Happy but late new year everyone, got some news that might be worth sharing/noting. Averett has lost sophomore DL Joseph Ledbetter to D2 Barton where former Averett DC Trieston Brunette now coaches. However, Averett brought back seniors Connor Showalter (LB), Devin Merritt (DL), and Hunter Crews (DL) for their 5th years on the defensive side of the ball. On the offensive side Averett added D2 transfer from VSU Te'varius Brooks to play either QB or WR (I think he'll play AB since that is what he did at VSU, but have heard talks about him being an athlete they use all over the field).

Also not sure if you all have taken a peek at next years schedule but they have changed the conference schedule around. We have a pretty big test the first 2-3 weeks of the season playing the front runners of the conference but personally I'd rather play them earlier in the year while we are fully healthy. What are y'all's thoughts about your respective schedules for 2020?

Happy Friday everyone

Here are my predictions for the week

1.Maryville @ NC Wesleyan (Wesleyan wins 28-14)

Wesleyan finishes the year strong with a dominant win vs the Scots.

2.Huntingdon @ Lagrange (Huntingdon wins 49-17)

The Hawks will get a big win vs the panthers heading into the playoffs where they'll most likely face Berry in the first round, if they win that matchup they'll probably have to head to TX and face #1 Mary Hardin-Baylor in round two where they'll get bounced out there

3.Brevard @ Greensboro (Brevard wins 28-3)

Brevard is going to establish their presence in the conference this week heading into next season where i assume they'll be the preseason #1 team with most of their team returning and their QB only being a junior next season.

4.Methodist @ Averett (Averett wins 24-14)

Yes I predict us to win this game but I wouldn't be surprised if Methodist comes out with a little extra fire underneath them to spoil our senior day. Heading into next season the Cougars are going to remain right where they are right now. We'll finish the season with around 130 people on the team which is unheard of for D3 football, we'll also return a little over half on defense with only losing 1 senior on our dominant DL. On offense we'll return everyone but both our tackles, QB, and starting RB. The receiver core lost Isaiah Grice after week 5 with a torn PCL who was posed to have a dominant junior season but redshirted this year and will now have two more years of eligibility and will now graduate with receivers Nixon and Mosby who may be the receiver best duo in the conference.

My predictions for awards will go as followed:

OPOTY- Jacob Wright Averett
DPOTY- Antonio Johnson, NC Wesleyan
SOTY- Cole Westberry, Averett
Coach of the Year- Mike Turk, Huntingdon
OROTY- Terron Dixon, Lagrange / Brandon Bullins, Methodist
DROTY- Jonathon Terrell, Averett / Rook Tate, Brevard

My WAY TOO EARLY pre-season predictions for next season:
1. Brevard
2. Averett
3. Huntingdon
4. NC Wesleyan
5. Lagrange
6. Methodist
7. Maryville
8. Greensboro

Good luck to everyone and their respective teams this week

From what I heard from people on the team was that Wright's Jersey was ripped late in the second quarter and we had to find a replacement jersey and that's all we had.

Disappointed, shocked, but not surprised.... that sums up this weekend for me...

Went 2-4 on my picks this weekend and very upset bout our result as a Cougar fan. I don't know why but every year we get into that "championship making" game, we collapse. Our offense gets really conservative near the end of the season and I don't know why. Wesleyan blessed us with the upset win over HC, all we had to do was win out to clinch a share of the conference title (with HC claiming the AQ). I said it once and I'll say it again... Brevard is legit, their defense is outstanding and their offense is average (if they can find a way to produce more points, brevard is going to have a reign around this conference for a while) Our defense played absolutely phenomenal all game. Our offense couldn't get going. I knew it was going to be a cold one once the sun went down and we wouldn't be able to pass the ball effectively, so we had to rely on our run game. Kicker Cole Westberry broke the career FG in a career mark last night which was nice but a missed kick in the 2nd quarter was the turning point of the game. If we hit that, the late TD didn't even matter.

I'll hold off on my predictions till later in the week. Hope everyone has a great week

Happy Monday everyone

Went 4-4 on my picks this week (Not a lot of hard decisions to be made) now as an Averett fan we're on to the 2nd most important week of our season this year.

