Bishop Media Sports Network
Crean Of The Crop
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I can’t help but imagine it’s been a while since the UGA basketball fan base has entered a new season with any type of optimism.
I guess you have to back to the Jim Harrick year’s, which is not a time most fans look fondly upon. With the arrival of Tom Crean in March, there is reason for some excitement in Athens.
It’s completely fair to include Crean’s tenure at Indiana when judging his ability to coach, but I wouldn’t look too much into it.
For one, he didn’t do a bad job; Indiana has incredibly high standards that aren’t realistic in relation to their spot in the college basketball hierarchy. It’s kind of like expecting John Travolta to carry a movie because “Phenomenon” was popular over 20 years ago.
Plus, if you’re going to compare program expectations, Georgia is more aligned with Marquette, than Indiana.
At Crean’s two previous stops it has taken a couple years to implement his system with the players he wants, but has turned things around quickly once he was able to do so.
I fully expect him to have the same type of influence on Georgia’s program; unfortunately, that means it’ll be a year or two before fans really start to see everything pay off.
Even with a proven coach like Crean at the helm, this is going to be a difficult year. Their lone double-digit scorer from last year (Magen) is gone, and there isn’t much left over for the new coach to work with.
There are some young talented players coming in, who will be good building blocks 2-3 years down the road and could put up some good numbers, if for no other reason than they’ll have to.
Crean’s main objective this year is similar to that of Hawks head coach, Lloyd Pierce, albeit with a few minor differences.
Most of this upcoming season will be spent implementing his system, seeing who will be able to contribute over the next year or two, and making the Bulldog program as attractive as he can to prospective recruits.
There is a lot of basketball talent in the state that has seemed to have little, to no interest in signing with Georgia. Part of that has to do with the program’s history of mediocrity, but mainly because of their head coaches.
Most recruits today are concerned about their brand and making it to the NBA before they’re able to legally buy a beer. All the Georgia coaches since Harrick haven’t had a proven track record of being able to get players to the next level. When a player has made it, like with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, they are looked at as an outlier.
Crean’s notoriety and history with players like Dwayne Wade and Victor Oladipo should help in keeping some of the homegrown talent within the state.
Once that starts to occur, you’ll begin to see the program start to take off. But, like I mentioned earlier, all that is still a couple years away.
So, as the Bulldogs struggle to stay out of the SEC cellar this year- and probably next year- just keep in mind that Crean knows what he’s doing. He’s a good coach and recruiter that I bet will have this team back in the Sweet Sixteen within the next 4-5 years.
For a program that hasn’t tasted that type of success in over 20 years- 22 years, to be extract- it will be well worth the wait.
Eagles Continue To Soar
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Despite its early season success, there was plenty of reason to believe that Georgia Southern would struggle as it traveled to New Mexico on Saturday night.
The Eagles have a track record of underwhelming performances on long trips out west and — seemingly following the script — GS fell behind 14-3 early at New Mexico State.
And then the Eagles made their biggest statement of the 2018 season, so far.
Playing with a hobbled starting quarterback and without its leading running back and nearly a third of its usual starting defense, the Eagles absorbed some big shots from the Aggies (2-6) before rallying hard to take a halftime lead and putting the game out of reach by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.
When the dust settled, the Eagles were on their way out of town with a 48-31 victory and – with their sixth win of the season – bowl eligibility for the postseason.
Logan Wright rushed for 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Wesley Kennedy III went for another 99 yards and two more scores and Monteo Garrett and Shai Werts rushed for 78 yards each as the Aggies were bowled over time and time again by a relentless Eagle attack.
New Mexico State and its fast-paced spread offense made way early on. Christian Gibson opened the scoring with a 5-yard run and Jason Huntley’s 9-yard run midway through the first quarter gave NMSU a 14-3 advantage, but that’s when the Eagles took over.
Nursing sore ribs and avoiding the amount of contact that is normal for an option quarterback, Werts was able to contribute 155 total yards. Georgia Southern scored touchdowns on its final three drives of the first half and led by as much as 45-17 midway through the third quarter before both squads quickly transitioned to emptying their benches.
Josh Adkins (25-38, 295 yards) padded stats and kept the game moving over the final quarter of action.
Jason Huntley rushed for two of his three touchdowns in the final quarter, but only after the Eagles had taken a stranglehold of the action.
Georgia Southern was able to come away with the win despite dealing with a host of injuries.
Werts was protecting his ribs throughout the game, and he never as able to turn the ball over to Wesley Fields.
