Monthly Archives: January 2012

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. Eastern Washington Playoffs Round 2 12/1/2007

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Here we go with the Quarterfinals:

#14 Eastern Washington (9-3) @ #5 Appalachian State (10-2)
12/1/07

Time: Noon

TV: ESPN Gameplan

Kidd Brewer Stadium

Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 16,650

Jeff Sagarin ratings:

ASU:     70.95

EWU:    60.68

Home advantage: 2.59 points

ASU is favored to win by 13 points

Series: First Meeting

Last Meeting: n/a

 

It is amazing how quickly the playoffs start with a party and dwindle down to a small gathering. Only eight teams remain in the chase for the National Championship. When the playoffs started, Appalachian expected to be in this very position, as one of the few teams remaining. What they did not expect was to be playing at home on the second weekend. I am guessing fans of McNeese State probably did not expect a rather unknown Eastern Washington team to absolutely demolish them in their own house. That is the beauty of the playoffs. You cannot make plans for next week because there may not be a next week. The way Appalachian played on Saturday, James Madison fans may have been thinking about the next week a little too early as the Dukes plowed over a very young Mountaineer defensive line for 25 first downs. Madison players were talking all week long about, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” With 22 seconds remaining, Appalachian finished strong, and they will hope that carries over against a very dangerous Eastern Washington football team.

 

It is no understatement to mention that Eastern Washington is a very dangerous team. They are fourth in the nation in total offense with 470 yards a game and they have a player at quarterback in Matt Nichols that will be playing for the Payton Award for the next two years. Nichols has thrown for over 3500 yards and 32 touchdowns, including a dominating performance against McNeese State where he threw for 434 and completed 77% of his pass attempts. Nichols is not considered a pocket passes either, as he has rushed over ten times in six games this season, including four of his last five games.

 

Nichols primary target is sophomore receiver Aaron Boyce who has caught 80 passes for 1271 yards and 9 touchdowns. Boyce hauled in 17 catches for 232 yards in a 24-23 loss to Montana. Boyce has only caught 1 touchdown pass in the last 4 games as teams have keyed in on trying to stop him. Brysen Brown caught seven passes for 104 yards against McNeese State to up his season totals to 48 catches for 729 yards. Shane Eller has 45 catches for 560 yards on the season.

 

Eastern Washington has struggled a bit on defense this season. The Eagles have allowed 248 yards a game passing and 130 yards on the ground. Although their rushing defense mirrors that of James Madison in numbers, part of that is how Eastern Washington has been able to put teams away. In half of their games, the Eagles have beaten their opponents by more than three touchdowns. When teams play from behind, they have to pass the ball and not run. Not facing teams that run the ball is part of the reason they are ranked so high in run defense. It may also lead to the reason that the Eagles have given up so many yards passing. The Eastern secondary has intercepted 22 passes this year because teams having to play from behind.

 

The one common opponent for Appalachian and Eastern Washington is Northern Arizona. Eastern was able to jump on the Lumberjacks really early and scored 28 points in the first quarter en route to a 52-24 win. Northern Arizona was able to run the ball for 298 yards on Eastern Washington. Against Appalachian, the ‘Jacks ran for 234 yards. ASU’s defense was able to hold NAU’s best receiver Alex Watson to one catch for zero yards. Eastern Washington let Watson get loose for 6 catches and 68 yards, including a 55 yard touchdown reception. Eastern Washington won that game in front of 4,166 fans. Appalachian won their game in front of a crowd of 27,104. Armanti Edwards did not play in the NAU game.

 

For Appalachian, it is pretty obvious what improvements must be made in order to advance to the next round. The offense needs to take better care of the football. Who knows how last week would have played out if ASU had not fumbled on their first drive. ASU might need to give the defense a rest as no scoring drive lasted longer than three minutes and eight seconds against James Madison. A problem that surfaced that has really never been a problem for a Jerry Moore led team is the special teams play. ASU had one extra point blocked another was missed due to penalty. Those two points would have been very valuable if James Madison had not fumbled late in the game. Lastly, the ASU defense must help themselves by getting opposing offenses off the field. The last two James Madison scoring drives went for 11 and 16 plays respectively. James Madison also converted on fifteen third and fourth down conversions.

Appalachian may be without the services of their all time leading rusher Kevin Richardson, who sprained an ankle in the fourth quarter against the Dukes. Richardson’s replacement Devon Moore is more than capable of carrying the load for the Mountaineers, but having the type of leadership and experience missing from the huddle will have an effect on the Mountaineers. It was Moore who caught the 20 yard pass from Armanti Edwards, which provided the Mountaineers a first and goal situation late in the fourth quarter.

 

The looks of this game suggests a possible battle of strengths. Eastern Washington is a type of team that throws the ball as much as anyone in the FCS. Appalachian has one of the more experienced pass defenses in the country, led by All-American Corey Lynch. ASU brings its fifth ranked rushing attack to the game against an Eastern Washington run defense that has not been tested. Appalachian throws the ball just enough to set up the running game, and the Eagles have been getting ripped all season through the air. This one just stinks of a shootout. As is always important in any game, but magnified even more in the playoffs is holding onto the ball. Turnovers are what gave Appalachian a chance to beat James Madison. Holding onto the football also means giving your defense a chance to rest before you try to score on the other team. Eastern Washington knows how to score. They have averaged 33 points a game this season and 40 points a contest in the last three games. Appalachian has been putting up numbers (41.5 points per game) just as painful to look at if you are a defensive coach. Eastern Washington has been playing playoff type games for five weeks now. They suffered their third loss in the seventh game of the year. Much has been made about the long distance the Eagles will travel before getting to Boone and the early start time. Eastern Washington will be playing a football game like its 9am. Eastern Washington played in front of an average crowd this season of 12,049, while ASU played in front of an average of 28,646 fans. This could have an impact on the game for both teams. All the pressure is on Appalachian, although it has been for the last two years. It all comes down to which defense keeps the other team from scoring. It might take 50 points by one team to win this game. If this game was going to be played anywhere else except The Rock, it would be a toss up. The home field will play a huge advantage down the stretch. The Apps will prevail in the fourth quarter once again.

The First Pick:

Mountaineers              42

The other Eaglets        35

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ The Citadel 11/3/2007

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Here we go with Week 10:

#9 Appalachian State (6-2) @ The Citadel (5-3)
11/3/07

Time: 2:00pm

TV: None

Johnson Hagood Stadium

Surface: Natural grass
Capacity: 21,000

Jeff Sagarin ratings:

ASU:     69.92

CIT:    58.72

Home advantage: 2.28 points

ASU is favored to win by 9 points

Series: ASU leads 24-11

Last Meeting: ASU 42, CIT 13

 

 

 

As each week passes, it seems as though another Mountaineer has succumbed to some type of injury. The list is so long, it is not even worth it to begin naming names and their ailing limbs. The Mountaineers have fought hard, digging deeper each week, longing for another victory. Through the ups and downs, ASU has refused to blame a loss on their health, rather their execution. This week, the injury bug has bitten the Mountaineers opponent in a major way. Citadel quarterback Duran Lawson slightly tore his meniscus in his knee, the same knee that he had reconstructive surgery on in 2005. Lawson has been listed as doubtful. What is not doubtful, is the heart and soul that The Citadel will play with on Saturday. That is what you get when you play against a military school. They will not lay down because they have lost the services of their leader. No matter the situation, Citadel players will keep their heads high and they will fight another day.

