Score Atlanta Vol. 11 Issue 35

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 35 | OCTOBER 22-28, 2015

Helplessly Hoping | Pg. 4 A look at what’s holding back the state’s college football giants.

Down to the Wire | Pg. 9 The regular season’s final three weeks puts playoff hopes on the line.

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HEART OF GOLD Why Devonta Freeman is the real life Hero’s Journey. | Pg. 7

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Vol. 11 Iss. 35 | October 22-28, 2015

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

04

COLUMNISTS

07

ON THE COVER

09

PREP COVER

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rhonda Rawls

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS: Colin Hubbard (GA Tech) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons)

Kyle Sandy (Transfer Corner, GSU, Hawks)

Ned Kaish (Kennesaw, Braves)

STAFF WRITERS Tyler Andrews

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Copyright 2015 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

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SCORE LIST | NUMBERS GEORGIA STATE | KENNESAW STATE GEORGIA | GEORGIA TECH BRAVES | FALCONS HAWKS | THE TRANSFER CORNER

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF JON BARASH, SONNY KENNEDY AND THE ATLANTA FALCONS.

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DAN’S DOCKETT

FALCONS NOT WORRIED AFTER FIRST LOSS

BY DAN MATHEWS | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

is finally back to work for the Falcons, after Itotdropping their first game of the season 31-21 the Saints on the road. Even though they fi-

nally have to turn the page from a loss, they’re not worried about the loss creating even larger problems.

Yes, the Falcons are dealing with some injuries at the moment. Plus, they are currently struggling defending the pass.

After six weeks, they are 29th in the NFL against the pass. Teams are throwing for 290.7 yards per game. On the flip side, the run defense continues to lead the way. Atlanta has allowed a League best 78.8 yards per game on the ground. The passing efficiency certainly contributes to teams choosing to go to the air more, but at the same time teams are averag-

ing just 3.6 yards per carry, which ranks fourth fewest in the NFL. The biggest concern remains on third down, where the defense is allowing a 42.3 percent success rate for opposing offenses.

Only the Giants, Ravens, Bears and Jaguars have been worse in the category.

Last Thursday, Saints quarterback Drew Brees picked apart the Atlanta pass defense and aired it out for 312 yards and one touchdown on 30 for 39 passing.

Part of the problems, are that quarterbacks have been able to throw with a lack of pass rush coming from the Falcons defensive front. That said, head coach Dan Quinn believes it comes down to them “finishing”.

“That’s usually what it comes down to as

SANDY’S SPIEL

THE STATE OF GEORGIA FOOTBALL

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

o say 2015 has been a disappointment T would be an understatement for how the entire state has played this season. UGA,

Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Kennesaw State all entered the season with high hopes and so far only two schools have delivered.

No, it’s not Georgia Tech coming off an Orange Bowl victory and no, it’s not UGA who was ranked in the top ten earlier this season.

Georgia Southern and first-year program Kennesaw State have been the ones to get the job done, but before I praise them, I need to scold the two annual breadwinners of the state.

After two blowout wins over Alcorn State and Tulane, the Yellow Jackets’ season has been an unmitigated disaster under recently extended head coach Paul Johnson. Looks like Tech is back to square one after Johnson was

on the hot seat a year ago, but a magical season saved his job. Seemingly any year Georgia Tech (2-5, 0-4) is expected to do well heading into the season, the burden of expectations falls on the Jackets’ shoulders and causes them to flop. Five-straight losses is Georgia Tech’s longest losing streak since 1994. The defense has been non-existent and the offense has sputtered week-in and week-out.

If misery loves company, Tech fans have to be pleased with UGA. The Georgia Bulldogs’ 5-2 start has been all smoke and mirrors and within two weeks, the Dawgs went from being a top ten team to being unranked. UGA is already 3-2 in conference play and has played a powder puff schedule consisting of UL Monroe, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Southern, Tennessee and Missouri. The bad thing is that the Bulldogs lost to the Volunteers (3-3, 1-2) and

pass rushers,” Quinn said. “We’ll have some four man rush (and) some five man rush. We went back through all of them, look at pressures and look at the rushes. Which fronts are better for us? Which ways we can convert better? The good news is, there’s a lot for us to improve on. I can’t wait to see that happen.”

Atlanta has produced the fewest sacks in the NFL through six weeks with 7.0. To put it in perspective, 10 teams have twice as many sacks as the Falcons and Green Bay (23) and Denver (26) have more than tripled the Falcons output.

The margin of error in the NFC South this year looks a little smaller, given that the Carolina Panthers are still undefeated after their road win against the Seattle Seahawks. The back to back division champs are now leading the division again.

HEART OF THE SEASON

The Falcons are heading into Week 7 of the season, so there is still more than half of the season left to be played. Quinn isn’t too concerned about division standings at the moment.

