Kenneth Harrison
Mr. Right?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons are still searching for a head coach to replace Arthur Smith.
It looks like Bill Belichick is the front runner for the position. He is the only candidate so far that has had two interviews with them.
I’m not sure if Atlanta has any other clear plans because they have had so many interviews with other candidates.
The Falcons have interviewed Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and he is scheduled for a second interview. I think this is the best available coach but he is the front-runner for the Chargers opening. That job is more attractive because they already have a franchise quarterback.
The Falcons have completed interviews with the following coaches: Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Ravens assistant head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, former Patriots coach Bill Belichick (first and second interviews), Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Bills interim offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Joe Brady, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
On paper Belichick seems like a great fit for the job. He won six Super Bowls with New England and two more as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. As we know, Tom Brady was his quarterback for the Patriots during that time.
After Brady left New England in 2020, New England had a losing record in 3 of those 4 seasons without him. This past season they were 4-13. They drafted quarterback Mac Jones in the first round of the 2021 draft and they have not been able to help him develop.
This should be looked at because Atlanta might draft a QB in the first round.
It has also been reported that Falcons owner Arthur Blank wants to hire Belichick but
“The Atlanta thing, there’s a lot of buzz going around right now about the Atlanta job, that the executives are there are trying — and I’ve heard this, I’m telling you from so many different people — basically Arthur Blank wants to hire Bill Belichick, and all the front office people in Atlanta don’t want to hire Belichick because it’s like any big company — sport franchises are like microcosms of all big companies,” Bill Simmons said on his podcast.
“You bring in Belichick — you think Belichick’s going to listen to like [John] McKay’s kid … or [general manager Terry] Fontenot. He’s going to be like, ‘I’m going to do my own thing.’ “
I think the best remaining candidates are Slowik and Ben Johnson.
Slowik, 36, is credited with getting rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud ready to play in the NFL this season. Stroud, who was taken with the second overall pick in the draft, helped lead the Texans to the AFC South title. After blowing out the Browns in the wild card round, the Texans lost 34-10 to the Ravens on Saturday.
Johnson, 37, was a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina. He’s been Detroit’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. The Lions were ranked third in total offense at 394.8 yards per game, second in passing (258.9) and fifth in rushing (135.9 per game) and fifth in points scored (27.1).
Help Wanted
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL regular season is over and we are going into the second round of the playoffs.
Several coaches have been fired or resigned to create coaching vacancies.
Let’s take a look around the league and see what franchises need a new coach and which is the best job.
Los Angeles Chargers: On paper this team should be able to at least advance to the second round of the playoffs. They have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert but he does have injury issues. They also have Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen, Derwin James, Austin Ekeler, Khalil Mack and Mike Williams.
They did make it to the playoffs in 2022. They played Jacksonville in the Wild Card round and had a 27-0 lead before the Jaguars came back to win. That seemed to linger into this season and they were 5-9 before coach Brandon Staley was fired on December 15. I think this is the best landing spot for a coach that can make a quick turnaround.
Carolina: They fired first year head coach Frank Reich in November after a 1-10 start.
The Panthers have rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Young’s 5.5 yards per pass attempt in 2023 ranked as the fourth-worst in NFL history with a minimum of 500 pass attempts. He also ranked last in the NFL in passer rating (73.7).
Carolina finished the season with the league’s worst record, 2-15, and the league’s worst scoring offense with 13.9 points per game.
Carolina has had four head coaches in their first 23 seasons. Under owner David Tepper they have had 6 different head coaches in 6 seasons. This franchise is a dumpster fire. This is the worst opening so it will be an uphill battle for whoever takes this position.
Las Vegas: They fired Mike McDaniels on Halloween after starting 3-5. He was 9-16 in his two seasons in Vegas.
The Raiders went 5-4 under interim head coach Antonio Pierce and finished the season 8-9. They allowed 15.9 points per game from week 9-18, which was the fewest in the NFL.
They have some good players on both sides of the ball like All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby and running back Josh Jacobs. They need a quarterback though.
Tennessee: Mike Vrabel is gone after 6 seasons in Nashville and a 54-45 record. He had four winning seasons and three playoff appearances. They were 13-21 in the last two seasons.
They traded away star receiver AJ Brown to Philadelphia during the 2022 NFL Draft. I think the GM should be held more accountable for their questionable roster moves than the head coach.
