Furman Paladins Rebuilding--Again

For the Furman Paladins and Head Coach Bruce Fowler, this was the year.

This was the year that there was not going to be a flood of losses to start the season. This was the year that Furman football would return to "normal". And in spite of the mediocrity spell of the last half decade, "normal" at Furman means winning.

"#14 in '14" was the theme. This Paladin team was going to challenge to extend its record of Southern Conference championships. Again.

Instead, they are mired at 2-5 and in a familiar boat:  Lose and you're out. The next game IS their playoff game. And if they go down, they're left playing for next year. Again.

That would leave Furman with five losses by mid-October for the third straight year. In the Fowler era, they've never entered a bye week above .500. Typically, that leaves the fans grumbling. Again.

Let us acknowledge that the majority of this season rests on the crushed ankle of Reese Hannon. Furman fans learned this last season:  As Hannon goes, so go the Paladins. The offense is tailored for his skills; but mostly, it requires his smarts. While he probably isn't the most talented signal-caller in the Southern Conference, he may well be the wisest.

If Hannon doesn't take a late hit to the lower leg against Gardner-Webb, then this article would be pointless. But he did, and here we are. Again.

Hannon's injury is low-hanging fruit when it comes to picking a reason for 2014. A strange convergence of circumstances left Furman with Hannon as their only experienced quarterback. It goes all the way back to the NCAA's refusal to grant an extra season to Chris Forcier in 2012 through the opening game injury to backup Dillon Woodruff in 2013.

Typically once again, fans do not want to hear this. There is deep frustration over the roller coaster ride of the Bruce Fowler era, including a lot of complaints about the offensive coaching and play selection. But there is an important footnote to the maddening inconsistency in Furman's offense.

It's noteworthy that none of Fowler's teams have started a season with a proven quarterback until this year, and that didn't last past the third quarter of week 1. Forcier had little experience as a starter; Hannon was forced into action as a freshman, then missed the first half of last season with injury; Dillon Woodruff has been injured, unproven and ineffective; and current starter PJ Blazejowski is a true freshman.

In Blazejowski, however, there is hope that trends are changing. Furman looks like a brand-new unit under his leadership, so much so that there may be a competition next spring when Hannon returns. The Paladins hope that Blazejowski can thrive over the next few weeks, as they battle to contend in the Southern Conference.

Two good quarterbacks is a luxury that Fowler and his staff would love to have.

Winning five straight is a tall order for a true freshman quarterback. If it doesn't happen, it will be a shame because of all the talent throughout the rest of the team. But it will not be a reason to call for Bruce Fowler's head.

Normally, four years is enough to judge a head coach. But this is an unusual circumstance, and the 2013 SoCon title--their first in almost 10 years--should buy Fowler significantly more time.

Yes, it's been a bumpy ride. But be patient, Paladin fans. You might be overjoyed at what happens when this team is finally settled at the most important position on the field. Right now, it looks like they are headed in that oh-so-critical direction.

If so, the next "Again" may be their 14th SoCon championship, even if it doesn't happen in 2014.

Random Thoughts on FCS vs. FBS and a First Half to Remember

It's been tough to keep pace in the blogosphere lately, but a fantastic trip to Baton Rouge last weekend has driven me back into the game. (Again, if there is anyone who can get me out of this full-time job thing, I'll happily write more often).

In the first week of the season, seven FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, aka I-AA) teams beat FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision, aka I-A) schools on the football field. We'll forget for the time being that one of the defeated FBS schools was South Alabama. There was great outcry that FCS was catching up. Gaining ground. Creating a more even playing field.

A few weeks later, Louisville defeated Florida International (an FBS school) 72-0. Miami defeated Savannah State 77-7. Ohio State defeated Florida A&M 76-0. There was great outcry that FCS (or perhaps schools that really should be FCS) have no business playing against FBS schools. Bad games. No competition. Someone is going to get hurt.

In spite of this ESPN-driven schizophrenia, both are ridiculous arguments and both are dead wrong. The occasional upset doesn't mean the playing field is getting more level; but it also doesn't mean the games should be stopped.

While Appalachian State is the best-known of the giant killers, Furman and The Citadel kind of started the trend of making the "big boys" earn their money on their de facto bye week. For 30 minutes of playing time in Baton Rouge on Saturday, Furman threatened to do it again.

LSU wasn't exactly in a panic at halftime of their game against Furman. But a 20-16 lead (which should have been 20-all) drew at least a bead of sweat on the Mad Hatter's head. The massive advantage in size, speed, athleticism and depth swamped the Paladins in the second half. Still, when it was all said and done, Les Miles and Company new they had been in a football game.

