The following was written by Tony Moss of Sports Network (www.sportsnetwork.com).
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -- If you knew the Big South Conference was introducing I-AA football this season, congratulations. If you can keep up with the changes through which the fledgling league is about to go, then you’re truly on the ball.
The Big South will enter into its football infancy with four schools (Charleston Southern, Elon, Gardner-Webb, Liberty) vying for the league crown. Each of the four participated as a I-AA independent last year.
But almost as soon as Elon sews the Big South decals onto its jerseys, the Phoenix will be gone, as the University joins the Southern Conference in time for 2003.
Taking Elon’s place in ’03 will be VMI, which jumps ship from the SoCon into a league in which the military school can likely be more competitive.
VMI won’t go through its Big South orientation alone, since Coastal Carolina will introduce its football program next year, and will push the league’s membership to five football-playing institutions.
Six is the number of schools a league must feature to warrant an automatic playoff bid, but the lack of prospective Big South football-playing members is only one obstacle the conference has toovercome in becoming a part of the postseason picture. NCAA championship guidelines state that no more than half of a tournament field’s entries can come from automatic bids. There are currently eight automatics among the 16-team field, and scheduling and financial hurdles will likely prevent bracket expansion anytime soon - leaving the Big South to face an uphill fight before it even has enough teams to prepare for battle.
So for now, the four current members of the Big South will be content to have freedom from I-AA independence, while setting a long-sought tangible goal of a conference crown in a league that figures to see many more changes before it is a finished product.
Below is the 2002 Big South Conference preview, with teams ranked by The Sports Network’s predicted order of finish:
1. Elon; 2. Gardner-Webb; 3. Liberty; 4. Charleston Southern.
1. ELON (2-9). LAST YEAR: After compiling a 16-6 record in their previous two seasons, the Phoenix fell from grace in ’01, with a host of young faces and a murderous schedule leading to the school’s worst record since 1989. Five playoff teams: Furman (46-7), Western Kentucky (24-7), Northwestern State (24-6), Hofstra (42-21), and Georgia Southern (27-21) took part in the misery for Al Seagraves’ team.
OFFENSE: Seagraves has a number of experienced quarterbacks that could guide the team’s wishbone attack, with James Murdaugh (17-36, 241 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT, 63 rushing yards, 1 TD) and Larry Burney (248 rushing yards, 4 TD) at the top of the list. Fullback Martin Swindell (602 yards, 2 TD) and halfback Rashaud Palmer (556 yards, 6 TD) will get most of the carries, and Cecil Mitchell (196 yards, 3 TD) should see plenty of time in the backfield as well. When the Phoenix throw it, steady Arketa Banks (22 receptions, 538 yards, 6 TD) will be the best receiving option. Starting tackles Josh Rowan and Ross Gravely are back to anchor the line, and senior Phillip Johnson is listed atop the depth chart at tight end.
DEFENSE: Elon will be young on the line, as nose guard C.J. Habersham (14 tackles, 2 sacks) and tackle Ike Herndon (39 tackles, 2 sacks) both exhausted their eligibility. End Wesley Wheeler (50 tackles, 4 sacks) will lead this year’s pass rush along with tackles Kahlil Brewster (34 tackles, 1 sack) and Travis Bell. Calvin Sutton (53 tackles, 2 sacks) is the club’s top returning linebacker, and Derrick Collins (33 tackles) should be a starter there after serving as a backup in ’01. N.C. State transfers Mike Warren and Mike Sheley will get a shot. Cornerbacks Shaun Miller (3 INT) and Stephen McCoy (54 tackles, 2 INT) are tested, and free safety Chris Geter (46 tackles) provides senior leadership.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker/punter Beau Wegmann (0-4 FG, 16-20 XP, 37.0 punting avg.) struggled last year, so Anthony Turowski (39.7 punting avg.) now sits atop the depth chart at both positions. Banks (14.9 avg.) is a talented punt returner, and Palmer (19.7 avg.) has seen a wealth of action in the kickoff return game.
SCHEDULE: The slate is not quite as daunting as last year’s, but road games with Furman (9/14), and Northwestern State (10/5) and a home tilt with Hofstra (11/2) will be tough. Future SoCon opponents East Tennessee State (10/19) and Wofford (11/23) join the Paladins on the slate. The inaugural league title will likely come down to the away affair with Gardner-Webb (10/12).
PROGNOSIS: Though Gardner-Webb was the official pick to win this year’s Big South title, a studious look shows that despite their 2-9 record a year ago, the Phoenix have better credentials for the job. Elon is 8-0 against Liberty, Charleston Southern, and Gardner-Webb over the past four seasons, and GWU hasn’t come within two touchdowns of the Phoenix since joining I-AA. Plus, there’s the little matter of Al Seagraves’ team bringing back 19 starters from a team that, frankly, just scheduled over its head in 2001. With that said, Elon probably won’t win more than six overall games this year, and the Big South is unlikely to be represented in the I-AA playoffs. But in all likelihood, Elon will take an unblemished 3-0 conference record with it to the SoCon.
