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| Ranked battle between No. 11 Chattanooga and No. 13 Furman highlight's Saturday's SoCon Games |
One of the most intriguing matchups of week five of SoCon spring football will take place at Seibert Stadium in Birmingham, as unbeaten VMI takes on Samford in what was a battle that proved to be one of the better ones in league play back in 2019, with the Keydets taking a 48-41 overtime win over the Bulldogs last season in come-from-behind fashion.
The Keydets entered the FCS Top 25 for the first time in school history this week, coming in at No. 19 in the STATs FCS poll, while the 3-0 start by VMI marks the Keydets best start to a campaign since 1981. The Keydets are coming off what was a thrilling 37-31 win over No. 20 Wofford last weekend to improve to 2-2 this spring. Meanwhile, VMI moved to 3-0 with a dominating 41-14 win over the Mercer Bears in Lexington, VA.
Saturday's contest will mark one of the best matchups of quarterbacks in the Southern Conference, with Keydet signal-caller Reece Udinski (84-of-115 passing, 734 yds, 4 TDs, 1 INT) and Bulldog field general Liam Welch (66-of-93 passing, 923 yds, 4 TDs, 2 INTs). Welch is coming off a performance, which saw him throw for 359 yards against Wofford, while backup signal-caller Chris Oladokun (35-of-54 passing, 222 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs/19 rush att, 48 yds, 2 TDs) rushed for a pair of Samford TDs in the win over the Terriers last week.
Meanwhile, VMI's Udinski, who was the SoCon's preseason Offensive Player of the Year selection, needs just 219 more yards passing to surpass former great Al Cobb as the program's all-time leading passer. Cobb's career passing mark of 7,727-career passing yards currently ranks 10th all-time in SoCon history.
Saturday's clash will see the league's top offense, with Samford leading the SoCon in both scoring offense (36.5 PPG) and total offense (454.4 YPG), while the story for the Keydets this season has been its defense, which leads the conference in scoring defense (11.3 PPG) and leads the league with 15 sacks, which includes nine sacks in one game in a 14-13 win over then No. 10 Furman. The Keydets rank second in the SoCon in total defense (261.3 YPG) and third in total offense (410.0 YPG).
Samford has been outstanding running the football this spring, as head coach Chris Hatcher's club has been sophomore running back Jay Stanton (63 rush att, 302 yds, 3 TDs, 4.8 YPC), while the Keydets counter with a big play threat of their own, in Korey Bridy (50 rush att, 204 yds, 3 TDs, 4.1 YPC), who like Stanton, is a threat both as a pass-catcher in addition his threat as a running back coming out of the backfield.
The top pass-catcher's to keep an eye on for each team Saturday are Jakob Heres (19 rec, 210 yds, 1 TD, 11.1 YPR) for the Keydets, as he comes into the contest leading the SoCon in receiving, while Samford's A.J. Toney (25 rec, 251 yds, 1 TD, 10.0 YPR) ranks second overall in receiving. The two team's have arguably the two best overall receiving units in the SoCon, with Leroy Thomas (17 rec, 118 yds, 1 TD, 6.9 YPR) and Max Brimigion (17 rec, 144 yds, 8.5 YPR) adding two more weapons for Udinski, while Ty King (21 rec, 392 yds, 2 TDs, 18.7 YPR), who had an 85-yard scoring catch in the loss at Furman a couple of weeks ago is a nice compliment to Toney for Samford.
Defensively, Connor Riddle (28 tackles, 6.0 TFL) has been outstanding for the Keydets through the first three games of the spring, anchoring the heart of the Keydets defense at middle linebacker. Fellow linebacker Stone Snyder's (27 tackles) four sacks rank him second overall in the league in the 2020-21 season. Samford's defense has been anchored by defensive backs Ty Herring (33 tackles, 1 FF) and Chris Edmonds (26 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 4 INTs, 2 FFs, 1 FR) on the back end, while defensive end Nelson Jordan (13 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks) has been among the SoCon's top pass-rusher's.
