Daily Archives: January 20, 2012

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. Furman 10/25/2008

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Here we go with Week 8:

#18  Furman (6-2, 3-1 4th) @ #2 Appalachian State (5-2, 3-0 T1)
10/25/08

Time: 3:30pm

TV: None
Stadium: Kidd Brewer Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf

Capacity: 20,150
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     67.04
FU:    59.42
Home advantage: 2.79 points
ASU is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 10 ½  points (rounded).

Series: Furman leads 21-14-3
Last Meeting: ASU 34, FU 27; October 27th 2007

 

Last week, we talked about rivalries and the fans got exactly what they paid for. Two teams with no desire to lose, fighting to the last play. No sooner can the media, fans and coaches rehash what some have called one of the most exciting games in the existent of the Southern Conference, the Mountaineers have to get right back to work as another rival, the Furman Paladins come to Boone for “Black Saturday”. You want close football games? Look no further than the series between Furman and Appalachian State. Eight of the past nine games have been decided by one possession. In many instances, just like last week against Georgia Southern, the games have been decided in closing moments. Corey Lynch sealed a victory in 2007 with a last minute interception. In 2005, Furman was able to block an ASU field goal attempt in the regular season, while Jason Hunter knocked the ball loose from Ingle Martin’s grasp in the National Semifinal game in the closing moments. In 2004, Richie Williams scored a touchdown with thirty seconds left to secure a one point win. And in 2002, Derrick Black and Josh Jeffries combined for a defensive two-point conversion return that has gone down in ASU history as the “Miracle on the Mountain”.  It seems each year in this rivalry writes a new heart throbbing chapter that tries to top the last one. As always, these two schools fight for conference supremacy and playoff positioning. Appalachian hopes to keep pace with Wofford and Elon while Furman hopes to get a much needed “quality win” in their chase to make the playoffs. Furman. Appalachian State. Late October. Kidd Brewer Stadium. Black Saturday. What else is there?

 

Similar to Georgia Southern, Furman has installed a very non-traditional offensive attack. Furman, which has always been a team that runs first and passes second, has gained roughly 60% of their total offense through the air by way of Jordan Sorrells. In eight games, the junior has completed 62% of his passes for 1764 yards and 15 touchdowns, second in the conference to Elon’s Scott Riddle. Sorrells main target is Adam Mims who has 36 catches for 418 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mims is also Furman’s leader in punt return yards, with eight returns for 114 yards. That is a 14.2 yard per return average that is slightly skewed by a game against Colgate, where he had 3 returns for 92 yards. Take that out and his average drops to 4.4 per return.

 

Despite being a tad overshadowed by the passing game, you must always respect the Furman running attack. Mike Brown is the Paladins leading rusher and is as fast as any back in the conference. Brown leads the team with a 621 yards and five touchdowns. Brown is a versatile back who will remind Appalachian fans of Kevin Richardson, as he has also caught 22 passes for 242 yards. Behind Brown, there is not much depth to the Furman running game. Replacing a Paladin legend like Jerome Felton is hard to do, but that job falls in the hands of freshman Tersoo Uhaa, who has 188 yards on 48 attempts. Uhaa is tough to tackle as he stands at 5’8” and 200 pounds, and can get tough yardage when needed. Uhaa had a career high 11 carries against The Citadel last week.

 

Furman has always had pretty good defenses, even when their teams were young. Furman has given up only 327 yards and 20.2 points per game which is good enough for third best in the conference in both categories. Furman switched defensive philosophies last year to a 4-2-5 alignment. Basically, there are two inside linebackers and two cornerbacks with three safeties. Three defensive starters for the Paladins rank in the top 10 in tackles in the conference. They are led by defensive back William Middleton who as 66 total tackles, three sacks, three interceptions and nine defended passes. Linebacker Brandon Williams is leading tackler with 68 total tackles, 31 solo stops, and 8.5 tackles for loss.

 

It may sound like a broken record, but it’s a record that keeps playing over and over again for Appalachian. Armanti Edwards has shown for the last three weeks why he is one of the best football players anywhere. Edwards accounted for another 333 total yards, five more total touchdowns and maybe most importantly, zero turnovers in the win against Georgia Southern. In three conference games this year, Edwards has totaled 1008 yards and has been responsible for 15 touchdowns. Edwards has not thrown an interception in 97 attempts and became the first player since Adrian Peterson to win three straight conference offensive player of the week awards.

 

With each passing week, Appalachian has found a play or two on offense that they felt could exploit opposing defenses. Against Georgia Southern, to keep from the Eagles from stuffing the box, Appalachian threw four out patterns to Josh Johnson, which went for 49 yards. On each completion, they chains moved for a first down. Those four plays and Johnson’s sure hands were enough to give Appalachian some room in between the tackles to keep the defense guessing. Last year, against Furman, Appalachian had Armanti Edwards and Kevin Richardson run for over 100 yards on the way to 300 total rushing yards. I think Furman is suspect to the middle of the field. The five defensive backs have accounted for a total of 10 interceptions but their job is to keep the offense in front of them. You might see more short passes from the Mountaineers this week in order to keep the Paladins from feasting on errant passes in the secondary.

The last time these two schools met in Boone, the game was somewhat of an aberration. The Mountaineers gave Furman a 40-7 loss that stands as the most lopsided victory for the Mountaineers in series history. The game was knotted up just before half as Furman lined up for a field goal attempt. Corey Lynch blocked the kick and scooped the ball up and raced to the end zone for a seven point Mountaineer advantage. Furman was too deflated after halftime to muster a charge. I do not imagine a similar result this time around. Furman will be very steady on offense and will use the clock to their advantage. Furman leads the conference in red zone touchdowns, which is a compliment to how stable their offense has been. Bobby Lamb has seen enough videotape of the Appalachian offense and knows keeping Armanti Edwards off the field will be to his advantage. As has been in past Furman games, turnovers will be very important. Although both teams are in the positive in terms of turnover margin, Furman has lost 10 of 14 fumbles and Appalachian leads the conference with 12 interceptions. Appalachian has only turned the ball over 10 times this year to Furman’s 15 total turnovers. The Appalachian secondary must be up to the challenge as Furman has only given up 7 sacks on the season. Appalachian showed an inability to consistently get to the passer against Georgia Southern as Antonio Henton racked up close to 300 yards passing. This game is probably biggest for the Mountaineer linebackers. Furman likes to throw underneath crossing routes and short hooks. The linebackers will also be held accountable to make plays in the running game. The defense showed tremendous heart against Georgia Southern and I think it will carry over against Furman. Jerry Moore will be gunning for his 200th career win and there is not a sweeter victory for Appalachian fans than to beat Furman. This game will be close throughout, but I think Armanti Edwards is too much for the Paladins to handle in the end.

The First Pick:

Purple Pansies            27

Golden Rods               38

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. The Citadel 10/4/2008

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Here we go with Week 5:

#12 The Citadel(3-1, 1-0 T2) @ #2 Appalachian State (2-2, 0-0)
10/4/08

Time: 3pm

TV: SportSouth
Stadium: Kidd Brewer Stadium
Surface: Field Turf
Capacity: 20,150
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     60.49
Cit:    58.77
Home advantage: 2.87 points
ASU is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 4 ½  points (rounded).

