USJ Bruins vs TCA Bushwhackers

[GTfanTN]

My thoughts on Friday nights game:

--I believe the skill positions are about the same.  Advantage goes to USJ with receivers and a wash at the QB spot.  Davis gives TCA slim advantage with speed at RB.  However, the Bruins have a very good 1-2 punch with Willis and Wallace.  Davis might slightly be the best overall athlete on the field but Carlock is right there with him.  Being that I don't see Davis on defense (correct me if I'm wrong); Carlock will be the best athlete on the field when the Bruins have the ball.  

--I disagree with ReitzFan on the kicking game.  I believe this is a wash as well.  Pledger kicked all except 2 of his kick offs for a touchback.  One was returned  because the kickoff team was off sides 2 times and he had to kick from 10 yards back.  He is perfect on extra points and was 3 out of 4 on FG's.  The only miss was a bobbled snap from 40+ that was still almost good.  TCA kicker is very good as I watched him barely pull a 50+ against SG.  He also put his extra points by the concession stand.  Pledger is averaging over 40 as well on the punts with 0 return yards.  Both teams have very good special teams.

--The game will be determined by the offensive and defensive line.  Whichever team can control the line of scrimmage will win the game.  I believe that advantage goes to the Bruins.   If Lions can open holes for Davis; TCA will be able to stay in the game.  

--This is just my opinion.  Feel free to tear it apart.  Hoping for a game that keeps everyone safe from injury.  

 

[ReitzFan]

3 hours ago, GTfanTN said:

My thoughts on Friday nights game:

--I believe the skill positions are about the same.  Advantage goes to USJ with receivers and a wash at the QB spot.  Davis gives TCA slim advantage with speed at RB.  However, the Bruins have a very good 1-2 punch with Willis and Wallace.  Davis might slightly be the best overall athlete on the field but Carlock is right there with him.  Being that I don't see Davis on defense (correct me if I'm wrong); Carlock will be the best athlete on the field when the Bruins have the ball.  

--I disagree with ReitzFan on the kicking game.  I believe this is a wash as well.  Pledger kicked all except 2 of his kick offs for a touchback.  One was returned  because the kickoff team was off sides 2 times and he had to kick from 10 yards back.  He is perfect on extra points and was 3 out of 4 on FG's.  The only miss was a bobbled snap from 40+ that was still almost good.  TCA kicker is very good as I watched him barely pull a 50+ against SG.  He also put his extra points by the concession stand.  Pledger is averaging over 40 as well on the punts with 0 return yards.  Both teams have very good special teams.

--The game will be determined by the offensive and defensive line.  Whichever team can control the line of scrimmage will win the game.  I believe that advantage goes to the Bruins.   If Lions can open holes for Davis; TCA will be able to stay in the game.  

--This is just my opinion.  Feel free to tear it apart.  Hoping for a game that keeps everyone safe from injury.  

 

First of all, welcome to Coach T. As far as your analysis of the game goes I think it's pretty fair. Kicking game is pretty much a wash. The TCA kicker is only had one ball returned all year and that was kicked to the 1-yard line. He is very solid on his extra points and has a very strong leg for field goal kicking. Northcutt as a punter has improved Leaps and Bounds over last year. Averaging now about 40 yards of kick with a very low return rate. I will agree that we can probably call the kicking game a push. In the wide receiver Department I think the advantage goes to usj. Carlock is a very quality receiver and he has a decent Supporting Cast as well. TCA has some kids that are good receivers but for the most part they are untested and all are seeing their first Varsity action at this season. To me there is no question that when Kevin Davis is on the field and has the ball in his hands, he is a threat to score. If he gets a small Gap at the line of scrimmage he could be gone on a given play. Same thing if he gets to the edge. One of the good things is Davis has support at the running back position this season. You can't just key on him. As far as the quarterbacks go, I will give the passing Edge to the usj quarterback and the running Edge to the TCA quarterback. I also agree that this game will be won or lost at the line of scrimmage. I foresee both teams committing a turnover or two early in the ballgame. As with the line of scrimmage Turn overs may very well decide this game. It will be a capacity crowd and always it will have an electric atmosphere. Likewise, no matter the outcome I pray that both teams come out of this game injury-free.

[Intense]

14 hours ago, GTfanTN said:

My thoughts on Friday nights game:

--I believe the skill positions are about the same.  Advantage goes to USJ with receivers and a wash at the QB spot.  Davis gives TCA slim advantage with speed at RB.  However, the Bruins have a very good 1-2 punch with Willis and Wallace.  Davis might slightly be the best overall athlete on the field but Carlock is right there with him.  Being that I don't see Davis on defense (correct me if I'm wrong); Carlock will be the best athlete on the field when the Bruins have the ball.  

--I disagree with ReitzFan on the kicking game.  I believe this is a wash as well.  Pledger kicked all except 2 of his kick offs for a touchback.  One was returned  because the kickoff team was off sides 2 times and he had to kick from 10 yards back.  He is perfect on extra points and was 3 out of 4 on FG's.  The only miss was a bobbled snap from 40+ that was still almost good.  TCA kicker is very good as I watched him barely pull a 50+ against SG.  He also put his extra points by the concession stand.  Pledger is averaging over 40 as well on the punts with 0 return yards.  Both teams have very good special teams.

--The game will be determined by the offensive and defensive line.  Whichever team can control the line of scrimmage will win the game.  I believe that advantage goes to the Bruins.   If Lions can open holes for Davis; TCA will be able to stay in the game.  

