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Time to look great!

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 33 | SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2014

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

WE DAT! Falcons come back to beat New Orleans in epic season-opener. | Pg. 5

Durr Decides | Pg. 8 St. Pius X hoops sensation chooses Louisville over long list of suitors.

Ferry Survives | Pg. 13 Levenson resigns, GM disciplined after internal investigation.

YOU SERVE,YOU LEARN It really is that simple.

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Vol. 10 Iss. 33 | September 12-18, 2014

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

PREP COVER

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Stephen Black ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Matthew Cason (Hawks, Tech) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Kyle Sandy (Dream, GSU) STAFF WRITERS Alex Ewalt Alex Ordu Jalisa Smith Darrin Heatherly

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06 12 13

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF TY FREEMAN, NBAE/GETTY IMAGES AND THE ATLANTA FALCONS.

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SAGER SAYS

HAWKS NEED ATTENTION, BUT NOT THIS KIND BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

I have been going to Atlanta Hawks games since Dominique Wilkins was still dunking and for the far majority of my life as an Atlanta native, I have grown accustomed to quiet offseasons when it comes to the hometown Hawks. This offseason was the same way as the rest of the NBA was in a fury over the amount of big-name free agents. The likelihood of Atlanta making a splash in the big free-agent market were slim to none, and we all knew that. Now, the 2014-15 season approaches, and the Hawks are at the center of the NBA world and for all the wrong reasons. After racially-charged comments made by general manager Danny Ferry about Luol Deng came to light this week, a much bigger story has unraveled. Ferry’s comments came

on a conference call in June with team brass regarding Deng and the potential to sign him during free agency. Ferry said, “He [Deng] has a little African in him. Not in a bad way, but he’s like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back.” Complaints about this comment went to the League office. Co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. has demanded Ferry’s firing since June and said in a letter, “We are appalled that anyone would make such a racist slur under any circumstance, much less the GM of an NBA franchise on a major conference call. One of us can be heard on the tape reacting with astonishment. Our franchise has had a long history of racial diversity and inclusion that reflect the makeup of our great city. Ferry’s comments

SANDY’S SPIEL

TECH TO PLAY EAGLES AFTER LONG LAST, AND IT WON’T BE EASY BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

game I am keeping a close eye on this A weekend may not be one that gets attention nationally, but is a contest that I think

should pique the interest of those who live in Georgia. Georgia Tech will be hosting newlyminted Division 1 foe Georgia Southern for the first time in school history. The in-state connection is probably the least interesting thing about the matchup, however. Tech head coach Paul Johnson hosts his former school where he began his head coaching career. Johnson installed his vaunted triple-option offense while at Southern and yielded great success. From 1997 to 2001, the Eagles captured Division I-AA National Championships in 1999 and 2000. Johnson compiled a 62-10 record at Southern before leaving for Navy.

TRADITION RICH … Georgia Southern continued to be a perennial power at the I-AA level before making the jump up to the FBS scene this season. To this day, the Eagles have continued to run the triple-option and have relatively held their own against FBS powers like Alabama, when they put up 21 points in a loss and managed to rush for 302 yards, the most allowed by Bama that season. Don’t forget the Eagles dried out the Swamp in Florida last year and handed them an embarrassing loss to punctuate a bad season for Will Muschamp’s team. While Southern has dominated at their level, Paul Johnson’s tenure with Georgia Tech has been up and down. Running a true tripleoption is rare at the FBS level and easily can be seen as a gimmick offense, an offense that

were so far out of bounds that we are concerned that he has put the entire franchise in jeopardy.” This originally launched the investigation that uncovered Hawks owner Bruce Levenson’s email regarding the type of crowds at Hawks games. “My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a significant season ticket base,” Levenson wrote in the email. The e-mail also claimed the Hawks were attracting an “overwhelming black audience” and noted that “there are few fathers and sons at the games.” UNFORGIVING ACTIONS … These comments offended the black community, but regardless of your background, Levenson’s email should personally offend you. I do not go to nearly as many Hawks games as I used to. Maybe four times a year if I’m lucky. But Levenson just categorized me and all the other white people in this city. His email shows that he believes when we do not come to games that it is because we are scared of the black crowd. I can respect him self-reporting his mistake to the NBA, but this is an issue that is no where

close to being fixed. Why would an owner put his own racist judgments into the motives of the whole city? The focus should be on building a winning team and not on what culture someone on the “kiss cam” is or what music is playing. I don’t go to Hawks games that often because it is expensive and there are other things I’d rather be doing. It’s that simple. It isn’t because of the fans at the game and it isn’t because I do not care about the team. In the hundreds of games at Turner Field, the Georgia Dome and Philips Arena, I have never felt scared at any one of them.

