FCS PLAYOFFS

[apaladin]

Selection Sunday is this week. Doesn’t matter who the SoCon representative is(VMI or Mercer) I think they need a real good draw to advance. IMHO I think it will be VMI as I don’t think the Citadel team we saw Saturday is capable of beating VMI. I plan to watch and enjoy the playoffs and will be hoping we can get back in the playoffs in the next few years. Will you watch the spring playoffs?

[fupaladin01]

I have had as much fun keeping up with the national FCS picture as the SoCon this year. I think everyone is beatable this season but for the SoCon to have a badly needed 2nd/3rd round appearance, yes we will need a good draw- NEC or Patriot champ maybe. My guess is VMI gets JMU in round one however. FYI Semi-finals are on ESPN 2 and Championship is on ABC.

[FUBeAR]

If Mercer & VMI both win Sat. AND if Mercer wins impressively AND if a lot of other games break perfectly, Mercer could get an At-Large bid. Very doubtful, but the pundits & message boards are mentioning it...so, it’s possible the SoCon could have 2 representatives.

I will certainly watch either/both in 1st Round game(s). You have to be a little bit of a VMI Fan this year - with where they were & having never made the Playoffs & not won the SoCon since 1974. C’mon, everybody has a little bit of a soft-spot for an underdog. And, though, military, it’s not like the bellhops. I’ve actually met several VMI Alums that I like(d).

And, as some may have discerned, FUBeAR has a bit of a soft spot in his imaginary heart for the Mercer Bears as well - never won the SoCon, never been in the Playoffs. Y’all may not know, but if they had won @ Marist in 2013 in the season’s penultimate game, they would have won the PFL & made the Playoffs their 1st year in existence. They lost, unfortunately - in the only really bad game that QB John Russ ever had for Mercer. The kids from that Team (and their families) are some of my favorite people on the planet & they would be thrilled to know they laid the foundation for those that followed to achieve their dreams...at least that’s the way FUBeAR felt in ‘85, ‘88, and ‘01. I suspect they will feel similarly...if Mercer wins on Sat AND VMI loses OR somehow, their name gets called on Sunday.

If either are in & either win, I’ll be cheering for them to go as far as they can.

If no SoCon Teams stay in, for other Playoffs games, whether I watch or not will depend upon the Teams & the matchups. And, I’ll watch the Championship game, regardless.

Just a fan of FCS Football - for many reasons beyond the scope of this thread...so, DANG RIGHT FUBeAR WILL BE WATCHING!!

[gofurman]

I will be pulling for the SoCon team (s). It is in our own interest for VMI /Mercer to win one. We need SoCon to advance - just one win and people would notice. Objectively, I fear it is not likely this year. Nothing against Mercer and VMI but as bad as FU was we coulda beaten VMI (and they were pushed several times by mediocre SoCon teams) ... and Mercer is just so young.. but i definitely want the SoCon to do well. Hope they win ! and like FUBeAR I have no ill will against VMI. They have been bad for so long I find myself pulling for them

[Roundball]

Glad to see Mercer get absolutely blown out today. More proof their head coach is nothing special. VMI is going to be the SoCon champs. Let that one sink in. VMI.

[cavedweller2]

Yep. A blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.

[FurmAlum]

VMI needs to be congratulated. They won it fair and square. Chatty is the one that cancelled that first game. So, we lost to the conference champion by 1 point. I can see why CCH thinks we are close.

As an aside, I watched the last 8 minutes of the VMI-Cit game. VMI scored on a breakaway long pass with about 2 minutes left to go up by 2 touchdowns and the VMI receiver dropped the ball on the turf just after he crossed the goal line. The stupid refs wasted 10 minutes of everybody's time "reviewing the play" to see if he dropped it before he crossed the goal line. These replays have gotten way out of hand. Fortunately he was across before letting go of the ball, barely.

[FUBeAR]

Glad to see Mercer get absolutely blown out today. More proof their head coach is nothing special. VMI is going to be the SoCon champs. Let that one sink in. VMI.

Mercer was blown out in the 2nd quarter. They didn’t quit; climbed back to make it a 2 score game with the ball & momentum in the 2nd half. An unforced error turned the ball over as they were driving to make it a 1 score game & Samford scored a meaningless TD at the end when most Teams would have kneeled out the final minute.

Mercer overachieved this Spring. They are a hyper-young Team that absolutely does not have all the pieces in place just yet.

Their Head Coach, like Coach Hendrix, definitely IS something special. Both schools are unbelievably fortunate to have such fine men & excellent Football Coaches leading their Football Programs & the young men that are part of those programs.

VMI, unquestionably, was the best Team in the SoCon this Spring. They overcame tremendous adversity in losing their STAR QB and willed their way to the SoCon Championship. I hope they have a great run in the Playoffs & am really excited for their Coaches, Players, and Alumni. 40+ years wandering in the desert with no winning seasons, no Playoffs & no Championships. They deserve this moment in the sun.

