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VOLUME 11 ISSUE 31 | SEPTEMBER 24-30, 2015

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

THE SEEKER Paul Worrilow takes on a larger role in Quinn’s new and improved defense. | Pg. 6

Won’t Get Fooled Again | Pg. 4 Kyle Sandy looks past the hype with a dispassionate breakdown of the SEC

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere | Pg. 9 Up-and-coming stars are determined to bring home North Gwinnett’s first softball title

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Vol. 11 Iss. 31 | Sept. 24-30, 2015

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

PREP COVER

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rhonda Rawls

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS: Ricky Dimon (Braves) Colin Hubbard (GA Tech) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons, Kennesaw) Kyle Sandy (Dream, GSU, Hawks) STAFF WRITERS Tyler Andrews, Ned Kaish

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com into arguably one of the worst out of the Power 5 conferences. Think about it. If anyone one of Ohio State’s trio of quarterbacks transferred to an SEC school, they would automatically become the best QB in the conference by head and shoulders above the rest. The wimpy little Big Ten that everyone picked on the past decade now has the reigning national champs and three quarterbacks better than anyone the SEC can put out. What a brave new world we are living in.

SANDY’S SPIEL

SEC: JUST MORE OF THE SAME BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

wo weeks ago the NCAA College Football AP Poll had an unprecedented 10 SEC schools in the Top 25. Fast forward two weeks later and only six remain. That was short lived. That is how today’s society is with sports and topics beyond it. Everything is a knee jerk reaction put together to draw attention and gain ratings. I will stop you right here with this disclaimer: If you are an SEC fan, you probably won’t like this piece. While everyone else will hold a party and blow smoke up each other trying to proclaim the SEC as the dominant conference it once was, once again, it is a level playing field in 2015. The once powerful conference has continued to regress towards the mean. The pollsters tried to throw 10 teams at the nation and

hope it would stick to the wall like a spitball, but of course, it hasn’t stuck. Auburn entered the season ranked No. 6 in the nation with a quarterback deemed the next Cam Newton – a Heisman Trophy winner, National Champion and No. 1 overall pick – in Jeremy Johnson, after he threw just 37 passes last season. Makes sense right? Anoint an unproven guy as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation because he plays at a major school. So how has the hype lived up? Try 473 yards passing on 59.7 percent completion to go along with a sparkling 5:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio while being sacked five times. This is not your daddy’s SEC. The once formidable defenses have turned into mush. The steady quarterback play has deteriorated

TYLER TELLS ALL

IS THERE AN ELITE TEAM IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL TO THIS POINT? BY TYLER ANDREWS | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

as college football completely lost its mind? After Week Two’s crazy games some may have considered it a fluke, but after this past weekend it may just be how this season is going to go. Since the beginning of the BCS era, it has always seemed that everything eventually plays itself out. No matter how many good teams there are at the beginning of the season, there always seemed to be some sort of clarity by the end. This season just feels different though. When is the last time this many top tier programs did not look up to par this early in the season? Let’s look at the current top 10 to shed some light on this phenomenon. No. 10 Florida State- The team trailed at halftime against USF at home and followed it up with a less than stellar 14-0 victory against

Boston College. Your next savior at quarterback looks lost in the offense and is averaging less than 200 yards passing per game. No. 9 UCLA- After two impressive wins, you get pushed around by BYU. Granted this Cougars team is solid, but you are hardpressed to convince many people you are an elite team when you come back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter at home against a team that has won on consecutive hail maries. No. 8 LSU- The Tigers may be the most elite team based on the eye-test so far, but why is nobody talking about their quarterback play? Brandon Harris has thrown only 31 passes and accounted for 145 yards and a touchdown through the air in two games. Is it too far out there to say if you are playing LSU you might want to sellout on the run to see if this quarter-

DEFENSE? ANYONE? Speaking of the transfer quarterbacks how about Greyson Lambert? An unmitigated failure at Virginia who couldn’t beat out Matt Johns for the starting job, decides to transfer to Georgia to hand the ball off 40 times a game. This ACC reject, not good enough to play at lowly Virginia, comes in and sets an NCAA completion percentage record against South Carolina, going 24-of-25 for 330 yards and three scores. So obviously the Ol’ Ball Coach must have been focused on stopping the run right? Make Lambert beat them through the air. UGA managed to run for 246 yards as well. So what’s this tell you? Is Lambert a Heisman Trophy hopeful now? In my opinion, it is just another damning instance of how far the SEC has fallen. Lambert