Series: ASU leads 25-11
Last Meeting: ASU 45, Cit 24  November 3rd, 2007

 

Finally. This will be the first normal game of the year. It appears that the weather is going to cooperate with sunny skies and cool temperatures to go along with a nice mid-afternoon kickoff at “The Rock”. Three games this season have been impacted by some type of poor weather and the other was an away night game. To keep with the normal theme, it will be the first conference game of the season as well. And finally, The Citadel game is back to its somewhat normal scheduling spot of the season by playing as one of ASU’s first conference games of the season. The past two seasons, ASU and The Citadel played in the opening days of November. To break the theme, Homecoming is upon us and that always brings a huge crowd to Kidd Brewer Stadium as some fans make one of their only games of the season.

 

The Appalachian-Citadel rivalry was a good one for the first 22 games of the series. It was not until the Jerry Moore era that Appalachian started to dominate the Cadets. Appalachian has won four straight games and has taken 13 out of 14 against the Bulldogs. The last year in which the series was competitive was in 1992, which coincidentally was also the last time The Citadel won a game in Boone.

 

Last year, The Citadel and about half of the conference, were fighting for first place and possible playoffs spots before facing the Mountaineers. The dominating performance by Armanti Edwards and the rest of the Mountaineers diminished any hopes that the Bulldogs had of winning a championship or advancing into post season play. This season will be slightly different as the Bulldogs have already claimed one conference win and the game will be the conference opener for Appalachian. This year will be similar as this game will have early season implications on the playoffs. The Citadel brings in its lofty #12 ranking into Boone, hoping they can upset the Mountaineers before they can find their groove.

Quarterback Bart Blanchard will lead the charge for The Citadel. Blanchard will not a be a surprise to the Mountaineers. Blanchard started against the Mountaineers after starter Duran Lawson suffered a season ending knee injury. Blanchard completed 20 of 36 passes in that game, including one touchdown and one interception for 197 yards. The interception was thrown in the direction of DJ Smith who returned it for a 23 yard touchdown.  Blanchard has also been somewhat inconsistent while throwing ball this season compared to last. Although the interception he threw last year was against the Mountaineers, it was the only one for the rest of the season. This year, Blanchard has thrown six interceptions to seven touchdown passes. He threw three in a loss to Clemson and two last week against Western Carolina.

The rest of The Citadel’s offense runs through playmaking wide receiver, Andre Roberts who has caught over a third of the Bulldogs’ completed passes. Roberts is averaging 6.5 catches and 110 yards per game to go along with six total touchdowns. Although never starting a game, the Bulldogs’ leading rusher is Asheton Jordan who has run 48 times for 268 yards and three touchdowns. The Cadets starting tailback is Cody Wilson has amassed on 73 yards on 21 carries.

 

Appalachian came out of the gates last week against Presbyterian by wanting to establish a passing game. Armanti Edwards threw for 220 yards in the first half alone despite Appalachian dropping numerous passes and drives stalling right as they entered the Blue Hose red zone. A good portion of those yards were supplied by tight end Ben Jordan who hauled in three catches for 97 yards and Devin Radford who caught his only pass for a 72-yard touchdown. Jordan is making some Appalachian fans remember the days of great pass catching tight ends like Daniel Bettis and Frank Leatherwood. With the loss of Devon Moore to injury, Radford added a much need boost to running attack for the Mountaineers. Along with Robert Whelton, the Apps now have a good power and speed combination out of the backfield.

 

The Mountaineer defense had some struggles against Presbyterian in stopping the passing game. Losing key players on the defensive line and in the secondary forced some very young players to get their first starts. Jabari Fletcher and Lanston Tanyi received some much needed repetitions on the line and Jared Reine and Ed Gainey got work in at cornerback as well. With a younger line and a young secondary all of a sudden, the Apps may go through some growing pains on defense. This is the time when veterans like Pierre Banks and Leonard Love need to step up and serve as leaders on a defense that got real young, real fast.

 

The one thing you can always count on from teams from a military school is a discipline. They will always be in the right position on offense and defense. What the schools can lack of the loads of athleticism, especially to teams like Appalachian. These men are not trained to win battles on the football field, but on another field of battle. However, the players are capable of doing what it takes to win football games. Although The Citadel’s non-conference schedule was not full of name teams with football rich traditions, they still had to go out and win those games. The heart that was shown by the Bulldogs is coming from behind and beating Princeton at home is something that cannot be measured. However, during the spread offense era of college football, the Bulldogs have simply not had what it takes to keep up with the Mountaineers. Appalachian has beaten the Bulldogs on average by 26 points in the last three games. The reason they have been able to obtain their high ranking is due to preseason media hype and a college football world that has upsets nearly every weekend. In order to prove to the country what they are made of, Citadel has to go out and beat Appalachian in Boone, where they have won 37 of the last 38 games. A minor detail for this game will be the health of Armanti Edwards, who suffered a twisted ankle against Presbyterian. All reports say that the ankle is getting better each day and Armanti expects to play, but in the back of Jerry Moore’s mind, he must be thinking about bringing back Edwards to soon last year against Wofford. That game resulted in ASU’s first loss of 2007. Freshmen DeAndre Presley will be ready to go if needed and he had some great runs last week. Presley runs a little bit lower to the ground then Edwards and dances more compared to Edwards’ long strides. In the past few games against The Citadel, the Apps have been the more physical team up front and have not had to rely on passing the football as much. I expect a game plan where ASU plans to attack the Bulldog front line and wear them down. Cortez Gilbert will be the man to stop Andre Roberts and I think he will be held well below his season average. This one could be a very interesting game in the first half, but ASU should run away with this one as the game wears on.

The First Pick:

Pups                 20

Apps                 38

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ Western Carolina 11/22/2008

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Here we go with Week 12:
#2 Appalachian State (9-2, 7-0 1st) @ Western Carolina (3-8, 1-6 8th)
11/22/08
Time: 3:00pm
TV: SportSouth
Stadium: Whitmire Stadium
Surface: Gameday Grass
Capacity: 13,742
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU: 74.63
WCU: 45.72
Home advantage: 2.92 points
ASU is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 26 points (rounded).
Series: ASU leads 53-18-1
Last Meeting: ASU 79, WCU 35; November 10th 2007

 

Mountaineer fans will always have a special memory when thinking about playing Western Carolina. It has nothing to do with the fact that this series has been dominated by Appalachian since its inception. It has nothing to do with the “Old Mountain Jug” that sits at Owens Field House, year after year. The 2004 game in which Appalachian squandered a late fourth quarter lead and gave one the Catamounts will be the game Appalachian fans will remember most. It was the next day that folks were calling for our head coach to resign. At the same time, Jerry Moore decided there was time for a change. The Appalachian offensive scheme was changed from a pass heavy no huddle offense, to the offense they have to this day, the run heavy no huddle spread attack. Since that fateful November night in 2004, Appalachian has won 48 of its last 56 football games, including three national championships. Western Carolina decided to make a change the day after the most lopsided loss to Appalachian in the “Old Mountain Jug” era. They fired the entire coaching staff after the 79-35 thrashing. During the offseason, they hired Dennis Wagner for one reason: Beat Appalachian. Wagner has improved the Catamounts. They did break their oblivious SoCon losing streak by defeating Chattanooga and have won three games this season and lost a tough game at home to Georgia Southern. The tide is turning in Cullowhee and Dennis Wagner will face one the main objectives in his job description. Can the Cats play the spoiler like 1998 when Appalachian was all but assured the No. 2 seed in the playoffs? Or, will the Apps take care of business like usual?