Final Score Prediction: Samford 38, VMI 34
Western Carolina (1-6, 0-3 SoCon) at Mercer (1-5, 1-2 SoCon), 4 p.m. EST/Five Star Stadium
Fresh off its first win of the spring, Western Carolina heads to Mercer looking to making it an official winning streak when it takes on the Mercer Bears at Five Star Stadium on Saturday. The Bears were on the road last weekend, suffering a 41-14 setback at VMI. This contest will mark the second of a Nexstar/SoCon Game of the Week doubleheader.
Both Mark Speir's Catamounts and first-year Mercer head coach Drew Cronic have experienced their fair share of struggles offensively throughout the 2020-21 season thus far, due in large part to have new starters at signal-caller. Freshman Carter Peavy (30-of-61 passing, 400 yds, 4 TDs, 1 INT) is set to start once again under center for the Bears, while the Catamounts have had Penn transfer Ryan Glover (56-of-94 passing, 577 yds, 2 TDs, 3 INTs/44 rush yds, 1 TD).
Glover was at the forefront of the first win of the spring for the Catamounts last week against The Citadel, as the Catamounts held off an undermanned Bulldog team for a 21-14 win in Cullowhee. Now Glover will be trying to snap what is a six-game losing streak away from E.J. Whitmire Stadium, as the Catamounts head down to middle Georgia. In last week's seven-point win over the Bulldogs, Glover connected on 11-of-18 for 86 yards. It was a tremendous job of managing the game and seeing it out for Glover and the Catamount offense, who got a huge day from running back Donnavan Spencer (107 rush att, 600 yds, 3 TDs, 5.6 YPC/12 rec, 108 yds, 9.0 YPR) .
Spencer had a career day running the ball against the Bulldog defense, finishing with a career single-game record of 220 rushing yards and a pair of rushing scores in the first win of the spring for the Catamounts. He was the lone big-play threat for the Catamounts in last Saturday's win. Western Carolina will hope to get some big plays out that position Saturday at Mercer, with the leader's of that corps being D.J. Thorpe (4 rec, 51 yds, 12.8 YPR) and Daquan Patten (6 rec, 92 yds, 15.3 YPR).
Coach Speir has had to try and manage his offense slower than normal over the past couple of season's, as the Catamounts continue to improve along the offensive line. Senior right guard Matthew Bair anchors the unit, and will be making his 19th start in the Purple and Gold this Saturday. He helps anchor a Catamount offensive unit that has struggled throughout the 2020-21 season, averaging just 281.6 YPG.
Mercer, which is the lone offense to rank lower in the SoCon than Western Carolina, comes in averaging 272.7 YPG through six games in the 2020-21 campaign. Mercer has had a few moments to see what it might become offensively in the future under Cronic's direction, with the 42-28 win over The Citadel offering a chance for us to see some of that big-play ability, as the Bears rolled up 354 yards, which included a 208-yard performance on the ground. One of the big plays that comes to mind in the win over the Bulldogs was a 75-yard scoring catch from tight end Drake Starks
Leading that ground attack for Cronic's Bears so far this spring has been Nakendrick Clark (42 rush att, 168 rush yds, 4.0 YPC), who has transferred in from Appalachian State following the 2019 season. Clark has split time with Julian Beris (5 rush att, 45 yds, 1 TD, 6.1 YPC) and Deondre Johnson (16 rush att, 111 yds, 1 TD, 6.9 YPC/14 rec, 141 yds, 1 TD, 10.1 YPR) as the Bears' main ball-carriers so far this fall.
Defense has been a source of improvement for the most part for the Bears, however, it's still very much a work in progress. The leader on the defensive side of the ball has been safety Lance Wise, who has 59 tackles and three tackles-for-loss in six games so far in the spring. Though six games, the Bears are surrendering a respectable 381.0 YPG, and rank second in the SoCon in sacks, with 15 so far in the 2020-21 campaign.
