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Post by FUBeAR on Nov 18, 2015 15:34:26 GMT -5
Very quiet here and on Sammy's Board - The Dog Pound - hard to believe that's the case with two 5-5 SoCon Teams facing each other & looking for that all-important winning season, position in the top half of the SoCon, and old-fashioned bragging rights - all of which are very important in the Recruiting game. So...maybe we'll start with an audio 'Daily Double.' I love The Morning Show on 1670AM (7-9 AM weekdays; also on iheart radio). I listen to it almost every morning and you should too! Daniel Shirley, who is also the Sports Editor of The (Macon) Telegraph, is one of the co-hosts of the show. Mr. Shirley has been very, very kind to the Bears Football Program over the past 4 years. Mr. Shirley has a new co-host on the show this year named Russ Brown, who I think is very good and pretty darn funny. On the other hand, he's a GaSou grad and the increased coverage of GaSou and Sump Belch Conference football has been, as an FU grad, most unappealing  to me. But, I usually make it through the 15 minutes of Iggles talk and thoroughly enjoy the other hour and 45 minutes - including the commercials for Howard's Pawn & Jewelry. Love that guy's voice/accent. Well, Sammy's Head Coach, Chris Hatcher, is a Macon native and is a former Head Coach at Mr. Brown's beloved GaSou. Coach Hatcher is also charming, funny, and has quite a bit of good old Southern charisma. Finally, Mr. Shirley 'wrote the book' on Coach Hatcher...literally - Hatch Attack by Daniel Shirley. So, Coach Hatcher, understandably, is kind of an 'apple of the eye' to the 2 co-hosts. This is the interview they did with him this week. It's very interesting and very well-done, sure; but as a BearBacker, I felt myself reaching for the emoji keyboard when I listened to it Interview with Samford Head Coach Chris HatcherInstead of a warm homecoming welcome, I'm hoping the Macon police are looking for any outstanding warrants or unpaid parking tickets for Mr. Hatcher. I hope the Macon Library is looking for any overdue library books he may have in his possession. I'm hoping the Bears make this the worst homecoming for someone since the night Bill Clinton came home after Ken Starr got his hands on Monica's blue dress! Let's go Bears and people of Macon & Middle Georgia! Let's send this Alabama resident back to HomewoodAL with a scarlet (it will match their colors) "L" on his chest, courtesy of our Mercer Bears!!! |
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Post by BearDownMU on Nov 18, 2015 16:34:45 GMT -5
I think the magical question for this game is what will Devlin Hodges be like. He is a redshirt Freshman QB that has been starting lately, particularly in the wake of Sr. QB Michael Eubank being lost for the year to injury. Hodges has played great. High completion percentage (69%) with 11 TDs and 5 INT's. Averaging about 230 yards per game passing. I don't know that it's a drop off for them at the position, so much so that FUBeAR even suggested way back in the pre-season that a QB controversy might be brewing in Homewood because of Hodges' play. They are a pass first team (avg 327 ypg passing and 135 ypg rushing) and have the best passing offense in the league. Our secondary play in this game is very important, and more so if the defensive front can get pressure on the QB, because I would guess they are going to sling it all over the field. They are next to last in total defense in the conference, and last in rush defense in the conference. So, I would imagine they get a steady does of Thunder (Alex Lakes) and Lightning (Tee Mitchell) as the Bears have the 2nd best (non triple option) rushing attack in the SoCon. Also, no promises, but we may get a certain Elvis back in the building on the Oline, and I can only imagine that will help.  |
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Post by jackal on Nov 18, 2015 22:59:38 GMT -5
I think the magical question for this game is what will Devlin Hodges be like. He is a redshirt Freshman QB that has been starting lately, particularly in the wake of Sr. QB Michael Eubank being lost for the year to injury. Hodges has played great. High completion percentage (69%) with 11 TDs and 5 INT's. Averaging about 230 yards per game passing. I don't know that it's a drop off for them at the position, so much so that FUBeAR even suggested way back in the pre-season that a QB controversy might be brewing in Homewood because of Hodges' play. They are a pass first team (avg 327 ypg passing and 135 ypg rushing) and have the best passing offense in the league. Our secondary play in this game is very important, and more so if the defensive front can get pressure on the QB, because I would guess they are going to sling it all over the field. They are next to last in total defense in the conference, and last in rush defense in the conference. So, I would imagine they get a steady does of Thunder (Alex Lakes) and Lightning (Tee Mitchell) as the Bears have the 2nd best (non triple option) rushing attack in the SoCon. Also, no promises, but we may get a certain Elvis back in the building on the Oline, and I can only imagine that will help. Just a few observations from seeing both Samford and Mercer. I don't believe Eubanks is hurt. I believe he was replaced by Hodges a few weeks ago. I don't actually know the answer to that question, but