UPCOMING TOPICS

Sorry about the lack of recent content, Eagle fans. Just to let you know, look for upcoming blog entries on the subjects of 1.) Jayson Foster and the Walter Payton Award, 2.) our basketball team's stellar start to this 2007 season, and of course 3.) my take on the recently announced I-A feasibility study.

Here's a song that was uber-popular when I was a student at Georgia Southern. Stay tuned for more off-season commentary.

AMERICA'S BEST

The offseason sucks. Especially when it starts pre-Thanksgiving. We Georgia Southern Eagles fans are accustomed to playing late-November and December football. I am sure that you will agree with me when I say that it is unsettling, to say the least, that our season is over already. A real bummer. Alas, the 2007 college football season marches on, even without the great Georgia Southern Eagles. While the Eagles are idle until 08/29/08 when we whoop the Georgia Bulldogs, there were some truly great college football games played today, including Oregon v. Oregon St., Missouri v. Oklahoma, LSU v. Tennessee, I-AA Eastern Wash. v. App St., just to name a few.

Today was also a day that Army and Navy squared off for the 108th time. More personally, I got to check off one of those items on my "Things I Want to Do Before I Die" list by attending the aforementioned game at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. The football game itself was one of those typical GSU/Navy triple-option blowouts, that we know so well, courtesy of your favorite evil genius, Paul Johnson. Quite frankly, the game was over by halftime. It was unfortunately a general yawner, thanks to "that offense" and Army's multiple inopportune turnovers.

Regardless of the play on the field though, one can't help but take away something sort of intangible from a patriotic spectacle like the Army/Navy game. The game today took on special significance for me because my cousin is an Army Cadet, in his second year at West Point. Watching the Corp of Cadets and the Midshipmen march into the stadium this morning was an impressive site. It was truly an emotional experience. Having a member of one's family as a part of that elite group of young leaders, puts it on another level. Seeing all of those young men marching through downtown Baltimore, and then lining up in formation on the football field, is truly something to behold. Those approximately 10,000 young men and women truly represent some of the very best that this nation has to offer. If you ever attend this game, and do not get choked up at least once, then you clearly have no pulse.

Of course, it is at the end of the day, just another football game. However, what this game represents symbolically, transcends the triviality of any mere sporting event. This game represents the literal blood, sweat, and tears of every individual who has ever served our glorious country in one of our Armed Forces. The men and women that I saw march onto the field today(including my cousin) are the ones who will lead our nation through its most difficult times. These people are trained to deal in peril, and they ask for nothing in return except for our appreciation and respect. In addition, every one of the some-10,000 young people who marched today in Baltimore, decided to attend their respective military academies at a time of war. They are all incredible individuals, who possess a sense of duty and honor that most of us cannot even comprehend.

I highly recommend to you all, that you somehow acquire a ticket to an Army/Navy game at sometime in the future. You will not regret it. I promise you. Even if you are not a football fan, the experience itself is worth the price of the ticket. You will come away from the contest with a sense of well-being, knowing that our country's future is in good hands with these tremendous young people.

On a final note, this blog entry would not be complete if I did not publicly express just how intensely proud I am of my cousin, the West Point Cadet. In my opinion, my cousin's well-earned achievement and selfless act, of accepting an appointment to West Point, surpasses any accomplishment that my family has ever seen. The Lawrence's have our share of "achievers" (not me), but nothing, in any generation, compares to this. This kid, and his classmates, have something rare and special inside. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.
God Bless, and Godspeed to them all.

The following video is dedicated to my cousin, Alex. Go Army.

BACK FROM COLORADO :ROCKY MOUNTAIN BLUES

So close, but yet so far.
That one sentence tells the whole story of Georgia Southern's almost-comeback in Fort Collins on Saturday. In truth, that sentence also sums up our entire season pretty well. This season might have ended up very differently, but for about a dozen plays out of the hundreds snapped this year. Every game was close, and our boys fought to the end in every contest. The difference between wins and losses this year was literally decided by margins measured in inches.
Unfortunately for us last Saturday against Colorado State, the fumble on the goal line, on our first drive, was one of those dozen plays. It was a crucial early momentum swing, that gave the Rams new life. The fumble seemed to stun us, and we didn't wake up from that daze until the fourth quarter. By then, it was too late.
Even so, we made the game respectable, and had all of Fort Collins sweating out the final 5:00 minutes of the game. That, after having fallen behind 28-3 at halftime. The 4th quarter was exciting as hell, and my voice is still toasted from all the yelling we did in our section. Think about it. Our boys wore down a team that had 20 more scholarships than we do, and had them on the run. We just simply ran out of time. It was a valiant effort.

