West Georgia tries to recover from Otten's late resignation

CARROLLTON - Mike Ledford was preparing for a two-week Florida vacation back in June when he heard the news: West Georgia coach Gary Otten had just resigned, and Ledford was the interim coach. <br> <br> A month later, Ledford had the job permanently. <br> <br> ``It was wild,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> He hasn&#39;t had much time to get ready ``We&#39;re no where near ready,&#39;&#39; he said - but at least he&#39;s taking over a program with a solid history. The Braves have won at least eight games in each of the past eight seasons, the longest streak in Gulf South Conference history. <br> <br> An assistant at the school since 1998, Ledford was offensive coordinator last season. He wasn&#39;t sure he would be the choice to be the full-time coach, but he felt comfortable he would get a fair chance. <br> <br> ``I was confident that I could do the job, and confident they were going to look seriously at me,&#39;&#39; Ledford said. ``But I did have some concerns they might do something else, and go in another direction.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> With that on his mind, Ledford still took that vacation, and he said it was the best time he and his family have ever had. <br> <br> And he got the job. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s been amazing,&#39;&#39; Ledford said. <br> <br> It&#39;ll be even better if West Georgia wins eight games again, which is possible. The Braves have 12 starters back, including senior defensive backs Marquis Floyd, Travis Williams and Daetwan Wells. Corry Strange, who started all 11 games at quarterback, returns, too, but Ledford said Strange will be challenged by three other players. <br> <br> ``For the first time since I&#39;ve been here, we&#39;re going to have some serious competition for that position,&#39;&#39; Ledford said. ``Corry certainly is our starter right now, but he&#39;ll be pushed by some good players.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Transfer Bo Bartick, redshirt freshman Will Caywood and sophomore Lucas McMichen all will get their chances at the position, Ledford said. <br> <br> But two key players are gone. Running back Nick Price ran for 1,193 yards last season, and free safety Nate Coggins set school records for tackles, fumble recoveries and consecutive starts before signing a free agent deal with the New York Giants. <br> <br> ``Everybody is replaceable, but those two young men meant so much to our program,&#39;&#39; Ledford said. ``Their experience, knowledge of our program and their leadership will be missed as much as their play on the field. Can somebody fill that void? I don&#39;t know.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Either way, Ledford doesn&#39;t feel any pressure to win eight games. <br> <br> ``All coaches put pressure on themselves,&#39;&#39; Ledford said. ``I don&#39;t think we&#39;re going to be picked by anybody to finish at the top of our league, but we&#39;ve got some young men coming back that are proud of our program and believe in West Georgia football. <br> <br> ``It was a good program before I got here, and hopefully we&#39;ll continue to improve on that.&#39;&#39;

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