 

For the most part of the season, the Catamounts were employing a dual headed quarterback system. The rotation has been between and Zach Jaynes and Adam Horn. Jaynes has been the guy under center in the last three games, losses to Elon and Georgia Southern and a win over Chattanooga. Jaynes has thrown for 1100 yards and ten touchdowns on the season, with four interceptions. Horn, who last received significant playing time in the loss to Wofford, has thrown for 1074 yards and seven touchdowns and only one interception.

Receiver Adam Hearnes is Western’s “CoCo Hillary”. The former quarterback in high school has now become the Catamount’s leading receiver with 47 catches for 415 yards and three touchdowns and has also seen some time under center with 100 yards passing and one touchdown. Also leading the Western receivers are Marquel Pittman with 39 catches for 561 yards and four touchdowns and Donald James with31 catches 319 yards and two touchdowns. The Western rushing attack is led by Quan Warley who has rushed for 644 yards and two touchdowns. Warley makes up for 52% of the total rushing yards for Western on the season. Sadly, for the Catamounts, Pittman, James, and Warley are considered doubtful for this weekend’s game.

The Mountaineers know all too well about how injuries can affect a football team. It seems as the Mountaineers have not a full stable of running backs since the beginning of the season. Devon Moore, injured in the James Madison game, is likely seeking a medical redshirt. Devin Radford has been in and out of the lineup with a shoulder injury. Robert Whelton has had a bum ankle for weeks, but continues to grind it out. All of those injuries have forced Josh Jackson and Matt Cline into the spotlight and they have filled in admirably. Armanti Edwards has also taken a hit as well, as he has been expected to get more carries with all of the hurt running backs. Edwards suffered two different injuries last week: a bruised knee and a hip pointer. The knee is supposedly ok. The hip is causing a few more problems but Coach Moore expects him to play. Regardless of how hurt Armanti is or is not, the key to the spread offense is to have a quarterback that is 100% healthy. A quarterback who is hurt is an extreme disadvantage. I would much rather have DeAndre Pressley in than Armanti hurt, despite the implications.

Every two years, this is the game that worries me the most. Playing at Western is a little creepier than playing in Boone. Western’s last two wins in the series have been in Cullowhee. It has been since 1984 that the Catamounts last won in Boone. Just stating facts, Western’s football program has been at the bottom of the conference for several years now. More often that not, this game means to the Catamount faithful more than any other single game. It is usually the last game of the year and the Catamounts have nothing to play for other than pride. Meanwhile, for the past three years, for Appalachian, it is a game that you want to get out of with no injuries, pick up the win, and get ready for the playoffs. That is the exact same situation we have in 2008 as well. A win by Western Carolina would be an upset, which would be no different from the norm. I am sure there are some Catamount seniors that would love to forget the 79 points that was on the scoreboard after last years win in Boone. Most likely, 79 points might be the total points for both teams this year, considering how young both teams are and the injury situation. Western likes to control the ball, and will use a short passing game to move the chains and run the ball to keep the defense honest. They average over 33 minutes of possession per game. Despite the ball hogging, it has not resulted in a lot of points. Western is averaging 18.3 points per contest. On the other hand, the Mountaineer defense has been stifling in the last four games, giving up only 15.25 points per contest, against some of the better offenses in the conference. Western leads the conference in pass defense, a statistic that is very misleading. Their rush defense has been giving up 197 yards per contest, something that Appalachian will surely attack. Teams have not needed to pass on Western when they are having so much ease running the ball. On paper it just doesn’t make any sense. With or without a healthy Armanti Edwards, the Mountaineers should take this game with ease. The Jug will ride to Cullowhee for a visit and then return to rightful resting place in Owens Field House.
The First Pick:
Kitty Kat 13
Big Bad Apps 35

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ Samford 10/11/2008

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Here we go with Week 6:

#2 Appalachian State (3-2, 1-0 T2) @ Samford (3-2,1-1 T4)
10/11/08

Time: 3:30pm

TV: None
Stadium: Seibert Stadium
Surface: LSR Blade Synthetic

Capacity: 6,700
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     64.32
SU:    53.70
Home advantage: 3.14 points
ASU is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 7 ½  points (rounded).

Series: Series tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Samford 42, ASU 35  November 7th, 1970

 

Welcome to the Southern Conference, Samford University. You have already learned that in this conference, every weekend is a new game, where any team can win. You gave playoff contending Elon a scare at their house by staying close before losing by just a mere six points. You also found out first hand, just how bad the situation is in Cullowhee. Western Carolina scheduled you for their Homecoming game, but nobody told the mighty Samford Bulldogs. This week, you get to play the best there is to offer in the Southern Conference: three-time defending national champion Appalachian State. Although the Mountaineers may run the ball 70% of the time and the team  may not be as fast as Ole Miss, there is one thing I am sure, you won’t catch us snoozing or overlooking the Bulldogs.

 

While scoreboard watching and seeing that Samford was hanging with Elon and beating Western, many people wondered. What do they have down there? It is the their first year in the conference. They are not supposed to be any good. Can they beat the Apps? Certainly, they can. That is why you play. But what really makes Samford who they are?

 

First off, they have a former Heisman trophy winner as a head coach in Pat Sullivan. After his playing days at Auburn were over, Sullivan coached at Texas Christian and Alabama-Birmingham before taking over at Samford prior to the 2007 season. Samford finished at 4-7 during his first year. Secondly, the Bulldogs defense has not been allowing too much of anything. They have allowed only 21 points a game in the last three contests (Ole Miss, Elon, Western Carolina). Against the powerful Elon passing attack, they forced Scott Riddle into three interceptions and three sacks  while only allowing two touchdown passes. Lastly, Samford’s offense is fairly run oriented. They are a team that controls the clock. Against Elon, they controlled the ball for 33:24. Against Ole Miss they held the ball for 34:08. They are averaging as a team 4.6 yards per rushing attempt and average 44.4 rushing attempts per game.

 

The Bulldogs are led by freshman quarterback Dustin Taliaferro who has thrown for a very efficient 640 yards in five games. Taliaferro has completed two-thirds of his pass attempts on the season. Chris Evans is main man at running back for Samford. Evans has run for 579 yards and six touchdowns in five games this season. He averages 21.8 carries per game and 5.3 yards per carry behind one of the biggest offensive lines in the conference. Their line averages 315 pounds per player.

 

It appears the Mountaineers have found their groove on offense. Armanti Edwards threw for a career high four touchdowns and led the team with 305 total yards against The Citadel. The rotation of Devin Radford and Robert Whelton at running back worked nicely as they combined for 94 yards rushing. Radford, for the second straight week, has shown he is dangerous with the ball in the open field as he took a screen pass 68 yards for a touchdown. A nice change of pace was set by Matt Cline, who carried four times for 49 yards. Seven different receivers caught passes for the Mountaineers and four different players caught touchdown passes.

 

The Appalachian defense was smothering. The Apps held The Citadel 145 yards below their total offensive production. Bart Blanchard was only able to complete 41% of his passes. The Citadel running attack could only muster 2.4 yards per rushing attempt. The Bulldogs could only convert six of its 19 third down attempts. In almost every key statistical category, Appalachian held The Citadel below their season averages.