“We’re not going to really concern ourselves too much about our opponents,” Quinn said. “Our division really comes down to us and the attitude/style we play. That’ll be kind of a constant theme from me. We’re not going to barely escaped Missouri (4-3, 1-3) in a 9-6 slop fest last week that was unbearable to watch. Nick Chubb is hurt, Sony Michel hasn’t impressed and Greyson Lambert has proved me right after a fluke start to the season, as being one of the worst quarterbacks in the conference. I tried to warn UGA fans about Lambert, but everyone was singing his praises after beating a terrible South Carolina team and two schools a SEC program should never schedule.

At least with Lambert still under center I get a few chuckles as I check my Twitter timeline each Saturday.

Georgia State (2-4, 1-1) just picked its FBS school-record second win of the season, but still have been a train wreck most games. A porous defense has hindered coach Trent Miles’ squad.

KINGS OF THE SOUTH

A humiliating 44-0 loss at West Virginia to start the season quickly humbled Georgia Southern (5-1, 3-0). Since that short-handed debacle, the Eagles are back to dominating with their triple-option attack and lead the nation with 399 yards rushing per game. Just one more win and Georgia Southern will be bowl eligible. If they can knock off Appalachian State (5-1, 3-0) in Boone, North Carolina this Thursday, Southern has a great opportunity to run the table and go 11-1 – if they can cement themselves as the team to beat in Georgia with

allow other teams to dictate how we play and what we think. I love that message about how we play and our own style about it. So, we’ll leave it right there.”

Inside the locker room, the players are preaching the same message. Even with the loss, left tackle Jake Matthews says that nothing has changed in terms of the message to them from Quinn.

“He’s the same as he’s always been,” Matthews said. “So, that’s good to see.”

Even though he’s a rookie, defensive end Vic Beasley isn’t shaken after his first NFL loss. In fact, he says the team is still as confident as ever.

“We still prepare like it’s a championship week,” Beasley said. “It’s another big game, as have the past games that we’ve played. We’re just going into this next game even though we lost, as if it’s a championship game and we’re going to go out there to get the win.”

The Falcons could get some good news on the injury front later this week. Center Mike Person and linebacker Justin Durant both worked with the team’s medical staff at this week’s practices. Quinn believes they could have a chance to be full participants in Wednesday’s practice and return to action very soon.

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons. wins at UGA and against Georgia State.

Across all levels of competition, four schools have launched football programs and are playing for the first time. Lyon College (NAIA), Finlandia (D-III), East Tennessee State (FCS) and Kennesaw State (FCS) have all hit the gridiron. Those three schools other than Kennesaw are a combined 1-19. KSU however, is 5-1 (1-0) and enjoying success first-year programs are not supposed to have. The Owls routed ETSU 56-16 in both teams’ program openers.

The Owls are a bad second half away from actually being 6-0, after dropping to Dayton 31-27. A 12-7 win over Garnder-Webb last Saturday highlighted the fact that this group just knows how to win. The bullets will start with No. 1 Coastal Carolina looming on the schedule and No. 20 Charleston Southern as well.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Kennesaw won’t get a crack at the big boys, but Georgia Southern will. The Eagles nearly beat Tech last season and this year have UGA and Georgia State in their sights. The Yellow Jackets still have shot at Georgia to salvage their season. With bragging rights up in the air, it will be interesting to see who seizes their moment in this topsy-turvy 2015 season.

Photo courtesy of Jon Barash.

Vol. 11 Iss. 35 | October 22-28, 2015

EAA_10.125x9.321_Corky_Kell.indd 1

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8/18/15 12:36 PM

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LSU Special Teams

Kennesaw State Football

Murphy has been on fire in the postseason. The Mets second baseman hit a home run on Tuesday, which was his fifth straight game with a home run and his sixth of the postseason. Murphy also has a hit, RBI, and run scored in six consecutive games leading his team to a 3-0 series lead over the Cubs in the NLCS.

In the fourth quarter with the game tied at 28 LSU lined up for a go-ahead field goal with 10 minutes left. However, LSU head coach Les Miles had a different plan as the Tigers faked the field goal and kicker Trent Domingue ran the ball into the endzone from 16 yards. LSU would win 35-28 handing Florida its first loss of the season.

The Owls are now 5-1 and 1-0 in Big South conference play as they knocked off Gardner-Webb at home 12-7 on Saturday. The Owls lone setback on the season was a road game at Dayton in which they lost 31-27. Kennesaw State will now travel to Liberty on Saturday to take on the defending Big South conference champions.

By Ned Kaish

WHO’S HOT

Daniel Murphy

SCORE LIST

By Ned Kaish

HEYWARD FINED

Steelers’ defensive tackle and former Peachtree Ridge Lion Cameron Heyward has been fined for the second week in a row for wearing eye black that read “Iron Head.” Iron Head is in reference to his father, Craig “Iron Head” Heyward, who played fullback in the NFL and lost his battle to cancer in 2006. Heyward and the NFL came to an agreement to reduce fines and allow Heyward to honor his father in different ways on and off the field.

