2/20 SoCon Pick'Em Thread

[Mocs123]

Spring SoCon football is here.


VMI @ Chattanooga – Postponed
Mercer @ Wofford
Samford @ ETSU
Western Carolina @ Furman

Who do you have?

[Mocs123]

VMI 1
Chattanooga 0 - I'm not sure how the SoCon is handling this game, but since neither team has a window to make this up, I assume this will be a forfeit for the Mocs

Mercer 17
Wofford 20 - I think Wofford has lost a lot of talent from last years team and have been distracted by Conklin's two interviews this winter. Mercer is probably a better team than most realize, and I think Cronic is a good coach. I'm not calling an upset here, but I am going to call a close game here.

Samford 31
ETSU 21 - Samford is the SoCon's Jekyll and Hyde team. They can be very good when their offense is clicking, and very bad when it isn't. They also tend to play well early in the season. ETSU is still looking for the heart and soul guy after Herink graduated, so I say the Bulldogs beat the Bucs by 10.

Western Carolina - 10
Furman - 38 - Furman is the team to beat in the SoCon this spring and one of the schools that really wanted to play a spring season. I wouldn't be surprised to see them run the table this spring, and the Catamounts can do little to stop them, particularly at home.

[PaladinNation]

I will agree with Mocs… Clay was very disappointed in not playing in the fall (he was quoted as saying we've got what I believe is a very good football team). If desire to play leads to effort on the field Furman is as hungry a team as I've seen in a long time.

One other note - Furman just released its depth chart. Has several surprises. One thing to watch is Furman lists many positions as three deep - with a lot of or this player or this player. The word is the last two recruiting classes are pushing for PT several are gonna start - including a walk-on linebacker.

[OhioHen]

Wofford by 7
Samford by 13
Furman by 24

[FUBeAR]

Furman by 101
Sammy by 10.1
Mercer by 1.01
VMI by .101

[SU DOG]

Wofford by 17. I had it closer until I saw where the Bears will be without Tyray Devezin - BIG loss.
Samford by 14. Mocs 123 is right though, we are Jekyll and Hyde. Hope Hatcher doesn't jerk QBs around.
Furman by 24. Paladins look like THE team in the SoCon this year.

Also pull for SoCon to win over covid. Anyone else feel like this is some kind of alternate universe?

[walliver]

My picks:
COVID 2 - VMI/Chattanooga 0
Wofford 28 - Mercer 16 - This will be the second try at Wofford's new offense, this time with the personnel to run it and Mercer's first go with a new offense
Samford 35 - ETSU 31 - I really don't have a good feel for either team, and with Samford you never know what will happen from week to week - Sometimes Hatcher's teams look great, sometimes they don't.
Furman 42 - WCU 10 - The Horsies tend to score a lot against all but the best defenses.

Unlike the fall season's frequent shuffling of the schedules, I suspect spring games will be played as scheduled or not played.

[Mocs123]

walliver - is there concern with the Terrier faithful about moving away from the TO? It seems like a perfect fit for Wofford, which is a very small (my HS was larger), liberal arts school with tough admissions standards. I would assume that it would be tough for the Terriers to recruit as good of athletes as the top tier FCS schools and the TO was a great equalizer. I never thought Ayers had the most talented roster in the SoCon, but he always had good teams. The TO seems to work for schools that have a tough time recruiting like The Citadel, Army, Navy, Cal-Poly, etc. And I don't mean that as a slight at all, but just that at a school like Wofford the pool of athletes that are able be accepted to the school is smaller. The Ivy's and Stanford are somewhat exempt from this due to national name recognition, that other schools with similarly tough admission standards don't have.

[bonarae]

Wofford
Samford
Furman


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[walliver]

walliver - is there concern with the Terrier faithful about moving away from the TO? It seems like a perfect fit for Wofford, which is a very small (my HS was larger), liberal arts school with tough admissions standards. I would assume that it would be tough for the Terriers to recruit as good of athletes as the top tier FCS schools and the TO was a great equalizer. I never thought Ayers had the most talented roster in the SoCon, but he always had good teams. The TO seems to work for schools that have a tough time recruiting like The Citadel, Army, Navy, Cal-Poly, etc. And I don't mean that as a slight at all, but just that at a school like Wofford the pool of athletes that are able be accepted to the school is smaller. The Ivy's and Stanford are somewhat exempt from this due to national name recognition, that other schools with similarly tough admission standards don't have.

