5743

SC is pretty healthy and as I'm sure everyone knows is a team that leans heavily on the defense. The offense is somewhat erratic. After the game last friday night the playing time of former #1 QB (Chaney) could be very limited. He looked rattled and didn't see any time after the fumble that gave WB their 1st TD just before half. SC line did a poor job of run blocking vs. WB. Gotta do a better job vs. OR. Pass protection was nearly flawless. I'll bet OR will send more pressure than WB did if the game is close. You can't let Watson run around until he can make a play.

Man... A lotta tough talk from a bunch that got smoked just a few short weeks ago at Farragut. SC fans could only hope OR is looking ahead this much. I'm gonne make a prediction. The winner of this game will play the Admirals. Must be something in the "water" down towards Ruby Falls.

Don't get the "WB is the better team" since they lost both games to SC. Sure WB had (key word now HAD) a couple of explosive backs but SC had the better overall defense. SC also has more dynamic WR's. SC has all WR's back (that matter), QB, all TB's and #42 at FB. Will need to replace O line and some holes up front on D. 2006 looks pretty good though. 2006 for the Govs looks pretty bleak. The younger Walker bros. aren't the same type of back as Brad. Also lose best WR, TE, Center, LB and QB's. Could be a rerun of 2004 or worse. Region 1 and Region 2 outside of OR are pretty much even based on the 4 games. 3 went down to the last minute or to OT. AS for OR friday night SC must get off to a good start. Going down 14-0 would be most likely the ballgame. A few mistakes by OR would help as well. I agree keeping Gulmire in check is crucial but SC won't survive 3 TO's as they did vs. WB.

Bud I meant that WB hasn't won at SC. It is the same reason everyone will pick OR over SC next week. A lot of people do think the high crown at SC does give them some advantage. Didn't come into play last night though. Did DB just not show up last night? Kinda like 2001 all over again. Losing to a #4 seed I mean. I was suprised to some extent that Bearden played Farragut right to the limit. Backyard rivalry I guess. What about Central holding on for dear life vs. Rhea County. I remember Central blasting Rhea in a scrimmage back in August. Hammontree has Rhea heading in the right direction.

I'm gonna make one final point. WB gained 214 total yards and SC 216. But with the game on the line on the final minutes which defense made a play and forced a stop. I believe that would be SC's on 3rd and 2 with 2:30 or so left. I was shocked on those 4th and longs that WB didn't bring more than 4 or 5 guys on the pass rush. You can't just sit back and hope every time. You gotta make the QB make a quick throw or force a run. On the final play Pippin was open in the back of the endzone for4-5 seconds but Watson didn't see. Fortunately enough he did see Feezle who had doubled back. That made up for the 4th down try on the previous possession with 4:30 or so left when the TE was wide open on the drag but Watson overthrew. The final play was very similar except the TE was covered and Watson had to improvise. That is where Watson is the most dangerous since he doesn't have a big arm. So its off to OR next friday where the Smoky Bears are 0 and forever. They have lost blowouts like '95, '96, '03 and '04 and close games like '97(regular season), '99 (regular season), '00 and '02. At some point one of those close games will go SC's way. I say 2005 is as good as any time. Perhaps the Gulmire brothers will develop a case of fumble fingers : ) .

Well there you have it. The Refs s*c*r*e*w*e*d WB again. I did say that the Walker fumble could have been blown dead but it wasn't. The same crew did the SC/SH game in Johnson City and made the same exact call against SC. AS for the Timeout Brewer called it from the sideline which is legal. Even if it had been called a delay it wouldn't have mattered because SC got enough yards to get the first down. Giving up 3 4th and longs inside of the last 2 minutes is just plain awful. As for taking a beating at OR maybe so. But wouldn't the Govs be in for the same fate??? OR isn't invincible after self destructing vs. Ooltw. If the game was played on paper SC wouldn't even show up but they are not. At any rate after all the BS that was spewed over the last week I think people from Sevierville should enjoy this victory for a day or 2. As Jim Rome says: I'm Out.

Hey Govman how are you feeling??? Yes WB figured out how to defend the deep ball... Congratulations... Unfortunately the Slant was open and is still open right now at 11:14 pm. A 2 to 3 TD victory was bold but wrong. It is going to be so funny to see what the excuses are this time.

I just got a little message for SWINGIT B*I*T*E* ME I guess I do know a couple of things about WB & SC. Did I not say that the WB pass defense was not up to par. CHECK Coaching can overcome a poor first half performance. CHECK Walker & Osborne were not going to run wild. CHECK WB always losses at SC in the playoffs. CHECK I'm still waiting to see if WB Fans start complaining about the refs. (it was pretty much equally bad). They let plays run too long which got SC a 8 yard loss in the 3rd quarter and then cost WB a touchdown when Walker was stood up and stripped. Gotta love those Upper East crews. It is just hilarious that SC converted 3 long 4th downs on the final drive. I bet Wb fans still wished they had the D coordinator that went to Alcoa after '03. I really do hate for some people at WB that it came down to the last 13 seconds. As for Meadows couldn't have happened to a "nicer" guy. I guess now that Walker and Osborne are gone it is time to move on. I can't see 2006 being much fun of county farm road.