The key to this game will be how Appalachian comes out in the first quarter. Although the first quarter against The Citadel was uneventful, the Apps exploded for 34 points in the second stanza. Two costly turnovers helped the cause for the Mountaineers. A Citadel punt attempt sailed over the head of the punter and on the ensuing possession, Pierre Banks intercepted a pass that set up ASU with another short field. That is what the Apps have been known for in the past, jumping out early and cruising to the win. Samford is not a team that is going come back from a large deficit and win. Their offense is not designed for it. Appalachian’s defense is third in the conference in turnover margin and every turnover has come by way of interception. Those ten interceptions are also tops in the conference. Appalachian also leads the league is passing efficiency defense, only allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 53% of their passes. On the other side, although Samford likes to control the clock, Appalachian in turn does not need very much time to score. ASU’s longest drive against The Citadel went 11 plays for 89 yards and took 4:55 off the clock. The remaining scoring drives all lasted less than three minutes, with three drives lasting less than one minute. I don’t think Samford has the horses to get in a shootout with Appalachian and I don’t think Appalachian is going to be held under 35 points. The turnover battle may be the battle that Samford can win to give them a shot. Samford (+5) is one of three teams in the conference ahead of Appalachian(+3) in turnover margin. Also, Samford leads the conference in kickoff returns at 24 yards per return. That is certainly something Appalachian fans did not want to hear. However, what they gain in those categories, the Bulldogs lose in others. Samford is the most penalized team in the conference in terms of yardage at 63.9 yards per game and in turn, their opponents are penalized the second fewest at 38.6 yards per game. I see this being a fairly close first half. Samford will be able to burn some clock while trying to keep Edwards and Co. off the field. The Apps will break it open with a key interception and the flood gates will open up. Although Samford has only allowed 83 yards per game on the ground, I predict at least two ASU players will break that barrier on Saturday.

The First Pick:

Quizno’s                       10

Mountain House           31

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. Presbyterian 9/27/2008

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Here we go with Week 4:

Presbyterian @ #3 Appalachian State
9/27/08

Time: 7pm

TV: None
Stadium: Kidd Brewer Stadium
Surface: Field Turf
Capacity: 21,150
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     65.39
PC:    34.01
Home advantage: 2.87 points
ASU is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 34  points (rounded).

Series: Presbyterian leads 9-7
Last Meeting: PC 27 ASU 25, November 8th, 1969

 

It has been awhile since an Appalachian team in any decade has taken a three touchdown lead into halftime and lost the game. I don’t think I am old enough to remember any type of game, so I will let some of the more veteran Mountaineer fans answer that. Jerry Moore coached teams rarely give up any type of lead in the second half. It had been since 2003 when ASU had given up leads at halftime to Chattanooga and in the third quarter to Western Carolina before what transpired last Saturday. Hats off to James Madison. They did what they had to do and Appalachian did not. That however was just one game and one game does not make a season. The rest of the season starts this weekend as the Mountaineers host their first regular season night game since defeating Liberty in 2001. Presbyterian’s colors are similar to those of the Liberty Flames. Hopefully, the result will also bear some type of resemblance, a twenty point victory for the Apps.

 

Presbyterian can say something about Appalachian that not many FCS football programs can. The Blue Hose have beaten Appalachian nine times to only seven Mountaineers wins. That puts the Blue Hose in the same category as Furman and Northwestern State. I could name a few others, but for arguments sake let us limit that statistic to a minimum five games played and schools that have active football programs.

 

Luckily, for Mountaineer coaches, the films they received from Presbyterian included three conference opponents, Wofford, Elon and Western Carolina. The staff should have a pretty good idea of what will and won’t work against the Hose. To no surprise, Wofford ran all over them to the tune of 367 yards, and Elon passed over them for 421 yards. Western Carolina couldn’t have been more balanced, rushing for 242 yards and passing for 241 yards. All in all, Presbyterian gave up an average of 285 yards rushing and 269 yards passing to Southern Conference schools. Seems as if anything will work against the Blue Hose. Maybe the real question is what can the Hose do to Appalachian? In the same three games, the Hose scored 18 points a game and averaged 225 yards passing and 68 yards on the ground. When I think of the best defensive teams in the Southern Conference, Elon and Western Carolina certainly don’t come to mind. And for Wofford, their best defense is their offense. The numbers surely are not in favor of Presbyterian as they get ready to play a national contender under the lights.

If there is a bright spot for Presbyterian heading into this weekend, its their quarterback Tim Webb. Last year, in Presbyterian’s transitional year to Division I, Webb threw for 648 yards against North Greenville. This season, Webb has thrown for 956 yards and seven touchdowns in the Blue Hose’s spread attack. The primary beneficiaries of the Webb’s 91 completions on the season have been Terrance Butler(24 catches, 317 yards) and running back Stanley Worrell (20 catches, 148 yards). Worrell is also the teams leading rusher with 40 carries for 146 yards (3.7 ypc).

 

For the Appalachian offense, the story is simple. Right now, Armanti Edwards is a one man show, and that is not a good thing. Edwards, pound for pound is one of the best players in FCS football, but he needs help. Eventually, Edwards is going to need some blocking and some open receivers, or else defenses will key in on him and whoever Appalachian lines up at running back. As a team, throwing for 140 yards a game isn’t that bad, however, completing more passes is important. To date, Appalachian quarterbacks have completed only 49% of their attempts and are averaging 6.2 yards per attempt. The completion number needs to be closer to 60% and averaging 8 yards per attempt will keep linebackers and linemen from pinning their ears back and chasing the quarterback. That in turn, makes the running game much more successful. The theme at practice this week should have been about protecting the quarterback. If Edwards has time to throw, receivers will get open.

 

The Mountaineer defense and special teams did its job for the first half against JMU. After that, not so much can be said. One bad kick return was followed by a couple missed assignments and the next thing you knew, the game was back on. A gut-wrenching 10 play, 87 yard drive in the fourth quarter where JMU converted three straight third downs and pushed the lead to eleven points was more than the Mountaineers could handle. They simple did not come out of the gates in the second half with the same intensity as they did in the opening quarters. The defense must find a desire from deep within before the conference slate starts. A kick return and punt return in the last two games also does not bode well for the special teams. You can be sure if the special teams are not shored up soon, teams like Georgia Southern and Elon, who have speed in those positions will take advantage when they can.

 

A night game at Kidd Brewer Stadium is an exciting time. The most exciting game last year was the Richmond game by far. Although there were only a little more than 24,000 fans in the stands, it seemed like twice as many. The Hose played in front of just over 7,000 fans in road night games at Wofford and Elon this year. Kidd Brewer Stadium is sold out and I expect nothing short of 32,000 fans for this contest. How will Presbyterian handle the pressure of facing the three-time defending champs in an atmosphere as electric as “The Rock”? I am not sure that they can. They certainly have not proved it thus far against other Southern Conference teams. If they do have one thing going for them, it is the injury situation on the ASU defensive line. Tony Robertson could be out up to six weeks and Quavian Lewis will likely sit this one out with a knee bruise. That leaves Appalachian very young at the defensive end position. Presbyterian will try to exploit the inexperience with screen passes to the running backs. The linebackers for ASU must be ready to make open field tackles. Appalachian must find a rhythm in this game and the passing game must get on track. Nobody is going to wait for the Mountaineers to find their groove. The Blue Hose will be overpowered by the ASU running game eventually and look for close to 600 yards total offense for the Apps.

The First Pick:

Socks              14

Boots               49

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ James Madison 9/20/2008

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Here we go with Week 3:

#1 Appalachian State @ #5 James Madison
9/20/08

Time: 7pm

TV: CN8
Stadium: Bridgeforth Stadium
Surface: Field Turf
Capacity: 15,500
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     68.16
JMU:    62.79
Home advantage: 2.87 points
ASU is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 2 ½  points (rounded).

