogs. Florida 51 Samford 7.
Nov 20 at Missouri: Eli Drinkwitz is building a program in Columbia but the Tigers are not at the same level as the Gators. Florida 31 Missouri 21.
Nov 27 vs FSU: FSU hasn’t been relevant since Jimbo was in town. After not playing their instate rival in 2020, the Gators win big. Florida 48 FSU 13.
Mullen gets the Gators back to Atlanta with an 11-1 record.
Corky Kell Rewind
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The high school football season started last week. The 30th Corky Kell Classic had the first high school game in the nation last Wednesday August 18. Let’s take a look at the results.
Cherokee 52, Mays 6: The 7A Warriors beat up on 4A the Mays Raiders.
West Forsyth 38, Carver-Atlanta 8: This is another matchup with a 7A team, West Forsyth against 3A Carver.
#4 Westlake 29, Archer 14: The Westlake Lions are famous for being Cam Newton’s alma mater. They are a 6A team that beat a 7A opponent.
R.J. Johnson was 12-of-22 passing for 126 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 57 yards and two scores.
Jai’Den Thomas rushed for 129 yards and had two sacks and another tackle for a loss. Gannon Weathersby also had two of Westlake’s seven sacks.
#10 Dacula 32, Tucker 7: The Falcons dominated the game and held a 32-0 lead at halftime. Dacula held Tucker to minus-88 yards rushing, negative yardage on six of Tucker’s first 10 drives, and to one yard on two other drives.
Johns Creek 26, Gainesville 10: The one bright spot for Gainesville is they have the best team name, Red Elephants. Other than that, it was all downhill.
#1 Buford 35, #3 North Cobb 27: The Wolves avenged last year’s season opening loss to North Cobb. I picked them to lose this game since it’s a 6A versus 7A matchup but that did not matter.
They trailed 14-0 midway through the third quarter before they scored on five consecutive possessions. They had two one-play drives. C.J. Clinkscales had the longest play of the game, a 66-yard run.
McEachern 53, Kell 20: This was a matchup of two Cobb County teams played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kaleb Webb had six receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns. He also had an 86-yard kickoff return for a TD.
Mill Creek 43, #7 Parkview 10: Both teams are 7A schools in Gwinnett County, but this was their first meeting. Hayden Clark was 14-of-24 passing for 235 yards and three touchdowns.
The Panthers streak of winning 7 consecutive season openers was snapped. Mill Creek held Parkview to minus-20 yards rushing. Kevin Mitchell and Nic Denick had two tackles for losses each worth minus-34 yards.
#9 Walton 34, #6 Lowndes 28: This was the most exciting game. Lowndes scored two touchdowns and recovered an onside kick in the final two minutes of regulation after trailing 28-14. They sent the game to overtime and Sutton Smith scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to win the game. He finished with 85 yards rushing.
Jacurri Butler rushed for 152 yards and a score. He was 10-of-19 passing for 164 yards and three touchdowns, all to Chase Belcher. He almost single handedly kept the Vikings in the game.
Hootie-Who!
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Kennesaw State Owls kick off the 2021 football season Thursday, September 2 against Reinhardt.
The Owls are ranked 20th nationally in the preseason poll. They look to have another successful season and possibly a playoff appearance.
The program started playing football in 2015 and they have had a winning record every season. Head coach Brian Bohannon has been there from the beginning and has a record of 52 – 16. The team plays at the Football Championship Subdivision level, formerly called 1-AA.
The 2020 FCS season was played in the spring due to the pandemic. The Owls were 4 – 1 and had one game cancelled. They look to build on that and win the Big South Conference for the first time since 2018.
Senior running back Isaac Foster was named to the Big South’s Preseason Special Teams First-Team, and honorable mention offense. He was second on the team in rushing in 2020 with 229 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per carry on 30 attempts. He was All-Big South Offense Second-Team for the Spring 2021 season.
Junior quarterback Jonathan Murphy is the starter going into the season. He led the team in passing yards and attempts in the Spring season. He played in three games and made two starts. He threw for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also rushed for 174 yards and 2 TD’s.
Week 1 is home against Reinhardt. The Eagles are an NAIA team and they are completely outmatched. This will be an easy win for KSU.
Week 2 is at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are an FBS team so they have more players on scholarship. They are also bigger, stronger and faster at every position. I think the Owls will put up a good fight but lose.
The next game is at Wofford in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Terriers were 1 -4 last season. Three of those loses were by six points or less so they are a competitive team. I give the edge to Kennesaw State to get the W.
After a bye week, October begins with a home game against Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks are always a contender in FCS. They were 10 – 3 last season, playing games in the Fall and Spring. I think JSU will win this game.
