Charleston Southern @ Appalachian Football

Here we go with Week 4:

Charleston Southern (4-0) @ Appalachian State 1-2

Time: 3:30 pm

TV/Video: appstatesports.com

Radio: WKBC 97.3 Wilkesboro, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Hickory & High Country; WATA 1450 Boone, Blowing Rock; WCOG 1320 Winston-Salem, Greensboro; WMFR 1230 High Point, Greensboro; WSML 1200, Burlington, Greensboro; WCMC 99.3 Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill; WZGM 1350 Black Mountain, Asheville; WTOE 1470 Spruce Pine; WPWT 870 Bristol, Johnston City; WZGV 730 Charlotte, Rock Hill, Salisbury; WDNC 620 Durham, Raleigh; WHKP 1450 Hendersonville; WAZZ 1490 Fayetteville; WLON 1050 Lincolnton

Kidd Brewer Stadium

Surface: Field Turf

Capacity: 23,150

Jeff Sagarin Ratings: 


App State: 56.54

CSU: 45.14

Home: 4.60

Appalachian is favored by the Sagarin ratings by 16 points (rounded).

5dimes.com: off

Series: First Meeting

Last Meeting: N/A

WXAPP’s Boone Gameday Weather Trends:

Tailgate: Mostly Sunny, warming up into the mid 50’s

Noon: Mostly Sunny, temps in the lower 60’s

Kickoff: Mostly Sunny, temps in the mid 60’s

End of game: Mostly Clear, temps in the mid 60’s

            The Mountaineers and Scott Satterfield got their first win of the season last weekend, but it was not particularly easy in the second half. Appalachian was unable to keep its foot on the pedal after nearly shutting out Elon in the first half of play and slowly allowed the Phoenix to creep back into the game. Elon had been struggling in the rushing department in its first three games and obviously made it a point to improve on those numbers, perhaps considering the impending weather conditions, Elon believed a wet surface would be just the game to hit the ground running. The Phoenix may have caught the Mountaineers off guard a little bit with their patient attack, and never wavered even after being down 24-0 in the second quarter. The Mountaineers never adjusted and it might not have ever been their intent to do so. Appalachian was ok with being undermanned in the box as long as the game was in front of them. After Appalachian took their largest lead, Elon managed eight plays over ten yards the remainder of the game, and only one true big play, a 31-yard pass, in the games final thirty-three minutes. Elon ran 48 of their 79 plays in those final thirty-three minutes. The Appalachian defense was not on the field a ton in the second half, only 10:29 of actual game time, but defended forty plays over that period of time. Elon was forcing tempo at a grinding pace and the Mountaineer defense calmly defended the game that was in front of them. Nate Woody was probably pleased the see the Phoenix stick to the ground game to an extent, but at the same time Elon could never get their passing game going, as they could only muster 6.1 yards per attempt. It wasn’t perfect, but all the Apps needed was a win, and that is exactly what they accomplished.

            Last week, we wanted a better start from Appalachian in the opening half. After scoring only nine points in the first half in the seasons first two games, the Mountaineers exploded for twenty-four points. It might not have appeared to be an explosion of offense, but in comparison to the previous two contests, it was. After an opening drive three and out from the defense, Jamal Londry-Jackson started at quarterback and directed a six-play, ninety yard drive that was finished off by Marcus Cox’ 50-yard TD reception. Cox was in the right spot as Londry-Jackson’s pass was tipped but caught, and Cox broke two tackles as he raced from one sideline to the other for the score. In the second quarter, Cox ripped a Kam Bryant pass from a defenders grasp and won a foot race down the sideline for a 73-yard TD reception. On both touchdown catches, Cox was not in the ideal placement or situation to make a great play, but he did anyway. We have wanted to see more of Marcus Cox and we got our wish to the tune of twenty-six carries for 159 rushing yards and five catches for 143 yards and three total touchdowns.

            The performance by Cox slightly overshadowed the return of Sean Price, who may or may not have completed all of his conditions that warranted his return. The word was mum all week on Price’s return, and we would not have expected any different. Why else would a head coach warn his opposition that his most talented downfield receiving threat was making his season debut? Regardless, Price showed some slight rust, but it was not much. Price caught eight passes for ninety-nine yards and added a 41-yard touchdown catch from Kam Bryant. The Mountaineers move to 7-0 all time when Sean Price catches a touchdown pass.

