hornsby6

What was most impressive? 53 points? Shutout? 16 yards total yards allowed by Oakland defense? Butch Jones sighting watching two of his players (Jack Jones and Kyle Oliver)?

But, then Cookeville would probably be at the bottom of this district OR have a losing record if they played Oakland, Blackman, Riverdale and Smyrna. LaVergne is not that good, but Cookeville is not as good as their record suggests.

I work on the chain gang for Oakland games. I see the hitting "up close and personal." Seen the team from Smyrna that won the state. Have also seen the team from Oakland that won the state. Have not seen two teams hit as hard as these two teams did in their first match. They are not only big, but F A S T! I would guess at least 10 of these boys will be playing on Saturdays on D1 teams (folks, that is a lot of quality players on both teams).

Lot of blather and not much content on game. Oakland's strength is its line. At least three of the players (Jones, Yates, and Barrett) will be playing on Saturdays at the D1 level (UT, Mercer and Mercer). Oakland gets the nod on this one. As for quarterback, Jennings will probably also be playing on Saturdays at the D1 level (Vandy and Ohio State are recruiting him). If he plays to his potential, Blackman gets the nod at QB. However, if he holds the ball like a loaf of bread or throws into coverage like last game, the stability of quarterback at Oakland wins. Both teams have strong running games. Even. Emmanuel Smith of Oakland (plays WR and S) will be playing on Saturdays next year for Vandy. A whole lot of talent on both teams. If someone claims they know who will win this game, they are smoking something. If one teams turns the ball over a few times, they win. Oakland won last meeting 9-6, but had a missed field goal and extra point (but they also lost their kicker). Oakland won, but Blackman has revenge factor. One of the hardest hitting games I have seen. Coaching is even also as both coaches have at least one ring on their finger. Any prediction is like an armpit, everybody has one and many stink. That is why they play the game. Come Friday for what I do predict will be two teams with a lot of talent.

At the first of the game, the two teams will be fairly equal. Smyrna has some foot athletes. After a few series, the Smyrna boys will begin getting tired as many are playing on both sides of the ball. Blackman needs to make it simple, line up and play hard-nosed football and run it directly at Smyrna. May not be pretty but Smyrna will wear down and the initial 3 yard runs will turn into 7 yard runs. Smyrna needs to get a couple of breaks on turnovers to be competitive. I have seen both teams play and predict Blackman 28, Smyrna 7.

Smyrna is a decent team but does not have the depth to play the better teams. On the sidelines of the Oakland/Smyrna game, I saw some very good Smyrna players. By the time of the half, I saw a bunch of tired boys, many of which were playing both ways. By the time of the second half, Smyrna either put in a considerably weaker second string player or played a tired player, neither of which matched well with Oakland as they put it away. Bottom line, Smyrna needs to get some breaks and capitalize on them. Otherwise, Blackman will put the game away before the fourth quarter begins. Blackman 35 - Smyna 14

I agree this is WAY too early to start this thread. Between now and the game, each team has a few weeks to either improve or get injured. For instance, if Blackman lost their QB, Oakland might come in a big favorite. Likewise, remove a few of the Oakland uglies, and a different choice might be made. The more interesting post might be which team has more players that will be playing on Saturdays in the future. I expect a few college discriminating coaches to be watching.

Look at the weather forecast. If it is a rainy, wet field, the game could easily be decided by the "Big Uglies." I have not see a group of bigger or uglier group of linemen than Oakland. More than a few will be playing Saturdays in the future. I expect a slow start, but a team wearing down in the second half when fitness and strength come into play. Oakland 28; Smyrna 7.

Science Hill fans probably will look forward to a LONG drive back. Siegel is an offensive juggernaut. Losing to Blackman and Oakland is not indicative of their playing. A dropped pass on the opening drive could have/should have been a touchdown and a game changer for Siegel. Look what happens when "high powered teams" come to the 'boro. Arlington 3-0 leaves with a 39-0 shellacking. Siegel beats #3 McCallie and Ooltewah in East Tennessee (92 points in those two games alone). Dakota Crane is solid quarterback, Denzel Harding an exceptional runner. Prediction: Siegel 39, SH 21

The interesting part about the article is that Coach A said Coach Rankin saw the drain in talent coming and implied that was the reason he left. Coach Rankin is in his 7th year at Alcoa HS. I seriously doubt he was running through the elementary schools to determine what talent was going to come up that many years down the road. Many years ago Oakland and Riverdale got all of the Murfreesboro talent. Now they are divided into 4 high schools, but despite that Riverdale is still one of the largest schools in the state. Blackman, Oakland, and Siegel are also having to share the same talent in Murfreesboro. Last time I looked, those 3 schools have done pretty well. Talent comes and goes, but good coaching and a program can weather those waves. Sounds more like a preemptive strike to avoid being fired.

MRI done, anyone know results for sure? My guess is that doctors are already convinced torn ACL, just doing MRI to confirm and determine additional damage. Too bad. With Maryville at home and with QB out, the Rebels have to be favorites. Probably would have been a toss up at a neutral site with both teams full strength.

LaVergne Lites don't count. Everybody beats them. While comparing scores are not always valuable, Blackman and Riverdale were clearly better than anyone else in the district. MJ barely beat Oakland. While Oakland beat Siegel, Siegel did not have one of their quarterbacks available and that limited them to a running team. With Stockstill, they are multi-dimensional. MJ would place maybe third in 7AAA.

Forgot, Oakland beating Franklin in 2008. Just another example of the superiority of Rutherford County.

Unfortunately at this time of the season every team has some losses that could affect the game (probably hurt more with the loss of your other quarterback). Oakland lost a 350 pound tackle, Steve Wright, before the season and he would have made a huge difference also. But, got to give Siegel credit. The last few years if they had been hit hard, they would have folded up like my 25 item Swiss Army knife. This year they did not give up (great to see their fans show up also because they stayed home the last few years). Both teams kept going at it until the final horn sounded. Might see these two teams again in the playoffs.

The line was the deciding factor. When it got to OT, Siegel tried to run it and had to settle for a field goal. Oakland's line opened up a hole for a touchdown on the first play. siegel had a good back, but you cannot run well when the offensive line allows the defensive line through. Heck, you and I could gain some yards behind Oakland's line.