Week 6 Southern Conference Breakdowns
The Big South is definitely enjoying bragging rights this season with the Southern Conference. The Big South Conference teams are a combined 6-1 against SoCon foes this year. Charleston Southern (5-0) has beaten The Citadel and Appalachian; Coastal Carolina (5-0) has wins over Furman and Elon; and Gardner-Webb (4-1) has beaten Furman and Wofford. The lone SoCon victory over the Big South this season is Furman’s 21-20 win over Presbyterian.
Elon at Furman, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
After giving Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina fits for most of the last two contests, Elon (0-1, 1-4) looks to play a complete game against Furman (1-0, 2-2). The Phoenix led Coastal Carolina 28-25 late in the first half of Saturday’s contest before bowing, 53-28. The No. 9 Chanticleers scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to break open a close game. Elon had 333 yards of offense in the contest, but it managed only 78 yards in the final half. Meanwhile, Furman’s defense held The Citadel on a key fourth down inside the red zone late in the game to preserve a 24-17 victory. Hank McCloud had 77 yards on 16 carries for the Paladins. Furman leads the series 11-5. The Paladins won 2012’s game, 31-17, to snap a four-game losing streak to the Phoenix.
Projected Score: Furman 24, Elon 17
Presbyterian at #13 Wofford, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
At 2-2, No. 13 Wofford probably isn’t where it hoped to be at this point of the season. But its primary goals of winning the league title and making the FCS playoffs are very much alive after its bye week. And the Terriers appear to have three winnable games in the next three weeks before they face Samford on Oct. 26. Besides Presbyterian (1-3), they face Elon and Western Carolina in the next few weeks. Presbyterian holds a 40-39-3 mark against Wofford, but the Terriers have won the last four. Wofford’s rushing offense is ranked No. 23 nationally while Presbyterian is No. 108 in total offense. However, Presbyterian is 37th in overall defense, but only 75th in rushing defense.
Projected Score: Wofford 34, Presbyterian 14
Appalachian State at The Citadel, Saturday, 2 p.m.
When The Citadel (1-2, 1-4) hosts Appalachian State (1-0, 1-3) on Saturday, it will try to control the clock just as Charleston Southern did in its upset victory last Saturday. Charleston Southern held the ball 42:04 compared with ASU’s 17:56. The possession-time advantage was the largest for an ASU opponent since Northwestern State had the ball 44:07 in a 40-35 victory in 2004. ASU ranks second in the SoCon in total offense with 432 yards a game, but its only seventh in scoring (20.5 points). App State has now lost consecutive home games in the same season for the first time since 1996 and for the first time since 2003, it is 1-3. But the three teams it has lost to are a combined 11-1. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are trying to rebound from a 1-4 start. They lost to Furman 24-17 last weekend. In 2012, The Citadel jumped out to a 28-0 lead over App State and coasted to a 52-28 victory at Boone, N.C.
Projected Score: Appalachian State 31, The Citadel 24
#10 Georgia Southern at Samford, Saturday, 6 p.m.
Georgia Southern (1-1, 3-1) survived Chattanooga’s upset bid with a 23-21 victory on Saturday when Younghoe Koo kicked a 26-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining to eke out the win. The Eagles had 376 yards of total offense – all on the ground. But that was less than their season average of 407.7 yards. Samford (1-0, 3-2), meanwhile, defeated Western Carolina 62-23 as quarterback Andy Summerlin threw for 327 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. It was the most points Samford has scored in a league contest since joining the SoCon in 2008. Beginning Saturday, the Bulldogs are in the meat of their schedule as Appalachian State and Wofford come next after Georgia Southern. Last year, Georgia Southern prevailed 35-16.
Projected Score: Georgia Southern 28, Samford 20
Western Carolina at Chattanooga, Saturday, 6 p.m.
Chattanooga (0-1, 2-2) is still smarting from a heartbreaking 23-21 loss to Georgia Southern when a Chattanooga 40-yard touchdown pass late in the contest was called back for an ineligible receiver downfield. Needless to say, Chattanooga coaches and players weren’t happy with the officials’ call on the play, and Mocs’ head coach Russ Huesman discussed the matter with Jack Childress, the coordinator of Southern Conference officials, on Sunday. After watching the game film, Huesman had this to say in the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Free Press. "I guess I can say that we executed a legal play," Huesman said. "We knew it was legal going in and it was a legal play." The Mocs should be able to handle WCU (0-2, 1-4) which is still looking to end a long conference losing streak.
Projected Score: Chattanooga 27, Western Carolina 10
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