GTfanTN

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I think the USJ game will be broadcasted on the Worthy Road Studios Facebook page tonight with Seabass and Chuck.

4 teams are left in the D2-A state playoffs. USJ (#1 seed in the west) will travel east to face FC (#1 seed in the east and overall #1 ranked team in D2-A) and JCS (#2 seed in the west) will also travel east to face NCS (#1 seed in the middle). Both games should be very good as I believe all the teams are pretty evenly matched. USJ vs FC--this will be the first contest between the 2 school in recent memory. USJ is coming off a very convincing win against Lakeway Christian. FC blocked an XP in OT to secure their victory against the defending state champs DCA. Both teams enter the contest averaging over 38 PPG and surrendering less than 8.5 PPG. The only common opponent is Lakeway Christain; USJ winning 48-6 and FC winning 38-7. FC has only played 4 games where their opponent has stayed within 30 points and USJ has only played 2 games that stayed within 30 points. FC has a very explosive offense lead by their Mr. Football semifinalist QB #8 (Weekly). #8 has above average speed and a very good arm. He looks to run more than any QB the Bruins have played this year other than the triple option QB from Union City His favorite target is WR #6 (Montgomery). #6 has very good size, speed and hands. #8 typically tries to throw the deep ball to #6 3-4 times a game. He showed off his powerful/strong arm on a long completion where the ball traveled 49 yards in the air last Friday night. I believe Montgomery will the most physical WR USJ has faced all year. The Commanders leading rusher is #5 (Wolcott). #5 is a smaller RB that hides behind a very big O-Line and then hits the hole quickly. He is hard to tackle once he gets to the 2nd level. The Commanders are solid on the defense side of the ball. Really good size on the defensive front with very aggressive LB play. Their defensive backs seem to play a little soft making sure to keep everything in front of them. However, they do have 15 ints on the season. USJ offense is very dangerous as they have multiple weapons. Everything starts with QB #18 (Pettigrew); accurate arm (32 td's and 4 Int's) and very quick in the open field. The Bruins' rushing attack is lead by Mr. Football semifinalist #31 (Finch) and his 140 ypg. #31 sees the field well and makes some really good runs when not much is there. #8 (Barksdale) is #18's top target. #8 has over 1K yards in receiving and 11 td's. However, he is not the Bruins' only target. #17 (Sain) and #0 (Seals) are both big bodies with great hands. On the defensive side of the ball; the Bruins have a solid/physical D-Line and a veteran group at LB. MLB #7 (McMillan) is the leader of the defense. The DB's are solid tacklers as well as ball hawks. FC will be a good test for the USJ defensive backfield. FC has a slight advantage in the kicking game with #24 (Williams). Almost half of Williams kickoffs reach the end zone and he has a big leg on FG's. USJ uses 2 kickers that have been solid all year. Both teams have very explosive offenses. However, I think this will be a lower scoring game. The cold weather and 2 solid defense will make scoring tougher to come by than in past games. JCS vs NCS--this is a rematch of last years quarterfinal game that was won by NCS 35-14. NCS was victorious last Friday night 42-7 against TCA. JCS won a great game against MTCS overcoming a 18pt deficit in the 3rd quarter. They have 2 common opponents. Both beat Columbia Acd (NCS 31-14 & JCS 49-14) and Trinity Christain Acd ( NCS 42-7 & JCS 49-42). JCS enters the game on a 6 game winning streak and NCS has won 9 in row. NCS is lead by their QB Mr. Football semifinalist #2 Curtis. The freshman has had great year throwing 21 td's with only 5 int's. #2 is also the 2nd leading rusher for the Eagles. He has very good size to along with a solid arm. #24 (Carden) is their leading rusher. NCS has 4 different players with double digit receptions. #7 (Warmbrod) is the top pass catcher. The Eagles will try to spread the defense out and let Curtis create with his arm and speed. JCS is lead by #3 (Boyd). #3 has over 1600 yards on the ground to go along with 22 td's. He is small in stature but is very strong and extremely quick. He hides behind his O-Line and then hits the holes running. Very tough to bring down once he gets into the secondary. #3 isn't the only weapon for JCS. #1 (DeMoss) and #23 (Mosley) create a lot of problems for opposing defenses. The coaching staff does a real good job of getting these 2 into open space by running outside and getting vertical in the passing game. #11 (Kelley) will be making his 3rd start of the playoffs at QB. The sophomore has played well. Had a sound 2nd half against MTCS as he engineered a comeback with 2 td's in the air. Both teams have very solid kicking games so I believe that is a wash. The D-Line and O-Line will play a huge part in this game. The biggest question marks: Will JCS's D-Line be able to put pressure on Curtis and not let run around like Johnny Manziel? Will NCS's D-Line be able to keep Mosley and DeMoss from getting outside the tackles? Both teams will move the ball on the other teams defense. This is my synopsis of the 2 games. I want to sleep a couple of more nights before I make my picks. The great unknown is how each team will perform after the hitting starts in 35 deg weather. Let me know your thoughts on the teams.