            If you have been living under a rock this football season, we have learned one thing: the Big South is playing football very well. With their geographical similarities, the Big South and the SoCon have always played a lot of non-conference games against one another. Occasionally, a school from the Big South will test a SoCon school and every now and then, grab a win against the conference that is viewed as being their superior. If there was a gap in talent between the two conferences, it has shrunk tremendously in the very recent past. Just last weekend, Gardner Webb knocked off Wofford, and beat Furman in their season opener. Earlier this season, Charleston Southern defeated The Citadel in a “road” game. Presbyterian came up two points short in a game at Furman, while Coastal Carolina managed to defeat the Paladins. Furman has been the common denominator in most of these games, but no matter how you look at it, every SoCon school from South Carolina has lost a football game to the Big South.

            Charleston Southern will come to Boone with their shiny 4-0 record and win over The Citadel, but that unblemished record is slightly tarnished if you give it a close look. The Buccaneers’ opponents sport a combined record of 2-11. Charleston Southern has beat a team whose only win is Western Carolina, in The Citadel, and another team whose only win is over Virginia-Wise, in Campbell. That resume is not as strong as it looks in the end. Their competition certainly has not been that strong since their opening season win, and this weekend will be the first time they play in a stadium with an actual home crowd to deal with. In the past couple seasons, the Buccaneers have not played well on the road in hostile environments against the likes of Illinois, Florida State, Central Florida and Hawaii. In those games, Charleston Southern was outscored 234-17, giving up 60 or more points in three of those contests.

            The Buccaneers run the all too familiar triple option offense, but not exclusively. Quarterback Malcolm Dixon has thrown for 470 yards and five touchdowns in the first four games. His stats are very consistent, throwing no more than 16 times in any game, and no fewer than 13 times. Dixon can run too, but the Bucs will go away from Dixon in the run game if it isn’t working. Against The Citadel and Norfolk State, Dixon ran 12 times for a total of 5 yards. In the games against Campbell and Shorter, two inferior opponents, Dixon ran 34 times for 237 yards. Seems to be a good idea to keep Dixon in the pocket, as he only completes about 58% of his passes, but containing him will be a key. Dixon had not been sacked all season until last week, when Norfolk State accumulated three sacks and forced Dixon’s only interception of the season as well. Christian Reyes is the leading rusher for the Bucs, who usually gets a heavy volume of the carries. Three times this season, Reyes has carried the ball twenty times or more, and he can take it 5’10 and 218 pounds. That makes Reyes the heaviest player on the Buc offense outside the offensive line and tight end.

            Charleston Southern runs the ball on average on three out of every four plays they run. The hard part about a triple option offense is guessing when they will throw the ball. Unlike your typical Wofford and Georgia Southern offenses, who generally pass the ball less often, and are under center on most plays, Charleston Southern will pass out of the shotgun formation. That makes it quite easier on the defensive coordinator to scheme against an offense. Similar to Elon last weekend, Charleston Southern will stick to their game plan regardless of the score. In their win over The Citadel, the Bucs had fallen behind 16-0 late in the first half, but were able to take advantage of a Citadel defensive mistake and a turnover on a punt return to bring the score to 16-14 at half. In the second half, the Bucs rushed for 131 yards and scored all of their touchdowns in the second half on the ground to defeat the Bulldogs. Appalachian will need to adjust to this hard headed game plan, something they were not able to do last week. Luckily Appalachian scored just enough points and use a ground attack of their own to seal the game. It was something special to see last weekend, watching the Mountaineer offense looking more like what it is supposed to. Despite 400 combined passing yards from two different quarterbacks, the Mountaineers ran the ball down the throat of the Elon defense when it mattered. Marcus Cox put on a performance that Appalachian fans had never seen. Cox became the first player in school history to record 100 receiving yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game. Kevin Richardson, Steven Miller, Travaris Cadet, Jimmy Watkins, Damon Scott, John Settle and many others before had never accomplished that feat until Marcus Cox started his first game. Obviously expectations for the remainder of his career will be high, but those should be tempered, as he is still just a true freshman, but it seems the Mountaineers have found their back of the future.

The First Pick:

The other Bucs            24

Mountaineers              38

Appalachian Football @ Elon

Here we go with Week 3:

Appalachian State (0-2) @ Elon (1-2)

Time: 6 pm EST

TV/Video: elonphoenix.com

Radio: WKBC 97.3 Wilkesboro, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Hickory & High Country; WATA 1450 Boone, Blowing Rock; WCOG 1320 Winston-Salem, Greensboro; WMFR 1230 High Point, Greensboro; WSML 1200, Burlington, Greensboro; WCMC 99.3 Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill; WZGM 1350 Black Mountain, Asheville; WTOE 1470 Spruce Pine; WPWT 870 Bristol, Johnston City; WZGV 730 Charlotte, Rock Hill, Salisbury; WDNC 620 Durham, Raleigh; WHKP 1450 Hendersonville; WAZZ 1490 Fayetteville; WLON 1050 Lincolnton

Rhodes Stadium

Surface: Natural Grass

Capacity: 11,250

Jeff Sagarin Ratings: 


App State: 58.12

Elon: 48.39

Home: 5.04

Appalachian is favored by the Sagarin ratings by 4.5 points (rounded).

