GSC Standings

North Alabama (3-0)
Florida Tech (2-1)
Delta State (2-1)
West Alabama (2-1)
West Georgia (1-1)
Valdosta State (1-1)
West Florida (1-1)
Mississippi College (0-3)
Shorter (0-3)


Thursday, October 6th

Clark Atlanta (3-2) at Shorter (0-5) @ 7 PM EST

So, Shorter is adjusting to the new staff and system a bit more each week and I feel like this could possibly be the game to secure a win for the team. Last week, quarterback Tyler Pullum was named GSC Freshmen of the Week for the second time this season after completing 12-of-19 pass attempts for 171 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another score. Also for the Hawks defense, Jevaris Jones is tied for 3rd in the country in Solo Tackles with 38 while Kevin Knight is ranked 20th
My pick: Hawks by 1


Saturday, October 8th

West Florida (3-2) at Mississippi College (2-3) @ 2 PM CST on ESPN3th in Passing Yards and in Passing Yards per Game) as the Argos rank 3rd in the country in Passing Offense. He has passed for 1748 yards and 14 touchdowns (ranking 11th nationally) along with ranking 14th in Completions per Game (averaging 24.0 per game) so far this year. One of his favorite targets, Ishmel Morrow, ranks 4th nationally in Receiving Yards with 660 on the year, 5th in Receiving Yards Per Game with a 132 yard per game average, and tied for 6th nationally in Receptions Per Game averaging 8 per game. Antoine Griffin is 13th nationally in Punt Returns with an average 15.8 per return. West Florida is tied for 2nd in the country averaging 5.0 Sacks per Game and tied for 5th
My pick: Argos by 21


Delta State (3-2) at West Alabama (2-3) @ 4 PM CST

Delta State continues to be the best two-loss team in the nation with both of those competitive losses coming against squads that remain in the Top 10. With several standout players, they still have a shot at making a run for the conference title and playoffs. Chris Robinson is tied for 3rd nationally with 11 Rushing Touchdowns on the year and is 5th in the nation in scoring (14.4 points per game) while Tyler Sullivan is 5th in the country in Completion Percentage (.701). Zane Samuel is tied for 6th nationally with 2 Blocked Kicks and Cody Mills is tied for 1st in the nation with a perfect Field Goal Percentage. The team is tied for 2nd in the country in two special teams categories with 5 Block Kicks and 3 Blocked Punts on the season. The Statesmen are also tied for 1st nationally in Red Zone Offense after scoring on all 25 visits (20 TDs/5 FGs).

West Alabama has some good players including Austin Grammer, who is ranked 10th nationally averaging 26 Completions per Game and Donta Armstrong ranking 18th
My pick: Statesmen by 14


#10 West Georgia (4-1) at #21 Valdosta State (3-1) @ 7 PM EST

Valdosta State was very productive on offense last week against a lessor opponent but it could be just the game that was needed to instill a bit of confidence in their new dual quarterback situation. Among the national statistical leaders, kicker Andrew Gray is 7th in the nation averaging 1.67 Field Goals per Game and tied for 20th in Field Goal Percentage (.833). The Blazers are ranked 6th nationally for holding their opponents to a 25.42% average in Third Down Conversions and 8th nationally in First Down Defense after allowing just 66 so far this year. They are also ranked 8th in the country in Team Passing Efficiency Defense (95.04) while being tied for 5th in the country with 10 Passes Intercepted.

West Georgia lost a heart-breaker in Florence last week but that may have generated the emotions needed to spark their team into living up to the hype for what could be a historical season. With several standout players, Marcus Sayles is tied for 2nd nationally with 3 Blocked Kicks while Dylan Donahue is second in the country with 9 sacks on the year and tied for 8th in the country in Tackles for Loss with 10.5 so far. Also, KJ Parmer is 11th nationally in Punt Returns with 16.4 yards per return and Hunter Heck is 4th in the nation averaging 1.8 Field Goals per Game. The team is tied for 6th nationally with 2 Blocked Punts, is 5th in the country in Team Passing Efficiency Defense (92.60), tied for 9th with 19 Team Sacks, and ranked 11th in Total Defense (281.6 yards per game).