Hodges was listed as the starter against Furman and Eubanks was on the depth chart as well. Samford moves fast. They spend much of the game at "jet speed." Haven't seen a team that up tempo then some of the App State teams 7 or 8 years ago. Even those teams would change their pace over the course of the game. Samford does not seem to slow down at all. Hodges is prone to making some errors, but looks pretty precise in passing. Samford has some kids that can catch passes. Hodges releases the ball quick and has a lot of guys that work underneath. A bit like Al Cobb at VMI - they throw it a bunch but get rid of the ball so fast its difficult to generate a lot of pressure. Defense has been a rough spot for them, but they seem to have remedied that a little bit. Not a great unit, but are playing better now than they were earlier in the season. I expect it will be a pretty good game. |
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Post by FUBeAR on Nov 19, 2015 0:25:44 GMT -5
I think the magical question for this game is what will Devlin Hodges be like. He is a redshirt Freshman QB that has been starting lately, particularly in the wake of Sr. QB Michael Eubank being lost for the year to injury. Hodges has played great. High completion percentage (69%) with 11 TDs and 5 INT's. Averaging about 230 yards per game passing. I don't know that it's a drop off for them at the position, so much so that FUBeAR even suggested way back in the pre-season that a QB controversy might be brewing in Homewood because of Hodges' play. They are a pass first team (avg 327 ypg passing and 135 ypg rushing) and have the best passing offense in the league. Our secondary play in this game is very important, and more so if the defensive front can get pressure on the QB, because I would guess they are going to sling it all over the field. They are next to last in total defense in the conference, and last in rush defense in the conference. So, I would imagine they get a steady does of Thunder (Alex Lakes) and Lightning (Tee Mitchell) as the Bears have the 2nd best (non triple option) rushing attack in the SoCon. Also, no promises, but we may get a certain Elvis back in the building on the Oline, and I can only imagine that will help. Just a few observations from seeing both Samford and Mercer. I don't believe Eubanks is hurt. I believe he was replaced by Hodges a few weeks ago. I don't actually know the answer to that question, but Hodges was listed as the starter against Furman and Eubanks was on the depth chart as well. Samford moves fast. They spend much of the game at "jet speed." Haven't seen a team that up tempo then some of the App State teams 7 or 8 years ago. Even those teams would change their pace over the course of the game. Samford does not seem to slow down at all. Hodges is prone to making some errors, but looks pretty precise in passing. Samford has some kids that can catch passes. Hodges releases the ball quick and has a lot of guys that work underneath. A bit like Al Cobb at VMI - they throw it a bunch but get rid of the ball so fast its difficult to generate a lot of pressure. Defense has been a rough spot for them, but they seem to have remedied that a little bit. Not a great unit, but are playing better now than they were earlier in the season. I expect it will be a pretty good game. Well, look at that. I completely agree with EVERYTHING you have written. You must have gotten a lot smarter by hanging around over here.  I know it will rankle many Samford folks that I'm writing this, but that whole injury announcement thing coming 3.5 weeks after playing his final play as a Bulldog (an INT early in the 2nd half in a game Sammy was trailing by 3 scores) just seems really strange to me. I started seeing cracks in that situation during the preseason in listening very carefully to Coach Hatcher's post-practice comments each day. I just think there might be a whole lot more color behind that story than the way it's been painted publicly. Anyway, it seems they played much better 4 days after that announcement, ending a 3 game SoCon losing streak (CIT, WCU, FU) with a convincing win over Woffy. I'm really mystified by the challenges they have had on Defense. They have VERY talented players on that D, including 5 R-SR's starting (per a Coach Lamb interview) AND they have the same D.Coord. they have had for years. Honestly, I think their challenges this year have been 95% Team Chemistry issues, adjusting to a new Head Coach, some new O-Coaches, etc. Those things happen on Teams sometimes and no single person, nor group of people are at fault, including the Head Coach. Unfortunately for the Bears, I sense that they've turned the corner on those things and will come to Macon and play like the team that routed Central Arkansas at the beginning of the season and that put on a very good show vs. Woffy last week. I believe the confident Bears are up for the challenge and it should be an outstanding football game, and, I imagine, one that will continue to accelerate my aging process to about mach 2....again. |
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Post by jackal on Nov 19, 2015 6:01:30 GMT -5
Hard to know. I have reservations about air raid offenses, as many teams nationally seem to come with weak defenses. Hatcher-coached teams typically have had bad to really bad defenses. There's no question that the guy knows offense.
