SoCon 2022 Predictions and Power Rankings - Week 6

[FUBeAR]

FUBeAR is solving 18 beautiful outdoor problems located on FU’s beautiful campus this AM - will be back with his much-awaited power rankings later in the day…

Saturday, October 8, 2022


Away
Home
Time
What gonna transpire?


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wofford.png?width=30Wofford (http://woffordterriers.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_samford.png?width=30Samford (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
1P



https://soconsports.com/images/2020/1/2/etsu_logo.png?width=30ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/VMI_spider_four_color-2015.png?width=30VMI (https://vmikeydets.com/)
1:30P



https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_furman.png?width=30Furman (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_citadel.png?width=30The Citadel (http://www.citadelsports.com/)
2P



https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wcu.png?width=30Western Carolina (https://catamountsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
4P

[Milktruck74]

I'm glad to see that you are OK this morning. I do wonder if you kinda look like a stroke victim...Happy on one said and frowning on the other?

Sammy- Woffy gets some points on the board, but Sammy gets a whole bunch more.
ETSU - They are VERY talented, and now they are just playing for fun. They will be dangerous down the stretch and will ruin somebody elses shot at a SoCon...Won't win it, but WILL be a factor in who does!!!
Furple - Citadel is MUCH better than their record (see ETSU comments) but Furple outlast them this week.
Mercer - the fighting FuBears rise up and tell the bells that scoring is fun, but stopping opponents from scoring actually wins football games.

[ElCid]

FUBeAR is solving 18 beautiful outdoor problems located on FU’s beautiful campus this AM - will be back with his much-awaited power rankings later in the day…


I look forward to seeing your rankings. But don't forget that even if Furman lost, that they "won every statistical category." That's gotta count for something......

[Milktruck74]

And if you remove the trees, traps, and slices, FuBear shot Par!!!

Don't overlook the fact that he did sink 18 putts!!!

[JSUSoutherner]

And if you remove the trees, traps, and slices, FuBear shot Par!!!

Don't overlook the fact that he did sink 18 putts!!!
If you overlook all the missed shots, FUBear can out-golf Tiger Woods. His team is already good at outplaying Tigers.

[The Cats]

fubear gonna be real unhappy this Saturday.


Wofford at Samford
ETSU at VMI
Furman at The Citadel
Western Carolina at Mercer

--------------------------------


Power Rankings

1. (2) Mercer (4-1, 2-0 SoCon)
Next: Western Carolina

2. (1) Chattanooga (4-1, 2-0 SoCon)
Next: Bye week

3. (3) Samford (4-1, 2-0 SoCon)
Next: Wofford

4. (5) Western Carolina (3-2, 1-1SoCon)
Next: at Mercer

5. (4) Furman (3-2, 1-1 SoCon)
Next: at The Citadel

6. (6) The Citadel (1-3, 1-1 SoCon)
Next: Furman

7. (7) VMI (1-3, 0-1 SoCon)
Next: ETSU

8. (8) ETSU (2-3, 0-3 SoCon)
Next: at VMI

9. (9) Wofford (0-5, 0-2 SoCon)
Next: at Samford

[ElCid]

fubear gonna be real unhappy this Saturday.


Wofford at Samford
ETSU at VMI
Furman at The Citadel
Western Carolina at Mercer

Yeah, possible but I just don't think our O is in synch it enough. Something seems amiss with our O-line. No holes, getting pushed around rather than getting a push. Our backs are ok, but not quite as good as our recent past 3-6 years. Our QB can pass ok, but he is not a great option QB. His pitch/keep decisions don't look that good. I know the "war" being waged on the option in regard to blocking has taken it's toll on our former scheme as well.

Not sure WCU has enough to walk into Macon and win either. Maybe, but you better be perfect. Mercer is on a roll.

[bonarae]

Samford
ETSU - can their slide be stopped at some point?
Furman
Mercer

[FUBeAR]

I look forward to seeing your rankings. But don't forget that even if Furman lost, that they "won every statistical category." That's gotta count for something......
Did they? Haven’t looked at any stats from the game yet.

Unlike the losing bellhops’ losing head bellman (who you are (oddly) quoting), who has had exactly 1 winning season in his 7 years of losing while wrangling up the luggage carts, FUBeAR very rarely puts any stock in “Team Stats” to ‘tell the story’ about a football game.

[FUBeAR]

FuBear…fact that he did sink 18 putts!!!Confirmed.

[FUBeAR]

Saturday, October 8, 2022


Away
Home
Time
What gonna transpire?


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wofford.png?width=30Wofford (http://woffordterriers.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_samford.png?width=30Samford (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
1P



https://soconsports.com/images/2020/1/2/etsu_logo.png?width=30ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/VMI_spider_four_color-2015.png?width=30VMI (https://vmikeydets.com/)
1:30P



https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_furman.png?width=30Furman (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_citadel.png?width=30The Citadel (http://www.citadelsports.com/)
2P



https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wcu.png?width=30Western Carolina (https://catamountsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
4P




FUBeAR’s POWER RANKINGS
Some movement within the upper tier this week…

1. Mercer (2-0, 4-1)
2t. Furman (1-1, 3-2)
2t. Samford (2-0, 4-1)
4. Chattanooga (2-0, 4-1)
5. WCU (1-1, 3-2)
6. CIT (1-1, 1-3)
7. ETSU (0-3, 2-3)
8. VMI (0-1, 1-3)
9. Wofford (0-2, 0-5)

[rtzlunar]

FUBeAR’s POWER RANKINGS
Some movement within the upper tier this week…

1. Mercer (2-0, 4-1)
2t. Furman (1-1, 3-2)
2t. Samford (2-0, 4-1)

———

Since Samford won at Furman this makes complete sense.

[wcugrad95]

If anything, Saturday reaffirmed just about any SoCon team can win a conference game - especially between the top 5 or 6 teams. UTC was fortunate to win a game they trailed most of the time. Furman let a few bad calls put them in sleep mode in a game they still were close in. Samford seems like the ETSU of the past few years and keeps having the balls/calls go their way. I think any team in the league who is 6-2 has plenty of reasons to argue they are playoff-worthy, just not sure the powers that be will see it that way. And I expect a few 5-3/6-2 and maybe one 7-1 team when it is all said and done.

[FUBeAR]

FUBeAR’s POWER RANKINGS
Some movement within the upper tier this week…

1. Mercer (2-0, 4-1)
2t. Furman (1-1, 3-2)
2t. Samford (2-0, 4-1)

———

Since Samford won at Furman this makes complete sense.After the decision on the outcome of the game you mentioned had been clearly determined by a careful review, FUBeAR conducted another review and overturned the decision reached in the previous careful review. Thus, these Power Rankings are perfectly aligned with SoCon Football this week and make perfect sense. Thank you for noticing.

[ElCid]

After the decision on the outcome of the game you mentioned had been clearly determined by a careful review, FUBeAR conducted another review and overturned the decision reached in the previous careful review. Thus, these Power Rankings are perfectly aligned with SoCon Football this week and make perfect sense. Thank you for noticing.

I don't necessarily rank a team based on just a head to head between them. Body of work (that being results on the scoreboard) is just as important. I can see Furman still getting some leeway, but given the head to head, and looking at their body of work, it is a stretch to rank them tied with Samford. Not a huge difference, but clear enough. A reasonable person might have put them tied with Chatty for third. I could buy that, at best. But I will come out with my definitive ranking this week so you will have the correct rank order. I have been slack.

[Chalupa Batman]

So, you must be saying we have better objective comparative metrics to compare the #3 Ranked 2022 Montana State Team and the barely in the Top 20 2022 Mercer Team than both having home games against a common opponent 2 weeks apart?

What are those better objective comparative metrics?

FUBeAR thinks it’s only logical that the only better metric would be a head-to-head score, which we don’t have.


Then, though, as soon as the 1st ball is kicked on Week 0, we begin to receive new, more relevant data. What happens on 9/3 is WAY more important than what happened on 1/7. But, we have a tendency to not want to accept and value this new and more relevant data because it makes us uncomfortable with the status quo, with what we thought we knew relying on old familiar, less relevant data.