KSU travels to Virginia to face Hampton. This is the first conference game of the season. Kennesaw State should have a blowout win against the Pirates.
They return home to Fifth Third Bank Stadium to take on North Carolina A&T State. The Owls will win another Big South conference game by 20-plus points.
The following week they go on the road to North Carolina to play Campbell. They have my favorite mascot in college sports, the Fighting Camels. The Camels were 0 -4 in 2020 and they played during the Fall. They are not very good so KSU will win big.
Gardner-Webb travels to Kennesaw for the eighth game. This game was postponed during the Spring season. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were 2 – 2 last season. They are a solid team but I expect KSU to win a close game.
The Owls travel to Pennsylvania to face Robert Morris. They beat the Colonials 35 – 0 in the Spring and this will be a similar game.
KSU goes on the road again to face North Alabama. They are not good so this will be another easy win.
The season finale is against Monmouth. They won the last meeting 42 – 17 and won the conference title. This game will determine the Big South champion again and I think the Hawks will win.
Shining Knights
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Despite finishing with a 6-4 record last season, UCF has had the most exciting offseason in program history.
First, Josh Heupel took the Tennessee job, then UCF hired Gus Malzahn.
Malzahn has brought excitement in the transfer portal and high school recruiting to UCF’s fan base.
The question is, can Gus Malzahn take the pieces around him and make UCF an AAC Championship contender?
Watching tape of Malzahn’s offense at Auburn, he did not incorporate the vertical passing game, and when his offense was most successful, he had a running quarterback (Cam Newton and Nick Marshall).
So, I dug a little deeper, I watched tape from Arkansas State, Tulsa and Arkansas (offensive coordinator). At these programs, Malzahn did utilize the vertical passing game. At Tulsa, Malzahn’s offense ranked second in the nation in scoring and first in passing offense.
The reason for the research is Malzahn’s offense at UCF will revolve around Junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel is one of the most prolific passers in college football; in two seasons he has thrown for 7,223 yards, 61 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while maintaining a quarterback rating of 156.6.
UCF returns all five starters on the offensive line, but they do need to be a bit stronger in pass protection. The passing attack will be the spotlight of the offense again in 2021, but the ground game will also have to be productive if the Knights want the AAC Championship.
UCF has weapons at wide receiver with Jaylon Robinson, Ryan O’Keefe, Nate Craig Myer (Colorado State transfer), Brandon Johnson (Tennessee transfer) and Jordan Johnson (Notre Dame transfer). Speed, Speed and more Speed!
UCF’s running back roster is crowded and unproven. Running backs coach Tim Harris Jr and Malzahn will have to find a solid rotation. Look for one of the following players to emerge as the starter: Mark Anthony Richards, RJ Harvey, Johnny Richardson, or Isaiah Bowser.
UCF’s defense was a big problem last season, allowing almost 500 yards and 33 points per game. The Knights are counting on some transfers to improve on last season’s struggles.
Former Auburn Tiger Big Kat Bryant and Ricky Barber from WKU should be quick improvements for the Knights on a roster-personnel standpoint.
Eriq Gilyard (LB), Derek Gainous (S), Tatum Bethune (LB), Cam Goode (DT) and Corey Thornton (CB) will join the other new transfers to create more big plays. UCF’s defense will tighten up and help the Knights get back to Championship contention.
Competition wise, UCF should receive a few challenging tests throughout the 2021 season, including a few heated and strong rivals in their conference.
Their out of conference schedule isn’t a given, as matchups with Boise State and Louisville, will prove to be important early season tests.
Before I waste any more time, here’s the UCF schedule and my predictions.
Layup wins: Bethune-Cookman, East Carolina, Temple, UConn and South Florida
Tough games but wins: Boise State, Louisville, Navy, Memphis, Tulane and SMU
Marquee Matchup: at Cincinnati, the Bearcats home field advantage proves to act too much for the Knights. Rematch December 4th for the AAC Championship Game.
To end the 2021-22 season, Gus Malzahn and the UCF Knights will finish with an 11-1 record. Heard it here first, folks.
High Tide….Again
By: Buck Blanz
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As we all know The Alabama Crimson Tide come into almost every season as the favorites to win the SEC Championship in early December and this season is no different.
Coming off a perfect National Championship season, The Crimson Tide come into 2021 with many different shoes to fill as Head Coach Nick Saban goes for his seventh national title with The Crimson Tide.
Saban had his work cut out for him this offseason with the number of holes needed to fill after losing many members of one of the most dynamic offenses College Football has ever seen to the draft.
The Crimson Tide lost three of their starting offensive linemen, best running back, two best wide receivers (Arguably in the nation a season ago), starting tight end, starting quarterback, as well as four coaches on the offensive side of the ball.
