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Revisiting the Southern Conference’s greatest moments

By John Hooper

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Going back in the vault to remember one of the greatest moments and players from the Southern Conference.

With most having their attention firmly fixed upon the NCAA Tournament and college football in the meat of spring football, I was able to get an idea from social media and former Citadel All-American linebacker Travis Stephens. Stephens is still one of the best LBs play in the Southern Conference and at The Citadel.

After all, he’s maybe the only LB I have ever seen stop All-America running back Louis Ivory in his tracks on the goal line in a clash between the two in Charleston back in 2001. It was huge hit and one I won’t soon forget.

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That 2001 season had some great moments and great players, and it was at a time when the Southern Conference was at the top of the FCS rung in terms of being a power conference. Enjoy the first of a two-part piece taking a look back at the 2001 season.

The league had prestige, and two of the greatest players in the land, in 1999 Walter Payton Award winner Adrian Peterson (Georgia Southern and 2000 Walter Payton Award winner Louis Ivory (Furman). Both would go on to complete their respective careers as two of the best running backs in FCS history. The short twitter correspondence got me thinking about just how great of a season it was for the Southern Conference.

For fans of sports around the nation in 2001, it was a tough fall no doubt after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Like the rest of the nation for the weekend after the tragedy, the SoCon canceled all games to mourn with the rest of the collegiate sporting world. After the unexpected, solemn off-week, the football that would ensue following that point would be epic.

I can’t remember a time in the league which it was more competitive among the top three in the SoCon, which was also called “The Big Three” by most, which included Georgia Southern, Appalachian State and Furman. All three came into the ’01 season among a handful of teams expected to challenge for a national title.

After all, in the previous two seasons, the trio had battled it out until the last Saturday before a champion could be crowned. Only the 2000 campaign would see an outright title winner, with Georgia Southern crowned the champ. The 1999 season saw all three tie for the league title, with each advancing to the postseason. In the previous two campaigns, all three programs had found themselves in the Division I-AA postseason.

Johnson and Johnson and Johnson

The 2001 season marked the last season for two of the SoCon’s premier head coaches, as Furman’s Bobby Johnson and Georgia Southern’s Paul Johnson would coach their last games in the Southern Conference before moving on to the FBS level, with Bobby moving on to Vanderbilt,  while Paul would matriculate to Navy after the ’01 season.

There was also a third Johnson, in The Citadel’s Ellis Johnson, who would be charged in rebuilding the Bulldog program after never really recovering from the end of the Charlie Taafe era, struggling to gain their footing under Don Powers. Ellis Johnson would help the Bulldogs fashion one of the SoCon’s most physical and athletic defenses, and it would keep the Bulldogs in every game.

Both head coaches would leave an indelible mark on each program, with Paul Johnson known for his offensive mind and Bobby Johnson known for routinely having some of the best defenses in the league.

Paul Johnson had players like speed merchant Mark Myers, who played the slot back position and might be one of the fastest football players I have ever seen. He had J.R. Revere under center, who could have traveled faster with his feet than Paul Revere did on a horse to warn the British were coming.

In keeping with the theme of great linebackers, Furman had some of the league’s finest, which was anchored by Will Bouton. Bouton was the catalyst in the middle of the Paladin defense, and one that flexed their muscle time and time again in ’01.

A.P. vs. The Ivory Tower (Nov. 3, 2001)

That was what the signs handed out to Georgia Southern fans as they entered Allen E. Paulson Stadium to watch Peterson play his last regular-season game in front of the Blue and White-clad crowd in Statesboro.

In fitting fashion, it would come against Furman and Fort Valley product Louis Ivory. Ivory had rushed for 301 yards and three scores against No. 1 Georgia Southern in 2001 after the Paladins dominated the Peterson-less Eagles, who rested a less-than 100% A.P., and the Paladins made the Eagles pay with a 45-10 win.

In the 2001 season, it would be billed the game of the Division I-AA season, with the Eagles and Paladins squaring off in early November. The Eagles and Peterson would get the best of the first clash, with a 20-10 win in Statesboro. A.P. rushed for 158 yards on 24 attempts, while Ivory added 122 yards and a score on 22 attempts.

It would be Ivory that would help the Paladins match an early score by Revere, scoring on a beautiful 23-yard run as the Paladin O-Line opened a huge hole for Ivory to scamper through, and he did the rest, sprinting across the line for the early second quarter score to tie the game, 7-7.

Two of the SoCon’s top defenses, with Furman led by the likes of Lebryan Sperling and Will Bouton, and the Eagles paced by players like bookend Freddy Pesquiera and Orangeburg, S.C. native Derek Butler–a teammate of Paladin standout linebacker Keito Whetstone at Orangeburg-Wilkinson during their time as preps–the two teams went to the half deadlocked, 7-7.

A win by the Eagles would forge a tie atop the SoCon standings, while a win by Furman would pretty much hand the Paladins the SoCon title outright.

Early in the third quarter, Danny Marshall’s strong right leg would help the Paladins take their first lead of the contest, as he connected from 30 yards to help the Paladins take their first lead of the game, at 10-7, with 10:44 left in the third.

Scott Shelton helped the Eagles forge a tie once again after the Paladins halted what looked like a promising Georgia Southern drive to respond to the Marshall trifecta,  as the Paladins held the Eagles to the 35-yarder from Shelton, tying the game, 10-10, with 4:13 left in the third.

With Furman once again mounting a promising drive early in the fourth quarter, having reached the GSU 22, as junior quarterback Billy Napier fumbled the snap and the ball was pounced on by defensive end Corey Middlebrooks.

From there, Revere hooked up with slot back Zzream Walden out of the backfield for a 38-yard gain, electrifying the crowd of 21,593 on-hand for Peterson’s last regular-season home game. A few plays later, Revere plunged in from a yard out to cap the nine-play, 77-yard drive. Georgia Southern would tack on another Shelton field goal late to take the 20-10 win, ultimately allowing the Eagles to tie the Paladins for the 2001 Southern Conference crown.

Stay tuned for part two, as we take a look at some of the more great memories, moments and players that emerged from this great season of Southern Conference football.

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