The Catamount defense is still trying to find its footing during the spring as well, ranking last in the SoCon in scoring defense (35.6 PPG) and last in total defense (537.0 YPG). The leader on that side of the ball for the Catamounts is linebacker Ty Harris (70 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks, 2 QBHs, 1 FF).
Final Score Prediction: Mercer 34, Western Carolina 27
East Tennessee State (1-1, 1-1 SoCon) at The Citadel (0-7, 0-3 SoCon), 1 p.m./Johnson Hagood Stadium
ETSU will look to get back on track Saturday when it travels to The Citadel team that has struggled to maintain numbers ever since it first showed up for its original camp for the 2020-21 season in August cancellation prior to the season being put off until the spring. Ever since that first day of camp, it has been hard for head coach Brent Thompson to know exactly how many player's might be available for the Bulldogs on a weekly basis.
Saturday's meeting between the Bucs and Bulldogs will mark the 29th all-time series clash, with the Bucs holding a 16-12 all-time series edge. The Citadel was able to play spoiler last season, coming to Johnson City and getting a 31-27, come-from-behind win over ETSU on its homecoming back in 2019.
The Bucs are coming off their first loss of the spring, dropping a 17-13 contest to No. 13 Furman after holding a 10-0 halftime lead over the Paladins at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. The Bucs continue to be led offensively by signal-caller Tyler Riddell (36-of-60 passing, 393 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT), and while the second half against the Paladins might have seen yards tough to come by against a stout, mature Furman defense, the Bucs had their opportunities, but timing was off on a couple of routes to Julian Lane Price (8 rec, 161 yds, 1 TD, 20.1 YPR). One of those routes, had the throw not been too far behind Lane-Price, it could have been a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, which would have given the Bucs the go-ahead score.
All that being said, the ETSU offense is seemingly a lot better place at this point in the spring than it was at any point during the 2019 season. ETSU comes in averaging a modest 311.0 YPG and 18.5 PPG. The Bucs best option on the offensive side of the football is running back Quay Holmes (37 rush att, 192 yds, 3 TDs, 5.2 YPC), as he continues to rise up the ETSU rushing rankings. Holmes rushed for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the season-opening win over Samford. Holmes currently ranks second overall in the SoCon in all-purpose yards per game (142.5 YPG).
On the defensive side of the football, the Bucs continue to be led by a strong corps of linebacker's, with Donovan Manuel (15 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 2 INTs, 1 FF) and Mike Price (19 tackles, 1 PBU). Manuel has registered INTs in each of ETSU's first two games this season.
The Citadel comes into Saturday afternoon's clash at Johnson Hagood Stadium looking to put an end to what is a nine-game losing streak on the gridiron, which dates back to that 31-27 win at ETSU late during the 2019 campaign. The low point for Bulldog football fans likely reached a low point last Saturday, as The Citadel dropped a 21-14 contest on the road at Western Carolina.
The number of players available should be better this weekend for the Bulldogs should be better, as Bulldog player's continue to return off suspension from the violations involving the student bookstore. Bulldog fans can take comfort in the fact that the Bulldogs have not allowed a point in the final half in each of the past two games.
Jaylin Adams (18-of-38 passing, 158 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT/113 rush att, 492 yds, 4 TDs, 4.4 YPC) will once again be the starter under center for the Bulldogs, leading The Citadel's triple-option attack. Adams comes in as the Bulldogs' leading rusher so far this season. The big-play threat that provided the go-ahead touchdown last time these two met on the gridiron--Raleigh Webb (12 rec, 185 yds, 3 TDs, 15.4 YPR)--is still around and still dangerous as ever in the Bulldog passing game.
On the defensive side of the ball, The Citadel still has the SoCon's top player coming into the season, in Willie Eubanks III (54 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks) at linebacker, while Anthony Britton Jr. (61 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 PBU) continued what has been a strong spring, as he posted 16 tackles in last Saturday's loss at Western Carolina.
I expect a low-scoring game, however, I think ETSU gets back on the winning track in Charleston, while the Bulldogs' losing streak extends to double-digits.