However, if anyone has the talent within their roster to be able to hide the talent, they lost its Alabama.
Luckily for The Tide, they have former 5-star Quarterback in high school, Bryce Young to lead the offense. He has high standards after Mac Jones’ perfect season last year.
Young is expected to thrive under center in Tuscaloosa, however the offense is likely to be more dynamic considering young’s style of play.
While Bryce Young has high expectations to live up to, returning wide receiver, John Metchie, must follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest receiving duos ever in DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.
Metchie, however, had an outstanding season last year as well, racking up 917 receiving yards as well as 6 touchdowns. Alongside Metchie, the Crimson Tide have depth at the receiver position once again with guys like Slade Bolden, Javon Baker and Traeshon Holden. Alabama should have no issue throwing the ball downfield.
Najee Harris is just another player that produced great numbers last season for Alabama, continuing the standard of great running through Tuscaloosa. Taking the reins this season will likely be Brian Williams and while he might not run the ball like Harris, Williams has the size and strength to make it to the next level.
On the defensive side of the ball the Tide will be in good hands with many names to look out for. Among those names to watch out for is the returning second-leading tackler in Christian Harris at linebacker. Harris is just the tip of the iceberg in the Crimson Tide’s linebacker core as they are loaded with depth looking to make some noise.
As for the secondary, all but one starter is returning to the field, and they have a bunch of young talent ready to make plays.
Much like the secondary the defensive line is also returning all their starters except for one and the fanbase in Tuscaloosa is hungry for another Quinnen Williams from 2018.
The toughest tests for the Crimson Tide this season will likely consist of the season opener against Miami (on Sept. 4), at Texas A&M (Oct. 6), and as always, the Iron Bowl to close out the year (Nov. 27).
Nick Saban is always striving for perfection, and seems to achieve it frequently, however this season will provide some new tests for some young guys on offense.
I expect the Tide to finish 11-1 as SEC Champions once again earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Prowling Panthers
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott is entering his fifth season.
He has led the Panthers to a winning season and bowl appearance in three of his four seasons.
Last season GSU was 6 – 4 and appeared in the Lending Tree Bowl against Western Kentucky. They won the game 39 – 21. Three of the four games they lost were decided by one score.
They have found their quarterback for the next few years, Cornelious Brown IV. Last season as a freshman he passed for 2,278 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and completed 59% of his attempts.
He also rushed for 317 yards and 7 TD’s. The offense averaged 33.3 points per game, which was 32nd out of the 128 FBS teams.
Junior running back Destin Coates led the team in rushing with 769 yards, 7 scores and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. He also had 12 catches for 65 yards.
Tucker Gregg, another junior RB rushed for 468 yards, 6 touchdowns and he averaged 5.2 ypc. The Panthers have a strong ground game.
Wide receiver Sam Pinckney led the team in receiving in 2020 with 47 catches, 815 yards and 7 TD’s. He will probably have better numbers this season since his quarterback has gained experience. They should also play more games as long as they don’t get cancelled.
The defense gave up 31.7 ppg, which was 79th in the nation. Junior linebacker Blake Carroll led the team with 73 tackles, 51 solo and 4.5 for loss. Junior LB Jordan Strachan led the team in sacks with 9.5.
The 2021 non-conference schedule is brutal. The Sun Belt is also a solid conference so they will have some problems.
The season kicks off September 4th at home against Army. The Black Knights are tough to stop because of the triple option.
The next week is at North Carolina. The Tar Heels have an advantage across the board.
Week 3 is on the road against the Charlotte 49ers. They were scheduled to play last season, but the game was cancelled. Charlotte was 2 – 4 in 2020 so they aren’t very good. This will be Georgia State’s first win of the season.
The next game is at Auburn. It looks like the athletic department needed a couple of big pay days to start the season. The Tigers will win by 50 points. If you’re keeping track the Panthers have 3 guaranteed losses in their first 4 games.
The month of October kicks off conference play with a home game against Appalachian State. GSU lost last year’s game 17 – 13. I think this season’s game is a toss-up. App State has been a good program for almost two decades, so I give them the edge.
The Panthers travel to Monroe, LA to face University of Louisiana at Monroe. They beat the Warhawks 52 -34 last season. I expect a similar result in 2021.
After a bye week Texas State comes to town. I believe GSU wins by double digits.
On October 30th they travel to Statesboro, GA for a rivalry game with Georgia Southern. The Panthers beat the Eagles 30 – 24 last year. I think this game will be close but Georgia Southern wins.
The last four games of the season are against UL-Lafayette, Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State and Troy. The only guaranteed loss is against Coastal Carolina. The Panthers have a shot to win the other three games.
I think the Panthers will win 4-5 games in 2021.