My predictions for this upcoming week:

1. Greensboro @ Maryville (Maryville wins 35-0)
Maryville running attack gave us some problems early in the game, but thankfully we held them to 13 points in the game. The score bounce back this week and get a win vs the Pride.

2. Lagrange @ Methodist (Methodist wins 28-7)
A tough loss last week for the Monarchs vs NC Wesleyan, look at them to get back on track this week to head into the final week of the season vs Averett.

3. NC Wesleyan @ Huntingdon (Huntingdon wind 28-21)
As bad as I want the Bishops to upset the Hawks on the road to hell us with a share of the USA South title this year, i don't think it'll happen. The Bishops have a good corner in #5, he held our starting receiver to the lowest totals he's had this season so maybe he can limit Porter. If the Bishops can stop the hawks passing game I think they have a chance.

4. Averett @ Brevard (Averett wins 24-7)
Looked at the weather forecast for this weekend and boy it's going to be a cold one (30 degrees in the mountains of North Carolina. We're going to rely on the run game because our receivers haven't really had a game in the cold yet. Most of the time when it's cold teams tend to run. We'll hope for a Wesleyan win this weekend to help us reach our goal of a conference title (granted we wouldn't get the AQ, a ring is a ring)

Hope everyone has a great week

Happy Monday everyone

Not the result Cougar fans were hoping for but sitting there in the stands Saturday, I can't help but be proud of those guys. Down 2 score multiple times in the 4th Quarter and kept fighting. A few questionable calls late but we cannot make those decisions late in a championship game. We live and learn. It's real my unbelievable how much an impact one player can make (Otis being out last year when we played HC) the guy is an absolute monster and there's no reason we shouldn't being seeing him on sundays (maybe in a Falcons uniform).

I went 1-4 in my picks last week (with the obvious being Methodist's win over Greensboro) I've said it once and I'll say it again. Brevard is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. Their scheme is tremendous and they have athletes all over the field on defense. Maryville looks like they finally gained their footing in the conference, and now as a cougar fan, all we can hope for is an upset 2 weeks from now as Wesleyan travels to Alabama to give us a shot at possibly being Co-Champions of the USA South.

A quick little fact before i get into the predictions for this upcoming week. If the Cougars win out the remaining 3 games, it'll be the most wins in team history in both a 2 year as well as a 4 year span. This senior class really is something special and couldn't be more proud of this group.

My predictions:
Maryville @ Averett (Averett wins 42-10)
That sickening feeling that was in my gut as a fan is no doubt the same they have in theirs. Look for the defense to rebound d play lights out the rest of the year. We need to get our pass rush back (only 1 sack in the last 2 games). Offense will continue to be dominant and we'll get back on the right track.

NC Wesleyan @ Methodist (Wesleyan wins 24-21)
Close game but Wesleyan pulls it out on the road, not sold on Methodist quite yet, but i am certain on how good the monarchs run game is. As a cougar fan I want Wesleyan to have as much momentum heading to Alabama as possible. However, you never know what can happen on a Saturday afternoon.

Huntingdon @ Greensboro (Huntingdon wind 54-0)
Going to keep this short and simple. Otis will have at least 200 yards and Lambert will throw for 400 easily.

Brevard @ Lagrange (Brevard wins 21-14)
Close throughout the game but Brevard closes it out late

A lot of interesting matchups this week. Here are my predictions.

1. Methodist @ Greensboro (Methodist wins 35-10)
Even though Greensboro kept it close in the first half with Lagrange, i still don't think they get the job done. The freshman duo for Methodist is playing very well and their run game is hitting their stride. Methodist wins this one easy.

2. Brevard @ NC Wesleyan (Wesleyan wins 24-20)
Brevard had Huntingdon on the ropes last week but gave the game away late as they let a run go for 85 to the house on a 3rd & 5 with 3 mins left in the game. Wesleyan's running attack is one of the best in the league with their two headed change-of-pace backs with Curley and Black. If Brevard can jump on them early in the pass game it may be a different ball game but I think Wesleyan wins in a close one at home.