The clock has worked the rest of the season. The new scoreboard clock is operated without wires. Apparently something caused interference with the signal for the game on week zero. If it happens again on friday perhaps it is the wireless headsets that WB uses. All I know is that it has worked for the other 4 home games (and yes SC uses wireless headphones as well). As for South-Doyle competing in 1 5-A that is total BS. SC beat them by 40 just like everybody else that is a good team. Maybe they could have competed with CCHS but nobody else. Would have had a better chance in 2 5-A vs. McMinn, Heritage and Bradley who are on their level (ie. crappy teams) I saw the WB/Heritage game and Heritage despite the 4-6 record isn't much better than 2002-03. Gotta give them credit for scheduling Seymour and CCHS so at least they have a prayer of getting to 5-5. Perhaps South Doyle should have done the same in picking non-region games. Use of the 25 second clock (it was used at SC/DB game) would remove any doubt if there were any true delay of game fouls.

swingit : Thanks for your pointless remarks. I know more about both of these teams than you could ever fathom. Lets just say that I have had involvement in both programs and leave it at that. How do you explain the game in week zero??? Yes Walker and Osborne are talented but they aren't unstoppable unless you are Heritage or Bradley. No doubt the Oolw. win over OR was big but when you hear the details you realize it was more of a OR self destruct much like LSU vs UT Go ahead drink some grape cool-aid but don't be suprised if friday night's result matches week zero. As for strength of schedule I don't buy it in the NCAA and certainly not in HS but if you a "believer" enjoy another cup. Ohh and by the way Aliens really did land at Roswell in '47 and unicorns really exist.

So WB fans love the out of area refs in the playoffs... I know fans of WB that are still b*i*t*c*h*i*n*g* about the refs in the 2000 playoff game. I'm unsure why all this WB hype. Other than Ooltw. who have they actually beat. Heritage, McMinn, Bradley & Clarksville are terrible and Soddy is mediocre. WB got blasted by OR, Maryville and Farragut and lost by 11 at SC. SC lost at Halls 24-14 and at home to DB 10-7. Victories over WB, South Doyle, Seymour, CCHS, Science Hill, Jeff Co, Karns and Bearden. So WB has beat 1 5-A playoff team while SC has wins over 3 5-A playoff teams and 1 3-A. WB has key injuries to starting QB and 3 year starter at center. Yes Brian Crosby has a big arm but isn't the running threat that Wall is. Key factor WB is 2-7 in the playoffs with 2 losses at SC ('99 31-21 and '00 27-3). SC is 9-13 in the playoffs (9-10 under Brewer) (1-8 vs, OR) and 6-3 in home playoff games (also under Brewer) When this game comes to head coaches I would say it is a wash. Both have 1 state title but when it comes to top assistants it is no contest. Tony Linginfelter and Ken Ratledge are miles beyond the best assistants that WB has. If the game comes down to coaching it is hard to out coach SC. OR is the boogie man for SC in the playoffs but they are 8-5 vs. everybody else. SC is healthy and has found a TB in the later half of the season. Take the Bears

Home cooking and the officiating... I seem to remember WB getting a favorable late call in the Ooltewah game. Amazing how WB fans ###### and moan about the officiating at SC (which are the same refs. that they have for any game in knox county) but have no problem with the crews in Blount County that only work in Blount County. WB better tighten up that pass defense.

apparently not

Still a 4th place finish for Owls. Unless Heritage beats WB (and assuming you don't choke vs. Soddy). This sets up an interesting 1st round playoff game at D-B. Not your average #1 vs. #4 game. D-B could very well lose that game. The OR loss makes the OR/Farr. game next friday very interesting. Another OR loss and D-B could be facing OR in 2nd round (if they get through 1st).

Well if Bearden is to win they will most likely have to do it with very few points. After giving up 58 points in the first 3 games SCHS has given up 27 in the last 6 games. Take away CCHS and Central games and Bearden hasn't been a scoring jugggernaut. I know the JCHS score was 14-6 ( a 80 yard TD run was nullified by a down-field clip to only a 40 yard game) and SCHS was inside the 25 as time ran out. 21-6 had the foul not occured on the long TD run would have sounded much better. JCHS was able to move the ball in spurts but couldn't sustain a long drive (but one). I would be shocked if SCHS didn't win this one. Maybe close and possibly low scoring. ( unlike the 1998 57-56 2 OT thriller ) Most draining HS game I have ever attended. Love the Bulldogs "glass cockpit" Press Box. Feels like a private suite at Neyland or something.