FALCONS SUFFER LOSS

The Atlanta Falcons were dealt their first loss of the season Thursday night at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. A combination of three turnovers and an inability to cover tight end Ben Watson who finished the game with 10 catches for 127 yards and a score were the downfalls. The Falcons are now 5-1 and in second place in the NFC South trailing unbeaten Carolina by a game.

UGA CONTROL OWN DESTINY

Georgia won ugly on Saturday holding off Missouri 9-6 to move to 5-2 and 3-2 in the SEC. But that was the not the biggest win of the day, LSU knocked off Florida handing the Gators their first loss of the season and in the conference. This sets up for the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” to be a game that will determine first place in the SEC East. Both Florida and UGA are off this week before they battle it out next Saturday.

RECORD NIGHT IN C. GWINNETT

Wide receiver Major Bellamy Jr. had a record-breaking night against Brookwood. The senior finished the game with 14 catches for 254 yards and a touchdown. This game was ranked as the 10th best receiving night in GHSA football history. After finishing with over 1,200 yards last season Bellamy is leading the state in receiving yards at 850 through six games.

SEAHAWKS PLAYERS CRASH

Seattle Seahwaks running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson decided to have a street race near the team’s facility. The race ended the way you would expect, with a wreck and an injury as Jackson wrecked his sports car. Jackson insisted on twitter that he was not racing and just wrecked and Lynch was there to check on him. Jackson received no injuries.

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Michigan Special Teams

Georgia Tech

Ole Miss

With 10 seconds remaining and Michigan up 23-21, Michigan punter Blake O’Neil lined up for a punt. Michigan State had 11 men on the line and was coming for the block.

A mishandling of the snap and then an attempt to recover the ball and punt failed as O’Neil kicked the ball straight to Spartan Jalen Watts-Jackson who returned the ball 38 yards for a touchdown and the win as time expired.

The Yellow Jackets lost their fifth straight game of the season falling to Pittsburgh at Bobby Dodd Stadium 31-28.

Paul Johnson and his team are now 2-5 on the season and 0-4 in the ACC. Coming into the season Georgia Tech was a highly ranked team who many people believed could be a national power behind the play of quarterback Justin Thomas.

The Jackets are now fighting to be bowl eligible.

After a monster early season win over Alabama, for the second time in as many years, the Rebels have faltered lately losing two of their last three. Three weeks ago they lost at the hands of the Florida Gators who handled Ole Miss winning 38-10. On Saturday Chad Kelly threw two interceptions, one late in the game, as the Rebels fell on the road to unranked Memphis.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Ned Kaish

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall.

Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

505 5

Rushing yards on the season for Devonta Freeman who ranks 2nd in the NFL by two yards.

Remaining undefeated teams after the Falcons Week 6 loss.

200.3

Rushing yards per game for LSU running back Leonard Fournette who has 1,202 on the season.

7:1

Touchdown to interceptions ratio for Colquitt County quarterback Chase Parish who has 21 TDs to 3 ints.

WHAT IS THE FALCONS SINGLE-SEASON RECORD FOR MOST RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS?

“You see what he’s capable of doing week in and week out. It’s fun to watch. He’s a great competitor.”

417

Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar’s batting average in the 2015 postseason.

0

More Weeks until the Hawks tip off the season at home against the Pistons.

27

Points allowed by the Mill Creek defense through first seven games.

ANSWER ON PAGE 12

- Matt Ryan on Devonta Freeman.

0

Points allowed by Mill Creek in its last four games

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TRIVIA QUESTION

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SANITY AT LAST

Vol. 11 Iss. 35 | October 22-28, 2015

ON THE COVER

COVER STORY

FREEMAN’S TOUGHNESS LIFTS FALCONS TO BLAZING START

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

S

econd year running back Devonta Freeman has taken the NFL by storm as an integral part of the Falcons success this season. He has etched his name in the League’s record books and made thousands of fantasy football owners incredibly happy, but there is more to his story that makes him such an important leader both on and off the field.

Sports have their own platform of the hero’s journey we’re all familiar with. Overcoming adversity, battling past rivals and stepping up when it is needed most are the patented challenges that are also retold in mankind’s most well-known works of literature, film and plays.

Our awareness of these hurdles is the reason it inspires us when we see a real life hero’s journey unfold. Freeman’s own path to the Falcons brings it to life and proves that grit can master any realm of expectations, overcome incredible odds and transcend far beyond the playing field.

BEATING THE ODDS

Freeman arrived at the NFL combine with the attributes of a complete running back. His ability to run and catch the football was sup-

ported with his combination of speed and power. Fueling the talent, however, was a work ethic and positive attitude that steered Freeman as he took on seemingly any situation life threw his way. As a result, he was well-prepared for his newest role in Atlanta when the Falcons took the 5-foot-8, 206 pound running back off the board in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.

Freeman grew up in Liberty City, the 13 square blocks of Miami Public Housing known as the Pork ‘N’ Beans Projects. First built in the 1930’s after the Great Depression, the neighborhood has become notorious for its gun violence and crime over the past decades.