A quick reminder of FUBeAR’s preseason SoCon Power Rankings on 8/22:
1T. Furman
1T. Mercer
3. ETSU
4T. Chattanooga
4T. VMI
6T. Samford
6T. WCU
8T. CIT
8T. Wofford

Since then, Furman has 1 victory over a D2 team, a 5 point win over a winless Big South team (and were down 2 scores with 18 minutes left in that game), and a 13 point over an East Tennessee State team who’s only D1 victory is over another winless Big South team. Samford, in that same time frame, has 4 Division 1 victories. All 4 of the teams Samford has beaten have at least 1 Division 1 victory themselves. In other words, Samford has a better resume and against better competition. Oh, and the most recent data point we have comparing Samford and Furman is…..Samford beating Furman at Furman. I’ve heard a nasty rumor that head-to-head is important.



We develop all sorts of pretzel logic to rationalize our refusals to accept the new, more relevant data, such as a Team waxing #7 by double digits, but refusing to rank the ‘waxer’ because #7 runs an Option-based Offense.

But I’m sure FUBeAr has in no way whatsoever developed any sort of pretzel logic to rationalize his refusal to accept the new, more relevant data, such as a team waxing another team*, but refusing to rank the “waxer” ahead of the “waxee” because of…….reasons.

*You may I think I am taking a bit of a liberty by calling it a waxing, but they were up by 17 after 3 quarters so waxing most certainly applies in this case.

[FUBeAR]

FUBeAR has in no way whatsoever developed any sort of pretzel logic to rationalize his refusal to accept
In the interest of not delaying things inordinately, instead of holding up this thread for 15-20 minutes, FUBeAR took 15 seconds to review and then re-review your post. He has decided to overturn the initial review and rule against the conclusion reached.

[Mocs123]

Wofford - 13
Samford – 35 – Is the Terrier offense that bad, or the Bulldog offense that good? I’m not sure we’ll know this week.

ETSU – 28 – The Bucs get in the SoCon win column this week. The Bucs are better than their record indicates.
VMI -17

Furman – 24 – Could there be an upset brewing in Charleston? No, Hendrix regroups the ‘Dins and they come out with the W in this rivalry game.
The Citadel - 14

Western Carolina - 28
Mercer – 35 – This one may be closer than Bears fans are comfortable with, but in the end, a win is a win and Mercer survives the upset attempt of the Catamounts.


Power Rankings

Chattanooga – The second half vs. ETSU was as good as it gets, but the first half…..The Mocs need to clean up special teams and improve on their consistency to keep the top spot.

Mercer – The Bears have been consistent and I almost put them #1 after whooping the Terriers this weekend, but like FUBeAR I went with the homer pick.

Samford – The Bulldogs have three good wins against KSU (OK -maybe not as good as it once looked), Western Carolina, and Furman. I’m still trying to process what happened against TTU.

Furman - The ‘Dins are a solid team with wins over two pretty descent teams in CSU and ETSU and a close loss against a good Samford team. The rumors of Furman’s demise are greatly exaggerated. The Paladins are still in the hunt.

Western Carolina – We all know Bell’s offense can score, but surprising to me is that after game five, nobody has scored 40 points on them yet (including a P5 team). The Catamounts are a tough out for sure and the next two weeks will be a really tough test for them.

ETSU – To everyone’s surprise the Bucs are likely already out of the SoCon title conversation, but that doesn’t mean they are ready to fold. The Bucs are still going to make an impact on the SoCon title race this year.

The Citadel – The Bulldogs are a bit of an Enigma to me. Are they the team that beat a good ETSU team in week 1, or are they the team that looked relatively lifeless in their other 3 games. I think The Citadel will be really dangerous once they put everything together.

VMI – The Keydets have had a tough couple of years with the new transfer rules. They’ve had quite a few guys leave and aren’t able to bring anyone in. That’s a tough obstacle to overcome. I’m still stuck on the Cornell game.

Wofford – Honestly the Terriers have played perhaps the toughest schedule in the SoCon so far this year, but other than the KSU game, they’ve looked pretty lifeless. It’s shocking to me how quickly the Conklin reign went downhill – let’s not forget he won the SoCon championship his first two years at the helm.

[JSUSoutherner]

A quick reminder of FUBeAR’s preseason SoCon Power Rankings on 8/22:
1T. Furman
1T. Mercer
3. ETSU
4T. Chattanooga
4T. VMI
6T. Samford
6T. WCU
8T. CIT
8T. Wofford

Since then, Furman has 1 victory over a D2 team, a 5 point win over a winless Big South team (and were down 2 scores with 18 minutes left in that game), and a 13 point over an East Tennessee State team who’s only D1 victory is over another winless Big South team. Samford, in that same time frame, has 4 Division 1 victories. All 4 of the teams Samford has beaten have at least 1 Division 1 victory themselves. In other words, Samford has a better resume and against better competition. Oh, and the most recent data point we have comparing Samford and Furman is…..Samford beating Furman at Furman. I’ve heard a nasty rumor that head-to-head is important.




But I’m sure FUBeAr has in no way whatsoever developed any sort of pretzel logic to rationalize his refusal to accept the new, more relevant data, such as a team waxing another team*, but refusing to rank the “waxer” ahead of the “waxee” because of…….reasons.

*You may I think I am taking a bit of a liberty by calling it a waxing, but they were up by 17 after 3 quarters so waxing most certainly applies in this case.
FUBear seems like the kinda guy where wins and losses don't matter.

Furman went out there, participated, and did their very best. Can't fault them for trying their hardest, bless their hearts. Could make a solid argument that no team is participating harder than Furman.

[Mocs123]

I think FUBeAR is more the type that likes to get everyone's panties in a wad by picking Furman first even after a loss.

[Chalupa Batman]

FUBear seems like the kinda guy where wins and losses don't matter.

Furman went out there, participated, and did their very best. Can't fault them for trying their hardest, bless their hearts. Could make a solid argument that no team is participating harder than Furman.

As long as both teams have fun. Then everyone goes out for ice cream afterwards.

[JSUSoutherner]

As long as both teams have fun. Then everyone goes out for ice cream afterwards.
Clay Hendrix would like his with sprinkles.

[Mocs123]

Clay Hendrix would like his with sprinkles.

I can't see Clay Hendrix eating ice cream with sprinkles but Josh Conklin......

[SU DOG]

It might be noted that Kennesaw State took JSU into overtime Saturday at JSU. The Owls might be the favorite in their next 4 games. Also, say what you will about the Gamecocks, but they have not been beaten by a FCS team yet. My point is that Samford's KSU win could possibly still have some improving merit as the season goes on.

[FUBeAR]

I think FUBeAR is more the type that likes to get everyone's panties in a wad by picking Furman first even after a loss.
*2t.

[Jiggs]

Wofford at Samford
ETSU at VMI
Furman at The Citadel
Western Carolina at Mercer

[ElCid]

I'm not sure why so many think we are going to beat Furman. Possible but unlikely. Or maybe it's just digs at FUbEAR. If so, I like it.

[FUBeAR]

I'm not sure why so many think we are going to beat Furman.
Perhaps the SoCon Office released the Officiating assignments list and people found out TG is gonna be the white hat in y’all’s half-a-stadium on Saturday.

[ElCid]

Perhaps the SoCon Office released the Officiating assignments list and people found out TG is gonna be the white hat in y’all’s half-a-stadium on Saturday.

Looking for a crutch already I see.

[FUBeAR]

So…this happened…

https://twitter.com/soconsports/status/1576950374606327808

[JSUSoutherner]

It might be noted that Kennesaw State took JSU into overtime Saturday at JSU. The Owls might be the favorite in their next 4 games. Also, say what you will about the Gamecocks, but they have not been beaten by a FCS team yet. My point is that Samford's KSU win could possibly still have some improving merit as the season goes on.
Kennesaw should be counting their lucky stars that it was even that close.

I'd argue it was more JSU playing sloppy football than KSU actually being good.