couldn’t handle ACC defenses last year, but joining the weak SEC is the remedy that cures all. Let’s look at No. 25 Missouri now. The Tigers beat Arkansas State 27-20, then UConn 9-6, but somehow they are still ranked and have only dropped one spot since the preseason polls came out. What about Arkansas and the trash talking Hogs led by Bret Bielema? He criticized Ohio State for not playing anybody. Maybe he should try worrying about his own team first? Losses to Toledo and Texas Tech have dropped the preseason No. 18 out of the rankings. On Saturday Alabama got thumped by Ole Miss (who tried to give the game away) and dropped from No. 2 to 12. Seems harsh, but okay. Then Ole Miss jumps from No. 15 to No. 3 and has gotten 11 votes to be No. 1. Talk about a knee jerk reaction. Leaping to No. 5-7 would be warranted but hopping over Baylor and TCU? It’s a little much. At the end of the day, ESPN and the “experts” out there have once again tried to sell you a bill of goods and a check they can’t cash. I encourage you all to not live by groupthink, but to come to conclusions on your own and realize, this is a whole new ball game. Photo courtesy of Sonny Kennedy.

back can beat you? No. 7 Georgia- The Bulldogs are another team that has looked extremely impressive, especially after a 32-point drubbing over rival South Carolina. Like UGA teams in years past though, UGA has proven it plays down to its competition. After taking a commanding fourth quarter lead on Vanderbilt, they allowed the Commodores to pull within 10 points before finishing them off. No. 6 Notre Dame- Don’t even get me started on the Irish. Yes their performance against Georgia Tech was very impressive and a shock to most, but lets look at the reality of the Irish. They lost their quarterback (who with him they could be elite), and won on a prayer against Virginia. Their safety is out for the season thanks to having a bit too much fun acknowledging the fact that he made a good play on defense. In total, six Irish players are gone for the 2015 campaign. We saw this similar trend last season when the team started 6-0 and went 1-5 down the stretch. No. 5 Baylor- The winter cannot come fast enough for a team that doesn’t play anybody ranked in the top 25 until November 15th when they play host to Oklahoma. Also, they were only up 28-21 on SMU at the half and gave up 31 points to Lamar. No. 4 TCU- Who else is sick and tired of

hearing how Minnesota is a good team? Last year that non-conference win put TCU in the playoff conversation and this year’s sloppy win over the Gophers is the only thing people continue to talk about. Also, you just gave up 37 points to SMU, and your all-world quarterback has thrown an interception in six straight games dating back to last season. Come back to reality. No. 3 Ole Miss- Yes the Rebels had one of the most impressive wins of the year thus far knocking off Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Take nothing away from that. On the contrary, they won the turnover battle 5-0, scored on a touchdown that bounced off the head of a defender, scored another time when the referees missed an illegal lineman downfield, and still only won by six points. Impressive win but not elite. No. 2 Michigan State- Sparty is perhaps the best team in the country after knocking off Oregon. What does a team do after a big win like that? Well in the case of Michigan State, they beat Air Force by only 14 at home. No. 1 Ohio State- You only beat Northern Illinois at home by seven with all of that talent. You are joking, right? It is safe to say this season is going to be interesting, unpredictable, and exciting. Photo courtesy of Rob Saye.

Vol. 11 Iss. 31 | Sept. 24-30, 2015

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8/18/15 12:36 PM

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ON THE COVER

FALCONS FEATURE

WORRILOW’S LEADERSHIP SHOWS IN NEW DEFENSE BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

aul Worrilow’s growth from an undrafted rookie that earned his place on an NFL roster, into the playcaller and leader of the new and improved Falcons defense has been one of professional football’s most inspiring storylines over the last three seasons. Worrilow, the former walk-on at Delaware that ended up starting four seasons and racking up 377 collegiate tackles, arrived at Falcons Training Camp in May of 2013 fighting for a spot on the roster. With a mindset to take on whatever role was asked of him and a fundamentally-driven work ethic to go with his coachable personality, he was a play away from getting the opportunity he spent his whole life preparing for. That break came when an injury to former Falcon Sean Weatherspoon thinned out the linebacker corps and the rookie was asked to take reps at all three linebacker positions in the days leading up to the four-game preseason slate. By the time the 2013 preseason opener against the Bengals rolled around, Worrilow was becoming fluent with the NFL playbook. He had earned the respect of his teammates and coaches with his knowledge and work ethic at camp and was

ready to leave it all on the field. “Just being a former walk-on and not getting any offers out of high school I have always sort of had this chip on my shoulder,” admitted Worrilow following his professional debut. “When I walked through the tunnel, it finally sunk in that I was here in the NFL and I had made it.” A game-high 11 tackles in his exhibition debut and Worrilow showed that he was not only competing for a spot on the roster, but that he was ready to contend for a starting job with the 2013 season just weeks away and the Falcons needing someone to step up. FIRST CHAIR Just like he did with the Blue Hens, Worrilow successfully earned the starting job in Atlanta’s linebacker corps upon arrival and has held it ever since. He paced the Falcons defense with team-high tackles in both 2013 and 2014, compiling 270 combined take downs in his first 32 games. Worrilow would face a new challenge this past offseason, however, as Dan Quinn and the new coaching staff arrived and

