TheSouthernSportsEdition.com
Who Will Win ACC Title?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
By this time next week we’ll know the conference champions for each Power 5 conference and the four-playoff teams. I’m going to preview the ACC championship game.
The Dr. Pepper ACC Football Championship Game is this Saturday night in Orlando, FL. It’s a matchup between No. 3 Clemson and No. 19 Virginia Tech. Clemson (11-1, 7-1 ACC) is trying to win its second consecutive conference championship and College Football Playoff appearance.
The Tigers have been very inconsistent this year. Some of that is because they are replacing several talented players that are now in the NFL. Coach Dabo Swinney has to get them to play more disciplined and consistent.
“This is the best team I’ve had since I’ve been (at Clemson),” said Swinney. “It’s a little frustrating at times, because I think sometimes these guys are held to a little bit different standard than some of these other teams out there. I don’t know what some people are looking at, but these guys have played well all year.”
That starts with the play of super star quarterback Deshaun Watson. He had a breakout season last year passing for over 4,000 yards and rushing for over 1,100. He only had 13 interceptions in 2015 and he already has 14 this season. His rushing total has also drastically dropped to under 500 yards.
In the loss to Pittsburgh Watson threw for 580 yards completing 74% of his passes but he also tossed 3 picks. The Tigers have played better the last two games so it looks like they might have finally found their niche.
The running game is what helped get them back on track. Junior Wayne Gallman has battled injuries but he’s finally getting healthy. Gallman averages over 5 yards per carry and he helps to take pressure off of Watson.
The Tigers are a balanced team that can also play defense. They rank 9th in the nation in total defense allowing 308 yards per game and 17 points per game.
Va Tech (9-3, 6-2) is doing well under first year head coach Justin Fuente. Fuente is tied for the most wins by a first-year Tech coach with C.P. Miles (went 9-1 in 1905). This is Virginia Tech’s first ACC Championship game appearance since 2011.
“Life has been pretty good, to be honest with you,” said Fuente. “We all have things that we’re trying to overcome, program wise. Change has been incredibly smooth (at Tech), but there hasn’t been anything to me that’s stuck out that’s been a huge thorn in our side.”
Junior QB Jerod Evans leads the Hokies with over 3,000 yards, 26 touchdowns and 5 picks. He also completes 64% of his passes. His top three targets have over 600 yards and four touchdowns each.
Tech is coming off of a two game winning streak so they have momentum going for them. They play well on defense as well coming in at 20th in the country in total defense.
If Clemson wins their guaranteed to make the College Football Playoffs again. The Tigers have a lot at stake so I expect them to feel the pressure. The game will be very competitive in the first half. I expect the superior talent of Clemson to take over in the second half and they’ll put the game out of reach.
Which Band Does Your SEC Coach Compare To?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been a disaster of a year for the SEC. Instead of piling on and writing about how most of the teams have underachieved, or how Joe Alleva screwed up the Orgeron hire, I want to do something a little more light hearted.
Hopefully bring some overdue joy to what has been an otherwise unwelcoming football season for SEC fans.
ESPN recently released a list of all the college coaches along with their favorite bands. Sure, it’s not hard hitting journalism by any stretch, but if you’ve read anything I’ve written over the past two years (and my affinity for anything pop culture) you had to know I was going to be piggybacking off that article.
So, here’s how it’s going to go. Obviously, I’m just going to focus on the SEC coaches, and instead of talking about what band they chose, I’ll assign a group/artist that I think they are most like. In order not to stray too far, I’ll attempt to stay within the same genre.
In alphabetical order, according to school:
Nick Saban. ESPN: Eagles. JJ: Led Zeppelin. Zeppelin is not only considered one of the greatest bands of all time, but their music was in your face and unapologetic, especially whenever they played live. Sound familiar?
Bret Bielema. ESPN: The Temptations. JJ: The Dramatics. Neither are bad, but both are easily forgotten compared to their peers.
Gus Malzahn. ESPN: The Cars. JJ: Maroon 5. I didn’t think either would still be relevant going into 2017.
Jim McElwain. ESPN: Earth, Wind, and Fire. JJ: Earth, Wind, and Fire. McElwain could master all three and Florida fans still wouldn’t care unless he mastered an SEC Championship too.