It had become very hard to find good TO QB's. Very few high schools still run the triple option, and most of the few true TO QB's would be picked up by Georgia Tech or Navy. We recruited a number of read-option QB's, but many of them weren't built for the triple option. Obviously the attempt at a new offense didn't go well last year, but that was an offense forced on players recruited for a different offense. We completed spring training last year and had all fall to practice the new offense. Still, it wouldn't surprise me if the triple option doesn't reappear at some point. After all, we first ran the triple option in 1969, so it never really leaves.

[FUBeAR]

Mercer publishes their 1st (kinda, sorta) Real Season depth chart under the new staff...

No Riddle, No Payton, No Devezin
1 interesting “OR” on there...

MERCER DEPTH CHART

Specialists
Punter
97 Grant Goupil (6-1; 184; RJr.; Lake Mary, Fla.)
92 Caleb Dowden (5-11; 174; RSo.; Statesboro, Ga.)
Place Kicker
92 Caleb Dowden (5-11; 174; RSo.; Statesboro, Ga.)
93 Devin Folser (6-2; 170; So.; McDonough, Ga.)
Kickoff Specialist
93 Devin Folser (6-2; 170; So.; McDonough, Ga.)
92 Caleb Dowden (5-11; 174; RSo.; Statesboro, Ga.)
Long Snapper
62 Zach Lassiter (6-0; 194; So.; Cochran, Ga.)
87 Pedro Rodriguez (6-3; 257; RFr.; Lake Mary, Fla.)
Holder
18 Harrison Frost (6-1; 195; RJr.; Kennesaw, Ga.)
97 Grant Goupil (6-1; 184; RJr.; Lake Mary, Fla.)
Kick Return
9 Michael Campbell (6-0; 190; Jr.; Darien, Ga.)
1 Deondre Johnson (5-7; 175; RSo.; Reidsville, Ga.)
14 Nakendrick Clark (5-9; 200; Gr.; Statesville, N.C.)
8 Brandon Marshall (5-7; 185; RFr.; Jacksonville, Fla.)
Punt Return
17 Landon Miller (5-10; 180; RSo.; Macon, Ga.)
2 Yahsyn McKee (5-10; 172; So.; Stockbridge, Ga.)

Offense
Left Tackle
73 John Thomas (6-3; 300; So.; Marietta, Ga.)
77 Trey Iorillo (6-3; 311; RJr.; Kennesaw, Ga.)
Left Guard
59 Bailey Clark (6-2; 287; RJr.; Savannah, Ga.)
56 Collin Foster (6-3; 260; Jr.; Buford, Ga.)
Center
74 Luke Barlow (6-2; 275; Fr.; Savannah, Ga.)
64 Riley Adcock (6-0; 270; Fr.; Dacula, Ga.)
Right Guard
57 John Harris (6-3; 285; RSo.; Hoschton, Ga.)
67 Ni Mansell (6-3; 270; Fr.; Anderson, S.C.)
Right Tackle
70 Santo DeFranco (6-4; 275; RSo.; Salinas, Calif.)
60 Conner Krieger (6-1; 287; RSr.; Bogart, Ga.)
Tight End
83 Drake Starks (6-3; 240; Jr.; Ringgold, Ga.)
87 Pedro Rodriguez (6-3; 257; RFr.; Lake Mary, Fla.)
81 Bryce Lawrence (6-3; 230; RSo.; McDonough Ga.)
Wide Receiver (X)
13 Ty James (6-1; 190; RFr.; Norcross, Ga.)
82 Andrew May (6-4; 225; Fr.; Evans, Ga.)
Joker (A)
1 Deondre Johnson (5-7; 175; RSo.; Reidsville, Ga.)
8 BrandonMarshall (5-7;185;RFr.;Jacksonville,Fla.)
Joker (Z)
7 Ethan Dirrim (6-3; 210; Fr.; Canton, Ga.)
35 Max Burke (5-10; 185; RSo.; Norcross, Ga.)
Running Back (B)
14 Nakendrick Clark (5-9; 200; Gr.; Statesville, N.C.)
29 Al Wooten II (6-0; 220; Fr.; Lakeland, Tenn.)
Quarterback
18 Harrison Frost (6-1; 195; RJr.; Kennesaw, Ga.) -or-
15 Carter Peevy (6-3; 209; Fr.; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
6 Dylan Fromm (5-11; 204; RFr.; Warner Robins, Ga.)

