Upperman vs. Cookeville

[ChineseFlu]

what's everyone's take on this one?   I say Cookeville by at least 21

[MadHatter1]

Lol. Really? You HAVE to be an Upperman hater. The bees are the favorites no matter how you look at it. I say upperman by 7. 

[UpperCumberlandMan]

1 hour ago, MadHatter1 said:

Lol. Really? You HAVE to be an Upperman hater. The bees are the favorites no matter how you look at it. I say upperman by 7. 

Not so sure about that. UHS looked average vs Clay Co and same I am hearing about vs Monterey. 1-0 vs Troutdale with 4 starters out. Not very explosive at the WR or RB. Great on both lines, coached well, great QB.....but CHS would have e every team we scrimmage with ease. Unless Caine has been holding back, I don't see UHS with enough fire power to overcome the numbers and depth CHS with have. 

[MadHatter1]

First and foremost UHS defense has stifled everyone. I dont think anyones varsity has moved the ball on them. Secondly from my point of view they are trying to get a look at the new skill guys. They definitely have kept their biggest weapon in bubble wrap. So yes they have been holding back and protecting their QB and not relying on him. Cookeville will be the first team they let him loose on. Once he starts breaking loose big runs on you that opens up things for the RBs. 

[MadHatter1]

2 hours ago, UpperCumberlandMan said:

Not so sure about that. UHS looked average vs Clay Co and same I am hearing about vs Monterey. 1-0 vs Troutdale with 4 starters out. Not very explosive at the WR or RB. Great on both lines, coached well, great QB.....but CHS would have e every team we scrimmage with ease. Unless Caine has been holding back, I don't see UHS with enough fire power to overcome the numbers and depth CHS with have. 

Qb sat out most of clay county..

[UpperCumberlandMan]

20 hours ago, MadHatter1 said:

Qb sat out most of clay county..

TC moved the ball pretty well on UHS with their backup Qb. Just a few concerns I have seen and here so far. Hope they work it out. 

[HC116]

Great matchup, great venue. I’ll go group by group to break it down.

QB: Advantage Upperman- McCallister is bigger, faster and stronger this year and will have way more on his shoulders. Looks good in camp. Owen lit up spring camp pretty well for CHS, but has struggled throwing the ball down the field in the fall and hasn’t looked as good as anticipated in the jamborees. He will run a lot, but McCallister is a better passer and runner imo.

 

RB: Advantage Cookeville- Stewart will be fine for UHS, but he won’t be the kind of back as the last kid. CHS has a couple of kids they’ll let take carries and they have more speed and big play ability.

WRs: Advantage Cookeville- Cookeville simply has more speed and proven guys, UHS loses their top WR from last year.

O-line- Advantage Upperman- this isn’t even close. UHS returns 3 starters (if I’m remembering correctly), and CHS has some unproven guys. UHS has 2 good tackles, which helps McCallister run to the outside. 

Overall offense- Advantage Cookeville- I give a SLIGHT edge to the Cavs because they have a couple more guys who can make big plays that Upperman, but McCallister will be the best player on the field. 

D-Line: Advantage Upperman- the hallmark of Caine’s team is the front-7. It’ll be very hard to run against them, and Collins is a beast. Cookeville has 2 solid guys, but question marks behind them.

Linebackers- Huge Advantage Upperman- the best unit on the field will be the Upperman linebackers. They accounted for at least 20 sacks last season and all 4 of their top guys return.

Corners- Huge Advantage Cookeville- Most of the receivers turn around and play corner, and Cookeville has far more athletic guys on the outside than Upperman.

Safeties: Advantage Upperman- McCallister is a great safety, and he anchors the back end for Upperman.

Overall defense- Advantage Upperman- It’s going to be VERY hard to score on this defense. The front-7 is one of the best in 3A, I would argue second best behind Alcoa, and McCallister is a good enough safety to cover some of the corners mistakes

Prediction- Upperman wins 20-10.

I think this game comes down to Owen vs McCallister. For Cookeville to win Owen has to be able to exploit Upperman’s weakness at CB and throw the ball down the field, and I haven’t seen an ability to consistently do that. The Cavs will struggle to run the ball. I believe Caine will blitz heavily in the first quarter to try to rattle the QB and he will start running the ball too much, which works in the Bees favor. McCallister’s big play ability and a solid offensive line will be enough to spot the UHS defense 20 points, and Cookeville will struggle to score.

 

 

I may be all wrong, but that’s how I see it. And I’ve watched each of these teams a whole lot in the past couple of months.

[HC116]

On 8/18/2019 at 4:58 PM, dragonrider said:

what's everyone's take on this one?   I say Cookeville by at least 21

Yeah, that definitely won’t happen. 

[MadHatter1]

Spot on..your not going to have much success throwing even if your wr are better than their corners. Uhs is sitting  with 6-8 guys back in coverage every play. Amazing they play the run so well from what looks like 6 guys in the box.

[HC116]

1 hour ago, MadHatter1 said:

Spot on..your not going to have much success throwing even if your wr are better than their corners. Uhs is sitting  with 6-8 guys back in coverage every play. Amazing they play the run so well from what looks like 6 guys in the box.

That’s what having really fast and powerful linebackers can do for you.

[UpperCumberlandMan]

Special teams are huge in close games. Usually the team with the more depth and athletic guys on the outside have the advantage. Mcallister will be the best athlete on the field, but he cant do everything and stay healthy for the season.  Cookeville usually has solid kicking game, I don't know about the UHS kickers. With a better offense for CHS, and defense for UHS.....special teams could decide it. 

[HC116]

6 hours ago, UpperCumberlandMan said:

Special teams are huge in close games. Usually the team with the more depth and athletic guys on the outside have the advantage. Mcallister will be the best athlete on the field, but he cant do everything and stay healthy for the season.  Cookeville usually has solid kicking game, I don't know about the UHS kickers. With a better offense for CHS, and defense for UHS.....special teams could decide it. 

UHS actually has a big advantage at kicker, believe it or not, he’s capable of placing a kick nearly anywhere on the field. 

And I agree with your point about McCallister doing it all and staying healthy, but he won’t need to do that the whole season, just will on Thursday night to beat Cookeville.