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Originally posted by getnastyblazers
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Correct. When Hatcher was hired as HC at VSU, he hired Dean as his OC. Dean's previous stop was as an assistant at UWG. When Hatcher left after the 2006 season for GaSou, Dean was hired as VSU's HC and promptly won the 2007 National Championship. -
Delta State is the opening GSC game for the Argos this year and here is my outsider fan's view of the snot-bubbling Statesmen. Their roster is top heavy with 41 seniors, which should make them very dangerous to everyone they face this year. I have listed their roster vs. the Argos for comparison.
Delta State (109 total) West Florida (120 total)
Seniors 41 / 27
Juniors 15 / 24
So. 19 / 24
Fresh. 34 / 45
Coaching- B+
The Statesmen return longtime coach Cooley along with his longtime and stable staff in the top coaching positions. Coach Cooley has a winning record at Delta State with a GSC title and coach of the year honors. He has more winning seasons that losing ones and he has his team ready to play and to beat the Argos every year. The 2019 loss to the Argos 48-3 was closer than the score indicates and I expect the Statesmen will be in the playoff hunt at the end of they year if they have good QB play.
QB- C-
The Statesmen lose their starter to graduation and the only returner with experience, Shegog, is healthy after recovering from a collarbone injury. Shegog only played in 3 games in 2019 and only produced 3 TDs running and passing with a 54% completion average. The depth chart lists Shegog with a sophomore and 3 freshmen without experience backing him up. Coach Cooley mentioned in interview that he has only made it through a season with a starting QB one time at Delta State and this trend is troubling given the lack of experience behind Shegog and the lack of production so far by Shegog. In 2019 the Statesmen passed for 160 yds./gm. and rushed for 197 yds./gm. and I expect we will see a run heavy team given the lack of experience and depth at QB. Delta State is one of many GSC teams this year that could be very dangerous if their QB can produce in the passing game, but an injury to Shegog could derail a playoff spot or a deep run in the playoffs since recent history shows you need good QB play to make a deep run in the playoffs.
RB- B
The Statesmen return their top 2 Senior producers at RB (#2 and #10 in GSC in 2019) and Coach Cooley says they are both healthy and ready to go. Their depth chart is surprising shallow with a total of 5 backs that consist of 3 Sr., a Jr. and a freshman. Their QB is expected to add to their rushing attack, which poses a problem with the lack of depth at QB. I'm quite surprised that the number 3 rushing team in the GSC has so few RB on their roster and I hope the posted roster is incorrect or they have a WR that can pitch in if necessary. The 2019 team piled up rushing yards (4.6 avg. was #2 in GSC), but was number 6 in GSC in rushing TDs with 16. This leads to conclusion that the less productive passing game is hurting the team in the red zone, which makes good QB play even more critical to the team's success in 2021.
OL- A+
The Statesmen return 4 of 5 starters from their 2019 that was #3 in rushing and in fewest sacks given up in 2019. Their roster of 22 is deep with upperclassmen and size with 9 players over 300 lbs. Half of their freshmen are over 300 lbs. and the OL is definitely a strength of the offense and the team. Their RB should be productive and the QB should have time to improve on the 2019 passing numbers.
WR/TE- D+
The Statesmen lose 3/4 of their catch production from 2019 and the returning RB caught almost as many passes (26) as the returning WR (34) and the TE (0). They have picked up a top receiver with experience from D1 Presbyterian who led that team in 2019 and their roster of 3 TE and 20 WR is evenly split between upper and lower classmen. The returning players only caught 2 TD passes in 2019 and someone must step up to help the QB Shegog, who should have time to throw. The lack of experience at WR, Shegog's 54% completion rate and the run heavy offense to keep Shegog healthy don't look to improve on the 2019 numbers and it could get worse if Shegog gets hurt.
K/P- D
The Statesmen lose their kickers and punter from 2019 to graduation and their inexperienced roster of one sophomore and two freshmen will assume the duties for 2021. Cross your fingers and hope they don't have their confidence destroyed by rookie misses and miscues early in the year.
Returners- D
The Statesmen lose their top kick and punt returners from 2019 to graduation and they only have one returning player who fielded more than one kick in 2019. The Statesmen were #3 in GSC in kick returns and #7 in punt returns in 2019 and they will have to find someone to step up if they want to match those numbers.
DL- A
The Statesmen lose 2 players to graduation from the #1 defense in the GSC in 2019 that was also #1 in rushing D and in 3rd down conversion D. Their roster of 13 DL is evenly split between upper and lower classmen and they carry more big players in 2021 than they did in 2019. The Statesmen were also #4 in GSC in sacks and return top player Samuel who was top 5 in GSC in both tackles for loss and sacks. Although their DL roster is fewer in numbers and overall size than the Argos DL, you can't ignore their top production from 2019, their upgrade in size and the few losses to graduation from the top D in 2019. The Statesmen look to be good on both sides of the line for 2021 and the DL is another obvious strength of their team.
LB- A
The Statesmen lose their #1 tackler at LB, but return 2 top producers at LB, their top sacker and tackler for losses and multiple producers from their top D in 2019. Their LB roster lists 15 players consisting of 7 Sr., 1 Jr., 6 So. and only 1 freshman. They are also big with 8 players 220 lbs. or higher and should back up the excellent DL with an experienced and top performing second line of defense.
DB- A
The Statesmen return the top DB in the GSC, Faulk, who led the conference in picks and passes defended. He was also the top tackler in the secondary for the Statesmen who list 23 DB with 12 Sr., 3 Jr., 2 So. and 5 freshmen. They also pick up a D1 transfer from Northern Arizona that looks to be the starter at FS. The Statesmen DB are also tall with 15 DB 6 feet or taller and they return multiple experienced players who produced with picks, tackles and tackles for loss. The 2019 Statesmen were #3 in the GSC in defensive pass efficiency with a league leading 14 picks to offset 17 pass TDs given up. They are experienced, talented, tall and deep and should in all likelihood match or exceed their numbers from 2019.
Conclusion-
The 2021 Statesmen have the coaching, the defense, the OL and the top 2 RB to contend for a playoff spot, but their lack of experience, depth and production at QB, WR and in the return and kicking game could cause problems, especially with their brutal mid-season schedule. After a couple of opening home breathers they face West Georgia and Jackson State on the road, host West Florida and then go on the road to Valdosta. How they play in this stretch will likely determine their season and they absolutely have to have a healthy and productive QB to take the pressure off the running game and to get the ball to the WR. If Shegog doesn't produce or goes down early it could be an ugly mid-season stretch for the Statesmen. The Argos are somewhat fortunate to go to Delta State after the Statesmen return from Jackson State and the Blazers are even more fortunate to catch them after this brutal stretch of games. The Statesmen are one of a few GSC teams whose season could be transformed by a breakout year from their QB and they will know early if it's Shegog, someone else or no one.
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Gonna guess there are going to be alot of hungry people on mars...Comment
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Yep, they were planning at one point to make it a "Big Four" at one point..... never panned out for little brother.Go Blazers, Braves , Falcons, Hawks and Jackets!Comment
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Oh man......I have missed all the football talk!
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Get with it girl...<>Comment
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Next Saturday cannot come soon enough.....Originally posted by Wide_Right View Post
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