I totally agree with pretty much everything you said. DCA's 5 man front shut down the running game and FC uses the run to set up the pass. That was by far the worst offensive performance of the year for FC. Will be interesting to see how the Bruins defense attacks FC offense. FC/USJ should be a great game. I also agree that NCS will beat JCS and play USJ in the championship game. I'm not sure if I believe that NCS is that much more battle tested than USJ. I believe NCS best 2 opponents were FRA and DA. Both of these games were played within the first 4 games of the season. 5 of their last 6 games have had running clocks. USJ's best 3 opponents are JCS (semifinals DII-A), UC (quarterfinals of D1-A) and Hardin Co (lost 2nd round of D1-4A playoffs). USJ has had a running clock in the last 7 games. I'm not sure how battle tested either team is right now since both teams haven't played a full game in over a month. That is a good discussion for next week. Right now; the Bruins need to stay focused on their business trip to Lebanon Friday night.

4 teams are left in the D2-A state playoffs. USJ (#1 seed in the west) will travel east to face FC (#1 seed in the east and overall #1 ranked team in D2-A) and JCS (#2 seed in the west) will also travel east to face NCS (#1 seed in the middle). Both games should be very good as I believe all the teams are pretty evenly matched. USJ vs FC--this will be the first contest between the 2 school in recent memory. USJ is coming off a very convincing win against Lakeway Christian. FC blocked an XP in OT to secure their victory against the defending state champs DCA. Both teams enter the contest averaging over 38 PPG and surrendering less than 8.5 PPG. The only common opponent is Lakeway Christain; USJ winning 48-6 and FC winning 38-7. FC has only played 4 games where their opponent has stayed within 30 points and USJ has only played 2 games that stayed within 30 points. FC has a very explosive offense lead by their Mr. Football semifinalist QB #8 (Weekly). #8 has above average speed and a very good arm. He looks to run more than any QB the Bruins have played this year other than the triple option QB from Union City His favorite target is WR #6 (Montgomery). #6 has very good size, speed and hands. #8 typically tries to throw the deep ball to #6 3-4 times a game. He showed off his powerful/strong arm on a long completion where the ball traveled 49 yards in the air last Friday night. I believe Montgomery will the most physical WR USJ has faced all year. The Commanders leading rusher is #5 (Wolcott). #5 is a smaller RB that hides behind a very big O-Line and then hits the hole quickly. He is hard to tackle once he gets to the 2nd level. The Commanders are solid on the defense side of the ball. Really good size on the defensive front with very aggressive LB play. Their defensive backs seem to play a little soft making sure to keep everything in front of them. However, they do have 15 ints on the season. USJ offense is very dangerous as they have multiple weapons. Everything starts with QB #18 (Pettigrew); accurate arm (32 td's and 4 Int's) and very quick in the open field. The Bruins' rushing attack is