Bishop Media Sports Network
Panthers Moving Mountains
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In 2007 Appalachian State began their season by defeating Michigan in one of the biggest upsets in college football history and capped it off by winning a third straight 1-AA (FCS) Championship.
The success of that season helped finalize the program’s decision to move from the FCS to the FBS, a move that has catapulted the Mountaineers to become one of the best mid-major football programs in college football; winners of four straight bowl games, three consecutive Sun Belt titles, and one of the best overall records since 2014.
Most of what has transpired since their win in Ann Arbor probably would have taken place had they lost that game, but it’s still the first thing that pops into the minds of most football fans when you mention Appalachian State.
I say all this show the positive effects an upset win like Appalachian has, something Georgia State hopes to familiarize themselves with after their 38-30 win over Tennessee.
The similarities between the Mountaineers and Panthers begins and ends with their upset wins, so it is unlikely to see Georgia State make the same kind of strides their conference peers have made.
However, that’s not to say this win won’t have a major impact on the program’s possible success five or six years from now.
A lot will depend on how the rest of Georgia State’s season goes. Their football program has struggled mightily since forming in 2010 and took a big step backwards last year after appearing in their second bowl game the season before that.
The Panthers are sure to see a boost in their recruiting based upon the Tennessee win alone, but if they’re able to ride that momentum to another bowl game, it’ll just make their program that much more enticing.
There is a plethora of homegrown talent in the state of Georgia, as well as its neighboring states, that are overlooked by the bigger schools in the area.
When competing with other schools in the Sun Belt for those players, having a win over a team like Tennessee on your resume can sometimes be the difference maker.
Add to that the ability to prove yourself to be a program that participates in bowl games, which translates to exposure on a national level for recruits, and younger the kind of success Appalachian State has been able to enjoy.
It’s not something that will happen overnight, but you’ll be able to see the impact over the next year or two in the level of talent Georgia State is able to recruit. Having a successful season this year will just help expedite the process.
Unfortunately, they play in the same division as Appalachian, Georgia Southern, and Troy, so it will certainly be an uphill climb. Plus, even though it’s a problem any mid-major program would like to have, Georgia State isn’t going to sneak up on anyone, now.
It’s funny, oftentimes when an upset occurs, we tend to look at the more prestigious team and try to figure out what went wrong and what it means for their future; just think of how many Tennessee and Jeremy Pruitt stories you’ve read since the game.
Rarely do we look at the winning team and see what type of impact it has on their program. Appalachian State made the most of their opportunity twelve years ago; will Georgia State take advantage of theirs?
Braves Spare Parts
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Washington Nationals have been hotter than hell the past couple of weeks, scoring big win after big win; including a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley. For most ballclubs, a hot streak like the one the Nats are on right now would be a highlight of the season – a cause for joy; but for Washington, it must be very frustrating.
Since winning 13 their past 16 games, the Nationals have gained essentially no ground whatsoever in the National League East. That’s because the Atlanta Braves have matched their hot streak blow for blow.
Atlanta has been winning a lot lately, including huge series wins against the hard-hitting Minnesota Twins and a landmark statement series victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the best team in the National League and the squad that wholly outmatched them in the playoffs last October.
The fascinating thing about the Braves’ current run of wins is the players they’ve been winning with.
Atlanta has actually been bitten by the injury bug in a really big way of late. Lineup stalwarts Nick Markakis and Dansby Swanson went down in July, followed shortly by Ender Inciarte, Austin Riley (who had been Ender’s replacement the first time he hit the IL), and Brian McCann in the weeks following.
These successive injuries called into question the Braves’ depth.
General Manager Alex Anthopoulos also seemed to think that Atlanta had a depth problem. Since July 31st is now the only trade deadline during the season (meaning no waiver wire acquisitions during August) he went to the scrapyard to look for spare parts. What he found there did more than plug holes in the lineup: they made it sing.
Adeiny Hechavarria was dropped by the New York Mets, so Anthopoulos picked him up to fill in for Dansby (since Johan Camargo was having a horrendous 2019 showing).
The Queens castoff hit nearly .400 in his first week and provided an incredible bat flip for Braves country after a 2-run bomb his first weekend with the team.
But it seemed like all of the Braves pickups provided game-influencing dramatics after joining the team. Outfielder Billy Hamilton provided huge hits after being plucked off the discard pile from Kansas City, and Rafael Ortega, who has bounced around from team to team and from minors to majors for the past decade, made an immediate impact as well.
