After beating Division II Tusculum last weekend, Georgia Southern is ranked No. 1 in both the two major FCS (formerly Division I-A) polls for the first time since 2001.
Eagles coach Jeff Monken is not impressed.
“The No. 1 ranking doesn’t mean anything to us,” Monken said. “I am not going to make a big deal about it or address it [with the team]. Our guys will see enough things from the film this past week again that we will need to improve on to realize we don’t deserve a No. 1 ranking right now.”
Tusculum scored twice in the second quarter to cut the lead to 21-14 at halftime before the Eagles pulled away. In the opening game, Georgia Southern had four fumbles and was tied at halftime before holding off Samford for a 31-17 victory.
Georgia Southern started the 2001 season ranked No. 1 after winning the national championship the previous year. The Eagles started 7-0 in 2001 and finished 12-2 with a Southern Conference championship.
The Eagles are off this week before playing Western Carolina on Sept. 24, so their No. 1 ranking likely will hold until then.
“There are a lot of 2-0 teams in the country, very good football teams,” Monken said. “We are 2-0 just like they are, and I don’t know what necessarily makes us No. 1 at this point. Those are nice for the fans, and they can boast to their friends at rival schools, but really it doesn’t mean anything more than that.
“We’ve got nine more regular-season games to go, and we haven’t played a great football game yet.”
Albany State, Jennings score big
Albany State coach Mike White is a defensive guru, so there was a hint of disdain in his voice when he declared before the season that the Golden Rams would have to win with offense because of their inexperienced defense.
But the Golden Rams have done just that so far, racking up 43 points and 404.5 yards per game to offset 31 points and 389 yards allowed. The Golden Rams (2-0) beat Wingate 49-28 on Saturday and moved up to No. 8 in the d2football.com poll.
The Golden Rams play host to No. 10 Valdosta State on Saturday.
Albany State quarterback Stanley Jennings (Marietta), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association MVP last season, is off to a hot start.
His 290 yards of offense per game are more than 73.5 yards more than the next player, Morehouse quarterback Byron Ingram (Redan). Jennings completed 17 of 30 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns against Wingate.
“I was in the film room a little more this last week, so I kind of understood when they we’re blitzing,” Jennings told the Fox affiliate in Albany. “Like coach said, it was a statement game, so we already felt that we had a pretty good team, so we got stuff to prove.”
Jennings was named the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference offensive player of the week and was nominated for the national player of the week by The Heritage Sports Radio Network.
Clark Atlanta bounces back
After opening the season with a disheartening 41-7 loss to Georgia State after that game was anticipated all summer, Clark Atlanta responded with a 21-3 victory over Lane on Saturday.
The Panthers held Lane to 32 yards of total offense, which coach Daryl McNeill said is a school record.
“Overall, I couldn’t ask for anything better from the defense,” McNeill said. “I’ve said all along that defense would be how we win football games. Overall we have some work to do on offense, but you are always pleased with a win like that.”
McNeill said he was encouraged by some changes he made along the offensive line against Lane. Josh Sterner and Ricky Hart, both freshmen, took over at right guard and tackle, respectively and Chandler Knight (Marietta) started at left guard.
Although Lane is a fellow member of the SIAC, the game didn’t count as an official league game. So the game Saturday against Fort Valley State is the league opener for Clark Atlanta.
Etc.
Linebacker Ryan Smith (Chamblee) helped lead Valdosta State to a 24-17 victory over Newberry on Saturday. Smith had two interceptions deep in Blazers territory and also recorded 11 tackles, including two for losses. Smith was named the Gulf South Conference defensive player of the week.
Quotable
“People ask me, ‘You eat kangaroo?’ I say, ‘Yeah, and we eat koala, too.’ But we don’t actually eat koala. A few of the players are asking me if I can get some kangaroo, and I said I will check the quarantine laws, but I can’t see myself getting any over here. ” — Albany State punter/kicker and Australian native Luke Jones to the Albany Herald.
By the numbers
13-1 Valdosta State’s all-time record vs. Albany State, which recorded its only victory in the series in 2004.
4-0 Record for Gulf South Conference teams against non-conference opponents last weekend.
8.2 Average yards per rushing attempt for Georgia Southern freshman Dominique Swope (Buford) this season after he had 55 on five carries against Tusculum.
Schedule
Saturday
Clark Atlanta vs. Fort Valley State, 6 p.m.
Morehouse vs. Edwards Waters, 7 p.m.
Savannah State at North Carolina Central, 6 p.m.
Albany State vs. Valdosta State, 7 p.m.
West Georgia vs. Arkansas-Monticello, 7 p.m.