3. Lagrange @ Maryville (Lagrange wins 17-10)
Lagrange's front 7 is somewhat underrated, their nose guard is one of the best in the conference and they have speed everywhere. Maryville won their first game against Methodist last week but they need to establish an air attack to win games. This game is going to be close all game but Lagrange pulls away late.

4. Averett @ Huntingdon (Averett wins 35-17)
Last but not the least, the game most will be keeping their eye on this week. Both teams are undefeated in conference play so someone will go home with a loss. We take the 8 hour bus ride down to Montgomery to play a good Hawks team. Otis Porter is the key to the game. If he has a big game, the Hawks win, if we can limit his impact, we can come out with a win. Averett's running game finally got going with getting a RB over 100 in a game for the first time this season, so look for us to get that going early. It'll be a battle of the two best passing offenses in the Conference, it comes down to the secondary, which one will get a stop first?  Not sure what the weather will be like but I'm looking
forward to a great game.

Good luck to everyone and their respective teams

In regards to our of conference games. I've heard rumors that Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon both are dropping Averett from their non-conference schedule. Rumors also say that we will now play Christopher Newport (who was a former USA South school) and Top 25 Salisbury. So two new faces the cougars will face in 2020. I feel like CNU should be a win for us and Salisbury will rn the better of the two match ups.

I'm not sure what to do with the information about Huntingdon's loss to Birmingham Southern, yes they beat the hawks and upset Berry, but they also lost to Lagrange. What are y'all's opinions on that? There's a big skill gap between the Hawks and the Panthers, and I'd take Huntingdon everyday of the week. Was BSC taking Lagrange lightly? Or did they catch fire late this season?

Well that was a very interesting Week 7.

I was 3 for 4 with my predictions on the night, here's a little recap on each one.

1. Averett vs NC Wesleyan
We handled buisness like we were supposed to but it definitely got closer than it should have, with the fumble recovery taken back to the house as we were driving to go up 28. An unbelievable performance by sophomore WR Chase Nixon was the time setter as they could not guard him at all (167 yards and 3 TD's) and finally we had a RB break over 100 yards rushing (Tapscott with 147). Heading into the "conference championship" next weekend it's definitely going to be one to watch.

2. Huntingdon vs Brevard
One that I was kinda shocked about. The weather definitely had to have played a major impact on the game because i know the Hawks offense is more powerful than 21 points to a middle of the back team in the conference. The 80+ yard TD on 3rd down was unreal. Not sure how you play great defense all
game and give away the theoretical dagger to seal it. I was thinking that brevard was going to get another shot and score if they got that stop. One thing I noticed is that Brevard's run game was very dominate, maybe we take that route next week as we finally got our running game going against a worthy opponent.

3. Lagrange vs Greensboro
I was jumping back and forth between the Methodist game and the Huntingdon game all early afternoon. Then when a friend of mine told me that Lagrange was only up 11 at halftime I immediately switched to see what was happening. I thought, maybe, just maybe Greensboro could squeak one out as it seemed like they had momentum, but Lagrange eventually remembered who they were and finished the game beating the pride soundly.

4. Maryville vs Methodist
Well the monarchs still are searching for that win whenever they play the Scots at home. A close game throughout but an RPO on a busted coverage in the 3rd Quarter swung the momentum in Maryville's favor which they rode to win their first game of the year... still can't believe I just said that. If you told me before the season that Maryville would be winless until week 7, I'd bust out laughing with tears rolling down my face.

I want to give my predictions for next week right now, but I am going to wait till Friday, to release that. Have a good rest of your weekend and hope everyone has a great week.

Happy game-day everyone

Here are my predictions for this week:

1. NC Wesleyan @ Averett
My pick: Averett (38-10)
It's homecoming here in Danville and what better team to play then the team who beat us on our homecoming 2 years ago in the winding seconds to an illegal procedure as we were about to score. Parking has been sold out since last Saturday so it's going to be an unreal crowd tonight. Also, it's going to be extremely hard for Wesleyan's QB to be able to play mistake free football and that's what they need it they want a chance to win. Our pass defense isn't the greatest but we make plays when needed. The bishops tend to run the ball a lot against us and our defense is #1 in the conference vs the Run.