Once McCann went down, the Braves acted quickly to pick up Francisco Cervelli, the longtime Pittsburgh Pirate, who was on the brink of retirement earlier in the season.
The veteran has been a Brave less than a few weeks and has already made a huge difference to the win/loss record.
Swanson has returned, relegating Hechavarria to the bench. Likely similar fates await the rest of the newest Braves but their impact when they were needed the most cannot be understated.
Most teams, when faced with both mass injuries and a second-place team that won’t lose, would crumble; the Braves have managed to thrive.
Best of all, many of these weapons have their use beyond filling in for injured players in the short-term. Think about Billy Hamilton pinch-running late in a tight playoff game; shades of David Roberts (whose Dodgers might be on the receiving end of some Hamilton fireworks)?
Regardless of what happens going forward, these “scrap heap” players have secured their legacy in the annals of Atlanta Braves lore.
When the Bravos finish the year on top of the NL East, a major part of their story will be the potential August slump that never happened thanks to these ballplayers.
Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch August 31
Glynn Academy Red Terrors Coach’s Show w Rocky Hidalgo August 29
Frederica Academy Knights Coach’s Show w Brandon Derrick August 28
New Tricks Against Bama?
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Could UGA be shut out of playoff again?
Without a doubt, the University of Georgia is in its golden age. The Bulldogs, seem to have found a generational coach in Kirby Smart, have been dominating the recruiting wars and enter 2019 as – once again – a serious contender for a national championship.
…So when is that oft-presumed second national title of the modern area finally going to arrive in Athens? Because unless the Bulldogs can solve their Alabama problem, this year isn’t going to be it.
Georgia was a powerhouse in 2018. The Bulldogs ran roughshod over everyone in their path during the regular season last fall – save for a hiccup at LSU – and looked to be objectively better than even Alabama in the SEC championship game before the wheels fell off and the Tide rolled to a thrilling comeback victory.
That seemed to be insult added to injury as just 11 months before the Bulldogs had dominated Alabama for one half of the national championship game and was just one defensive stand away from an overtime victory before seeing everything go up in smoke in the form of Tua Tagovailoa hitting DeVonta Smith for a title-winning touchdown.
Last season’s conference title game loss served as a flashpoint for the playoff selection committee to pass along a judgement that – for as much as the SEC values itself – no team is guaranteed a spot in the playoff without a conference championship to its name.
With the ACC (read: Clemson) owning two of the last three national championships and the SEC trending more towards a league that is both top and bottom-heavy, containing few solid and consistent programs in between, there just isn’t a good reason to think that the SEC should have the chance to place two teams in this year’s playoff.
And that’s where the spotlight shines brightest on Georgia.
The Bulldogs don’t play Alabama in the regular season, making it very likely that they’ll be favored in all 12 regular season games.
And unless UGA can beat hyped-up preseason teams like Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Florida while all of those schools have otherwise-great seasons and retain their initial rankings, the Bulldogs will likely run into the same hurdle as before.
If UGA wins the SEC East, it’s most likely that Alabama will be waiting in the conference championship game.
And if Georgia falls to the Crimson Tide for a third consecutive season, even an otherwise great showing in 2019 probably won’t be enough of an argument for UGA to be included in the four-team national championship playoff.
It’s a tough situation for the Bulldogs, but it’s also as simple a proposition as any team could hope for.
Find a way to win the SEC and they’re guaranteed a chance to build on the last two great seasons and possibly attain that elusive national title. At the same time, just about any loss is bound to be the sore spot in yet another great season that doesn’t quite live up to what could have been.
No one doubts that Georgia is one of the best teams in all of college football. But until the Bulldogs can prove otherwise, ‘one of the best’ is all they’ll be.
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show w Sean Pender August 28
Corky Kell Classic 2019
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 1 of the Georgia high school football season is in the books.
We’re going to take a look at the Corky Kell Classic, which matches up some of the best teams in the state.
Calhoun vs Ridgeland: The Yellow Jackets won big, 38-8 over Ridgeland. Calhoun has won 19 consecutive region titles (2001-18) and they will have another deep playoff run in AAA.
This was the coaching debut for Calhoun’s Clay Stephenson. Jerrian Hames rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Marietta vs Rome: This is a 7A against 5A matchup with both teams ranked in the top five.