can win eight or nine games in any given year, but not sustainable enough to threaten for a BCS bowl. After 19 wins in his first two seasons and crashing the Orange Bowl in Year 2 at Tech, the Ramblin’ Wreck has rumbled into mediocrity again sitting at 30-25 since 2009. The first two games of this season have not necessarily struck optimism into Jacket fans as they were only up one on Wofford at the half and three up on Tulane. Southern on the other hand, blew a late lead to North Carolina State, but atoned for the loss by thumping poor Savannah State 83-9.

basketball is, “teams that press don’t like to be pressed”. Will these defensive units know how to stop the triple-option while it is coming at them full speed? Will linebackers stay true to their assignments, and will the defense know whether to pursue the quarterback or play the pitch? These are all interesting questions that will be answered this week. Do not downplay the fact that Southern will be coming in with something to prove. The Eagles are the little brother in Georgia that has been beating teams down at the JV level and now want to prove they can not only hang with the big boys, but beat them. They showed they could tame the Gators in Florida, and now want to swat the Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Teams can use these in-state meetings as fuel to the fire. Heck, Kennesaw State beat Georgia Tech in basketball just a few years back. I am just giving a friendly warning for fans of both sides not to be surprised if this is a game going into the fourth quarter. Southern has a winning pedigree and isn’t as familiar with losing as Tech has been in the past few seasons. Whether you are a Georgia Tech fan or Georgia Southern fan, you have plenty to be interested in with this weekend’s game. Photo courtesy of Jon Barash.

MIRROR IMAGES … The Yellow Jackets come in favored by 20 points, but I am here to tell you that if I were a betting man, I would not be so confident. I think that this game will be closer than the “experts” think. Why you might ask? Well let’s delve deeper. As mentioned before, Tech has had back to back sluggish first halves to start the season. Will this be a reoccurring theme? Eagle fans sure would hope so. These two teams have nearly identical stats starting at the quarterback position. Justin Thomas has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 297 yards while GSU’s Kevin Ellison has completed 61.1 percent and for 251 yards. These teams will be lining up against each other running identical offensive formations. The old adage from

SO NOW WHAT? … The Hawks are going to have to move on. I think Danny Ferry did a great job building the team and freeing up cap space, but the franchise must start over and see drastic change to move forward. We couldn’t get the big-name star before and with Ferry still on board, there is simply no chance of the team landing any more All-Star talent. When it came to going to watch Wilkins play as a young kid, I can tell you it was worth the price of admission for the fans that spent their money to watch him play. This is a stardriven league. Photo courtesy of NBAE/Getty Images.

Vol. 10 Iss. 33 | September 12-18, 2014

ON THE COVER

FALCONS-SAINTS

FALCONS BEGIN ROAD TO REDEMPTION AFTER THRILLING WIN BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

ne game does not a season make. One game does not a Super Bowl win (at least not unless it is played on Feb. 1, 2015 in Glendale, Ariz.). But when it comes to Week 1 regular-season contests, they simply do not get any bigger than the NFC South showdown that was waged between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints last Sunday at the Georgia Dome. It was especially big for the Falcons. After all, the Saints are coming off an 11-5 year and for all intents and purposes know exactly what they have on their 2014 roster. Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham are back to lead what has been a lethal offense and the majority of the NFL’s fourth-ranked defense remains intact. The Falcons, on the other hand, have demons of a disappointing 4-12 campaign to erase. One of their best linebackers (Sean Weatherspoon) is out for the season along with the projected starting left tackle (Sam

Baker), whose torn patellar tendon means a rookie (Jake Matthews) is now manning the most important position on the offensive line. Star receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White are looking to bounce back from injuries that sidelined them for a combined 14 games last season. Additionally, the Falcons were at home— where teams simply cannot afford to lose in the NFL. Throw in the caveat that Atlanta has only seven true home games this regular season (it “hosts” Detroit in London on Oct. 26) and last Sunday’s game became even more critical. “It was the first home game and all the coaches talk about dominating at home,” White said in his postgame interview following the Falcons’ 37-34 overtime triumph. “I felt like last year when we went down (to New Orleans in Week 1) and lost, it took the wind out of our sails. Fortunately we found a way to win at the end. It was a hard-fought game and I am so glad

we pulled out the win to start the 2014 season.” For a while that did not look like it would be the case for Atlanta. The team could not muster a single point in the first quarter and New Orleans surged to a 13-0 lead midway through the second. Although the offense woke up at that point, the Saints still led by double-digits (20-10) at halftime. Thanks to a dominant third quarter and late-game heroics by the Falcons in all three phases of the game, however, the home team came away with a 3734 overtime victory. “It can set the tone,” safety William Moore assured following the big win. “It’s not only because it’s the Saints, but it’s the first game, so it can set the tone for the rest of the season.”