“Pork ’N Beans is the toughest neighborhood in Florida because you never know what you’re going to get,” Freeman told the Miami Herald before draft day. “You can walk down the street and somebody could start shooting. An argument can break out, people start fighting.

Somebody could rob you. How we kept our tunnel vision was we knew what we wanted in life.”

From the time Freeman declared for the draft following his 2014 junior season at Florida

State, to the Falcons first preseason game that August, 43 shootings had been documented within his old neighborhood. The tunnel vision Freeman used to escape that environment was not to forget where he came from, but to focus on where he could take himself. Knowing he could make something more of his life if he stayed focused, Freeman started working three jobs at the age of 12 and helped support his six younger siblings. He picked up athletics and excelled in baseball and football. As his varsity career picked up at Miami Central High School, it was clear that Freeman had exceptional football talent and the mindset to achieve great things. His varsity career ended with Freeman leading the Rockets to their first state title, rushing for 308 yards on 36 carries and earning MVP honors of the Class 6A state title game.

At Florida State, two injury-plagued seasons for starting running back Chris Thompson gave Freeman opportunities to play as a true freshman and sophomore. Freeman ended up leading the Seminoles in rushing attempts (120), yards (579), average per rush (4.8), rushing touchdowns (8) and yards rushing per game (48.2) his first year on campus. After he was thrust into the leading role again his sophomore season, he added 660 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, while leading the team in carries three of the final four games. It was not until his junior year that Freeman earned the starting job, but he made it count.

Despite sharing carries with two other backs in the Seminole’s three-headed attack, Freeman still earned First Team All-ACC accolades with 15 total touchdowns. He became FSU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since former Falcon Warrick Dunn did it in 1996, finishing the season with 1,016 yards. He wrapped up his collegiate career with a BCS National Championship and declared early for the draft. Despite only starting one full season, Freeman tallied the third most rushing touchdowns in school history with 30 and the eighth most rushing yards in FSU history with 2,255 yards.

JUST GETTING STARTED

Freeman’s list of accomplishments is impressive, but what he has done over the past four weeks could top them all. Since taking over the starting running back duties full-time Week 3, Freeman has scored 10 touchdowns out of the Falcons backfield (9 rushing and 1 receiving), putting him on pace to break the franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a season (17) held by Michael Turner.

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He became the first player in the modern history of the NFL to score three touchdowns in each of his first two starts. After torching the Cowboys and Texans with his combined six rushing touchdowns, Freeman forced overtime with his touchdown run against the Redskins before Robert Alford clinched the game with a pick-six that moved Atlanta to 5-0.

Freeman added a season-high 7.7 yards per carry against the Saints Week 6, while notching 100 yards rushing and crossing the goal line for his ninth rushing touchdown of the season. Freeman also added a game-high eight receptions for 56 yards and scored his first receiving touchdown of the year.

“You see what he’s capable of doing week in and week out,” said quarterback Matt Ryan.

“It’s fun to watch. He’s a great competitor.”

Freeman’s lead by example attitude and toughness on the field has been contagious and his focus remains on doing whatever he can to help the team. As a result, his impact on the field this season continues to grow, as has the confidence his coaches and teammates have in him.

“We are doing a great job,” said Freeman.

“Everybody, [offensive coordinator] Kyle [Shanahan], the offensive linemen, the quarterback, the receivers, everybody is doing a great job as a whole unit. We turned this thing around together. We said back in April what we wanted to stand for, so it’s all showing and paying off right now. Everybody is living up to our expectations.”

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

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From repairing broken bones to rehabbing torn ligaments, Children’s Sports Medicine helps young athletes get back to full speed. For more information visit choa.org/sportsmed.

PREP SPORTS

FOOTBALL REGULAR SEASON REACHES FINAL THREE WEEKS

BY KYLE SANDY & CRAIG SAGER II

A

must-see finish is set for Class AAAAAA’s Region 7. With three weeks remaining, four teams all sit at 4-0 in region play and will all face off in the regular season’s final weeks.

Mill Creek, Norcross, Peachtree Ridge and Collins Hill have all clinched playoff berths and will battle out for the top spot. Mill Creek is the slight favorite and has proven its prowess with the state’s top defense in points allowed. The Hawks have given up just 27 points all season and have shutout all four region opponents, including North Gwinnett. Norcross is also undefeated at 7-0 and has outscored its four region opponents 130-33. Peachtree Ridge’s only instate loss was shorthanded to Archer (26-10), but since, the Lions have held every opponent to a touchdown or less. The Lions most impressive win came Week 3 with a 9-6 victory over McEachern. The offense has found a rhythm in

recent weeks with 98 combined points in its last two victories (56-0 Duluth, 42-6 North Gwinnett). Collins Hill is already guaranteed a playoff spot, but the Eagles will be fighting to avoid entering the playoffs as a No. 4 seed.

After opening the season with three straight losses (Dacula, Central Gwinnett and South Gwinnett), punched a 52-23 victory over North Gwinnett to spark a four-game winning streak.

