GENERAL VIEWS ( 4th Edition )

You know how you have things build up inside that frustrate or disappoint you and you have to vent or you will bust? Today is a day that I have to vent about something. The thing that I want to vent about has been building up for about 5 or 6 years. It is the.....

Byrnes Rebels football program. The first thing I would like to say about the Byrnes program is they are a great High School Football team and program. They have had a lot of success against teams from their own state of South Carolina, winning State Championships in 6 of the last 7 seasons. They have had very good success on the National High School level as well, finishing in the National Top 25 on three different occasions. The Rebels have a 9 and 1 record against out-of-state competition since 2002. It is not Byrnes success that I want to vent about, it is the way they win that has me upset! The Byrnes Rebels win with NO CLASS! What do I mean about no class? I will give you some examples. (1)They schedule teams like 2A Woodland and then run up the score to 85 to 8. The Rebels had no business playing a bad 2A team. (2) When the Rebels have huge leads, like 49 to 0, they go for it on 4th Down to score even more points. If you won with class you wouldn't try to rub a teams nose in it like this. (3) When Byrnes has you down big, they keep their starters in way to long. In the game this past Friday, Byrnes was up 53 to 0 late 3rd Quarter, and star RB Marcus Lattimore scored another TD to make the score 60 to 0. If the Rebels won with class, the starters would have been out of the game before the score was 60 to 0. (4) When the Byrnes Rebels are up big, like 49 to 0, the Coaches call for a reverse pass play that scores another TD. If a program won with class, they wouldn't call a play like this when they are ahead by this big of a score. Byrnes does this kind of stuff all the time! I have no problem with a team continuing to run their offense and defense when they're up 56 to 0. My problem is a team running gadget plays and going for 1st downs on 4th down and long just to score more points! A team that wins with class and sportsmanship does not do this! The Byrnes Rebels do this kind of thing all the time. These are a few of the reasons that The ArmChair Coach sees the Byrnes Rebels as a High School football program that wins with NO CLASS! I would love to hear your comments on this subject. Let me know if you agree or disagree with The ArmChair Coach and your reasons why.

Did You Know? The only out-of-state team to defeat the Byrnes Rebels since 2002 was Evangel Christian Academy of Louisiana. The score was 21 to 10.

THE NFL GAME OF THE WEEK turned out to be another loss for the Carolina Panthers. Dallas defeated the Panthers 21 to 7. The Cowboys forced 3 Jake Delhomme ( T.O.) turnovers and rallied in the 2nd half for the win. The Panthers have serious problems and are off to an 0 and 3 start to the season. Maybe Carolina can find some answers to some of their questions during their bye week this week.

The ArmChair Coach wound up 13 and 7 in my picks for this past weekend. Record for the season is 57 and 16 for a percentage of .780.

Until Friday.

SPORTS WEEKEND REVIEW ( 4th Edition )

THE NFL GAME OF THE WEEK

Carolina @ Dallas..... Jake Delhomme and the struggling Carolina Panthers have a tough task tonight as they play the struggling Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. The Panthers need a win in the worse kind of way and the Cowboys need a win after their dissapointing loss last week to the Giants. Delhomme played better last week but the results were the same, A LOSS! The stage was set in Dallas last week with a national TV audience, the opening of their new stadium and a Division rival as their opponent. What does Romo do? HE LAYS ANOTHER EGG IN A BIG GAME! I do expect the Cowboys to win this game as they have less questions than the Panthers and they are at home..... Dallas 31 Carolina 23

THE HIGH SCHOOL GAME OF THE WEEK turned out to be a blowout for the Byrnes Rebels. The Gaffney Indians young defense stopped the Rebels on the 3 yard line on Byrnes first possession of the game and looked like they might have the confidence to play with the Rebels. Byrnes defense forced a safety and then returned the kick 74 yards for a TD. The young Indians were DONE! They lost confidence, were intimidated and their minds were not in the game. THE INDIANS CAME APART AT THE SEAMS! The score of 60 to 7 was more about Byrnes confidence and experience and Gaffney's lack there of, than anything else. Byrnes is loaded with talent, experienced talent that was ready for a big game like this. Gaffney is loaded with talent as well, but very young and inexperienced talent that was not ready or confident enough for a big game like this. The better team won the game. It will be interesting to see how the young Indians respond after this game. Stay tuned with The ArmChair Coach to see how it plays out.

Did You Know? The last home football game that the Byrnes Rebels lost was a 2002 playoff game to Conway. They have won 56 in a row at home.

THE COLLEGE GAME OF THE WEEK turned out to be a shocker. I was not shocked at Virginia Tech winning the game over Miami but the margin of victory was the shocker! I am sure no one expected a 31 to 7 score by either team. The Hokies finally showed why they are the team to beat in the ACC again this year. The Miami Hurricanes finally came back down to earth after two impressive wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech. The Canes have to get ready to host Oklahoma this weekend. The Hokies travel to Duke.

The ArmChair Coach was 12 and 7 in game predictions this past weekend with tonight's Carolina @ Dallas game still to be played.

I went to the Pageland-Central @ Chesterfield game this past Friday night and I saw a great defensive team in the Chesterfield Rams. The Rams are 5 and 0 with 5 shut outs this season. It will be interesting to see how the Chesterfield defense does the rest of the season. The ArmChair Coach will be following this story to see how it unfolds. Stay Tuned.