job of extending plays with his feet while also rushing for 15 yards on three carries. Ryan earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors and kicker Matt Bryant, who tied the game with a last-second 51-yard field goal and won it with a 52-yarder in overtime, was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week “[Ryan] was just unreal,” said Jackson, who also mentioned Atlanta’s versatile backfield. “We all have a special talent. Everyone is a little different, but at the same time everyone is making plays out there when we get our opportunities. The best thing we can do is to support one another because we all can make plays.”

OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT … If the Falcons can stay healthy on offense, which has been easier said than done of late, the rest of the season is going to be a ton of fun to watch. Last weekend’s shootout confirmed what Falcons’ fans already knew: their offense is flat-out dangerous. Four different receivers (Jones, White, Devin Hester and Harry Douglas) caught at least five passes and every one of those four receivers gained at least 69 receiving yards. In the backfield, four different running backs made significant contributions. Steven Jackson had a team-high 12 carries and 52 yards, Jacquizz Rodgers rushed six times for 34 yards and scored a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, Devonta Freeman made a miraculous third-down conversion that led to Atlanta’s first touchdown one play later, and Antone Smith had a 54-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown to give the Falcons their first lead late in the third quarter. Tight end Levine Toilolo, Tony Gonzalez’s replacement, also made a touchdown grab. And then there’s Matt Ryan. It helps having a plethora of weapons to utilize just about everywhere you look as a quarterback, but it has to be said that the seventh-year quarterback played his best-ever NFL game in his own right. Ryan completed 31 of 43 passes for a franchise-record 448 yards to go along with three touchdowns. He also did an impressive

TIMELY DEFENSE … Making plays is exactly what Atlanta’s defense did and must continue to do throughout the season. The Falcons are not going to finish first in the league in total defense, nor will they have to. This team is built such that its defense simply has to give the offense a chance to win, and that is exactly what the unit did against New Orleans. Robert McClain picked off Brees in the endzone late in the third quarter and William Moore forced a Colston fumble on the second play of overtime. “We’re always thinking turnovers,” linebacker Joplo Bartu explained. “We want to take advantage of any mistake our opponents make. We wanted to win. We got the ball back (in overtime) and it created great momentum for us. William came in for the tackle and the ball came loose. As I was coming over there to clean up, I saw the ball on the ground and jumped on the ball as fast as I could. I didn’t want to pick it up (and run with it). I just wanted to get the offense the ball back.” That recipe of getting the ball back and letting Ryan and company take over worked to perfection against one of toughest opponents in one of the biggest games of the season. There is no reason to think it won’t continue to work as this redeem team looks to return to where it belongs atop the NFL standings. Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

Matt Ryan

Matt Bryant

Alex Wood

The ‘Who Dat’ Nation that spilled into the Georgia Dome for the matchup against the Falcons on Sunday got to know who actually was going to beat “dem Saints”. Matt Ryan carried the Falcons with a strong passing performance as he totaled a teamrecord 448 passing yards and three touchdowns in Atlanta’s 37-34 victory.

It was the Matt with the golden foot that came through in clutch with two huge field goals. The first attempt came in the final seconds of regulation as Atlanta trailed 34-31, when Bryant boomed a 51-yard kick that split the middle to tie it up. A Saints fumble in overtime set things up yet again, as Bryant kicked the game-winner from 52 yards out.

Although Braves fans do not have much to cheer about these days, at least they can expect a close game when pitcher Alex Wood is on the bump. The southpaw has pitched great for Atlanta over his last five starts, posting a 2.31 ERA and compiling an opposing batting average of .197 as he continues to build on a strong season in the rotation.

SCORE LIST By Brian Jones

RISE UP

The Falcons started the season on the right foot when they took down the Saints in overtime last week. Now it’s time for another tough test as they have to travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals. A.J. Green vs. Julio Jones? It’s like Georgia and Alabama circa 2008, and we all know who won that battle.

WAR IN COLUMBIA

But before the Falcons’ battle in Cincy, the Bulldogs are looking to get a rare win in Columbia on Saturday. The Gamecocks are looking to stay in the SEC East hunt, while the Bulldogs would love nothing more than to all but eliminate South Carolina two games into the season. It will be a slugfest just like it has been the last few years.

