FB: USA South Athletic Conference

[Hawks88]

HC had their usual scrimmage with Berry Saturday night. I'm cautiously optimistic as I thought we looked pretty solid for the most part. By the end of the night the offense was clicking pretty good and the D was making good stops. Of course we may have looked good because Berry didn't seem to have it together very well. I don't know if they were holding some people out but they look like they have some work to do over the next couple of weeks.
I'm excited to see what the offense can do with all the experience we have back on that side. We still need young guys to step up and fill in some depth on both sides of the ball. Here's the only negative of the night where a thunderstorm with lightning blew up near the end cutting the night short before the first year guys could have their session that usually finishes the night. Hopefully that's the only lightning we have to deal with this year.
Definitely got me ready for Sept. 7 to get here.
Go Hawks!

[hasanova]

I have been an avid reader of the USA South board since the beginning.  I am going to get off the bench and get into the game.  Here are my uneducated guesses/observations heading into the 2019 season:

1. Averett should be considered the favorite heading into this season.  They are returning the most All-Conference performers (7 I believe) including the QB.  Coach Adams has done a tremendous job since taking the head spot.

2. Maryville and Huntingdon will follow the Cougars closely for the crown.  Both have established head coaches with a track record for success.  The Scots brings back 5 All-Conference players and should have one of the better defenses in the USAC.  The Hawks return an All-Conference QB and their offense will likely be the top in the league again.

3. Now we get to the log jam.  In alphabetical order Brevard, LaGrange, Methodist, and NCWC could compete with the top three on any given Saturday but will likely finish 4-7 in the standings but I have a hard time saying where.  Brevard brings back their offensive ROY in their QB.  LaGrange brings back their starting QB and some talent at WR.  Methodist brings back the offensive POY in their RB.  NCWC appears to have been hit hard by graduation but they typically have athletes in the cupboard who will be able to replace them.

4. Sorry but someone has to finish last and unless there is a major turnaround it will be the Pride of Greensboro.

There are a few teams with some interesting non-conference games on the slate.
Maryville will play #16 ranked (d3dootball.com) Berry and #20 ranked Centre
Huntingdon will travel to Wisconsin to play Oshkosh
Averett will play #24 ranked Randolph Macon, perennial conference top dog Hampden-Sydney, and Ferrum (who returns one of the best running backs in the nation in Mann

I believe that there is not much to gain from comparison scoring but it is still fun for fun sake
Brevard, Greensboro, and LaGrange will all play Apprentice
Methodist and NCWC will play Shenandoah
Huntingdon and Methodist both play Guilford
Huntingdon and LaGrange both play Birmingham Southern
Averett and Greensboro both play Ferrum
LaGrange and Marryville both play Berry

And as usual the USAC vs ODAC non-conference tournament will occur.  The ODAC has dominated the crossover in recent years.  Last year the ODAC took 5 out of 6 with 2 games canceled due to the hurricane.  If I did my research correct you have to go back to 2005 to find a winning record for the USAC with 6 out of 7 going in favor of the USAC.  Three of those teams are no longer in the conference (CNU, Ferrum, & Shenandoah) and 2 are in the ODAC now.  There are 10 opportunities this season with the highlight stated above being Averett vs Randolph-Macon.  This should be the two preseason favorites and last season in Ashland it was a 3 point game in the 4th quarter.  On paper the game looked fairly evenly matched. 

I hope everyone has great success in the non conference slate and a great 2019. 

GO MONARCHS!

Nicely done.  Welcome.  +1

[hasanova]

HC had their usual scrimmage with Berry Saturday night. I'm cautiously optimistic as I thought we looked pretty solid for the most part. By the end of the night the offense was clicking pretty good and the D was making good stops. Of course we may have looked good because Berry didn't seem to have it together very well. I don't know if they were holding some people out but they look like they have some work to do over the next couple of weeks.
I'm excited to see what the offense can do with all the experience we have back on that side. We still need young guys to step up and fill in some depth on both sides of the ball. Here's the only negative of the night where a thunderstorm with lightning blew up near the end cutting the night short before the first year guys could have their session that usually finishes the night. Hopefully that's the only lightning we have to deal with this year.
Definitely got me ready for Sept. 7 to get here.
Go Hawks!

Hey, Hawks88.  Plan to visit my cousin in Montgomery and see the Huntingdon/Guilford game.  Hope to see you there!

[Scots13]

...Berry didn't seem to have it together very well. 

I hope you're right...