Collins Hill faces Mill Creek at home before closing the season on the road with Peachtree Ridge and Norcross. Peachtree Ridge goes to Norcross this Friday and closes the season with a trip to Mill Creek after hosting the Eagles in two weeks. Mill Creek wraps up its season with its trip to Collins Hill and a home stand with Norcross and the Lions. Region 7 matches up with Region 6 in the first round of the state playoffs.

The battle for the top seed in Region 6 picks up Friday night. Lambert sits alone atop Region 6 with a flawless 6-0 record, but closes the season with West Forsyth this Friday and a trip to South Forsyth the final week after an Oct. 30 trip to Chattahoochee. West Forsyth and South Forsyth are both 5-2 in region play and are the only teams standing in the way from Lambert and the top seed. West Forsyth at Lambert is the Falcons HS Game of the Week and will be streamed live at scoreatl. com.

SANDY CREEK AT WOODWARD ACADEMY

A colossal clash is set to determine the top dog in Region 5-AAAA. No. 4 Sandy Creek (6-1) visits No. 3 Woodward Academy (7-0) in a game that will have major implications on who gains the No. 1 seed heading into the postseason. Star running back Elijah Holyfield will be out again with a stress fracture in his left foot for Woodward. With Holyfield out, the War Eagles have turned to a more balanced attack led by junior quarterback Ryan Glover. He has thrown for 1,138 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Fellow junior Joshua Johnson leads the team with 397 yards receiving and five touchdowns.

On defense, Terry Myrick and Max Richardson lead the pass rush with a combined 13 sacks.

Sandy Creek counters with Bryant Walker

under center. The sophomore quarterback has tossed 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions to add to 973 yards. Juniors Jaelen Greene and Marvin Hubbard have both found the end zone six times apiece on the ground. A talented Patriot defense is powered by the back end with safety Javon Jackson (Duke) and outside linebacker Will Harper (Syracuse) patrolling the second level.

ALEXANDER AT EAST PAULDING

In Region 5-AAAAA, a pair of 6-1 teams try to separate themselves from the rest of the competition. Alexander visits East Paulding at the Boneyard. The Cougars feature an explosive offense led by quarterback Baylor Whitfield. The senior has thrown for 1,603 yards and 19 touchdowns. Junior Justin Hall is his favorite target, with 52 catches, 908 yards and eight touchdowns to his name. Another junior, Daetrich Harrington, does his damage on the ground rushing for 1,129 yards and 10 scores.

The Raiders use a tough running game led by senior Cody Long who has 509 yards rushing. Quarterback Dylan Prater has thrown for 508 yards and rushed for 490 while Maurice Sanders has rumbled for 344 yards.

Photos courtesy of Sonny Kennedy.

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

DAWGS LOOK TO REGROUP DURING BYE WEEK

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

ith the Kentucky loss to Auburn last week W and a win for the Georgia Bulldogs over the Missouri Tigers, they sit alone at second place in the SEC East. Florida’s loss to the LSU Tigers will make next weekend’s matchup with the Florida Gators the deciding game in the SEC East.

Right now, Georgia is 3-2 in conference play. This comes following the 38-10 loss to Alabama and 38-31 defeat by the Tennessee Volunteers.

That said, the belief that an SEC East title is still in full effect for the Bulldogs. Their head coach Mark Richt even said as much earlier this week.

“I think the biggest thing that gives me hope that we can get where we want to get is how hard everybody is playing and how hard everybody is trying to do what we are asking them to do,” Richt said. “They have been coachable, teachable, playing hard as heck, and we appreciate that about them.”

GROWING PAINS

The 2015 Georgia Bulldogs are a young

GEORGIA STATE

PANTHERS SET FBS SCHOOL-RECORD FOR WINS

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

W

ith a 31-19 win over Ball State (2-5), Georgia State (2-4) has now clinched its most wins in a single season as a FBS school.

The Panthers got off to a hot start and the defense played well to give Georgia State a 24-10 lead going into the half. After a Ball State field goal in the third quarter and a Riley Neal 19yard touchdown pass to Jordan Williams with 10:41 left in regulation, the Cardinals cut the lead to 24-19.

This time, however, the Panthers didn’t fold. Nick Arbuckle punched in his second 1-yard touchdown run of the game with 2:13 to play to extend the lead and secure the victory on the road. Georgia State recorded 445 total yards of offense and held Ball State to 372. Arbuckle played extremely well and had the Panthers offense clicking. He completed 28-of-38 passes for 412 yards and one touchdown. Robert Davis had a career day and hauled in nine catches for 125 yards and a score, while Donovan Harden

group. They had 10 underclassmen listed as starters on their “two-deep” depth chart heading into the Missouri game.

Senior wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell was a part of the 2011 team that lost their first two games of the season to Boise State then South Carolina. However, Georgia was able to win their next 10 games in order to reach the SEC Championship Game against LSU.