That's the beauty of the FCS-FBS matchup. Furman got what it needed:  A lot of confidence, a chance to test itself against the best in the nation, and a huge paycheck. They put in a pretty good day's work, even for half a million dollars.

LSU got the same:  A "warm-up" game before the pre-Alabama bye week, a homecoming win, and a reminder that they still have a lot of work to do. Miles probably welcomed the chance to say to his locker room, "Do you think that effort will get it done against Alabama?"

For as much criticism as big schools take for scheduling these games, I have no problem with the matchups. Fans from small schools get to enjoy a big game atmosphere. It's a great opportunity for the little guys to play on a big stage and test themselves against Goliath. And occasionally, we get to see David win. What's so bad about that?

Some other thoughts from Saturday's LSU-Furman game:

-LSU was a terrific game day experience, with a beautiful and well-organized tailgating area, plenty of great food, and a live tiger. How can you beat that? The fans were certainly more gracious than they might have been towards an SEC opponent.

-It was eerily quiet in Tiger Stadium for the first 40 minutes of playing time.

-I've watched the Paladins play against FBS teams, even from the sidelines. It was stunning how physically superior LSU appeared; and even more stunning that Furman stood toe-to-toe with them in the first half.

-Furman's offensive line was eventually overwhelmed, but they did not back down an inch from a feisty and frustrated Tiger front seven.

-Of all their players, Furman's Dakota Dozier looked like the one who should have been on the opposite sideline. He absolutely man-handled several LSU defenders, particularly against the run. Dozier will most likely translate to a guard in the NFL, and LSU announcer Kevin Mawae could not say enough good things about his effort. Mel Kiper Agrees.

-Furman's game plan on offense was excellent, controlling the clock and mixing runs with short passes to neutralize LSU's speed and pass rush. But without any ability to go down the field, the game plan fizzled as the game wore on.

-One horrendous aspect of that game plan was the Wild Cat offense. The Paladins need to put those plays in the shredder. They are going to win or lose with Reese Hannon or Duncan Fletcher, and gimmicks do little other than break up their rhythm.

-Furman's defense is still young, thin and struggling. But eight turnovers and two scores in the last two weeks certainly is a sign of improvement, and one that will need to continue this Saturday at Georgia Southern.

-This game could be a springboard to a strong finish. Furman has been wildly inconsistent this season--not just from game to game, but literally from quarter to quarter. If they can put together 60 minutes that will rival the 30 minutes against LSU, they have a chance to make some strides.

-Better play-calling and halftime adjustments, particularly on offense, will be critical to helping that happen.

SoCon Becomes the Big East--Only Worse

We should have seen it coming. That's what Southern Conference fans are saying right now. It's too bad that the conference leadership isn't saying the same thing, and that they weren't paying attention prior to the crash.

There are two kinds of car accidents. The first is the one where you get blindsided, where the unexpected happens. A tire blows out, the brakes fail, or the car stalls on the railroad tracks. You can't see any of that coming, unless you're watching an old Abbot and Costello movie.

Then there's the second kind. You pull out without looking. You weren't paying attention. You saw the flashing lights and safety bars come down across the tracks, but you decided to weave through them before the train arrived. If you get hit in those circumstances, you've only got one person to blame.

Southern Conference commishioner John Iamarino sounds like an idealist caught off-guard by the freight train when he talks about the demise of the Southern Conference. Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, College of Charleston, Davidson, and Elon just ran him over like Denzel Washington in that ridiculous Unstoppable movie.

But Iamarino has no one to blame for himself, because he had plenty of warning that this train was coming. He simply chose to keep driving in spite of the flashing lights. This was no blindside. This was inevitable, and he did little or nothing to prepare for impact.

Georgia Southern and Appalachian State have talked for years about moving to the FBS. In fact, this has been the goal of our "friends" from Statesboro for more than 20 years, from the time they entered the SoCon. It wasn't new, and it wasn't news. The train was coming.

Davidson has talked for several years about getting into a stronger basketball league. If those three dominoes topple, then it would be inevitable that others would fall. So there really is no case for being surprised by College of Charleston or Elon.

Iamarino seemed to believe that geography, academic commitment and tradition would save the SoCon. In other words, he seemed to be mentally on a beach in Maui while his conference was turning into downtown Detroit.

If those things couldn't preserve the Big East or the Big 12 or the Big 10 as we know it, then why would we be foolish enough to think they would save the Southern Conference? No league values tradition more than the Big 10, and even they've abandoned that idealism. Could the FCS really be immune to the big money-grab?

The Commissioner and his people should have seen it, but they just weren't looking. If the departures were inevitable, he needed to spend his time scouring the southeast to pull in schools and athletic departments that could match what was leaving.