Kirby Smart. ESPN: The Rolling Stones. JJ: Slash’s Snakepit. Slash left one of the biggest bands in the world and formed the Snakepit. I don’t need to explain the similarities, right?
Mark Stoops. ESPN: Toby Keith. JJ: Sam Hunt. I don’t listen to Sam Hunt and I don’t watch Kentucky football.
Ed Orgeron. ESPN: Creedence Clearwater Revival. JJ: CCR. There’s nothing wrong with Creedence, but much like Orgeron, I have to believe that people in the bayou think much more highly of them than anywhere else in the country.
Dan Mullen. ESPN: U2. JJ: Dan Wilson. If you listened to music at all in the 90’s you had to have heard Semisonic’s “Closing Time”. Wilson was the lead singer of Semisonic. He’s had some minor hits as a solo artist, and has written songs for other groups (Dixie Chicks), but nothing has been as big as that late 90’s song. 2014 is Dan Mullen’s “Closing Time.”
Barry Odom. ESPN: Blake Shelton. JJ: Jason Aldean. Basically, they look like they could be brothers.
Hugh Freeze. ESPN: Chris Tomlin. JJ: Chris Tomlin. Considering the NCAA sanctions Ole Miss may face, Freeze needs to get as close with God as possible.
Will Muschamp. ESPN: George Strait. JJ: Taylor Swift. I’m juvenile and I think it’s funny.
Rodriguez Bargain For Braves
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After striking quickly on both R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon, the Braves continued their offseason feast on Thanksgiving morning by agreeing to a 2-year, $11. 5 million-dollar deal with super utility man Sean Rodriguez.
At first glance, this deal doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. Rodriguez is a part-time player, and part-time players usually don’t break the bank in free agency. What’s interesting is that Rodriguez isn’t your ordinary part time player, and that might quickly make this deal a real bargain for the Braves.
To understand what Rodriguez is, we must understand what he was. Prior to 2016, he posted no higher than a .716 OPS in parts of eight seasons for the Angels, Rays, and Pirates. In those eight seasons, Rodriguez only broke 400 plate appearances one time, and only reached double-digit home runs once with 12.
For players like Rodriguez to survive in the majors, they must adapt. If they become too one-dimensional, their days on big league rosters are numbered. Through his athleticism, Rodriguez was able to survive by producing value with his glove. As a result, the 2016 version of Sean Rodriguez was a multi-positional asset that could plug just about any hole in the Pirates lineup.
In 2016, he exploded offensively, putting up an .859 OPS in 342 plate appearances over 140 games. Because of the low number of plate appearances for that level of production, you would think that Rodriguez is a perfect example of a lefty-mashing platoon hitter, but that’s not entirely true.
Of his 342 plate appearances, only 94 came against left handed pitching. When given his opportunities against southpaws, he did his damage with a .286/.415/.519 to go along with four home runs, four doubles, and a triple. Still, only 94 plate appearances shows that the Pirates didn’t think was only deployable against lefties.
In his other 248 plate appearances, Rodriguez still put up nice numbers. With a .265/.324/.507 slash to go along with a healthy 14 home runs and 12 doubles.
Obviously, we don’t know how he would have performed with another 250 plate appearances in 2016. But, we can confidently believe that his lack of an everyday spot in the lineup was not his fault.
In a crowded Pittsburg infield that included Jung-Ho Kang, Josh Harrison, David Freese, Jordy Mercer, John Jaso, and then-top prospect Josh Bell all competing for playing time at just four positions, Rodriguez wasn’t given the plate appearances his performance warranted.
Looking forward for the Pirates, Rodriguez was a luxury that they ended up deeming not worth the $5-7 million per year offers he was looking at receiving on the open market.
For the Braves, however, veteran position players are hard to spot on their roster that’s been stripped down to the bone over the last two years. His value increases on that team with an opportunity to amass over 500 plate appearances while providing good defense at multiple positions.
With his high level of performance and positional flexibility, it’s hard to imagine that the $5.5 million in annual average value he received isn’t a bargain for the type of production he’s capable of at multiple positions.
Like pitch framing, there isn’t a perfect way to account for positional flexibility, how it affects a player’s total value to his team, and how it translates into dollars – just look at World Series MVP Ben Zobrist.