I don’t think running back Derrick Henry will return for the 2024 season. They also have issues at quarterback. They did draft Will Levis in the second round of the 2023 draft and he was 3-6 in his 9 starts.
Atlanta: Arthur Smith was fired after three 7-10 seasons. The offense has tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson.
Smith was resistant to featuring them but they are very talented players. They also need a dependable quarterback.
The Falcons averaged 19.6 ppg, which was the ninth-worst scoring offense.
Washington: Ron Rivera was fired after going 4-13 in 2023. They have the No. 2 pick in the draft so they should get a franchise QB.
Seattle: Pete Carroll has moved to an advisor role after 14 years coaching the Seahawks. They were 9-8 this season and they have a solid team.
The GOAT
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
People throw around the title of ‘goat’ too often.
In the case of Nick Saban, he really is the greatest of all time for college football coaches. He has decided to retire after 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa.
Saban, 72, has won a total of 7 national championships. One at LSU and 6 with the Crimson Tide.
His reign spans from the BCS into the College Football Playoff era. The Tigers won the national championship in 2003. His Bama teams won in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020.
He has also won 11 SEC Championships. His overall record is 292-71-1.
“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said in an Alabama statement. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”
He’s been at Alabama so long that we don’t often talk about what he did prior to arriving there in 2007.
His first head coaching job was at Toledo in 1990. The Rockets were 6-5 in 1988 and 1989. Under Saban they went 9-2 and were co-champions of the Mid-American Conference. The two losses were by narrow margins: one point to Central Michigan and four points to Navy.
Saban resigned as Toledo’s coach after that season to become the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns under head coach Bill Belichick. He held that position for four seasons. In 1994 the defense was the best in the NFL in points allowed.
He took over as the head coach at Michigan State prior to the 1995 season. The Spartans had not had a winning season since 1990.
Saban led MSU to bowl games in his first three seasons. His best season was 1999 when they finished 9-2; with wins over Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. He resigned before the Citrus Bowl to accept the head coaching position at LSU.
This is what I think is not emphasized enough. Prior to his arrival in Baton Rouge, the last national championship that the Tigers won was in 1958. He built them into a national power, which is why they are still relevant now. He led them to a BCS Championship Game win over #1 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl in the 2003 season.
He coached the Miami Dolphins in 2005-06 and had a record of 15-17.
“Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport, and The University of Alabama is fortunate to have had him leading our football program for the past 17 seasons,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said. “Throughout his career as a head coach, his teams have won seven national championships, 11 conference championships and 312 games, and he’s developed an NCAA-record 49 NFL first-round draft picks and, most importantly, hundreds of college graduates. He is the consummate coach, mentor and leader, and his impact is felt far beyond the football field.”
Best Of The Best
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Many analysts and fans consider the SEC to be the best football conference. Depending on the year there may be an element of truth to that.
I’m going to look at some of the best teams in conference history and try to determine who the best is.
1998 Tennessee: The Vols were the first national champs of the BCS era.
Ironically, everything came together the year after Peyton Manning graduated. They were led by quarterback Tee Martin and wide receiver Peerless Price. Sophomore running back Jamal Lewis tore his LCL in his right knee, so he only played in the first 5 games.
Price had 920 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Travis Henry led the team in rushing with 970 yards and 7 touchdowns.
They beat Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl to finish 13-0.
1992 Alabama: The Crimson Tide were led by a strong defense. They led the nation in fewest points allowed (9.2 per game during the regular season). They won the first SEC Championship Game against No. 12 Florida.
In the Sugar Bowl they played defending national champ, No. 1 Miami. They routed the Hurricanes 34-13 to finish 13-0.
They also did not allow an offensive touchdown to the Heisman Trophy winner, QB Gino Toretta.
1980 Georgia: This team was led by freshman running back Herschel Walker. He rushed for 1,616, 15 touchdowns and averaged 5.9 yards per carry.
He was talented enough to help the team overcome mediocre quarterback play. Buck Belue passed for 1,314 yards, 11 TD’s, 9 interceptions and completed 49% of his passes.
They beat No. 14 South Carolina and No. 20 Florida in consecutive weeks. In the Sugar Bowl they beat No. 7 Notre Dame to finish 12-0.
1996 Florida: The Gators are the first team on this list with a loss. They outscored their opponents 612-228. QB Danny Wuerffel threw for 3,625 yards, 39 touchdowns and 13 picks. He won the Heisman Trophy.