JIMMIE JOHNSON WINS! at Dover, Delaware this past weekend to pull the three-time defending Sprint Cup Champion to within 10 points of Cup leader Mark Martin.

Until Wednesday.

SPORTS WEEKEND PREVIEW ( 4th Edition )

GAMECOCKS UPSET OLE MISS REBELS!

South Carolina used a strong defensive performance in their 16 to 10 victory over Ole Miss last night. The win over the 4th ranked Rebels was the highest ranked team the Gamecocks have ever beaten at home. The previous high was a 6th ranked team. Eric Norwood, in the photo, led the South Carolina defense with 2 sacks and became the school's career leader with 28. The Gamecocks held highly touted QB Jevan Snead in check as he was only 7 for 21 for 107 yards and one TD pass. South Carolina looked like the ranked team and Ole Miss looked like the over-rated team that I thought they were. I look for the Gamecocks to enter the national rankings this week and for the Rebels to fall out of the top 10. South Carolina plays host to South Carolina State next Saturday.

HIGH SCHOOL GAME OF THE WEEK

Gaffney @ Byrnes..... This has turned into one of the best rivalries in the state. You have two schools that have won a total of 25 State Championships between them. Gaffney leads the series 11 to 9. The series is 3 wins Gaffney and 3 wins Byrnes over the past 6 meetings. Three seasons ago Gaffney beat Brynes twice, once during the regular season on national TV and then knocking the Rebels out of the playoffs in route to their 16th State Championship. The Byrnes Rebels have only lost 4 games to in-state teams since 2004 and 3 of the 4 have been to Gaffney. The Rebels have won the previous two meetings by 49 to 14 and 42 to 14 scores. This season the Rebels are loaded with a talented team of college prospects led by Marcus Lattimore and Rutgers commitment Chas Dodd. The Indians are a very young team that continues to improve week to week. Gaffney is led by QB D'Edward Burris and Clemson commitment Joe Craig. The Gaffney defense will have to play beyond their years to slow down the Byrnes offense and their offense will have to score lots of points to stay in the game. I see the Rebels winning this game..... Byrnes 42 Gaffney 20

OTHER HIGH SCHOOL GAMES

Pageland-Central @ Chesterfield..... This should be Chesterfield's biggest test so far this season. The test will not be big enough for Central..... Chesterfield 26 Pageland-Central 13

Chapman @ Chesnee..... The Eagles won big last season against the Panthers and should win this year. The game will be close..... Chesnee 26 Chapman 21

T.L. Hanna @ Dorman..... The Cavaliers are a much better team than the Yellowjackets and they will show it on the field..... Dorman 56 T.L. Hanna 16

Emerald @ Boiling Springs..... The Bulldogs have scored a lot of points this season and Emerald has not, so..... Boiling Springs 54 Emerald 6

Woodruff @ Blacksburg..... The Wolverines offense should roll in this game and their defense is getting better..... Woodruff 49 Blacksburg 8

Liberty @ Landrum..... Liberty's defense gives up a lot of points but Landrum's offense is not a juggernaught. The Cardinals should score enough to win..... Landrum 30 Liberty 21

Union County @ Broome..... This should be a close hard fought defensive battle with the home team getting the nod..... Broome 10 Union County 7

COLLEGE GAME OF THE WEEK

Miami @ Virginia Tech..... Miami has looked very impressive in wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech. Canes QB Jacory Harris has been one of the best QBs in the country in the early season and has made Miami's offense hard to stop. The Miami defense has been up and down but looked good against Georgia Tech's running game las week. Virginia Tech has looked very dissapointing on offense this season but strong on defense and special teams. The Hokies will have to score more points to win this game and I don't think they can. I see Miami going to 3 and 0 in the ACC in this early season..... Miami 23 Virginis Tech 16

OTHER COLLEGE GAMES

TCU @ Clemson..... The Tigers have a chance to get Dabo Swinney's first win against a ranked team. I don't think it will happen this week..... TCU 17 Clemson 13

North Carolina @ Georgia Tech..... This should be and outstanding ball game. The Jackets lost to Miami last week and can't afford to lose another ACC game this early..... Georgia Tech 27 North Carolina 23

Florida @ Kentucky..... The Gator's offense gets back on track this week..... Florida 41 Kentucky 10

Arkansas @ Alabama..... This should be a good test for the Alabama defense, and they will pass with flying colors..... Alabama 34 Arkansas 17

Wake Forest @ Boston College..... The Demon Deacons and Eagles will play a very physical game and I see Wake having a little more offense..... Wake Forest 17 Boston College 13

Iowa @ Penn State..... The Iowa Hawkeyes shocked Penn State last season, the Nittany Lions get sweet revenge..... Penn State 24 Iowa 10

NFL GAMES THIS WEEK

Tennessee @ NY Jets..... The Titans need a win bad, they will get it..... Tennessee 20 NY Jets 16

Miami @ San Diego..... The Dolphins can't afford to go 0 and 3 but they do..... San Diego 28 Miami 17

NY Giants @ Tampa Bay..... The Giants should win this game big..... NY Giants 34 Tampa Bay 10

I will preview the NFL GAME OF THE WEEK, Carolina @ Dallas on Monday.