the starting roles re-opened with position battles across the defense. He would have to prove his leadership and play-making ability all over again in order to help spearhead a new and improved defensive scheme. That was the particular environment Worrilow has thrived in throughout his football career, however, and the third-year pro rose to the occasion once again. “I’ve been counted out time and time again,” explained Worrilow. “I love football, you know? It doesn’t motivate me that I’ve been counted out. I just love the game of football and that’s what keeps me motivated, why I get in here and do what I do every day.” After fine-tuning aspects of his game and leading the newly-assembled defense through one of the most competitive offseasons the franchise has seen, Worrilow opened 2015 with a game-high 13 tackles in a Monday Night Football 26-24 win over Philadelphia. “Mobility is something they [the coaching staff] wanted me to focus on and I’ve been working on that every morning, whether it’s 20 minutes or an hour, I schedule it so I get here an hour and a half early so I can get that in,” explained Worrilow. “Strength and conditioning is a huge interest of mine. Even if I didn’t play football, working out would be a huge part of my life.” FUNDAMENTALLY SOUND While mobility has been the theme for Worrilow since the end of last season, the fundamentals and work-ethic that has been the staple of his gridiron success was noticed and respected by Quinn right away. “I think the thing that jumped out to me when I got here was the grit [of Worrilow]. Once in a while, you see somebody who’s just absolutely going for it, like wanting to take every challenge and improve in every way,” Quinn explained in an interview with Delaware’s The News Journal. “That was him. From the time I met him in the offseason to being here – I’d walk through on Saturday and see his car there. He just didn’t back off. I think that mindset certainly rubs off on his teammates. That’s the respect that he has. In a short time, to earn that kind of respect, I thought it was a great sign for him.” TACKLING MACHINE We know where Worrilow’s story began and we know the type of impact No. 55 must have week in and week out to be a leader on this defense, but what adds to Worrilow’s impact is where his journey might continue to

take him. His new role is leading and the days of proving himself are over. Atlanta ranked ninth in the NFL after the Giants game in run defense and with a pass rush that can force quicker throws, opponents have been forced into more 3rd and long passing situations. This has allowed Worrilow and the linebacking corps to play downhill on 3rd downs and the result in Week 1 was a Philadelphia converting just 3-of-12 on 3rd down. “We expected that coming in, when he’s feeling pressure, or cant get the stuff down field that ball is going to come out in front of us, or in the soft spots of the zone,” explained Worrilow. “So the emphasis was on tackling and making them pay when they catch that easy ball down there.” There is no denying that a lot has changed from Worrilow’s first offseason with the Falcons when he was fighting for a roster spot. Now, he’s a married man carrying back-toback seasons of leading the team in tackling into each game, but the same determination and willingness to improve remains. “This defense preaches intensity, attitude and effort and that is something I think I bring,” said Worrilow. Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

Julio Jones

Matt Wisler

Kroy Biermann

Waffle House. A Beast. Unguardable. Call him whatever you want, but just the term ‘hot’ may be an understatement. After Jones cashed in on a massive contract he has not disappointed, catching 22 passes out of his 26 targets for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Jones has established himself as the best receiver in football and has been a godsend for Matt Ryan. Now just stay healthy!

The rookie pitcher threw a gem and struck out a career-high eight batters in Tuesday night’s 6-2 victory over the NL East leading New York Mets. Wisler lasted 7.0 innings, allowed five hits and just two runs. These games are meaningless in the standings, but invaluable to the young Braves as they gain much needed experience.

What a year makes. And a new coaching staff too. Biermann, who was much maligned last year, has come on strong this season racking up big play after big play in the Falcons 24-20 win over the Giants. The eight-year veteran recorded a sack and a forced fumble to help preserve Atlanta’s 2-0 start.

SCORE LIST By Ned Kaish

LAMBERT SHINES

The week following Georgia’s win over Vanderbilt you would have thought the Bulldogs lost their SEC opener after the talk about replacing their starting quarterback. Greyson Lambert was not impressive but effective against Vandy. Last Saturday against South Carolina, however, Lambert was a star. He finished the night 24-of-25 for 330 yards and three touchdowns passes. His 96% completion percentage was good enough for an NCAA single game record.

BRAVES SET RECORD LOWS

The 2015 Atlanta Braves are on pace to have one of their worst years in the past quarter of a century. The Braves will lose 90 or more games for only the second time in 25 years, the last being in 2008 when the team dropped 90 games. The Braves are currently in battle with division rival Philadelphia for the worst record in baseball.