Defense
Kat
42 Alvin Ward Jr. (6-4; 240; Gr.; Ahoskie, N.C.)
40 Jordan Williams (6-3; 220; Gr.; Columbia, S.C.)
Defensive Tackle
98 Chris Hill (6-2; 275; RFr.; Statesboro, Ga.)
58 Jaden Taylor (6-1; 274; Fr.; Durham, N.C.)
Nose
95 Barron King (6-3; 278; RJr.; Gainesville, Ga.)
99 DJ McDaniel (6-0; 285; Jr.; Indian Trail, N.C.)
Defensive End
48 Solomon Zubairu (6-1; 240; So.; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
91 Jordan Swain (6-3; 250; Fr.; Brunswick, Ga.)
Linebacker
54 Ken Standley (5-10; 215; So.; Waycross, Ga.)
24 Danijah Gammage (6-1; 209; RJr.; Brunswick, Ga.)
Linebacker
46 Isaac Dowling (5-10; 210; Fr.; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
39 Alex Ferry (6-0; 190; RSo.; Suwanee, Ga.)
Bandit
20 Richie Coffey (5-10; 167; So.; Jacksonville, Fla.)
22 DQ Wilkerson (6-0; 190; RSo.; LaGrange Ga.)
Corner Back
9 Michael Campbell (6-0; 190; Jr.; Darien, Ga.)
2 Yahsyn McKee (5-10; 172; So.; Stockbridge, Ga.)
Safety
31 Luke Ward (6-1; 201; RJr.; Atmore, Ala.)
23 Tyler Mackey (5-9; 193; Fr.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Safety
3 Lance Wise (5-8; 179; So.; Marietta, Ga.)
32 Kainalu Pu’u Robinson (6-1; 190; RFr.; Honolulu, Hawaii)
Corner Back
25 TJ Moore (6-0; 160; Fr.; Riverdale, Ga.)
16 Laderrick Johnson (5-11; 190; RFr.; Jackson, Ga.)

[FU_Paladin08]

Mercer 21 @ Wofford 16
Cronic comes in hot like his few coaching debuts. New Wofford offense falls flat...again.
Samford 24 @ ETSU 13
Just a shot in the dark here.
Western Carolina 16 @ Furman 31
Furman starts sloppy due to no Fall games. Finishes strong.

[Milktruck74]

Who flippin knows?????

[843yapterrier]

Wofford 23 Mercer 17
Samford 41 ETSU 27
Furman 38 WCU 10

[The Cats]

Mercer @ Wofford
Samford @ ETSU
Western Carolina @ Furman - But hope it's closer than most are picking

[FUBeAR]

Who flippin knows?????
These ‘wise guys’ might

https://sportschatplace.com/cfb-picks/2021/02/20/mercer-vs-wofford-college-football-picks-odds-predictions

MiniMutts over BigBears by 16 - 36-20

[Mocs123]

Mercer publishes their 1st (kinda, sorta) Real Season depth chart under the new staff...

No Riddle, No Payton, No Devezin
1 interesting “OR” on there...

