SoCon Rewind: A Look Back At What Happened A Decade Ago In SoCon Football

Fowlkes would be named the Southern Conference Male Athlete of the Year and finished third in the voting for the Walter Payton Award after leading the nation and setting school and Southern Conference records for single-season receptions (103), receiving yards (1,618) and all-purpose yards (2,313). It was a truly remarkable season for the senior from Fort Wayne, Ind.

Missing the postseason isn’t something tolerated in Statesboro, and after a dismal 2003 season, which saw the Eagles predicted to win the Southern Conference by all the pundits, the pressure was ramped up on Mike Sewak and staff as his Eagles approached the ‘04 campaign with a bit of cautious optimism.

The good news for Georgia Southern was it returned pretty much everyone to the fold for the ‘04 campaign, including a 100-percent Chaz Williams, who had battled knee issues the previous season, and he headed into the campaign as the clear-cut starting duties, no longer sharing snaps with Trey Hunter.

The Eagles would show they were for real from the outset of the ‘04 season, putting in more than a respectable performance against Georgia, dropping a respectable, 48-28, decision to the Bulldogs.

From that point, the Eagles looked nearly unstoppable, blitzing through both SoCon and non-conference foes en route to eight-straight wins to head into their final Southern Conference game against the Ingle Martin-led Furman Paladins, with visions set on a second outright Southern Conference crown in three seasons.

The Eagles hadn’t had a close game in league play when they paid a visit to Greenville and Paladin Stadium, with the closest victory in SoCon play having been a 22-point (38-16) win in Cullowhee at Western Carolina.

But the Paladins would at least put the Eagles’ outright league title hopes on ice, as the Paladins posted a surprising 29-22 victory over Georgia Southern in a battle between the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in FCS football.

Martin single-handedly led the Paladins to the epic win over Georgia Southern in Greenville, connecing on a perfect 4-for-4 on the final drive for 46 yards, including a crucial 20-yard completion to wideout Brian Bratton on a third-and-10 play to keep what proved to be the game-winning drive alive.

Both Furman and Georgia Southern would head to the postseason with high hopes, and the Paladins looked every bit the No. 2 seed in their opening round clash with Jacksonville State, demolishing the Gamecocks, as Ingle Martin passed for a then single-game school record five TDs, and in the process, also broke Frankie Debusk’s single-season TD passing mark of 20 in a single season with that performance, as he would eventually finish the season with 22 scoring passes. Martin would also set Furman single-season marks for passing yards (2,792 yds), TD responsibilties (25) and total offense (3,084).

But Furman’s season would end in heartbreaking fashion, as in the second round of the postseason, the Paladins would run into Mickey Matthews’ James Madison Dukes, and the vaunted Dukes defense and pass rush was able to keep the balanced and versatile Paladin offense in check, holding Furman to its lowest point total of the season, as the Dukes claimed a 14-13 win in Greenville in front of almost 9,000 on hand at Paladin Stadium.

Georgia Southern’s first round matchup saw New Hampshire and Ricky Santos pay a visit to a rainy Allen E. Paulson Stadium, and it would be offensive coordinator Chip Kelly–now the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League–that would direct a masterpiece display in what was a big offensive night against the Eagles, and Santos would pass for 204 yards, and despite a pair of INTs, would lead New Hampshire to a surprising 27-21 victory. Santos completed 22-of-30 passes in the win.

Summing up the 2004 season, it can be said that it was a campaign that it saw the revival of Southern Conference football after having only one team qualify for the postseason in 2003, with Wofford going all the way to the semifinals. Wofford would miss the postseason despite eight wins, but two of those wins came against Division II foes.

Georgia Southern and Furman were two of the best teams in the league in recent memory, but then both struggled in the opening round of the playoffs. It would also be an big, record-breaking season in the league, which saw plenty of offensive records fall, with Appalachian State being on one end or the other. Stayed tuned to Saturday Blitz in the next few days for the 2014 Southern Conference preview.