lead by Mr. Football semifinalist #31 (Finch) and his 140 ypg. #31 sees the field well and makes some really good runs when not much is there. #8 (Barksdale) is #18's top target. #8 has over 1K yards in receiving and 11 td's. However, he is not the Bruins' only target. #17 (Sain) and #0 (Seals) are both big bodies with great hands. On the defensive side of the ball; the Bruins have a solid/physical D-Line and a veteran group at LB. MLB #7 (McMillan) is the leader of the defense. The DB's are solid tacklers as well as ball hawks. FC will be a good test for the USJ defensive backfield. FC has a slight advantage in the kicking game with #24 (Williams). Almost half of Williams kickoffs reach the end zone and he has a big leg on FG's. USJ uses 2 kickers that have been solid all year. Both teams have very explosive offenses. However, I think this will be a lower scoring game. The cold weather and 2 solid defense will make scoring tougher to come by than in past games. JCS vs NCS--this is a rematch of last years quarterfinal game that was won by NCS 35-14. NCS was victorious last Friday night 42-7 against TCA. JCS won a great game against MTCS overcoming a 18pt deficit in the 3rd quarter. They have 2 common opponents. Both beat Columbia Acd (NCS 31-14 & JCS 49-14) and Trinity Christain Acd ( NCS 42-7 & JCS 49-42). JCS enters the game on a 6 game winning streak and NCS has won 9 in row. NCS is lead by their QB Mr. Football semifinalist #2 Curtis. The freshman has had great year throwing 21 td's with only 5 int's. #2 is also the 2nd leading rusher for the Eagles. He has very good size to along with a solid arm. #24 (Carden) is their leading rusher. NCS has 4 different players with double digit receptions. #7 (Warmbrod) is the top pass catcher. The Eagles will try to spread the defense out and let Curtis create with his arm and speed. JCS is lead by #3 (Boyd). #3 has over 1600 yards on the ground to go along with 22 td's. He is small in stature but is very strong and extremely quick. He hides behind his O-Line and then hits the holes running. Very tough to bring down once he gets into the secondary. #3 isn't the only weapon for JCS. #1 (DeMoss) and #23 (Mosley) create a lot of problems for opposing defenses. The coaching staff does a real good job of getting these 2 into open space by running outside and getting vertical in the passing game. #11 (Kelley) will be making his 3rd start of the playoffs at QB. The sophomore has played well. Had a sound 2nd half against MTCS as he engineered a comeback with 2 td's in the air. Both teams have very solid kicking games so I believe that is a wash. The D-Line and O-Line will play a huge part in this game. The biggest question marks: Will JCS's D-Line be able to put pressure on Curtis and not let run around like Johnny Manziel? Will NCS's D-Line be able to keep Mosley and DeMoss from getting outside the tackles? Both teams will move the ball on the other teams defense. This is my synopsis of the 2 games. I want to sleep a couple of more nights before I make my picks. The great unknown is how each team will perform after the hitting starts in 35 deg weather. Let me know your thoughts on the teams.