 

Considering the injury to Duran Lawson, the Citadel just lost 302 yards of total offense. The man that will be given the chance to make up for those yards is redshirt freshman Bart Blanchard who is responsible for 56 total yards of offense. Talk about some big shoes to fill. The more likely candidate to receive more touches this week is senior running back Tory Cooper, who is averaging 94 yards a game on the season and 13 rushing touchdowns. The only games in which Cooper did not find the end zone were Wisconsin, Wofford and Georgia Southern, all losses. Cooper also has caught 28 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Another weapon of the Bulldogs is receiver Andre Roberts, was has caught 54 passes for 657 yards and has averaged 11.3 yards per punt return. Appalachian will need to shut down either Cooper or Roberts on Saturday. If they both have big days, it could overcome the loss of Lawson.

 

Appalachian State played an almost flawless first half against Furman. The Apps were able to get up and down the field with long drives and also kept Furman’s running game in check. Armanti Edwards had another solid performance with 126 yards rushing and 211 yards passing, and most importantly his first game of the season without an interception. Kevin Richardson also ran well as he tacked on another 124 yards rushing. The ASU defense climbed to 7th nationally in tackles for loss with 9 such tackles against the Paladins.

This games appears to be one two high powered offenses ready for a shootout. Both teams allow the same points per game and score within a couples points of each other on offense. Citadel appears on paper to be the best defensive team in the conference. However, the Bulldogs have not faced the Southern Conference’s highest rated passing team in Elon yet. The Citadel also faced a non conference schedule that had team that were very run oriented. The offense Citadel runs is based on holding onto the ball and keeping it out of their opponents hands. Appalachian needs to stay awake on defense and force the Bulldogs into long yardage situations.

 

The loss of Duran Lawson will certainly hurt Citadels’ chances this weekend. The fear of the unknown is what could hurt Appalachian. Bart Blanchard is just that. We have no idea what kind of game Blanchard plays. Some would think that Blanchard will receive some conservative play calling. That thinking could lead the Mountaineers into trouble. Blanchard could come out slinging the ball all over the field and that could result in a quick score. We shall see on Saturday. The one thing the Mountaineers must do is take advantage of their opportunities. I knows I stress this every week, but it is very important in football. When you get a drive going , make sure you get some points out of it, or at least force the other team to have bad field position. When you have an offense in 3rd and long yardage, make them punt. I’ll say it again, when you have the ball, put it in the end zone. That is the difference between winning and losing. It seems no team in the Southern Conference has a good defense, but that is not the reason for all the scoring. When team have to face Armanti Edwards, Jayson Foster, Duran Lawson, Renaldo Gray and Scott Riddle week after week, it is going to cause problems. The Bulldogs play extremely well at home and they will most likely play harder this week because its homecoming. I think the Apps have enough in the tank to inch by the Bulldogs before finishing out the regular season at The Rock. The ASU defense will rise to the occasion and hold The Citadel to 100 yards below the season average.

The First Pick:

The Mad Mountaineers   38

Wrinkled Faces              31

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. Chattanooga 11/17/2007

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Here we go with Week 12:

Chattanooga (2-8) @ #6 Appalachian State (8-2)
11/17/07

Time: 3:30pm

TV: Sports South

Kidd Brewer Stadium

Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 16,650

Jeff Sagarin ratings:

ASU:     71.97

UTC:    49.47

Home advantage: 2.64 points

ASU is favored to win by 25 points

Series: ASU leads 20-10

Last Meeting: ASU 56, UTC 21

 

Entering the final week of the regular season, Appalachian has a chance to do what many thought was nearly impossible as of four weeks ago. With a victory on Saturday against Chattanooga, the Mountaineers will wrap up their third straight conference championship. Despite the outcome, ASU will most likely host a first round playoff game on Thanksgiving weekend. A win also gives the Mountaineers a chance of obtaining one of the top four seeds in the playoffs as well. Before we get ahead of ourselves, ASU must first beat a Chattanooga team that has had a very bumpy season and looks to extract some revenge from the 56-21 blowout win the Mountaineers enjoyed last season. Unfortunately for Chattanooga, it will be Senior Day for one of the best classes to come through Appalachian State University. Among those, Trey Elder, perhaps the best “backup” quarterback, and Kevin Richardson, ASU’s career all-purpose yardage leader and the school’s future all-time leader rusher. Those two and the rest of the class will certainly want go out with a win on Saturday.

 

Chattanooga shares some of the same weaknesses as Western Carolina.  The Mocs have problems stopping the running game. They are giving up over 200 yards on the ground a game. In the games where Chattanooga really struggled, its when they couldn’t stop the likes of Arkansas’ Darren McFadden, Wofford’s Josh Collier and The Citadel’s duo of Tory Cooper and Duran Lawson. Those were the games where Chattanooga suffered its most lopsided defeats. That weakness plays right into the hands of Kevin Richardson, who ran for a career best 215 yards against Western Carolina. When you cant stop the run, you cant get your defense off the field. Against Wofford and The Citadel, the Mocs time of possession in both of those games was under 23 minutes. The only bright spot on the Moc defense is linebacker Chris Camacho was has accumulated 91 solo tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss.

 

On the offensive side of the ball, Chattanooga has not fared much better. The Mocs are scoring less than 24 points a game and are ranked 94th in total offense with 318 yards a game. Part of the reason they cant move the ball is third downs. The Mocs have only converted a paltry 28% of the third down conversions. Usually third down is considered a down where you see more passing plays then running plays. Chattanooga quarterback Antonio Miller has completed just 51% of his passing attempts for 5.8 yards per attempt. All of this points to a very bad football team.

 

Against Western Carolina, the Mountaineers sent a message to the entire FCS world by racking up 743 yards of offense and 79 points, the second highest totals in school history. Appalachian quarterbacks connected with ten different receivers and completed 80% of their passes. As previously mentioned, Kevin Richardson ran like he did in the 2006 playoffs. Richardson will most likely set the bar for career rushing at Appalachian as he needs only 27 more yards to break the school record set by John Settle.