Interested to see how Mercer defenses it. Bobby Lamb (this is not a critique, just an observation) has tended to play a lot of shell coverage against spread passing teams. You saw a good bit of that on Saturday against Furman after half time as Mercer tried to protect the lead (the second half of that game looked really familiar from a defensive standpoint).
I don't necessarily think it is a bad strategy. You keep the offense in front of you and force a QB to complete a lot of passes to get the ball in the end zone. Of course, the more often they throw it, the higher the chance that they will make a mistake (especially with a freshman QB). I remember a game against App State in 2005, I think, where Richie Williams set NCAA passing records for completion and completion percentage, but Furman was right in the game until the final whistle. You'd think a QB that set records for passing would lead his team to an easy victory, but they simply took what Furman was willing to give them. It wouldn't surprise me if you saw a similar defensive strategy to Hatcher's offense.
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Post by FUBeAR on Nov 19, 2015 8:37:05 GMT -5
Hard to know. I have reservations about air raid offenses, as many teams nationally seem to come with weak defenses. Hatcher-coached teams typically have had bad to really bad defenses. There's no question that the guy knows offense. Interested to see how Mercer defenses it. Bobby Lamb (this is not a critique, just an observation) has tended to play a lot of shell coverage against spread passing teams. You saw a good bit of that on Saturday against Furman after half time as Mercer tried to protect the lead (the second half of that game looked really familiar from a defensive standpoint). I don't necessarily think it is a bad strategy. You keep the offense in front of you and force a QB to complete a lot of passes to get the ball in the end zone. Of course, the more often they throw it, the higher the chance that they will make a mistake (especially with a freshman QB). I remember a game against App State in 2005, I think, where Richie Williams set NCAA passing records for completion and completion percentage, but Furman was right in the game until the final whistle. You'd think a QB that set records for passing would lead his team to an easy victory, but they simply took what Furman was willing to give them. It wouldn't surprise me if you saw a similar defensive strategy to Hatcher's offense. I don't know what YOU mean by "shell coverage," but the way I understand it (and the Secondary IS the weakest part of my football knowledge game) is that any 'coverage' is "shell coverage" other than Cover 0 (full Man coverage). Very few teams ever would play Cover 0 for an entire game and even less so vs. an O that is using 4 & 5 wide. FU had 2 solid 2nd half drives on the Mercer D last week: * 10 plays, 80 yards, 04:48 elapsed - Passing - 5 of 6 for 72 yards * 11 plays, 78 yards, 05:03 elapsed - Passing - 3 of 5 for 51 yards So...21 plays, 158 yards, 9:51 elapsed - Passing 8 of 11 for 123 yards I would have to review the game film, but I believe Mercer may have been in the type of coverage you are suggesting for many of the plays on these drives....and, for some reason, I'm not sure why...Mercer had both back-up CB's in the game on that 2nd drive. Maybe because of the 1st drive. I'm NOT counting the game-tying drive as a 'solid drive' because 1) it mostly consisted of 2 long 'heaves' that 'found' their way into the receivers' hands and Mercer was not in the type of coverage you are suggesting. I don't know exactly what coverage they were in, but the CB's were in Man on the outside receivers, apparently, playing outside leverage with no deep safeties. I'm guessing it was some type of Man Free (1 High) coverage disguised as a 2-Shell and the Safety on the 2 wide side jumped the In route run by the slot WR. I'm thinking the other Safety should have rolled back to the middle of the field, but I believe he was lured down into "no man's land" behind the LB's by the TE's route. I think...the coverage was 'interesting' for that point in the game...and I think the Bears may have had a blown or partially blown coverage by the Safety on both of those heaves. Again, I am weak in my Secondary Play analysis...but this is what I THINK happened on that 'drive' vs. what you are suggesting. Here are the stats for that 'drive.' * 7 plays, 73 yards, 00:32 elapsed - Passing - 2 of 6 for 71 yards So...on FU's 3 scoring drives the stats were...28 plays, 229 yards, 10:23 elapsed 10 of 17 for 204 yards 20.4 yards / completion (with very little Yards after Catch (YAC) as I recall). 