It's week 2 of the playoffs; better known as the Quarterfinals in Div 2-A. Below are my thoughts on each game. My predictions are just me having fun by trying to guess the scores. Let me know your thoughts of the games. FC vs DCA..week 3 rematch in which FC won fairly easy. Since that game; DCA has won 6 games by an average of 39.5 points but have lost 3 games by an average of 33.3 points. FC is very solid at QB, RB and has a really good WR. I don't see DCA being able to stop FC on Friday night. DCA stays within shouting distance in the first half but FC pulls away in the 2nd half for a 38-14 win. NCS vs TCA..TCA will make a trip east on I-40 to Nashville. They are coming off an exciting win against King's Acd. that was sparked by a 75+ yard interception return for a touchdown. TCA is a young team and I think the future looks bright for the Lions. However, NCS is playing solid football and has won 8 straight games. They earned a bye last week after winning the region the prior week by beating DCA. The Eagles' QB is up for Mr. Football as a freshman. He has a solid arm and moves very well. Both #24 and # 25 run the ball well and they have 2 or 3 guys on the outside that can catch it. The future is bright for TCA but tonight won't be their night. NCS wins 42-7 JCS vs MTCS..I think this will be the best game of the 4. JCS enters with a solid first round win over Columbia Academy and MTCS also had a good win over TRA. I have seen JCS in person and watched 2-3 games of MTCS online. My advice to JCS is to win the toss and receive the ball. For them to win; they need to score early and make MTCS play catch up. The Eagles will have a QB making his 2nd start of the year. His job will be to secure the snap and hand it off to either 1, 3 or 23. #3 Boyd is a smaller kid but very strong. He will try to hide behind his lineman and then hit a hole. Very fast and hard to bring down in open field. JCS will try to get #1 and #3 the ball outside the tackles. They will run a lot of jet sweeps or pitches. MTCS will be in for a long night if #1 and #3 live outside most of the game. That being said; MTCS is all about the run game. They will line up and are trying to get 3-4 yards a clip. They are fine with slower, time consuming drives. The Cougars aren't afraid to go on 4th and short on their side of the field. I believe they did it twice against FC. If MTCS gets a lead; they could make it very tough on JCS with their running game. This game might not last more than 1.5 hrs as both teams offensive strength is running the ball. I really not sure either team will be able to completely stop the run. JCS has a big advantage in the kicking game. #14 routinely kicks touchbacks and has a range of about 40 yards on FG's. This game comes down to a field goal and JCS pulls it out 24-21. USJ vs LCA..LCA went for 2 in OT to earn a win and advance to the 2nd round. USJ is coming off a bye after wining their region. The Bruins have won 8 straight and LCA has won their last 2 contest. LCA making it to the 2nd round in only their 2nd full year of football is impressive. LCA has an solid QB and a very good WR/RB in #1. The Lions will try to confuse the Bruins with the way they receive their play calls from the sidelines. They look towards the sidelines to get the play in a straight line and then break quickly into multiple formations. The Bruins will counter with a very good QB and RB (#31 Mr. Football candidate). #18 has multiple pass catchers that make it tough on defenses. #0 at H-back has great hands and feet for his size, #17 is about 6'7" and #5 has great ball skills. The leader of the pack is #8 Barksdale. The kid is a difference maker on both sides of the ball. He has 12 TD's on offense to go along with 5 int's on defense. I think the Lions will stay around early but will wear down on the defensive side of the ball. USJ is very big all the way across the offensive line. The Bruins defense is only allowing an average of 7.5 points per game while scoring 46.5. One interesting tidbit about this game; the Loins OC is from Jackson and played QB at Northside. LCA has had a great year. However, I believe their season ends Friday night as the Bruins win 45-7. The score might end up being a little closer but you have to remember that I'm a USJ homer!

You are full of assumptions when it comes to USJ football. Is this based on your knowledge of the USJ program or just your opinion?

Sorry. I stand corrected on the Hardin Co. I used unapproved website record when I quoted 5-6. Max Prep gave Milan a forfeit win against Manassas.

You are correct. UC isn't Liberty and USJ isn't LC. You have no idea how good a person is conditioned until they have to play a full game. #12 didn't have to play a full game last night. Cramps can creep up on the most conditioned players. I promise we will make #12 run around a lot more than LC. They couldn't throw a pass. UC sold out every play on the run. One thing that I guarantee you is that UC won't be able to sell out to the run against USJ. I believe it will be a good game. I just think it's funny that you are beating you chest after 1 game. The combined score of the last 2 UC/USJ games are 70-10. I think this one will be much better than the previous 2 but I don't know where your disrespect for USJ is coming from.

If you don't take what local announcers say with a grain of salt; then, you haven't watched/listened to many local announcers talk about their teams. Not sure where you get that USJ will get killed by McKenzie, Milan and HC?!?! We normally play whoever our opponent is very tough regardless who they are. We played Hardin Co better than anyone last year until they got beat in the semi-finals by Pearl-Cohn. Milan is coming off a 5-6 season. I watched them play Trenton Thursday night. They are better than last year. However, theyl were only up 13-7 going to the 4th quarter. Trenton played the entire 2nd half with a 3rd string QB. Milan hasn't proved anything yet. McKenzie is a really good team but I would put my Bruins right up against them any day of the week. I love how people just throw comments out there and have absolutely nothing to back it up.