Series: ASU leads 12-3
Last Meeting: ASU 28, JMU 27 Nov 17th, 2007; 1st round FCS Playoffs

 

Now the fun really starts. For Appalachian, the “scrimmages” are over. For James Madison, their shot at revenge is finally in sight. This weekend may bring about the most anticipated game in modern FCS history. It has certainly been anticipated by Dukes followers. Since the exit from the playoffs, every James Madison fan, player, coach, and water boy has had this date circled. The excuses are plenty. They shouldn’t have lost, if games were played on paper. They gave it away, if by “gave it away” you mean, they lost the lead. Does it really matter how it happened? It only matters that it did, which leads us to this weekend. Duke fans thought they should have won the National Championship. Appalachian fans knew, when Pierre Banks fell on “The Fumble: Part 2”, that their team wanted it more. (“The Fumble: Part 1” starred Jason Hunter and Ingle Martin.) That is the reason they play the game. The game is played by everyone on the field, not just the quarterbacks or running backs or wide receivers. Who is going to step up this Saturday and make a play that will not be forgotten?

 

In the Jacksonville game, Appalachian went up against a team and program they had never played before. This weekend will be the exact opposite. James Madison and Appalachian State are very familiar with one another. Coaches Mickey Matthews and Jerry Moore have known each other for the better part of their lives. The schools will have played each other three times in the last three seasons. Armanti Edwards was discovered against James Madison, and this will be the first team in his career that he will have played three times.

 

Senior quarterback Rodney Landers is the key to the JMU offense. He is a terrific spread quarterback that has plenty of speed and will finish plays off by lowering his head and punishing opposing defenses. He is responsible for 57% of the James Madison total offense and has improved his passing, completing 65% of his attempts for a total of 300 yards on the season and has only thrown one interception. Landers has carried the ball more than any other Madison back this season and leads the team with 7.4 yards per carry and has scored four touchdowns on the ground.

James Madison’s back and receivers are equally as talented as their quarterback. Griff Yancey has carried for 171 yards and is averaging 6.1 yards per tote. Eugene Holloman, despite missing the UMass game to injury, has carried for 143 yards and has averaged 5.3 yards per carry. Punt returner Scotty McGee will be someone the Mountaineer special teams will have to keep an eye on. McGee leads the CAA in punt returns at 17.1 yards per clip and kick returns at 29 yards per return. McGee returned one punt for 38 yards and a touchdown against North Carolina Central and has a long return on the season of 49 yards.

 

Appalachian fans are still curious as to what kind of team the Mountaineers will put on the field. The first two games sure felt like exhibitions against two teams on the opposite ends of the college football spectrum. The offense has looked somewhat bland and very run oriented. The passing game was not impressive in the win over Jacksonville. Some seem to think that ASU isn’t showing their hand. I don’t think it was so much that, as it was just trying a few different things on offense and giving younger guys some very valuable playing time. Injuries cannot be predicted and it gives those players some confidence when they have to step on the field and be counted on in pressure situations. James Madison is putting everything into this game, making it their season almost. Appalachian needs to play with a similar type of urgency. The season wont be over, but this game this weekend is the true test and battle of the best teams in FCS football.

 

Appalachian will certainly feature a mixture of Devon Moore and Robert Welton. Moore had 94 yards on nine carries against Jacksonville and Welton carried for a career high 161 yards on ten carries while scoring three touchdowns. Armanti Edwards added 77 yards on eight carries and will certainly be a factor in the game. Depending on how much JMU focuses on stopping Edwards will determine how the ASU game plan will play out. Edwards will have to be successful through the air, for the offense to put points on the board. If Edwards is only able to complete 41% of his passes like he has thus far, it will be a long day for the Mountaineers. A lot of the passing game woes have fallen on the wide receivers. Several players will have to step up in order to keep the chains  moving and keep James Madison off the field.

 

The advantage I see in this game for Appalachian is when the defense is on the field. James Madison was able to put 52 points on the board against a very good Massachusetts team. The Appalachian defense has speed at every position. Where there isn’t speed there is sure tackling and spot on assignments. Playing Rodney Landers is very much like defending the old Georgia Southern triple option and the wing-whatever you want to call it down at Wofford. JMU will be at a disadvantage every time Landers lines up under center.  Landers in the shotgun is very dangerous because he can turn the corner with such ease and gather so much momentum and fall forward while dragging tacklers. On the other hand, I feel as if the ASU offense is going to come out of its shell on Saturday. I don’t envision many three and outs and when ASU has the ball they will be deliberate. JMU played a pass heavy team last week and allowed close to 300 yards passing in the second half. Granted, UMass was behind and needed to pass, but JMU could not seem to get a good pass rush going. Liam Coen isn’t exactly a scrambling quarterback. If the ASU offensive line can protect and give Armanti time to throw, receivers will get open or Armanti will have time to make magic happen when he decides run.

 

Night games always bring out the best in college football. The players have had all day to rest and wait to get all of their adrenaline flowing for what will be a great game. The fans will have had plenty of time in the parking lots getting ready as well. The atmosphere will be electric. However, Appalachian players have played in big games. Over the past few years, the Mountaineers have played their best when the lights have been brightest. The James Madison following has hyped this game to no end. It really says something about desperation when fans start chanting to play a team that isn’t in their conference. It will be interesting to see if JMU can press pass the anxiety of the last nine months. Appalachian fans alike, just want as much to show the game last year was a fluke. Their team should have played better too. This game will certainly have playoff implications. The selection committee will look back to this game and the winner, as long they are playoff eligible, will be given serious consideration for home playoff games. Alas, there is lots of football to be played and it will start on Saturday night in Harrisonburg. The coin toss will mean so much in this game. If you are Appalachian, as the away team, you want to receive the ball and get down the field and score. If you are James Madison, you might want to do the same thing, to send the message and get your crowd into the game early. An opening drive defensive stop will also do the trick for the Dukes. Field position will be extremely critical. For both teams, even if they don’t score on their first drive, it will important to at least move the ball for 30 or 40 yards in order to “flip the field”. Play calling is much more conservative if a team is inside their own 20 yard line. Turnovers played a big part last November and will likely be equally as important. James Madison capitalized on an early ASU fumble and then a key fourth down stop by the ASU defense completed the comeback. If I am JMU, I am worried about being a little over prepared. Their coaching staff has admittedly looked at ASU tape all summer long. Jerry Moore and his teams look at games one at a time. It may come back to haunt them. This game has all the makings of a classic, and finally, JMU gets Appalachian in their house. Who is going to step up this Saturday and make a play that will not be forgotten?

 

The First Pick:

Mickey the Mouth          30
Moore of the Same        34

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ Georgia Southern 10/18/2008

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Here we go with Week 7:

#2 Appalachian State (4-2, 2-0 T2) @ Georgia Southern (3-3,1-2 T5)
10/18/08

Time: 3pm

TV: SportSouth
Stadium: Paulson Stadium
Surface: Natural Grass

Capacity: 18,000
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     63.83
GSU:    56.52
Home advantage: 2.78 points
ASU is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 4 ½  points (rounded).

