The wait is killing me!!! Late spring Big South/ CSU talk?

[bucs90]

This offseason of baseball and hoops is absolutely killing me. It's awful. I saw Athlons preseaon mags hit the stands May 27th. Good. That's my landmark for the official "countdown" to football season.

So, late spring, any new Big South or Charleston Southern talk going on? I know CSU has bitten off yet another big bite opening up early with Florida State and Central Florida. Also have Jacksonville, who CSU has only lost to once since beginning the series in 1999. But 3 road games in the state of Florida in first 3 weeks. CSU is hitting FLA recruiting heavy, obviously. I've been disappointed in the last 5-6 years in CSU's defense. CSU from 98 to about 2001 had a really solid defense, very aggressive, tough, fast. That philosophy has changed a bit it seems, but their offense has gotten a LOT better than it was those days. Hopefully, they'll have a year more like the 2005 BSC champs or 2006 9-2 squad, not the 3-8 2010 team.

And the Big South? Is Presbyterian gonna be better? Liberty likely preseason favorite again? Expansion rumors? I actually heard a wild rumor, that I'm sure is just a rumor, that Western Carolina wanted to leave the SoCon for the Big South and make room for UNC-Charlotte to have a short-lived SoCon stint. Maybe 5% chance of that being true.

[CSUBUCDAD]

Biggest off season news so far is the possibility of Brandon Davis transferring in for his last year of eligibility. Brandon was a knockout special teams guy for USC, very fast and would be a solid competitor for a corner position. His brother is the Marketing director for CSU sports and Brandon is seeking a masters in religion so CSU sounds like the logical fit. Coach Mills is mum on the issue so far.

Gerald Dixon, much to my surprise came out of spring camp as the #1 QB. I thought for sure they would move him back to WR and put Richard Mounce in at QB but I guess Coach Mills saw something he liked with Dixon and left him there. Sure gives us an extra run threat in the backfield.

Overall the team is very very young, but there is some serious talent there that will need time to develop. Defensively I look for CB Charles James to step up as the defensive leader this year. On offense watch RB Teddy Allen. Dude has size and speed to spare and him a BJ Hackworth in the backfield should make a pretty good running tandom if the OL came gel and get the blocks to spring them.

I think most folks look at us as 4th or 5th in the Big South this year, but that is what they said prior to the 2005 season too. That is why you play the game.

[bucs90]

Biggest off season news so far is the possibility of Brandon Davis transferring in for his last year of eligibility. Brandon was a knockout special teams guy for USC, very fast and would be a solid competitor for a corner position. His brother is the Marketing director for CSU sports and Brandon is seeking a masters in religion so CSU sounds like the logical fit. Coach Mills is mum on the issue so far.

Gerald Dixon, much to my surprise came out of spring camp as the #1 QB. I thought for sure they would move him back to WR and put Richard Mounce in at QB but I guess Coach Mills saw something he liked with Dixon and left him there. Sure gives us an extra run threat in the backfield.

Overall the team is very very young, but there is some serious talent there that will need time to develop. Defensively I look for CB Charles James to step up as the defensive leader this year. On offense watch RB Teddy Allen. Dude has size and speed to spare and him a BJ Hackworth in the backfield should make a pretty good running tandom if the OL came gel and get the blocks to spring them.

I think most folks look at us as 4th or 5th in the Big South this year, but that is what they said prior to the 2005 season too. That is why you play the game.

Wow, that would be big news re; Brandon Davis. Hope it comes through. I'm not that suprised by Dixon. Mounce was a great high school QB and probably still can be. But I've thought Dixon was a better fit for Mills offense. I think that offense has the ability to utilize the option a lot more than they have, similar to what Oregon did a few years back. Hope to see it.

Any word on stadium upgrades or the new football center? That new building has been in planning for over 7 years now. The #1 worry I have about CSU is how quickly and far behind we're falling in the Big South facilities race. Liberty and Coastal have just left us in the dust in that. PC, GWU and VMI also have us beat by fairly big margins in facilities. We're in the best city of the group to recruit, the ONLY thing in my opinion holding CSU from being a regular contender has always been lacking the facilities to recruit consistently. We're good for recruiting good skill guys, and a few good defensive guys. But the meat grinders up front? Facilities get those guys. We need to catch up, or at least close the gap. I seriously think CSU needs to consider adding lights for night games. The aluminum seats at 0130pm in a Charleston afternoon in September is brutally hot. That alone would probably double game attendance.