KSU FOOTBALL PRACTICE

The KSU football team officially began its road to the 2015 season when practice began on Monday. The coaches were after the players from the start and made sure they did everything full speed. I love it and I can’t wait to see what the players are made of when they practice in full pads on Friday.

SOUTH GEORGIA RIVALRY

There’s nothing like Friday night football in Georgia. But it will be very special this time around as Thomasville takes on Valdosta, signaling the first time the two teams have met since 1985. To keep up with this game as well as the rest of the games in the state, go to scoreatl.com for the latest scores and recaps.

NO HIGHLIGHT FACTORY

The Hawks’ front office is a mess to say the least. Bruce Levenson is looking to sell the team and general manager Danny Ferry is under fire after making some racial comments concerning Luol Deng. I feel bad for the players and fans because both parties deserve a lot better front office crew than what’s in place.

WHO’S NOT

By Matt Cason

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Hawks

Ray Rice

The Braves’ playoff hopes are slipping through their fingers yet again. The team has lost seven of their last 10 games, including three straight dating back to Sunday. The issue, yet again, is a punchless offense that has batted a paltry .166 in the month of September. The Upton brothers have not helped the cause, collecting a total of five hits in 33 at-bats.

Co-owner Bruce Levenson and general manager Danny Ferry were found in a predicament for each individual’s racist remarks that were publicized this week. Levenson, who is now planning to sell his controlling share of the team, cited a company email that contained raciallycharged remarks while Ferry is facing punishment from within the team.

The Baltimore Ravens running back was scheduled to wrap up a two-game suspension on suspicion of domestic violence against then-fiancée Janay Palmer back in February. However, new footage showing the violent event in its happening has turned Rice into the scourge of the league, ending in a release by the Ravens and an indefinite suspension by Roger Goodell.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Kyle Sandy

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

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE GEORGIA FOOTBALL TEAM SCORED MORE THAN 20 POINTS IN COLUMBIA, S.C.? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

“

SANITY AT LAST

“Those words do not reflect my views or words that I would use to describe an individual, and I certainly regret it.”

- Danny Ferry on his comments about Luol Deng’s heritage.

Points allowed in the second half this season by Georgia Tech

Wins in Georgia’s last 10 games against South Carolina

19.9

Percent chance the Braves have of making the playoffs according to ESPN.com

448

Passing yards by Matt Ryan against New Orleans, a Falcons record

197

Rushing yards through Georgia State RB Krysten Hammon’s first two games

.166

Braves batting average in September

Game-winning field goals by Matt Bryant since he became a Falcon

Sack given up by the Falcons’ offensive line in Week 1

Vol. 10 Iss. 33 | September 12-18, 2014

IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS TO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU PLAY,

GEORGIA’S KIDS WIN.

It’s elementary, actually. See, every time you play the Lottery, you’re helping our kids get one step closer to their dreams. For over 20 years the Georgia Lottery has contributed over $15.5 billion to education. On top of that, more than 1.6 million HOPE scholars have gone to college and more than 1.3 million 4-year-olds have attended a Lottery-funded Pre-K Program. Add those numbers up and, well, let’s just say that’s a hair-raising number of happy kids.

galottery.com

HOOP RECRUITING

PIUS SUPERSTAR DURR CHOOSES LOUISVILLE BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

t. Pius X shooting guard Asia Durr announced her commitment to the University of Louisville Tuesday afternoon to a packed gym and the many watching live via webcast. Durr has been considered the top prospect in her class since the end of her freshman season and remains the No. 1 rated prospect in the nation heading into her senior season. Durr has led the Golden Lions to back-toback Class AAA state championships and has accomplished feats on the national and international stage. The reigning Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year led her AAU team to the national title, while also winning a pair of gold medals with USA basketball. In the summer of 2013, Durr received gold at the FIBA World Championship in the Czech Republic and this past July, Durr helped team USA achieve gold in the FIBA Americas tour-

nament in Mexico. “It’s been my privilege to coach Asia for three years,” said St. Pius X girls head basketball coach Kyle Snipes. “She is one of the most humble kids I’ve ever coached and obviously the best player I’ve ever coached in my career. She’s accumulated over 1,800 points, over 500 rebounds, over 200 assists, 150 steals and over 50 blocks the past three years. “ THE DECISION … Durr narrowed her list of possible college choices to five schools this past week. The list included Louisville, Duke, Baylor, Maryland and Notre Dame. She spent this past weekend on her first official visit, which was to Louisville, and made her decision before going on official visits to the other programs. “It [Louisville] felt like home,” explained