[Hawks88]

HC had their usual scrimmage with Berry Saturday night. I'm cautiously optimistic as I thought we looked pretty solid for the most part. By the end of the night the offense was clicking pretty good and the D was making good stops. Of course we may have looked good because Berry didn't seem to have it together very well. I don't know if they were holding some people out but they look like they have some work to do over the next couple of weeks.
I'm excited to see what the offense can do with all the experience we have back on that side. We still need young guys to step up and fill in some depth on both sides of the ball. Here's the only negative of the night where a thunderstorm with lightning blew up near the end cutting the night short before the first year guys could have their session that usually finishes the night. Hopefully that's the only lightning we have to deal with this year.
Definitely got me ready for Sept. 7 to get here.
Go Hawks!

Hey, Hawks88.  Plan to visit my cousin in Montgomery and see the Huntingdon/Guilford game.  Hope to see you there!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

[Hawks88]

USA South Preseason poll released today.

2019 USA South Coaches Preseason Football Poll
Rank   Institution (1st Place Votes)   Pts.
1.   Averett (4)   46
2.   Maryville^ (3)   43
3.   Huntingdon (1)   38
4.   N.C. Wesleyan   30
5.   Methodist   25
6.   Brevard*   18
7.   LaGrange   17
8.   Greensboro   7
*Ineligible for NCAA Tournament (Div. III Reclassifying Member)
^Defending Champion

[Scots13]

I hope I'm not the only scratching my head every year when I see the product LaGrange puts out on the field. One of 2 D3 teams in GA, and the other one is consistently good—3 SAA titles in a row (I think). They've had decent teams, but they should be a contender every year IMO.

I'm also waiting for NCWC to make a return. Their coach had success in NAIA and they seem to have good athletes. That's a little bit of a head scratcher, too.

[BerryCollegeFan]

HC had their usual scrimmage with Berry Saturday night. I'm cautiously optimistic as I thought we looked pretty solid for the most part. By the end of the night the offense was clicking pretty good and the D was making good stops. Of course we may have looked good because Berry didn't seem to have it together very well. I don't know if they were holding some people out but they look like they have some work to do over the next couple of weeks.
I'm excited to see what the offense can do with all the experience we have back on that side. We still need young guys to step up and fill in some depth on both sides of the ball. Here's the only negative of the night where a thunderstorm with lightning blew up near the end cutting the night short before the first year guys could have their session that usually finishes the night. Hopefully that's the only lightning we have to deal with this year.
Definitely got me ready for Sept. 7 to get here.
Go Hawks!

I was there as well.  I wish I had thought to check, it would have been nice to shake a hand and talk a little.  The Berry side was definitely wondering about some things as well.  But I do know they held out quite a some of the senior starters.  I think the big WR only got one series.  I think the coaches were working the 2nd string looking for depth and those that were going to step up.  But that's my speculation...

[Wild Horse Rider]

Scots,

I could not agree more.  When LaGrange came into the conference in 2012 followed by Huntingdon the next season I was hopeful that would be a net upgrade over Shenandoah (last season 2011 and CNU (last season 2014).  Lagrange went 9-2 in their third season of existence and lost in the first round of the playoffs.  Matt Mumme took over partway through 2013 and the offenses were prolific with Connor Blair and Graham Craig at QB.  Mumme is now the OC at Nevada and I don't believe it is based on any success he had at LaGrange.  They have finished .500 twice since coming to the USAC.  Georgia high school's alone should produce enough talented players to win the conference year in and year out but they also boarder Alabama and are a 3-4 hour drive from the panhandle.  I would think with the head coach being a former UGA player and a local high school product that would carry some weight in recruiting.  He was the DC for 4 years prior to being promoted last season so it should not take that long to see if he is the answer or not.  On the roster this year 64 out of the 74 freshman are from Georgia but there are only 25 JR/SR listed so I would not expect a dramatic change from last seasons 3-7 record. 

NCWC I believe has raised their admission standards and cannot get in some of the same players they could in the 2000's.  Both schools suffer from the stadium off campus situations as do Greensboro and Averett.  Based on what NCWC returns this year and their schedule I believe they will likely finish a game or two better than last season.  I am not sure what Stetson is like but I think they will likely win their other 2 non-conference games.  They will have a tough time @ Averett and Huntingdon.  The two games the season hinges on in my opinion are the last of the season when the Scots come calling and 11/2 in Fayetteville for Methodist's homecoming game. 

[Hawks88]

Just checking the weather for Montgomery on Saturday and it's going to be a scorcher. Sunny with the high approaching 100. Too late to move it to a night game? At least there's no thunderstorms in the forecast.