Moving forward to 2017, the Braves secured someone they could plug in at second base and immediately see top-level production. Through the adjustments he made in his swing, Rodriguez could be considered a 20 home run threat for at least 2017.
If he continues to provide the above-average defense he’s known for, Rodriguez could provide the type of value that will make him the free agent bargain of the offseason.
Glynn’s Season Ends
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2016 campaign for the Glynn Academy Red Terrors ended at the hands of the Northside Warner Robins Eagles, 42-20.
In my opinion, this was not a game that Northside won, but instead a game that Glynn beat themselves. The Terrors turned the ball over four times and the Eagles put up 21 points off of those four turnovers.
Typically, Glynn has been the team forcing the turnovers all season long. It was just not their night.
The Red Terrors went to the half trailing 28-7 and came out in third quarter and scored a TD, giving the Glynn faithful some hope for a comeback. Don’t forget the Terrors came back from a 24-7 deficit last season in the Elite 8 against Stockbridge to advance to the Final Four. The turning point in that game was the Terrors’ goal line stand late in the 3rd quarter which turned the game on its head. That stand will forever be known in Glynn lore as the ‘Stand in Stockbridge”.
However, the Red Terrors would have no such come back against the Eagles. Northside’s defense proved to be just as fast as Glynn’s offense and made it tough on Glynn’s offense all night. The Terrors did actually end up with more yards in the game than the Eagles, but when you turn the ball over four times and once on downs it makes it really tough to win a football game.
After the Terrors scored a late touchdown to make the score 35-20 it looked like there was still some hope for a miraculous comeback. However, Northside scored on an onside kick attempt to push the lead back out to three scores and the Terrors season would end shortly after.
Northside Warner Robins has proven to be quite the thorn in the Red Terrors side as they have now knocked Glynn out of the playoffs 3 of the last 5 years. The Eagles beat the Terrors in 2011 in the first round, then again in 2014 in the Elite 8 and then again, this season in the Elite 8.
The last time the Eagles beat Glynn it was en route to state title. Northside is hoping history repeats itself. The Eagles will play Tucker in the semifinals.
As for the Red Terrors, this most recent run marks the 3rd consecutive year they have made the Elite 8 and the second straight region title for Glynn.
Though, the season is over there was much to be proud of for the Red Terrors.
Looking ahead to 2017 the region will still be the same with BHS, Richmond Hill, Effingham, and Bradwell. The Terrors will be favored to bring home a 3rd straight region title.
I also think it is fitting to say farewell to DeeJay Dallas, I have covered high school football in every corner of this great state for almost 15 years and I have never seen a player more talented at the high school level than DeeJay Dallas. Glynn will miss him but will have a more than capable Randon Jernigan to take the reins next season.
Congrats on a great season Red Terrors.
Former BHS Pirate Darius Slay Makes Big Play For Lions
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Former Brunswick High Pirate Darius Slay had quite a Thanksgiving as he led the first place Detroit Lions to another comeback victory over the Minnesota Vikings yesterday to keep the Lions moving towards a playoff berth.
The interception with 30 seconds left in the game set up a Matt Prater 38 yard field goal that gave the surging Lions its sixth win in last seven games.
This Lions team without Slay would probably have at least two more losses on the season as Slay’s late game heroics also sealed a win against the Eagles earlier this year. The season sweep over the Vikings now gives the Lions basically a two game lead in the NFC North Division.
Nothing I see out of Darius Slay ever surprises me. He is quite frankly the most gifted athlete I have ever seen walk the halls at Brunswick High School. His 4.3 speed and ball hawking skills make him a super athlete and well worth with the $50 million extension he signed before the season.
Coming off the hamstring injury that caused him to miss two games, Slay seemed to struggle a bit against the Jaguars last Sunday. He more than made up for that yesterday, as he continues to play a big role on a Lion defense that just rises to the occasion when it needs to.
He made a great play in the first quarter that forced an interception that was flagged for a bogus pass interference call, and just seemed to be on top of every snap that went in his direction.
The Vikings appeared to pick up a third-down conversion with less than a minute left, but Cordarrele Patterson lined up illegally on the play. After the illegal formation penalty, Slay picked off Bradford, who the Vikings traded a first-round pick for right before the season started.
