Preview
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.
Rambling Wreck To Quick Lane Bowl
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
GeorgiaSportsEdition.com news services
One of the best things about the holiday season is bowl games.
We all know the prestigious bowl games are played closer to the start of the New Year like the Rose Bowl or Orange Bowl. Then we have the games that occur prior to that.
That takes us to the Quick Lane Bowl played the day after Christmas. I’ve always heard it was lovely in Detroit in late December so this is a great location.
Georgia Tech and Minnesota will square off in this game. Several Tech players felt disrespected by this bowl selection and took to social media to express that.
“Feels like a slap in the face,” offensive lineman Scott Morgan tweeted.
A-back Qua Sercy: “How do we finish FOURTH in the ACC and get the lowest bowl in the ACC!!! HOW!!!”
Quarterback TaQuon Marshall: “I’m baffled at this bowl game.”
The Belk Bowl seemed like the most likely destination since it’s played in Charlotte and they would have played an SEC team. Virginia was selected to that game despite losing to the Ramblin Wreck. They also were not picked for the Pinstripe and Military Bowl over teams they beat (Miami & Virginia Tech).
One thing that played a factor is attendance. The Yellow Jackets average home attendance (43,087) is the lowest since 2001, which was before Bobby Dodd Stadium’s capacity was expanded. It will be Tech’s first bowl game outside of the Southeast or Texas since playing in the Humanitarian Bowl in 2007 in Boise, Idaho.
This is the first game between Minnesota and Georgia Tech. The Golden Gophers (6 -6) were 3-6 in Big Ten play. This should be a good way to send Paul Johnson out with a win. The Jackets will be short one player, quarterback James Graham who is academically ineligible. He is the backup behind Marshall and No. 2 Tobias Oliver.
Tech is healthy and should have all available weapons for the bowl game.
“I’ve tried to approach it like every other game,” Johnson said. “It’s more about the players. They’re the ones who won six of the last eight games and we want to try to give them a good plan to get ready to go play and certainly (we) want to go out as a winner if we can. That’s been all my effort.”
Tech leads the nation in rushing, averaging 335 yards per game. This is the final game using the triple option so we can expect a heavy dose of the ground game. Minnesota is ranked 63rd in total defense so I don’t expect them to stop the rushing attack.
The Gophers have some explosive weapons on offense. Wide receiver Tyler Johnson leads the team with 1,112 yards, 10 touchdowns and averages 15 yards per catch. Freshman running back Mohamed Ibrahim has 936 yards and 7 TD’s. They had an injury to starting freshman QB Zack Annexstad back in October and he was replaced by Tanner Morgan. They’re almost identical statistically, both throwing over 1,200 yards.
This should be a high scoring game but I expect Georgia Tech to win.
New Heights For Eagles?
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Southern spent an entire offseason working towards the goal of erasing the memories of a disastrous 2017 campaign.
A pair of wins and some high points in a game at Clemson have shown that the Eagles are definitely on more solid ground this season, but this Saturday provides Southern with a chance to show that it is not only on the mend but a force to be reckoned with in the Sun Belt.
Every preseason poll made it clear that the prognosticators thought that Arkansas State, Troy and Appalachian State were the three teams with a chance to take home the Sun Belt title.
Georgia Southern can’t complain about the lack of attention after last season’s showing, but a defense that is taking to a new 3-4 scheme quicker than expected and an offense that is under the control of a much more confident looking Shai Werts leaves the Eagles looking much less vulnerable than they were for most of 2017.
The Eagles’ search for a revived option offense has shown signs of success, but is still a work in progress.
Head coach Chad Lunsford and offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse have been consistent in saying that the envisioned offense is much more dynamic than what has been seen so far, but that they want to see all of the building blocks of the scheme executed well before opening things up.
That leaves a lot on the Eagle defense, which has shifted seamlessly into a new 3-4 scheme.
Georgia Southern hopes that the third time will be the charm against Arkansas State. The Eagles have forced five turnovers from the Red Wolves in each of the last two meetings, but don’t have a win to show for it.
A loss on Saturday will be a bump in the road for the building momentum in Statesboro, while a win could put the Eagles’ rebuild a year ahead of schedule.
If history holds true, this week is the best chance for the Eagles to prove that they can compete in the Sun Belt.
Arkansas State has had sporadic overall records over the last decade, but the Red Wolves have been the most consistent power in Sun Belt play over that span.