Series: Series tied 11-11-1
Last Meeting: GSU 38 ASU 35, October 10th 2007

 

Rivalries are what college athletics are all about. There are teams you play within the conference every year, but its those couple of schools, for whatever reason, that have always stuck out through the years. If you want one, look no further than Georgia Southern and Appalachian State football. The series is dead even. Its has back and forth that way for a couple of years now. Sometimes things happen during a rivalry that makes it extra special each time the series is renewed. Eagle fans will never forget the goalpost incident of 2003 after ASU snapped a four game Southern win streak. Georgia Southern returned the favor in 2007 by dancing on the ASU field after a three point win over the two-time defending champions. That is what makes it all so fun. Traditionally this game is always a fight for conference and playoff positioning. Rarely does one team have three losses heading into this game. It would not matter though. If these teams were winless, the intensity would still be the same. Something about these schools on the gridiron, always brings out the best in each team.

 

Every year it seems, when you talk about the Georgia Southern football team, the conversation always starts with the quarterback position. Over the years, the Eagles have had some great athletes lining under center. Greg Hill, JR Revere, Jayson Foster are a few that have given plenty of defensive coordinators nightmares over the years. The Georgia Southern record book is littered with their names. Antonio Henton is another Eagle quarterback that will try to match the numbers of his predecessors. Henton, a transfer from Ohio State, is one of the first true dual threat quarterbacks that Southern has had in a few years. Henton is a good passer with a strong arm and is equally as dangerous on the ground. He is very similar to James Madison‘s Rodney Landers, who he outweighs by 15 pounds. Henton has scored 13 total touchdowns on the year is Southern’s leading rusher at 58 yards per game. Henton completes right at 57% of his passes and his only downfall is the six interceptions he has thrown in six games.  Four of those interceptions have come in the last three games against conference opponents Chattanooga, Wofford and Elon.

 

I will repeat myself, Henton is leading rusher for the Eagles at 58 yards per game. When is the last time you could say that about a Georgia Southern football team. As a team, Southern is averaging only 155 yards on the ground. Gone are the days of 400 yard rushing games week in and out. The Eagles are also getting outrun by their opponents by over 30 yards per game. The Eagles have been allowing 454 yards a game on defense, last in the conference. At 30 points a game, the Southern defense is ranked eighth in the conference. They have also given up more first downs (24 per game) than any other team in the conference. No wonder Southern isn’t running the ball like they used to. Give credit to the “Hatch Attack” offense, but you also have to give credit to the Southern defense for not stopping opposing offenses.

 

Just when Mountaineer fans thought the offense had been corrected, along came Samford, easily the most underrated team in the conference. Two first quarter fumbles puts the Apps in an early hole that they eventually recovered from. Samford was able to deliberately run their offense. They were trying to burn clock and run trick plays from the kickoff. Once it was all said and done, Armanti Edwards emerged once again as the conference offensive player of the week after throwing for 307 yards and adding another 63 yards on the ground in a four touchdown effort. Edwards has thrown seven touchdown passes compared to zero interceptions, including a sparkling 77% completion percentage in the last two games. In his two career games against the Eagles, Edwards has averaged 180 yards rushing and 194 yards passing per game.

 

The Appalachian defense woke up just in time against Samford. Samford was close to adding to their lead when Cortez Gilbert blocked a field goal attempt that kept the deficit at seven points. The offense scored on the next series. The Mountaineers held the Samford offense to only 16 yards in the second quarter. The Samford offense converted their first four  third down conversions in the opening quarter. After that, Samford converted only 4 for 15 for the rest of the game. The defense also held the Samford rushing attack to 4.1 yards per carry, and only allowed 376 total yards on 78 plays(4.8 yards per play). Leading the defense was sophomore linebacker DJ Smith who tallied 12 solo tackles which was enough to win the defensive player of the week in the conference.

 

This game will be a high scoring affair without any question. Although Appalachian appears to have a better defense, nothing can make up for the second straight week on a long trip, coupled with the Statesboro heat. Although the forecasters are not calling for temperatures like we have seen in the past, the heat is still an issue in south Georgia. Also, both Appalachian and Georgia Southern are last in the league in time of possession. For Appalachian its all about the quick strike offense. For Georgia Southern, although their defense cant seem to get anyone off the field, they still average 33 points per game. Another key will be the fact the both Appalachian and Southern are two of the league’s most penalized teams in the league. That means lots of clock stoppages and more chances for offensive plays. Also, Georgia Southern is also one of the worst teams in the league in a category I like to call the pass protection ratio. It is not completely scientific, but work with me. Southern quarterbacks have been sacked 14 times and have thrown 7 interceptions compared to 188 attempted passes, for a percentage of 11.1%, which represents the chance that a Southern quarterback will be intercepted or sacked on each passing attempt. (Wofford leads at 1.8%, while Chattanooga is last at 15.9%). Basically, more interceptions leads to more changes of possessions which leads to more clock stoppages. Throw in the fact this game will be televised and you are looking at a very good chance that this game may take three and half hours to complete. The better conditioned team may win. Both of these teams are also filled with youth, although I suspect that Appalachian has more experience in key positions to pull out a victory. Appalachian is only 3-8 all time in Statesboro and have never won two in a row in Paulson Stadium. I feel that streak will be broken this weekend.

The First Pick:

 

Mullets                         34

Beards                         41

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. Elon 11/15/2008

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Here we go with Week 11:

#11 Elon (8-2,6-1 2nd) @ #2 Appalachian State (8-2, 6-0 1st)
11/15/08

Time: 3:30pm

TV: None
Stadium: Kidd Brewer Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf

Capacity: 20,150
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     71.42
EU:    62.79
Home advantage: 2.52 points
ASU is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 11  points (rounded).

Series: ASU leads 26-9-1
Last Meeting: ASU 49, Elon 32; September 29th 2007

 

This is the time of the year that coaches and players have worked so hard for. For both Elon and Appalachian, this game will play a major factor into determining a conference champion. Elon needs some help, but it all starts with a victory over Appalachian. For the Mountaineers, they can wrap up at least a share of the conference title with a win. Both teams are most likely in the playoffs at this point and their resumes can only be made stronger by playing one another. Elon may not feel as comfortable with their playoff positioning as Appalachian. The Phoenix suffered a tough loss to Wofford and cannot afford another beating to highly ranked opponent. Elon’s other loss on the season came at the hands of Richmond, another potential playoff team. No doubt about it, Elon has been tested this season and this weekend, all will find out if all of the hard work will come to fruition as the play in best game day atmosphere in the Southern Conference.

 

Everyone has been waiting for Elon to return to its past glory days from the NAIA. When Elon hired Pete Lembo, people knew the Elon was making a commitment to football. Lembo landed some good recruits on the offensive side of the ball and that has helped mold Elon into the premier passing team in the league. Quarterback Scott Riddle has drawn comparisons to Brett Favre, they way he throws the football with an almost reckless abandon. Riddle leads the league with 247 passing yards per game and has thrown 22 touchdown passes despite 14 interceptions. It helps that Riddle has one of the best receivers in the conference in Terrell Hudgins, who has had an All-SoCon type of season with 76 catches for 1043 yards and 9 touchdowns.