The Lions’ schedule isn’t easy the rest of the way. They still have road games left at the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. But now they have a margin for error. They lead the Vikings by a game and have the tiebreaker. They have a two-and-a-half game lead over the third-place Green Bay Packers. It’s their division to lose now.
Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the Lions have just three division titles: 1983, 1991 and 1993. Slay’s big play yesterday keeps the Lions on track to win a division title for the first time in 23 years. Yes 23 years which happens to be Big Play Slay’s number.
Nobody picked these Lions to be special this year. Heck, they have not won a championship in almost 60 years, but little did I know that a former BHS Pirate would be their lock down pro bowl type CB.
When Slay jumped that route yesterday I sprang to my feet and yelled “that’s a Pirate who made that play”.
Slay even gave a shout out to the Glynn Academy Red Terrors in his post game interview on the field just after the game. That is hometown pride from a home town hero.
SSE Minute November 22
Georgia Bulldogs versus Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This is a bittersweet time in college football. We’re down to the final week of the regular season. The highlight of this is the many in state rivalry games. We get match ups like Alabama vs. Auburn, Clemson vs. South Carolina, Florida vs. Florida State, USC vs. UCLA and Washington vs. Washington State.
You see where I’m going with this. These games might not decide a spot in the playoffs but they are for bragging rights for the next 364 days. My favorite game is Georgia versus Georgia Tech. This game is called Clean, Old Fashioned Hate for a reason. They first played in 1893 making it one of the oldest rivalries in the country.
This has been a very one-sided rivalry especially as of late. Since the year 2000 UGA is 13-3 against Tech. Paul Johnson is only 2-6 in the series after becoming the Yellow Jackets head coach in December 2007. I think his record is something to keep in mind depending on the outcome of this game.
Georgia Tech (7-4) has had a decent season but it’s a drastic improvement over last year when they finished 3-9. They’re led by senior quarterback Justin Thomas. He’s very good at running the spread option offense that Coach Paul Johnson is known for.
Thomas has over 550 rushing yards and averages 4.6 yards per carry. They don’t pass often but when they do Thomas normally takes long shots down the field. He only averages 6.7 completions per game and he has close to 1,300 passing yards.
Georgia (7-4) is experiencing some growing pains under first year head coach Kirby Smart. They got rid of their most successful coach since the Vince Dooley era last year for not winning enough big games. Smart has to be feeling some pressure especially knowing that it’s tough to reach the unrealistic expectations of the UGA fan base.
The Bulldogs are led by true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason. He was Gatorade Football Player of the Year in 2015. His father Tony was an NFL quarterback that also played in a Super Bowl so he seems to have the pedigree for a successful career. He’s only completing 55% of his passes with 13 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. He’s going through growing pains now but the experience he’s getting should pay off next season.
We tell our kids all the time: You’re remembered by what your senior class does and what your record is against Georgia Tech. So I think the same case as any rivalry. You’ve got to keep it within the grasp of your emotions. You play with emotion, but you’ve got to play with controlled emotion. You’ve got to make good decisions on the field. You’ve got to prepare well,” Smart said.
Neither team is ranked but I expect this to be one of the best rivalry games this weekend. Both teams are already bowl eligible but the winner can possibly have a nine-win season with a win in this game and the bowl game. That will provide a lot of momentum going into the offseason.
They play in Athens at noon Saturday. I think being at home is a big advantage for Georgia. They also have superior talent to Georgia Tech so I expect them to win. Georgia is having a down year so if Georgia Tech still can’t win this game they should look at changing coaches immediately.
Glynn Show November 20
Ryan Tannehill Worth Miami Dolphins Money
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Last summer I wrote a piece revolving around the contract extensions given to Cam Newton and Ryan Tannehill, focusing more on the Dolphins and how they really didn’t have a choice considering there weren’t a lot of alternatives for them to choose from.
I still stand by my opinion at the time I wrote it, but much like the dumbbells I own collecting dust underneath my bed, amongst my wife’s photo albums and lord knows what else, I wonder if Miami is starting to have buyer’s remorse?
What started out as a disastrous beginning to the season for Miami (1-4) has turned around somewhat of late. Their offensive line has been playing better, opening up some nice running lanes for Jay Ajayi, who has become one of the league’s leading rushers. Their defense is finally starting to live up to the exceedingly high expectations they were burdened with to start the season, and they are right in the middle of the playoff hunt.
