DII-A Semifinals USJ/FC & NCS/JCS

[GTfanTN]

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.  

Edited November 17, 2022 by GTfanTN

[Kublah]

This is a really strong USJ team. I think the strongest we’ve had during this DII-A run. There’s no weak units on this team. Wish we would’ve have some more tough games, but some normally solid teams on the schedule were down this year.

FCS looks stout for sure. That #6 WR is a playmaker. QB and RB are good and the lines looked big and physical. This should be a good one.

One thing that worries me as a USJ fan is most years the level of play in Middle TN in all classes is just higher. You have teams on paper that would look even, but the Middle TN one just plays faster, executes better and has played better competition.

 

[Bellsburg2]

During this DII-A stretch, USJ has played in the semifinals each of the 4 years. The games on the road at undefeated NCS (2019) and undefeated DCA (2020) were two of the best planned and executed games I've seen the Bruins play in recent memory and both were dominant USJ wins. USJ hosted DCA in 2021 their semifinal and got steamrolled by the eventual champs. Here's to hoping Stroup has his boys focused and continues his road warrior trend on Friday night. If both teams commit to stopping the run, I think USJ will have a slight advantage as long as Pettigrew continues to take care of the football and use his multiple weapons.

The Sawyer Brown Road Eagles are going to take the Country Club Lane Eagles to the woodshed. NCS by 3+ TDs.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Bellsburg2

[warhawk]

NC will have their hands full with a new look JC.   the new QB has the task of delivering the ball to 3 players and don't mess things up.   He did his job last week.   I think this will be a close game unless they have 2 plus turnovers.

USJ and FC game will come down to who has the fewest penalties and who calls the best plays on 3rd and 4th downs.  Bruins have a solid team of players at every spot and these type games come down to sustaining drives which can be killed by yellow flags or kept alive by efficient play calling.   FC averages nearly 19 yards a completion. 

[BobbyB]

42 minutes ago, warhawk said:

NC will have their hands full with a new look JC.   the new QB has the task of delivering the ball to 3 players and don't mess things up.   He did his job last week.   I think this will be a close game unless they have 2 plus turnovers.

USJ and FC game will come down to who has the fewest penalties and who calls the best plays on 3rd and 4th downs.  Bruins have a solid team of players at every spot and these type games come down to sustaining drives which can be killed by yellow flags or kept alive by efficient play calling.   FC averages nearly 19 yards a completion. 

Agree with you on FC/USJ . I've seen FC play four times this season and every game dumb personal fouls that show lack of discipline. NG 63 has at least 1 plus in all four games I've watched. They must know officials talk get labeled more likely to get flagged. DCA loaded the box shut down the run and pressured 8 into two interceptions. WR 6 has great hands one deep ball against DCA was 50/50 he caught and another one handed catch both poor passes.                                                                                                                                               NC/JC - Watched NC twice , JC only once in first round. I see this game having lots of points . If you haven't seen NC play the QB is amazing , he is hands down best QB in Div II A and he's a freshman!  I really like USJ QB 18 but NC kid is a future D1 talent.  

[JWM78]

On 11/17/2022 at 11:58 AM, BobbyB said:

Agree with you on FC/USJ . I've seen FC play four times this season and every game dumb personal fouls that show lack of discipline. NG 63 has at least 1 plus in all four games I've watched. They must know officials talk get labeled more likely to get flagged. DCA loaded the box shut down the run and pressured 8 into two interceptions. WR 6 has great hands one deep ball against DCA was 50/50 he caught and another one handed catch both poor passes.                                                                                                                                               NC/JC - Watched NC twice , JC only once in first round. I see this game having lots of points . If you haven't seen NC play the QB is amazing , he is hands down best QB in Div II A and he's a freshman!  I really like USJ QB 18 but NC kid is a future D1 talent.  

I agree on Curtis as a D1 talent. I’ve watched him multiple games this year and assumed he was a senior until looking at the roster. A freshman?! Then kid is cut from the mold of a modern QB. He absolutely torched a good JCS last night for 300+ yards and 5 TDs. 

Curtis moves in the pocket with great instinct, is a good athlete, has good size, throws on the run arm side or across body with surprising accuracy for his age, and has a really good arm (freakish for a freshman). I’d argue he’s not just the best QB in DII, but one of the top emerging QB prospects in the state at any level. If you haven’t seen him play yet you’re about to see something special. 

The FCS coaching staff is going to stare at each other after watching tape of Curtis, and I might suggest to skip showing the crazy throws he makes to the team. I know FCS has a good secondary, and they’re about to be challenged. NCS has a few threats at WR with speed, so they don’t just go to one guy you can double. The backs are also good receivers, so you can’t just game plan to stop one guy. I expect FCS will need to outscore NCS. This should be an exciting shootout title game with a lot of big plays.