The Blue Devils won 48-14. Marietta is the most talented team in the state with 9 seniors ranked in the top 100 prospects in the state. Quarterback Harrison Bailey, a Tennessee commitment, threw 5 touchdown passes.
Five-star tight end Arik Gilbert had 9 receptions for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
Archer @ Tucker: This game was supposed to be played at Coolray Field, home of the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers (formerly Braves). There were thunderstorms Friday that caused this game and the Milton/Buford games to get postponed.
This game was moved to Saturday and Archer, No. 4 in 7A traveled to 6A Tucker. The away Tigers beat the home Tigers, 41-7. Schmari Campbell rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 7 carries. Carter Peevy threw for 163 yards.
The Buford vs Milton game is rescheduled for September 6.
Mays vs Kell: This game kicked off the Saturday action at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Mays is led by three-star defensive end JaQuari Wiggles, who is committed to Georgia Tech. The Longhorns from Kell beat the Raiders 17-12 in a hard-fought game.
Walton vs Norcross: Walton is looking to improve on a great 2018 season where they finished 10-2.
Norcross won back-to-back state titles in 2012-13, but they have not had that kind of success in recent years. Walton won 21-20 making this the closest game. Norcross played three quarterbacks, which made the offense struggle at times. The Blue Devils missed two costly field goals.
Colquitt County vs North Gwinnett: This was a rematch of the 2017 7A state title game. The No.2 Packers won 17-6. The Bulldogs held Colquitt Co. to 160 yards of total offense but lost the turnover battle 2-0.
McEachern vs Brookwood: This 7A matchup featured two great programs. The Broncos won seven games last season so I expected them to be a good team in 2019.
The No. 8 McEachern Indians won big, 48-10. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson was 15-of-18 passing for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns. Javon Baker had 5 receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown.
East Coweta vs Mill Creek: The Mill Creek Hawks won eight games in 2018 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. They lost to the 7A state champs, Milton.
The Indians only won three regular season games but they were all region games. They also advanced to the second round of the playoffs last year.
Mill Creek steamrolled East Coweta, 38-6.
Running Division
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When it comes to the NFL, quarterbacks are going to get most of the publicity, good or bad. And if two of the last four NFL MVP’s have been quarterbacks within your division (Cam Newton, Matt Ryan) and a third is a future first ballot Hall of Famer who also happens to be the all-time leader in passing yards (Drew Brees) you can understand why the position gets the attention it does.
However, if you look past the big names at the top of marquee, you’ll see the teams in the NFC South have a pretty impressive supporting cast, especially at the running back position.
Atlanta Falcons: DeVonta Freeman.
The Falcons running back reminds me of the younger brother you never let play in your buddies’ pickup games until mom forces you to let him play, only to find out he was better than most of your friends.
Since his arrival in 2014, Freeman has quietly put together a very underrated start to his career. In the three years leading up to this last season, when Freeman was inured for all but two games, he was averaging just under 1,500 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns a year.
That may not put him on the level of the next two players I’m about to mention, but that is the type of production almost any coach would take from the running back position.
Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey.
There were times last season where it felt like McCaffrey had his hands on the ball more than Cam Newton.
McCaffrey saw his rushing attempts almost double in his second full season, but much like Freeman, his main potency comes from catching balls out of the backfield; he had 107 receptions this past season.
He had almost 2,000 yards from scrimmage last year and as much as Newton is the main driver within the offense, McCaffrey has become the focal point.
New Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara.
The Saints running back is the Fantasy Football gift that just keeps giving. His numbers actually fall in between the aforementioned Freeman and McCaffrey, but his ability to break loose for the big play/score puts him a category just above his divisional peers.
In today’s NFL, where catching the ball out of the backfield is almost as important to a running back as their ability to run between the tackles, don’t be surprised if Kamara becomes a Top 5 within the next year or two.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Peyton Barber.
My wife always says to ignore anything that comes before “…..but,” so I’m going to dispense with the niceties; Barber just isn’t on the level with the three that I’ve mentioned.
The former Auburn Tiger running back is much more one dimensional than his counterparts and yet he may still be the worst of the four in that one particular area.
In a story where I’m trying to make the case that the strength of the running back position in the NFC South is on par with any other division in the NFL, Barber is the counterpoint to that argument.
Over the past few years the NFC South has been able to place much of their notoriety on the shoulders of Brees, Ryan, and Newton.
For a variety of reasons, they may be forced in the near future to turn to a different set of players. Those players may already be in place; they just happen to be at a different position.
Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch August 24