The offense had a lot of talent with running backs Fred Taylor and Elijah Williams. They also had Ike Hilliard, Reidel Anthony and Jacquez Green at receiver.
The Gators only loss came in the regular season finale to No. 2 Florida State, 24-21. They got revenge in the Sugar Bowl and demolished FSU, 52-20.
2009 Alabama: They were led by Heisman Trophy winning running back Mark Ingram with 1,658 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He also had 3 receiving touchdowns.
Linebacker Rolando McClain won the Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Award.
Greg McElroy threw for 2,508 yards, 17 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and he completed 61% of his passes.
Julio Jones led the team in receiving with 43 receptions for 596 yards and 4 touchdowns.
They beat No. 1 Florida in the SEC Championship and No. 2 Texas in the Rose Bowl to finish 14-0.
2011 Alabama: The defense led the nation in every major statistical category.
Running back Trent Richardson won the Doak Walker award, rushing for 1,679 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Seven players were named to various All-America Teams.
The only loss was to No. 1 LSU, 9-6. In the National Championship Game, they avenged the loss and beat the Tigers 21-0. They finished 12-1.
2008 Florida: This was coach Urban Meyer’s best team. They were led by Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin on offense.
The lone loss came to Ole Miss. They finished 13-1 with a win over No. 2 Oklahoma in the national championship.
2019 LSU: I saved the best for last.
Joe Burrow had the best season for a quarterback in college football history and led the Tigers to a 15-0 record.
The Tigers demolished everyone they played.
Same Old Story
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2023 NFL regular season has concluded. The Atlanta Falcons had an outside chance at making the playoffs if they beat New Orleans and if Tampa Bay lost in the last weekend of the season. They lost to the Saints, 48 – 17.
It’s never fun to get blown out by your archrival, but the ending of this game was talked about. The Saints put in backup quarterback Jameis Winston and they were supposed to take a knee to run the clock out. They were lined up in “victory formation” but Winston handed the ball off to Jamaal Williams for a 1-yard touchdown with 1:10 left in the game.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen says he had nothing to do with that and he tried to apologize to Smith after the game.
“They did that on their own. That’s not acceptable,” Allen said, adding that Smith “should be” upset about it.
“The score was already 41-17, so I don’t know how much worse it can get, but I got a ton of respect for Arthur Smith and the coach that he is,” Winston said. “I didn’t want to disrespect (Smith). That was not my intention. My intention was to lead the team that I’ve been with the entire year and we made a collective decision that we wanted to get one of our guys that they fight with — blood, sweat and tears, every game — in the end zone. I’m going to feel good about that.”
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was fired a few hours after the game. Atlanta lost four of five games to end the season.
Smith coached the Falcons for three seasons and had the same record every year, 7 – 10. An interesting fact about him; his father is FedEx founder Fred Smith.
Firing him was the right move but Atlanta should have also fired general manager Terry Fontenot in my opinion. He was also hired in January 2021 with Smith and he is largely responsible with putting the roster together.
The Falcons desperately need a quarterback and so far, Fontenot has failed to address that. I think if they had a serviceable quarterback, they would have won two more games this season.
“Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement released at 12:03 a.m. Monday. “We have profound respect for coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years. He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations. After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position.”
It is very early so we do not know who the new head coach will be. Blank and Chief Executive Officer Rich McKay will lead the search for Smith’s replacement.
Fontenot will provide input along with other members of the Falcons and AMB Sports and Entertainment organizations.
The 2024 draft order is set for the teams that did not make the playoffs and Atlanta has the eighth overall pick. They desperately need a quarterback but I think they are picking too late to get a franchise QB. We will see if they trade up or try to acquire a veteran.
Hungry Panthers?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I am not sure if we can call Georgia State’s 2023 football season a success.
The Panthers did go 6 – 6, which is good enough for bowl eligibility. That is an improvement on the 2022 season where they finished 4 – 8. Georgia State U did go 8 – 5 in 2021 and I expected them to have similar success this season.
They got off to a 4 – 0 start and they looked like they were going to cruise through the season.
The highlight was against Coastal Carolina. They played a Thursday night game on ESPN. Coastal Carolina has been one of the most high profile members of the Sun Belt Conference over the last few years. The Panthers beat them on national television, 30 – 17.