2. GARDNER-WEBB (6-4). LAST YEAR: Gardner-Webb’s second season as a transitional I-AA member was solid, but didn’t produce a headline-grabbing win such as the New Hampshire victory the year before. The Bulldogs did win their final three games, including a 54-14 triumph over NAIA Trinity International in the National Christian College Athletic Association’s Victory Bowl.
OFFENSE: The Bulldogs boast the league’s top quarterback in senior Jeremy Martin (168-309, 2271 yards, 15 TD, 11 INT, 223 rushing yards, 5 TD), a three-year starter who should challenge for All-America honors. Martin will throw primarily to William Andrews, Jr. (43 receptions, 556 yards, 6 TD), the team’s top wideout a year ago, as well as Darin Bradford (30 receptions, 449 yards, 1 TD) and JC transfer Jahmelas Bryant. Tight end Jason Bright (32 receptions, 487 yards, 2 TD) is one of the nation’s most underrated players. Chris Foster (275 rushing yards, 1 TD, 7 receptions) is the favorite to start at tailback, but could also line up at receiver in certain situations. Three starters are gone from the line, including Richard Williams who would have been a certain NFL draft pick had he not opted to forego a professional football career. The Bulldogs will count on guard Tate Campbell and tackle James Allen, and head coach Steve Patton will also need a healthy Donovan Craft at center.
DEFENSE: End Phillip Frye (39 tackles, 4 sacks), who has 11 sacks over the past two seasons, will lead a pass rush that should also feature 305-pound Chris Jones (21 tackles, 1 sack) at nose guard and Liberty transfer Jason Threat on the other side. All-American linebacker Tory Atkins (126 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 INT) has departed, and new defensive coordinator Mike Bartik will rely on a makeshift unit there. Former strong safety Jim Maxwell (55 tackles), ’01 part-timers Adrian Clark (24 tackles) and Brad Gregory (33 tackles), and newcomer Jonathan Little are the names that have surfaced at LB, along with former Auburn signee Tavoris Horton. Cornerback Lamar Ingram (42 tackles, 3 INT) leads a youthful secondary, with Jenson Turner (37 tackles, 1 INT) moving from linebacker to strong safety to help ease the transition.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Andrew Harmon (10-19 FG, 29-31 XP) and punter Graham Whitlock (37.7 avg.) are both back, and Ralphell Goodson (22.8 avg.) is a strong kickoff return man. The punt return slot will likely be handled by a freshman.
SCHEDULE: The schedule has been upgraded significantly, with three straight Southern Conference foes in Georgia Southern (9/7), East Tennessee State (9/14), and Chattanooga (9/21) coming in a three-week span. Back-to-back games at Liberty (10/5) and with Elon (10/12) at home should determine the Big South title.
PROGNOSIS: You may not know much about the Bulldogs, but Gardner-Webb appears destined to be a household I-AA name within a few years. Steve Patton has built his team in a deliberate, systematic way that has produced wins but hasn’t sacrificed the program’s long-term stability or its integrity in order to do so. There are few quick-fix JC transfers on this team, and Gardner-Webb hasn’t started scheduling Nebraska in order to fill university coffers or broaden the team’s profile. Instead, the Bulldogs continue to build from the ground up and have now joined a conference they will have a chance to win every year. With question marks on the offensive line, and in the secondary, that league title may not come this season, but Gardner-Webb should finish with its sixth winning campaign in Patton’s six years, at the very least.
3. LIBERTY (3-8). LAST YEAR: Liberty paid the price for "scheduling up" in 2001, appearing on the wrong end of its share of blowouts. The Flames were defeated by 20 or more points six times, including throttlings by Central Florida (63-0), South Florida (68-37), Western Carolina (63-0), and Hofstra (40-3). Ken Karcher’s team did rout MEAC member Delaware State (34-7), and also defeated future Big South foe Charleston Southern (45-31).
OFFENSE: Quarterback Biff Parson has graduated, and former JC transfer James "Gus" Condon is being pegged to take the reigns under center. Parson will be without the team’s top two receivers from a year ago in Travis Burns (28 receptions, 497 yards, 2 TD) and Daniel Thomas (42 receptions, 575 yards, 5 TD), as Burns graduated and Thomas will not return for health reasons. Daniel Jackson (28 receptions, 274 yards, 1TD) and Adrian Hall (20 receptions, 197 yards, 1 TD) do have wideout experience however, and tight end Josh Stofle (22 receptions, 207 yards, 1 TD) will provide another target. The Flames’ best offensive player will be tailback Verondre "Dre" Barnes (654 rushing yards, 12 receptions, 6 TD), who came on strong as a freshman. Returning starters Jackie Burgess, Anthony Knutson, and Thomas Smith will lead an undersized front, and Tulsa transfer Jason Daniluk should also have an impact there.