The defending conference champs are riding high after notching their first back-to-back non-conference wins since moving up to FBS in 1992, giving the Wolves all the confidence in the world that another big conference run is around the corner.
Another stellar ASU defense is complemented by preseason Player of the Year Justice Hanson at quarterback for the Wolves, who is in turn surrounded by a bevy of talented skill position players.
Similarly talented Red Wolves teams have struggled to get through GS defenses over the last two years, but they still have a pair of wins to show for the effort.
For the Eagles, even a hard-fought loss would be a positive, but that’s not how they’ll be looking at Saturday’s game.
With well over 20,000 expected to pack into Paulson Stadium on Saturday night, the Eagles are riding a wave of momentum that wasn’t felt during the previous coaching administration.
If that leads to a win over Arkansas State, the thinking around Statesboro will quickly shift from wondering if the team is actually good to wondering just how good it can be.
National Championship Game Breakdown
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC takes center stage in the biggest game of the college football season, with the conference’s two best teams finally getting an opportunity to settle it on the field.
This matchup should have taken place the first weekend of December, but Auburn ruined that as the Tigers upset the Tide at Auburn on November 25th.
This championship game between Georgia and Alabama has a lot of twists and plots. Georgia with second year coach Kirby Smart going against his mentor Nick Saban, who holds a perfect 11-0 mark against former assistants. Smart served as Saban’s defensive coordinator for years in Tuscaloosa before coming home to UGA.
Alabama beat up Clemson 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl and UGA outscored Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl 54-48 to get to this game which will be played in brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ticket prices are through the roof and this ticket may be the priciest in the history of sports events in the state of Georgia.
Keys to the game:
Which Quarterback plays the best? Alabama QB Jalen Hurts has taken some heat from the Tide nation recently with his play but all he does is win as a starting Tide signal caller and has his team playing in the title game for the second year in a row as a starter.
Georgia freshman Jake Fromm looks like a seasoned veteran with the Bulldog offense and the game tying TD drive with Oklahoma in regulation is the stuff legends are made of.
Fromm is a better passer and Hurts is a better runner. In the end this game may be decided by the mobility of a QB. Advantage: Hurts and Alabama.
Which Offensive line holds up best? Both of the units were dominated by the Auburn defensive front in the Iron Bowl, and first UGA/AU matchup at Auburn. Both groups learned something from it.
Georgia dominated Auburn up front in the SEC title game, and Alabama handled the great Clemson DL in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama is dealing with an injury to a starting OG Cotton Jr. and UGA is coming in healthy. Advantage: Georgia
Coaching? Nick Saban is the best head coach in football. Kirby knows the Alabama way and has changed the culture at UGA, but in the end Nick has five national titles. Advantage: Alabama
Atmosphere surrounding game? Yes, Alabama has been here before. This game is in Atlanta and is the biggest game for UGA since the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Georgia looks like a team of destiny. Advantage: UGA
Positional Group Analysis:
QB: Hurts or Fromm? Slight advantage to Alabama.
RB: Both teams are loaded here. Chubb, Michel, Swift, Holyfield, Herrien. Advantage: Georgia
OL: Both groups are solid. The Tide is dealing with an injury to a starter. Advantage: Georgia
WR: Calvin Ridley is the best WR on the field during this game for Alabama, but who else steps up for the Tide? Wims, Godwin, and the TE’s make it tilt UGA’s way. Advantage: Georgia
DL: Alabama is better than UGA here. Advantage; Alabama
LB: Two words for you. Roquan Smith. Alabama is beat up here. Advantage: Georgia
DB: Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best DB in America. Advantage: Alabama
Special Teams: Alabama is slightly better at punter and UGA is light years better at FG kicker with Rod Blankenship. Mecole Hardman is ready to explode on the national stage for UGA. Don’t be surprised if he has a big kick return in this game. Advantage: Georgia.
Vegas has Alabama as a slight favorite, but Lorenzo Carter, Sony Michel, and Nick Chubb all came back to UGA for their senior seasons and turned down big NFL money. This is a magical season for UGA and the championship game is in Georgia’s capital Atlanta.
Prediction: Georgia 24- 20. The University of Georgia your 2017 College Football National Champions in a season that will never be forgotten in state of Georgia.
LSU Tigers Preview
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Bayou Bengals found themselves in a situation last year very reminiscent to the one UGA faced at the end of 2015.