Until Monday

GENERAL VIEWS ( 3rd Edition )

I want to look at the early surprises and disappointments in the college football world so far this season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL has had a few surprises so far this season with BYU upsetting Oklahoma and Washington giving Southern Cal its usual early season loss to an unranked conference opponent. The Southern Cal loss is probably not as surprising as you might think because of their recent history. It would have been an even bigger surprise to me if it hadn't happened. I was surprised that it was Washington instead of someone else upsetting the Trojans. The defending champion Florida Gators are 3 and 0 which is not a surprise, with blowouts against Charleston Southern and Troy. The surprise is we still don't know how good the Gators are because of their less than impressive win against Tennessee. The Auburn Tigers are off to a surprisingly good start with a big win over West Virginia. The South Carolina Gamecocks are about where I expected them to be at 2 and 1. They have a big test at home on Thursday night against Ole Miss. In the ACC, the Miami Hurricanes have been very impressive with big wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech. I believe the Canes are going to be a surprise title contender in the ACC race. The Clemson Tigers are where I thought they would be at 2 and 1. The Tigers look like a very good defensive team with an inconsistent offense. Clemson played their base defense for the first time this past Saturday against Boston College and was very impressive. I really expected Virginia Tech to be more impressive on offense this season, but so far their offense has been very disappointing. The Hokies have a big game this weekend with Miami. The North Carolina Tar Heels are 3 and 0 as expected, but they are a disappointing 3 and 0, as they have not been impressive, while struggling with UConn and East Carolina. The Michigan Wolverines have been a surprising team so far this season with their win over a disappointing Notre Dame team. The start of the college football season has been exciting with its surprises and disappointments and you can count on many many more before it is said and done. Stay tuned to The ArmChair Coach and we will enjoy the excitement together.

THURSDAY NIGHT COLLEGE FOOTBALL has Mississippi @ South Carolina..... The 4th ranked Rebels come in to Williams-Brice stadium on a mission to prove to the nation that they are as good as advertised. I personally think Ole Miss is a very good team but is definitely over-rated. I would rank them around 15th or 16th. I look for the Gamecocks to play well and give the Rebels all they want but I have Ole Miss winning the game..... Mississippi 31 South Carolina 27

DID YOU KNOW? The South Carolina Gamecocks under Steve Spurrier are 1 and 7 against top 10 opponents and 0 and 4 against top 5 opponents.

DID YOU KNOW? The South Carolina Gamecocks have a record of 1 and 31 overall against top 5 teams. They defeated 3rd ranked North Carolina in 1981.

Until Friday.

SPORTS WEEKEND REVIEW ( 3rd Edition )

INDIANS POUND JACKETS!

Gaffney used a powerful offensive display and opportunistic defense to over power T.L. Hanna on Friday night at The Reservation. Indian's QB D'Edward Burris had 320 yards of total offense, scored two TD's and had two TD passes to lead the Tribe on offense. Sophomore RB Robert Grandy, shown in photo, added 64 yards rushing and his 1st varsity TD. Freshman DT Jaylin Miller returned a Hanna fumble 64 yards for a TD in the 3rd Quarter to lead the Gaffney defense. The Indians travel to Byrnes on Friday.

Did You Know? The 54 points the Indians scored on Friday night is the most points scored by a team at The New Reservation.

THE HIGH SCHOOL GAME OF THE WEEK this past Friday had Spartanburg playing great defense and outgaining Greenwood 336 yards to 120 yards and still the Vikings lost the game. Four turnovers led to 14 Greenwood points and other offensive mistakes stopped potential scoring drives. It was a very disappointing performance by the Spartanburg Vikings as they lost at home for the 2nd consecutive week. It was a very big win for the Greenwood Eagles as they found a way to get it done and avenge the loss to the Vikings last season.

THE COLLEGE GAME OF THE WEEK had the Clemson Tigers, with a dominating defensive and special teams performance, defeating the Boston College Eagles 25 to 7. C.J. Spiller got the Tigers off and running with a 1st Quarter 77 yard punt return for a TD. It turned out to be Clemson's only TD of the game. Spiller had 240 all-purpose yards for the game before leaving early in the 4th Quarter after aggravating the toe injury he suffered in week one of the season. Richard Jackson made 6 field goals, with a long of 52 yards, for the Tigers other points of the day. Clemson QB Kyle Parker finally played like a freshman as he had two picks and a very up and down game. The Tiger's defense played a great game as they held Boston College to 55 yards of offense and four 1st downs. Clemson's defensive front dominated the line of scrimmage against the Eagle's huge offensive line. The 55 yards allowed by the Clemson defense is the second-lowest total allowed by the Tigers against an ACC opponent. The Tigers allowed 41 yards against Virginia in 1963. Clemson prepares for a visit from 15th ranked TCU on Saturday afternoon.

Did You Know? The 6 field goals, made by Richard Jackson, tied the school record of Jad Dean.

THE NFL GAME OF THE WEEK turned out to be a better played game by Jake Delhomme (T.O.) than the last two games that the Panthers had. The bad thing is the Carolina Panthers had the same result A LOSS! The Atlanta Falcons beat the Panthers 28 to 20. Delhomme threw for 308 yards and one TD and one INT. The Falcons got a very good game from QB Matt Ryan as he threw 3 TD passes. Michael Turner rushed for 108 yards and one TD. Matt Ryan could have played in a tuxedo as the Panther's defense didn't touch him all game. Carolina has some serious problems on defense and they find themselves with an 0 and 2 record. Things had better turn around fast or some heads could roll.