MERCER DEPTH CHART

Specialists
Punter
97 Grant Goupil (6-1; 184; RJr.; Lake Mary, Fla.)
92 Caleb Dowden (5-11; 174; RSo.; Statesboro, Ga.)
Place Kicker
92 Caleb Dowden (5-11; 174; RSo.; Statesboro, Ga.)
93 Devin Folser (6-2; 170; So.; McDonough, Ga.)
Kickoff Specialist
93 Devin Folser (6-2; 170; So.; McDonough, Ga.)
92 Caleb Dowden (5-11; 174; RSo.; Statesboro, Ga.)
Long Snapper
62 Zach Lassiter (6-0; 194; So.; Cochran, Ga.)
87 Pedro Rodriguez (6-3; 257; RFr.; Lake Mary, Fla.)
Holder
18 Harrison Frost (6-1; 195; RJr.; Kennesaw, Ga.)
97 Grant Goupil (6-1; 184; RJr.; Lake Mary, Fla.)
Kick Return
9 Michael Campbell (6-0; 190; Jr.; Darien, Ga.)
1 Deondre Johnson (5-7; 175; RSo.; Reidsville, Ga.)
14 Nakendrick Clark (5-9; 200; Gr.; Statesville, N.C.)
8 Brandon Marshall (5-7; 185; RFr.; Jacksonville, Fla.)
Punt Return
17 Landon Miller (5-10; 180; RSo.; Macon, Ga.)
2 Yahsyn McKee (5-10; 172; So.; Stockbridge, Ga.)

Offense
Left Tackle
73 John Thomas (6-3; 300; So.; Marietta, Ga.)
77 Trey Iorillo (6-3; 311; RJr.; Kennesaw, Ga.)
Left Guard
59 Bailey Clark (6-2; 287; RJr.; Savannah, Ga.)
56 Collin Foster (6-3; 260; Jr.; Buford, Ga.)
Center
74 Luke Barlow (6-2; 275; Fr.; Savannah, Ga.)
64 Riley Adcock (6-0; 270; Fr.; Dacula, Ga.)
Right Guard
57 John Harris (6-3; 285; RSo.; Hoschton, Ga.)
67 Ni Mansell (6-3; 270; Fr.; Anderson, S.C.)
Right Tackle
70 Santo DeFranco (6-4; 275; RSo.; Salinas, Calif.)
60 Conner Krieger (6-1; 287; RSr.; Bogart, Ga.)
Tight End
83 Drake Starks (6-3; 240; Jr.; Ringgold, Ga.)
87 Pedro Rodriguez (6-3; 257; RFr.; Lake Mary, Fla.)
81 Bryce Lawrence (6-3; 230; RSo.; McDonough Ga.)
Wide Receiver (X)
13 Ty James (6-1; 190; RFr.; Norcross, Ga.)
82 Andrew May (6-4; 225; Fr.; Evans, Ga.)
Joker (A)
1 Deondre Johnson (5-7; 175; RSo.; Reidsville, Ga.)
8 BrandonMarshall (5-7;185;RFr.;Jacksonville,Fla.)
Joker (Z)
7 Ethan Dirrim (6-3; 210; Fr.; Canton, Ga.)
35 Max Burke (5-10; 185; RSo.; Norcross, Ga.)
Running Back (B)
14 Nakendrick Clark (5-9; 200; Gr.; Statesville, N.C.)
29 Al Wooten II (6-0; 220; Fr.; Lakeland, Tenn.)
Quarterback
18 Harrison Frost (6-1; 195; RJr.; Kennesaw, Ga.) -or-
15 Carter Peevy (6-3; 209; Fr.; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
6 Dylan Fromm (5-11; 204; RFr.; Warner Robins, Ga.)