 

Generally when you see team like Elon, who has such a prolific passing game that scores a lot of points, you find a team that is trying to cover up for their defense. That is not the case for Elon. The Phoenix defense is ranked 2nd in total defense, only allowing 315 yards per game. Elon has also only given up 20.6 points per game on defense, which is also good for 2nd in the league. In fact Elon is ranked second in pass efficiency defense and pass defense as well. Where Elon is not so good on defense is turnovers. Elon has only forced 18 turnovers on the season, good for 6th best in the Southern Conference. The teams below them in forced turnovers are Chattanooga, Georgia Southern and The Citadel. Those teams have a combined total of four conference wins. Another glaring statistic is the Elon’s red zone defense, or lack thereof. No team in the league waves opposing offenses into the end zone better than Elon. The Phoenix give up a score 88% of time opponents reach the red zone. The teams ranked directly ahead of Elon in red zone defense are Chattanooga, Georgia Southern, and The Citadel, with those same four conference wins.

The Mountaineers left their home away from home with another lopsided victory over the Chattanooga Mocs. Appalachian has now won 5 games in 4 years in Finley Stadium. It was the running game that propelled the Mountaineers to victory. Three Mountaineers rang up over 100 yards on the ground: Armanti Edwards, DeAndre Pressley and Cedric Baker. The running attack will also play a very important role this weekend if the Apps want to get one step closer to a conference title. Keeping Elon off the field will be very important. You do no want Scott Riddle to get in a groove and one way to avoid that is by running the football. In the previous two games against Elon, Appalachian has rushed for an average of 315 yards per contest while scoring 47 points per game.

 

Appalachian’s defense has been overlooked for most of the season. Although not having the lofty rankings in certain categories that teams like Elon and Samford have, they have consistently been one of the toughest defenses to score on. The passing game while Elon’s offense is on the field will be entertaining to watch. You will have Elon’s talented receivers against best secondary in the conference. Appalachian is fifth in the nation in interceptions and Mark Legree leads the subdivision with a total of eight picks. In its last three games, Appalachian has only allowed 15 points per game. Appalachian also leads the conference in third down defense, fourth down defense and red zone defense. Appalachian has also forced ten more turnovers than their opponents. Simply put, when a play needs to be made, the Mountaineer defense is there every time.

 

Some folks wrote Elon off after the loss to Wofford. Mainly because the Wofford win set up a huge battle for first place on Halloween night against Appalachian. Elon quietly defeated Western Carolina and suddenly, there is another battle for first place in Boone, just two weeks removed from the last game. Over the past few years, there has been one constant about Appalachian football. When there is a big game to be played, the Mountaineers always show up big. Against Wofford, Elon could not stand up to the pressure of playing a big game. Elon also struggled early in the season against Richmond and escaped a narrow win at Georgia Southern. Basically, they have won all of the games that they were supposed to. To be considered a great team, you have to win a couple of those games against the likes of Richmond or Wofford. Elon is 4-0 on the road this year, with wins against Stony Brook, Georgia Southern, The Citadel and Chattanooga. Against Stony Brook and Chattanooga, there were less than 5,000 fans on hand in both of those games, and they won both games by double digits. The Georgia Southern(17,049) game and The Citadel(12,582) game were the two largest crowds that Elon has played in front of this year. Those games were won by 2 and 4 points respectively. What will happen when the Phoenix run into 30,000 crazy Appalachian fans in the regular season home finale on Senior Day? The weather also looks to favor the Mountaineers. The coolest kickoff time for Elon this year was 64 degrees when they played at Chattanooga. The fearless forecasters are calling for temperatures around 40 degrees with wind and the chance of light precipitation. More important then the crowd size and the weather conditions, Elon may have to weather a storm of a different kind. The last time Elon saw Armanti Edwards on the field was for his first SoCon game of his career in 2006. Edwards did not play Elon in 2007, while recovering from a shoulder injury. You cannot duplicate on a scout team what Armanti Edwards can do on the field. Beyond stingy defenses and high scoring offenses, something must break. Although Scott Riddle is a great passer, he can get a little pass happy considering his 14 interceptions. Edwards has as many touchdown passes as Riddle, with 135 fewer attempts and only two interceptions. Quarterback play will either win or lose this game. For Elon to be successful, Riddle has to play well and pass the ball consistently. On the other hand, Appalachian’s Edwards can beat teams with his arm and his legs. I think Elon is too one dimensional and their strength is going up against the strength of the ASU defense. The Apps will prevail and capture their fourth straight conference title.

 

The First Pick:

 

The Riddle             35

The Answer            49

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ Chattanooga 11/8/2008

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Here we go with Week 10:

#2 Appalachian State (7-2, 5-0 1st) @ Chattanooga (1-8, 0-5 9th)
11/8/08

Time: 2pm

TV: None
Stadium: Finley Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf

Capacity: 20,668
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     71.77
UTC:    35.42
Home advantage: 2.79 points
ASU is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 33 ½  points (rounded).

Series: ASU leads 21-10
Last Meeting: ASU 37, UTC 17; November 17th 2007

 

The Mountaineers have survived the so called gauntlet of their schedule by defeating Georgia Southern, Furman and Wofford in consecutive weeks and find themselves in a very familiar situation. Appalachian controls its own destiny for the rest of the regular season. As long as the Mountaineers continue the winning ways, a fourth straight conference championship is on the horizon. Standing in their way is a very emotionally defeated Chattanooga football team, who has suffered from a difficult schedule and the announcement that their head coach will not be returning next season. This scenario is very scary for a team that has just played its most complete game of the season. Appalachian could be in for a wake up call. In 2006, Appalachian was just starting to hit their stride when they blitzed the Mocs on the way to a 56-21 victory. However, Mountaineer fans will never forget what happened the last time they Mountaineers and Mocs played in an election year. Records were broken left and right when the Mocs stunned Appalachian in an offensive shootout, 59-56. Will Appalachian guard against a letdown on Saturday afternoon, or can the Mocs do the unthinkable and go win one for the coach?

 

As previously mentioned, Chattanooga was given a tough task of facing two of the most prestigious college football programs in the country in Oklahoma and Florida State. After sandwiching a win over Division II Cumberland between the losses to Oklahoma and Florida State, the Mocs suddenly faced a different Jacksonville State team than they imagined, as Ryan Perrilloux had transferred in from Louisiana State. After another loss, the Mocs faced the “App State Gauntlet” in Furman, Georgia Southern and Wofford and suffered heavy defeats from all three of those opponents. Followed by those losses was another blowout loss to Elon and a very disappointing loss to Western Carolina, who snapped their conference losing streak at 20 games. It seems Chattanooga never had a chance in the 2008 season.

 

Chattanooga’s problems are pretty obvious. All season, they have had trouble scoring, and stopping other teams from scoring. The Mocs are being outscored by an averaged of 26 points pre game. Their defense is last in the conference in total yards and their offense is in the same predicament. In fact they are last or next to last in 18 statistical categories. Part of the issues have surfaced due to inconsistent quarterback play. Three players have logged time on the field for the Mocs. Only Jare Gualt has played in all nine games. Gualt has lead the Mocs with 665 yards passing with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Sloan Allison, son of head coach Rodney, has thrown for 243 yards. Allison has zero touchdown passes and seven interceptions in only 67 attempts. Tony Pastore has been the most efficient option for the Mocs with 456 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. Pastore averages a decent 7.72 yards per attempt. All told, Moc quarterbacks have eight touchdown passes and 15 interceptions on the season. Their favorite target has been Clint Woods who has 40 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns. The running game has been led by Erroll Wynn (56 ypg) and Shaun Kermah (24 ypg).