[FUBeAR]

Looking for a crutch already I see.
That dude is a motorized wheel chair

[The Cats]

https://twitter.com/CatamountsFB/status/1576995505418244105

[Milktruck74]

Perhaps the SoCon Office released the Officiating assignments list and people found out TG is gonna be the white hat in y’all’s half-a-stadium on Saturday.

TG= Totally Gone!!!! He resigned!

[ElCid]

TG= Totally Gone!!!! He resigned!

Wow. I still didn't understand the reasoning for the way it unfolded.

[FUBeAR]

TG= Totally Gone!!!! He resigned!
Yep - FUBeAR heard that too. You have confirmed source? FUBeAR’s source is not - just rumor.

….and FUBeAR believes that should be written as “resigned”
https://media.tenor.com/JWofPiMcdbcAAAAM/sarcasm-sign.gif

[Milktruck74]

https://twitter.com/CatamountsFB/status/1576995505418244105


41 was a MACHINE!!! Well Deserved!!!!

[Chalupa Batman]

I think FUBeAR is more the type that likes to get everyone's panties in a wad by picking Furman first even after a loss.

Cool, then he got me. Either way I know not to take anything he says going forward seriously.

[FUBeAR]

I know not to take anything he says going forward seriously.Why on earth would you have going backward?

https://media.tenor.com/ZohSx_-2oCMAAAAM/wtf-what.gif

[wcugrad95]

41 was a MACHINE!!! Well Deserved!!!!

It probably doesn't fit in this thread, but Hoover cemented his HOF career with 49 carries for 195 yards in a huge upset of #2 App State in 1998. Can you imagine calling on a single back to carry that load today??? "Hoov" was a WCU great, a Carolina Panthers favorite, and off the field is an absolute good person. WCU HOF and jersey retired are absolutely appropriate.

[Milktruck74]

It probably doesn't fit in this thread, but Hoover cemented his HOF career with 49 carries for 195 yards in a huge upset of #2 App State in 1998. Can you imagine calling on a single back to carry that load today??? "Hoov" was a WCU great, a Carolina Panthers favorite, and off the field is an absolute good person. WCU HOF and jersey retired are absolutely appropriate.

HE is from the same area I am from, but we have never met...however, I have heard he is as good of a person as he was a football player. Nothing but good stuff about his character.

[The Cats]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FeLnaGwXoBUWyS5?format=jpg&name=large

[The Cats]

The Showdown

I borrowed this from another Catamount fan....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogqzvfUtg_M&t=1s

[BearDownMU]

I don't have a fancy graphic, but...

Mercer:
Scoring Defense - #1 - 15.2 ppg
Total Defense - #1 - 294.4 ypg
Passing Defense - #1 - 173.0 ypg

Guess we'll find out which one is true.

[gofurman]

I can't see Clay Hendrix eating ice cream with sprinkles but Josh Conklin......

Well played. Conklin better buy himself some spr8nkles before he gets fired. Or will they? Lot of crazy type stuff where he married Into Woff family. It’s bad

- - - Updated - - -


I don't have a fancy graphic, but...

Mercer:
Scoring Defense - #1 - 15.2 ppg
Total Defense - #1 - 294.4 ypg
Passing Defense - #1 - 173.0 ypg

Guess we'll find out which one is true.

defense wins

[gofurman]

Yeah, possible but I just don't think our O is in synch it enough. Something seems amiss with our O-line. No holes, getting pushed around rather than getting a push. Our backs are ok, but not quite as good as our recent past 3-6 years. Our QB can pass ok, but he is not a great option QB. His pitch/keep decisions don't look that good. I know the "war" being waged on the option in regard to blocking has taken it's toll on our former scheme as well.

Not sure WCU has enough to walk into Macon and win either. Maybe, but you better be perfect. Mercer is on a roll.

ElCid, thanks for the analysis !!! Please reply to help me understand Citadel per your view having watched them far more than I

We can talk civilly now and argue on Friday Lol

few questions. Yep. I know your QB from few times at Woff. 1). Is he fast? I recall him being a little bigger but slightly slower than the more scary speed demon option QBs who could get the edge. Is that right or does my memory fail me? That seems to track with what you say ?

2). I assume by “war” on blocking you mean less chop blocks allowed?

3. I have only seen you play ETSU and yes it appears y’all struggled to open much on OL. though then you busted a few big runs after several one and two yd gains. Is this pretty standard this year? A BUNCH of small gains rushing with occasional big run for 30 ?

4. you didn’t mention your Defense. It seems to me your O is struggling but your D has been pretty good holding Mercer and ETSU both to 17. What is the strength of your D?? What is the weakness?

in advabce I would say Furman has a strong D but our weakness is we keep allowing chunk plays from each opponent. 2 yards 4 yards. 3 and out. Then a wheel route where the receiver is running completely free down the sideline !!!! 40 yard TD untouched. This past week was similar but we unfortunately added the chunk plays of 3 untouched up the middle runs. We aren’t making teams have 12 play drives. When we do we usually do well but we are giving more chunk plays for TDs this year than I have seen in a while. Aggressive is one thing but some are Straight busted coverages

[ElCid]

1. Mercer (2-0, 4-1) - I like Mercer at #1 for now. They look to be on a mission.
2. Samford (2-0, 4-1) - Samford has impressed me of late. They are finely getting things done to win.
3. Chattanooga (2-0, 4-1) - I hate moving them down, but they haven't looked good the last couple weeks.
4. Furman (1-1, 3-2) - Furman is slipping more.
5. WCU (1-1, 3-2) - Not impressed with their D, but that's normal. Only sure way they win is simply having their O firing on all cylinders.
6. ETSU (0-3, 2-3) - will probably continue to improve, but probably too late.
7. CIT (1-1, 1-3) - Still not totally in gear.
8. VMI (0-1, 1-3) - lost too many folks apparently.
9. Wofford (0-2, 0-5) - Still in the starting gate.


Wofford at Samford - Wofford D not terrible, but Samford too much- 27-10

ETSU at VMI - ETSU gets back to winning - 31-21


Furman at The Citadel - No upset here 28-16


Western Carolina at Mercer – Mercer wins easy - 34-17

[ElCid]

ElCid, thanks for the analysis !!! Please reply to help me understand Citadel per your view having watched them far more than I

We can talk civilly now and argue on Friday Lol

few questions. Yep. I know your QB from few times at Woff. 1). Is he fast? I recall him being a little bigger but slightly slower than the more scary speed demon option QBs who could get the edge. Is that right or does my memory fail me? That seems to track with what you say ?

2). I assume by “war” on blocking you mean less chop blocks allowed?

3. I have only seen you play ETSU and yes it appears y’all struggled to open much on OL. though then you busted a few big runs after several one and two yd gains. Is this pretty standard this year? A BUNCH of small gains rushing with occasional big run for 30 ?

4. you didn’t mention your Defense. It seems to me your O is struggling but your D has been pretty good holding Mercer and ETSU both to 17. What is the strength of your D?? What is the weakness?

in advabce I would say Furman has a strong D but our weakness is we keep allowing chunk plays from each opponent. 2 yards 4 yards. 3 and out. Then a wheel route where the receiver is running completely free down the sideline !!!! 40 yard TD untouched. This past week was similar but we unfortunately added the chunk plays of 3 untouched up the middle runs. We aren’t making teams have 12 play drives. When we do we usually do well but we are giving more chunk plays for TDs this year than I have seen in a while. Aggressive is one thing but some are Straight busted coverages

QB is ok. Passes better than usual, but for short yardage usually. That's ok though if it unloads the box on occasion. I don't think he is nearly as good at making those critical keep, pitch decisions as we have been used to. And he seems a bit stiff doing it. He seems a bit slow to me as well. But he has confidence which helps overall.

And yeah, the whole blocking thing hurts outside.

Pass defense has been better than usual. We have some better speed and height that's helping. And it appears to me that our man coverage is much more aggressive than in past years. Overall tackling started out pretty bad, but has improved. In the Campbell game it was real bad. But that's normal. Red zone D has improved greatly from last year so far. We did take a hit at LB early on and lost a starter to season ending injury.