Defense
Kat
42 Alvin Ward Jr. (6-4; 240; Gr.; Ahoskie, N.C.)
40 Jordan Williams (6-3; 220; Gr.; Columbia, S.C.)
Defensive Tackle
98 Chris Hill (6-2; 275; RFr.; Statesboro, Ga.)
58 Jaden Taylor (6-1; 274; Fr.; Durham, N.C.)
Nose
95 Barron King (6-3; 278; RJr.; Gainesville, Ga.)
99 DJ McDaniel (6-0; 285; Jr.; Indian Trail, N.C.)
Defensive End
48 Solomon Zubairu (6-1; 240; So.; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
91 Jordan Swain (6-3; 250; Fr.; Brunswick, Ga.)
Linebacker
54 Ken Standley (5-10; 215; So.; Waycross, Ga.)
24 Danijah Gammage (6-1; 209; RJr.; Brunswick, Ga.)
Linebacker
46 Isaac Dowling (5-10; 210; Fr.; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
39 Alex Ferry (6-0; 190; RSo.; Suwanee, Ga.)
Bandit
20 Richie Coffey (5-10; 167; So.; Jacksonville, Fla.)
22 DQ Wilkerson (6-0; 190; RSo.; LaGrange Ga.)
Corner Back
9 Michael Campbell (6-0; 190; Jr.; Darien, Ga.)
2 Yahsyn McKee (5-10; 172; So.; Stockbridge, Ga.)
Safety
31 Luke Ward (6-1; 201; RJr.; Atmore, Ala.)
23 Tyler Mackey (5-9; 193; Fr.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Safety
3 Lance Wise (5-8; 179; So.; Marietta, Ga.)
32 Kainalu Pu’u Robinson (6-1; 190; RFr.; Honolulu, Hawaii)
Corner Back
25 TJ Moore (6-0; 160; Fr.; Riverdale, Ga.)
16 Laderrick Johnson (5-11; 190; RFr.; Jackson, Ga.)


I think Devzin entered the transfer portal correct? So him not being on the depth chart isn't a surprise but the other two are. Did Peyton play in the fall season at all for Coastal? If so he is eligible in the fall but not the spring season the way I understand it. Is Riddle healthy? Perhaps he hasn't been cleared to play (or maybe has lingering effects that have impacted his play).

[FUBeAR]

I think Devzin entered the transfer portal correct? So him not being on the depth chart isn't a surprise but the other two are. Did Peyton play in the fall season at all for Coastal? If so he is eligible in the fall but not the spring season the way I understand it. Is Riddle healthy? Perhaps he hasn't been cleared to play (or maybe has lingering effects that have impacted his play).
Portal entrance/domicile is not a certain-indicator of not playing. VMI’s QB this Spring will be suiting up for U. of MD next Fall, if I’m not mistaken. He’s a post-portal-player.

Devezin, I believe, fairly recently, ‘opted-out’ of playing this Spring. I’m assuming he feels his ‘body of work’ is sufficient to attract an FBS (I assume that’s his desired destination) offer or offers & he doesn’t want to risk Spring Season injury and/or wear-and-tear. RB’s have short tread life in general & the ones who run violently, as he does, have even less tread. Can’t blame him for his decision. He is graduating in May & yesterday posted an EXTREMELY (more than the standard fare) complimentary Tweet about his time at Mercer. Hate that we won’t see him ATTACKING SoCon Defenders this Spring, but certainly wish him the very best.

Riddle was in a full boot & using a scooter to ambulate when I saw him on 10/31/20. I believe he has had at least 2 surgeries on his injured leg and is probably just not ready. We’ll just have to see. Certainly hope the best for him as well. He is very talented and seems like a great young man.

Payton played in 10 games for CCU this Fall. I don’t think he’s eligible to play this Spring.

Again, the single “-or-“ on Mercer’s published Depth Chart certainly intrigues FUBeAR.

[PaladinNation]

A good news story… Furman has five fifth-year seniors stick around and not graduate.
The story link is wonky due to Gville News shenanigans.
The five seniors are Reed Kroeber, Jordan Harris, Dru Seabrook, Patrick Wells, and Jack Owen.

http://www.furmansportsreport.com/2021/02/greenville-news-five-furman-seniors.html

[Sir William]

Wofford over Mercer, but Cronic keeps it interesting.

ETSU over Samford, in Johnson City, in a close one. Guess I’ve got a little more faith in Sander’s coaching ability than Hatcher’s. It’s a tossup, really.

Furman over Western, in a rout.

[PaladinNation]

Fired Up! Let's play some SoCon football…
https://twitter.com/PaladinFootball/status/1363114272985927683

[Reign of Terrier]

Welp, looks like it's going to be Wofford and Furman again this year. ETSU and others will keep it interesting, but Wofford looks really good and deep, especially on offense.