Final Score Prediction: ETSU 20, The Citadel 17
No. 11 Chattanooga (2-1, 2-0 SoCon) at No. 13 Furman (3-1, 3-1 SoCon), 12 p.m./Paladin Stadium
Fresh of last Saturday’s win over the other Volunteer State program, Furman returns to action on Saturday to face the other Volunteer State member of the nine-team Southern Conference, welcoming 2-1 Chattanooga inside the friendly confines of Paladin Stadium. The Mocs, who were No. 11 in the latest STATS FCS poll, come to Paladin Stadium as the highest ranked team in the Southern Conference, and are one of three team’s currently ranked in the latest FCS Top 25 spring poll.
Furman had to come from behind to get a 35-24 win over the Mocs after trailing 9-0 early in the contest when the two last met at Finley Stadium back in 2019. That game would be the one that would see the eventual emergence of Paladin signal-caller Hamp Sisson () as the Furman signal-caller, as he came into that contest in the second quarter in relief of Darren Grainger, rescuing the Paladins and leading them to an 11-point road win.
It’s become in essence a four-team league race to the finish now, with East Tennessee State remaining alive with only one loss as well. VMI remains unbeaten and are off to its first 3-0 start season since the 1981 campaign, and ranked in the STATS FCS Top 25 for the first time in school history (No. 19).
With a Furman win this weekend, it could really make it an exciting race coming down the stretch in the league, whereas a loss would pretty much render the pre-Spring SoCon favorite’s chances at claiming a playoff bid and staying in the SoCon title race all but impossible.
A win by Furman leaves VMI alone atop the league should it take care of business on the road at Samford, which will certainly be no picnic, the Keydets would sit all alone atop the league at the midway point. However, there’s just one slight problem, and that is that Chattanooga and VMI had their opening game postoned/potentially canceled due to COVID-19, while ETSU and Wofford also have had a game postponed/potentially canceled due to Wofford not meeting the required numbers for available defensive linemen.
With the unknowns out of the control of Furman now, having already dropped a game, with a 14-13 loss in the second week of the spring at VMI, winning out becomes the only thing Clay Hendrix’s Paladins can do. While some team’s in the league have seemingly placed less value on the league, it has to be said Furman nor VMI have not been two of those team’s placing less value on the spring.
Chattanooga and its second-year head coach Rusty Wright were adament about playing this past fall, and when that was canceled in August, have been outspoken against a spring season. The Mocs did play one game this past fall, and came as close as any SoCon team did to actually winning a game, as the Mocs took Western Kentucky down to the wire before eventually dropping that contest, 13-10, to Western Kentucky.
The Mocs have started the SoCon-only spring season in strong fashion, posting wins over both then No.11 Wofford (24-13) and held off The Citadel on the road for a 25-24 win in Charleston as the result of opting to go for two in overtime for the win.
Chattanooga is blessed with some of the best talent on both sides of the football coming into the matchup, and for a second-straight week, the opposition will have a full week to get an idea of what the Paladins do and don’t do best on film since the Mocs had their actual bye week last Saturday prior to the showdown the Paladins.
On the offensive side of the football, the Mocs have been solid in all facets, led by Old Dominion transfer signal-caller Drayton Arnold (35-of-68 passing, 535 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT) this season. Arnold is diminutive in stature, but possesses outstanding arm strength, acumen and overall quickness to elude pass rusher’s and create something out of nothing if and when the play should break down.
The biggest strength the Mocs boast on the offensive side of the football this spring is their outstanding offensive line. Four of the eight starters that returned along the offensive front from a team that was in the running for a SoCon title hunt until the final month of the 2019 season have returned.
Anchoring the offensive front this spring are Cole Strange at left guard, and the preseason All-America selection has started 32-consecutive games for the Mocs. Harrison Moon is another veteran, all-conference caliber lineman, and is set to start at the left tackle spot Saturday.