[dornb]

VMI needs to be congratulated. They won it fair and square. Chatty is the one that canceled that first game. So, we lost to the conference champion by 1 point. I can see why CCH thinks we are close.

As an aside, I watched the last 8 minutes of the VMI-Cit game. VMI scored on a breakaway long pass with about 2 minutes left to go up by 2 touchdowns and the VMI receiver dropped the ball on the turf just after he crossed the goal line. The stupid refs wasted 10 minutes of everybody's time "reviewing the play" to see if he dropped it before he crossed the goal line. These replays have gotten way out of hand. Fortunately, he was across before letting go of the ball, barely.

I vote for getting rid of the replay in both football and basketball. I agree that it has gotten out of hand and messes up the rhythm of the game. If the conference wants to keep the replay, at least they should change the rules about when the replay can be used. It is used way too much right now.

[Roundball]

VMI needs to be congratulated. They won it fair and square. Chatty is the one that cancelled that first game. So, we lost to the conference champion by 1 point. I can see why CCH thinks we are close.

As an aside, I watched the last 8 minutes of the VMI-Cit game. VMI scored on a breakaway long pass with about 2 minutes left to go up by 2 touchdowns and the VMI receiver dropped the ball on the turf just after he crossed the goal line. The stupid refs wasted 10 minutes of everybody's time "reviewing the play" to see if he dropped it before he crossed the goal line. These replays have gotten way out of hand. Fortunately he was across before letting go of the ball, barely.

Actually, the refs wasted about 30 seconds of our time. After watching the replay, it was much closer that I first thought. It was a good review that took very little time.

[apaladin]

Selection show is at 11:30 on espnu. Can’t imagine how excited VMI fans are to hear their name called for the first time ever. They had a great crowd today.

[The Jackal]

Glad to see Mercer get absolutely blown out today. More proof their head coach is nothing special. VMI is going to be the SoCon champs. Let that one sink in. VMI.

I don't know who VMI draws up with, but their WR Herres is a tough match for anyone.

[FurmAlum]

VMI needs to be congratulated. They won it fair and square. Chatty is the one that cancelled that first game. So, we lost to the conference champion by 1 point. I can see why CCH thinks we are close.

As an aside, I watched the last 8 minutes of the VMI-Cit game. VMI scored on a breakaway long pass with about 2 minutes left to go up by 2 touchdowns and the VMI receiver dropped the ball on the turf just after he crossed the goal line. The stupid refs wasted 10 minutes of everybody's time "reviewing the play" to see if he dropped it before he crossed the goal line. These replays have gotten way out of hand. Fortunately he was across before letting go of the ball, barely.

Actually, the refs wasted about 30 seconds of our time. After watching the replay, it was much closer that I first thought. It was a good review that took very little time.

That was way more than 30 secs. They stood around on the field for a minute or 2 and then both teams went to the sidelines for the review which lasted for several more minutes.

My point was they had no business reviewing a play like that in the first place. It was TD with less than 2 minutes that probably didn't make any difference anyway. Call it a TD and move on!

[Roundball]

I love these statements from the VMI coach.

VMI Head Coach Scott Wachenheim Postgame Quotes:
Opening Statement
My theme this week was borrowed from Drake. We started from the bottom now we're here. We started at the bottom and now we're at the top of the SoCon. I couldn't be more proud of our football team. Seth Morgan and Michael Jackson made a big-time play at the end of the game. Our defense made some great second-half adjustments. The Citadel also adjusted and attacked us in a different way. Tom Clark, Pat Kuntz, Marshall Roberts and Kenneth Scott came up with an adjustment to counteract what they were doing and they didn't score the rest of the game. I couldn't be prouder of the players and the coaches. It's a great feeling and I'm thankful for General Peay and Dr. Dave Diles believing in me after the 0-11 season a few years ago. I'm thankful for Major General Wins because we win with Wins.

On if he ever expected to coach a playoff team …
When you look back at my opening press conference back in 2015, I said, "Look, you've got to be patient. This is going to be taking some time." We have to recruit players. At VMI we don't get grad transfers or junior college transfers. We have to recruit freshmen, and there's a learning curve on figuring out the kids who are going to make it here. I always thought we could do it, and I believed it. Tom Clark, the only assistant who has been with me for six years, I knew he believed it, too. After we went 0-11, there were times I prayed to my Lord and asked, "Lord, why did you bring me here? Did you bring me here to fail?" I have to give God all the glory and he renewed my strength. He helped me to move forward and to make the right decisions, and he gave us some players that could make plays.

On why this team has been successful …
This team has the most talent since I've been here. This team loves each other and that can't be overstated. They truly love each other and they hold each other accountable. They stand strong and firm during the darkest times and they work with a great attitude. They've dodged all the curveballs that Covid has thrown us this past year and they back each other up. That's what has made this team special.

[apaladin]

So I guess he is living proof that in game adjustments can be done successfully. Imagine that.