UWG Key Stats:

Avg. Points Scored: 27.2
Avg. Points Allowed: 14.8
Offensive Yards: 369.2
Yards Allowed: 281.6
Turnover Margin: -2
Avg. Penalties: 98.0 yards
Third Down Conversions: 31.3%
Red Zone Scores: 77.8%
Field Goals: 9-14 (64.3%)

VSU Key Stats:

Avg. Points Scored: 30.75
Avg. Points Allowed: 22.25
Offensive Yards: 420.5
Yards Allowed: 319.8
Turnover Margin: +3
Avg. Penalties: 92.0 yards
Third Down Conversions: 37.31%
Red Zone Scores: 81.0%
Field Goals: 7-10 (70%)

The Battle for the Peach Basket is definitely one of the best in-state rivalries in the conference and has become very competitive over the past couple of seasons. I think this is going to be a very good game and could come down to the final plays of the contest. Yet, I feel the keys to this happening will be for the Blazers to force some turnovers and capitalize on them with the mix of Robles' passing game and Rivers' scrambling ability to keep the Wolves defense on their toes. If the game is straight forward with very few surprises it could quickly be controlled by the hurting Wolves that will certainly be playing with a chip on their shoulders.

My pick: Wolves by 14


***The UNA/FIT game has been CANCELLED due to Hurricane Matthew***

#3 North Alabama (3-1) at Florida Tech (4-1) @ 7 PM ESTth nationally with 2 Forced Fumbles while Kevin Henke is 12th in the nation in Field Goal Percentage (.833) and 21th in the country averaging 1.25 Field Goals per Game. The Lions are tied for 9th nationally for Fewest Penalties with only 21 and 10th with Fewest Penalty Yards with 189 so far along with being 11thth nationally (averaging 16.38 yards) in Passing Yard per Completion while Kenny Johnston is 6th in the nation with a 25.37 Yards per Reception average. Also, Joe Jackson ranks 12th in the country in Passes Defended with an average 1.8 per game and Adonis Davis is tied for 2nd nationally with 3 Forced Fumbles while Zach Leatherman is tied for 13thrd nationally in Rushing Defense (allowing just 63.4 yards per game), tied for 9th in the nation with 10 Interceptions, and 7th with 15 total Turnovers Gained. Another interesting stat is that opponents of the Panthers have only attempted one field goal so far this season (missing it) and that FIT has only punted twice (allowing 2 total yards on the returns; ranking 8th nationally).

UNA Key Stats:

Avg. Points Scored: 31.25
Avg. Points Allowed: 20.0
Offensive Yards: 338.0
Yards Allowed: 416.3
Turnover Margin: +3
Avg. Penalties: 47.25 yards
Third Down Conversions: 34.6%
Red Zone Scores: 93.8%
Field Goals: 5-6 (83.3%)

FIT Key Stats:

Avg. Points Scored: 38.0
Avg. Points Allowed: 15.4
Offensive Yards: 499.6
Yards Allowed: 337.4
Turnover Margin: +3
Avg. Penalties: 85.0 yards
Third Down Conversions: 32.8%
Red Zone Scores: 85.0%
Field Goals: 7-9 (77.8%)

I can see this game coming down to penalties and red zone performance. The Lions average just a little over half of what the Panthers average per game in penalty yards. Of course, the timing of penalties is the real factor in whether they will play an integral part in the outcome of the game or not. The most interesting component of the red zone statistics is the field goal to touchdown ratio. FIT has scored 10 touchdowns in 20 attempts in the red zone while holding opponents to just 6 touchdowns in 15 visits inside the 20 yard line (tied for 1st nationally in Red Zone Defense). UNA has scored a touchdown 13 times of their 16 trips to the red zone while holding opponents to just 5 touchdowns in 16 red zone attempts. The Lions are 7th
My pick: Lions by 6