MARK MARTIN WINS THE CHASE OPENER and is in the points lead for the Nascar championship. The 50-year-old driver won for the 5th time this season by holding off Juan Pablo Montoya at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Denny Hamlin and three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson are 35 points behind in the Chase for the Championship. Stay tuned.

The ArmChair Coach was 14 and 6 in game predictions for this past weekend. Record for the season is 44 and 9 for a percentage of .830. I would love to hear your comments.

Until Wednesday.

SPORTS WEEKEND PREVIEW ( 3rd Edition )

HIGH SCHOOL GAME OF THE WEEK

Greenwood @ Spartanburg..... Last season the Vikings surprised Greenwood with a close win on the road. Spartanburg won a close defensive battle 13 to 11. The Spartanburg offense is better than last years and their defense is still solid. The Vikings were defeated by a good Sumter team last week in their home opener and looks to turn things around this week in front of their home fans. Greenwood lost their first game of the season to Dorman last week. The Eagles have a new Head Coach this year but are still a very good team as they look to bounce back this week. I look for another close game between these two 4A powers but with more points scored..... Spartanburg 27 Greenwood 23

OTHER HIGH SCHOOL GAMES

Chesterfield @ Buford..... This could be a trap game for the Chesterfield Rams. The Rams had a big win against Cheraw last week and has a big game against Pageland-Central looming next week. The Rams will be down but they have enough for the win..... Chesterfield 30 Buford 19

Boiling Srings @ Aiken..... Boiling Srings lost a close one at home to these guys last season and they are looking for revenge..... Boiling Springs 24 Aiken 16

Woodruff @ Chapman..... Woodruff is coming off a big emotional win last week and could be down this week. The Wolverines still have enough for the win..... Woodruff 41 Chapman 24

T.L. Hanna @ Gaffney..... The Indians won big at Hanna last season and will win big at home this season..... Gaffney 38 T.L. Hanna 7

Nation Ford @ Chesnee..... The Eagles defeated their 4A opponents last season by 21. The game will be a little bit closer this season but the Eagles will win again..... Chesnee 34 Nation Ford 20

Dorman @ Lexington..... The Cavaliers make the trip to the midlands and come home with a big win..... Dorman 38 Lexington 16

Woodland @ Byrnes..... Why is Woodland playing this game? GET REAL! ..... Byrnes 56 Woodland 6

COLLEGE GAME OF THE WEEK

Boston College @ Clemson..... This game always seems to be close. The Tigers won a close game at Boston College last season to give Dabo Swinney his first win as Interim Coach. The two previous seasons Boston College won in over time. BC comes into the game 2 and 0 with victories over lesser opponents. Clemson comes into the game 1 and 1 after losing a heart breaker at Georgia Tech last week. I see the Tigers feeding off the momentum from last weeks 2nd half performance and winning at home against the Eagles..... Clemson 27 Boston College 17

OTHER COLLEGE GAMES

Florida Atlantic @ South Carolina..... I look for the Gamecocks to play a more complete game in their home opener..... South Carolina 34 Florida Atlantic 13

Nebraska @ Virginia Tech..... The Hokies should win this game late on a special teams play. BEAMER BALL LIVES! ..... Virginia Tech 17 Nebraska 14

East Carolina @ North Carolina..... The Tar Heels need to play better to win against the fired up Pirates. They will..... North Carolina 24 East Carolina 17

Tennessee @ Florida..... This will not be a typical Tennessee vs Florida game. The Gators roll to an easy victory..... Florida 45 Tennessee 14

Duke @ Kansas..... Duke beat Army last week for first win. They will not get win number two this week..... Kansas 34 Duke 17

Middle Tennessee State @ Maryland..... Maryland should win this game but it won't be easy..... Maryland 20 Middle Tennessee State 17

NFL GAME OF THE WEEK

N.Y. Giants @ Dallas..... These two teams do not like each other. This should be a very hard hitting game and playing at home the Cowboys should win. I see Tony Romo leading the Dallas Cowboys to a big early season victory..... Dallas 24 N.Y. Giants 21

OTHER NFL GAMES

Carolina @ Atlanta..... The Panthers play better but come up short..... Atlanta 27 Carolina 24

Cincinnatti @ Green Bay..... The Packers win big at home in this game..... Green Bay 31 Cincinnatti 14

Minnesota @ Detroit..... I see Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson having bid daya in this one..... Minnesota 30 Detroit 13

New England @ N.Y. Jets..... Tom Brady has a big day, Mark Sanchez does not..... New England 37 N.Y. Jets 10

Enjoy your Sports Week End. Until Monday

GENERAL VIEWS ( 2nd Edition )

The first thing I would like to blog about today is Carolina Panthers QB Jake Delhomme. The Panthers have their own T.O. I think the nickname T.O. is very appropriate for Delhomme because in his case T.O. stands for TurnOver. In the playoff loss to the Arizona Cardinals last season Jake had 6 turnovers by himself. Jake said he had put the Arizona game behind him and it was just a bad game. I figured it was just one of those games as well. The Panthers thought it was just a bad game and they gave Delhomme a 5 year contract extension. Then we go into the regular season opener against the Eagles and what does Jake do, HE HAS FIVE OF THE PANTHERS SEVEN TURNOVERS. The Carolina Panthers lose their season opener 38 to 10. I have been a big Delhomme fan since he led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2003. He led the Panthers to several come from behind games on their way to the Super Bowl. The Panthers were known that season as the Cardiac Cats. I really believe the Panthers have a serious question at QB this season because you can't win when your QB is T.O. It will be very interesting to watch this story unfold this season, to see how John Fox and the Panthers answer this question. It will definitely be something that The ArmChair Coach will be watching. I would bench Jake Delhomme even though he is the face of your team. We will see what happens.