HOLYFIELD’S SEASON HALTED

UGA commit Elijah Holyfield has suffered a stress fracture that could have him out up to six weeks. Holyfield sat out Woodward Academy’s game on Friday but had put up all state numbers the previous two games accounting for 313 yards and six touchdowns. Holyfield could be back in time for a playoff run with his teammates before the running back becomes a Bulldog next fall.

COLEMAN SUFFERS MINOR SETBACK

Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Tevin Coleman suffered a cracked rib in the Falcons dramatic come from behind win on Saturday over the Giants. Coleman, who scored his first NFL touchdown against New York, has not been put on a timetable for his return yet said coach Dan Quinn. Coleman’s return to action will likely depend on his pain threshold tolerance.

LOCAL STAR GETS NOD

Former 4-star recruit and Harrison Hoya quarterback Lorenzo Nunez will get the start for South Carolina on Saturday against Central Florida. Nunez who split time in South Carolina’s loss to Georgia last Saturday will be the third starting quarterback for the Gamecocks in as many games. Nunez adds a different dimension to the USC offense with his ability to run. He was USC’s rushing leader last week.

WHO’S NOT

By Craig Sager II

WHO’S HOT

Vol. 11 Iss. 31 | Sept. 24-30, 2015

Kennesaw State

Steve Spurrier

Georgia Tech

The Owls survived against Shorter University, but boy was it ugly. It was a major wake up call for the program that each game isn’t going to be a five-score blowout. Kennesaw came away with an 18-10 victory and scooped up a fumble on a game-winning field goal attempt as time expired to return it for six. Justin Thompson went from hero to goat to hero back and forth all game for the Owls, sinking four field goals, but missing three.

It might be time for the Ol’ Ball Coach to hang it up. South Carolina was trounced by Georgia on Saturday, 5220. Not only did the Gamecocks not stop the run (38 carries, 246 yards, 4 TDs), they also let Greyson Lambert set an NCAA completion percentage record, going 24-of-25 for 330 yards and three touchdowns. Yikes.

An undermanned Notre Dame team without its starting quarterback rolled against the Jackets, 30-22. Tech rallied late, but it was not enough as C.J. Prosise had his way on the ground, racking up 198 yards and three touchdowns. Justin Thomas was forced to air it out and completed just 8-of24 passes on the day for the scuffling Yellow Jackets.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Ned Kaish

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall. Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

TRIVIA QUESTION

“

SANITY AT LAST

HAS JULIO JONES EVER OPENED A SEASON WITH BACK-TO-BACK 100 YARD RECEIVING GAMES PRIOR TO THIS YEAR?

“It was amazing. He does special things. He’s balling. We need him to play like this to win games.”

ANSWER ON PAGE 16

- Roddy White on Julio Jones first two games

216 22 121 35

Rushing yards for Georgia Tech against Notre Dame, well below last year’s season average of 342. Receptions for Julio Jones who is tied for the League lead in that category. Interception return yards for UGA safety Dominick Sanders which includes an 88 yard pick six vs Vanderbilt. Average margin of victory for Class A defending state champions Mt. Paran Christian over their last 3 games.

100

Percent field goal percentage for Matt Bryant including 4 beyond 40 yards.

Average rush yards given up by the Falcons defense through 2 games, the Falcons averaged 118 in 2014.

First downs by Julio Jones through Atlanta’s first two games

48.4%

Atlanta offense’s conversion percentage on third downs this year.

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A two-touchdown deficit is nothing after you’ve come back from cancer. Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback.

PREP SPORTS

BEHIND TRIO OF ACES, NORTH GWINNETT SEEKS FIRST STATE TITLE BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

njoying their finest season as a program, the North Gwinnett softball team enters the final weeks of the regular season ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAA and 24-1 overall, with an unblemished 9-0 record in Region 7. At the helm of the Lady Bulldogs is veteran head coach Randy Black, who enters his 25th year at North Gwinnett and 21st as head coach. Over the years Black has seen numerous talented teams come through the Suwanee area, but to this day the Lady Bulldogs still seek their first state championship. As the postseason looms, North Gwinnett will be pegged as a heavy favorite thanks to timely hitting, solid fundamental defense and a nearly untouchable pitching staff. Last year North Gwinnett finished the season 18-13-1 but fielded a young roster. Going into the 2015 season, Black new the team had a chance to be special. “I knew we’d be a