[FUBeAR]

Wofford looks really good and deep, especially on offense.Opinions may vary.

Team Statistics
Team Statistics
Game Stats
MER
WOF


Total Yards
312
374


Pass Yards
131
173


Rushing Yards
181
201


Penalty Yards
1-10
4-21


1st Downs
17
18


3rd Downs
4-15
7-14


4th Downs
3-5
1-1


TOP
30:42
29:18

[PaladinNation]

https://twitter.com/FurmanPaladins/status/1363490752643399681

[FU_Paladin08]

Yea looking at just these stats you would be safe to assume it was a close game. Of course a short field TD from a recovered fumble doesn’t show up in these stats.

[Reign of Terrier]

Opinions may vary.

Team Statistics



Game Stats
MER
WOF


Total Yards
312
374


Pass Yards
131
173


Rushing Yards
181
201


Penalty Yards
1-10
4-21


1st Downs
17
18


3rd Downs
4-15
7-14


4th Downs
3-5
1-1


TOP
30:42
29:18




About 160 of those 180 rushing yards came in the second half down 3 scores+, when Wofford was intent on letting them burn clock in exchange for less possessions and points. Wofford controlled that game. Mercer did a good job executing at times, and they're in good hands with Cronic, but the stats can be misleading. The fact that Mercer had a 9 minute drive in the fourth quarter sticks out. Conklin and DC Greene were intent on Mercer going (for the most part) 3 yards and a cloud of dust in the fourth quarter, up 31-7.

Conklin's style of defense is like Belicheck (perhaps it's a common strategy, but CC says he models it after BB): take away your opposition's bread and butter first. Against Mercer, that was the run and the bootleg passes. In the first half we stopped the run and got good pressure on the bootlegs, and about half through the second half, knowing Mercer would probably need to pass to get back into it, we focused more on taking that away, for the most part successfully. That opening drive of the second half was a thing of beauty for Mercer, and I don't want to take away the fact that Mercer looked great on offense at times, but letting the other team run the ball on us when we're up relatively big is a Conklin staple. It ain't pretty at times, but it's a good strategy to manage risk.

This seems to be our general strategy when it comes to playing other teams. In 2019 against VMI, Alex Ramsey ran all over Wofford, which was not something you like to see if you're a terrier, but the clear goal by CC was to take away Udinski, which they did, for the most part, in the first half (Wofford got to a 35-10 lead where VMI only completed like 5 passes). The drawback of that strategy is that it is somewhat vulnerable to comebacks if you don't keep your foot on the gas, but it's less risky if your opponent can't pass the ball effectively (which wasn't the case with VMI, but was with Mercer yesterday). Either way, stats don't tell the whole story. Seeing Ramsey run all over Wofford would have made you think that one of the best rushing teams in the conference, Furman, would have their way, but given that they had their own strengths and weaknesses that CC tried to take away, that didn't happen (Ramsey out-ran Furman by himself).

The same thing happened against the Citadel too: they outrushed and outgained Wofford in 2019, but about 2/3 of the yardage came in the second half after Wofford was up 3 scores. It's a weird strategy by Conklin, and it has its advantages and disadvantages. I'd love to dominate games all the time NDSU style, and maybe we'll get there some day (probably not...), but in the meantime, it's safe to say that the statline in games Wofford's ahead of aren't always as indicative to how close the game is.

[FUBeAR]

the stats can be misleading.

Except when they aren’t.

I read your post and your LONG article. You’ve certainly convinced yourself of what you saw. I attended the game & have watched the broadcast.

Wofford was a little bit better than Mercer yesterday in all 3 phases. Wofford certainly did a much better job of capitalizing on the opportunities they had. Teams accustomed to winning and winning championships usually do vs. Teams that are not / have not.

Frankly, neither Team is very good right now. In a ‘normal’ SoCon Season, based upon their performances yesterday, neither Team would have a chance at sniffing the top third of the SoCon standings. Even in this strange, strange, strange Spring Season, I think both will need to improve significantly to do so.