5dimes.com: App State -5.5

Series: Appalachian leads 31-9-1

Last Meeting: Appalachian 35, Elon 23, October 6th 2012, Boone

WXAPP’s Burlington Gameday Weather Trends:

Gameday: Chance for a few showers through the day, but wouldn’t bet the farm on a washout

Kickoff: Temps near 80

End of Game: Temps in the mid 70’s

            We could almost write the same paragraph today as we did two weeks ago. Luckily, we have all had time to mellow out after a surprising loss to North Carolina A&T. It was Appalachian’s first home loss to an in-state non-conference opponent in a very long time. It was nearly a repeat of the week before. A sluggish offense could only muster six first half points after missing a two point conversion attempt on its first touchdown drive. More importantly, a couple of poor coaching decisions put the Mountaineers in a do or die situation at the end of the game. Late in the fourth quarter, after the Appalachian defense had done their part to keep the Aggies off the scoreboard, the Mountaineer offense decided to go for it on fourth down near midfield. The offense couldn’t stay on the field, and gave up valuable field position at a critical point in the game. The defense forced a three and out, but Appalachian was given a long field. Had the field position been better, there might have been more time left in the game to attempt a shorter field goal or possibly get in position to go ahead with a touchdown. In the first half, the Mountaineers attempted to drive the length of the field in the closing minute, but Jamal Londry-Jackson threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Perhaps the Mountaineers were better suited to take a 14-6 halftime deficit into halftime instead of forcing the issue which eventually backfired.

            We have to come to a realization that something has to change. There may not be a championship banner to hang at the end of the season, or a playoff berth to deem success, but plenty can be lost, and gained, over the next ten weeks. Appalachian has scored nine points in the first half this season. It’s not easy coming from behind to win games. It simply is not a winning formula on a week to week basis. Appalachian has to get off to a better start in games. Whether Jamal-Londry Jackson has cured what has ailed him over the last two weeks remains to be seen. Frankly, we don’t care who plays, but whoever it is has to be ready to go without any hesitation. Londry-Jackson has been as scared as a mouse in the pocket, looking down and flinching at the closest defender. Once that happens, the play is over. Kam Bryant may have more flaws that are consistent with someone who has played as little as he has, but Bryant has stepped into his throws in the pocket, and delivered the ball with greater accuracy than his senior counterpart. Bryant is also the future, and the next ten games could give him the work he needs heading into Appalachian’s first year in FBS football in 2014.

            We predicted a defensive shutout. It was quite a bold call that nearly came true. The Appalachian defense gave up ten points, and on most Saturday’s in the new era of college football, that is going to be enough to win to you a lot of games. The problem was the offense and special teams giving up fourteen points. We mentioned a “defensive or return touchdown” would be the way the Aggies got on the board, but unfortunately we were too good on this prediction as A&T scored two non-offensive touchdowns. The defense went on to give up only twelve first downs for the game, two of those coming by penalty. The defense also only allowed 244 total yards while only giving up 3.8 yards per play. Elon will provide a different challenge as they will test the Mountaineer secondary. The Phoenix prefers to throw the ball, averaging forty-one pass attempts a game.

            Elon has had an up and down season, having played their money game, their cupcake, and then the in-state opponent that they also expected to beat, but did not. Not only did North Carolina A&T knock off Appalachian two weeks ago, but they went home on a high and beat Elon the following week, and did it in somewhat convincing fashion. The Aggies held the Phoenix to ten points and only twenty-three yards rushing. Elon did not gain a first down by running the ball the entire game, and averaged less than two yards per carry in the game. Elon has never been very successful in the run game, focusing more on the air attack, but what A&T did to Elon is impressive. In its other games, Elon was trounced by Georgia Tech 70-0 and then they picked up a win over West Virginia Wesleyan 49-7.

The Phoenix will certainly be up for Appalachian as they always have been, and might hope to catch the Mountaineers while they are down, but Elon has gone backwards since Pete Lembo left for Ball State. Current Head Coach Jason Swepson is 9-16 overall in now his third season, and has yet to record a winning season. Of his nine wins, you can count Western Carolina (2), NC Central (2), Concord, WV Wesleyan, WV State, Furman and The Citadel. The Furman win in 2011 represents his only win over a SoCon opponent with a winning record. Swepson could be on the chopping block if he cannot turn it around quickly this season.

