Ladies and Gentlemen –
Your favorite guest writer Harley Hanesworth will now be on The CFB Wizard on Tuesday nights as his “South Georgia News and Views” transitions into a weekly commentary on college football.
Enjoy….
Greetings from the Heart of SEC Country!!!
There’s been a little bit of a playoff drought in these parts but it’s finally over! That’s right, folks, WE GOT INTO THE PLAYOFFS!!!
Everybody around town has been talking about this since they made the announcement and the whole county is excited. Coach Burleson has had the Boys in Blue knocking on the door since he’s been here and he finally got us over the first hump with getting the Trojans in there. It’ll be a tough road to hoe, but now it’s time for these Gladiators of South Third to take advantage of this opportunity and start down the road toward getting to Atlanta for a championship!!! So, to Head Coach Matt Burleson, the team, and the entire school, GOOD LUCK!!!
Let’s take that trip to Emmanuel County on Friday and see what we can do!!!
Taking on the Plainsmen of Alabama seems to be anticipated by Mark Richt these days as he owns a 10-5 record against Auburn and always seems to have pretty good luck in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. And, this year’s game proved to be another example of that success as the Cow College left Jordan-Hare with a 20-13 victory, and their first lead in this storied series, which now stands at 56-55-8. Isaiah McKenzie and a stout Canine defense proved to be the difference makers on this day as the elusive McKenzie scored on an end around and punt return and the Dawgs defenders came away with 3 fumble recoveries to seal the deal. Neither offense was particularly stellar on this day, but Greyson Lambert proved to be an effective game manager in a contest that saw only 500 plus yards accumulated by both teams. But, a win is a win, and on Saturday the Hounds celebrated another victory in a tumultuous season. Next up for the Bulldogs is a home game against in state rival Georgia Southern which cannot be easily dismissed as a “gimme” game.
Thursday night in Atlanta was another example of how the Trade School’s season has completely jumped the tracks, as the Wreck came out on the short end of a 23-21 game against the Hokies of Blacksburg. Two 4th quarter fumbles allowed Va Tech to take the lead and then an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty sealed the deal for the Sliderule Jocks, pushing them back into their own territory on what could have been a possible game tying field goal. Sporting a 3-7 record and with only two games remaining, the Bee’s will be sitting home wondering what happened to what was projected to have been a banner year on North Avenue.
Meanwhile, The Birds of Statesboro swooped down on Veterans Memorial Stadium over in Troy, Alabama and showed why they’re again fighting for the Sun Belt Championship and their first bowl berth in school history. After spotting the Trojans to an early 10-0 lead, the offense reeled off 45 straight points and the defense held the homestanding Red Gladiator’s out of the end zone in the 45-10 victory. These Angry Birds held the ball for almost 43 minutes and the defense limited Troy to only 70 yards on the ground and just over 200 total yards in the route. After this hard fought victory, the road doesn’t get any easier as these Birds of the ‘Boro now prepare for a little in-state brouhaha with the big brothers of the state, the Bulldogs of Athens, between the hedges at Sanford Stadium. You can bet Coach Fritz and the Eagles won’t simply be grateful to be there and accept a fat check as he and this team continue to try to make a name for themselves in the Southeast.
Things I Think:
Georgia – I said it last week and I’ll say it again this week: Winning cures a lot of ills
Florida – You won the East, but with the quarterback situation as it is, it’s going to be tough sledding with your in-state rival and in the SEC Championship game on the horizon.
South Carolina – I flipped over to this game often on Saturday. Williams-Brice had a good turnout, but it sounded like a tomb in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
Alabama – Should be arrested for animal cruelty after the brutal beating you put on the Canines of Starkville…. In their own house
Arkansas – Call these Hawgs “butta” cause they’re on a roll. A 10 win season is certainly within the realm of possibility.
LSU – The quarterback situation appears to be common among more than 1 team in the conference.
Mississippi State – Dak can’t do it all. Still have the makings of a good season, though
Missouri – Still can’t figure this team out. I guess the Pinkel resignation announcement got ‘em off the mat.
Clemson – You can’t struggle against teams like Syracuse. Closer than expected
Big 12 – Last undefeated team is Oklahoma State. With games against Baylor and Oklahoma remaining, this conference is still a tossup
Big 10 – Two undefeated teams left, but this is still a tossup with the backloaded schedule. Still confident that Iowa will be the designated victim when the Conference Champion is finally crowned
Pac 12 – Imploding. Cannibalization. Call it what you want, I don’t see a Playoff representative coming out of the far west.
SEC – The contenders keep falling. Looks like Alabama may be the last man standing
The Polls and Playoff Committee – Still don’t mean a lot until the last week of the season. Lots of jockeying but there are too many important games to be played to really get excited about anything now.
Well, That’s it for now. Hope everyone’s team wins and you have a great week.
And remember; make sure you support your local High School Athletics.
These are your future collegians of tomorrow.
Until next time,
I’m Harley Hanesworth