This series between these two schools has been that was dominated by Appalachian, but whenever Appalachian has needed a win the most, Chattanooga has more than welcomed the chance to knock the Mountaineers off their perch. In 2004, the Mocs hung on for a three point win as Appalachian went winless on the road that season. In 2000, ASU had a chance at a high seed in the playoffs before Chattanooga kicked a field goal at time expired to win by three points as well. I do not expect to see a three point ball game this week, but we are talking about the 2007 football season, one of the wackiest seasons of recent memory. Appalachian will be too overpowering for the Mocs. The Mocs have had trouble with defending the running game all year long and Appalachian will certainly exploit that weakness. ASU also has a lot riding on this game and they hope to garner playoff seeding possibilities with a victory. Kevin Richardson may break John Settle’s record on the first Mountaineer drive. Senior Trey Elder will hopefully get plenty of playing time as he will play in his last regular season home game. Corey Lynch, Justin Woazeah and Jerome Touchstone will also play their last home game as perhaps one of the best ASU pass defending trios at the school. Kerry Brown will certainly be considered one day for ASU Hall of Fame honors along with teammates on the offensive line Scott Suttle and John Holt. Dexter Jackson will always be remembered as the Sports Illustrated cover boy and Chase Laws as the ultimate team player, as he switched from quarterback to linebacker. Julian Rauch is the school’s all time leading scorer and Nic Cardwell fought through a painful neck injury to play in his senior season. Russell Wilson will never forget making a perfect snap to Hunter Stewart before putting the Apps up two at Michigan. There have been memorable highlights for all of the Appalachian Seniors, but their work is not done. They all understand that the second season is just around the corner. The Apps will not look past Chattanooga on Saturday.

The First Pick:

Hoping for a Seed            56

We’ll see ya’ll in December      20

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. Delaware FCS National Championship 12/14/2007

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Here we go with the National Championship:

#13 Delaware (11-3) @ #5 Appalachian State (12-2)
12/14/07

Time: 8pm

TV: ESPN2

Finley Stadium

Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 20,668

Jeff Sagarin ratings:

ASU:     72.00

UD:       71.02

Home advantage: 2.59 points

ASU is favored to win by 1 points

Series: First Meeting

Last Meeting: n/a

 

It has come down to the final two teams to decide who will be crowned the National Champion. Both of these teams are familiar to winning national titles, as are the conferences they hail from. The Southern Conference can lay claim to 11 national champions if you include Marshall and the Colonial Athletic Association has had three past champions. All in all, seven of the last nine national champions have come from either the Southern or the Colonial. That trend will continue in 2007. Delaware will be looking for its second title and Appalachian will try to string together its third in as many years, a feat no other team in college football has ever accomplished. Finley Stadium will be rocking on Friday night as it welcomes two of the most supportive fan bases in college football. The parking lots will fill up early and after the game is over, the parties will just be getting kicked off, celebrating their national champion.

 

Delaware’s road to the National Championship began at home, but took many turns before the road stopped in Chattanooga. After defeating Northern Iowa in the second round, the Hens got stuck in Waterloo during a winter storm and had to wait for the weather to clear before returning to campus. That forced the NCAA to change game times for the semifinal games. After returning home, Delaware had to travel west again as the team took on Southern Illinois in Carbondale, where they won. Their reward was hitting the road again, this time heading south to Chattanooga. A total 4,551 miles will have been traveled by the Delaware football team when the arrive Chattanooga. For Appalachian the drive is 269 miles from Boone, NC to Chattanooga.

The offense at Delaware is about as high powered as the one the Mountaineers faced in the first game of the season. Joe Flacco is very similar to Chad Henne in several ways. Both are huge (6’6”) and have big arms and fall in the category of pocket passers. Both are also very immobile in the pocket. The key to pressuring a pocket passer is not sacking him, but applying pressure and making him think about the blitzing defense every time he drops back. That will force rushed throws and inaccurate passing. Pocket passers must get their feet set. Since they are unlikely to throw on the run, they don’t practice it. Once again, getting in the face of Joe Flacco will do the Mountaineers plenty of good on Friday night.

 

Delaware has one the best running backs in Omar Cuff. He and Kevin Richardson had to be separated at birth because they are both low power runners and very adept at catching passes out of the backfield. Cuff has run for 1,861 yards and 34 touchdowns on the season. His past two games, he ran for 102 yards in each game and caught 11 total passes. Cuff is averaging 132 yards a game on the ground this season. All of the Hen receivers are solid across the board. Aaron Love, Mark Duncan, and Kevin Michaud all are averaging 4 catches and over 50 yards receiving per game.

. It was pretty obvious why the Mountaineers were able to advance last week against Richmond. Armanti Edwards recorded one the best games ever by a college quarterback, rushing for 313 yards and passing for 182 more. In all, he accounted for seven total touchdowns. Edwards has two passes that were incomplete and a costly celebratory flip into the end zone that cost the Mountaineers valuable field position. That was about the only things that happened last week were negative. On the night, Edwards ran for 10 yards a carry and the Mountaineers rang up 8.8 yards per play against Richmond, who defeated Delaware earlier in the season in five overtimes. On the season, although only playing in ten games, Edwards has run for 1,499 yards and thrown for 1,750 yards and has combined for 35 total touchdowns.

You know things are going good when you have a 1,200 yard rusher on the team and he trails the leading rusher on the team by over 200 yards. Kevin Richardson was the hero in 2006 when Appalachian defeated Massachusetts. Richardson ran for 179 yards and accounted for all four Mountaineer touchdowns despite suffering from a bruised and sore shoulder. For Richardson and several other Mountaineers, this will be their third time in the National Championship game and that is experience you cannot put a price on.

 

When the playoffs began, may felt that Delaware was the best team not seeded in the top of the bracket. Many critics also felt the same about Appalachian State in the lower half. Somehow these teams were considered sleepers, even with two of top offenses in the country. Both benefited from playing tough schedules. Appalachian beat Michigan and Delaware knocked off Navy, two teams from the other division that are bowl bound. They both also benefited from teams with softer schedules and flawless records losing out. At one point in the season, some Appalachian fans felt that winning one game in the playoffs would be too much to ask for. Once Appalachian did win their first playoff game, and the higher seeds lost, there was a renewed energy in the mountains. The road to Chattanooga would once again lead through Boone. After surviving against Eastern Washington and throttling Richmond, the Appalachian nation finds themselves in a very familiar place: Chattanooga.

 

This should be a hard fought game by both teams. Delaware is easily one of the better passing teams that Appalachian has faced since Elon and Eastern Washington. The difference is that Elon and Eastern Washington really did not have much of a running game to speak of. If Delaware can get Cuff running well early, then they will be able to mix in the play action pass really well. Appalachian best option is shut down the run and force Delaware to pass more than often. In doing so, Appalachian can get after the quarterback and frustrate Flacco. The chore for Delaware is to try and stop the Mountaineers running game. Whether its Armanti Edwards, Kevin Richardson or reverses by the receivers, Delaware must contain. It is really hard to play Appalachian when they have a decent lead and they are running the ball well .When that happens the game is essentially over. What will be interesting is how Armanti Edwards bounces back from the big game. Earlier this season against The Citadel, Edwards ran for 296 yards and then responded with 35 yards against Western Carolina the next week. Appalachian will have a tough time winning a third straight national championship if Edwards runs for less than 50 yards. Another factor for the Mountaineers is the crowd. Appalachian fans have made up close to 80% of the fans in the last two title games and this year should be no different. Delaware probably travels as well as any team in the FCS and they will need their fans to be vocal in their support, otherwise it will feel like another home game for Appalachian. I think this game will be a really good game. The defense is not the strength for either team and we could see the highest scoring title games since Massachusetts and Georgia Southern. I think the experience in the moment prevails here. In the previous two years, Appalachian has made the plays when they needed them most. In 2005, it was Jason Hunter and Marques Murrell combining for a defensive touchdown. In 2006, it was a 3rd and 13 converted by a freshman quarterback and freshman wide receiver. Whose play will be etched in Appalachian history this year?