Did You Know? Jake Delhomme has been the Panthers opening day starter at QB for the last 6 openers. Rodney Peete was the opening game starter at QB in 2003, the year the Panthers won the NFC and played in the Super Bowl.







The Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones is my next topic to blog about. Chipper has been the face of the Braves franchise and their star player since the mid 1990's. He helped them win 10 of their 14 Division Titles in a row and was a part of their only World Series Championship team in 1995. He is one of the best switch hitters in Baseball history. Over the last 4 or 5 seasons he has been injury prone and has missed several games. Chipper's numbers have been down from what Braves fans are use to but last season he won the National League Batting Title on a bad Braves team. This season the Braves have a better team and until recently they had played themselves into Division and Wild Card playoff contention. When the Braves needed their Superstar the most he fell into a horrible batting slump and the Braves are a longshot at best to contend down the stretch. I think it might be time for the Braves to get what they can get for Chipper and move in another direction at third base.

We will see what happens.



Did You Know? Steve Spurrier is 19 and 1 in season openers in his coaching career.

SPORTS WEEKEND REVIEW ( 2nd Edition )

The Gaffney Indians enter The Reservation for their home opener against Union County this past Friday night. The Indians looked impressive in rolling to a 31 to 0 victory over the Yellow Jackets. Indians QB D'Edward Burris led the offense with two TD passes and over 100 yards rushing. The Indian's defense kept the Union County Wing-T offense bottled up all night. It was a bitter sweet win for the Indians as they lost their two top RB's with injuries in the first half. Next up for the Indians will be T.L. Hanna at The Reservation on Friday.

The Chesterfield @ Cheraw game that I had as my game of the week in High School Football this past weekend tuned out to be a blowout for the Chesterfield Rams. The Rams defeated the Braves 32 to 0. The Chesterfield Rams and their fans have the bragging rights for a third year in a row. I am sure the Cheraw Braves are trying to find out what kind of juggernaught hit them this past Friday night.

The College Football Game of the Week this past weekend was South Carolina @ Georgia. This game sure did live up to the hype. The game was close as I expected but it was much higher scoring, as the Bulldogs held on by a score of 41 to 37. The Gamecocks and their fans have to be encouraged by the play of QB Steven Garcia as he had career highs in pass attempts, pass completions and passing yards. The Carolina defense decided to take the night off, as the Bulldogs moved the ball up and down the field. The Ole ball coach is still looking for a complete game.

My NFL Game of the Week between Philadelphia @ Carolina turned out to be a surprising blowout as well. The Panthers look as though they have a VERY BIG QUESTION MARK at QB as Jake Delhomme turned in another turnover plagued game, to follow up last season's playoff turnover fest against the Cardinals. The Panthers as a team had 7 turnovers and Delhomme had 5 himself. The Eagles pounded the Panthers 38 to 10. I'm sure John Foxx is scrathing his head over this game as I am. I will have more on Jake Delhomme in Wednesdays blog.

align=left>The ArmChair Coach went 17 and 1 in game predictions this past weekend missing only the Notre Dame last second loss to Michigan. My record for two weeks is 30 and 3.

Until Wednesday

SPORTS WEEKEND PREVIEW ( 2nd Edition )

Heartbreak City aka Atlanta, GA, was the scene of an unbelievable football game between Clemson and Georgia Tech. The game was played at Bobby Dodd Stadium last night. The Clemson Tigers rallied from being down 24 to 0 to Georgia Tech with 27 unanswered points of their own to lead 27 to 24 in the 4th quarter. The Yellow Jackets then rallied themselves with a late field goal to break the hearts of the Tigers and their fans winning 30 to 27. The Yellow Jackets have won 5 of the last 6 games against the Tigers. This turned out to be a typical Clemson and Georgia Tech game as 11 of the last 14 games have been decided by 5 points or less. Photo compliments of Spartanburg Herald- Journal.

HIGH SCHOOL GAME OF THE WEEK

Chesterfield @ Cheraw.....I had the opportunity to attend this match up last season and I was very impressed. The rivalry between the Chesterfield Rams and the Cheraw Braves is very much alive in Chesterfield County. THEY DO NOT LIKE EACH OTHER! Cheraw dominated this series for several years and enjoyed bragging rights. In 2005 Chesterfield hired former Gamecocks QB Steve Tanneyhill as Head Coach. Tannyhill has built the Rams into a state power in his 4 years at the school. The Rams have played for the 1A State Championship each of the past 3 years, winning the last 2. Chesterfield has also beaten Cheraw the last two years. Cheraw, a State 2A power, is fired up to regain their domination over the Rams and prove they are the best team in Chesterfield County. I see the Braves not having enough offensive fire power to stay with the high scoring Rams..... Chesterfield 33 Cheraw 16

OTHER HIGH SCHOOL GAMES

Union County @ Gaffney..... The momentum from last weeks come from behind victory by the Indians should carry over for a big win in home opener..... Gaffney 38 Union County 10