He recalled on that experience.

“I’ve been around a long time and I know what a good team looks like, Mitchell said. “We are a good team. We just have to execute, bring all the pieces together and get the job done.”

Things are seemingly lining up for the Bulldogs to have some good momentum going into the Georgia-Florida game as players like wide receiver/return man Isaiah McKenzie and outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins could return from injuries.

The last time Georgia played in the SEC Championship Game was in 2012, when they lost a heartbreaker to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Defensive lineman Sterling Bailey was on that team and remembers what it took to win the East.

“Just by the experienced leadership we have on the team,” Bailey said. “We have several players who have been here and been in this type of situation before. We’ve just got to make sure that with these younger guys, we pull them along with us.”

totaled 80 yards on two catches and 2015 leading receiver Penny Hart added five more to his tally and gained 73 yards. After his career day, Davis is now second in Georgia State history in career receptions (125), receiving yards (1,878) and touchdown receptions (9).

The ground game continued to be an issue and gained just 33 yards on 32 carries but the Panthers still managed to score three times on the ground thanks to Arbuckle’s two short yardage conversions and Kyler Neal’s 4-yard run at the 15 second mark of the first quarter.

NO FLY ZONE

The 19 points allowed by Georgia State are the fewest under head coach Trent Miles.

It was the lowest point total allowed since a 41-7 win over Rhode Island in 2012. Joseph Peterson had a game-high 14 tackles, Trey Payne added 12 tackles and Tarris Batiste 11, and safety Bryan Williams ended the Cardinals’ final possession with an interception.

“The defense was really outstanding, especially in the fourth quarter. They had to go out and get stops, and they did it, and I’m very proud of the way those young men played,” said Miles.

“I’m very proud of [defensive coordinator] Jesse [Minter]. He was raised in this town and went to high school here. I’m very proud of him and the defensive staff. But it ain’t about the coaches. It’s about the players, and these young men did a great job today.”

GEORGIA TECH

PLUNGE CONTINUES WITH LOSS TO PITT

BY COLIN HUBBARD | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

he Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were looking to pick up their first ACC win of the T year against the Pittsburgh Panthers and end

to their historic 4-game losing streak but were unable to do so.

Tied at 28-28 with under a minute remaining in regulation, Panthers’ kicker Cody Blewitt nailed a 56-yard field goal to clinch a 31-28 victory.

Georgia Tech (2-5, 0-4 ACC) rushed for 376 yards as a team and were led by true freshman Marcus Marshall who carried the ball 10 times for 159 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Quarterback Justin Thomas completed 6-of-15 for 106 yards and threw for a touchdown. Thomas carried the ball 14 times for 95 yards as well.

“Well, right now, we are not very good on defense,” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said. “Face it. Facts are facts. We are probably from 10th to 14th in every category in the league.”

WOES UNFOLD

The Panthers got on the board first after

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS CLAW THEIR WAY TO VICTORY

BY NED KAISH | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

K

ennesaw State made history on Saturday playing in its first Big South Conference game and they made even more history by winning it. The Owls took down Gardner-Webb on Saturday at Fifth Thrid Bank Stadium. The win moved the Owls to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.

Kicker Justin Thompson finished the game 4-for-5 on field goals and scored all the points for the Owls. Nick Perrotta intercepted a pass on 4th and goal from the KSU four yard line with three second remaining to clinch the victory.

OWL PRIDE

Coach Brian Bohannon was proud of the fight he saw from his young team. “You are talking about a young football team, playing their first conference game, playing a team that just upset the 15th-ranked team and conference

a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Peterman to Tyler Boyd gave them a 7-0 lead with 7:50 remaining in the first quarter.

On Georgia Tech’s ensuing possession, just three plays into the drive Marshall took a handoff from Thomas 58 yards for the score to knot the game at 7-7 with 6:29 remaining in the first quarter.

Both teams scored two touchdowns apiece in the second quarter to deadlock the score at 21-21 at halftime.

The Panthers found the end zone on a 6-yard pass from Peterman to J.P. Holtz to give Pittsburgh a 28-21 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Jackets knotted the game at 28-28 after a 7-yard run from Marshall with 13:35 to play.

The Georgia Tech defense forced a quick punt on the Panthers’ ensuing possession, but the Jackets punted the ball right back to Pittsburgh.

The Panthers held onto the ball for 7:02 on a 14-play, 31-yard drive that set up Blewitt’s game-winning 56-yard field goal.

Pittsburgh totaled nearly 10 minutes of possession longer than the Yellow Jackets, but managed just under 100 fewer yards of total offense.

“We had some real screw-ups on offense, basically when the game got tight,” Johnson said. “All freshmen. So it’s tough, and the way the game was going, you didn’t want to miss your turn.”

champ,” he said. “It was wasn’t pretty, wasn’t perfect, but talk about finding a way to win.”

