Bellsburg2

Shelby County Schools need TSSAA way more than the TSSAA needs them. Only delusion and foolish pride would cause them to formally break away.

No onside kick. Bruins kneel twice and the final score is 35-27

McKenzie scores, now trail 35-27 with 1:12 left. Onside kick coming.

McKenzie scores on opening drive. USJ leads 28-20.

USJ offense hasn’t been stopped much but their first 3&out late resulted in a blocked punt and a quick score. McKenzie has run the ball effectively but 2 turnovers didn’t help them. Momentum shifted a bit late in the half so this first series of 3Q will tell a lot.

28-12 USJ at half after a late McKenzie score. Rebels will receive to start 3Q.

Not directed at you, but at another fella in this thread battling an recurrence of his “little brother syndrome”

Four penalties were announced by officials as unsportsmanlike conduct, with players identified by number. Personal fouls are not necessarily USC. And you can take that culture BS somewhere else. Probably all those paid recruits, right? You’d think a free education and a Dodge Charger would be enough to get these kids to behave.

The one on 64 early was ridiculous and should not have been called. There were 3 that were 100% language. I think this is crazy, but I also think once they call it the first time, a little self control and discipline is in order. It was harder than ever on Friday night, but sometimes you just gotta shut up and play. That’s what I was referring to by not excusing those or blaming them on someone else.

USJ has an all-time record of 8-3 vs McKenzie and this will be the first meeting of the two teams since 1992. I haven't seen McKenzie on film yet. On the surface, I think this will be a fairly even matchup. I'm just glad both teams continue to find a way to play ball. McKenzie has beaten rival Huntingdon and made a decent run at Peabody. USJ suffered their first loss of the season last week against Jackson Christian. One of the Bruins' strengths is their line and they will still be missing an important 2-way starter to quarantine this week, but his replacements held their own last Friday. More importantly, the head coach will be back on the sideline and this should help keep the troops focused.

There were 4 unsportsmanlike penalties and there are no excuses for those. If you take those away, USJ was penalized approximately 85 yards and they also negated about 100 yards of offense. I believe there were 4 or 5 flags on JC, not certain of the yardage.

He is quarantined for 14 days due to a positive family member. He was out the JC game and will be out this week as well. He is quite the presence on the interior on both sides of the ball and we will be glad to get him back.

The Bruins stand at 4-1 after suffering their first loss against JCS on a last second field goal. Coach Stroup came out of quarantine today and will be a welcome sight back on the sideline Friday night. They will still be missing a veteran 2-way starter on the interior line, but his replacements played well in the last contest. Bruins started prep and install today, adding a few new wrinkles, and should hopefully be ready to roll. The Bulldogs are 0-4 after a very challenging schedule to open the season and stand looking at USJ and JCS as their next 2 upcoming opponents. Offense has been a struggle with Columbia Academy amassing just over 500 yards in 4 games. I don't know much about ColA but this one was a dogfight for the first half last year before the Bruins pulled away in the second half at home. This one looks like it could be lopsided on paper, but could a long road trip after an emotional loss be a setup for a trap game?

Coach Stroup has been quarantined and absent from the sideline the last 2 Friday nights and he has been sorely missed. We will be glad to have him back in person next week. Bruins also had a key 2-way veteran lineman out, but his replacements held their own. This was a hard fought game between 2 good football teams and the Bruins seemed to have the upper hand most of the way, but JC made plays when they really needed to and that was the difference. USJ just couldn't seem to catch a break. I think I'll just leave it at that.

(eyeroll) Replying to the "all them private schools that's winnin' is cuz they recruitin" sentiment is exhausting. The vast majority of our players, even the superstars, are born and bred USJ kids. Yes, a few kids come here in the 9th grade (because kids sometimes change schools going into HS) but usually not as many as leave. No one gets a free ride at USJ. If financial aid is desired, they apply through a neutral third party and we follow those recommendations to a fault. Everyone has to put some skin in the game. Do you know what the handful of current D1 college players from USJ along with almost every current playmaker on the field on Friday night have in common? They also played for the USJ Bears in 5th and 6th grade. There are exceptions to every situation, but I assure you we run a tight ship here. If you have concerns about a specific "recruit", please feel free to speak up. However, I suspect this is more broken record of assumptions and generalizations.