Abbeville @ Woodruff..... This should be a very good game between two outstanding teams. The Wolverines offense is clicking on all cylinders..... Woodruff 41 Abbeville 28

Boiling Springs @ York..... Boiling Springs got a big boost from Coach Clark being back on the side line last week. This week they won't need it..... Boiling Springs 31 York

Chesnee @ Blacksburg..... Blacksburg is improved from last year when Chesnee embarrassed them. Not improved enough..... Chesnee 27 Blacksburg 12

Dorman @ Greenwood..... After a bye week, Dorman is excited about being back on the field against a good opponent..... Dorman 24 Greenwood 14

Byrnes @ Greer..... The Rebels have dominated this series in recent years. Nuff said! ....Byrnes 56 Greer 20

COLLEGE GAME OF THE WEEK

South Carolina @ Georgia..... The Gamecocks didn't look to good last week in 7 to 3 win against NC State. The Gamecocks always play the Bulldogs tough. I expect Steven Garcia to play better and make better decisions than he did last week. I see the Carolina offense improving some this week but they are still a long way from where the Ole Ball Coach wants them to be. Georgia lost on the road to a very good Oklahoma State team and really missed Matthew Stafford. I look for the Bulldogs to be pumped playing between the hedges for the first time this year. I see another defensive battle Saturday night..... Georgia 16 South Carolina 13

OTHER COLLEGE GAMES

Notre Dame @ Michigan..... I call this the Hot Seat Bowl. Both coaches could be on the hot seat if teams don't produce wins. I see Charlie Weiss and Notre Dame winning a close one..... Notre Dame 24 Michigan 20

North Carolina @ Connecticut..... This match up between the ACC and Big East should be close for a while with the Tar Heels pulling away in the 2nd half..... North Carolina 27 Connecticut 14

Southern Cal. @ Ohio State..... The Trojans should win this game even with a freshman QB starting for the first time on the road..... Southern Cal. 34 Ohio State 20

Duke @ Army..... The Blue Devils layed an egg at home last week against FCS Champion Richmond. Duke should get a win for Coach David Cut cliff this week..... Duke 20 Army 17

NFL GAME OF THE WEEK

Philadelphia @ Carolina..... Which Jake Delhomme will we see in this game? Which Panthers defense will we see in this game? Will Jonathon Stewart play and if he does will he be effective after missing all of preseason?Which Eagles team will we see, the one that started last season or the one that put it together at the end to make a run to the NFC championship game? Both teams have a lot of questions but the Eagles seam to have more answers..... Philadelphia 27 Carolina 24

OTHER NFL GAMES

Dallas @ Tampa Bay..... The Cowboys look like a very good team on paper. The game is not played on paper but I see Dallas getting the win on the road..... Dallas 31 Tampa Bay 17

Minnesota @ Cleveland..... The Brett Favre era begins in Minnesota. Brett throws a couple of TD passes as the Vikings win..... Minnesota 27 Cleveland 14

Miami @ Atlanta..... This should be a good game between surprise playoff teams from a year ago..... Atlanta 26 Miami 21

Enjoy your Sports Weekend. Until Monday.

GENERAL VIEWS ( 1st Edition )

Welcome to the 1st Edition of General Views of The ArmChair Coach. The first sports topic I want to blog about is the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have played themselves out of the race for the wild card and the Eastern Division of the National League. Atlanta can look at these last ten games 1 and 2 vs the Phillies, 2 and 2 vs the Marlins and 0 and 3 vs the lowly Reds, including losing the last 5 in a row. The Braves were in 2nd place in the Eastern Division and closing in on wild card leader Colorado when this ten game stretch began. Atlanta now finds itself in 3rd in the Division and 4th in the wild card race with about 25 games left. So you can stick a fork in the Atlanta Braves, THEY ARE DONE! There are to many teams to pass and to little games to play.

DID YOU KNOW? Since winning 14 Division Titles in a row, the Atlanta Braves have not been in the playoffs since 2005.

The big game in the ACC this week is on Thursday night in Atlanta with Clemson @ Georgia Tech. The Tigers had to face a team last week that loved to put the ball in the air. This week, with a short week of practice, they must get ready for Georgia Tech's powerful option attack.
The Tigers come into this game after defeating Middle Tennessee 37 to 14 and Georgia Tech defeated Jacksonville State 37 to 17. This will be the first big test for both teams. Traditionally the Clemson vs Georgia Tech game is close and exciting with most of the games coming down to the last possession of the game to decide the winner. I expect this game to be the same. I look for the Tigers to play well but come up short..... Georgia Tech 20 Clemson 17

DID YOU KNOW? Last years game against Georgia Tech was Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney's first game as interim coach. The Tigers lost the game 21 to 17.

The NFL season kicks off on Thursday night with the Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburg Steelers. The Super Bowl Champion Steelers open defense of their World Championship with a very tough opener against the AFC South Champions. This should be a very hard physical defensive battle between two very good defensive teams. I expect the game to be close and I see the World Champions winning at the end..... Pittsburg 17 Tennessee 16

DID YOU KNOW? At the age of 36, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the youngest Head Coach to win the Super Bowl. Tomlin coached the Steelers to a 27 to 23 victory in last seasons Super Bowl.

The ArmChair Coach would very much like to hear from you, if you have an opinion, comment or suggestion about any of the sports views that I blog about. Just click on comments at the end of the blog that you want to comment about, and let me hear your thoughts.