Thompson knocked through two field goals of 30 and 33 yards in the first half as KSU took a 6-0 lead into the half. After Gardner-Webb scored a touchdown with just under six minutes remaining to cut the lead to 9-7 Thompson knocked through his fourth field goal of the game from 31 yards out to seal the win.

Quarterback Trey White grinded the ball out on the ground finishing the game with a ridiculous 34 carries for 176 yards. He also finished the game 9-17 passing for 114 yards and used Justin Sumpter as his main target with Sumpter finishing the game with 5 catches for 70 yards. Jake McKenzie and Trey Chivers helped out White in the backfield combining for 64 yards.

The defense stepped up huge in a game where the offense could not find the end zone.

Defensive back Derrick Farrow had seven tackles in the game adding to his team leading 30 tackles. Linebacker Dez Billingslea finished the game with six tackles including one sack. Nick Perrotta interception was his second of the season. Izzy Sam had a sack to add to his team lead 4.5 sacks on the season.

The Owls will travel to Virginia to take on defending Big South Conference champion Liberty on Saturday. The game is slated to kick off at 7pm.

Vol. 11 Iss. 35 | October 22-28, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

day before returning home to open the season against Detroit on October 27.

HAWKS PREPARE FOR FINAL PRESEASON TUNE-UPS

GRADING THE GUYS

Out of the batch of new Hawks trying to secure a spot on the opening day roster, Walter Tavares has shown flashes of great potential.

The 7-foot-3, 2014 43rd overall pick has proven he can defend the rim and clean up easy baskets. Tavares’ pro debut got off to a rocky start when 35-year-old Richard Jefferson soared in for a posterizing dunk, but Tavares quickly shook it off and finished 5-for-5 from the field for 11 points, four rebounds and two steals in 11 minutes. The coaching staff has also come out and said they are impressed with how he has learned the offensive and defensive systems so quickly.

Another 2014 second round selection, Lamar Patterson, has made the most out of his stint with the team. The shooting guard has played tough defense and has been able to knock down open shots when given to him, without trying to force the action on offense.

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

he NBA officially begins next Tuesday and T the Atlanta Hawks seem to be rounding into midseason form already, reeling off four

straight preseason wins before suffering their first loss on Sunday to the Miami Heat, 101-92.

In Sunday’s loss, Mike Scott played his finest game of the exhibition slate, scoring a game-high 19 points and game-high eight rebounds in 25 minutes of action. Scott’s return to form is nice to see after a tumultuous offseason had his mind preoccupied with issues other than basketball. Kyle Korver and Shelvin Mack both chipped in 10 points in limited time.

The Heat surged ahead in the third quarter by outscoring Atlanta 31-16. Gerald Green and James Ennis powered Miami with 19 points apiece, while big men Chris Bosh and Keith Benson added 14 and 12 points respectively.

Sloppy ball handling doomed the Hawks as they turned it over 22 times compared to the Heat’s 13. Atlanta plays their final two preseason games this week, hosting Memphis on Wednesday and visiting the Pistons on Fri-

ATLANTA BRAVES

COPPOLELLA ANNOUNCED AS BRAVES’ NEW GENERAL MANAGER

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

he Atlanta Braves announced last week that T John Coppolella has been promoted to the position of general manager. Coppolella had

been assistant GM since October of last year, working in conjunction with president of baseball operations John Hart. Hart’s title remains unchanged.

“I never felt like he wasn’t the GM,” manager Fredi Gonzalez explained. “He made all the moves as a general manager. Our relationship has always been as a manager-general manager. Now he gets the title.”

Coppolella, 37, will be heading into his ninth season with the Braves organization. He signed a four-year contract through the 2019 campaign. That stretch will include Atlanta’s first three seasons at the new SunTrust Park in Cobb County, which is set to open in 2017.

Coppolella and company hope to seriously contend by 2017 while also taking at least a small step forward next year.

“When John Schuerholz took over as general manager 25 years ago, he won 14 straight [division] titles,” Coppolella reflected. “It has

REGRESSION?

Analytical sports site Fivethirtyeight.com released a preview of the Hawks and predict that Atlanta will drop by 15-wins and finish with a 45-37 record. The CARMELO projection sees declines in both Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver’s play. On the bright side, Dennis Schroder and new addition Tim Hardaway Jr. are pinned as players continuing to improve.

been nearly 10 years since he has been out of the GM chair and we’ve won one title. We want to get back to where we can go to five World Series in nine years, which is what was done here in the 1990s.”

“He is one of the bright and creative minds in our game today,” Hart said of Coppolella. “There is going to be no stone left unturned with John.”

MILLER-FOR-HEYWARD RECAP Hart and Coppolella began a massive overhaul last offseason as the team is making no secret that it is rebuilding for the future.

One of the most notable transactions was the trade of right fielder and fan favorite Jason Heyward to the Cardinals for starting pitcher Shelby Miller. Neither man disappointed in his first season in a new setting.

Miller endured a well-publicized streak of 16 straight lost decisions and 24 consecutive starts without a win, although it was no fault of his own. The 25-year-old finished with a 3.02 ERA in 205.1 innings of work.