20 yards completions (without YAC) are not the result of playing 'soft zone' with backed off corners - when you see that, you see completions averaging 8 yards (if you take out the YAC). Samford has at least 2 BURNERS in their WR corps. Even though I don't know if the new QB throws the deep ball as well as...and as far as the old QB could, I don't think we will see the Bears in a lot of Man Coverage on Saturday...and I think that's the right call. IMHO, the Bears will need to get solid pressure on the QB. They will need to rush 4...and occasionally 5 or 6 (which means they will have to be in Man on those plays) and use the speed and quickness of their D to get past Sammy's very large, but not the most athletic OL. And you are right about the way they (and especially this new QB) gets the ball out quick...and with velocity. Tough to get to him and he does have solid pocket presence and moves well to avoid the rush (hmmm....I wonder if I didn't just describe more about the real reasons why Sammy made a change at QB??). The Bears will need him to make some FR mistakes with that rush and with excellent coverage...and some wrinkles in coverage that confuse him. If he puts ups the stats he did against Woffy, it could be a long day. In fact, I believe the best coverage the Bears could run would be to force him to the sidelines...and by the sidelines, I mean the bench....by keeping the Bears offense on the field and control the clock with the kind of running game we saw last week (without the toe-removing EXECUTION mistakes in the 2nd half). I believe Sammy's Rush D is at the bottom of the SoCon (which I really don't get with the talent they have in the Front 7) and I hope Mercer can do its part to ensure they remain in that cellar. |
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Post by jackal on Nov 19, 2015 9:44:38 GMT -5
I don't expect much man coverage from Mercer. Hodges can run, and I anticipate Mercer will want to limit his ability to do that. I expect a lot of deep zone coverage, keeping Samford's receivers in front and allowing underneath routes and coming up to make tackles.
Pressure's always great with four. Samford has surrendered 21 sacks, but have also attempted 421 passes this season. So, maybe you get to the QB once out of ever 20+ attempts. That is once, maybe twice, per game statistically.
My guess is Mercer will give a controlled rush up field and keep Hodges contained. Defensive linemen have to be careful not to over pursue. Hodges does not have a lot of designed runs, but he's quite good at avoiding the rush and picking up yards on the ground while the defense is trying to take care of all of the receivers. He is their third leading rusher and completes nearly 70% of his passes.
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Post by gutcheck on Nov 19, 2015 13:50:40 GMT -5
Instead of just lurking I thought I would add my thoughts to this week’s game . I see another close game. ( Surprise, Surprise) . I think the Bulldogs strengths are their passing game which it could be argued stopping the pass is our weakness . Although I will say our secondary has been getting better of late. And, our primary strength is running the ball which I feel bodes well for Us versus Samfords weakness of stopping the run.
We need to run the ball, control clock and minimize the play of their Freshman QB . It is important for us to get a lead and keep it. We do not need a repeat of VMI where we did not show up at all the first half.
Why I like us this week to win the game .
• Home field advantage
• Motivated to continue the win strength and end the season with a winning record
• Getting some key players back. Although would love to have #13 in there.
• Playing with confidence - knowing we played them tough last year .