Against the Terriers, the Mountaineers took a page out of the Mike Ayers playbook and forced five turnovers and gave none away in what turned into a blowout win for Appalachian. The game was tightly contested until Mark Legree picked off the first of his three interceptions in the first quarter that eventually gave the Mountaineers a two touchdown margin. Wofford had trouble containing the Appalachian passing game. Armanti Edwards threw for 367 yards and five touchdowns, all to freshman. Receiver Brian Quick was the beneficiary of three touchdowns and tight end Ben Jorden caught two first quarter touchdown passes as well.

 

Besides the three interceptions by Mark Legree, the rest of the Mountaineer defense only allowed Wofford to convert 36% on their third down conversions and allowed no fourth down conversions. Despite giving Wofford all the yardage they wanted in the running game, it was the first half turnovers that really made the difference. By the time the dust had settled in the first half, the Mountaineers had built a 42-14 halftime lead that was too big for the Terriers to overcome.

 

Last week, all the chips were stacked against Wofford, which favored Appalachian. The previous week, Wofford had put 55 points on the board against Elon in a very intense game. The same happened for the Mountaineers last week. In a very similar situation, the Mountaineers responded with 70 points, while Wofford could only muster 24 points. The same could happen to Appalachian against Chattanooga. It is highly unlikely the Mountaineers will put up another high number against the Mocs. Although, I would never bet against this offense to do it, it is just not going to happen. The difference is, Appalachian is not playing a terrific defense in Chattanooga. A game like Appalachian and Chattanooga has now been labeled in the college football world as a “trap game”. Appalachian played a high profile opponent last week and will come off of that high and play a team that appears to be a significantly lesser challenge, right before playing another big game against Elon. If the Mountaineers travel to Chattanooga thinking they are going to roll over the Mocs, they are mistaken. The Chattanooga players will like to send their lame duck coach off into the sunset with a victory before the season is over. There is no bigger giant on their schedule besides Appalachian State. However, Jerry Moore will have his players prepared and focused. You simply cannot take a week off in the Southern Conference and Moore has learned that lesson all too well with past teams. The Mountaineers have not lost a conference road game in November since that fateful night in Cullowhee in 2004 and I do not see it happening this week.

The First Pick:

 

Thomas the Train            10

Train Wreckers                42

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ Wofford 10/17/2009

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Here we go with Week 6:

#9 Appalachian State (3-2, 2-0 2nd) @ Wofford (1-4, 0-2 T7)
10/17/09

Time: 3pm

TV: SportSouth
Stadium: Gibbs Stadium
Surface: Natural Grass

Capacity: 13,000
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     57.58
WC:    50.33
Home advantage: 2.98 points

Appalachian is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 4 points (rounded).

Series: Appalachian leads 15-10
Last Meeting: Appalachian 70, Wofford 24, October 31, 2008

 

The gauntlet of the schedule has arrived. There are no more non-conference games. The meat is here. From now until the end of the season, Appalachian faces its toughest string of games. In the past, the next three opponents have been considered the toughest stretch of games when the Apps face Wofford, Georgia Southern and Furman. The rule of thumb was, get past those three and you have a pretty good shot at winning the Southern Conference and making the playoffs. The rule has changed. A surprising team has emerged in Chattanooga and Elon continues to improve each year. However those surprises should never diminish the task at hand. The most important game is always the next one. Wofford is next.

 

Last Halloween, Wofford ran into the perfect storm. It was a night game in Boone, on the night of a very popular occasion and the ESPN’s cameras showed up to watch a battle of two of the top ranked teams in the country. What transpired for three and half hours on that night is surely something Wofford players have not forgotten. That is what makes this game scary. Wofford is looking for a little revenge. Secondly, Wofford is off its worst start since 1987, when they started 0-5. In 1988, Mike Ayers was hired and this is the first time in Ayers tenure that the Terriers four of their first five games. Finally, Wofford had an extra week to prepare for the Mountaineers. In Wofford’s case, that extra week off works in their favor as they have had many illnesses and injuries hamper their efforts this season.

 

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Wofford is the style of football they play. The wingbone attack consists of many misdirections and counters in order to get the defense running the wrong way. It is very similar to the spread rushing offense that Appalachian runs. The quarterback reads the defense and calls a play from the line of scrimmage. Based on what the quarterback sees, he decides what to do with the ball. Wofford will show you a lot of inside fakes to the fullback and pitchouts to the outside, where generally the tailback has a step on the defense. This offense is always hard to defend, no matter the caliber of athlete. The principle of the wingbone offense is to take the athleticism out of the game and beat your opponent with trickery. Appalachian’s style of offense thrives on having quicker athletes. Both styles are successful, as both Appalachian and Wofford are in top ten in rushing offense in the FCS.

 

Where most of Wofford’s struggles have occurred are on the defensive side of the ball. The Terriers are giving up 32.4 points per contest and are ranked 112th in passing efficiency defense. They have also been giving up 172 yards on the ground a game which does not bode well for their ball control style. Wofford has also been dominated in time of possession. They have only held the edge in possession in one game, their lone win over Charleston Southern.

 

Appalachian finally had their breakout game against North Carolina Central. The Mountaineers fell in quick hole to Central by committing two turnovers that the Eagles took in for touchdowns and were quickly down 14-7. However the steady ground finally broke Central as Appalachian finished with 407 yards rushing. Junior Devon Moore recorded his third one hundred yard outing of the season with 11 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Armanti Edwards chipped in 97 yards on 10 carries and two more touchdowns. Edwards did throw his first interception of the season and looked less than crisp while passing for 237 yards. Edwards completed only 58% of his passes, which is disappointing, considering his 70% clip he had been completing passes before last week.

There are a lot of different intangibles in this game that are worth noting. We all know Wofford has had its troubles this year. However, they are still Wofford and the chance of them putting their complete game together is coming sooner than later. They will surprise a team this year in the Southern Conference and it is sad that their season has come to that. They will always persevere and that is something that is in the back of the minds of Appalachian fans. Wofford needs something to turn their season around and what better than revenge from the Halloween massacre of 2008. Despite their losses to date, their season will be made with a win on Saturday. It seems we say that a lot, but as long as Appalachian continues to win, it will be that way. However, I don’t think we will see an upset in Spartanburg this Saturday. Wofford is just way to young on defense. Their secondary is extremely suspect. That will always be the case when you have a team that runs the ball every day in practice. Plus, I doubt what they had from last year got much better, and Appalachian torched them a year ago. They are also starting two freshman linebackers and their run defense is lacking. Their inefficiencies on defense has contributed to their offense not being on the field. Wofford opponents have converted 46% of their third downs. Keeping a young defense on the field that much also leads into the fact that 17 of the 21 touchdowns Wofford has allowed came within the red zone. The Terriers simply cannot get other teams off the field unless they have visited the end zone first. The only remedy for that is forcing turnovers and Wofford is   -0.6 in turnover margin. Appalachian must take care of the football. Wofford will score some points, but scoring their average of 18.6 will not get the job done. Wofford will need long drives on offense, which will keep the ball away from Appalachian. That is the only chance they have on Saturday. Appalachian must tackle. Generally you just have to tackle one guy. Against Wofford you have to tackle two or three guys. Getting Wofford into obvious passing situations is critical. The Appalachian defense must make Wofford work for every yard. I don’t think Wofford can keep up with Appalachian, but if the Mountaineers don’t play sound, solid defense, this game will turn into a battle. I think the Apps have more than enough to beat Wofford and expect Appalachian to run the ball early and often against that young defense.

 

The First Pick:

 

Lap Dogs                   21

Mountaineers           42