Oh, That Other Stuff...

Amidst all the excitement from the baseball team's playoff dominance, several things slipped my attention. Until now.

For one, our star fullback Brannan Southerland will miss 16 weeks after he underwent surgery on his ailing ankle. The stress fracture didn't respond well to the initial process, and he had no choice but to be subdued under the knife again. The way I see it, we should be just fine. With the exception of Carolina, our first four games (within the 16 weeks) are against teams that Shaun Chapas and Fred Munzenmaier should be able to handle. Munzenmaier will be suspended for the first two, but Chapas has proven he can handle the offense enough to cover Georgia Southern and Central Michigan, not to mention run a little bit of it as well. Munzenmaier will bring size when he comes back for the South Carolina game and should be able to contribute. So, while I am concerned about Southerland, I am optimistic that we'll be just fine. Perhaps Bobo's revamped offense will stress less on power and more on speed and redirection, so we may not need to worry at all. But come the Alabama and Tennessee games, Southerland better be back. Those are going to be dogfights, and his motor, size, and experience will be needed badly.

While the impact isn't as glaringly obvious, Perno's Diamond Dogs took several blows to next season and beyond. Not only did the two-sport star Xavier Avery get yanked in the 2nd round, but the top two pitchers in the class were also selected, both by the Braves. The Bravos must have a thing for trying to take Bulldog pitchers. Georgia Sports Blog has more info on that impact and also on the hope that still remains.

Looking forward, however, there is still plenty of promise for both teams. Football should be preseason #1. Baseball should continue to roll in Omaha. The recruiting classes for both are stacking up well, and it looks as if Perno can overcome the fallacy of the MLB draft.