My Prediction Mercer 28 – Samford 26
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MU22
Baby Bear
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Post by MU22 on Nov 19, 2015 21:47:38 GMT -5
Very quiet here and on Sammy's Board - The Dog Pound - hard to believe that's the case with two 5-5 SoCon Teams facing each other & looking for that all-important winning season, position in the top half of the SoCon, and old-fashioned bragging rights - all of which are very important in the Recruiting game. So...maybe we'll start with an audio 'Daily Double.' I love The Morning Show on 1670AM (7-9 AM weekdays; also on iheart radio). I listen to it almost every morning and you should too! Daniel Shirley, who is also the Sports Editor of The (Macon) Telegraph, is one of the co-hosts of the show. Mr. Shirley has been very, very kind to the Bears Football Program over the past 4 years. Mr. Shirley has a new co-host on the show this year named Russ Brown, who I think is very good and pretty darn funny. On the other hand, he's a GaSou grad and the increased coverage of GaSou and Sump Belch Conference football has been, as an FU grad, most unappealing to me. But, I usually make it through the 15 minutes of Iggles talk and thoroughly enjoy the other hour and 45 minutes - including the commercials for Howard's Pawn & Jewelry. Love that guy's voice/accent. Well, Sammy's Head Coach, Chris Hatcher, is a Macon native and is a former Head Coach at Mr. Brown's beloved GaSou. Coach Hatcher is also charming, funny, and has quite a bit of good old Southern charisma. Finally, Mr. Shirley 'wrote the book' on Coach Hatcher...literally - Hatch Attack by Daniel Shirley. So, Coach Hatcher, understandably, is kind of an 'apple of the eye' to the 2 co-hosts. This is the interview they did with him this week. It's very interesting and very well-done, sure; but as a BearBacker, I felt myself reaching for the emoji keyboard when I listened to it Interview with Samford Head Coach Chris HatcherInstead of a warm homecoming welcome, I'm hoping the Macon police are looking for any outstanding warrants or unpaid parking tickets for Mr. Hatcher. I hope the Macon Library is looking for any overdue library books he may have in his possession. I'm hoping the Bears make this the worst homecoming for someone since the night Bill Clinton came home after Ken Starr got his hands on Monica's blue dress! Let's go Bears and people of Macon & Middle Georgia! Let's send this Alabama resident back to HomewoodAL with a scarlet (it will match their colors) "L" on his chest, courtesy of our Mercer Bears!!! Just an FYI, ole Russ is not a Georgia Southern grad (I believe he went to Georgia College), so perhaps he is redeemable now in your eyes, lol. He is a super nice guy, they don't come any better. Russ does talk a lot about Georgia Southern as he's been a vital part of the Eagle broadcast team for many years and at a minimum stays busy keeping Bill Shanks from incessantly talking about UGA, so for that alone some are grateful  |
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Post by FUBeAR on Nov 19, 2015 22:19:12 GMT -5
Very quiet here and on Sammy's Board - The Dog Pound - hard to believe that's the case with two 5-5 SoCon Teams facing each other & looking for that all-important winning season, position in the top half of the SoCon, and old-fashioned bragging rights - all of which are very important in the Recruiting game. So...maybe we'll start with an audio 'Daily Double.' I love The Morning Show on 1670AM (7-9 AM weekdays; also on iheart radio). I listen to it almost every morning and you should too! Daniel Shirley, who is also the Sports Editor of The (Macon) Telegraph, is one of the co-hosts of the show. Mr. Shirley has been very, very kind to the Bears Football Program over the past 4 years. Mr. Shirley has a new co-host on the show this year named Russ Brown, who I think is very good and pretty darn funny. On the other hand, he's a GaSou grad and the increased coverage of GaSou and Sump Belch Conference football has been, as an FU grad, most unappealing to me. But, I usually make it through the 15 minutes of Iggles talk and thoroughly enjoy the other hour and 45 minutes - including the commercials for Howard's Pawn & Jewelry. Love that guy's voice/accent. Well, Sammy's Head Coach, Chris Hatcher, is a Macon native and is a former Head Coach at Mr. Brown's beloved GaSou. Coach Hatcher is also charming, funny, and has quite a bit of good old