Durr. “I got that feeling in my heart. My family loved it and my big brother never goes on those visits and he loved it too… I was going to wait until October or November to make my decision but I was ready to make the announcement now so I said why not just do it now.” The recruiting process the past few years added to an already busy schedule with school, AAU and USA basketball commitments, but it was a process that Durr thoroughly enjoyed. “These were great schools with great programs and great coaches and I was so thankful to become very close with them during my recruitment,” said Durr. “It’s been great and I want to thank all the St. Pius students and staff for all the support they’ve shown me and it means a lot that all these people came out to watch where I’m going to college.” After Durr’s announcement, she took pictures with the hundreds of students that came to celebrate the occasion and gave insight to what we can expect for the star shooting guard’s senior season. “It’s a fresh start this season because I know where I’m going to college now,” said Durr. “I can focus on my grades and it gets me more focused in all the preparation for this final season.” THREE-PEAT … The Golden Lions enter Class AAAA for

the first time this year and will have to replace current UGA guard Jasmine Carter, who ran the point alongside Durr the past three seasons. Despite the loss of Carter, the Golden Lions have solid depth at guard and will be the team to beat in Class AAAA. “Teams are going to be coming after us,” acknowledged Durr. “They know we won two Class AAA championships before entering this new class.” Workouts and practice for the 2014-15 season begins in a week and Durr will be back in action after netting 24.4 points per game with 7.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals last season. She shot almost 90 percent from the foul line as a sophomore, making 130 of 152 attempts and has kept that accuracy throughout her career. This summer, Durr’s drive-first mentality helped her stroke a new USA record for foul shooting at a U17 tournament with 88.2 percent. As for the program that landed Durr, Louisville has been National runner-up twice in the past six seasons and finished with a 33-5 last season as a member of the American Athletic Conference. This will be the Cardinals first season in the ACC and the season tips off in November. Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman.

Vol. 10 Iss. 33 | September 12-18, 2014

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Vol. 10 Iss. 33 | September 12-18, 2014

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

DAWGS READY FOR ANOTHER DATE WITH SOUTH CAROLINA BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

fter what seemed like almost a year ago, the Georgia Bulldogs are about to play their first game since beating Clemson 4521 at Sanford Stadium. Now it’s time for the bi-annual trip to South Carolina to battle the Gamecocks on their home turf. The Bulldogs have not won in Columbia since 2008 and they have also failed to score more than 20 points in a game at South Carolina since 1994. The last time they played at Williams-Brice Stadium, head coach Mark Richt knew almost right away that it would not be his team’s night. “Of course, two years ago we got beat down pretty bad,” Richt reflected. “Their crowd was in it, their players made plays, they took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never really looked back…. We’ve really struggled there over the last couple of years.” OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES … South Carolina ended up winning that

GEORGIA STATE

LAST-SECOND STRIKE PREVENTS PANTHERS’ 2-0 START BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

ifteen seconds. Just fifteen seconds stood in the way of Georgia State opening up its second season as a FBS school 2-0 and solidifying its case for a coveted top-four spot in the upcoming four-team playoff; okay, maybe not the latter but the former was a very real possibility. However, the Panthers had their hearts broken by New Mexico State as Tyler Rogers found Teldrick Morgan from 11 yards out with 15 seconds left for his third touchdown pass of the afternoon and the game-winner. ROLLING THE DICE … Georgia State controlled the game from the start, jumping out to a 17-0 advantage early in the second quarter. The lead closed to 2417 as the Panthers entered the fourth quarter, but optimism was still abundant in the Dome. After New Mexico State kicked a 30-yard field goal and scored on a five-yard pass to Joseph Matthews halfway through the final frame, GSU found itself down 27-24. Georgia State was able to march down

game 35-7. Prior to that, Georgia lost on the road to the Gamecocks 17-6 in 2010. Even though things have not gone well for Georgia the last couple of times they have gone to South Carolina, Richt actually won his first four games in Columbia. However, the Bulldogs have never produced much offense in that building. “To think the last nine times, the most points was 20—that shocked me when I read that stat,” Richt said. “I knew what it had been for us when I’ve been at Georgia, but I didn’t realize it went back that far.” Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley was a part of that terrible loss to the Gamecocks in 2012 and is fully aware that Williams-Brice Stadium has not been a pleasant place to play in recent years. “That’s literally the nature of the game,” Conley said. “Regardless of what these teams look like going into it, they’re going to fight and they’re going to have a hard-fought game. Our challenge this week as an offense—even as a defense, but more so as an offense because scoring points in that stadium is difficult—it’s a challenge to us as an offense to be able to execute.” Georgia is picked by many to win this game, especially given the fact that South Carolina looks a little wounded since its loss to Texas A&M on opening weekend. That said, the Gamecocks are still a team that has been a thorn in Georgia’s side in the past.