little bit better than we were last year because we had everybody coming back. We were very, very young last year,” explained the head coach. The Lady Bulldogs’ calling card this season has been its pitching, headlined by a trio of legitimate aces. Seniors Rachel Smith (GCSU) and Kylee Smith have been steady, but freshman Chandler Dennis, younger sister of senior first baseman Emily Dennis, has been the “pleasant surprise” to round out the rotation and give them a young dominating talent that is hard to find. “We knew she would be good, but we didn’t realize how good,” said Black when speaking about the freshman who has gone 8-0 with a 0.41 ERA. Aside from Dennis, the veterans of the staff have gotten the job done as well. “Rachel is just a fierce competitor, she probably throws

harder than any of the other pitchers and she just has a will about her to win and she is going to do whatever it takes.” The other Smith, Kylee (not related), relies on a different approach on the mound. “Kylee, she still throws pretty hard but she has incredible movement and [her] poise on the mound is incredible. You have no idea if you are winning or losing by looking at her.” Smith is currently unsigned, but is being recruited by eight schools and has been visiting a few of her suitors. Winning 24 out of 25 potential games is a nice start, but Black knows that the end goal is raising a trophy in late October. “Out of the 20 kids we have on the varsity, probably 14 or 15 of them are straight-A students and they are very focused and realize even though the success as far as [it] got us some wins, the big prize is the end and these kids have bought into one pitch, one inning, one game at a time.” A BURNING DRIVE The focus and hunger the girls have been able to maintain comes from the disappointment of falling short last year in the first round of the playoffs against Archer. North Gwinnett beat the Tigers 10-5 in Game 1, but mental mistakes cost them in Game 2 and allowed Archer to steal a 4-3 win in extra innings. In the series

deciding tiebreaker game, Archer scored two early runs and held onto a Game 3, 2-0 victory to end North Gwinnett’s season early. Letting the series slip away has loomed in the players’ minds and the coaching staff has harped on not letting it happen again. “The coaching staff stays on them all the time about playing every pitch and every inning. And they knew that if they would have done that, they possibly would have went to Columbus last year with a very, very young team.” This season, the Lady Bulldogs are very young again starting just two seniors and have received contributions from everywhere, not just on the mound. Junior Haley Griffith and sophomore Erin Wilbur have led the charge offensively. Makenna Dowell was hitting over .500 at shortstop before a Sept. 8 injury against Mill Creek, but is set to return during the playoff stretch. This edition of the Lady Bulldogs is ready to go all the way and is one of the best groups Black has ever coached in his 21 years at North Gwinnett. “Talent-wise, it’s one of the top five probably. Character, definitely one of the top ones. The success the rest of the season will determine where they fall in and how good this team really is.” Photos courtesy of Bridget Wilbur.

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

GEORGIA IMPRESSES IN ROUT OF SOUTH CAROLINA BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

hings couldn’t have gone any better for Georgia last Saturday, than the performance put together for a 52-20 win over South Carolina. The Gamecocks were 0-7 on third downs in the second half. Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert highlighted the night of individual great performances in the win on offense, with 24 completed passes and only one ball hitting the ground in his record setting night. He set an NCAA, SEC and school record with his 96 percent completion percentage. Lambert also set the school record for consecutive completions, with 20 straight passes. He passes former UGA QB/coach Mike Bobo’s 19 straight in the 1998 Outback Bowl. “It feels great,” Lambert said. “We kind of just got going pretty quickly and I got going with threestraight passes. Everybody did their role and we were able to get great execution as a team.” His coach Mark Richt was a little tough on his quarterback after the game. In all fun of course. “Can you believe that guy had an incompletion? What’s wrong with him?” Right said.

GEORGIA STATE

OFFENSE MOVES BALL, BUT TURNOVERS TAME PANTHERS BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

acing a difficult environment and entering as a heavy underdog, the Georgia State Panthers (1-2) played well at Autzen Stadium against the No. 12 Oregon Ducks (2-1). Oregon overpowered Georgia State 61-28, but it was a good showing for the improving Panthers. Nick Arbuckle threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by a 75-yard strike to Robert Davis. Freshman Penny Hart continued to emerge as a go-to receiver with nine more catches for 128 yards. The Panthers managed 431 yards of total offense, but turnovers doomed the upset-minded cats as Oregon was able to score 24 points off turnovers. Georgia State entered the half down 337, but a forced fumble on the opening kickoff was jumped on by the Panthers and set up a 14-yard Arbuckle to Todd Boyd connection. Boyd would finish the day with four catches for 29 yards while Davis caught three balls for 89 yards and the long score. With four extra points, Wil Lutz moved ahead of Albert Wilson