If we could just get something going on O we'd be much better. Our D is good, but nothing like playing keep away with the O executing 7 minute drives. Sure we get those 1-3 yard runs, but we aren't busting many open for big gains. Blocking issues and slow execution partly or too fast in execution and not allowing the blocks to develop when it's called for. I've seen a few issues. Another issue, and this is way subjective, is our play calling. It seems to have devolved into a horribly predictable pattern. That may work when we have a top O line and a bruiser at BBack. But we are getting stuffed far too often, more than usual, due to a vanilla repertoire. But for us to have under 200 yards a game rushing is a travesty. We have averaged over 300 in a season.

We were having penalty issues early on but seemed to have fixed that lately. Our punter is hot and cold. Seen him kick a 15 yarder and a 63 yarder. And everything in between. He improves though.

Well, that's just my novice impressions. Should be a good game as usual. I am thinking if you are healthier than you have been, it will be an uphill battle for us. But who knows in a SOCON game.

[wcugrad95]

Not saying that WCU is going to go to Maconga and run up and down the field against Mercer - I expect every yard to be hard-earned. But at the same time, the FCS teams the Bears have smashed to date are a total of 4-10.

Morehead State: 2-3 with their only wins over Kentucky Christian and Presby (they scored 13 against Mercer and 14 vs Presby, while WCU scored 77 without Carlos Davis against Presby)
Auburn: SEC school so not much to learn there, but their highest scoring output against the other teams on their schedule is 24 (42 against Mercer)
Citadel: 1-3 with a total of 30 points on the season, 20 coming in one game (so 7.5 points/game)
Gardner-Webb: 1-4 who has played well against some decent competition and I would say is probably MU’s best win to date

Again, I am expecting the Bears to be arguably the best defense WCU has faced, and they very well might shut us down and win going away. But I am guessing WCU's offense will be the best FCS squad Mercer will have seen so far this year. At the same time, we bogged down and settled for 4 FGs against Samford (even with 457 yards offense and something like 30 first downs).

No doubt Mercer will be favored and will be at home, so that will factor in. And I also have the Bears tied for #1 in the power rankings with Samford right now. But that is more on how good I think the Bears are vs what I have already seen on the field from Samford. I think there is probably a lot to learn by both WCU (will we be the team who played Samford against top competition) and the Bears (are they as real as we all think right now).

[PaladinNation]

The little things keep Furman playing inconsistently.
The defense plays well then gives up a chunk play where an opposing player goes untouched.
The coaches and players are pointing to missed assignments.
That has to be fixed this week agains t the Citadel.

Offensive inconstancy has to be driving the offensive coaches crazy.
The amount of fumbles in the last two games aren't going to help you win against a good opponent.
Same for illegal procedure penalties in the red zone.
Dropped passes are a bit of a bug right now. It seemed to happen on every important Furman drive.
Forcing miracle catches to keep drives going.

Thinking optimistically…
When adversity strikes- its next man up.
Furman's depth is keeping Furman in these games.

Playing Samford a team loaded with transfers, and by all accounts healthy.
Furman went toe to toe with several backups starting.
Jace Wilson played a heck of a game against Samford as a true sophomore.
Jack Barton was throwing Samford bodies around in his first college start.

I don't take the Dogs lightly, this is a rivalry game, both teams don't appear to care much for each other. And Furman I hope has left the uncontrollable issues of the Samford game behind.

[FUBeAR]

Not saying that WCU is going to go to Maconga and run up and down the field against Mercer - I expect every yard to be hard-earned. But at the same time, the FCS teams the Bears have smashed to date are a total of 4-10.

Morehead State: 2-3 with their only wins over Kentucky Christian and Presby (they scored 13 against Mercer and 14 vs Presby, while WCU scored 77 without Carlos Davis against Presby)
Auburn: SEC school so not much to learn there, but their highest scoring output against the other teams on their schedule is 24 (42 against Mercer)
Citadel: 1-3 with a total of 30 points on the season, 20 coming in one game (so 7.5 points/game)
Gardner-Webb: 1-4 who has played well against some decent competition and I would say is probably MU’s best win to date

Again, I am expecting the Bears to be arguably the best defense WCU has faced, and they very well might shut us down and win going away. But I am guessing WCU's offense will be the best FCS squad Mercer will have seen so far this year. At the same time, we bogged down and settled for 4 FGs against Samford (even with 457 yards offense and something like 30 first downs).

No doubt Mercer will be favored and will be at home, so that will factor in. And I also have the Bears tied for #1 in the power rankings with Samford right now. But that is more on how good I think the Bears are vs what I have already seen on the field from Samford. I think there is probably a lot to learn by both WCU (will we be the team who played Samford against top competition) and the Bears (are they as real as we all think right now).

Hard to fathom why a WCU fan would be questioning if Mercer is ‘for real’…



Date
Season
Mercer’s Winning Score over WCU


10/9/2021
2021
W 34 - 24


3/20/2021
2020
W 45 - 28


8/31/2019
2019
W 49 - 27


10/20/2018
2018
W 59 - 46


11/11/2017
2017
W 35 - 33


10/15/2016
2016
W 38 - 24



…slow learner, it seems.

[wcugrad95]

Since 2018 WCU was garbage and a win for most teams. I clearly said Mercer may shut the Cats down this weekend. My point is the big games on Mercer's schedule are still to come. I have them at the top today, but now they have to keep playing like that against the top 1/2 of the SoCon. They look the part and have beaten up on the teams they should have. I honestly think they are very good and were a playoff team last year, but last year and season's past really don't have anything to do with it.

[SU DOG]

Wofford @ Samford - SAMFORD - Hopefully the Hatcher habit of losing a game that you are the big favorite in won't happen.
ETSU @ VMI - ETSU - But could be closer than you might think.
Furman @ The Citadel - PALADINS - Provided of course that there won't be a first half call that goes against them and cause their complete unraveling.
WCU @ Mercer - MERCER - Does this Bears Team have any weakness? They are really impressive.

[ElCid]

Wouldn't it be hilarious if Wofford, VMI, The Citadel, and WCU all won? Chatty would send them all gift baskets.

[wcugrad95]

Power Rankings:

T1 - Mercer: have looked very good through 5 games and can make another (probably bigger) statement this week
T1 - Samford: a big surprise for everybody; the transfers have meshed and Hatcher is coaching very un-Hatcher-like; bend but don't break D has them at 2-0 in the SoCon
3 - UTC: here simply because the last 2 weeks haven't been great and the 2 above have looked good
T4 - Furman: I have used some of the same "coulda/shoulda/woulda" stories the Dins are using for WCU games in the past; down a dynamic QB Furman still played well against Sammie
T4 - WCU: we'll find out if Davis is truly healthy and if the Bells have the kind of O we hope to in a showdown with Mercer
6 - ETSU: might seem high, but they led Chatty all game and were right there with Furman
7 - VMI: I think they are better than their record indicates, and if Ironside is healthy he gives them a better chance to compete
8 - Citadel: probably better than this, but only averaging 7.5 points/game; the run-blocking rule changes have really hurt the Dogs
9 - Wofford: signs of life 2 weeks ago were beaten back out of them last Saturday; still expect them to compete and/or win a game or even 2

Wofford @ Samford
ETSU @ VMI
Furman @ The Citadel
WCU @ Mercer

And yes, I picked Mercer. My previous arguments were not that they aren't good (I have them T1 in the rankings), but more that they have to now prove that lofty ranking against the other top 3 or 4 SoCon teams. Hence my note that we will find out a lot about both this week. Is this 2 pretty good teams? Is Mercer a serious powerhouse and Western a pretender and still a year or two away? Western will need to play smart football and get off to a better start than we have been recently to compete, but I feel like we have the team speed and athletes to compete with most FCS teams (execution has to match the talent, though).

[Mocs123]

Wouldn't it be hilarious if Wofford, VMI, The Citadel, and WCU all won? Chatty would send them all gift baskets.

Absolutely - gift baskets to all if that happens! Though in reality I'd like to see the SoCon get ~3-4 teams in the playoffs this year.

There's not a SoCon game that you can really feel good about this year (maybe Wofford). One that particularly worries me is @WCU the last game of the year because - I really do think the Catamounts are improved and they could even be playing for a playoff spot and we haven't exactly closed out seasons well the past three years - having a shot at the playoffs every year and then blowing it.