Untill Friday

SPORTS WEEKEND REVIEW ( 1st Edition )

Welcome to the 1st edition of the SPORTS WEEKEND REVIEW. I hope your sports weekend was as exciting as mine was. I attended the Gaffney @ Greenville high school game on Friday night. The Gaffney Indians fell behind 23 to 0 in the 1st half. The Indians had turnovers, mistakes, bad snaps on a punt and anything that could go wrong did go wrong. The Indians did score late in the half to trail 23 to 7 at the half. Gaffney came out moving the ball on their first possession of the 2nd half, only to have a tipped pass intercepted and returned for a TD by Greenville. The Red Raiders were up 29 to 7 at that time in the game. On Gaffney's next possession, Indians star player and Clemson commitment Joe Craig ran a reverse 49 yards for a TD. This really seamed to pump some life into the Indians and they played much better the rest of the game. The Indian's defense was able to get a 3 and out and their offense moved down field and kicked a 26 yard field goal to cut the lead to 29 to 17 going to the 4th quarter. The Indian's defense got another stop on Greenville's next possession. Gaffney then moved the ball just over midfield and QB D'Edward Burris went deep and WR Khris Brown made a diving catch for a 47 yard TD to cut the Greenville lead to 29 to 25. Greenville drove the ball into Indian's territory on their next possession only to be stopped on downs. Gaffney drove down field and scored on a 5 yard pass from QB Burris to WR Brown for a 32 to 29 Gaffney lead with 2:12 remaining. Greenville's offense which had been held in check most of the 2nd half, came to life and moved down the field and scored on a 10 yard pass from QB Rooke Crouch to WR Marquise Young to give the Red Raiders the lead again at 35 to 32 with 1:17 left in the game. Gaffney was 65 yards away from a win when their offense got the ball and QB Burris went to work driving the Indians down the field. Burris hit WR Quinshad Davis with 12 yard and 30 yard pass plays and Burris himself had a 20 yard run to give Gaffney a first-and-goal. Burris then threw a 3 yard pass to Davis, who fought off a pass interference penalty to make the game winning TD catch with 31 seconds remaining in the game. Greenville got the ball back after the kick off and Indian's QB D'Edward Burris was in the game as a deep safety and intercepted the ball to preserve an improbable comeback by the Gaffney Indians. Gaffney won 39 to 35. This was definitely the game of the night in High School football in South Carolina this past weekend.

In the HIGH SCHOOL GAME OF THE WEEK that I previewed on Friday, Byrnes pounded Myrtle Beach 65 to 14. The Rebels raced out to a 51 to 7 halftime lead and never looked back. So the battle of 2008 4A Division 1 State Champs and 2008 3A State Champs turned out to be a big blowout. Byrnes QB and Rutgers commitment Chas Dodd tosses 5 TD passes and super stud RB Marcus Lattimore rushes for 152 yards on 14 carries and two TD's.

In College football over the weekend the big upset was BYU defeating Oklahoma 14 to 13. This was an enormous win for the BYU program and a big loss for Oklahoma. The Sooners will have to run the table the rest of the season to have a chance at the BCS Championship Game. Oklahoma had opportunities to score more points but didn't and lost Heisman Trophy winning QB Sam Bradford to an injury in the 2nd quarter.

The Clemson Tigers won their season opener against Middle Tennessee State 37 to 14. Heisman Trophy candidate C.J. Spiller got the Tiger's season off to a great and exciting start by returning the opening kickoff 96 yards for a TD. Spiller finished the game with 171 all-purpose yards but didn't play after the 2nd quarter due to a minor injury he suffered during his long punt return. Jacoby Ford had a good game after a slow start. He dropped 3 passes in the 1st half but did return a punt 61 yards for a 2nd quarter TD. Ford also had a 43 yard TD reception in the 2nd quarter and finished with 3 catches for 70 yards. The Tigers showed just how much big play potential their offense has. Kyle Parker played well in his first college game. Parker was 9 for 20 for 159 yards and 2 TD passes and no interceptions. He also had 5 dropped passes 4 of which were on 3rd down that would have kept drives going. Parker added 25 yards on the ground which gives opposing defenses something else to think about. The Clemson defense played well and had 3 interceptions. They still have a long way to go but the Tigers got a good opening day win against a Division 1 FBS team.

In the COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK that I previewed on Friday, Alabama defeated Virginia Tech 34 to 24 despite the Hokies returning a kickoff 98 yards for a TD and 2 costly turnovers and several penalties. Alabama RB Mark Ingram rushed for 150 yards and finished off the Hokies with two 4th quarter TD's. The Crimson Tide's defense held the Hokies offense in check and wore down their defense in the 4th quarter to get a big win in a game between two top 10 teams.

The ArmChair Coach went 13 and 2 in the games that were predicted over the weekend in High School and College football. The misses were Baylor defeating Wake Forest and BYU upsetting Oklahoma. I hope your weekend of sports was as exciting as mine.

Untill Wednesday.

SPORTS WEEKEND PREVIEW (1st Edition)

Welcome to the 1st edition of Sports Weekend Preview from The ArmChair Coach. The first thing I would like to say is, what an awful display of offensive football by the Gamecocks and Wolfpack last night. IT WAS GROSSLY OFFENSIVE! The game pretty much went as I expected eccept for the lack of points being scored. The two teams made numerus mistakes as expected in an opening game of the season. The Gamecocks made fewer mistakes and came out on top 7 to 3. I thought Garcia played so so and State QB Russell Wilson was bad. I do expect both teams to play better as the season moves ahead.