Darren Grainger was 15 of 26 for 191 yards and kept the ball 13 times for 47 yards to help the Panthers (4-0) extend their best start in school history. Marcus Carroll carried 29 times for 150 yards and a score.
Georgia State leads the series 4-3 with the visiting team winning every time and Grainger, a Conway, South Carolina native, has two of the wins.
The next game they lost to Troy at home, 28 – 7. The Panthers rebounded and won their next two games against Marshall and Louisiana. At this point their record was 6 – 1.
I’m not sure if the team relaxed at this point but they lost the next five games. The first game of this losing streak was at Georgia Southern, 44 – 27.
They lost the next two home games to James Madison and Appalachian State by the same score, 42 – 14.
Then they had to travel to Death Valley to play No. 15 LSU. The Tigers needed an easy win, GSU needed the money, and everything worked out perfectly. LSU won, 56 – 14.
The final game of the season was at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia. The Panthers had a 21 – 0 halftime lead. They gave up 18 fourth quarter points and lost to the Monarch, 25 – 24.
One of the bright spots on offense was running back Marcus Carroll. He rushed for 1,350 yards. 13 touchdowns and he averaged 4.9 yards per carry.
QB Darren Grainger is GSU’s career leader in total offense, touchdown passes and touchdown responsibility while ranking second in passing yards and fourth in rushing yards. This season he had 2,364 yards passing, 17 TD’s, 7 interceptions and he completed 67% of his passes.
Playing in its third bowl game in the last four seasons and sixth in nine seasons, Georgia State faces Utah State (6 – 6) on Saturday, Dec. 23 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
“I wish it would snow a foot,” head coach Shawn Elliott said about his team’s bowl game.
Georgia State is 3-2 in bowl games, including wins in its last two bowls, the 2021 TaxAct Camellia Bowl and 2020 LendingTree Bowl.
“We’re in the day and age of the transfer portal, and everyone is aware of who we’ve lost in the portal, and what we have to do, so this preparation time has been very important to us,” Elliott said. “We have some new tackles, running backs, secondary guys. But that’s college football. You can’t complain about it, you have to engage and make the most of it, and that’s what we’ve done.”
We will have to wait and see if Georgia State can snap their losing streak in the bowl game.
Cream Of The Crop
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia high school football state championships are set. They will be played December 11 – 13 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Let’s take a look at some of the matchups.
Class 7A
No. 8 Milton (12-2) beat No. 6 Grayson (11-3) 45–35.
Miami-committed QB Luke Nickel was 31-of-50 passing for 434 yards and four touchdowns. He had a pair of 100-yard receivers: C.J. Wiley (10-136-1) and Tristan Payne (8-148-2). Milton led in total yards 588-424.
Milton won the state championship in 2018 and they are in their third state championship in six seasons.
No. 5 Walton (14-0) beat Camden County (10-4) 41–25. Wake Forest-committed QB Jeremy Hecklinski was 16-of-23 passing for 317 yards and six touchdowns.
Walton led 21-0 at halftime, then only 21-17 in the third quarter after Camden County returned an interception for a touchdown, but Hecklinski rebounded with TD passes on Walton’s next three possessions. Hunter Teal had six receptions for 163 yards.
Makari Bodiford rushed for 108 yards. Wendell Gregory had three tackles for losses. This is Walton’s second state finals appearance, the first since their 2011 runner-up finish.
This will be the first championship game in the highest classification without a Gwinnett or South Georgia team since 1985 (Clarke Central vs. Warner Robins).
Class 6A
No. 2 Thomas County Central (14-0) beat No. 7 Marist (12-2) 13–7. TCC took a 13-0 lead in the first half with 1-yard runs by Ezekial Bogan and Trey Brenton, the first after a 16-play, 80-yard drive, the second after the first of three lost Marist fumbles.
Brenton rushed for 195 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.
This is the first state championship game for the Yellow Jackets since 2002. They have defeated five top-10 teams on the road this season and broke Marist’s 14-game home playoff winning streak.
No. 10 Woodward Academy (12-2) beat No. 4 Douglas County (13-1) 24–21. Woodward trailed 14-0 in the first half.
Landon Walker was 15-of-22 passing for 152 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 61 yards.
This is their first state final appearance since 1980 when they won the 3A title.
Class 5A
No. 2 Creekside (13-1) ended Jefferson’s (13-1) undefeated season, 28-17. The Seminoles overcame a 14-0 first half deficit.