The oft-injured Heyward stayed healthy and played in 154 regular-season games with St. Louis, which compiled the best record in baseball at 100-62. Heyward, 26, batted .293 with 13 home runs, 60 RBIs, 79 runs scored and 23 stolen bases. He compiled a .357 average in a division series against the Cubs while going deep once and driving in two runs. Chicago, though, clinched a 3-1 series victory on Tuesday.

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS VISIT TITANS TO CLOSE ROAD TRIP

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Falcons will visit the 1-4 Titans on Sunday after suffering their first loss of the season last Thursday to the then 1-4 Saints. Tennessee opened the season with a promising 42-14 victory at Tampa Bay, but has since dropped four straight games, including three straight losses at home. The Titans Week 6 loss was the worst yet as Miami came in and served up a 38-10 defeat. Miami’s Cameron Wake posted four sacks of the Dolphins six sacks. Former Falcons Brent Grimes intercepted Marcus Mariota and Reshad Jones hauled in a 30-yard pick six.

Mariota suffered a sprained MCL and finished 21-of-33 for 219 yards and a touchdown, while posting a measly 8.2 QBR. MAKING MOVES

The Atlanta Falcons announced Tuesday that they signed linebacker Philip Wheeler and released safety Charles Godfrey.

Wheeler, 6-2, 245 pounds was originally selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the third

THE TRANSFER CORNER

REGION 5-AAAAAA STAYS ACTIVE

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

E

ach week I will highlight some GHSA basketball transfers across the Peach State here at The Transfer Corner.

CATS ON THE PROWL

Wheeler has added the younger brother of NBA’er and former Norcross star Al-Farouq Aminu. Al-Wajid is a 6-foot-6 forward with long arms which will help Wheeler’s defense right away in both the passing lanes and on the interior. Now a senior, as a sophomore Aminu averaged 9.4 points, 9.0 and 1.8 blocks per game at Coral Gables, FL. The Wildcats also picked up four-star forward Romello White, late into the transfer scene. Initially, it was being reported by sources that White, who started his high school career at Peachtree Ridge, would be back with the Lions, but he indeed has landed with Wheeler. White committed to Tennessee on Jan. 5, but later de-committed on April 14 after the coaching change and has since pledged his

11

round (93rd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Georgia Tech. Wheeler played in 61 games with 24 starts for the Colts, and recorded 141 total tackles (62 solo). In 2012, he was signed by the Oakland Raiders and started all 16 games, tallying 109 total tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. Wheeler spent the last two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, where he played in 31 games with 20 starts and posted 164 total tackles (118 solo).

The signing of Wheeler could have been influenced by the success New Orleans had passing the ball over the middle of the field. In Atlanta’s 31-21 loss to the Saints last Thursday, tight end Benjamin Watson caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. Having an athletic player like Wheeler to bring in on passing plays could benefit the defense.

Godfrey, 5-11, 210 pounds, was originally selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round (67th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He was originally signed by the Falcons as a free agent on October 28, 2014 after spending six-plus seasons in Carolina.

THE SLATE

The Falcons will return home for their first of two matchups with the Bucs on Nov. 1 before heading back on the road for a Nov. 8 meeting with San Francisco. The Falcons have a Week 10 bye before back-to-back home games versus the Colts and Vikings to close out November.

allegiance to Georgia Tech.

Sophomore guard Reikan Donaldson joins coach Doug Lipscomb’s team after playing at Calvary Day in Savannah.

MILTON ADDS AND SUBTRACTS

The big winner of all this moving-andshaking has to be Milton, who vaults itself back into state prominence if all the pieces come together. Kendrick Summerour brings his slick And-1 type handles to the Eagles after averaging 14.1 points and 4.1 assists as a sophomore at Kell. Justin Brown averaged 15.1 points a night as a freshman at Northview, while Kyrin Galloway brings size inside. This new trio will teamup with Harvard bound big man Chris Lewis and the rapidly improving Alex O’Connell.

Although Milton added a plethora of talent this offseason, they also lost some key pieces that saw a lot of time on the court last year. Senior Keishon Kershaw and junior David Swillum will bring their abilities to Alpharetta.

Kershaw started half the season for the Eagles and provides energy on the perimeter. Swillum led the JV team in scoring and has been groomed to make a contribution right away in his first season playing full-time on varsity.

Fellow junior DJ Young has left for first-year school Discovery and should be thrust into a role which will see him as a primary option on offense. When he gets the opportunity to set his feet, Young can be lethal from outside with his three-point stroke.

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Vol. 11 Iss. 35 | October 22-28, 2015

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Watch the nation’s

sunday

top D1 wrestlers participate in a dual meet format

Nov. 1

MAIN EVENT 5:00-7:00PM ON ESPNU UNDERCARD MATCHES AT 3:00PM at McCamish Pavilion at Georgia Tech

PLEASE GO TO WWW.THEALLSTARCLASSIC.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION