|
GEORGIA SOUTHERN (1-1)
|
THE CITADEL (0-1)
|
The Eagles are in an unfamiliar situation
to start the season. There is no Adrian Peterson to hand the ball
to in Statesboro, Ga., and no JR Revere to pass and run the option.
Even without these two record setters, Georgia Southern is primed
to have a good season.
Peterson was not missed against Gardner-Webb
University when the Eagles tallied 591 yards rushing but were only
able to get 15 through the air.
They return seven defense starters including
defensive tackle Freddy Pesqueira. Pesqueira enters his senior season
as a top candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award after being a finalist
in 2000 and 2001.
All-SoCon and All-American safety David Young
is also back for his senior season. Young is an intelligent and
physically gifted defensive back who plays well in the big game.
He has 25 career starts under his belt and enters this season with
19 consecutive starts. |
The Citadel opened with a 35-10 loss
to Louisiana State University on Saturday. The Bulldogs were ineffective
in all aspects during the first half when they were only able to
cross midfield once and gain 106 yards against LSU’s 317. Senior
running back Nate Mahoney, who ran for 56 yards on 14 carries against
LSU, will be the No. 1 running back for the Bulldogs this season.
Mahoney worked hard in the off-season to improve his blocking and
had a great spring when he rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown
in the second scrimmage.
Senior linebacker Lamar Sales is the most experienced
player for the Bulldog defense with 20 games played.
He is a speedy linebacker with good instincts
but suffered a broken wrist in the spring and missed most of spring
practices.
The defensive backs will be led by sophomore
Kevin Corley, an instinctive player with a nose for the ball. Corley
is a definite post-season honor candidate and will be counted on
to provide leadership for the young defense. |
|
FURMAN (0-1)
|
WOFFORD (1-0)
|
Furman started the season with a tough
test both on the field and in their hearts when they faced former
head coach Bobby Johnson and Vanderbilt. The Paladins missed their
record setting tailback Louis Ivory as they could only manage 12
yards on the ground. Vanderbilt took advantage of a young Furman
defense to run for 344 yards and a 49-18 victory.
Senior quarterback Billy Napier returns to lead
the Paladin offense. He is coming off a season when he lead the
team to the National Title game and received second team All-SoCon
honors.
Seniors Rodney Johnson and LeBryan Sperling will
anchor the defense.
Johnson is an experienced defensive back who
will serve with Sperling and Napier as team captain as well as compete
for Verizon Academic All-American honors.
Sperling ranks as the most experienced Paladin
player with 26 regular season starts to his credit and has been
a two-time All-SoCon selection. |
476 yards on the ground proved to be
too much for Newberry to handle. The 48-0 victory on Aug. 31 was
the Terriers first win to open a season since 1997.
Senior halfback Jesse McCoy carried the ball
five times for 74 yards against Newberry. The 1999 SoCon Freshman
of the Year needs to get back to that form if the Terriers plan
to do better than last year’s 4-7 mark.
The defense returns 10 starters from last year’s
team and will be led by seniors Nathan Fuqua and Matt Nelson. Fuqua
is a three-time All-SoCon selection and All-American candidate at
nose tackle. Fuqua will be trying to add to his Wofford record 39
tackles for loss. Nelson is an All-SoCon performer at free safety
but has also played strong safety; he is a good tackler and plays
with outstanding effort. |
|
WESTERN CAROLINA (1-1)
|
EAST TENNESSEE STATE (1-1)
|
Auburn proved to be the better team on
Saturday when they whipped the Catamounts 56-0. Auburn gained 621
total yards while Western’s running game, which worked so well
against Liberty University was held to only 86 yards versus the
Tigers.
Junior tailback Fred Boateng will be counted
on to carry the ball for significant yardage. Boateng is a two-time
consensus All-SoCon selection and is possibly the premier running
back in the SoCon with the departures of All-Americans Peterson
from Georgia Southern and Ivory from Furman.
Juniors Justin Fryer and Nick McNeil will lead
the defensive efforts for the Catamounts.
Fryer was a consensus first team All-SoCon safety
last season and led the Catamounts with 116 tackles. McNeil was
a second team All-SoCon performer who led the league in total sacks
(11) and solo sacks (9). |
East Tennessee State made it through
a slow start to beat Mars Hill 20-10 Saturday. The Buccaneers scored
two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take the lead and the victory.
ETSU’s defense should be strong this year
because they lost no starters from last year’s squad. Sophomore
Tony Tiller will lead the defensive backs this season. Tiller is
coming off a second team All-SoCon performance in which he had seven
interceptions.
Mike Cornegay, a junior linebacker, led the team
last season with 101 tackles, 8 for loss and 5 sacks. He had a season-high
19 stops against The Citadel on Oct. 4. |
|
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE (2-0)
|
TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA (0-2)
|
The Keydets are the conference’s
early season surprise with a 2-0 start, their best since 1981. VMI
piled up 558 total yards in a 41-16 victory over Davidson College
on Saturday.
Senior quarterback Joey Gibson was 19 of 26 for
242 yards passing with three touchdowns. Gibson has had an injury-plagued
career and needs to stay healthy for the Keydets to continue their
success. He has worked hard in the weight room to improve his strength
and gained 10 pounds this off-season.
Junior linebacker Chris Walsh returns as the
most experienced defender on the team with 277 career tackles.
Walsh is a three time SoCon Academic Honor Roll
honoree and has also added 10 pounds in the weight room this off-season. |
Sloppy play by Chattanooga led to a 49-24
victory for Alabama State University. This was UTC’s first
loss in a home opener since 1994.
Backup quarterback Gary Brashears was 24 of 39
for 181 yards and three touchdowns in the ASU victory.
Senior Josh Cain will be counted on at linebacker
again this year. Cain received second team All-American honors last
season and is a legitimate candidate again this season.
Cain led the conference in tackles last season
with 144, 80 of the solo variety. For the second straight year,
he was also the team leader in total hits. |
 |
