Fayette Academy at USJ

[Bellsburg2]

Another former district rivalry is renewed this week as the Vikings (5-2, 4-1) travel to Jackson to face the Bruins (5-2, 4-2) in this key DII-A West matchup. Perfect football weather in the forecast this Friday will be welcome after the elements both teams faced last weekend. Both have suffered 1 point losses to NCS in each of the last 2 Fridays and the Bruins will really be looking to get back on track after consecutive region losses. USJ has been bitten again by the injury bug as a couple of key senior 2-way playmakers will be limited or questionable this week. The QB battle cleared up slightly on McClellan Road this week as a 5th string freshman added to the list of Jackson Christian defectors. Improved weather and playing conditions should restore the Bruins' advantage in the kicking game that they have enjoyed all season.

By all accounts the FA QB is a true dual threat and USJ will have to game-plan accordingly and improve upon the tackling deficiencies from last week. I expect another close battle. Both teams have secured a playoff spot, but seeding implications abound. If the Bruins were to prevail, this could lay the groundwork for a 3-way tie in second place by season's end.

[swagulator]

5th string freshman defector to JC? How does that clear up QB battle?

 

[Intense]

We have to go down to the 5th grade team to find a 5th stringer!! Haha.  Send the next 5th stringer our way!

USJ 38 FA 28 if everyone is healthy.  Not sure who the two playmakers are that have injuries but I “suspect” I know who they are.  If they are out then I would have to favor FA by a TD.

This will be one of the best HS games in West Tn this week.  

[BigEdMo]

6 hours ago, Intense said:

We have to go down to the 5th grade team to find a 5th stringer!! Haha.  Send the next 5th stringer our way!

USJ 38 FA 28 if everyone is healthy.  Not sure who the two playmakers are that have injuries but I “suspect” I know who they are.  If they are out then I would have to favor FA by a TD.

This will be one of the best HS games in West Tn this week.  

5th grader is not the 5th stringer. He is the back up.  Hahahahahaha

[Bellsburg2]

FINAL: USJ 24, Fayette 20. This was a back and forth affair with 4 lead changes. FA seemed to control the line of scrimmage more in the first half and USJ took the upper hand in the second half. Much of the Bruins damage was on the ground, but a handful of key passes to convert 3rd downs helped to balance things out. The FA QB threw some nice balls early that didn't connect, but found his favorite target #81 on a perfectly thrown ball to the corner to take the lead late 3Q. Both RBs (both #4) ran the ball well most of the night, with USJ's Willis pounding in the 4Q go-ahead TD on one of his most impressive runs of the year. Having Carlock back in the lineup (even a little short of 100%) was a nice boost and Andrew Smith was on the receiving end of a few passes for a change with Cody Smith at the helm all night.

With a win tonight, the Bruins helped their position in the standings. The matchup next week between FA and DA will really clarify things. 

[Kublah]

Good team win by USJ. Offense wasn't really clicking, but they made the big plays they needed. FA was dangerous, but USJ defense came through with some big stops. #64 was a monster and had the game of his life on the D-line.

There's not much daylight between the top 4-5 teams in DII-A.

[GTfanTN]

USJ with a very good win after two consecutive losses.  We have let games like this get away in the past.  Offense only scored 24 points because there weren't many possessions.  The offense only had the ball 8 times the entire game and scored on 4 of them.  The last series was huge.  Got the ball back with 4 1/2 minutes to go and got enough 1st downs to run out the clock.  Willis ran the ball very hard which allowed us to shorten the game.  Verdung was a beast all night on defense.  He would be my pick for player of the game.   

This win keeps the Bruins hopes alive for a #2 seed and the playoff bye.  We will be cheering for FA over DA next Friday night.   

[CFAfan]

1 hour ago, GTfanTN said:

USJ with a very good win after two consecutive losses.  We have let games like this get away in the past.  Offense only scored 24 points because there weren't many possessions.  The offense only had the ball 8 times the entire game and scored on 4 of them.  The last series was huge.  Got the ball back with 4 1/2 minutes to go and got enough 1st downs to run out the clock.  Willis ran the ball very hard which allowed us to shorten the game.  Verdung was a beast all night on defense.  He would be my pick for player of the game.   

This win keeps the Bruins hopes alive for a #2 seed and the playoff bye.  We will be cheering for FA over DA next Friday night.   

Wouldn't an FA win over DA create a 3 way tie for 2nd? I am uncertain as to what the tie-breakers are but someone led me to believe it would favor DA in that scenario. 

[GTfanTN]

1 hour ago, CFAfan said:

Wouldn't an FA win over DA create a 3 way tie for 2nd? I am uncertain as to what the tie-breakers are but someone led me to believe it would favor DA in that scenario. 

A lot has to go USJ's way for them to be #2 seed.  The TSSAA tiebreaker says if any of the tied teams have beaten the other teams; the winner will be rated higher in the standings.  If FA beats DA then all 3 teams would be even in this scenario.  The next tie breaker looks to be overall record.  IF USJ wins out; we would finish 8-2.  That would put us ahead of 7-3 DA and FA.  DA will be #2 if they beat FA and JC.  I wasn't stating that USJ would be a #2 seed.  Just making the statement that we are still alive for a #2 spot.  There wouldn't have been a way for us to finish #2 with a FA loss.  A lot of football still be played.  

I could also be reading the TSSAA tiebreakers procedures completely wrong as well.

Edited October 21, 2019 by GTfanTN