the field before a crucial fourth down situation arose for head coach Trent Miles. With the ball on the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal and the Panthers trailing by a triple, Miles had to decide whether to kick the field goal and tie the game or risk it and go for the lead amidst the possibility of being stopped and washing away a 13-play drive. Miles decided to roll the dice and show faith in both his offensive line and his 6-foot-1, 230-pound junior quarterback Nick Arbuckle. Arbuckle was able to sneak it in behind an offensive line surge, capping an 86yard drive over 5:34 and giving the Panthers the lead back at 31-27 with 2:30 remaining. The Aggies, though, were able to score late without leaving enough time for an ensuing Georgia State drive. OFFENSE AT WORK … Arbuckle finished 21-of-37 for 294 yards and a touchdown, but he threw two interceptions—one of which was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter. True freshman Krysten Hammon continued his strong start to his collegiate career, rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Avery Sweeting added eight catches for 94 yards as Arbuckle’s primary target. With the loss, Georgia State drops to 1-1 and NMSU improves to 2-0 for the first time since 1999. The Panthers’ next game will not be any easier as they host visiting Air Force this Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

GEORGIA TECH

TECH OVERCOMES SLUGGISH START, TROUNCES TULANE BY MATTHEW CASON | MCASON@SCOREATL.COM

ead coach Paul Johnson looked for his Georgia Tech squad to become efficient on both sides of the ball after suffering a temporary scare in its season opener against Wofford. However, the Yellow Jackets experienced another sluggish start during the opening half at Tulane last Saturday. With 9:38 left in the second quarter and the game tied at 14-14, the Green Wave struck for a 61-yard passing score to take the lead. It was, however, short-lived. A score on an interception return by Quayshawn Nealy and a field goal by kicker Harrison Butker gave Tech a 24-21 advantage at the half. Afterward, the efficiency showed up as the Yellow Jacket defense held the Green Wave to just 137 yards of offense in the second half while touchdown runs by A-back Tony Zenon and backup quarterback Tim Byerly capped off a 38-21 win in Tulane’s first game inside the new confines of Yulman Stadium. Tech’s trademark running game was noticeably stronger than it had been the previous week. The team

KENNESAW STATE

FOOTBALL HOLDS FIRST PRACTICE, HOOPS SCHEDULE RELEASED BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

he football team is less than a year away from playing its first game in school history. That means the Owls don’t have time to waste in order to gel as a team and prepare for the inaugural season. So on Monday, the Owls held their first official practice and more than 75 players were dressed in gold helmets, jerseys and shorts. “We have been conditioning for three weeks, so they are ready for some football,” head coach Brian Bohannon said. “And they got it today.” The practice session started at 8:50 a.m., when the players stretched and warmed up for 10-15 minutes. Then the team was split into offense and defense, with both groups going through a series of individual and team drills. The 90-minute session concluded with a series of wind-sprints. Bohannon thought the first practice went well, but he wanted the players to pick up the tempo when they came back on Wednesday. “It was the first day; you expect some

totaled 344 yards rushing on an average of six yards per carry. SLOW STARTS … Johnson vented his frustration after the win on Saturday with the team’s sloppy play in the first half, which was also the case during Tech’s season opener against Wofford—in which the Yellow Jackets carried just a one-point lead into halftime. During the first half at Tulane, Tech lost two fumbles and the usually reliable Butker missed a field goal from 33 yards out. The head coach felt his team easily could have scored more than the 38 points at the Green Wave’s expense. “It was another crazy start,” Johnson said. “Frustrating, disappointing to start like that. The first game, maybe nerves are OK. There’s no excuse for that the second game. We’ve got to grow up. I think they know. When they see the tape, they’ll know.” HAPPY HOMECOMING … One Yellow Jacket was ecstatic to be playing in the “Big Easy” last Saturday. Zenon, a redshirt senior, played a huge role in the win, racking up 62 rushing yards and two touchdowns. More importantly to the New Orleans native, he was able to perform in front of his friends and family. “My teammates wanted to get me into the endzone and they did a great job blocking for me,” Zenon commented. “It felt good scoring in front of my family and having them see me play.”

things to be rough around the edges,” Bohannon explained. “When you have 75 young kids and a handful of older kids, the tempo is not quite where you want it.” On Wednesday, the Owls were back on the field and this time they were in shoulder pads. But the practice session on Friday will be the true test because it will be the first time the team will practice in full pads. Kennesaw State will continue to condition and practice until the end of November. The team will have a scrimmage for fans on Oct. 11 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. BASKETBALL SCHEDULE RELEASED … Basketball season is right around the corner, believe it or not, which means the men’s team schedule was released on Tuesday. The Owls will play in 31 games and will start the season with a tough test as they travel to Syracuse to face the Orange on Nov. 11 for the 2K Classic. They will then travel to California to face the Bears on Nov. 16. The Owls’ first home game won’t be until Nov. 26, when they face Samford. Atlantic Sun Conference play will begin on Jan. 10, when KSU travels to USC-Upstate. The first home conference game will come a week later when the Owls face Lipscomb. “I believe this league continues to be undervalued and overlooked at times,” head coach Jimmy Lallathin told ksuowls.com. “But again, top to bottom this league I think everybody is going to beat up on everybody.”