[Wild Horse Rider]

Well I do a NFL pickum pool at work and usually get about a little more than half of the games right.  I hope to fare about the same with these.  Here are my thoughts for the USAC games this weekend:

Greensboro travels to Newport News and survives the rain to come back to NC 1-0
Averett makes the short trip from Danville to bring home a win against Hampden-Sydney on their hall-of-fame weekend (weather will likely play a role here as well)
NCWC beats the Wasps of Emory & Henry but I expect it to be a close game since Emory will be playing hard for their former OC who stepped down just prior to the season due to health concerns
Berry will spoil Maryville's home opener (I hope for the opposite result though)
Guilford will lose a lopsided game to Huntingdon which will leave a long 8+ hour bus ride back to Greensboro
Birmingham-Southern will come to LaGrange and outscore the Panthers with both teams lacking a little on D
Methodist will get an extra bye again this year

All told 4-2 on the weekend with the USAC going 3-0 against the ODAC.  The bonus game of the week happens tonight when Johns Hopkins is away at Randolph Macon.  I would expect to see a very physical game with the Blue Jays leaving victorious.

[jknezek]

Well I do a NFL pickum pool at work and usually get about a little more than half of the games right.  I hope to fare about the same with these.  Here are my thoughts for the USAC games this weekend:

Greensboro travels to Newport News and survives the rain to come back to NC 1-0
Averett makes the short trip from Danville to bring home a win against Hampden-Sydney on their hall-of-fame weekend (weather will likely play a role here as well)
NCWC beats the Wasps of Emory & Henry but I expect it to be a close game since Emory will be playing hard for their former OC who stepped down just prior to the season due to health concerns
Berry will spoil Maryville's home opener (I hope for the opposite result though)
Guilford will lose a lopsided game to Huntingdon which will leave a long 8+ hour bus ride back to Greensboro
Birmingham-Southern will come to LaGrange and outscore the Panthers with both teams lacking a little on D
Methodist will get an extra bye again this year

All told 4-2 on the weekend with the USAC going 3-0 against the ODAC.  The bonus game of the week happens tonight when Johns Hopkins is away at Randolph Macon.  I would expect to see a very physical game with the Blue Jays leaving victorious.

I will be absolutely shocked if Greensboro, one of the worst DIII programs, wins at CNU. That would imply CNU's program has absolutely crapped the bed.

Modification due to a Brain fart. Yeah, they could beat Apprentice though...

[HSCTiger74]

Well I do a NFL pickum pool at work and usually get about a little more than half of the games right.  I hope to fare about the same with these.  Here are my thoughts for the USAC games this weekend:

Greensboro travels to Newport News and survives the rain to come back to NC 1-0
Averett makes the short trip from Danville to bring home a win against Hampden-Sydney on their hall-of-fame weekend (weather will likely play a role here as well)
NCWC beats the Wasps of Emory & Henry but I expect it to be a close game since Emory will be playing hard for their former OC who stepped down just prior to the season due to health concerns
Berry will spoil Maryville's home opener (I hope for the opposite result though)
Guilford will lose a lopsided game to Huntingdon which will leave a long 8+ hour bus ride back to Greensboro
Birmingham-Southern will come to LaGrange and outscore the Panthers with both teams lacking a little on D
Methodist will get an extra bye again this year

All told 4-2 on the weekend with the USAC going 3-0 against the ODAC.  The bonus game of the week happens tonight when Johns Hopkins is away at Randolph Macon.  I would expect to see a very physical game with the Blue Jays leaving victorious.

I will be absolutely shocked if Greensboro, one of the worst DIII programs, wins at CNU. That would imply CNU's program has absolutely crapped the bed.

  I suspect he was referring to what we used to call Newport News Apprentice.

[jknezek]

Well I do a NFL pickum pool at work and usually get about a little more than half of the games right.  I hope to fare about the same with these.  Here are my thoughts for the USAC games this weekend:

Greensboro travels to Newport News and survives the rain to come back to NC 1-0
Averett makes the short trip from Danville to bring home a win against Hampden-Sydney on their hall-of-fame weekend (weather will likely play a role here as well)
NCWC beats the Wasps of Emory & Henry but I expect it to be a close game since Emory will be playing hard for their former OC who stepped down just prior to the season due to health concerns
Berry will spoil Maryville's home opener (I hope for the opposite result though)
Guilford will lose a lopsided game to Huntingdon which will leave a long 8+ hour bus ride back to Greensboro
Birmingham-Southern will come to LaGrange and outscore the Panthers with both teams lacking a little on D
Methodist will get an extra bye again this year

All told 4-2 on the weekend with the USAC going 3-0 against the ODAC.  The bonus game of the week happens tonight when Johns Hopkins is away at Randolph Macon.  I would expect to see a very physical game with the Blue Jays leaving victorious.

I will be absolutely shocked if Greensboro, one of the worst DIII programs, wins at CNU. That would imply CNU's program has absolutely crapped the bed.

  I suspect he was referring to what we used to call Newport News Apprentice.

Ha. My edit beat your correction by less than a minute! But I'll give you the +K anyway...

[Wild Horse Rider]

Sorry for the confusion JK.  I said I was hoping to bat .500 on my picks and I think that game is likely a toss up but my conference homerism is showing