Vinson Berry was 14-of-25 passing for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Shane Kelley had eight receptions for 90 yards. Roderick McCrary rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
Creekside forced three turnovers and held Jefferson to 204 total yards.
This is Creekside’s second state finals appearance, the first since their 2013 5A championship.
No. 3 Coffee (14-0) beat No. 1 Cartersville (13-1) 33-18. The Trojans built a 24-0 lead so the game was never close. This is their second finals appearance, the first since 2017 when they lost.
Class 4A
No. 6 Perry (12-2) defeated Starr’s Mill (10-4) 28-24. Colter Ginn was 20-of-31 passing for 382 yards and two touchdowns.
Kory Pettigrew (4-131-1) and Dakarai Anderson (8-166-1) each had more than 100 receiving yards.
Ahmad Gordon rushed for 71 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. This is Perry’s first state finals appearance and they started playing football in 1954.
No. 7 Stockbridge (12-2) defeated No. 1 Benedictine (13-1) 45-31. North Carolina State-committed RB Jayden “Duke” Scott rushed for 310 yards on 27 carries and scored 3 touchdowns.
This is also the first state title appearance for the Tigers, which started football in 1964.
Carolina Blues
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL season is still in progress and the Carolina Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich. Reich was just hired in January 2023 and he signed a four-year contract.
Reich is a former backup quarterback known for making huge comebacks before he became a coach. In 1984 he led Maryland to a victory over the No. 6 Miami Hurricanes after trailing 31 – 0 at halftime.
In January of 1993 he led the Buffalo Bills to a Wild Card playoff win over the Houston Oilers, after trailing 35 – 3 early in the third quarter.
His playing career ended in 1998 and he started coaching in 2006. Reich was the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016-17. He helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LII, which is the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
He took over as the head coach in Indianapolis in 2018. He coached the Colts for four and a half seasons, compiling a record of 40 – 33 – 1. He was fired halfway through the 2022 season after getting off to a slow start. Indy made two playoff appearances while he was there, winning one playoff game.
It is interesting the Panthers hired him after having being barely above average for the Colts. Carolina traded up to draft Alabama quarterback Bryce Young No. 1 in the 2023 draft. They had to know this would be a tough year but it was worse than they anticipated.
Carolina is 1 – 10 and in position to have the worst record and top draft pick in 2024. That pick was traded to the Chicago Bears.
Reich was Carolina’s first starting quarterback, starting the first three games for the Panthers’ expansion team in 1995 and going 0 – 3 before he was replaced by rookie quarterback Kerry Collins. Reich had thought of this return to the Carolinas as a head coach as a chance to put a “magical” ending onto his 30-plus year career as an NFL player and coach.
“It was a great opportunity,” Reich said. “The way the doors opened up for it was amazing. But there’s not always a storybook ending…. I also take comfort and find peace and strength that there is a next chapter of my life. I do believe that. I do believe God ordains our steps.”
Owner David Tepper fired him Monday, after they lost to the Tennessee Titans 17 – 10. He was fired in person by Tepper at Bank of America Stadium shortly before the news was announced.
“There’s a heart-pounding disappointment in not hitting the marks that we needed to hit to keep this going and try to get it turned around,” Reich said. “It hurts me for the guys, the team, the coaches and the fans.”
Reich was expected to help Young develop and so far the results have not been good. The roster is also bad so that has to play a factor.
Tepper seems to be running the Panthers into the ground. Reich spoke in a press conference a few weeks ago and he spoke about Tepper’s hands-on approach. I think that is going to be a problem with landing a good coach.
He purchased the Panthers in May of 2018 for $2.2 billion, the highest in NFL history and he did not have any other investors.
The best record they have had was 7 – 9 in 2018 when Ron Rivera was still the coach. He hired Matt Rhule in 2020 and he was fired after five games in 2022.
I’m not sure what the future holds for this franchise but they will be at the bottom of the NFC South for a while.
Fixed Wreck?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This is the first full season for Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key.
He took over as the interim head coach last season after Geoff Collins was fired. The Yellow Jackets started the 2022 season 1 – 3 before Collins was relieved of his duties. Once Key took over he went 4 – 4.
It looks like that momentum has carried over to this season. Tech is bowl eligible for the first time since 2018, which was Paul Johnson’s final season.