Vol. 10 Iss. 33 | September 12-18, 2014 ATLANTA HAWKS

CO-OWNER LEVENSON TO SELL SHARE OF TEAM AMIDST CONTROVERSY BY MATTHEW CASON | MCASON@SCOREATL.COM

awks’ co-owner Bruce Levenson shocked many across the sports world last Sunday when it was announced that he would be selling his controlling interest in the team after citing an “inappropriate and offensive” e-mail that he authored and sent in 2012. In a statement released by the Hawks, Levenson exclaimed how he was “angry” at himself for what was written and called it “inflammatory nonsense.” “We all may have subtle biases and preconceptions when it comes to race, but my role as a leader is to challenge them, not to validate or accommodate those who might hold them,” Levenson said in the statement. “After much long and difficult contemplation, I have decided that it is in the best interests of the team, the Atlanta community, and the NBA to sell my controlling interest in the Hawks franchise.” Levenson’s original e-mail spoke about possible plans to fix the Hawks’ attendance problems, indicating that a large portion of the fan-base is African-American and that games

ATLANTA BRAVES

DIVISION HOPES GONE, BUT PLAYOFF RACE STILL WILD BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

eading into this week’s three-game series at Washington, the Braves knew they would just about have to sweep the Nationals and then sweep them again later this month in Atlanta in order to have a realistic shot at winning the National League East. Well, that is not going to happen; not even close. Fredi Gonzalez’s club succumbed to Washington 2-1 on Monday and 6-4 on Tuesday. As of Wednesday afternoon, the team had lost three in a row and six of its last eight to leave it nine games behind the division-leading Nationals. Although the wild-card story was not as good as it had been when the Braves found themselves tied with Milwaukee for the second spot last weekend, it was still far from dire as of Wednesday. Atlanta trailed the Brewers by a half-game for third place and needed to make up 1.5 games on Pittsburgh for the No. 2 wild card behind San Francisco. “We’ve got to worry about ourselves,” Freddie Freeman said in his postgame inter-

are marketed toward African-Americans, thus resulting in a lack of attendance among caucasians. “My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a significant season ticket base,” Levenson wrote in the email among a series of other assumptions. Hawks’ CEO and part-owner Steve Koonin will oversee all team operations during the sale process. FERRY TROUBLING … The accusations of racism do not end there for the Hawks, as general manager Danny Ferry is in hot water after it was revealed that he had made offensive comments about then-free agent and now current Miami Heat forward Luol Deng in a conference call with ownership and management back in June. When referring to Deng, Ferry was quoted as saying, “He has a little African in him. Not in a bad way, but he’s like a guy who would have a nice store out front but sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back.” According to Ferry, those comments were said to have been read from a report compiled by internal and external sources. “Those words do not reflect my views, or words that I would use to describe an individual, and I certainly regret it,” the GM assured. “I apologize to those I offended and to Luol, [whom] I reached out to Monday morning.”

view after Tuesday’s loss. “If we don’t win, it doesn’t matter what that scoreboard says, what the Pirates or the Brewers are doing. We’ve got to worry about ourselves, go out there and play good baseball games, and we’ve got to start tomorrow.” NEXT YEAR … It’s not time to suspend hope until 2015; perhaps it’s nowhere near that time. But it is not too early to start talking about next year, because the 2015 Major League Baseball schedule was released on Monday. The Braves will begin next season at Miami on April 6, signaling the fourth time in the past five years that they will open on the road. After a three-game series at the Marlins, Atlanta will contest its home opener against the Mets on April 10. An intriguing interleague slate includes home dates with both the Red Sox and Yankees. Boston will come to Turner Field on June 17 and 18 before the Yankees pay a three-game visit Aug. 28-30. Not unlike this summer’s arrangement, the Braves and Red Sox have home-and-home sets to make up a four-game series. Fenway Park will entertain Atlanta June 15-16 before the two clubs head south. The Braves will wrap up the 2015 campaign with a six-game homestand against Washington and St. Louis from Sept. 29 through Oct. 4.