- - - Updated - - -


...Hatcher is coaching very un-Hatcher-like.....

I've thought the same thing this year.

[MUrsus67]

Not saying that WCU is going to go to Maconga and run up and down the field against Mercer - I expect every yard to be hard-earned. But at the same time, the FCS teams the Bears have smashed to date are a total of 4-10.

Morehead State: 2-3 with their only wins over Kentucky Christian and Presby (they scored 13 against Mercer and 14 vs Presby, while WCU scored 77 without Carlos Davis against Presby)
Auburn: SEC school so not much to learn there, but their highest scoring output against the other teams on their schedule is 24 (42 against Mercer)
Citadel: 1-3 with a total of 30 points on the season, 20 coming in one game (so 7.5 points/game)
Gardner-Webb: 1-4 who has played well against some decent competition and I would say is probably MU’s best win to date

Again, I am expecting the Bears to be arguably the best defense WCU has faced, and they very well might shut us down and win going away. But I am guessing WCU's offense will be the best FCS squad Mercer will have seen so far this year. At the same time, we bogged down and settled for 4 FGs against Samford (even with 457 yards offense and something like 30 first downs).

No doubt Mercer will be favored and will be at home, so that will factor in. And I also have the Bears tied for #1 in the power rankings with Samford right now. But that is more on how good I think the Bears are vs what I have already seen on the field from Samford. I think there is probably a lot to learn by both WCU (will we be the team who played Samford against top competition) and the Bears (are they as real as we all think right now).

These are good numbers, but let's look at some more.

Since you have opened the door to comparative scores, let's look at how some of these opponents fared against other competition.

Morehead State: Vs Mercer 13 points, 161 passing and 117 rushing yards with 2 turnovers. Vs Montana State 13 points, 133 passing and 127 rushing yards with 3 turnovers. Seems similar enough.

Auburn: Not obviously apparent, but TJ Finley threw 2 interceptions when it was 28-7 and was pulled from the game for Robby Ashford. Big difference in their play style.

Citadel: 2 teams have shutout Citadel. Mercer and App State. ETSU gave up 20 to Citadel, 27 to Furman, 24 to Chattanooga. Obviously Citadel doesn't have the best offense, but not terrible.

Gardner-Webb: Agreed on best win. Gardner Webb scored 13 and 10 less points at home than they did on the road vs Coastal Carolina and Elon.

Wofford: Left this one out. They do stink, but they only scored once Mercer was up by 35. Which is the highest point differential they have had in games against Chattanooga, Elon, VT, and Kennesaw.

I do think that WCU has the best offense we have seen thus far, but it will also be the best defense that WCU has seen thus far.

My biggest concern for Mercer right now is ball security. We have had 3 games where we have fumbled the ball twice. Giving an offense as good as WCU a short field/extra possessions will lose the game.

[FUBeAR]

Giving an offense as good as WCU a short field/extra possessions will lose the game.
Dunno…maybe giving WCU’s Offense short fields is exactly what Mercer should try to do…



RED ZONE O
Sco’s-Oppty’s
Pct.
TDs
Rush-Pass
FG’s
Lost Fumb
Int.
T/O Downs


1.
Chatt
7-7
100.0
5
3-2
2-2
0
0
0


2.
Furm
7-8
87.5
5
0-5
2-2
0
0
1


3.
Merc
6-7
85.7
5
3-2
1-1
1
0
0


4.
Samf
4-5
80.0
4
1-3
0-0
0
0
1


5.
VMI
3-4
75.0
2
1-1
1-1
0
0
1


6.
ETSU
6-9
66.7
2
0-2
4-4
0
2
1


7.
CIT
3-5
60.0
2
1-1
1-2
1
0
0


8.
WCU
7-12
58.3
2
1-1
5-6
0
1
3


9.
Woff
1-5
20.0
1
1-0
0-1
2
1
0

[wcugrad95]

Wofford: Left this one out. They do stink, but they only scored once Mercer was up by 35. Which is the highest point differential they have had in games against Chattanooga, Elon, VT, and Kennesaw.


Yeah - with Wofford thrown in, Mercer's competition is a combined 4-15. Those same 5 teams are averaging a combined 16.26 points/game (and that includes Gardner-Webb scoring 56 against Limestone and Morehead scoring 49 against Kentucky Christian). So between the FCS teams that Mercer has beaten, the only wins against other FCS teams are Citadel over ETSU and Morehead over Presby (non-scholarship program). The other 2 wins by those teams are against DII.

Again, I am on the Mercer bandwagon because I want SoCon teams to be ranked. I am just saying so far you guys have beaten a bunch of teams most good teams should.

[SU DOG]

Hatcher was told preseason that he had to win, although I don know any criteria, so he is literally coaching to save his job.

[FUBeAR]

Hatcher was told preseason that he had to win, although I don know any criteria, so he is literally coaching to save his job.
Seems as if he may have subcontracted part of that job-saving effort. xthumbsupx

[SU DOG]

Seems as if he may have subcontracted part of that job-saving effort. xthumbsupx
Not if you look at some of the other calls.

[FUBeAR]

Not if you look at some of the other calls.
Besides that, how did you like the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

[SU DOG]

Not Mrs. Lincoln, but I loved the ending - Thanks forasking.

[SU DOG]

On a personal note, that if you wish you can say "that's none of your business" I was just curious to know if your appeal to your man saved you any money?

[FUBeAR]

Not Mrs. Lincoln, but I loved the ending - Thanks forasking.
No - see in that construct / response / repartee…

FUBeAR is Mrs. Lincoln and you (with the prior post) are the idiotic, dismissive Reporter referring to minor, ticky-tacky trivialities (her enjoyment of the play = any other calls in that game) as if they were in any way equivalent to the central event (Lincoln’s assassination = an egregious multi-erroneous comedy of errors that came under the national microscope, caused the SoCon to act in an unprecedented manner, cost 6 officials game checks/future game checks, and 1 white hat his job.

Y’all trying to minimize, equivocate, or diminish the wide-spread effect of that travesty is as bad, or maybe worse, than any Furman fans who claim to know the Paladins would have scored 7 after the pick (if ruled correctly) and/or would have won the game if the whole sequence had been handled correctly. No one can KNOW those things. Pure speculation, but the reason y’all might be worse is you KNOW how bad it was.


so…you’re like, maybe, Matthew Brady. Got it?

[FUBeAR]

On a personal note, that if you wish you can say "that's none of your business" I was just curious to know if your appeal to your man saved you any money?
Agreed to flush it once he reviewed & re-reviewed & re-re-reviewed the situation AND when FUBeAR told him what his handle is gonna be on WCU @ Mercer & Furman @ CIT this week. FUBeAR, though now down, IRL, to Jr. Year (in HS) playing weight, he’s going full Beluga this week!

[gofurman]

QB is ok. Passes better than usual, but for short yardage usually. That's ok though if it unloads the box on occasion. I don't think he is nearly as good at making those critical keep, pitch decisions as we have been used to. And he seems a bit stiff doing it. He seems a bit slow to me as well. But he has confidence which helps overall.

And yeah, the whole blocking thing hurts outside.

Pass defense has been better than usual. We have some better speed and height that's helping. And it appears to me that our man coverage is much more aggressive than in past years. Overall tackling started out pretty bad, but has improved. In the Campbell game it was real bad. But that's normal. Red zone D has improved greatly from last year so far. We did take a hit at LB early on and lost a starter to season ending injury.

If we could just get something going on O we'd be much better. Our D is good, but nothing like playing keep away with the O executing 7 minute drives. Sure we get those 1-3 yard runs, but we aren't busting many open for big gains. Blocking issues and slow execution partly or too fast in execution and not allowing the blocks to develop when it's called for. I've seen a few issues. Another issue, and this is way subjective, is our play calling. It seems to have devolved into a horribly predictable pattern. That may work when we have a top O line and a bruiser at BBack. But we are getting stuffed far too often, more than usual, due to a vanilla repertoire. But for us to have under 200 yards a game rushing is a travesty. We have averaged over 300 in a season.