Fort Collins, CO is a great little town, and the people are as friendly as you'll find anywhere. The Old Towne area, which is basically a main street lined with shops, restaurants, and bars, was beautifully lit up with white Christmas lites in the canopy of trees which overhang the sidewalks. Speaking of being "beautifully lit up", I was also as such, after drinking many of the local micro brews featured in the area. It's a great place. One thing about Fort Collins though. Did anyone else notice how many cops they have in that town? Patrol car cops, campus cops, bicycle cops, cops on foot, cops on horseback, and cowboy-hatted cops. Every time I turned around I was staring at another police officer. I've never seen anything like it in such a small town. It would seem that the ratio of cops to citizens in Fort Collins is 2:1. It made a guy like me a little nervous, even when I wasn't doing anything wrong. Seriously though. I think I can speak for all of the Georgia Southern fans who made the trip when I say that, despite the season ending loss, a good time was had by all.

The game itself was quite a testament to the fighting spirit that Hatcher and his staff have re-instilled in our guys this year. For all their flaws, and for all of the adversity that this team has faced, nobody can deny that they have a winner's fire in their guts. In many ways, that spirit and attitude is the primary distinction between this year's team and last year's, believe it or not. This year's team believed in themselves and their coaches, and that confidence showed on the field in the close games. That attitude improvement, was a true difference maker in almost every game this year, and that is a very positive thing for us to build on for the future.

So fans, while we all come away from Colorado feeling a little empty, we all should recognize the great job that Coach Hatcher did with this team that was 3-8 last year. More importantly, we all should take solace in the knowledge that we have a good head coach, that Georgia Southern football is once again in good hands, and that the future is bright for us.

Happy Thanksgiving to the Eagle Nation.
GATA


-Opie

A MESSAGE FOR THE EAGLE NATION, FROM MY COUSIN BLUTO

I'll see you in Colorado.
Win, and get in. GATA

-Opie

PRE-FURMAN SPANKING ENTERTAINMENT

What the fuck is a Paladin anyway? I had to look it up when I first heard the term, years ago. For those who don't know, a "Paladin" is some sort of Medieval Knight. How fitting is such a "mystical"(say it with a lisp)mascot for a University like Furman, whose student body resembles a pitiful attempt at breaking the Guinness Book World Record for a mass Dungeons and Dragons game. I guess that would make Furman Coach Bobby Lamb, the "dungeon master". Clearly, the Furman campus is a "Nerduary". In all seriousness, this has been a vicious rivalry overthe past 20-plus years. This Furman team deserves respect, despite their record. They would like nothing more than to spoil our SoCon hopes tomorrow. We cannot let that happen. So, fans, we go into this game with respect for our enemy, but the confidence that we have what it takes to win the day.

Tomorrow, this 2007 version of our Georgia Southern Eagles can take a huge step toward making this a very, very special season. Beating Furman in Paulson Stadium tomorrow will assure us a share of the Southern Conference championship, and more importantly, a likely playoff berth. Anybody who is hard up enough for any sort of Georgia Southern content that he/she reads this sorry blog, does not need to be told that.
Quite simply, tomorrow is HUGE. If we beat the Paladins, Chris Hatcher will have accomplished a turn-around on par with the one that Paul Johnson pulled off in 1997. P.J., in his first year, took a team that was 4-7 the prior year as far as the quarter-finals. We all knew after that 1997 season, that we had hired a very special coach, and that our future was bright. One could argue that if we win tomorrow, Hatcher's turn-around of this program will top P.J.s, because the Hatch Man had the additional chore of dealing with radically changing our offensive system. That debate however, can be saved for after the game tomorrow. For now, it is time for the Eagle Nation to come together as one, and "Bleed Blue" for our Eagles. As the Eagle Nation lays their heads down tonight in anticipation of tomorrow's epic battle, we all do so with the reassurance that once again, we have a very special new Head Coach on our hands, and a bright future.


It's a "Blue Out" in Paulson tomorrow, and the area surrounding the stadium will officially be christened "Erk Russell Memorial Park". If you're headed to the game, be sure to wear your Georgia Southern Blue.
In honor of The Greatest Eagle, and this rivalry game, I thought the musical offering below would be more than appropriate. Notice the highlights therein of Erk's Eagles whooping some Furman ass. Let's carry that vibe on into Saturday, and win this one for Erk. How 'bout it? These seniors deserve it.
GATA Eagles!
For Big Erk.



-Opie

GRADES - WEEK NINE

As unlikely as it seemed when we began the year, your Georgia Southern Eagles now enter the final two weeks of the 2007 season sitting pretty at 7-2. All we need do, is win one of our final two games, and we should secure a playoff spot in the NCAA field of 16. Things look good at the moment, but now is not the time to become content. We need to finish this season strong, and carry that momentum on into December.
We need our defense to really step up this week. If we can hold Furman under 4 touchdowns, then I think we will win this game going away. However you can bet your dog that Furman will be fired up and eager to play the role of spoiler on Saturday. It should be a great game, and a capacity crowd at Paulson for Senior Day. Let's honor this special group of seniors with a smashing of the purple pansies.
Now, on to the grades from last week.