Mercer can make great strides by improving upon their execution, but I don’t think they have enough experienced talent, particularly on Offense, to make a realistic run at the top tier. I don’t know about Woffy. The O-Line will need to get much better, but while those cats are Rookie Starters, they’ve been in the program for quite a while. Not sure if their ceiling, as a unit, is high enough to get Woffy’s O where they would like to be. We’ll see how the D-Front 7 fairs against exp’d O-Lines. Mercer’s is mostly a patchwork of new, young guys that are still a long way from ‘figuring it out.’ I’ll reserve other commentary because I try not to single out kids for any public criticism.

You might want to watch Woffy’s next game with your Gold lenses in. Those Black ones are just a bit too opaque to allow an objective view.

[Reign of Terrier]

Except when they aren’t.

I read your post and your LONG article. You’ve certainly convinced yourself of what you saw. I attended the game & have watched the broadcast.

Wofford was a little bit better than Mercer yesterday in all 3 phases. Wofford certainly did a much better job of capitalizing on the opportunities they had. Teams accustomed to winning and winning championships usually do vs. Teams that are not / have not.

Frankly, neither Team is very good right now. In a ‘normal’ SoCon Season, based upon their performances yesterday, neither Team would have a chance at sniffing the top third of the SoCon standings. Even in this strange, strange, strange Spring Season, I think both will need to improve significantly to do so.

Mercer can make great strides by improving upon their execution, but I don’t think they have enough experienced talent, particularly on Offense, to make a realistic run at the top tier. I don’t know about Woffy. The O-Line will need to get much better, but while those cats are Rookie Starters, they’ve been in the program for quite a while. Not sure if their ceiling, as a unit, is high enough to get Woffy’s O where they would like to be. We’ll see how the D-Front 7 fairs against exp’d O-Lines. Mercer’s is mostly a patchwork of new, young guys that are still a long way from ‘figuring it out.’ I’ll reserve other commentary because I try not to single out kids for any public criticism.

You might want to watch Woffy’s next game with your Gold lenses in. Those Black ones are just a bit too opaque to allow an objective view.

Who said I was objective xcoolx

FWIW I actually agree with you. We're all stumbling for answers in a game that, relative to other sports, has less stats and more dependent on the ever-subjective "eye test." I will always feel more certain predicting basketball games than football games because of it.

[Mocs123]

I sure hope Woffy struggles in their next game! I picked the Mocs to win, but I do worry with it being our first game, and I know we'll be playing a lot of young guys that don't normally play.

[Reign of Terrier]

FWIW, I think Wofford's defense right now is defending the power run and that would possibly play to UTC's advantage, especially if they can set up a pass game (it did last year!). We are okay on the pass rush, and pretty solid when it comes to using the linebackers in run support, but between being depleted at DL this year and last and Conklin's general tendency to favor a flexible, as opposed to "shut down the run at all costs" approach that I outlined before, we aren't *as good* at stopping the run as we were a couple years ago, at least up the middle. But we make up for it in other aspects of the game, which is why our run defense is probably not as good as it used to be, but we surpass any of Ayers offense on other measures (points, yardage, etc)

In my opinion, UTC and Wofford probably play the most similar style of play to each other right now. Maybe ETSU too. Outside of the specific x's and o's, tough defense, run the ball, set up the pass.

[Mocs123]

Judging by our passing performance against WKU, I'm not sure you should be too scared of our passing game. Of course Drayton Arnold was playing in his first meaningful game since he was a HS senior in 2016 so it's not surprising he may be rusty, but my guess is we are a QB away from a SoCon championship. My guess is we'll play a lot of young guys that you won't see playing in the fall.

[Reign of Terrier]

Did Copeland transfer? Must have.

[Mocs123]

No, Copeland is still on the roster. He missed 2018 due to grades and then transferred to a Juco to play BB and came back to the Mocs last summer. He's been out of football for two years so from accounts I have read he was rusty, but is working his way back and is listed as the #2 QB in the spring.