DEFENSE: Ken Karcher’s team figures to be thin on the front line, so junior Walt Davis has been moved from offensive line to the defensive side of the ball for that reason. Tackle Aaron Deberry (55 tackles, 3 sacks) and ends Matt Mays (54 tackles, 3 sacks) and Seth Reichardt (45 tackles, 4 sacks) should also be factors. The squad’s foremost linebackers are Kendrick Howard (91 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) and Milton Johnson (72 tackles, 1 INT), and Nick Vaughn (49 tackles) was also a part-time starter a year ago. Safety Roc Haith (72 tackles) will lead a secondary that will have to improve mightily in order for Liberty to compete. Safety Andre Jerry (44 tackles) and corners Antwan Hield (33 tackles) and C.J. Moore (36 tackles, 2 INT) should factor into the defensive backfield rotation.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Jay Kelley (8-12 FG, 25-26 XP, 36.4 punting avg.) and punter Noah Crouch (34.0 avg.) are each back in tow, and Hall has experience as both a punt (13.7 avg.) and kickoff (23.8 avg., 1 TD) returner.
SCHEDULE: The Flames will once again play a schedule offering little room for won-loss improvement, including games against I-As Central Florida (9/28) and Akron (10/12), as well as first-rate I-AAs in Western Carolina (8/31), Appalachian State (9/21), Eastern Kentucky (11/2), and Hofstra (11/23). The Flames get Gardner-Webb (10/5) and Charleston Southern (10/19) at home, but must play Elon (11/9) away from Lynchburg.
PROGNOSIS: Karcher has been preaching his program’s improvement, and maybe Liberty will be a factor in the Big South race, but the Flames won’t have a winning season until they get the UCFs and Akrons of the world off their schedule. You can’t fault a southern school for playing SoCon teams, but until Liberty builds a respectable I-AA program, the Flames need to think about looking up Tennessee-Martin or Davidson before facing any program with 22 more scholarships and a boatload of better talent. As for the Big South, Liberty lost to Gardner-Webb last year, hasn’t beaten Elon in three tries, and both of those teams have improved just as much as the Flames. Look for Karcher and company to finish with 3-5 wins and fall short in their quest for a league crown.
4. CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (5-6). LAST YEAR: The Buccaneers picked up five wins in ’01, but only two were of the I-AA variety and both of those were against mid-majors Jacksonville (28-7) and Austin Peay (36-21). CSU lost contests against future Big South foes Elon (39-16) and Liberty (45-31).
OFFENSE: Head coach David Dowd has a list of candidates to replace quarterback Jake Sills, including transfers Ryan Fleck (East Carolina) and Darren Swiggett (NE Oklahoma JC) as well as ’01 backup John Muller (21-36, 254 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). Whoever takes snaps will share the backfield with the Buccaneers’ three top rushers from a year ago in Sheldon Evans (387 rushing yards, 19 receptions, 1 TD), Travis Mays (275 yards, 5 TD), and Craig Roberson (338 yards, 18 receptions, 5 TD). Receiver might be a team strength, as Brad Moultrie (59 receptions, 865 yards, 5 TD) and Luke Turner (51 receptions, 492 yards, 1 TD) will combine with tight end Tim Coleman (2 receiving TDs) as targets. The rest of the line should feature center Gordon Zurbrick, guards Bryce Gregory and Frank Perkoski, and tackles Clarence Wright and Danny McCoy.
DEFENSE: The defensive line figures to be a nondescript unit, but JC transfers Martin Arce and Jose Escamilla will add depth to a core that will also incorporate returning tackle John Amaro (19 tackles, 1 sack). Citadel transfer Torri Barber should contribute at linebacker, Jay Beech (40 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) is the top returning player there, and Bowe Butler (16 tackles, 1 INT) is pegged to start at middle linebacker. Cornerback Mike Washington (37 tackles) and free safety Nick Nestor (22 tackles) will lead the defensive backfield, and leading ’01 tackler Scott Quigley (55 tackles) will contribute if he can return from a knee injury sustained late last season. Tim Smith (14 tackles) and JC transfer Kijana Thomas will also receive an opportunity.
SPECIAL TEAMS: JC transfer Nik Zdral and returnee Adam Resnick are battling for punting and kicking duties, and Washington (6.9 punt return avg., 26.9 kickoff return avg., 2 TD) should be back as the Bucs’ top return specialist.
SCHEDULE: The Buccaneers have four sub-Division I games in the month of September, but have upgraded their schedule with the likes of I-A South Florida (11/2) and local foe The Citadel (11/21). CSU leads off with VMI (8/31), which will join the conference beginning in 2003.
PROGNOSIS: Charleston Southern should pick up a few wins against lesser foes as the team always does, but with less size and smaller numbers than their foes in the Big South (not to mention South Florida and The Citadel), the Buccaneers are not likely to make any real noise with fully appointed I-AA programs. Dowd will need to decide on a quarterback and the team will have to get strong play from its young defensive line in order to flirt with what would be the first .500 season in school history. Even if that happens, it won’t come at the expense of league favorites Elon and Gardner-Webb.
--ELON--