“It was one of those days where you just leave him alone. We had a plan again to get Brice (Ramsey) in the game, but after three series, we said, ‘Let’s just keep playing.’ We were good offensively and Lambert was just so hot.” CHUBB MAKES IT 11 STRAIGHT Saturday night marked the 11th straight time that sophomore running back Nick Chubb rushed for over 100 yards. The Cedartown native finished the night with 159 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. MITCHELL HAS HUGE NIGHT Last season, it wasn’t even until the third game of the year that senior wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell was able to make it back to the field. In fact, he missed the last two games the Bulldogs have played against South Carolina. On Saturday night, Mitchell pulled in eight catches for 122 yards and one touchdown. This was his first 100-plus yard performance, since he pulled in 103 receiving yards against Kentucky in 2012. His head coach Mark Richt is happy to see the senior playing at 100 percent so far this season. He also likes that he is making plays on the field. “The fans are seeing him do things in the game that we’ve been seeing in practice,” Richt said. “This is the healthiest he’s been, since he’s been here.” Mitchell leads the team in catches with 15 and 210 yards.

to become the program’s all-time leading scorer with 157 points. A bright spot on the defense was Tarris Batiste, a redshirt senior safety out of Cass High School. Batiste totaled a gamehigh 10 tackles in the loss. Coach Trent Miles found silver linings following the loss stating, “I take a lot of positives away from this game. When we execute, we belong with anybody. It doesn’t matter who you are. When we execute, we have the ability and talent and that hasn’t always been our case. We just have to put it all together.” After a BYE, the Panthers are back in action on the third when they host the Liberty Flames at 3:30 p.m. WOMEN’S SOCCER ENDS NON-CONFERENCE PLAY Georgia State will enter conference play 6-1-2 following a 3-1 loss to Davidson at home on Sunday. The Panthers outshot the Wildcats 16 to 7, but Davidson goalkeeper Kendall Thomas made four saves to preserve the victory. Georgia State trailed 3-0 before Kylie Ruffule scored at the 74:16 mark off a Jenna Moore assist. “We knew Davidson would be very dangerous and they were. We made some mistakes that we can learn from, and now it’s time to prepare for conference play. Everybody is starting off 0-0 in the Sun Belt and we get to host both of the Louisiana teams this weekend,” head coach Derek Leader said following the game.

GEORGIA TECH

IRISH HAND TECH FIRST LOSS BY COLIN HUBBARD | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

eorgia Tech failed to eclipse the 250-yard mark in rushing for the first time in years and were held to 3-of-15 on third down en route to a 30-22 to Notre Dame. Justin Thomas was forced into 24 pass attempts on the day and completed just eight of them for 121 yards and two touchdowns, but it was the rushing attack that faltered. Thomas rushed for only 27 yards on 11 carries. Nobody on the Yellow Jackets (2-1) rushed for more than 100 yards in the game and the team was held to just 4.6 yards per attempt. The one bright spot on the offense was A-back Broderick Snoddy and B-back Patrick Scov. Snoddy led the team in rushing with 77 yards on seven attempts and Scov scored all three of the Yellow Jackets’ touchdowns, one rushing and two receiving. DEFENSIVE WOES On the defensive side of the ball, the Yellow Jackets struggled to contain running back

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS FLYING HIGH AFTER 3-0 START BY NED KAISH | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

fter coasting to two early season wins the Kennesaw State Owls were tested last Saturday against an in-state opponent, Shorter. The Owls faced some adversity on Saturday, trailing for the first time in program history, but they would overcome a 10-6 halftime deficit and shut out Shorter in the second half on their way to an 18-10 win. That win moved the Owls to an unblemished 3-0 mark. Head coach Brian Bohannon was pleased with the way his team handled adversity. “Every little bit of adversity you could think of — penalties, turnovers, missed kicks, big plays on the other side — at the end of the day, our team kept fighting and clawing and found a way to win a ballgame that was (very) hard to win.” Kennesaw State has shown their ability to play football at a high level winning their first two games by a combined score of 114-23. The triple option implemented by Bohannon has found success early in the season averaging 318 rushing yards per game. Quarterback

C.J. Prosise and quarterback DeShone Kizer. Prosise rushed for a season-high 198 yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns. Kizer, who was making his first career start for the Irish after the loss of Malik Zaire, completed 21-of-30 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown. He also threw one interception. Kizer completed six of his passes to star wide receiver Will Fuller for 131 yards and a touchdown. The Yellow Jackets never led in the game, but had ample opportunities to cut into the Irish lead. Down 16-7 mid-way through the third quarter, Thomas took an option-keeper into the end zone, but the play was brought back due to a controversial holding call. Georgia Tech would later turn the ball over on downs as a result. The Yellow Jackets added two late touchdowns and converted two 2-point conversions to cut the lead to eight with under a minute to go, but the last-ditch effort was thwarted by a failed onside kick attempt. “Clearly we were disappointed with the way we played,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. “You have to give Notre Dame credit. Their kids showed up, played hard. I told our guys at halftime, as poorly as we played, I don’t know we can play any worse, we’re six points down. What do we do, come out and fumble the ball. That’s kind of the way the game went. Go back, try to correct it, move on, get ready for conference play.”