Key is a Georgia Tech alumnus and football letter winner. It is impressive that he lead this team to a bowl game because it did not look possible about halfway through the season.
They were 2 – 3 at the end of September. They suffered an embarrassing home loss to Bowling Green and it looks like that was the turning point.
The next game was at No. 17 Miami and they pulled off an improbable win that turned the season around. The Hurricanes should have taken a knee in the final minute of the game but they ran a play and fumbled. Tech recovered and Haynes King threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Christian Leary with two seconds remaining to win, 23 – 20.
“We should have taken a knee,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.
Said coach Key: “We kind of thought they were taking a knee.”
Miami outgained GT 454-250 and had 23 first downs to the Yellow Jackets’ 12 but it did not matter.
They beat Syracuse 31 – 22 at Bobby Dodd Stadium to become bowl eligible. As a result, Orangeman head coach Dino Babers was fired after coaching there for 8 years.
The defense played well and held Syracuse to 94 yards at halftime.
“With them coming out in that Wildcat offense and running the ball a bit more it kind of allowed us to showcase our talents as a linebacker group and show that we can actually stop the run,” linebacker Paul Moala said.
Syracuse ran for almost 400 yards the previous week in a win over Pittsburgh. The Jackets contained the Orange to half that total.
“We really simplified things in this game, ran some simplified things within the plan, allowed the big guys up front to be able to do what they do,” Key said. “Good plan put together by the defensive guys in being able to do that and came up with some key turnovers at some key times.”
Quarterback Haynes King has played better than expected. He was at Texas A&M for 3 seasons and he did not do much before transferring to Georgia Tech. King has passed for 2,597 yards, 26 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and he’s completing 62% of his passes. He’s also the second leading rusher with 624 yards, 7 TD’s and he averages 6.4 yards per carry.
Running back Jamal Haynes is the leading rusher with 850 yards, 7 scores and he averages 6 YPC.
I think the program is taking a step in the right direction to be a solid winning program that can expect to play in a bowl game each season.
Barking Up The Right Tree?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We all know Georgia is a football school. The Bulldogs have had a tough time finding consistent success on the hardwood for men’s basketball. Let’s take a look at UGA and see if they can turn that around this season.
Mike White is in his second season as the head coach in Athens. He coached at archrival Florida previously from 2015 – 2022. He replaced Billy Donovan but he did not have the same level of success. His record for the Gators was 142 – 88 with four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Last season the Bulldogs went 16 – 16 in his first season. They are losing their top three scorers from last season but the team was 190th in offensive efficiency. Former four-star prospect Jabri Abdur-Rahim is the best returning player. He was the most efficient player for the Dawgs last year but he played the role of a non-creator.
Point guard Justin Hill transferred to UGA from Longwood last year. He started ten games but his offensive impact was inconsistent. He is expected to be better this season.
There are some new faces that are expected to make an impact. Senior guard Noah Thomasson played at Niagara the last two seasons. He averaged 19.5 points per game last year. We will see if he can make the jump from the MAAC to the SEC.
White brought in four freshman, all are four-star players. They are point guard Silas Demary Jr., wing Blue Cain, power forward Dylan James and wing Mari Jordan.
They also have four more transfers, headlined by seven foot senior center Russel Tchewa (South Florida).
The season opener was against Oregon in Las Vegas in the Naismith Hall of Fame Series tournament at T-Mobile Arena. The Ducks won 82 – 71. It is impressive that they fought to get this game within single digits.
“I loved the fight down the stretch,” coach Mike White said after the game. “The press was really effective for us, and this is really not a pressing team. But we fought to the bitter end. If we get the ‘pick 6′ at the end it could have been a little more respectable than that. But we fought to the end.”
Abdur-Rahim showed new-found offensive aggression and led the Bulldogs with 18 points, including three 3s. RJ Melendez overcame a slow first-half start to finish with 12 points and Cain scored 12 and had a pair of steals in his first collegiate game.
The Dawgs shot 30 three-pointers, only making ten of them.
“I liked our spacing and I like that this team got off 30 3s. That’s what this team needs to do. Sixteen turnovers was too many and we broke off our some of our execution on four or five possessions, which bled us a little,” White said.
The next two games are at home against Wake Forest and North Carolina Central.
After that they travel to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. The first game is against No. 13 Miami. Depending on the outcome the next round is against Kansas State or Providence.
I think Georgia will have another .500 season. If they do better than that I would consider it a success.