Season after season ended in mediocrity, and elite player after elite player never realized their potential, only to dominate later in the NFL. In a word, the program had stagnated.
So, like Georgia, they moved on from their long time coach in Les Miles. Unlike Georgia however, they didn’t go for the upstart coordinator, and didn’t even flirt with the usual suspects that fans typically clamor for when a job of this magnitude opens up.
They, instead, went with a coach already on the staff, one the players would rally around during a turbulent time; Ed Orgeron. A Louisiana native with an accent thicker than jambalaya, and a coaching resume that spans the length of the country.
Today we take a look at what to expect out of the Tigers in 2017.
Florida Gators Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are entering Jim McElwain’s third year as the head coach in Gainesville. The Gators won the SEC East the last two years.
Auburn Preview
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Gus Malzahn and the Auburn Tigers enter 2017 in an interesting position.
With the transfer signing of quarterback Jarrett Stidham and the return of the SEC’s leading rusher, Kamryn Pettway, the Tiger’s are optimistic they can revive their offense.
On defense, the Tigers face the unenviable task of replacing 3rd round pick, Montravious Adams and 4th round pick, Carl Lawson. Tray Matthews should step in as the emotional and vocal leader of the unit, but the jury is still out on if this defense can withstand a pretty brutal gauntlet of opposing offenses.
Just like with any team, Auburn has plenty of question marks. Do they have enough answers to stand up to LSU and Alabama?
Who’s coming back?
Offense: Auburn returns nine starters on offense this year, including the dynamic running back tandem of Kam Pettway and Kerryon Johnson. The duo combined for an outstanding 2,119 yards on the ground in 2016. Those numbers should only improve if new QB Jarrett Stidham can open up the field with the deep passing game.
Gone is leading receiver, Tony Stevens. I say “leading receiver” in the most apathetic way possible, as Stevens only accumulated 487 yards through the air and the next best was over a hundred yards behind him.
To say the passing game was weak last year would be like saying Nick Saban takes his football serious. Rising sophomores Darius Slayton and Kyle Davis will be leaned upon heavily, but showed promise last year.
The line is the best unit on the team. Redshirt Senior Darius James is the corner stone of a group made up completely of upper classmen. At least two of these guys will be picked in the first three rounds next year, and will be paving the way on the Flats all season.
Defense: On defense, Auburn returns seven starters. Adams and Lawson are gone, and that can’t be understated. Pass rush is a major question, but Auburn can take solace in the fact that it’s secondary and linebacking corps are rock solid.
Senior Tre’ Williams returns at inside linebacker to lead a group that could be the most underrated in the conference.
In the secondary, Seniors Tray Matthews and Stephon Roberts will be shutting down quarterbacks and stuffing running backs with reckless abandon.
If the secondary can hold up long enough for the pass rush to find its’ stride, this could be a very good bunch.
Biggest thing that has to happen to have a great season? Gus Malzahn and Chip Lindsey find a groove: Make no mistake, this is still Gus Malzahn’s offense, but Chip Lindsey was brought in from Arizona State to open up the passing game and bring it back from the laughing stock it has been since Nick Marshall left.
If the brilliance of Gus’ running attack can blend with Lindsey’s aerial attack, Auburn’s offense could be elite.
Biggest thing that could spell disaster for Auburn? Stidham isn’t the savior: Jarrett Stidham is in an unenviable position.
Not since the days of Cam Newton has a quarterback had as much preseason pressure thrusted upon him on the Flats as Stidham has.
The worst thing that could happen to Auburn is if he’s just… ok. If Stidham doesn’t come out and light it up, Malzahn might regress to his old habit and hop back on the quarterback carousel. If this happens, prepare for another seven or eight win season on the Flats.
Expect Stidham to be somewhere in the middle, between Messiah and bust. The Tigers have two great backs to lean on, and will be solid on defense.
A bunch of things have to fall their way to make it to Atlanta, and don’t count on them happening. This will be a good season for Auburn fans, but probably not the great one they’re getting their hopes up for.
Prediction: 8 – 4 Outback Bowl
Braves SunTrust Park Preview
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On Saturday March 25, the Braves opened up SunTrust Park to a few thousand fans to get a first look at the new stadium before the games start on the 31st with an exhibition game against the Yankees.
I was one of the happy few who was admitted. Stakes are high for the Braves with their brand-new complex – one that not only includes their new ballpark but also contains The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use development of shopping, dining, office buildings and apartments.