Trey White has been at the center of this offensive barrage racking up 246 yards on the ground as well as 352 through the air and six total touchdowns. Through the air his main target has been wide receiver Justin Sumpter who has eight catches for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Against Shorter Sumpter played a major role in the offensive game plan catching five balls for 121 yards. White’s running mate thus far has been freshman TJ Reed who is tied with White for the team lead in rushing at 246 yards. THE OWL CURTAIN Defensively the Owls have been tremendous allowing 11 points per game over their first three outings. The strength of the defense starts up front with defensive lineman Mason Harris who is tied for the team lead in tackles as well as the leader in tackles for loss at 6.5. Behind Harris are a pair a playmaking linebackers, Izzy Sam and Dez Billingslea. Sam is leading the team in sacks in the early season and Billingslea has been a producing big plays including returning a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown to seal the win against shorter. In the secondary for the Owls defensive backs Derrick Farrow and Taylor Henkle are tied with Harris for the team lead in tackles at 12 with Henkle adding an interception to his stat sheet.

Vol. 11 Iss. 31 | Sept. 24-30, 2015

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Vol. 11 Iss. 31 | Sept. 24-30, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

THREE HAWKS CLEARED FOR BASKETBALL ACTIVITIES BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

hree birds got their wings mended this offseason as Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha and Shelvin Mack have all been cleared to resume basketball activities but at different stages, according to the AJC’s Chris Vivlamore. “I would say, to differing degrees, they are doing basketball activities now,” Budenholzer said Monday. “Whether it’s some 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 between now and camp there is the potential for some 5-on-5 in a limited kind of way. But shooting, working out and doing those types of things, they are making good progress.” Sefolosha sustained the most polarizing injury when he suffered a broken right fibula after an incident outside a nightclub in Chelsea, New York along with former teammate Pero Antic. The veteran swingman had to miss the rest of the season and hurt Atlanta’s depth on the perimeter. Korver broke his ankle when Matthew Dellavedova dove into his legs diving for a loose ball in the conference finals against Cleveland.

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES ON PACE FOR WORST RECORD IN 25 YEARS BY NED KAISH | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

he 2015 Atlanta Braves have had a season for the ages. Unfortunately, that is not a good season for the ages. The Braves are on pace to have their worst season since 1990. The Braves finish up the season with three game stints against the Marlins in Miami before returning home for their series against the Nationals and the Cardinals. The Braves have a chance to play spoiler as the season winds down by keeping the Nationals out of the playoffs and by giving the Pirates a chance to steal the NL Central from St. Louis. So how did the Braves, a traditional playoff team, have a season in which they will likely finish 30 games below .500? Injuries played a major role. The loss of closer Jason Grilli to a season ending Achilles injury decimated the bullpen. Grilli had been 24 of 26 on save opportunities and boasted a 2.94 ERA. A wrist injury to first baseman Freddie Freeman put him on the shelf for an important stretch during

Mack also suffered an injury, separating his shoulder in Game 4 against the Cavaliers. “They’ve all had very good summers,” Budenholzer said. “I think they are on schedule, maybe even a little ahead of schedule. It’s interesting even between now (and the start of camp), it’s another seven, eight, nine days. It’s an important week for them to see how they are going into camp. I’m sure we’ll be hopeful that they are cleared and ready to go. Even if they are, I think being smart and easing them into camp and into the preseason will most likely be the route that we go.”

A BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH Atlanta added two more players to its training camp roster, signing DeQuan Jones and Edgar Sosa. Jones is an Atlanta-native who played his ball at Wheeler High School where he was named Class 5-A Player of the Year by the AJC in 2007. From 2008 to 2012 he played at Miami (Fla.) and went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft. After a short stint in the D-League, his latest action has come in the Italian league and averaged 8.2 points per game as a small forward. Sosa was a standout guard at Louisville and went undrafted in 2010. He was part of Kenny Atkinson’s Dominican Republic squad that recently competed at the 2015 FIBA Americas Tournament. Sosa led the Dominican Republic averaging 15.1 points while shooting 54 percent from the floor.