--This is just my opinion.  Feel free to tear it apart.  Hoping for a game that keeps everyone safe from injury.  

 

Great post.  I agree that the kicking game is even.  We may not see any kick returns as both kickers are capable of putting every kick in the end zone.  I just hope our kicker gets a few opportunities to kick off!!  I think one issue that is being overlooked is game experience.  I think USJ is more experienced with Carlock, Willis, Wallace, Taylor, etc.  TCA has good talent but lacks game day experience.  I think TCA would fare better if they played at year end.  Maybe not.  TCA is undermanned but they have enough talent to win the game.  Odds are heavily against them but you never know.  I think USJ has a strong chance to win D2A.  They need to jump on this opportunity because once they go back to AA it will be very difficult.  Good luck to both team and pray for an injury free game.  Go Lions!

[ReitzFan]

It's game day and I hope that you had a good breakfast. As a friendly reminder, TCA coverage of this game will be on Fox Sports Jackson 105.3. Online audio streaming of the game will be available at http://www.foxsportsjackson.com You can also listen on your cell phone by calling 605-468-5762. Dave McCulley and Stan Gerard will have all the action beginning with The Countdown To Kick Off Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m. central Time followed by the game at 7 p.m. As always, we hope you enjoyed our broadcast.

Edited September 6, 2019 by ReitzFan

[BigEdMo]

Gave it away. Team that has 6 turnovers should never win. Should have kicked a field goal at the end of the game. 

[warhawk]

well the pre game comments were right about some things and wrong about others.   The kickers were very impressive!  Maybe the best 2 kickers playing in the same game all season.    The davis kid is certainly fast but cannot carry a team.    If you run a a wildcat style offense in these lower Tennessee divisions you are not going to build a program.   No spreading of the wealth means lowers numbers for kids with multiple sports options.   hard for the old fellers to swallow but a reality in the 2000's.     TCA had a nice 2 year run in 13-14 becausee of spreading the ball around but after that, one trick ponys dont build a program.  They kill it.             Butler is a great coach but a program falls into despair unless built from top to bottom with great development.

Also spot on about nervous turnovers for sure.   good prediction there.    wrong about standing room only though.   USJ stands and sidelines and grassy areas were packed, but TCA stands were about half empty.  

 

Both teams were resilient but better program and team came out with the W despite 6 turnovers and costly penalties.   May be a record of some sort. 

[Tnfootball1234]

Congratulations to USJ sounds like it came down to the wire. Hopefully both teams learn from there mistakes and get better.

Edited September 7, 2019 by Tnfootball1234

[Intense]

13 minutes ago, warhawk said:

well the pre game comments were right about some things and wrong about others.   The kickers were very impressive!  Maybe the best 2 kickers playing in the same game all season.    The davis kid is certainly fast but cannot carry a team.    If you run a a wildcat style offense in these lower Tennessee divisions you are not going to build a program.   No spreading of the wealth means lowers numbers for kids with multiple sports options.   hard for the old fellers to swallow but a reality in the 2000's.     TCA had a nice 2 year run in 13-14 becausee of spreading the ball around but after that, one trick ponys dont build a program.  They kill it.             Butler is a great coach but a program falls into despair unless built from top to bottom with great development.

Also spot on about nervous turnovers for sure.   good prediction there.    wrong about standing room only though.   USJ stands and sidelines and grassy areas were packed, but TCA stands were about half empty.  

 

Both teams were resilient but better program and team came out with the W despite 6 turnovers and costly penalties.   May be a record of some sort. 

Good points and post but the run was a 3 year run.  2013-2015.  2015 team made it to the Final Four and they had multiple weapons.  

[Tnfootball1234]

2 minutes ago, Intense said:

Good points and post but the run was a 3 year run.  2013-2015.  2015 team made it to the Final Four and they had multiple weapons.  

TCA definitely had a special group come through from 13-15. They have no where near that amount of talent on this team. I think Coach Butler is doing what he thinks gives his team the best chance to win. 

[Bellsburg2]

Maybe it's just because they are the boys I know the best, but I was impressed with the play of the sophomore contingency for TCA tonight. Goodwin to Graves on that critical 4th down was a well designed play, but fell just short at the 1 yard line (for the record, watching the momentum of the game, I think going for the score is a very defensible choice). Graves was a ballhawk in the secondary. Robertson was in the backfield all night causing trouble. I think that core of athletes has potential, they just need some beef up front. USJ dominated the trenches and that ultimately that allowed them to pull out a win despite the -4 (or -5) turnover margin. That being said, had the Bruins pounded the rock all night, I believe the outcome would have been the same but the scoreboard much different. 

[ReitzFan]

Congratulations to usj on their win tonight. Despite the huge amount of turnovers you stayed focused and found a way to win. Your kicker is outstanding and those two runners, 4 and six are absolute beasts running the football. With that being said, some of the in-game shenanigans and some of the postgame shenanigans we're completely uncalled for. Hopefully the usj coach and the administration of that school will address those issues.

[chainsaw2]

Got to watch the game and the goofy turnovers were crazy and inexplicable. However USJ overcame. I thought the plays of the game were in the same series. #1 for USJ keeping #7 for TCA out of the end zone on the long run was really good. I bet they both ran 150+ yards on one play. Also whoever made the big time hit on 4th down at the goal line for USJ saved the game and allowed USJ offense to drive 99 yds for the go ahead score. USJ QB played with some grit too. I agree spread the ball around TCA you’re too predictable.