Bishop Media Sports Network
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
Blazing Hot
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
VSU is coming off its fourth national championship this century and is under the direction of new head coach Gary Goff.
The Blazers are picked to finish first in the preseason Gulf South Conference Poll after going, a school-record, 14-0 last season to win the title.
Blazer junior quarterback Rogan Wells, along with sophomore running backs Seth McGill and Jamar Thompkins, junior wide receivers Kenny Benjamin and Lio’undre Gallimore and senior offensive lineman Adonis Sealey comprised a league-high six offensive selections for the Blazers on the preseason all-conference team.
On defense, senior defensive lineman Joe Mozone and sophomore linebacker Jameon Gaskin earned spots on the team, as did junior special teams utility player Pippin Davis.
Wells tossed 38 TD passes for VSU in 2018 and finished as the Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Could Wells be the favorite Harlon Hill Trophy favorite in 2019, which is the Heisman Trophy in Division II football? He was the runner up in 2018.
Head Coach Gary Goff played for VSU under Hal Mumme and was a team captain in 1996 when VSU won its first Gulf South Conference Title.
Valdosta State Schedule and my predictions:
Sat, Sep 7 @ Albany State (GA): The Blazers travel to Albany for this one. VSU runs out to an early lead and runs away with this contest 44-16 to run the winning streak to 15.
Sat, Sep 14 vs Ohio Dominican: Ohio Dominican is not coming to Bazemore-Hyder and winning. Blazers win big 52-7. Winning streak is now 16 games.
Sat, Sep 21 vs West Alabama: West Alabama should be a good football team in 2019, but not good enough to beat VSU at home. Blazers stay undefeated 34-27
Sat, Sep 28 @ Shorter: Blazers will beat the brakes off of Shorter 49-10. The winning streak now stands at 18 games.
Sat, Oct 5 vs Mississippi College: MC comes to Valdosta and takes a long bus ride back home with a 38-19 loss. Blazer winning streak is now 19 games.
Sat, Oct 12 @ Delta State: With the meat of the schedule coming in the next month the Blazers struggle at Delta State, but kick a last second FG to win 34-31. The winning streak reaches 20 games.
Sat, Oct 19 vs Florida Tech: State of Florida has very good athletes, but the Blazers whip Florida Tech 42-27 in Valdosta. The winning streak is now 21 games.
Sat, Oct 26 @ North Greenville: Valdosta is on a roll now and handles NG 35-24. Valdosta State now has a 22-game winning streak.
Sat, Nov 9 vs West Florida: Senior Day at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium is a festive one as VSU extends the winning streak to 23 games with an impressive 44-28 win over West Florida and with the win the Blazers clinch their second straight Gulf South Conference title and a Division II playoff berth.
Sat, Nov 16 @ West Georgia: West Georgia will be a very solid football team, and lay the trap for the Blazers. The Blazers get caught looking ahead to the playoffs after clinching a conference championship and get upset by West Georgia 38-34.
The winning streak ends at 23 games, and the Blazers fall to 9-1 on the season as they head into the playoffs with the wakeup call needed to get their heads out of the clouds.
This team has what it takes to win another National Championship in 2019. Four national titles in 14 years makes Valdosta State on of the premier Division II programs in the country.
Interesting Fact: Brunswick High School head football coach Sean Pender holds the Gulf South Conference record for receptions in a season with 111. Pender set that record in 1995.
Knights Playoff Crusade
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For any P5 school, an undefeated record followed up by a 12-1 showing would be cause for fans and national pundits alike to wonder if a dynasty is on the horizon.
But for a G5 school, even those incredible showings lead to questions about how far it might fall off in the next season.
Such is the plight of Central Florida in 2019.
To be sure, there are plenty of question marks for the Golden Knights as they enter the new season.
Chief among those is the absence of quarterback McKenzie Milton, whose second consecutive Heisman-level season was cut short the day after Thanksgiving last fall due to a devastating knee injury that will keep him out for all of this fall and still has his playing career very much in doubt of ever continuing.
There is also the loss of more than half of the defensive starters from last year’s squad. The Knights were good – but not great – throughout 2018 and will have to find plenty of answers this time around.
If UCF can continue to jump out ahead of opponents, the defensive rebuild will be helped greatly by an experienced secondary that will make life tough on trailing teams trying to rally through the air late in games.
Brandon Moor and Nevelle Clarke return at both corners and Richie Grant is back at safety, giving the Knights a stellar secondary.
But despite the continued absence of Milton, it’s the UCF offense that will once again make the Knights a favorite to win the AAC and continue to loom in the national polls.
Former Notre Dame starter Brandon Wimbush will step into the void behind center and – while not the passer that Milton was – can do plenty of damage on the ground.
Wimbush will be surrounded by the Knights’ top two rushers from last season in Greg McCrae and Adrian Killins, as well as receiver Gabriel Davis and his seven touchdown catches from 2018.
Even more important to the Knights’ continued offensive firestorm, UCF figures to feature, arguably, the best offensive line in the conference. Three All-AAC honorees return to the Knights’ front and can be depended on to keep the chains and the scoreboard moving as Wimbush assumes leadership of the offense.
While the Knights are once again supremely talented, a tough schedule lies ahead and will make their continued presence in the national polls a challenge.
Central Florida has a road date against a pesky Florida Atlantic squad in its second week before hosting Stanford and then traveling to Pittsburgh.
Two weeks later, the Knights travel to fellow AAC front-runner Cincinnati for a nationally televised Friday night showdown.
If UCF can survive all of that, it has a great chance of once again having a great argument for earning better rankings and more consideration for the national championship playoff.
If it doesn’t, the Knights will be the latest G5 team to become the (undeserved) butt of jokes coming from the P5 while suffering a quick fall from grace as pollsters aren’t much for giving the Cinderellas of the college football world the benefit of a doubt.
Frederica Academy Knights Coach’s Show with Brandon Derrick August 21
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show w Sean Pender August 21
Gators and Hurricanes
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After all of the talking, all the predicting and all of the back and forth from both fan bases on Social Media, it’s finally here: The Miami Hurricanes and The Florida Gators kick off this Saturday.
The eyes of the College Football world will be watching Gators vs Canes when they face off at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL on August 24th. Let’s breakdown the kick off to the 150th season of College Football.
MIAMI OFFENSE vs. FLORIDA DEFENSE
Miami just announced that they are starting redshirt Freshman Jarren Williams.
Every football fan knows the best way to take pressure off a young quarterback is run the football. Establishing the run game early is vital for the Hurricanes success in this contest.
The Hurricanes rushing attack begins with junior Deejay Dallas. Dallas had an outstanding sophomore season, compiling a team best 1,260 all-purpose yards.
Promising sophomore Cam’Ron Harris is expected to back up Dallas. However, I believe the battle will be between the Hurricanes offensive line and the Gators front seven, and whether or not Miami can run the ball.
Miami is starting a true Freshman Zion Nelson at left tackle, and redshirt Freshman John Campbell at right tackle.
Florida lost Jachai Polite, but the defensive line is 9 deep with seasoned SEC players. Todd Grantham (D-coordinator) will disguise his schemes to confuse the young QB and tackles.
The question is, can Dan Enos (Miami O-coordinator) take advantage of Grantham’s aggressive style?
Miami has explosive receivers in Jeff Thomas, Mike Harley, and Buffalo transfer KJ Osborn. They will match up against two top corners in CJ Henderson and Marco Wilson.
One advantage for Miami in this matchup is Tight End; Breven Jordan and Will Mallory against Florida’s Linebackers David Reese and Amari Burney. Florida has always had problems with Tight Ends.
FLORIDA OFFENSE vs. MIAMI DEFENSE
This is the match up I’m looking forward to watching: Head Coach vs. Head Coach.
Miami’s front seven is probably the greatest strength for Manny Diaz and his team. The Hurricanes return their starting Linebackers Shaquille Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McClould.
On the defensives line for Miami, Junior defensive ends Jonathan Garvin and Trevon Hill are looking to take full advantage of Florida’s new starters at both tackles.
If Miami has a weakness, it is in their secondary; where the Canes have to replace 3 starters from last season.
Florida’s offense will ride or die in this game behind Feleipe Franks.
Florida is loaded with skilled players like Lamical Perine, Van Jefferson, Kadarius Toney (Tag Positions) and many more. The question is can Florida’s inexperienced offense line hold up against Miami’s front seven.
Florida’s offensive line coach, Dan Hevesy will earn his paycheck in this contest.
Florida has four new starters on the offensive line; Stone Forsythe (LT), Brett Heggie (LG), Chris Bleich (RG) and Jean Delance (RT) (Delance sustained an injury in camp and is questionable for Saturday’s game). Depth is an issue; Florida doesn’t have a true utility lineman among the reserves.
COACHES
I’ll keep this one short and sweet. This is the first game for Manny Diaz as a head coach with an entirely new offensive staff.
PREDICTION
This game gives me deja vu of Florida opener in 2017 versus Michigan.
Florida starting a redshirt freshman quarterback against a tough veteran defense.
I believe Florida’s defense controls the game long enough for Florida’s offensive line to wear out Miami’s front seven.
Feleipe Franks has a big game with his arm and legs throwing for 2 scores and running for another. Florida 31 Miami 17.
Prowling Panthers
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia State started their football program in 2010. They have not been around long so they have a built-in excuse to not be successful.
That is until we compare them to another local program like Kennesaw State that just started playing football in 2015. The Owls are one of the best teams in the country at the FCS level.
The Panthers had an awful 2018 season, finishing 2-10. One of the wins was against KSU, 24-20. When an FBS team barely beats an FCS opponent, you know it’s going to be a long season.
Head coach Shawn Elliott is entering his third season in Atlanta. He did well in his first season and led GSU to their first bowl win in school history.
The offense is led by senior quarterback Dan Ellington. Last season he passed for 2,119, 12 touchdowns and 5 picks. He completed 60% of his passes. He was also the leading rusher with 625 yards and 5 TD’s on the ground.
I think he can have a good 2019 season and the offense should be the strength of the team. They return their top three rushers, all but one receiver and five offensive linemen with starting experience.
The defense was awful last season and injuries played a factor. Three returning players in the secondary missed a combined 13 games. That led to freshmen having to play and they were torched.
The Panthers finished 126th in total defense, out of 130 FBS teams. They gave up 490 yards per game and 37 points per game.
Georgia State signed the No. 3 recruiting class in the Sun Belt in 2018 and the fifth in 2019. There should be players on the roster ready to step up this season.
8/31 at Tennessee: This will be a blowout loss. The Vols are an SEC team with superior talent at every position so this is expected.
9/7 Furman: This is an FCS team so GA State is favored. The Paladins are a good team, finishing 6-2 in conference play in 2018. I expect this to be a close game but the Panthers win.
9/14 at Western Michigan: The Broncos won the 2018 game 34-15. I expect a similar result and WMU wins by 20 points.
9/21 at Texas State: The Bobcats also finished Sun Belt conference play 1-7, last place in their division. This will be an easy win for the Panthers.
10/5 Arkansas State: After a bye week GSU returns home. The Red Wolves are a good team. They will win this game by double digits.
10/12 at Coastal Carolina: Coastal Carolina just moved up to the FBS level in 2017. They won last season’s game 37-34. Georgia State should get revenge this season.
10/19 Army: The Black Knights run the triple option and are hard to stop. They should rush for 400 yards and a win.
10/26 Troy: Troy was 7-1 in conference play last year and they are one of the best teams in the division. I expect them to win big.
9/9 at ULM: The Panthers thrashed Louisiana-Monroe 46-14 in 2018. They finished 6-6 so this was a big upset. GA State should beat them again.
9/16 Appalachian State: App State is the class of the conference. They will win big.
9/23 South Alabama: The Jaguars only won two conference games a season ago. They will lose this game also.
9/30 at Georgia Southern: The season ends with a rivalry game. The Eagles are very good so they will win.
I expect Georgia State to improve and win 5 games in 2019.
Storm Brewing In Miami?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If you had asked me three years ago to place a significant amount of money on which coach- Kirby Smart at Georgia or Mark Richt at Miami- would be the first to leave, I would have doubled down on Smart, no questions asked.
The storyline surrounding Richt was just too good; a well-respected coach returning to his alma mater in hopes of returning them back to national prominence. Oh well, sometimes the story has a Cormac McCarthy ending rather than a Disney one.
So, out goes Richt and in comes Diaz, freshly removed from a two and a half week “vacation” we’ll call it, as Temple’s Head Coach.
It’s always difficult to gauge how much of an impact a first-year coach, let alone first-time head coach will make, but the Miami native and former Broyle Award winner (college football’s top assistant) is as highly regarded as they come; very Kirby Smart-esque, if you will.
Being a defensive coordinator at heart- tell me if you’ve heard this before- it’s no surprise that one of Diaz’s most important decisions was who he brought in to be offensive coordinator. Diaz’s choice of Dan Enos as OC says two things:
- Diaz has someone on that side of the ball he can trust to execute his vision. Enos has been around for a while and has enough experience as a coordinator that Diaz should know exactly who he’s getting.
- Enos’ reputation has really been built off his success with quarterbacks, including Tua Tagovailoa this past season. This is vital considering what I’m about to bring up next.
Outside of the uncertainty Diaz brings as a coach the big question in Coral Gables, “Who will be the Hurricanes starting quarterback?” was answered in a very unexpected way.
Originally, the QB battle was thought to be a two man race between N’Kosi Perry, who started the back half of last season for Miami and Ohio State transfer Tate Martell, who is shaping up to be the greatest college quarterback never to play.
Instead, the job went to redshirt freshman Jarren Williams; someone both Diaz and Enos feel has the biggest upside of the three.
Normally when you have a new coach, offensive coordinator, and starting quarterback you try to temper expectations a bit. While that’s probably not a bad idea for the ‘Canes, their schedule is actually as favorable as they could ask for.
Outside of their season opener against Florida, their two opponents that should be the most difficult, Virginia and Virginia Tech, will both be played at home, in Hard Rock Stadium.
If Miami is able to at least split those two games, the rest of their ACC schedule sets up nicely for them to make a run at the Coastal Division title. The only other real stumbling block could be Florida State, but they have even more question marks than Miami.
With Diaz at the helm and the number of defensive starters Miami has returning, fans should feel pretty comfortable with that side of the ball.
If Enos and Williams can get the offensive side on track, a 9-3 season isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
There’s a new regime, along with a renewed sense of hope in Miami, a sentiment they’ve gone through more often than not lately. It feels like this could be the start of something special for the Hurricanes and their fans, but I’ll stay away from any predictions; they normally don’t turn out quite like I expect.