I will have a Game of The Week in high school football, college football and NFL football that I will highlight every weekend. I will also look at other games going on as well.



HIGH SCHOOL GAME OF THE WEEK
Myrtle Beach @ Byrnes..... This is a game between 4A Division 1 State Champs Byrnes and 3A State Champs Myrtle Beach. These two schools have not played since 1982 when Byrnes beat Myrtle Beach 9 to 6 to win the 3A State Title. Byrnes pounded Central Gwinnett 43 to 7 lat week while Myrtle Beach shut out Carolina Forest 49 to 0. Both of these teams like to throw the ball around the yard, so look for a long ball game. Byrnes has two big advantages, playing at home and the Marcus factor. Marcus Lattimore rated by many as the #1 tailback in the nation. I see the nationally #2 ranked Byrnes Rebels defeating the Myrtle Beach Seahawks 41 to 19.

COLLEGE GAME OF THE WEEK
Virginia Tech vs Alabama in Atlanta's Georgia Dome.....Virginia Tech, by most people is considered to be the team to beat in the ACC. Myself included. They are the defending ACC champs. They are preseason ranked #7 in the country They will be better on offense this season and are always good on defense and special teams. Alabama is playing in this opening game in the Georgia Dome for the 2nd year in a row. They dismantled ACC power Clemson 34 to 10 in last years game. Alabama will have a new starter at QB in jr. Greg McElroy starting for the first time in college. The Crimson Tide's defense is very good and could be better than last year's dominating squad. Alabama is preseason ranked #5 and I see Alabama defeating Virginia Tech 23 to 16.

OTHER HIGH SCHOOL GAMES
Wren @ Boiling Springs.....The Bulldogs will be fired up with their coach back on the sideline.....Boiling Springs 38 Wren 13
Chesnee @ Landrum..... The Eagles have to much fire power for the Cardinals..... Chesnee 34 Landrum 10
Spartanburg @ Northwestern..... The Vikings remember the thrashing they got from the Trojans last year..... Spartanburg 20 Northwestern 17
Gaffney @ Greenville..... The Indians are mad about the 2nd half collapse of last week against Dorman..... Gaffney 34 Greenville 23
Woodruff @ Clinton..... The Wolverines score early and often.....Woodruff 43 Clinton 30
Blacksburg @ Indian Land..... The Wildcats could pull the upset, but.....Indian Land 21 Blacksburg 18

OTHER COLLEGE GAMES
Middle Tennessee @ Clemson..... Dabo Swinney's Tigers get off to a good start..... Clemson 34 Middle Tennessee 13
BYU vs Oklahoma in Dallas..... BYU hangs for awhile and Oklahoma pulls away in 2nd half..... Oklahoma 37 BYU 16
Baylor @ Wake Forest..... The Demon Deacons win a hard fought battle..... Wake Forest 23 Baylor 20
Mississippi @ Memphis..... Memphis will be fired up for this battle, but it want be enough..... Ole Miss 27 Memphis 10
Charleston Southern @ Florida..... I feel funny picking this game, but Florida is #1 in nation, nuff said..... Florida 73 Charleston Southern 6
Western Michigan @ Michigan..... The Wolverines get off to a good start for Rich Rodriguez..... Michigan 31 Western Michigan 10

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PREVIEW
The Atlanta Braves are in a critical series with the Cincinnati Reds. The Braves need to sweep this series and get on a winning streak if they are going to get to the post season. They come into this game on a 2 game losing streak after their bullpen fell apart the last two games of the series with the Marlins.

Enjoy the weekend in sports. Until Monday.

HELLO SPORTS WORLD!

Welcome to the kick off of my blog The ArmChair Coach! My name is Glen and I am an armchair coach. You ask, what is an armchair coach? It is very easy to explain. I am a huge sports fan that didn't play sports in school nor was I ever a coach of a school or professional sports team. You see I am one of those fans that loves to watch games and try to coach my favorite teams from the comfort of my armchair in my den. I know there are more armchair coaches out there in the sports world and I would love to hear from you. If you are like me, you have an undefeated record on your armchair coaching resume. One of the best things about being an armchair coach, instead of a real coach, is you can't be fired from your coaching position.



I would like to give you an overview of what this blog is going to be like. I will be posting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Monday's posts will be called Sports Weekend Review. I will give my views and information on sports of the past week end. Wednesday's posts will be called General Views. I will give my views and information about general topics in the sports world. Friday's posts will be called Sports Weekend Preview. I will give my views and information in a preview of the weekend ahead in sports. Some of the things that I will be blogging about are College Football, NFL Football, High School Football and Major League Baseball. You will see game previews and predictions.



The first college football game of the season is tomorrow night with South Carolina at NC State. I believe this will be an interesting game between two improved teams. The Gamecocks and Wolfpack will be better this year because of the stability in the QB position. Carolina's Steven Garcia will play better since he doesn't have to look over his shoulder to see if Chris Smelley is coming in to replace him. NC State's Russell Wilson could be the best QB in the ACC. I think both teams will have early season jitters and will make mistakes. NC State is favored, but I believe the Ole ball coach will have his team ready to get a big win on the road.... South Carolina 27 NC State 23.



Until Friday.