Southern charisma. Finally, Mr. Shirley 'wrote the book' on Coach Hatcher...literally - Hatch Attack by Daniel Shirley. So, Coach Hatcher, understandably, is kind of an 'apple of the eye' to the 2 co-hosts. This is the interview they did with him this week. It's very interesting and very well-done, sure; but as a BearBacker, I felt myself reaching for the emoji keyboard when I listened to it Interview with Samford Head Coach Chris HatcherInstead of a warm homecoming welcome, I'm hoping the Macon police are looking for any outstanding warrants or unpaid parking tickets for Mr. Hatcher. I hope the Macon Library is looking for any overdue library books he may have in his possession. I'm hoping the Bears make this the worst homecoming for someone since the night Bill Clinton came home after Ken Starr got his hands on Monica's blue dress! Let's go Bears and people of Macon & Middle Georgia! Let's send this Alabama resident back to HomewoodAL with a scarlet (it will match their colors) "L" on his chest, courtesy of our Mercer Bears!!! Just an FYI, ole Russ is not a Georgia Southern grad (I believe he went to Georgia College), so perhaps he is redeemable now in your eyes, lol. His LinkedIn Profile disagrees with your information - Russell Brown Show Host/Reporter at AM 550 WDUNEducation
Georgia Southern University
Bachelor of Science (BS), Broadcast Journalism, 2006 – 2009
Activities and Societies: WVGS 91.9 FM (2006-2009) - Served as : Station Manager, Sports Director, Show Host/Producer, Play by Play Broadcaster, Watching dirt, counting cars, whittlin', wishing I was anywhere else, regretting my life choices, counting to 6 over and over and over, finding Las Cruces, NM on the map, being irrelevant, wannabeing
Sorry - Completely unredeemable! |
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Post by mumd on Nov 19, 2015 22:25:57 GMT -5
Leave it to FUBeAR...
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Post by FUBeAR on Nov 20, 2015 12:04:59 GMT -5
This just in...A highly reliable social media source with a very close relationship to Samford Football has reported:
Samford's Freshman QB, with 4 starts under his belt and records of 2-2 overall and 1-2 vs. D1/SoCon competition (with that only D1 win coming against the next to worst Pass Defense in the SoCon) in those starts has GUARANTEED that he will hang 40+ points on Mercer's Defense (which has yet to give up even 30 points in regulation this season) and that Samford will win by 3 TD's.
Thought BearsFans (and others) might want to know, but, hey, it worked for Joe Namath & Muhammad Ali.
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MU22
Baby Bear
Posts: 38
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Post by MU22 on Nov 20, 2015 13:44:06 GMT -5
Just an FYI, ole Russ is not a Georgia Southern grad (I believe he went to Georgia College), so perhaps he is redeemable now in your eyes, lol. His LinkedIn Profile disagrees with your information - Russell Brown Show Host/Reporter at AM 550 WDUNEducation
Georgia Southern University
Bachelor of Science (BS), Broadcast Journalism, 2006 – 2009
Activities and Societies: WVGS 91.9 FM (2006-2009) - Served as : Station Manager, Sports Director, Show Host/Producer, Play by Play Broadcaster, Watching dirt, counting cars, whittlin', wishing I was anywhere else, regretting my life choices, counting to 6 over and over and over, finding Las Cruces, NM on the map, being irrelevant, wannabeing
Sorry - Completely unredeemable!Appreciate the correction ! |
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Post by Samford fan on Nov 21, 2015 20:12:20 GMT -5
....A highly reliable social media source with a very close relationship to Samford Football has reported: Samford's Freshman QB........ GUARANTEED that he will hang 40+ points on Mercer's Defense and that Samford will win by 3 TD's. It looks like the freshman quarterback was as good as his word. He hung 47 points on Mercer's Defense. I'd say he's a pretty perceptive player, and someone who does what he says he will do. Maybe you guys should listen to that highly reliable social media source in the future. |
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Post by Hayes on Nov 21, 2015 22:17:44 GMT -5
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to me. But, I usually make it through the 15 minutes of Iggles talk and thoroughly enjoy the other hour and 45 minutes - including the commercials for Howard's Pawn & Jewelry. Love that guy's voice/accent.