JONES FOR MVP Jones tied Tony Gonzalez’s franchise record with his 13 receptions and now has 22 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns going into Week 3. His average of 138 receiving yards per game is second behind Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown (164 ypg.). Jones currently leads all receivers with 14 first downs. Last year, he finished with 76 first downs, which was second behind Brown (85). However, Brown played in one more game and had 20 more targets. “We watched that catch eight times [on Monday],” said Roddy White about Jones one-

June and July. Freeman has stilled managed to hit .275 with 16 homers, but his presence was missed during the meat of the season. BELOW AVERAGES The Braves have also struggled hitting and pitching, which is an obvious sign that a team will have a tough year. Nick Markakis has been the brightest spot in the Braves lineup hovering around .290 all season. Markakis has also played in the most games for Atlanta this year. Cameron Maybin had a strong first season with the Braves currently leading the team in steals at 22 and second in RBIs. Pitching has been a problem, primarily in late innings, as the bullpen becomes part of the game. Starting pitching has also been an issue with Julio Teheran being the only Brave with double digit wins as he sits at 10-7. Shelby Miller who was voted to the all-star game has become the talk of the team as he has now gone four months since his last win on May 17. Miller has pitched well with an ERA of 3.00 but has received very little run support, which has led to his 5-17 record. The Braves are currently battling division rival Philadelphia for the worst record in baseball. The Braves swept the Phillies over the weekend to take a 3.5 game lead. Although it is a battle for last, it gives the Braves a little something to play for in the final weeks of 2015.

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS TO TAKE ON INJURY-RIDDEN COWBOYS BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

tlanta rallied from a 10-point deficit to score a 24-20 victory over the Giants on Sunday, an impressive victory considering the brand new staff was coming off a short week after the Monday night opener. Once again, Julio Jones was spectacular, catching 13 passes off of 15 targets.

ATLANTA DREAM

DREAM LOOK FOR GOLDEN TICKET IN LOTTO BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

hursday night will be an important night for the future of the Atlanta Dream franchise. Missing the playoffs for the first time in six years, the team will now enter the WNBA Draft Lottery with 104 chances out of 1,000 to land the first overall pick. The Dream hold four of the top 16 overall selections in the 2016 WNBA Draft. Atlanta will select at either No. 1-4 (based on lottery results), No. 11 (acquired from Minnesota), No. 13 (acquired from San Antonio) and No. 16. The Dream also hold the No. 28 overall pick (third round). Seattle will have the best odds with 442 ping pong balls. San Antonio (276) and Connecticut (178) will round out the four teams vying for a chance at the No. 1 overall selection in the 2016 WNBA Draft. The 2016 WNBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm will feature a new format for its 15th annual drawing. It will still feature the four teams that did

handed fourth quarter catch. “It was amazing. He does special things. He’s balling. We need him to play like this to win games.” TROUBLE IN DALLAS The Cowboys are 2-0 but they will limp into Sunday’s matchup after Tony Romo suffered a broken collarbone in their Week 2 win over Philadelphia. Dez Bryant is sidelined with a broken foot suffered Week 1 and Jason Whiten is questionable to play. Both the Falcons and Cowboys have defeated the same two teams (Giants and Eagles) entering the matchup so this will be a great measuring stick for Atlanta. Despite the 2-0 start and revitalized defense, the Falcons have not been favored to win either of their first two games and Sunday will be the first contest, in which Atlanta is picked to win. Pro Football Focus’ Nathan Jahnke is a believer in the Falcons and slots them at No. 8 in their updated power rankigs; next-closest among NFC South entrants is Carolina, at No. 20. No team remaining on the schedule is ranked ahead of them. “I really like what they are doing,” said ESPN’s Mike Sando. “All the fundamentals are installed. They have the big guys running and the little guys hitting. They have great body posture, which allows for explosive changes of direction in the underneath coverage, which should limit YAC (yards after catch). They have a four-man rush and know how to rush.”

not make the playoffs (the “Lottery teams”) during the 2015 season. However, instead of assigning odds based solely on the teams’ records during the 2015 season, the odds will be based on the cumulative records of the Lottery teams over the past two regular season campaigns (2014 and 2015). The lottery will establish the first four picks of the draft. The new format guarantees that the Lottery team with the worst two-year cumulative record will end up with at least the third pick. Under the previous format, the Lottery team with the worst single-season record was guaranteed to pick no worse than fourth. The two Lottery teams that do not come up in the lottery will then select in the inverse order of their two-year cumulative record. WHO TO TARGET? Breanna Stewart out of UConn is the consensus No. 1 overall pick. The 6-foot-4 forward can do it all on the court and can be a franchise player right away. Other notable names the Dream may be in play for are Adut Bulgak, Jonquel Jones and Jillian Alleyne. Bulgak averaged 12.3 points and 9.5 rebounds while playing center for Florida State. She was named AP Honorable Mention All-American. Jones was named A-10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year while averaging 15.3 points and 12.5 rebounds at George Washington. Alleyne was named AP Third Team All-American her final season at Oregon.

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Vol. 11 Iss. 31 | Sept. 24-30, 2015