 

The First Pick:

Going for a Third         41

Giving it to the Birds    31

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ Elon 9/29/2007

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Here we go with Week 5:

#5 Appalachian State (3-1) @ #24 Elon (2-1)
9/29/07

Time: 1:30pm

TV: None
Rhodes Stadium
Surface: Natural Grass
Capacity: 11,250
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     66.92
Elon:    54.11
Home advantage: 2.93 points
ASU is favored to win by 10 points

Series: ASU leads 25-9-1
Last Meeting: ASU 45, Elon 21

 

Everyone expected Appalachian State’s record to be 3-1 going into this weekend’s battle at Elon. Nobody could have realistically imagined how the Apps would get there though. Wofford executed every play nearly perfectly. If the schools play again later this year, Wofford will try to do the same exact things to win again. Forget about it. You cannot dwell on the past in college football. That is probably what lost ASU the game at Wofford. We all possibly guilty of celebrating the Michigan win a week longer than we should have. We were all definitely spoiled, watching our team take the field 17 times in a row and coming out on top in all those games. It was bound to happen. One team was going to figure it out. Wofford figured it out on Saturday. Big deal. You must move on and get ready for the next team that is going to try to beat you. Elon is going to try to kick the Apps while they are down. That is the question. Are the Apps “down“? Did Wofford write the book on how to defeat the 2007 Mountaineers? Is the defensive line too inexperienced? Saturday will tell the tale.

 

Elon has been waiting for this moment for a long time. They have not been waiting since last year, or the year before that. They have been waiting since 1964 for this moment. That was the last time an Elon football team defeated Appalachian State. None of the players were born on either side. Even Elon coach Pete Lembo had not been born. You can imagine its been a long time coming. Its been 11 games and 43 years. Are the Phoenix going to be the second team in as many weeks to snap a Mountaineer streak?

 

The ASU defense has to prepare for a totally different offense this week. Elon is as pass happy as it gets. Instead of facing a 3 year starter and senior, the Apps will have be given the task to shut down a freshman quarterback. Scott Riddle isn’t just any freshman, he leads the nation with 313 yards passing yards a game. His favorite target is All-America candidate Terrell Hudgins who has hauled in 38 catches for 453 yards. Riddle hooked up with Hudgins on all of his touchdown passes in the win against Liberty.

Everyone wants to know: Where is Kevin Richardson? We are all waiting for #28 to have his breakout game. I can sit here and write each week that this is the game where it happens. Either way, I look good when he does. I plan to dig deeper than just saying, “This week is it”. In his career, Richardson has carried the ball 45 times against Elon for 242 yards. That breaks down to about 80 yards a game and about 5.4 yards a carry. Richardson has also caught 9 passes for 92 yards. Easy math there, 3 catches a game for about 31 yards. Four rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns in all against the Phoenix. Last year, Elon was the fifth game of the season and Richardson’s first 100 yard effort of the season. Richardson is still 760 yards away from John Settle’s career record as ASU.

 

The hot topic around Boone these days keeps getting hotter each week. With Armanti Edwards re-injuring his shoulder against Wofford, the debate continues. Who will be ASU’s starting quarterback against Elon? Some will say that the offense seems to be in better sync right now with Trey Elder. Some say that Armanti should not play until his arm is completely healed. It makes for very interesting conversation. Armanti surely has his talents that involve using his speed and quickness to elude defenders for extra yardage. Trey has a better looking throw, which bodes well if ASU is forced to air it out. Is Trey Elder a better quarterback at 100%, than Armanti Edwards at 80%. Another piece of the puzzle to throw in there, is that Armanti has only played in two games thus far this year, and is still eligible for a redshirt. If Armanti cannot play this week, then most would think his services would not be needed against Gardner Webb. After Homecoming is the bye week. That gives Armanti a possible 4 weeks of rest before the Georgia Southern game. By then, some think that offense should be kicking into gear right around then: Why mess things up by switching quarterbacks? Either way, Elon is going to have to prepare for the both of them.

 

Like I have mentioned, Elon is ready for the chance to knock off ASU. Elon has been up and coming ever since coach Pete Lembo stepped on campus. Lots of the players on these rosters played against each other in high school. Elon is ready, plain and simple. ASU has not lost back to back games in a long time. Expect the Apps to take out all their frustrations on the Phoenix. The tone of this game will be set from the start. Whoever gets the ball first will likely go down the field and score on the first drive. From then, it will be a track meet. A team has not been able to consistently stop the Mountaineer attack. Once again, turnovers will play a major role. Appalachian lost the momentum against Wofford due to untimely turnovers. Appalachian must pressure the quarterback early and often. Elon’s line gives up 3 sacks a game. Where the Apps must try to take advantage of Elon is in the running game. Elon only allows 95 yards a game on the ground, but they have not been tested the last two weeks due to jumping out to big leads and forcing other teams to play from behind. It will be interesting to see if Elon has any success in the running game. ASU has been giving up 220 yards a game on the ground. Elon is ranked 99th in the nation in rushing yardage per outing (101.3). I think Appalachian will respond this week. The team better be fired up. I would have hated to been in practice this week. The weather should be a little more cooperative. The heat in Spartanburg was tough for anyone associated with the game to deal with. ASU must get the running game going and keep Elon on the sideline. The passing game is all about rhythm and if Elon catches that it early, it may be impossible to stop. Last week was not easy and this week shapes up to be another tough outing.

 

           

The First Pick:

Yosef        38

The Birds   31

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. Gardner Webb 10/6/2007

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Here we go with Week 6:

Gardner Webb (2-2) @ #5 Appalachian State (4-1)
10/6/07

Time: 2:30pm

TV: None
Kidd Brewer Stadium
Surface: Field Turf
Capacity: 16,650
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     69.13
Elon:    42.54
Home advantage: 2.93 points
ASU is favored to win by 29 ½  points

Series: ASU leads 6-0
Last Meeting: ASU 41, GW 6

 

The wonderful time of the year has finally arrived. The Apps will be back in Boone for the first time in three weeks, and since then, the weather has snapped cooler in the mornings. This time of the year has brought Homecoming, where some fans make their only trip of the year to Boone, with plans of seeing old classmates and get the first look of the changes that have been made to campus since their last visit. The Homecoming games brings a totally different feel to the college football setting. No longer are fans trying to get back into the swing of tailgating, but starting to get back to mid-season tailgating form. Anyone can put some burgers and dogs on the grill, but the real test is trying to bring in some different entrees and beverages. Homecoming is also special at Appalachian because of the values that the campus are built around: Family. Homecoming has become another Parents weekend. It is usually the highest attended game of the year, and this Saturday should be no different. For Appalachian’s opponent, it will be their game of the year. Appalachian State should make it their game of the year because it is the next game on the schedule.