Those two offensive lineman have helped pave the way for Mocs running backs Tyrell Price (33 rush att, 115 yds, 3 TDs, 3.5 YPC) and Gino Appleberry (30 rush att, 109 yds, 1 TD, 3.6 YPC), who have both helped tag-team the rushing responsibilities so far this season. The Mocs had one of the top freshman running backs in the nation back in 2019, as freshman All-American Ailym Ford (25 rush att, 92 yds, 3.7 YPC) had an outstanding campaign.
His 159 rushing yards in the opening half of that loss to Furman back in 2019 highlighted the Mocs’ strong performance in the opening frame against the Paladins. Ford did play in the lone game in the fall for the Mocs, as he rushed for 92 yards on 25 carries. He has already rushed for 1,173 yards in his 11 games in a UTC uniform.
The leading pass-catcher’s for the Mocs are Reginald Henderson (11 rec, 190 yds, 17.3 YPR) and Kanore McKinnon (2 rec, 41 yds, 20.5 YPR). McKinnon is the primary deep threat for the Mocs, while Henderson, who hauled in seven passes for 102 yards against Wofford, is another key cog in the Mocs passing attack. Tight end Juwan Tyus hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass from Arnold on the first play of the game in the win at The Citadel last time out. Chattanooga had to replace All-America wideout Bryce Nunnelly, who entered the portal and is now headed to Western Michigan.
The Mocs main strength over the past decade has been on the defensive side of the football, as Chattanooga enters Saturday’s spring showdown with the nation’s ninth-ranked defensive unit (284.0 YPG). The Mocs all rank 16th nationally in scoring defense (16.7 YPG). Leading the way on the defensive side of the football is talented defensive lineman Devonsba Maxwell (4.0 sacks this season vs. Wofford and The Citadel). Maxwell has continued in a long line of talented defensive lineman, especially over the past decade, which includes names like Isaiah Mack, Davis Tull and Keionta Jackson.
The Mocs are not short on talent at the other two levels on defense either, with linebacker both Ty Boeck (23 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 FR) and Kam Jones (28 tackles, 2.0 TFL) among the league’s leaders in tackles-per-game coming into Saturday’s contest. In the Mocs’ secondary, they have one of the best in the league, with junior all-conference safety Jerell Lawson (20 tackles, 2.5 TFL) highlighting the back end of that UTC defense, and is good at coming up and making plays against the run. Lawson had eight tackles the last time out against the Bulldogs.
Furman's counters with signal-caller Hamp Sisson (57-of-95, 836 yds, 8 TDs, 5 INTs) and running back Devin Wynn (75 rush att, 418 yds, 4 TDs, 5.6 YPC) as the feature attractions of an offense the enters Saturday's contest averaging 27.2 PPG and 427.0 YPG.
In the passing game, the Paladins have one of the top tight ends in all of FCS football, as Ryan Miller (10 rec, 154 yds, 4 TDs, 15.4 YPR) has seemingly manufactured big plays this season. Like Miller, Wynn has also been an effective target in the passing game. Coming out of the Paladin backfield this season, hauling in six passes for 38 yards.
Although the Paladin offensive front, which gave up nine sacks earlier this season in a game against VMI, will have to be cognizant of another good pass-rushing defense, in Chattanooga, which has been able to get pressure a majority of times with three and four-man fronts. The Paladins have done a better job of protecting Sisson in the past couple of games against Samford and East Tennessee State.
As good as the Paladins have been on the offensive side of the ball this season, their calling card has been on defense, fielding an outstanding unit since the start of the 2019 season. Duane Vaughn's unit has carried that over into the 2020-21 campaign, as the Paladins rank 24th nationally in scoring defense (17.7 PPG) and 19th in total defense (270.2 YPG).
Furman continues to be led by its young linebacking corps, which is anchored by Nick Kuzemka (28 tackles, 2.5 TFL), while Darius Kearse (19 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 3 INTs, 1 FF) has highlighted what has been an outstanding secondary through the first four games.
This should be another low-scoring affair, with Furman finding a way to do just enough to hold off the Mocs in Greenville.
Final Score Prediction: Furman 13, Chattanooga 10
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