Titans take region's top spot with win over Elbert County

ELBERTON — Terry Tuley walked away from the handshake line, faced the scoreboard and raised both hands above his head.

“Victory!” he shouted into the cold drizzle.

North Oconee’s head coach, who turned 63 on Friday, celebrated one of the biggest victories of his career with a 17-6 win at Elbert County.

Tuley, who hadn’t won a region championship in his coaching tenure, now owns the Region 8-AA South crown after his Titans dispatched of the reigning champion Blue Devils in The Granite Bowl.

“We might not leave, we might camp out, because it’s so sweet,” Tuley said.

Georgia Notebook: Elbert and North Oconee battle for Region 8-2A South title

The game many have looked forward to for a year has arrived.

When North Oconee (8-0, 5-0 Region 8-AA) travels to The Granite Bowl this week to face No. 7 Elbert County (8-0, 5-0), the Region 8-AA South title is on the line, as well as a ticket to next week’s Region 8-AA championship.

The Titans and Blue Devils have mirrored each other all season.

They each have a smothering defense (each have four shutouts), and a star player in the offensive backfield. North Oconee, actually, has two in versatile Nick Colvin and speedy freshman Kawon Bryant. Elbert relies heavily on star Tyshon Dye.

North Oconee has averaged 45.6 points per game, while Elbert has put up 34.8. The Titans have yielded eight, compared with 7.4 for the Blue Devils.

Michigan State shocks undefeated Wisconsin

Michigan State got off to a rocky start, and trailed 14-0. But the Spartans came all the way back, and thanks to this hail mary, knocked off previously undefeated Wisconsin in East Lansing.

Warriors begin playoff push against Johnson

WATKINSVILLE — After Oconee County dropped its third straight game against Gainesville at midseason, the Warriors shifted their mindset.

Coach Mitch Olson’s team entered playoff mode in hopes that it could scramble back to .500 and earn a playoff berth. The Warriors are one step closer to meeting their goal after a 35-8 victory over winless Johnson-Gainesville on Friday night.

Oconee County picked up consecutive wins for the first time this season, and it was the second victory in which they posted 35 points.

“We win two games in a row, and we had to win them,” Olson said. “If we hit like that, we’re going to be in good shape.”

Georgia Notebook: Stephens still working out kinks despite 6-game winning streak

Despite winning each week since the season opener, Stephens County coach Travis Noland continues to stress that his team is a work in progress.

Noland’s point was only highlighted in the wake of last week’s 25-14 victory over White County. Despite the win, the talk around Toccoa was that it wasn’t as crisp as it should be. Even in the victory, the Indians could have tacked on more if they hadn’t dropped a touchdown catch in the end zone, or an interception for a touchdown.

“A lot of people around here thought it was an ugly win,” Noland said. “But as coaches, we felt like we played one of the better games all year.”

The Indians have won six straight, and are 6-1 and 3-0 in Region 8-AAA, their only loss to Class AA No. 6 Elbert County, a one-point defeat in The Granite Bowl. Yet Noland continues to point to correcting dropped passes and the healing of injuries like the hip injury that knocked kicker Matt Moon out two weeks ago against Chestatee.

Georgia Notebook: Elbert prepares for region test

After several weeks of the weaker portion of its schedule, Elbert County travels to Jefferson this week in a meeting of Region 8-AA South contenders.

The Blue Devils, who used a strong fourth quarter last week to beat Hart County, will play one of the best offenses in the region, with arguably the best quarterback.

Jefferson’s Bryant Shirreffs led a win over Hart County last month when he was 15-for-21 passing for 285 yards and four touchdowns.

“Very good trigger man,” Elbert coach Sid Fritts said, “who can distribute the ball to a lot of different people.”

LSU punter has TD called back on celebration penalty

Associated Press

"LSU appeared to have scored its third TD when punter Brad Wing covered 52 yards on a fake late in the first quarter, but he raised his arms moments before crossing the goal line. That drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which took the score off the board. LSU retained possession, but had to settle for Drew Alleman's 35-yard field goal.

Miles said he did not call a fake but said Wing made the right call to run when he saw Florida's coverage team retreating. He only wished he hadn't drawn a flag.

"In a big game when 4 points is important, we won't do that," Miles said."

It didn't matter much in the grand scheme of the game as LSU won 41-11.

Week 6 picks

Empty your 401(k) here:

Auburn +10 at Arkansas

If the Tigers didn't prove last week that their national championship hangover has been overplayed, check them out this week. Auburn's even won three of its last four trips to Fayetteville. With comeback wins already against Mississippi State and South Carolina, Auburn has what it takes to at least keep it close. Given last week's late comeback against Texas A&M and the blowout loss to Alabama, how can the Hogs beat anybody by more than 10?

The pick: War Eagle and grab the 10.

It's OK to dip into the spare piggy bank:

Ohio State +11 at Nebraska

Classic let down game for the Cornhuskers, who are coming off a loss at Wisconsin. The Buckeyes, despite the post-Jim Tressel-Tattoo meltdown of the summer, still have a respectable defense. The Buckeyes are still in the top 15 in the country in yards and points allowed. And against a Huskers offense that can be fairly one-dimensional, all they need is a defensive score or two to make this interesting.

The pick: Dot the i on the way to the bank.

Tennessee +1 vs. Georgia

Tennessee needs a signature win to continue in progression back into the elite in the SEC. Georgia has struggled at Neyland Stadium recently. Georgia is without its best pass rusher in Cornelius Washington, who is suspended for an arrest last weekend. Heck, by the fourth quarter, Barbara Dooley might be wearing a headset calling plays.

The pick: Rocky Top will eke out a victory.

Only touch with your father-in-law's cash:

Florida +13.5 at LSU

Les Miles is 1-13 against the spread in SEC games, including last week's ATS loss against Kentucky when the Bayou Bengals led 35-7, but just 14-0 at halftime. Sure, the talk all week has been the injury to John Brantley. The easy pick would be to bail on true freshman replacement Jeff Driskel. But the SEC is tough enough that style points aren't needed. A win is enough, even if it's less than two TDs.

The pick: Chomp your way to a Gator cover.

Last week: 3-1

Season:

401(k): 3-1

Piggy bank: 5-1

Father-in-law: 1-2

Spartans slaughter 'Skins

Coming off of two straight losses for the first time in six years, Athens Academy got exactly the tonic it needed on Friday night.

The Spartans welcomed winless Social Circle to Slaughter Field, and coasted to a 48-3 victory, their largest scoring output since 2006.

The Redskins had three first-quarter turnovers — two the rest of the way — as Athens Academy rolled.

Jags squander chances vs. Pats

In a span of less than three minutes early in the second half, Heritage erased all of its first-half mistakes.

The Patriots’ two fumbles and an interception in the first half gave Cedar Shoals plenty of chances to build a lead.

But the Jaguars couldn’t generate much momentum, and it came back to burn them at home in a 36-19 loss on Friday. The unbeaten Patriots scored 16 unanswered points in a decisive third quarter that started with another highlight reel play from Cedar Shoals running back Rodney Willingham.

But that momentum didn’t last long as Heritage went 80 yards in 10 plays to restore its eight-point cushion and then coast to victory.