Instead, the SoCon is left with East Tennessee State and VMI, both of whom previously departed the conference. ETSU doesn't have a football team (yet) and they've never had a real football stadium. Just ask anyone who ever played in the "Mini-Dome".

VMI hasn't had a winning season in football in 32 years.

Mercer is a formidable candidate, but they are entering their first season of football and have yet to clearly define when they will begin scholarship football. There is now talk of UNC-Asheville as a basketball power to replace Davidson. Really? Are they even in the same neighborhood?

At the least, Iamarino should be booking a flight to Nashville and showing up at Belmont's door with flowers, nylons and a box of chocolates. This isn't about dignity anymore, but about survival.

The Commish can talk all he wants to about idealism in college athletics, but it doesn't change the fact that he's living in a Fool's Paradise. It's just no longer a reality, and perhaps it never was.

The train that hit the SoCon has been coming down the tracks for a long time, and Iamarino wasn't looking. He couldn't stop it, but he surely could've taken steps to minimize the damage. Instead, he chose to ignore the warnings.

Now, he is left to clean up the mess of the accident, and he has no one but himself to blame. But the rest of the schools and their fans are the ones who will suffer.

Another Big 10 (plus 2) Farce Cuts Out the FCS

Well, praise the Lord for Barry Alvarez!

The Citadel and Furman and Wofford can all fall prostrate before him and shout in adoration, "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!" Because that's exactly what Alvarez thinks of FCS opponents for his Conference of the 1%, otherwise known as the Big 10. He and his fellows athletic directors have declared that they will no longer play FCS opponents.

We'll ignore the fact that the ADs were playing video of the AppSt/Michigan game while they made this decision. Barry has saved us from the embarrassment of watching our little guys from around South Carolina from having to play the "mighty" Big 10 teams.

Thank you, Big 10, for solving a problem that wasn't a problem. Unfortunately, it could become a big problem FCS schools just trying to make budget, particularly FCS schools that are near and dear to the Palmetto State.

Small schools have been playing "money ball" against big schools for decades. The objective is a nice, fat paycheck. Mix in the occasional upset and it's not a terrible system.

Yet, writers and pundits are suddenly concerned that someone is going to get "hurt" in one of these games. I don't know of a single instance of an FCS player losing a limb or severing an artery just because their opponent had Buckeyes on the back of the helmet.

I've argued on the air on ESPN Spartanburg about these FCS schools "prostituting" themselves in this way, and I still don't get it. It gives these smaller schools a chance to play in a setting and on a level of which they normally just dream. It offers them an opportunity to play David in the Goliath passion play and see if their best may just be good enough against a big-time program.

Here's the thing:  Some fans and bloggers believe this will mean better regular-season match-ups for Big 10 schools. I dare you to check in two years for the replacement schools for these FCS games. You won't be seeing Texas or 'Bama or Southern Cal. But I'm betting you'll see a lot of Marshall and Toledo and Middle Tennessee State.

They may be FBS (artist formerly known as Division I), but does anyone think MAC Conference USA teams are that much better than Wofford or The Citadel or Furman?

There is legitimate concern around the Southern Conference that other conferences may follow suit, although this is not set in stone. Southeastern Conference schools have plenty of tough games in their own league, and certainly don't need to ramp up the schedule. Unlike the Big 10, they play real football. The ACC might be more likely, especially since they've been embarrassed more than once against the FCS. But that could create some scheduling nightmares and end some long-standing connections.

Besides, the SEC seems content with their "SoCon Challenge" each year. Here at home, both Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier support the idea of continuing to play "home grown" FCS opponents. Death Valley was full last season for Clemson-Furman, so this seems like a positive arrangement (although Spurrier might prefer to leave off the option teams in the future).

Still, it could all change very quickly. There is even some rumblings that the NCAA may try to ban games between FCS and FBS. (And we all know that things can only get better when the NCAA gets involved).

No matter what some people are saying, this really isn't about these schools "prostituting" themselves or safety or fair competition or better games for season ticket holders. This is, as always, about one thing:  Money.

The Big 10 believes that it would be more profitable for them to leave FCS opponents off the schedule, and they may well be right (particularly if they have another Mountaineer Fiasco on their hands). But this is also about an ongoing desire of the BCS-level conferences to keep their money and not share it with anyone, least of all FCS.

And that's okay. FCS will be fine and continue to play a more pure brand of football that is designed for the last remaining bastion of true student-athletes in the nation. It would just be nice if people like Alvarez and his Big 10 brethren would drop the charade and just speak the truth. They may not know how many teams they have in their conference, but they know that they want every one of their schools to keep every dollar available.

That's fine. At least our FCS teams know how to count. We'd rather play real football teams in the SEC anyway.