On the defensive end, linebackers Rashad Byrd and Todd Bradley were out, along with safety Sean Freeman.
But, as the Eagles have done all season, they adapted and overcame. Saturday’s win was another chapter in what has become one of the biggest turnaround stories in the country.
The Eagles finished 2-10 in 2017, but Chad Lunsford, named interim head coach midway through 2017 and given the permanent title before the end of the 2017 campaign, has been on a war path to put the Eagles back on the national scope.
The Eagles have found the spotlight. Now, it’s just a matter of how well Georgia Southern can run with it.
Georgia Southern will get most of its celebrating over the NMSU win done as the Eagles catch a flight back to the Atlantic coast.
A short week awaits before arch-nemesis Appalachian State invades Paulson Stadium on Thursday night in front of a nationally televised audience.
Resting Dawgs
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The notion that the week before the Georgia Bulldogs take on the Florida Gators is an “off week” is, frankly, laughable.
It’s one of the greatest and most ferocious rivalry in college sports and both teams are always hungry to beat the other, regardless of the context within the season as a whole.
For the Bulldogs in particular, after suffering a loss at the hands of LSU in Week 7, the bye week is a big opportunity to get some much-needed work in before they head to Jacksonville. With some of the holes becoming more apparent in the Georgia roster, there are a handful of young players that could use the extra time to work out and step up.
The first person who comes to mind who is capable of grabbing the bull by the horns is freshman quarterback Justin Fields. He arrived in Athens with plenty of fanfare, and Jake Fromm’s Cinderella season in 2017 can only carry so much goodwill in 2018.
That being said, it’s hard to blame Fromm for a bad game in a very hostile environment but he is likely going to be watched closely and scrutinized all the more going forward, and especially against the Gators.
If Fields can keep his nose to the grindstone during the off week and show Kirby Smart that he’s ready to grab the brass ring, Fromm’s leash might get even shorter than it had been.
Robert Beal is another player to watch. The Bulldog defense was pretty fairly maligned for its performance against the Tigers, but Beal picked up his first career pick. It was easy to overlook in a loss of that magnitude. If Beal steps up and helps D’Andre Walker start to elevate the level of play on D, Georgia will benefit immensely.
Demetris Robertson’s future with UGA might rest in the balance of his work rate during this bye week. Expectations were set very high for the wide receiver despite his injury and late arrival at fall camp. He will need to prove that he is ready to grind if he ever wants to make an impact for UGA.
If Robertson can practice well, in his blocking, route running and pass catching, he could see an increased work load against Florida. Up to this point, Georgia really only uses Robertson as a gimmick player. He needs to practice and play more like Riley Ridley if he is going to contribute to Georgia this season.
A loss like the one that the Bulldogs were handed by the Tigers never truly comes at a good time but having a week “off” to lick their wounds could arguably be a big benefit to UGA. More than that, the loss brought into focus the fact that Coach Smart will need to spend this bye week whipping his team into shape.
The Florida Gators are lurking just around the corner, and the team that showed up in Baton Rouge cannot be the same team that suits up in Jacksonville. The Gators always manage to find another gear when they take on Georgia and UGA needs to spend their extra practice time (time that Florida also has, mind you) figuring out ways to reach that extra gear as well.
The Bulldogs took a loss in 2017 before running up to and through the SEC Championship and into the National Championship, so there’s no reason to think that their season is over based solely on their Week 7 performance.
However, they will need to show up and impress against Florida to remain in the contention conversation. They’ve got an extra week. They need to utilize it.
Glynn Academy Wins City Championship
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors won another city championship Friday night against the Brunswick High Pirates.
The Terrors won 17-12 to take home the trophy for the 5th consecutive year. Red Terror Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo has never lost to Brunswick High, a perfect 5-0. The loss for the Pirates marks the 2nd consecutive graduating class that never beat Glynn.
Glynn marched the first drive of the game down the field and scored a touchdown for a 7-0. That lead would hold through the first half and Glynn went into the locker room up 7-0 at the half.
The Red Terrors added a field goal in the 3rd quarter for a 10-0 lead. Then, in the 4th quarter with five minutes and change left in the game, Glynn added another TD to go up 17-0 and it looked like the Terrors would coast to another city championship.
However, the Pirates did not make that easy on the Terrors. Brunswick finally answered and scored a TD of their own to make the score 17-6. The Pirates went for 2 and did not get it.