Just thought I would check in with the grape "cool-aid" drinkers from Cleveland that thought a tie with 3-A Knox Catholic meant a real change. I guess a 1-9 season (as it will almost certainly be) means that little has changed. Getting drilled by Heritage (not exactly a powerhouse) is also pretty bad. Good thing that Walker Valley was on the schedule. I must wonder how many points WB will pile on the Bears but I guess they will not give the 494 points of last year ( though 320-330 is possible

Quick answer... Probably Not. Cherokees still busy removing football shaped suppository from the beating Maryville put on them. Move to 4-A probably wasn't smart though they wouldn't have any more victories in region 1 5-A. Maybe they could beat CCHS and possibly could play with the now depleted JCHS. Maybe next year gives a chance for 3 wins as Carter should see a drop off. Too bad Mike Stevenson can't get a 5th year of eligibility. Did S-D "win" the food drive vs. Maryville???

Well friday afternoon I said that the rain would make the biggest difference in the kicking game and the ball geting waterlogged would make things tuff in the 2nd half. Maybe the SC punter would have had a 1 yard punt in the dry but I'm sure the rain didn't help. That was a killer. The total lack of field position due to the goaline stand and a good job by the D-B punter made things tuff as well. Going 90 yards quickly by air by the 2nd half wasn't possible. Perhaps the two worst breaks for SC in the 1st half was hurting the starting QB since # 8 seemed to handle the wet ball better and the failure to convert with 1st & 10 at the D-B 18 in the 2nd quarter. Throw in the dropped INT. that Watson had that probably would have been another pick 6 and too many opportunities were wasted. Watson's fumble just before halftime was ill timed as well. Perhaps D-B should have kicked the FG early in the 4th or not have run the QB sneak in the soggy conditions. Gotta give some credit to the SC defense for hanging in the game a giving the SC offense a chance to the end. As for the Playoffs unless someone can stand up to OR it doesn't matter if you lose at Blakenship or on your home field. D-B might be lucky to see them in the 3rd round.

Final look at Radar indicates to me that a steady light rain could fall for the next 8-12 hours so the ball could be really slick (and waterlogged) by the 4th quarter. My biggest prediction that if the steady rain holds it will cause a major miscue in the kicking game. Also the sky to the south (where te weather is comming from) looks much darker than the any other direction.

Not so sure that rain ( which has not been very hard ) will hurt or help either team. Unless it is a monsoon throwing the ball isn't impossible and SC has a lot of running plays that only involve the FB & QB ( veer, midline etc...). I do recall a game in state quarter-finals (1997) where the driving rain & the injury to D-B's QB resulted in a SCHS blowout win. That was a team that relied heavily on Joey Matthews throwing the ball but he only completed 4 or 5 balls all night. They ran the ball and played field position until D-B mistakes kicked in. I believe it was 2002 when rains came again and D-B won going away in the 2nd half in very damp conditions. If anything the rain could cause more fumbles and there is no way to know who it will help or hurt. Current forecast is for clouds and periods of rain. Low of 58. Winds should be light. On Radar it looks like the rain is moving in from the south.

You are right. SC's field has a considerable crown on it (particularly between the 35's) so rain shouldn't create muddy conditions. Also it hasn't rained terribly heavy (so far) down this way and it has been very dry for 2 months. The turf is in excellent shape as well.

No doubt that Watson is a more dangerous QB because of his running ability. As I said the other day he will probably get the start but either QB could/will play at any time. With Watson needed every play in the secondary this is a big plus. Also with Watson's emergence as a credible QB Chaney has to realize that inconsistent play will result in a ticket to the sideline. I would guess Chaney will be at QB on most if not every obvious passing situation. Chaney in his limited playing time in'05 has thrown 5 td's. Watson is best on the rollout or in the 3 step drop quick game. Chaney can throw the quick stuff and the 5/7 step drops. TB's certainly aren't showstoppers but SC does have 3 pretty decent FB's especially with the addition of #22 Wallace the transfer from Seymour. He adds quickness that #43 and #42 don't have. Keep an eye on #22 on SCHS kickoffs. He certainly goes all out on KO coverage. SC believes this is their best chance for a win over DB since 2000. I don't have a prediction other than they must avoid the critical mistakes that cost them at Halls in 2nd game. If they do that SC has a good opportunity for a win.

2 Tight wishbone is a "secret weapon"??? Everybody in the world new that # 26 was the only real threat. This is one of those who cares games. If you squeak into the playoffs you get to go and get waxed by OR. Doesn't sound like much fun.

Hey COUGZONE... Need some tickets to the playoffs??? I really liked the "secret weapon" last friday night. 2 tight Wishbone is pure genius.

no further than Central & or Central.