We were having penalty issues early on but seemed to have fixed that lately. Our punter is hot and cold. Seen him kick a 15 yarder and a 63 yarder. And everything in between. He improves though.

Well, that's just my novice impressions. Should be a good game as usual. I am thinking if you are healthier than you have been, it will be an uphill battle for us. But who knows in a SOCON game.

Thanks - good stuff.

Yes on injuris we are getting healthier. True. Still missing the starting QB (Huff). He ain't playing this week imo. Ill be surprised if we see him before lateee October. That hurts but the rest of the O healthy.

D - we are missing our starting DE Jackson. Starting LB Achina. and two big contributing DB/Safeties in Morris and D Wilkins though Morris may return. If he does that means we are down a starting DE and LB and backup Safety.

Like I said we can exchange info now - and fight Saturday lol

In response. Our O also hasn't busted big running plays. Hate to say it but it is true. Other than North Gville d2 I don't think we have had many big '30 yard+' run plays ! Maybe Huff had a few that were close as in 20+ yards but he isn't playing. Backup QB is good and he had a good run vs CSU but lets call it - vs ETSU and Samford our RBs aren't getting the holes and chunk runs we have had many years. Like the 2017 game we whooped ya 56 -20 or whatever .. :D. Those runs aren't happening. And we didn't have the right set of guys then for CCH. We do now.. I don't know but we aren't breaking big passes or runs. We are a 'good' offense but we also turn it over A LOT lately. FOUR times vs CSU and then 3 times vs Samford. 7 in past 2 games... geezzz Can't keep doing that or we are not winning the SoCon.

On the flip side our D causes A LOT of turnovers... ETSU had 4, CSU had 4 etc. Again, we just need to stop giving up the big play. We contain for 2 or 3 drives very well and then people hit a broken coverage in secondary or no LB is found within 5 yards of a RB headed to the endzone. That is understood occassionally. sure. But not as much as has happened lately.

I think a key here is can FURman prevent you all from having big plays on O. Keep you driving 12+ plays to score.

Are you missing anyone other than that starting LB to season ending injury???

[PaladinNation]

FYI… Furman's posted the Citadel Game Notes…
Huff is on the two-deep as the backup to Jace Wilson. I doubt we see him, but you never know. I hear he's taking snaps.
Looking over the rest of the notes Furman looks to be in better shape health-wise this week than last week.

Responding to GoFurman's post…
You have to move on from the two-starters are missing from the lineup.
Justin Miller has now started three games at Spur - Achina only once.
Chizik is the backup and nickel — enough said- he's a baller.
J Jackson is a great player but Jack Barton brings a little something different to DE.
This will be Jack's second start as well as 2nd game with Stanfield at DE.
Morris is back on the two-deep backing up Blackshear.

IMO- Dom Morris's presence was missed against Samford. Morris plays with an edge (personal foul against CSU) and backs it up with his physical play and cover ability. I love Blackshear but Morris has a lot of upside. He'll be a future all So-Con player.

[wcugrad95]

Agree @PaladinNation - we are getting to that part of the season where guys are nicked-up and may miss some snaps or games and everybody has to go "next man up" mode. Full-on injuries and missing a bunch of time or the rest of the season are noteworthy, and of course missing your starting QB or you all-conference so-and-so hurts, but generally speaking nearly every team will probably be missing a guy or two (or playing somebody who is well under 100%) the rest of the way. And nowadays everybody is playing FR and RS FR, so after a couple of starts those guys are now starters/veterans :)

That last part is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I am amazed in every WCU game they reference that we have over 40 FR (assume true and RS) on our gameday roster. So I went and looked at our online roster, and I count 60!!! Of course that is out of the 118 listed, and many are no doubt walk-ons. But we have a bunch of guys who are playing as true or RS FR. Maybe that is in-line with all the other teams, but that seems like a lot.

[kdinva]

Wofford 10 at Samford 38
ETSU 20 at VMI 23
Furman 27 at The Citadel 20
Western Carolina 34 at Mercer 44

[PaladinNation]

Agree @PaladinNation - we are getting to that part of the season where guys are nicked-up and may miss some snaps or games and everybody has to go "next man up" mode. Full-on injuries and missing a bunch of time or the rest of the season are noteworthy, and of course missing your starting QB or you all-conference so-and-so hurts, but generally speaking nearly every team will probably be missing a guy or two (or playing somebody who is well under 100%) the rest of the way. And nowadays everybody is playing FR and RS FR, so after a couple of starts those guys are now starters/veterans :)

That last part is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I am amazed in every WCU game they reference that we have over 40 FR (assume true and RS) on our gameday roster. So I went and looked at our online roster, and I count 60!!! Of course that is out of the 118 listed, and many are no doubt walk-ons. But we have a bunch of guys who are playing as true or RS FR. Maybe that is in-line with all the other teams, but that seems like a lot.

Every year I think Furman is going to have a more veteran team, the DINS are more experienced this season but still surprising low on seniors. Furman's numbers are similar to WCU - which might be surprising.

By my count Furman is listing 24 true freshmen, and 17 redshirt freshmen. 41 total freshmen.
Furman has 3 seniors on the two-deep defense, and 4 seniors on the two-deep offense.

Furman will have a lot coming back next season, including I'm now guessing they will redshirt highly regarded QB and RB.

[wcugrad95]

Of course I also have a hard time truly knowing who all has how many years of eligibility. I had the redshirt rule figured out, but now factoring in the Covid year I still get confused. WCU has FR (most of them true FR) either starting or playing significant time at RB (Dez Reid is going to be a good one), WR (Columbo, Lee, Keigley, and Tamarez), and at LB (McQueen has been the starter in most of the games). Every year WCU seems to say we are young, but with the mass turnover in our roster this year we are definitely young, but the guys seem talented with more speed. In comparison, we have 2 SRs on offense (RB and RG) and 2 on defense (DE and CB), with 12 FR/RS FR listed on the 2-deep for the Mercer game this weekend. That has been pretty much the same 2-deep all season except when Carlos was out at QB - where we started a true FR and the next 4 backups who came in were all FR or RS FR.

Those just seem like crazy numbers to me.

[The Cats]

Of course I also have a hard time truly knowing who all has how many years of eligibility. I had the redshirt rule figured out, but now factoring in the Covid year I still get confused. WCU has FR (most of them true FR) either starting or playing significant time at RB (Dez Reid is going to be a good one), WR (Columbo, Lee, Keigley, and Tamarez), and at LB (McQueen has been the starter in most of the games). Every year WCU seems to say we are young, but with the mass turnover in our roster this year we are definitely young, but the guys seem talented with more speed. In comparison, we have 2 SRs on offense (RB and RG) and 2 on defense (DE and CB), with 12 FR/RS FR listed on the 2-deep for the Mercer game this weekend. That has been pretty much the same 2-deep all season except when Carlos was out at QB - where we started a true FR and the next 4 backups who came in were all FR or RS FR.

Those just seem like crazy numbers to me.

I think the number is 45 - true freshman & redshirt freshman combined on the WCU team

[FUBeAR]

Seems an appropriate time & place to repost this data that FUBeAR compiled in the summer…




Team
# of Returning Players
Total # of Players Departed
# of Players Departed with Eligibility Remaining
Total # of New Players
# of New Players who are Inbound Transfers
Total # of Transfers on Roster


Chattanooga
57
39
22
27
16
36


ETSU
?
?
?
?
?
?


Furman
75
34
23
33
5
6


Mercer
57
41
34
59
11
16


Samford
71
46
31
49
25
38


The Citadel
66
46
41
57
13
14


VMI
84
23
16
33
0
0


WCU
58
57
42
65
16
35


Wofford
78
33
11
35
6
?


TOTAL
546
319
209
358
92
145


8 Team AVG (rounded)
68
40
26
45
11
18



Added an Averages row…since it seems some of y’all (at least 1) is looking at and comparing this info, fwiw. That’s what FUBeAR thought you might wanna do with it. It’s interesting, but really difficult to use to draw deeper meaning with any degree of certainty or to produce projections based upon it. If we could extract the FreeCovidYear effect, it might tell us something about the ‘new normal’ in the portal era.