Not much love lost between these 2 teams as the long-time rivalry became an in-region rivalry once again last year. Both teams boasting 4-0 records with stingy defenses (allowing <10 ppg) and prolific offenses (40 and 48 ppg). JCS has all their receiving weapons back as seniors this year, but the new QB has been at least as productive with his legs as he has with his arm in a much more balanced attack. USJ offense made good use of the field position provided by the defense in the first 3 games, but this past Friday night opened things up against TRA. The Bruins may be a little more battle tested by facing slightly better opponents overall. The one common opponent was TRA and both teams dominated the Rebels equally. JCS has good size on the line, but the physicality of the USJ big uglies will be the biggest challenge they have seen to date. With #27 kicking the ball and #1 returning the ball, USJ has the advantage on special teams as they likely will in every game they play this year. This was a one-sided high scoring affair last year but I expect it to be much tighter this year. Bruins should come away with win for homecoming but this one will be a game into the 4th quarter.

The list above is the 2016 numbers. At that time, USJ was listed at 312, but there was a precipitous drop in enrollment. The bulk of the change came from graduating our largest class ever (about 110) in 2018 and replacing it with the smallest class in a long while (about 45) with the class of 2022. Our typical enrollment has been 70-80 per class but many of the upcoming classes are a bit smaller. My son's class, current juniors, has always been unusually small. I think our 2018 number was ~250 and that number should still be pretty close in 2020.

Southside has decent size on the line and some fairly good skill players. I think they will eventually be a little better than last year. Their biggest disadvantage is that last week was their first practice in a month and I'm sure they are still knocking the rust off and finding their rhythm. I suspect colliding with a Peabody freight train in week 4 will not end well for the Hawks. I would predict the Tide wins by 3-4 scores, but a running clock is not out of the question.

Hard fought game. Some jawing both ways is ineveitable in a rivalry game where the kids have all grown up together, but overall good sportsmanship. USJ was just too much for an already thin TCA squad. Hoping that the early injury report on TCA lineman is wrong and he's able to make it back to play a little more ball. The lions have the athletes to string together a few district wins and maybe sneak into the playoffs. They may even get a freebie next week and some extra time to get healthy. Best of luck moving forward.

(Scrolls through 2 pages of bickering.... still no mention of football by the TCA guys) It’s officially game day, ladies and gents. Thanks to social distancing, seating will be limited. Maybe you guys can throw your visitor stands in the back of a pickup truck and bring them along? Every little bit helps. Last Vegas line I saw was USJ -27 Score prediction: USJ 41, TCA 13 Silver lining: TCA can only lose once since there was no food drive this year

Everyone including students must have a ticket to enter. No tickets will be sold at the gate. All tickets are $5 and will be color coded. TCA was alloted 350 tickets for sale to their parents, fans, students. USJ tickets will be on sale tomorrow 4-5pm at the ticket booth for football/band/cheer parents, super boosters, and HS students only. Tickets will be sold Wednesday 4-5pm to the remaining USJ families. 500 bleachers and 300 standing room only. Tickets to the general public will be hard to come by as the rules are strictly enforced.

TCA has weapons and, by necessity, a more balanced attack this year. It will be tough plowing on the ground against the Bruins front line. Union City obviously did not challenge the pass defense much, but in week 1 the NCS QB was on the run all night and forced to make several miscues. Pledger remains a weapon in the kicking game, 6/6 touchbacks and 5/5 XP Friday night with 4 punts inside the 20 (2 inside the 5). He even showed off the arm, throwing a TD pass. Tabor is a big threat returning kicks, rounding out a solid special teams unit under Coach Hardegree.

I chuckled when I saw a preseason all-state list that had him 2nd team. I still have nightmares about that guy. Just as memorable as the game he had was his class and humility in post-game interviews. Seems like a solid kid that represents his school well. All that said, hopefully the Bruins will have some better answers for him come week 6.

3 of the final 4 were from the west I think that FCS and TKA would have held their own, but beyond that I can't say for sure. USJ certainly got more fight from TCA/JCS/CA than they did from Chatt-Grace

Agree, more of a straight forward read option. Regardless, inconsistent snaps hurt the timing of their offense all night. They moved the ball and had pretty decent total yards, but drives always stalled. A lot of this had to do with a tough USJ front 7, but some was self-inflicted.