 

This game is most likely the easiest game Appalachian will have for the rest of the season. It is the final non-conference game before the bye week. Luckily, ASU will catch a bye week when it is most needed. ASU is still hurting physically from the effects of the Michigan game, and emotionally from the Wofford game. The Mountaineers need a breather and the cure will be Homecoming and a bye week before facing long time conference rivals in Georgia Southern, Furman and The Citadel in consecutive weeks.

 

The Runnin’ Bulldogs have had an up and down season thus far. They have conveniently won their home games(Jacksonville and Austin Peay), and lost their road games (Mississippi State and Ohio). Gardner Webb has continued to use a two quarterback game plan for the most of the season. Devin Campbell started against ASU last year and finished the game with 96 years passing with three interceptions and three sacks. Sophomore Stan Doolittle did just that against the ASU defense. Doolittle finished the game with two carries for negative seven years, completed zero passes and was sacked once. Doolittle’s best play of the day was a quick punt that went 41 yards and landed inside the ASU 20. This year, both players are competing just under 60% of their passes. Doolittle has thrown two interceptions and Campbell has 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Both signal callers prefer throwing to Duvaughn Flagler who has 29 catches for 374 yards and three touchdowns.

 

 

Like I said last week, I could look good by saying that Kevin Richardson and the running game would find their groove against Elon. It just so happened as Richardson went for 158 yards and inched even closer to the ASU all time record. Richardson needs only 602 yards to break John Settle’s record and looks to feast on Gardner Webb again this week. Richardson went for 64 yards and one touchdown against GW last year, as Armanti Edwards stole the show with 101 yards rushing and 195 yards passing and three total touchdowns. Chances are that Trey Elder will lead the Mountaineers as Edwards continues to rest a sore shoulder. Elder ran for 115 yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 161 yards passing in the victory over Elon. While Elder has started, it is obvious that his favorite target is Hans Batichon. In the past two games, Batichon has caught 11 passes for 167 yards, which averages to a very clutch 15 yards per catch.

 

Now is my time to sound off a little bit. The ASU defense has been catching some serious grief in the last couple weeks. Most of the problems have come in stopping the running game, which many have blamed for the loss to Wofford. Against Elon, on their Family Day and in front of a Rhodes Stadium record crowd of 13,100, the App defense played much better. Elon came out with all their emotions worn on their sleeve. They sent a statement in the first quarter that said they were not going to go down without giving it their all. ASU survived a missed field goal and 200 yards passing in the fist quarter alone by the Phoenix offense. ASU was trailing in time of possession by 4 minutes going into halftime. In the second half, the running game got going and the defense was able to rest as Elon couldn’t stop the Mountaineers. ASU was able to make up the lost time in first half by running the football and eventually ended the game Beating Elon by five minutes. Do the math. Elon had the ball for just over 11 minutes in the second half. The ASU defense played better by not playing at all. In the fourth quarter, the defense was fresh enough to intercept an errant Elon pass and return it for a touchdown. Whenever the defense can put points on the board, any team stands a good chance to win. My point is, despite giving up rushing yards to Mike Hart, and letting Lance Kriesien run out of the pocket, the App defense was fine. The heat played into the beginning of the Elon game, and basically all of the Wofford game. When the ASU ofdefense starts getting back into form, it will have a direct correlation with the ASU running game controlling the clock and putting points on the board.

When it comes down to it, ASU must control the clock on offense. The Elon defense looked pitiful in the second half last week. It was not because they are a bad unit, but because ASU had set the tempo. ASU carried the ball 62 times for 365 yards rushing. The Mountaineer offense is best when it throws the ball around 20-25 times a game. This week, a young Gardner Webb defense will have trouble containing Elder, Richardson, and Devon Moore(172 yards, 2 touchdowns). It seems as if the Apps wanted to keep Moore a secret until later in the year, but felt the time was now to develop a player who will likely start in the 2008 campaign. Gardner Webb may have some success passing the ball as the game wears on, but it will not be a real factor in the game.  The Mountaineer fans are eager to see their team at home. The Mountaineer team is also ready to get back to friendly confines of Kidd Brewer Stadium. Shouldn’t be a problem rolling in this game, but ASU will make sure they are super sound before they start pulling starters. ASU has an all time record of 32-11-2 in Homecoming games but have won 21 of the last 25 Homecoming games. The trend should continue.

 

The First Pick:

Yosef 007           40

Running Dawgs    7

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. James Madison Playoffs Round 1 11/24/2007

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Here we go with the First Round:

#12 James Madison (8-3) @ #5 Appalachian State (9-2)
11/24/07

Time: Noon

TV: CSS

Kidd Brewer Stadium

Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 16,650

Jeff Sagarin ratings:

ASU:     70.62

JMU:    64.92

Home advantage: 2.59 points

ASU is favored to win by 8 points

Series: ASU leads 11-3

Last Meeting: ASU 21, JMU 10

 

The season is finally over for all but 16 teams who have dreams of a National Championship dancing in their heads. For about eight of those teams, the opportunity to win it all is realistic. Two of those eight teams will face off in first round action in Boone, NC. One team is the two-time defending champions who will be playing at home. The other is the last national champion to win it not named Appalachian State. The Mountaineers opponent, James Madison feels as if they were given the shaft again by the NCAA by not being awarded a home playoff game. Some feel that ASU might have received the same sentence by being forced to the road in a possible second round match up with the playoffs’ number two seed in McNeese State. It’s really irrelevant. These two teams will not be thinking about where they should have been come Saturday. It’s the playoffs. It’s put up or shut up time. On Saturday, The Rock will be just as it is every weekend during the season. The Mountaineers will expect to win and James Madison will expect to pull off the upset. One team will play prepared and one will win and the other will be eating leftovers, dreaming of what could have been.

 

The James Madison team that will be taking the field at Kidd Brewer on Saturday is not the same team that Appalachian fans saw at the beginning of the 2006 season. That team was all about running between the tackles and play action passing. The Dukes have now adopted a style of offense that features the quarterback, Rodney Landers, who is questionable for Saturday’s game with a sore ankle. Despite his health, chances are he will probably play if necessary, so the Mountaineers must prepare as if he will. Landers has run for 1194 yards and passed for 1554 yards on the season and has had a hand in 24 touchdowns. In the last two games against Towson and William and Mary, Landers ran for 321 yards on 45 carries. That averages out to 7.1 yards a carry compared to the regular season where he averaged 5.9 yards per carry. However, against playoff teams, Delaware, New Hampshire and Richmond, Landers carried for only 5.4 yards per carry and was held well below is his season average in games against Delaware and Richmond.