But…1 thing FUBeAR thinks we can all see and deduce, the numbers of departing players and the numbers of new players seem really high compared to what we perceive would have been these numbers in prior years. We’ll see if/how that affects what we see on the field AND if/how it affects how we feel about our Teams and our ongoing / continued support for them, specifically, and college football (particularly FCS), generally.

[wcugrad95]

I remember your math project, but now I was thinking more about what we are doing/how we are fairing with all the new faces in the SoCon. Lots of new guys all over the field for the Cats, and seems to be true for Samford as well. And of course Furman went with the transfer Huff at QB. Who else is getting lots of production from newcomers, particularly the youngsters that are FR/RS FR?

[FUBeAR]

I remember your math project, but now I was thinking more about what we are doing/how we are fairing with all the new faces in the SoCon. Lots of new guys all over the field for the Cats, and seems to be true for Samford as well. And of course Furman went with the transfer Huff at QB. Who else is getting lots of production from newcomers, particularly the youngsters that are FR/RS FR?Welp…

You’ll probably see all you want of…

* Fred Payton (QB, CCU) - #4 in FCS Passing Efficiency
* Devron Harper (WR/RS, G-W) - #2 in FCS Receiving TD’s, #1 in SoCon Scoring
* Ty James (WR, UGa) - #1 in SoCon Receiving yds/game
* Austin Douglas (RB, JMU) - #1 in SoCon yds/carry

…along with..

Fred Jackson (RB/RS, CCU)
Drake Starks (TE, L-R)
Cam Sims (CB, GaSt)
Robert Johnson (NG, JaxSt)
Shi’heem Watkins (S, CCU)

…playing for Mercer on Saturday.

Not all of those are 1st year Players for the Bears though. Only Douglas from the 1st group is ‘new.’ All but Starks in the 2nd group are ‘new.’

Mercer has 13 ‘new arrivals’ and/or FR/R-FR on the 22-man O & D 2-deep.

[Mocs123]

The Mocs QB is a grad student transfer, but we also have both safeties that are freshmen as well as two several wideouts. Out WR room is pretty much all Freshmen and Sophomores - so we are really young there. We're also playing a true freshman at linebacker quite a bit though he's not starting. Our front 7 on defense is pretty good and experienced.

[Reign of Terrier]

Josh Conklin will likely be fired this week.

https://www.wspa.com/sports/college-sports/head-coaching-change-at-wofford-could-be-happening/?fbclid=IwAR3otuRssTeXqIv95vdzgyUPrxVMIMgv5D19F-5Z9vxYF0Y27g8m3Ei9J-Q

[FUBeAR]

Josh Conklin will likely be fired this week.

https://www.wspa.com/sports/college-sports/head-coaching-change-at-wofford-could-be-happening/?fbclid=IwAR3otuRssTeXqIv95vdzgyUPrxVMIMgv5D19F-5Z9vxYF0Y27g8m3Ei9J-Q
Sounds like today…

https://twitter.com/cdearing82/status/1578118115011043328

Like The Eagles (the band, not GaSou or Philly), seems he’s Already Gone…

https://twitter.com/dougmichael14/status/1578108903988072465

[Reign of Terrier]

Gone like a freight train, gone like yesterday

[FUBeAR]

Gone like a freight train, gone like yesterday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-75raKEmGoo

[Reign of Terrier]

I had Montgomery Gentry in mind lol

[gofurman]

Will be interesting to see who the interim is.

ya know I’ve often thought interim guys don’t get the chance they deserve. I recall several who completed a season like Woff had going
say 2-4 or what not. But then not hired. Interim is great as it’s a try before-you-buy system! If a guy wins 2 or 3 why not give him a one year deal? I see many schools improve w interim guy and then not hire. Weird. I guess they think they should aim for a bigger hire and not the prior OC or DC as he is a “OC level guy”? If he wins keep him

and it kills me to say this but SoCon needs Woff to be relevant again. Better for conference

[FUBeAR]

Saturday, October 8, 2022


Away
Home
Time
FUBeAR lays it all out for ya


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wofford.png?width=30Wofford (http://woffordterriers.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_samford.png?width=30Samford (http://www.samfordsports.com/)
1P
When GT replaced their HC with an interim earlier this year, they upset a ranked Pitt Team in their next game. Could those same dynamics be in play in Homewood this week? No.

Final Score: Samford 42 - Wofford 17


https://soconsports.com/images/2020/1/2/etsu_logo.png?width=30ETSU (http://www.etsubucs.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/logos/VMI_spider_four_color-2015.png?width=30VMI (https://vmikeydets.com/)
1:30P
Matchup of the 2 most recent SoCon Champions, neither of which has a single SoCon win. ETSU gained some confidence last week vs. Chatt. VMI gained more doubts last week at WCU. Home field matters in LexVegas, but the MountainPirates have enough powder in their cannons to slay the Kangaroos.

Final Score: ETSU 24 - VMI 17


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_furman.png?width=30Furman (http://www.furmanpaladins.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_citadel.png?width=30The Citadel (http://www.citadelsports.com/)
2P
The bellhops on Sat will be just 2 days shy of going a complete month, during the heart of Football season, without scoring a single point. On Family & Ring Weekend in front of a sellout crowd in their half-a-stadium, the SamsoniteSlingers will score this week!

Final Score: Furman 52 - CIT 3


https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_wcu.png?width=30Western Carolina (https://catamountsports.com/)
https://soconsports.com/images/2019/9/23/logo_mercer.png?width=30Mercer (http://www.mercerbears.com/)
4P
SoCon Game of the Week. This one certainly has the feel of a ‘showdown.’ The CoachesBell’s last visit to Five Star Stadium in 2013 did not end well for this near-Siamese-duo. That night has to be on their minds, but WCU has some young talent that plays hard. Mercer has more talent, is more experienced, and also plays hard. The Bears defeat the Catamounts for the 7th straight time.

Final Score: Mercer 38 - WCU 24



FUBeAR’s POWER RANKINGS
Some movement within the upper tier this week…

1. Mercer (2-0, 4-1)
2t. Furman (1-1, 3-2)
2t. Samford (2-0, 4-1)
4. Chattanooga (2-0, 4-1)
5. WCU (1-1, 3-2)
6. CIT (1-1, 1-3)
7. ETSU (0-3, 2-3)
8. VMI (0-1, 1-3)
9. Wofford (0-2, 0-5)

[OrangeAndBlack]

Power Rankings:

1. UTC
2. Mercer
3. Samford
4. Furman
5. WCU
6. Citadel
7. ETSU
8. VMI
9. Wofford

Wofford 6, Samford 42 -- Samford shows no mercy as Wofford loses 16 straight.

ETSU 20, VMI 21 -- I think this will be the tightest game of the week. I'm giving the nod to the home team after going back and forth. Both teams turn it over about the same amount, but ETSU has been lucky to only lose 1 fumble (6 total). While VMI has lost 6 of 7 fumbles. ETSU "luck" will change if they keep that up, mixed with 7 interceptions already thrown this year.

Furman 27, Citadel 0 -- Citadel has been blanked for 8 consecutive quarters. (They scored in EACH quarter against ETSU, which is another reason I think VMI has a shot). Furman gets some anger out after last weeks officiating disaster.

WCU 17, Mercer 41 -- Western Carolina has put up big points in 3 games, however, those teams are a combined 1-11. Against quality opponents (both on the road) they've averaged 14.5 points. I give them a slight bump on that this week. I think Mercer tacks on some points late as WCU is forced into aggressive play calling. Two stats that stands out to me for Mercer: 0 interceptions, 12 fumbles (6 lost). Gotta get those fumbles under control!