[CSUBUCDAD]

That idiot that embezzled all that money delayed the field house by nearly 4 years at least. Board does not want to go in debt to build it and that is understandable. Look for it to start sometime after this season. As far as lights, that is the next upgrade after the field house. No other stadium upgrades are in the works to my knowledge.

[kdinva]

I'm hoping (and a ton of folks are, too) Gar-Webb announces their schedule this coming week (I know Lambuth flat-lining was a kick in the gut).

VMI eagerly awaits 20 signees to report August 9th (most will take part in the 2nd summer school session, I am confident). The defense kicked butt in the Spring, and I am sure the offense will be better than in 2010, but I think the defense will have to carry more of the load the first 4-5 games. VMI will have to keep most opponents under 24 points for the Keydets to have a chance the majority of the games. AJ Gross at ILB, Emilio Calvin at OLB, Byron Allen reversing course and coming back for his 9th semester will give the Keydets a very fine SS . Michael Johnson should have a break-out year, either at FS or a CB position, and Josh Sneed, if he stays healthy, will make a lot of noise at the other ILB position. VMI lost its starting down three linemen (Wine, Alexander, Brandt), but their backups (now starters) are hungry and will contribute more than folks outside of Lexington would assume.

[bucs90]

That idiot that embezzled all that money delayed the field house by nearly 4 years at least. Board does not want to go in debt to build it and that is understandable. Look for it to start sometime after this season. As far as lights, that is the next upgrade after the field house. No other stadium upgrades are in the works to my knowledge.

Yep, that dirtbag set CSU's athletics back a bit, just because of the finances involved. Good to hear it's still on the horizon though.

VMI guy....aren't you all playing The Citadel again this year? That was one of the best rivalries in college football, so happy to hear it's starting back up.

[jcmanson]

As for Liberty, yeah we'll be the preseason favorites and likely top 20 or even top 15 preseason in the country. The season finale @ Stony Brook will likely be for the Big South Championship again. We get Coastal at home for homecoming. We won’t lose that one.

Alot returning for us:
QB Brown - Payton candidate
WR Summers - likely NFL draftee
WR Kelly - 10 rec, 235 yds, 2 tds against SBU in finale when Summers was out
WR Garner - transfer from VT who was the MVP of our spring game
all of our RBs are back including Aldreakis Allen who redshirted last year

We also have a transfer CB from Illinois who has been labeled as a shut down corner. Something we've never had under Rocco.

2 areas of concern - OL and LB

We have some early tests:

9/3 @ NC State
9/10 Robert Morris
9/17 JMU
9/24 @ Lehigh

[CSUBUCDAD]

That idiot that embezzled all that money delayed the field house by nearly 4 years at least. Board does not want to go in debt to build it and that is understandable. Look for it to start sometime after this season. As far as lights, that is the next upgrade after the field house. No other stadium upgrades are in the works to my knowledge.

Yep, that dirtbag set CSU's athletics back a bit, just because of the finances involved. Good to hear it's still on the horizon though.

VMI guy....aren't you all playing The Citadel again this year? That was one of the best rivalries in college football, so happy to hear it's starting back up.

They are playing this season at The Citadel, Nov. 22 I believe.

[kdinva]

That idiot that embezzled all that money delayed the field house by nearly 4 years at least. Board does not want to go in debt to build it and that is understandable. Look for it to start sometime after this season. As far as lights, that is the next upgrade after the field house. No other stadium upgrades are in the works to my knowledge.

VMI guy....aren't you all playing The Citadel again this year?

Oct. 29 in Charleston, first of six games on this contract (there is a master 1-AA schedule page, link at the top of this site )

[Seawolf97]

I would expect all the familar faces back for StonyBrook this season. Ed Gowins went down in the season opener lat year at South Florida with a groin injury and only played 1 half the remainder of the season. Expext a whole new defensive scheme this year also. We will have a new defensive co ordinator, new secondary coach and new linebacking coach. Again I expect SBU to be in the top tier of the Big South again this season.

[DKHardee]

...2005 BSC champs...

Co-Champs

We get Coastal at home for homecoming. We won’t lose that one.

Good Luck

[CSUBUCDAD]

...2005 BSC champs...

Co-Champs

In my world if I beat you head to head, I win. We had identical conference records and we beat you so they can call it CO all they want.