 

They one way to stop Landers is get him off the field or force him to pass. In James Madison’s three losses, Landers’ touchdown to interception ratio was 1 to 2. In fact. Landers’ threw all of his four interceptions in the losses to North Carolina, Richmond and Delaware. On the opposite side of the ball, Appalachian is a prefect 19-0 when Corey Lynch incepts a pass. Landers must keep his passes away from Corey Lynch and the rest of the ASU defense if the Dukes are to advance to the second round.

 

The James Madison defense is considered one of the better defenses in all of the country. They have allowed only 21.5 points per contest and don’t allow teams to gain yards on the ground. They have only allowed 8 field goals and 31 touchdowns all season long. If there is a weak part of the JMU defense, its their pass defense, which gives up 205 yards per outing. ASU has shown in a couple games this season that they can throw the ball whenever they please. Madison only has eight interceptions on the season and has allowed teams to convert 63% of their passes.

For Appalachian the offense is similar that it revolves around the production of Armanti Edwards. When the Mountaineers can get to running the ball like they want, they are hard to beat. Although James Madison only allows 120 yards a game against the run, something has to give. I am not sure that James Madison has enough speed to contain the ASU running game as a whole. All season, teams have tried to focus on stopping Kevin Richardson, and if that worked, they were unable to contain Edwards. At the same time, when teams focused on Edwards, that is when Richardson would shine. Both players did their best running last year in the 2006 playoffs, when they blew away teams with their speed and elusiveness.

 

The ASU defense must step up to the plate this week as they face another strong running team. Take away Wofford and Western Carolina, and the rest of the schedule is full of teams that are considered run oriented. The Mountaineers have struggled at times this year with stopping the run, yet rank 10th in the nation in tackles for loss. If the Apps allow a somewhat injured Landers to run wild, it could be a long afternoon.

 

The tone of this game will be set from the very beginning. When I say that, I don’t mean whoever scores first, I mean whoever wins the coin toss. Both teams will likely prefer to take the ball if given the option and that is when either someone will score or get stopped. I think ASU holds the upper hand if they can get on the board first. In the games ASU lost this season, they had to fight back from behind and get out of their offense while doing so. Appalachian is much better team when they play with the lead. James Madison will need to move the ball and keep it out of the hands of the ASU offense early. Against Richmond, James Madison held the ball for only 23 minutes of the game and eventually lost by one point. ASU thrives on the quick score. The majority of ASU’s scoring drives this season have occurred in less than two minutes of possession. Penalties and turnovers are bigger when you play in the playoffs because everyone you play is better and they take advantage of those situations. I think another big factor in this game is field position. Anytime you can pin a team inside of its ten yard line, you force them to scrap half of their playbook. ASU punter Neil Young was able to control the spin on two punts last week to give Chattanooga bad field position. Whether it be Dexter Jackson or CoCo Hillary returning punts, both players have the breakaway speed that has the ability to flip the field on opposing teams. When you talk about field position and punting, the expectations are for a potentially low scoring game. Appalachian has not been held under 30 points all season long and although James Madison is talented defensively, I don’t see why the Mountaineers will not put points on the board. James Madison must make Appalachian play from behind and force the running game, and play mistake free. I think the home field advantage will come into play when it’s over. In 2005, ASU had 6,327 fans for a non-regional opponent in the first round. In 2006, 16,223 fans showed up to watch ASU pummel Coastal Carolina. More ASU fans will pack Kidd Brewer because they have expected to have a game this time of the year. James Madison has not won this year in front of large crowds and the health of their quarterback will certainly be an issue. The Mountaineers should advance to the next round.

The First Pick:

Black and Gold                35

Men don’t wear Purple      26

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ Michigan 9/1/2007

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Here we go with Week 1:

Appalachian State @ Michigan
9/1/07

Time: 12pm

TV: Big Ten Network
Michigan Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 107,501
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     66.40
UM:    88.36
Home advantage: 3.08 points
UM is favored by the Sagarin rankings by 25 points (rounded).

Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: n/a

 

The summer gets longer every year. Especially when your team is the two-time defending national champions. It gets even longer when you open on the road against a high profile opponent. The 2007 edition of Mountaineer football may play its toughest opponent in program history this weekend when it heads to Michigan’s famous “Big House”, which comes in just a few seats shy of 108,000. In 2005, many of the same players played in front of 93,000 fans down in Baton Rouge. That was a lot of people. Add on another town the size of Boone to Tiger Stadium and you get Michigan Stadium. The way the Mountaineer nation sees it, it’s just that many more people to prove that we have a good football team. This will be the first time that Michigan has played a team that is not in the NCAA’s highest division. That stat alone shows the respect that the Michigan athletic department shows our Mountaineers. Well, that and a small scheduling quirk, but lets not talk about that. Let’s talk about football. It is that time again. Labor Day weekend is finally here, so let’s get down to business.

 

In its history, which dates back to 1878, when Michigan defeated Racine (WI), by the score of one touchdown to none, the Wolverines have an all-time record of 860-284-38. On the other hand, ASU defeated Montana State in last years playoffs to record the schools 500th victory. Michigan has gone to 38 bowl games in their history, including twenty Rose Bowls. Appalachian has seen eight bowl games, shockingly no Rose Bowls. Michigan has 11 national titles, Appalachian, 2. This is a game for the ages, right? Most will not see it that way, but for every fan, coach, player and drummer wearing black and gold, it will be.

 

Of course, we live in the ESPN era of sports. Some of you out there, likely most, have seen a college football preview show or twelve, and we all are aware, that this could be Michigan’s best offense ever. I tend to agree. Chad Henne is your typical pocket passer who has accuracy that can’t be taught. Mike Hart has not fumbled since junior high football. Mario Manningham is about as fast as they come with big soft hands at wide receiver. They have it all, on the offensive side of the ball. The questionable part about Michigan’s team is their defense. The secondary was less than spectacular last season against Southern California in the Rose Bowl. Don’t get me wrong, the Trojans had some pretty good receivers, but they were not going to run past anyone. Michigan must also replace three-quarters of their front line, a unit they gave up the fewest rushing yards in the nation last year. However, defensive captain Shawn Crable leads the linebackers, as he is Michigan’s active leader in tackles for loss(14.5) and sacks (8.5).

 

For the Apps, its almost as easy. Armanti Edwards is the cool as a cucumber sophomore quarterback who became only the 5th player in NCAA history to run for 1,000 yards and pass for 2,000 yards in the same season. Kevin Richardson has been ASU’s leading rusher for two years in a row, amassing over 3,100 yards on nearly 5.5 yards per carry. The offensive line has been solid over the last two years, dominating opposing teams in the trenches. The Mountaineers have arguably the deepest receiving corps in the Championship Subdivision, lead by the speedster Dexter Jackson, including freshman standout CoCo Hillary, and super sophomore Josh Johnson, to go along with veterans James Hill, TJ Courman and Hans Batichon. Last years Mountaineer offense was the most prolific in school history, scoring over 35 points a game.