[ElCid]

Will be interesting to see who the interim is.

ya know I’ve often thought interim guys don’t get the chance they deserve. I recall several who completed a season like Woff had going
say 2-4 or what not. But then not hired. Interim is great as it’s a try before-you-buy system! If a guy wins 2 or 3 why not give him a one year deal? I see many schools improve w interim guy and then not hire. Weird. I guess they think they should aim for a bigger hire and not the prior OC or DC as he is a “OC level guy”? If he wins keep him

and it kills me to say this but SoCon needs Woff to be relevant again. Better for conference

Dabo was an interim coach. "Interim" anything (coach, manager, supervisor, etc.) gives whoever a great chance. Up to them to seize it.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

I was 3-2 last week. Saw a number of Furman fans at Crow-Fil-A that evening. Told them they should write Scott Carter a thank you note for taking George Quarles off their hands. This is where I see it after this past week's games.

1) Mercer - administered a beatdown that ended a coaching stint
2) Samford - came away with a shocker of a win
3) Chattanooga - willed themselves to a win on the road
4) Furman - lost in a heartbreaker at home
5) Western Carolina - came back in a convincing fashion
6) The Citadel - received a good old fashioned High Country butt whipping
7) ETSU - suffered another fourth quarter collapse
8) VMI - looked like they came out of a Catamount-powered trash compactor
9) Wofford - decided to "axe" Con Man Conklin the question

This Week's Games
Wofford @ Samford - Bammerdogs take care of business
ETSU @ VMI - Bucs win in a battle of the last two conference champions
Furman @ The Citadel - Paladins win another game on the road
Western Carolina @ Mercer​ (Game of the Week) - Bears defend their house and defend it will

[Reign of Terrier]

The good news if you're Wofford is that on defense we aren't...awful. But on offense we're so bad that it will actually be very easy to improve next year.

[BlackNGoldR3v0lut10n]

and I just saw ETSU lay VMI to waste. 44-21. If ETSU plays like that with regularity, watch out.

[kdinva]

and I just saw ETSU lay VMI to waste. 44-21. If ETSU plays like that with regularity, watch out.

it's gettin' like five years ago......if an opponent needs to get healthy, wait for the VMI game.

[Mocs123]

it's gettin' like five years ago......need to get healthy, wait for the VMI game.

Well I hope the Keydets keep it that way at least one more week. VMI is the only SoCon team that Rusty Wright hasn't beaten as a HC.

[rtzlunar]

Wofford is taking the kitties to the woodshed in Macon. 42-0 at half

[Mocs123]

The Mercer Bears are taking the kitties to the woodshed. Wofford has spent some time behind the woodshed but recently they've been on the receiving end of it.

[rtzlunar]

Not sure where I got Wofford from. Can’t even blame that mistake on alcohol - yet.

[The Cats]

There is no doubt Mercer dominate Western both offensively and defensively. If they play that well each week, no one in the SoCon will be able to take them down, including Samford and ChattaQuitta.

[wcugrad95]

I had said we would probably learn a lot about both Western and Mercer, and we did. I knew Mercer was good, I just thought Western was better than what we put on the field today. It was very “deer in headlights” for the Cats from the start. Needing to be mistake-free we were anything but - and that is because Mercer punched us in the mouth and we absolutely were not ready for either side of the ball.

Mercer is a really damn good football team who very well might go undefeated in SoCon play, finish 10-1, be a top-8 seed in the playoffs, and could probably do this to many of the other teams on their schedule.

Western simply got smoked today - sometimes it just happens. We seemed to be in a funk from the opening offensive play as an INT, but Mercer just straight-up was better all over the field. We couldn’t run it, we couldn’t throw it, and we couldn’t stop them.

The Bears need to be at least in the top-10 after today.

[gofurman]

FYI… Furman's posted the Citadel Game Notes…
Huff is on the two-deep as the backup to Jace Wilson. I doubt we see him, but you never know. I hear he's taking snaps.
Looking over the rest of the notes Furman looks to be in better shape health-wise this week than last week.

Responding to GoFurman's post…
You have to move on from the two-starters are missing from the lineup.
Justin Miller has now started three games at Spur - Achina only once.
Chizik is the backup and nickel — enough said- he's a baller.
J Jackson is a great player but Jack Barton brings a little something different to DE.
This will be Jack's second start as well as 2nd game with Stanfield at DE.
Morris is back on the two-deep backing up Blackshear.

IMO- Dom Morris's presence was missed against Samford. Morris plays with an edge (personal foul against CSU) and backs it up with his physical play and cover ability. I love Blackshear but Morris has a lot of upside. He'll be a future all So-Con player.

its not that I don’t “move on”. Just keeping a list. And heck you yourself AGREE we coulda used Morris vs Sammy

guys do matter though. What if 17 guys are out. I’m just making an example. That matters. And I’m one who moves on better than most. No complaints from me over that officiating w Sanford. You HAVE TO BEAT THE REFS TOO. People need to move on about that. Disappointed in how long they kept talking about that.

One. Injuris are just my thing. What if Ryan Miller is out for season. Does that not change everything? Heck I wonder if we don’t run Huff - he ran what ONCE v Citadel and slid ? - that we are really limiting our offense. Big time. The lack of his running and keeping ball from RB belly is a killer. The D just defends pass and RB. But no concern over QB run is a HUGE LOSS. HUGE.

b Next man up is only good as far as it goes. Recall our year we had to go to QB number 4 ? Somewhere in 2010-2015 era maybe? We couldn’t win much. Injuris crush you at FCS level. Heck even Bama barely won today with a backup QB and they have 25 5 star guys all over the field. ONE injury at Bama and they about lost to a team in Tex AM that lost to App State !!

[gofurman]

I had said we would probably learn a lot about both Western and Mercer, and we did. I knew Mercer was good, I just thought Western was better than what we put on the field today. It was very “deer in headlights” for the Cats from the start. Needing to be mistake-free we were anything but - and that is because Mercer punched us in the mouth and we absolutely were not ready for either side of the ball.

Mercer is a really damn good football team who very well might go undefeated in SoCon play, finish 10-1, be a top-8 seed in the playoffs, and could probably do this to many of the other teams on their schedule.

Western simply got smoked today - sometimes it just happens. We seemed to be in a funk from the opening offensive play as an INT, but Mercer just straight-up was better all over the field. We couldn’t run it, we couldn’t throw it, and we couldn’t stop them.

The Bears need to be at least in the top-10 after today.

yep. SMOKED. As a Furman fan, I have no doubt that Mercer is best in the conference right now. Never did - posted on our board that Mercer would easily beat Western. That old Furman coach is lighting it up down there. Some people want to deny but cmon Mercer is playing best. Can they lose on a given day? You bet! But they should be favored in every game I think

I will say Mercer v Citadel at Mercer was 17-0. Furman at Citadel in Charleston was 21-10. Gives me some hope

[PaladinNation]

GF… this the last time I'll respond to your drum beat on injuries. It's fine I could care less if you keep a list on Furman's injuries.

They happen - you recruit multiple players at each position for competition and depth cause your number two is just one play away from being your number one. Furman's second half defensive dominance was fueled by the play of its rotation of its non-starters. Hell our third-string DT Trey Rodgers was making stops.

I will I guess you can call it go negative on the decision to play Tyler Huff yesterday. It was obvious and mentioned by CCH that the goal of this game was to get Huff reps after missing a game and a half and not risk an injury to Huff by him running the ball. Running is a big part of Huffs game, and to beat some of the teams coming up for Furman, the coaches will have to take the gloves off Huff.

I think the better play yesterday would have been to play Jace Wilson. Tyler was rusty - his two throws for picks were evidence of that. The only reason I can think of not playing Jace yesterday is because he put the ball on the field twice against Samford. Clay made the comment in the pregame that ball security is job security and Furman isn't afraid to play the next man up. The opening Furman drive showed the capability of the Furman offense. The four-corner offense of the second half was frustrating for this fan to watch.

I hate the Citadel (it's our rival), the game was chippy and physical, I hoped we would drop the hammer. In the end a win is a win!

[FUBeAR]

Dang…Coach Thompson just needs to quarantine himself immediately after Furman games, it seems…


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akHFp6yP5dA
don’t worry…he only talks for 3 minutes.

Citadel coach Brent Thompson addresses ‘heated exchange’ with spectator

https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/citadel/citadel-coach-brent-thompson-addresses-heated-exchange-with-spectator/article_459debaa-48c7-11ed-811d-b3d0c5d3560e.html