I really want to jump on the Dolphins’ bandwagon and believe that not only will they make the playoffs, but make a run at New England once they get there. I have confidence in the ground game and feel better about their defense with every passing week, but I just can’t bring myself to jump aboard. Mainly, because of Tannehill.
It’s not that I think Tannehill is a horrible quarterback or anything, I just don’t have a lot of confidence in him. I mean, I like the fact I can buy a large cheese pizza from Little Caesar’s for $5. However, don’t confuse my enthusiasm that for so little money I can feed my kids and myself for a night while my wife is out with the fact that I’m actually going to enjoy that pizza. No matter how much I enjoy saving the money it’s not something I want to do with any type of regularity.
To be completely fair and honest though, I must admit my prognostications over the past two months have been anything but stellar. Seriously, take a look and you’ll see a losing streak that should put me on every bookie’s Christmas card list. So, don’t be surprised at all if Tannehill all of a sudden becomes the second coming of Dan Marino.
If you’re a Miami fan, you’d better hope that happens because you don’t have a plethora of other options, if it doesn’t.
Because Tannehill makes so much money it will be extremely difficult to find a trade partner if management decides they want to move him. And you can’t cut him since his release would end in what I would assume to be a huge salary cap hit. For better or worse, he is the Dolphins quarterback over the next few years.
I’m not saying Miami is anywhere near making such a drastic decision like either of those two options would be. But if you feel like you have a team that can make a playoff run (they do), and your quarterback may be the reason you are hesitant to look too far into it (he probably is), you’d like to have a little bit of flexibility, if needed.
Tannehill seems to have all the attributes that you look for in your starting quarterback, but for whatever reason just can’t put it all together on a consistent basis. If Miami is going to make a run at the playoffs they’ll need him to prove me wrong. If the past few months have taught me anything, my money is on Tannehill.
Glynn Academy Terrors Beat Allatoona Buccaneers
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The rematch of last year’s state title game took place in the second round of the GHSA 6A playoffs.
The Allatoona Buccaneers, who beat the Glynn Academy Red Terrors last season in the Georgia Dome 10-6, took the five-hour trip from Acworth to Glynn County Stadium.
Most felt the Terrors were the better team this time around by far. However, the Bucs took the opening drive of the game right down the field and put themselves in field goal range. Allatoona lined up for the kick and that kick sailed left and no good. The game was over at that point.
Glynn opened up on offense and scored on a 47-yard TD pass by DeeJay Dallas to Quandre Mosely; a thing of beauty
By the half the Terrors had built a 20-0 advantage, which included a double pass for a touchdown; another thing of beauty. Dallas threw to Randon Jernigan behind the line of scrimmage and then went out a few yards for Jernigan to make a pass back across field to him. When Dallas caught the pass he had a convoy of blockers which lead him to the end zone for a 58-yard score.
Allatoona came out in the second half hoping to right the ship and get back into the game. Instead Glynn scored the first TD of the second half to give themselves a 27-0 lead. The Buccaneers then threw an interception on the ensuing possession and the Red Terrors punched that into the end zone and just like that it was 34-0 and at that point any hopes of a second half rally by Allatoona had ended.
Glynn had a 40-0 lead heading into the 4th quarter, which meant the defending state champs would be on a running clock in the 4th quarter; GHSA’s version of the mercy rule.
The Red Terrors had won 47-7 when the clock read 0:00 and eliminated the defending state champions.
Next up for Glynn Academy will the Northside Warner Robins Eagles, who are a perennial power house. As a matter fact, just two short years ago Northside won the state title and beat Glynn Academy in the Elite 8 on their way to the Georgia Dome.
The Eagles have beaten Grovetown and Langston Hughes to get to this point in the playoffs. Northside Warner Robins comes in with a 10-2 record and are no stranger to winning playoff games on the road, which they will have to do to advance against Glynn as the Terrors are the higher seed and will be at home in the friendly confines of Glynn County Stadium. Glynn Academy is undefeated at home this season.
It will be a great game. In my opinion, the winner of that game will be the team the limits the running game of the opposing offense the most as both teams are heavily run oriented teams.