 

The ASU defense also to plug a few holes on the defensive front, but are anchored by their “back” seven defenders. Cam Speer, Jacques Roman and Pierre Banks are the linebackers that cover sideline to sideline. Free safety Corey Lynch is an absolute ball hawk who needs only 8 interceptions to become the schools all time leader. On the corners, Justin Woazeah and Jerome Touchstone are always in position to cover as they both intercepted two passes last year. Titus Howard will replace Jeremy Wiggins at the strong safety position. The lone returning starter on the defensive front is Gary Tharrington, who thrived on the double teams of Marques Murrell, to the tune of 7.5 sacks. Rotating on the front line will be a combination of LSU transfer Tim Washington, Daniel Finnerty, Anthony Wilson, Anthony Williams, Gordy Witte and freshman Bobby Bozzo.

 

It is going to make than a few bounces of the ball for Appalachian to knock the mighty Wolverines. The mindset for the Mountaineers in this game is to get better with each play. Both teams will likely be a little rusty since it’s the first game of the season. ASU must hope the Big Ten referees are not too flag happy in the opening game. The Mountaineers are going to have to force a couple turnovers, and not give the ball to Michigan in turn, in order to stay with Michigan. The Apps must turn those opportunities into points, and not missed chances. Appalachian will be playing from behind before the kickoff. Each controversial play must go in favor of the Mountaineers. On top of that, Armanti Edwards will have to play like the calm freshman from last year. The ASU receivers will gave to grab every ball thrown their way, and avoid costly drops. Michigan will most likely try to find out how good they are. They will pass the ball just to get some rhythm back. They will also run between the tackles so much it will make the game boring at times. The ASU defense must contain the Wolverines offense, and avoid giving up big plays. Michigan will probably score more points than ASU when the final seconds tick away, but that is not saying that Appalachian will have lost. The experience from this game will pay dividends later in the season at some point. I think ASU has a chance to win this game, unlike most others. A lot of things will have to go the way of the Mountaineers. But when the final bell tolls on Saturday, I will be just as proud to be a Mountaineer as before the game. I hope our offense gives Michigan fits all day long. I hope ASU gets enough pressure on Chad Henne, that it gets him scrambling, and he throws an interception or two. I hope the Apps block a field goal and take it to the house. I just hope none of things happen to Appalachian. Michigan has more horses than Appalachian and they will use them all. ASU will fade in the fourth quarter, but will keep all 108,000 people on the edge of their seats until then. Too much Mike Hart for the young ASU defensive line.

 

 

 

The First Pick:

Black and Gold     16
Maize and Blue     35

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian vs. Richmond SemiFinals 12/7/2007

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Here we go with the Semifinals:

#6 Richmond (11-2) @ #5 Appalachian State (11-2)
12/7/07

Time: 8pm

TV: ESPN2

Kidd Brewer Stadium

Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 16,650

Jeff Sagarin ratings:

ASU:     69.71

UR:       70.45

Home advantage: 2.59 points

ASU is favored to win by 2 points

Series: ASU leads 3-2

Last Meeting: Appalachian 20 Richmond 3, 11/28/87

 

In any given game in the first two rounds of the playoffs, when looking at match ups, you can usually depict which team has the edge, whether it be that one team is playing at home, or that one teams strength can match up against another teams weakness. When you get to the semifinals, with four teams remaining, the ability to predict an outcome of a game gets harder. Every team is good now. There is a reason that a team is able to obtain double digit wins and advance through the first two rounds of the playoffs. Appalachian and Richmond are no different. Both teams play really good football. Both teams can get up and down the field and score points and have been able to keep opposing teams out of the end zone. Both teams are fighting for that elusive goal of getting to Chattanooga. Richmond will be seeking its first appearance in the title game, while Appalachian attempts to advance for the third time in as many years. Whoever wins will have earned the right to play for a national championship.

 

Richmond was able to defeat Wofford in Spartanburg last Saturday. That is something the Mountaineers were unable to do when they had the chance in September. That was two and half months ago and the ASU team that took the field on that day is not the same team that it is today. That team may have been accused of inserting Armanti Edwards into the lineup before he was healthy. Edwards was unsuccessful before injuring his shoulder and giving the reins to Trey Elder. That day was also very warm and muggy in Spartanburg, and it definitely took a toll on the Mountaineer defense that was on the field for 35 minutes. The Mountaineer team that will take the field on Friday night may be the healthiest the team has been all season long. Also take into consideration that the game will not be played in Spartanburg in front of 8500 fans. This game will be played at Kidd Brewer Stadium with a crowd of around 20,000 fans expected. Also, the game time temperature will be slightly cooler then what Richmond faced last week in Spartanburg, and nearly 50 degrees cooler then when ASU played Wofford.

The engine that makes the Richmond Spiders go is Tim Hightower. The Spiders leaned on Hightower’s 140 yards a game rushing to win the Colonial Athletic Conference. Hightower has averaged 24 carries a game this year, including 27 carries per contest in the playoffs. A lot of Hightower’s yards came against inferior opponents. Hightower ran for 246 yards against Northeastern and 295 yards against Bucknell. However, Hightower has slowed toward the end of the season only averaging 109 yards in his last four games, and was held to under 90 yards rushing in two of those contests. Averaging over 100 yards rushing a game it still a pretty big deal, but you can see the trend.

 

At quarterback for the Spiders is Eric Ward who has passed for 2,133 yards and 14 touchdowns. Ward is a very adequate passer and is a threat to run as he has gained 397 yards rushing on the season. Although the Spiders throw a lot, he is a big key to their offense. If Ward fails to be successful through the air, the Spiders will become a one dimensional attack. Ward will need to hit his receivers early in the game in order for Richmond to be able to score points.

Another part of Richmond’s game may have solid results is the kick off return team. Justin Rogers is ranked 3rd nationally in kick off returns with 31.4 yards per return. Appalachian struggled with kick return defense against Eastern Washington, allowing 2 long returns, one of which went for a touchdown. A positive for Appalachian this week is that they have had a week to correct its mistakes and probably have worked extremely hard on kickoff coverage in practice.

 

Appalachian arguably played its best defensive game of the season last week. Although special teams allowed Eastern Washington to score three touchdowns, the pressure on the quarterback was an issue all game long. Appalachian never allowed the Eagles to get into a rhythm offensively. When Eastern Washington could manage a drive, it was Corey Lynch that was intercepting a pass and DJ Smith falling on a fumble while the Eagles were in the red zone.

Appalachian ran up a playoff record 529 yards of total offense against Eastern Washington. Devon Moore filled in nicely for Kevin Richardson with 100 yards on the ground. Armanti Edwards continued his hot streak with another 347 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns. ASU has had a two players rush for 100 yards in four of its last six playoff games. Receivers CoCo Hillary (37 yards) and Dexter Jackson (41 yards) stretched the defense for long pass plays that kept the Eastern Washington defense guessing all game long. The Eagles had only allowed 130 yards rushing a game and the Mountaineers exploded for 309 yards on the ground.

