FORT VALLEY STATE
Key returning players: LeRon Furr (Carver), a Division II All-American linebacker, led Fort Valley State's defense with 80 tackles (35 solo), 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He is one of four starters returning to the Wildcats' defense, including defensive lineman Bernard Little.
Little (Putnam County) recorded 19 solo tackles and tied for second-most sacks with 2.5 for a loss of 20 yards.
“We expect our defense to be just as good as they’ve been the last three or four years,” head coach Donald Pittman said. “(Furr and Little) will provide the leadership for us.”
Both Furr and Little made the preseason All-SIAC team. Furr was named to the first team and Little to the second.
Emerging players: Running back Jonquez Sanders (Taylor County) saw a significant amount of playing time last season, according to Pittman. Sanders shared ball-carrying duties with Nikilous McDaniels (Macon State), Michael Bellamy (Eastern Arizona College) and quarterback Michael Eady (Swainsboro), an emerging player in his own right.
Then a freshman, Eady (initially a quarterback/running back hybrid) rushed for 460 yards, ahead of McDaniels (291 yards), Sanders (165) and Bellamy (152). Sanders never rushed for more than 33 yards in a game. Even so, Sanders played in all 1o of Fort Valley State’s games, and with Bellamy gone and Eady making the full move to quarterback, Pittman expects his productivity to increase.
With quarterback Eugene Smith gone, the offensive reigns are entirely in Eady’s hands and Pittman is expecting him to lead. Eady will fully adopt the quarterback role in 2014 after throwing for 606 yards and six touchdowns in just four games last season.
For the future: Pittman is encouraged by incoming freshman running back Mario Cherry (Thomasville), who rushed for 1,432 and 15 touchdowns in his senior season with the Bulldogs.
“We think that we have a very good freshman class coming in,” Pittman said. “We think that Mario Cherry … is going to see a tremendous amount of playing time his freshman year.”
They'll have a winning season if: The Wildcats can make even the slightest improvements on offense. Fort Valley State ranked 144th in total offense among Division II schools, averaging 4.36 yards per play and 307 yards per game.
They'll come up short if: Fort Valley State can't establish team chemistry. Despite having the seventh-ranked defense in Division II, Pittman said the team just didn't click as a whole last season and as a result finished 4-6.
Chatter: Former Fort Valley State safety DeRon Furr signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in May, but was released from the team July 24. He had the most solo tackles on the team last season with 35, just two more than brother LeRon.
Must-see games: Fort Valley State will play reigning SIAC champion Albany State in its last regular-season game of 2014 on Nov. 8. Albany State and Fort Valley State are projected to finish first and second, respectively, in the Eastern Division of the SIAC as voted by league coaches. The Wildcats narrowly leads the series 32-31-3 and lose to Albany State last season 19-10; the Golden Rams have a legitimate chance to tie the series this year in the 25th Annual Fountain City Classic. The winner of this game could be the deciding factor in who claims the East and possibly the conference.
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