Brunswick then recovered an on-side kick and would score another touchdown to make the score 17-12. The Pirates would once again go for 2 and once again be unsuccessful.
With under a minute to go the Pirates attempted another onside kick, but this time the Terrors would recover and run out the clock on Brunswick for the 17-12 win.
The win gives back to back wins for Glynn and takes them to 5-3 on the season and 2-0 in the region.
Richmond Hill ended up beating Bradwell Institute, which now leaves the Red Terrors in first place in the region by themselves. The Red Terrors still have to play Effingham and Bradwell in region to close the season.
If the Terrors win both games they will win their 4th consecutive region and claim a #1 seed heading into the GHSA playoffs.
The first round opponent will likely be Mundy’s Hill for Glynn if they did win the region again.
Frederica Academy Knights Coachs Show With Brandon Derrick October 17
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show with Sean Pender October 16
Glynn Academy Red Terrors Coach’s Show with Rocky Hidalgo October 16
Statesboro Gets Chomped By Gators
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When Statesboro walked off the field after an overtime loss to a top-10 Wayne County squad on Oct. 5, the Blue Devils had reason to be optimistic.
They had gone toe-to-toe with a stellar opponent and a rival that wasn’t going to overlook them.
So, there was plenty of hope that the Devils could make another bid at an upset when they travelled to No. 8 Ware County Friday night.
And then Mother Nature got involved. Thanks to Hurricane Michael blazing a trail through most of Georgia earlier in the week, the Blue Devils were limited to just two days of practice. And while Ware County was also affected, the Gators were on a bye last week, giving them a huge edge in terms of preparing and installing a game plan.
The preparation – as well as a bunch of talent – was evident on Friday night as Ware County built a 21-0 lead before cruising to a 35-13 victory over Statesboro.
As has been the case all season for the 5-2 Gators, freshman quarterback sensation Thomas Castellanos stole the show.
The ninth-grader directed Ware’s attack with effectiveness and efficiency, passing for 68 yards and a touchdown while also leading the rushing attack with 78 yards on the ground.
Much like last week, Statesboro’s veteran and athletic defense was able to at least slow down a dangerous offense. But unlike the Wayne County game, the Blue Devils’ offense couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain.
Statesboro managed just 156 yards and 8 first downs on 50 offensive plays, only once gaining more than 14 yards on a single snap.
Jaylin Roberson continued to be the go-to guy for the Devils, rushing 24 times for 65 yards and a touchdown while also hauling in a 30-yard reception.
But Castellanos had a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown already to his name before Statesboro found the scoreboard. And when Roberson punched into the end zone in the third quarter to make it a 21-7 game, Castellanos immediately answered by conducting another touchdown drive that he capped himself with a 3-yard plunge.
Statesboro added another touchdown on an 11-yard strike from Drake Horton to Will Yawn with just under eight minutes to play to make it 28-13.
The Devils held on defense and had a chance to keep the comeback alive, but Michael Mincey picked off Horton and went 58 yards to the house with just under five minutes remaining to seal the deal for Ware County.
With the win, Ware officially began its region schedule – which in the five-team Region 2-AAAAA is essentially a sprint to the finish line over the final month of the season.
The Gators will be prohibitive favorites in each of the next two weeks against South Effingham and New Hampstead before what figures to be a de facto region championship game at Wayne County on the final night of the regular season.
Statesboro now shifts into a bye week before playing its final two games. The Devils stand at 2-6 and their losing streak has now reached half a dozen games, but a win in either of their final two games – vs. South Effingham on Oct. 26 and at New Hampstead on Nov. 2 – will likely be enough to send them to the state playoffs for the first time since 2013.
Wide Open Fields
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When Justin Fields, the No.1 rated quarterback in the 2018 class- depending on which recruiting site you read- signed with Georgia, it made sense.
Even though Jake Fromm was a returning sophomore, coming off a season in which he had played well and led his team to a national title game, you could see a scenario playing out similar to Clemson’s. Fromm would start the season and ultimately give way to Fields.
Worst case scenario for Fields, he would split time this season and take over as the starting quarterback next year.
If the remainder of this season plays out like it has so far, especially if Georgia were to make the playoffs again, Fields may have a decision to make about his future; one that doesn’t include the Georgia Bulldogs.
To the joy of many Georgia fans, Fromm has shown the type of improvement this year those fans were hoping for and has proven he is capable of leading the Dawgs back to the playoffs.
At the same time, given a drastic shift in his play, he has not shown the skill level needed to be successful at the next level. Not that it’s an indictment of Fromm, but he looks like a four-year player. This is where the conundrum with Fields lies.
Fromm is playing at a level that makes it difficult for Smart not to have him out the field a majority of the time. If he is able to lead Georgia back to the playoffs and plays well, then it makes it even more difficult to sit Fromm in favor of Fields.
I know benching a quarterback that has led you to back to back playoff appearances isn’t unprecedented. Jalen Hurts is sitting at Alabama but I’d argue that Fromm is actually a better quarterback than Jalen Hurts.
Plus, had the national title game not played it out like it did last year, I’m not completely convinced that Hurts wouldn’t be the starter this season.
Include the likelihood Fromm will be in Athens for another two years, there is a realistic possibility Fields will have difficulty seeing the field- no pun intended- if he were stay.
No matter how good a kid Fields may be and from everything I’ve seen and heard, that is a lot of patience to ask from someone that was highly recruited.
I’m sure Fields wants an opportunity to get consistent minutes and show off his skill set.
And don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean any of this as a knock to Georgia, Smart, or either of the quarterbacks.
I mean quite the opposite, in fact. To consider that Georgia may find itself in this predicament in a few months from now means they are winning (probably resulting a another playoff appearance) and Fromm has exceeded expectations.
It’s a situation 95% of the other programs in college football would love to be in. It doesn’t change however, that following this season it will be difficult to keep both quarterbacks happy, increasing the chance one will leave.
That said, anything I’ve mentioned possibly transpiring won’t happen until after the season is over.
As for this season, it couldn’t be working out any better. Georgia is on track again to compete for a national title and as of right that is all that should matter.
As for the next few years, they look as promising as ever in Athens; just don’t be surprised if Justin Fields isn’t part of it.
High Flying Party
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Celebrations were breaking out all around Statesboro on Saturday night and for good reason.
The Eagles’ bounce back season continued to gain steam as a dominating 48-13 victory over South Alabama put them at 4-1 on the season and kept them atop the Sun Belt Conference standings.
Aside from the win on the field it was also homecoming, giving Eagles young and old alike an excuse to have just a bit more fun than usual.
But for all of the frat get togethers and house parties that carried on well into Sunday morning, one of the best places to appreciate the Georgia Southern win didn’t even require fans to leave the proximity of Paulson Stadium.
Following Saturday’s game – just as the case has been after the first three home games – a huge postgame tailgate was hosted by Eagle supporter Bubba Hunt near the soccer field.
Plenty of RV’s remained in the main lot, with the glow of the late games on television hazed over by the smoke of grills preparing victory dinners, but Hunt’s party is an animal all of its own nature.
The food is professionally cooked. There’s plenty of variety and it’s impossible to walk away wanting more. Through Hunt’s generosity, the food is also served up free of charge to anyone wanting to swing by.
But the tailgate isn’t special because it’s big or free. It’s one-of-a-kind because of the guest list.
At a table underneath a tent by the main food spread, quarterbacks coach Juston Wood is picking apart some ribs and raving about how Shai Werts continues to grow as the leader of the Eagles’ offense.
Inside linebackers coach Travis Cunningham was guiding his wife and child through the buffet line while outside linebacker counterpart Jeremy Rowell was recounting Alvin Ward’s interception for a touchdown that had capped a big win less than an hour before.
And over by some golf carts, defensive line coach Vic Cabral was doling out chest bumps and hugs to anyone who wanted one.
Each week, the entire football coaching staff has cleared out the locker room and then headed to the tailgate to mingle with the fans and boosters that support them.
In a sport that tends to obsess over salaries that put coaches on a different level of existence and 20-hour workdays that paint coaches as anti-social football robots, the postgame tailgate couldn’t be farther from those stereotypes.
A week ago, offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse likely went over his game-winning reverse play call a dozen times as fans listened in while head coach Chad Lunsford was high-fiving kids up well past their bedtime and discussing the creative process he goes through with the wrestling moves he’s prone to show off for the camera.
It’s as unique a tradition as any in college football and the perfect embodiment of the heart and soul of Georgia Southern Football.
The Eagles reached the top of the mountain once before with coaches who worked out of trailers and held public court over coffee each morning.
Sure, there are more bells and whistles attached to the program nowadays – and that is necessary and for the better – but the only thing better than watching your team win on a Saturday is to share a victory toast of ribs and a sauce-filled smile right afterwards with the coaches that helped bring home the victory.