2. Huntingdon @ Brevard
My pick: Huntingdon (28-17)
This will be the most interesting game on the docket for the conference. A really good offense (primarily air attack) vs a great defense (secondary). Definitely going to be watching this one since we do not play till 6. I feel like if the Hawks can get the pass game going early it'll be a long day for the Tornado's. Setting up the "conference championship" next week as Averett goes down to Alabama.

3. Greensboro @ Lagrange
My pick: Lagrange (35-3)
We all know Greensboro isn't that good, not going to sugar coat it. Lagrange couldn't get going against Averett Last week (only managing 7 points) expect them to get back on track today.

4. Methodist @ Maryville
My Pick: Methodist (17-14)
Going to be a good game as the Scots host the Monarchs on Homecoming. Methodist's two freshman who have constantly been in the USA South Rookie of the week awards are the future of that program. Maryville needs to gain an air attack to have a chance to win, I feel like they can run the ball and win the game but that Monarch defense is stout and won't allow that for too long. With Methodist coming off that big come-from-behind win last week against undefeated Brevard, I feel like they are the team with the most momentum in this conference as of today.

Looking forward to hearing from y'all at the end of the weekend/early Monday. Good luck to your respective teams today!

Hey everyone, kinda new to this Board/forum. Always loved reading these replies and just what people are talking about in the conference. The USA South doesn't get the national recognition other conferences get (especially the ODAC) so its always nice to see what others gotta say about other schools in the USAC.

I'll kinda act as the correspondent for the guys in Danville as I have a pretty good understanding of them.

When we were picked preseason #1 it caught some of us as a surprise (especially after losing our star RB last season, didn't think we'd get the respect we got). But it was great motivation for the team after talking with some of the players. 6 weeks into this season (including the bye) I'm trying to stay humble the best I can but this team is different this year, the defense has been outstanding from the jump, especially that D-Line (28 sacks in 5 games, which is also a school record for most in the season). Offensively we've been trying to get the run game going (we haven't had a RB break 100 yards in a game yet) but our passing game has been unreal with 5 receivers in the top 6 in the conference in multiple stats.

Opening up with HSC I didn't know what to expect after we beat them soundly last year, and their home environment is insane. The heartbreaking loss to RMC in the winding mins of the game was the absolute worst feeling I've had in my years watching this game, 18 points just blown because we tried to play conservative. Can't do that with a preseason top 25 team in the nation. Ferrum is our most bitter rival with our head coach formerly coaching there, always nice getting a win against them. Jumping into conference play we knew we were going to beat greensboro badly, Lagrange we thought would've been closer but our defense has been playing lights out since the Macon game trying to prove a point, leading us to a big win against a good Lagrange team.

Going into this season I knew our toughest games of the year were going to be N.C. Wesleyan, Huntington, and Maryville. But with Maryville starting 0-5 this year which is a shock to everyone in the conference and the whole south region, i feel like Brevard is going to be a tough matchup for us when we go up there to the mountains of NC in November.

These next 2-3 weeks will determine who will win the conference and I'm beyond excited to watch it. Wesleyan is very similar to us in their athletic ability but their QB has to be better with his decision making to pull out a win, especially with the best DL in the nation (statistically) coming at you. I know Huntington is glad to have Otis Porter back who is absolutely dominating right now, our secondary may have their hands full with him but again our pass rush is top notch so we'll see how the hawks OL can handle it. Moving into Maryville, even though they haven't won a conference game yet (granted they have the hardest opening conference schedule in the league) we can not take them lightly. Brevard May be a shootout, brevard is going to be a really good team in the future behind Dalton Cole, expect a championship there sooner rather than later. And then wrapping up with Methodist. We made it a game with them last year when it shouldn't have been (mainly cause after the Maryville loss last year our offense couldn't get back in stride, leading us to find a new OC who is doing TREMENDOUS this season). Methodist is another team we cannot take lightly, they can run the ball and they can do it affectively.

Have a good week everyone and good luck to your respective teams