Last USJ punched UC's defense in the mouth and UC was never in the game. We ran for almost 300 yards and threw for another 75. I watched the replay of the UC/LC game. UC was able to do whatever they wanted to on offense. LC had no answers for the B-Back dive. USJ ran 3 down lineman last year and walked up a LB on the edge to basically make a 4 man front. UC looks to be running the offense a lot quick than they did last year. Should be a good match up. UC offense is better than last year and I believe the Bruins offense is just as good as last year. The difference will be which defense can get a turnover and make some stops on 3rd down. I believe the defensive edge goes to the Bruins. It looked to me that 5 of the 6 skill guys for UC go both ways. The believe the QB plays outside LB. USJ has only 2 of their 6 skill guys going both ways and 1 of those 2 have someone who can relieve him on defense. It will be hard for #12 (UC QB) to run the offense and then chase our skill guys all around the field. LC didn't make him work much on defense last night. Should be a great game.

He is just having a little fun with you. Don't take it personally. Back to your last statement; Pope is a WR (#5 in the state) at Hardin Co and not a RB. You keep mentioning the 4 WR's. I'll admit that I have no life and love to watch football. I watch a couple of games each week of our next opponents previous games. Just curious how teams will try to approach us and how we will try to approach them. I have watched DCA play Silverdale, NCS and FCS in the last few days (DCA's top opponents in my eyes). DCA has gone 3 or 4 wide in less than 15% of their snaps in those 3 games. Based on that average; DCA will run about 8 plays Friday night with all 4 "fast" WR's on field at the same time. DCA maybe very successful with the 4 wide set but my money is on them trying to run the ball and use play action. Not spreading everyone out and throwing the ball all over the place. However, maybe you are telling us that the 4 WR package is how DCA will go after our defense on Friday night. If that is the case; thanks for giving us some insight to DCA's game plan.

I have to politely disagree with your statement earlier that "DCAs OL/DL are considerably more physical and their skill players on the perimeter are faster." I believe the lines are very similar in size and physicality. I will admit that we didn't play our best football against Goodpasture. However, Hardin Co. was a very physical team and we held our own against them. They are a 4A school that went undefeated for 11 weeks and we only surrender 147 yard rushing to them. We were without our starting Mr. Football candidate at running back and then lost our # 2 on the 1st series of the game. #3 was lost in the 3rd quarter and we finished the game with #4 (a freshman that had never stepped on a high school field before). He will be very good before he graduates from USJ. USJ goes 276, 290, 235, 230 and 270 across the OL. We also have a 6'4" 240 TE that has been a starting OT for the previous 3 seasons with above average speed. I think our line depth will end up playing a big factor in the game as only 1 of our 5 OL play defense. I attended the DCA/NCS game this year. It was a slugfest between 2 really good teams. I believe the wet conditions and soggy field played into NCS's favor that night because it evened the QB play. DCA's QB does a great with play action but he wasn't able to take advantage because of the wet conditions. This week will be a little chilly but dry. DCA's QB ability to throw accurately will be a big test for USJ. In my opinion; USJ's pass rush or lack of will determine the game. It might be a long night for DCA if USJ gets pressure on the QB and force him into ill-advised throws. On the other hand; it might be a long night for USJ if DCA's QB just sits in the pocket with all day to throw. All football coaches say that the team with the least amount of turnovers most likely will win the game. That cliche might be true with this game.

Thanks for the kind words. We have a chance to be very good. Just like every year; we need to stay healthy. I have to disagree with 1 thing you said. I promise you we didn't open up the playbook on offense. We ran basically the same 6 plays all night out of 3 different formations. They were the exact same plays we ran last week against Dyer Co.

It is obvious parents from different schools look at JV games differently. USJ uses them as a teaching moment and not worried about the score board. Go to a USJ/TCA JV baseball game; each team is hitting 14 kids and throwing a different pitcher ever 2 innings. I promise both coaches will tell you they are developing players and not trying to "win" a JV game.

Middle School games are played like a regular football game. You have kickoffs, punts, kids haven't had a full football practice before they play and coaches aren't actually on they field. We charge admission at middle school games because they are an actual game. There ins't admission taken at JV games because it isn't an actual game.