Offense - 3.25 Broken Ankles

Jayson Foster cannot be serious. 279 yards rushing? What a performance. He truly took the game over when we needed it. What more can you say? It's the same story every week for Foster. The kid is playing a different game than everyone else.
Mike Hamilton and Lamar Lewis seem to have turned the corner on their respective injuries, and both continue to improve every week. Those two warriors provide an incredible one, two punch for any defense to handle. There is no drop off in ability when one comes in the game for the other. These grinders can really wear down a defense, and they did just that against Wofford.
Our offensive line continues to set the tone each week for the entire team. This team is at its best when we just simplify the game, and tell our hogs that we are going to run the ball. How many opposing defensive linemen has Russell Orr blown up this season? I lost count.
We still need to get our other weapons more involved, and we need to get the passing game back on track like it was early in the season. Our offense, despite all of Foster's heroics, does tend to stall out in the 2nd half of games. A better passing game would go a long way toward improving that weakness. I'm looking for WRs Mike McIntosh and Irving Campbell to have big games this week against Furman.
Player of the Week - Jayson Foster


Defense - 3.0 broken Ankles

This defense will make you sweat, but they always seem to come up with the timely turnover to save themselves and the team. That method, has seemed to work for us so far. However, I wonder how long we can depend on fortune to smile upon us at opportune times. This defense has to start stopping people consistently if we hope to go anywhere this year. Say what you want about Jayson Foster, but we are not going any further than our defense is going to take us. Climb on.
Against Wofford the defense made do with a injury decimated patchwork secondary. They are the walking wounded back there, and you have to give them props for their guts and ability to "find a way". Chris Covington at safety continues to anchor that injury-ridden unit. Ronnie Wiggins has steadily improved since he entered the lineup. He completely destroyed Wofford QB Collier on a huge hit in the 1st half. Larry Beard, after a slow start, is beginning to have the monster season that I predicted he would. Honorable mentions for Quentin Taylor, Chris Rogers this week.
Player of the Week - Chris Covington


Special Forces - 2.5 Broken Ankles

Our kick coverage sucked. Wofford is a well disciplined special teams unit, and they exposed our guys a little bit on kick offs. Jesse Hartley continues to be money though. He was 5 of 5 on PATs and 1 of 1 on FGs. Joe Haynie had an incredible return late in the game that set us up with great field position for the winning drive. That was a clutch return. Pat Bolen got a chance to kick off a few times, and did a pretty decent job. His kicks were good, but as mentioned the coverage was very bad. Lastly, Mr. Consistency, Dan Jordan, once again did a wonderful job changing field position with his punts. He has truly become a valuable asset to this team.
Player of the Week - Jesse Hartley



Overall - 2.92 Broken Ankles


Eagle Fans, no matter what happens from here on out, you all have to recognize one thing. This season has already been a tremendous success. The rest of the year, is simply icing on the cake. Let's root our Eagles on to 2 victories these next two weeks, and onward into the playoffs. However, in the end, let's also remember the incredible job that these coaches and these players have already done to turn this program back in the right direction. The excitement surrounding Georgia Southern football is back. I am so proud of each and every one of these gentlemen associated with this team. They, and their resiliency to adversity, are wonderful living examples of the fighting Georgia Southern spirit. No matter what happens now, this 2007 team will always be remembered as one that restored the mystique and swagger to this program. That is a lasting legacy.

Now let's go kick some Furman ass. GATA!
Go Blue

- Opie

DUDDY SOUTH: MY NEW FAVORITE EMCEE.

Every team of destiny needs a novelty theme song.

Cue aspiring hip hop artist, and current GSU student, 'Slim Duddy', who has provided the 2007 edition of your Georgia Southern Eagles with just that tune. 'Slim Duddy' is repping the dirty south in a hardcore way with his underground hit, "Georgia Southern Anthem", or "Blue, White". (Man, I sound extremely white.)
My lack of soul aside, you have to admit that this song is very catchy. The above video sample of said hit, is taken from this year's pre-season pep rally. Check out the swooning babes in the crowd. That's always a sure sign of budding star power. Apparently, 'Duddy got it goin' on'. I wish him luck on both getting his Georgia Southern degree, and advancing his career as a musician.
As I have already said, this song is indeed a catchy little "duddy", and from the looks of the video, the players seem to like it. I say we adopt Duddy's Georgia Southern Anthem as our own, and ride it and Jayson Foster all the way to the I-AA title game in Chattanooga. How 'bout it?
Go Duddy.

Opie's Grades out tomorrow night.
P.S. Do me a favor, fans. Please, no talk about playoffs until we get one more win. Two tough games lay ahead. Now is no time to get happy, and let up.
FIDO & GATA

-Opie

Just for fun: #4: Danger- Flammable