 

This game features some of the best rushing teams in the nation. Appalachian will spread you out and find their holes while Richmond will pound you all night long. Richmond will force the run and try to duplicate the game plan that James Madison tried. The best way to keep Appalachian from scoring is having possession of the ball. Appalachian has not been stopped on offense all year long. James Madison is the only team to hold the Mountaineers under 30 points all season. Appalachian will be able to use Kevin Richardson and Devon Moore and make the Richmond defense guess which back is getting the ball. Turnovers are always key in playoff games. Neither Richmond nor Appalachian would be where they are right now without the untimely miscues by opposing teams. The kicking game may also loom large for both teams in a game that is expected to be very close. Richmond has hit 15/22 field goals this season, with two misses last week against Wofford and three misses in their loss to Towson. Appalachian has hit 17/21 field goals and all of those misses were beyond 40 yards. I think Richmond will put up one heck of a fight, just like James Madison did. The reason the Mountaineers will prevail  is because of the leadership of the seniors. These guys know what it takes to win. The experience in the playoffs the last two seasons will be invaluable. Richmond is a very young team and although they will be a force to be reckoned with for the next few years, their time is not right now. Appalachian will be playing in front of a crowd that will be tailgate deprived due to the exam schedule and they will be relentless. I think this game will be decided in the third quarter. Appalachian will score late and force Richmond to pass the ball and they will press the issue and make mistakes. The Mountaineers know the way the way to the Choo Choo. All Aboard!!

 

The First Pick:

Big Bad Mountaineers    38

itsy bitsy spiders           24

Appalachian State Football: Appalachian @ Wofford 9/22/2007

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Here we go with Week 4:

#1 Appalachian State (3-0) @ #13 Wofford (2-1)
9/22/07

Time: 3:00pm

TV: None
Gibbs Stadium
Surface: Natural Grass
Capacity: 13,000
Jeff Sagarin Rankings:
ASU:     73.60
WC:    54.85
Home advantage: 2.93 points
ASU is favored to win by 16 points

Series: ASU leads 14-9
Last Meeting: ASU 14, Wofford 7

 

The Southern Conference schedule is finally upon us. Wofford will have their turn at trying to knock off the nation’s top ranked team. Appalachian will make its second trip on the road this season which looks like it will be the most hostile Wofford crowd that an ASU team has seen. ASU and the Southern Conference have been receiving the “David Beckham” effect. Stadiums are selling out all over the place, just to see the Mountaineers. Wofford has played ASU as tough as anyone the last few years. Wofford coach Mike Ayers is one tough son of a gun and has been licking his chops ever since Wofford gave ASU a scare last year in Boone. Ayers is also Wofford’s winningest coach and currently is the longest tenured coach in the Southern Conference. Josh Collier and Kevious Johnson want their chance to beat ASU just as bad as anyone does in Spartanburg. The only problem is, ASU knows how bad Wofford wants to beat them as well.

 

Wofford was the hottest team in the FCS as the season wound down. The hottest team not to make the playoffs. After losing to Appalachian State, it gave the Terriers their fourth loss of the season. The Terriers rang off five straight wins and wanted to be included in all the playoff talk. One reason they were not selected was their end of year strength of schedule. Their most quality win in those last five games would probably be Elon. I don’t care who you are, if you are trying to sell yourself by saying you beat Elon, Western Carolina, Georgia Southern, Gardner Webb and Chattanooga, you are in a heap of trouble.

 

After resting last week, Jason Collier will likely get the start against the Mountaineers on Saturday. Collier came in for one play in the loss to NC State that was full of turnovers and penalties. Wofford ended the game with 15 flags compared to only 41 in the entire 2006 campaign. Wofford out gained NC State in total yardage and many will tell you that they outplayed the Wolfpack. Maybe the Terriers were looking past NC State. Maybe they were ready to play Appalachian last Saturday. I know one thing, if Wofford has 15 penalties this week, the game should never be in doubt.

 

Wofford has ran 171 rushing plays for 929 yards in three games so far. The interesting stat is they have not had a 100 yard rusher in a game to show for it. Collier ran 19 times against Georgetown and Kevious Johnson ran 11 each against Charleston Southern and NC State. They like to spread the ball around. They won’t give the ball to a guy 25 times a game. Wofford wants to keep opposing defenses guessing. Yeah they will run the ball 57 times a game, but it’s the average of 17 times a game they throw the ball that really makes defensive coordinators scratch their heads. Wofford actually threw for more yards passing then NC State did. Seventy-three offensive plays a game? It’s just silly.

 

On the other side, ASU has been resting their quarterback for some time as well, getting ready for the conference schedule. Armanti Edwards look to return to the huddle for the Mountaineers with fresh legs. Backup Trey Elder played beautifully in two wins, throwing for 426 yards, seven touchdowns and also rushing for 172 yards and another touchdown. Appalachian is very fortunate to have a backup that would start at every other school in the Southern Conference. Also returning this week for the Mountaineers is center Scott Suttle, who sprained a knee in fall camp. This will be first game of the season where the Apps will suit up with all the offensive starters in tact.

 

ASU was given a challenge against Northern Arizona, one that most fans expected. The ASU defense shut down Payton candidate receiver Alex Watson to one catch for negative one yard. Receiver turned quarterback Lance Kriesien took advantage of great secondary coverage by running out of the pocket several times for first downs. Wofford’s Josh Collier will not run as much Kriesien which is a relief to ASU fans.

 

Kevin Richardson took advantage of teams stacking the box to stop the ASU running game by getting out in the open and catching a career high 7 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Trey Elder said it best, “I just dump off a 2-yard pass and then get to watch (Kevin) run down the field and do all the good stuff.” Richardson did add to his rushing totals with 58 yards against NAU. Richardson now has 167 yards on the season, just 787 yards away from John Settle’s all time rushing record.

When it’s time to get in on this Saturday, which team will prevail? In order for Wofford to win, they are going to have to rely on the ground game. Keeping the ball out of the hands of Armanti Edwards and Kevin Richardson will surely help the cause for the Terriers. Wofford must sustain those long drives, you know twelve plays and longer. They must shorten up the game by taking their three or fours yards and liking it. Somebody in the Wofford backfield will have to light it up. Michael Hobbs is the most likely person to do it. Hobbs has breakaway speed that can run around the ASU defense if they are out of position. That is the key for the ASU defense. The front seven must play assignment defense. The onus is all on the defensive line to contain the traps and counters and it falls to the linebackers to stop the options and pitchouts. This is the kind of game where Corey Lynch, Pierre Banks and Jacques Roman end up with near double digit tackles. Offensively for the Mountaineers, They must control the tempo and sustain a couple long drives for themselves. Whoever has the ball in their hands must not make bad decisions with the football. Wofford leads the conference in turnover margin and interceptions. ASU must make Wofford beat them. If ASU does not turn the ball over, there should not be any problems. Wofford is talented enough to turn mistakes into points, but that offense is unlikely to explode for 40 points without some help. Wofford will hang close as long as ASU lets them. If ASU is able to throw the ball early, watch out, it will only make the running game work better in the late stages of the game. Wofford may have a decent team, but they are not quite at the level of Appalachian State.

 

           

The First Pick:

Appalachian Dog Pound  38
Ankle-Biters                         22