Greetings from the Heart of SEC Country!!!
Well, our Gladiators of South Third ended their season on Friday night after a 39-19 loss to the 9-1 Bulldogs of Emmanuel County. We hung in the game for much of the 1st half, trailing by only 7 at the intermission, but the Boneyard up in Twin City, Ga proved to be an inhospitable abode as the homestanding Canines took charge of the game and pushed out to an insurmountable lead by the end of the third quarter. I just want to say that I am proud of our Boys in Blue as they have represented Telfair County magnificently. Coach Matt Burleson has the program headed in the right direction as is evident by our first playoff appearance in a number of years, and the Seniors will be missed greatly. So, it’s time to pack up the pigskin, break out the roundball, and cheer on our Trojans as another football season ends and basketball season begins. Go Trojans!!!
The tenuous nature of football was very evident between the hedges on Saturday, as the upstart Birds of the ‘Boro came to Athens itching for a fight and refusing to be the gracious visitor, take their checks, and head back towards the coast to build another facility. It was a back and forth affair on this day as the Hounds jumped out to a 7-0 lead on their first possession, but were held in check the rest of the half and went in to intermission tied at 7. Then the weird started happening. Isaiah McKenzie coughed up the ball after a crushing hit by an Eagle defender and resulted in a 65 yard touchdown for the Nasty Birds. But later in the quarter Southern dropped a punt which resulted in 7 points for the Mutts and another tie game. After trading a couple of field goals, the end of regulation saw the game tied at 17 and the home crowd stunned that Erk’s Eagles were giving them such a difficult time. But, normalcy returned to Sanford after the Cow College refused to bend on the Birds’ first possession in overtime and Sony Michel scored on the Dawgs’ first offensive play of the extra stanza. Bullet dodged, but you can’t help but wonder what the furor would have been after this one if the unthinkable had happened. Close Call, another W, but, this one was a little too close for comfort.
It’s now official. The wheels have fallen off, a rod’s been thrown, and the oil pump has gone out on the Wreck as they turned the ball over early and often and headed north out of Coral Gables at the wrong end of a 38-21 score. To add insult to injury, quarterback Justin Thomas was knocked out of the game early and the Bees coughed up the ball 4 times in a sloppy, rain soaked game which enabled us to witness Trade School futility in all its glory. The Jackets did win in the time of possession and penalty department but not much else went right as they were trailing 31-7 by the end of the 3rd stanza and only made it respectable by putting up 14 garbage time points in the 4th. Paul Johnson doesn’t appear to be on the hot seat but you’ve got to wonder how long the Sliderule Jocks will tolerate performances like this before things get a little dicey in Atlanta.
Things I think:
Alabama – That’s how you play an out of conference opponent
South Carolina – That’s not how you play an out of conference opponent
Florida – See comment above. That date in Atlanta now appears to be something to be apprehensive about more than looked forward to
Clemson – Just keeps on rolling. But I still have lingering doubts about how good you are “really”. Conference championship should answer that question
Michigan State – They really did look like the better team on Saturday
Ohio State – The chance for a statement win slipped through your fingers on this wet night.
Oklahoma State – The last of the unbeatens in the Big 12 has fallen.
Notre Dame – Want to impress the college football world? Beat Stanford in Stanford Stadium.
Ole Miss – Looks like Kelly has some legs, too
LSU – From the comments I’ve been reading, Les is in trouble. Hate to see that. Like everyone said of the Georgia situation: “Be careful what you wish for”
Frank Beamer – Tough break coach. Winning that last home game would have been sweet
South Carolina II – It’s obvious that this fall started a couple of years ago on the recruiting trail. With all the existing and impending coaching vacancies coming up, Tanner better have someone under contract pretty soon. With the facilities and upgrades in Columbia (thanks to Spurrier), I still think this is one of the better jobs in the country that is available.
CFB Playoff Committee – You’ve got your work cut out for you this week. Ohio State falls, Notre Dame almost stumbles, Oklahoma State beaten, Florida less than stellar. And Rivalry week is still yet to be played
Rivalry week – Clean, Old Fashioned Hate. The Iron Bowl. The Egg Bowl. Can’t wait for these games. Unfortunately rivalry week also means that the season is about done for some.
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