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS TO FACE PRIMED BENGALS BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

tlanta rallied from a 20-7 deficit in the second quarter to earn a 37-34 overtime win over New Orleans in Week 1. Matt Ryan passed for a franchise-record 448 yards to go along with three touchdowns and Matt Bryant kicked three last-second field goals, including a 40-yarder prior to halftime, a 51-yarder to force overtime and a 52-yard game-winner in the extra period. Ryan’s performance earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the fifth time in his career and Bryant was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the seventh time in his career. Ryan also became the Falcons’ all-time leader in touchdown passes (156) in addition to his single-game record. He completed 31 of 43 passes (72.1 percent) and three touchdowns as he posted an NFL-best 128.8 passer rating. Ryan has led the Falcons to a 35-2 record when he records a passer rating of 100 or higher and a 19-1 mark when throwing three or more touchdowns. His 448 passing yards were

ATLANTA DREAM

DREAM FOCUS ON OFFSEASON OBJECTIVES BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

inning a title is difficult in any sport, but it is the goal every franchise strives to attain. Teams often build title contenders over a long process. Drafts, trades and free agency are how rosters are comprised. This offseason will be an important one for the Atlanta Dream. Atlanta has been recognized as an Eastern Conference power but has never been able to make it over the hump in the postseason. This year’s failure occurred in the first round at the hands of No. 4 seed Chicago, which is now playing the heavily-favored Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals. SIGNING DE SOUZA … The core of the Atlanta team is experienced and has another season together under its belt heading into 2015. Angel McCoughtry is the leader of the group and has played with running mates Sancho Lyttle and Erika de Souza for all six of her seasons. The three players have gelled to form one of the strongest front-

the second most in NFL history by any quarterback on kickoff weekend without throwing an interception. WHO DAT, WHO DEY … The excitement was felt throughout the city after the victory but with a trip to Cincinnati looming, Falcons’ head coach Mike Smith was quick to shift focus on what lies ahead. “We’re on to our preparation for the Cincinnati Bengals in about an hour and 45 minutes,” Smith said in his postgame press conference. The Falcons have faced the Bengals 12 times in franchise history and have won the last three matchups, including a 39-32 victory in 2010. Like Atlanta, Cincinnati opened its season against a division opponent and moved to 1-0 with its 23-16 win at Baltimore. The Bengals were 8-0 at home last season, while the Falcons were 1-7 on the road. Cincinnati likes to use the speed of Giovani Bernard out of the backfield and the playmaking ability of A.J. Green at receiver. Bernard took 14 carries for 48 yards in Week 1 and also saw a teamhigh 10 passes thrown his way. Green helped the Bengals put the game away and answered an 80-yard Steve Smith touchdown with a 77yard touchdown catch to give the Bengals a 2316 lead in the fourth quarter. The former UGA star has hauled in 11 touchdowns in each of his last two seasons and comes off a career-high 98 catches and 1,426 yards in 2013.

courts in the game. Lyttle has already signed a multi-year extension, signaling that she will not be going anywhere soon. It is de Souza, coming off a career year, who is a free agent and must be the top priority for the Dream to re-sign. The 6-foot-5, 32 year-old low post presence might have peaked this season, but her veteran leadership will remain invaluable to the Dream. OTHER OBJECTIVES … Besides re-signing de Souza, the Dream could also use some help at the guard positions. Rookie Shoni Schimmel had a successful first year, but more depth may be needed. Fourth-year guard Jasmine Thomas struggled mightily in her 23 starts, prompting Schimmel to see a lot of court time. Head coach Michael Cooper has also stated that he would like to add another post player to the mix to help take the load off de Souza if she re-signs. Atlanta holds the 10th spot in the 2015 WNBA Draft and will presumably be focusing on another guard or post presence. Guards such as Tear’a Laudermill, Hasina Muhammad and Brittany Hrynko are all players that look to be in the No. 10 range. As for potential bigs that could fall into the Dream’s lap, Elem Ibiam and Isabelle Harrison are two names to keep an eye on. The 2015 draft will be held next April, so for now get ready to watch some college basketball and look out for some potential Dream players.

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Vol. 10 Iss. 33 | September 12-18, 2014

A young athlete’s brain is still developing, so don’t take chances with a head injury. Bring him to Children’s, where doctors have the expertise to diagnose and treat concussions. And with ImPACT testing, we can compare a patient’s progress to a normal baseline score to help determine when he’s ready to play again. To schedule a baseline ImPACT test for your athlete or team, visit choa.org/baselinetesting. TM

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