Elon has been spreading the ball around well to begin their season. They have featured a three man rotation at running back between Tracey Coppedge, BJ Bennett and Karl Bostick. All three have rushed the ball between 27-29 times, with Coppedge carrying a 5.2 yard per carry average compared to Bennett (3.7), and Bostick (3.1). Coppedge also leads the team with 151 yards rushing. As a team, the Phoenix are averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Thirteen different receivers have caught a pass, with veterans Rasaun Rorie and Kierre Brown leading the way with over a dozen catches each. Six Elon receivers have caught seven passes or more. In comparison, only eight Mountaineers have caught a pass, with only four players catching more than six passes.

                         The typical statistics come up every year when Appalachian and Elon face off on the gridiron. Elon hasn’t beaten Appalachian since 1964, a span of seventeen games. This might be Elon’s last chance to beat the Mountaineers as both teams are changing conferences in the future and both schools future conferences take them in different geographical directions. In the SoCon era, Appalachian has scored no fewer than 24 points in every game against Elon, and has scored 34 points or more in seven of those ten games. The Phoenix have only managed 30 points on two occasions against Appalachian. Expect Elon to try and jump on Appalachian early like they did in 2011. The Phoenix raced out to a 21-0 lead before Appalachian eventually won 28-24. In that game, Elon tried to burn clock long before the game was over. Elon’s offensive line couldn’t hold up, and the Mountaineers covered better in the secondary, leading to five sacks. The Mountaineer defense could be the difference again this time in Burlington, assuming they can get some help. We still believe the Appalachian defense has held its own this season. Only ten points were given up two weeks ago, and the defense kept Appalachian in the game as long as they could in Missoula in the opening game. Elon looks average on paper and has not shown many signs of being all that competitive in the last season or so. Elon’s defense has yet to record a sack this season and only has one interception in three games, while only recording four quarterback hurries and have only forced one fumble. Appalachian should use that vanilla defense to their advantage and get the running game going. If the Mountaineers are going to struggle running the ball like they have thus far for the rest of the season, it could be a long final season in FCS. Scott Satterfield has some big decisions to make in the 72 hours or so. Does he go with Kam Bryant? Does he reinstate Sean Price if his punishment has been served? How does he treat the more recent off field issues of Ronald Blair? Does he make a change at running back? All of these questions will be answered by 6pm on Saturday, but the real quandary resides with how the players who are on the field respond when it is their time to shine.

The First Pick:

Ashy Birds                  20       

Mountaineers              27

North Carolina A&T @ Appalachian Football

Here we go with Week 2:

North Carolina A&T (0-0) @ #21 Appalachian State (0-1)

Time: 6 pm

TV/Video: appstatesports.com          

Radio: WKBC 97.3 Wilkesboro, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Hickory & High Country; WATA 1450 Boone, Blowing Rock; WCOG 1320 Winston-Salem, Greensboro; WMFR 1230 High Point, Greensboro; WSML 1200, Burlington, Greensboro; WCMC 99.3 Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill; WZGM 1350 Black Mountain, Asheville; WTOE 1470 Spruce Pine; WPWT 870 Bristol, Johnston City; WZGV 730 Charlotte, Rock Hill, Salisbury; WDNC 620 Durham, Raleigh; WHKP 1450 Hendersonville; WAZZ 1490 Fayetteville; WLON 1050 Lincolnton

Kidd Brewer Stadium

Surface: Field Turf

Capacity: 23,150

Jeff Sagarin Ratings: 


App State: 61.32

North Carolina A&T: 42.83

Home: 6.49 points

Appalachian is favored by the Sagarin ratings by 25 points (rounded).

5dimes.com: App State -14

Series: Appalachian leads 5-1

Last Meeting: Appalachian 58, North Carolina A&T 6, September 10, 2011

WXAPP’s Boone Gameday Weather Trends:

Gameday: Slight risk for shower or isolated storm

Tailgate: Temps in the lower to mid 70’s

Kickoff: Temps in the lower 70’s

End of Game: Temps in the mid 60’s

            Last week was not what anyone expected. Many could accept a loss in the opening game, as so many indicators in the past could have pointed out. Appalachian was winless to the west of the Mississippi River, playing a tough opponent, at a tougher venue. The most surprising aspect of the game that everyone wants to forget is the poor performance of the offense, especially one that had all the makings of being exceptional. What we feared the most was the health of the starting quarterback, Jamal Londry-Jackson. We predicted that Londry-Jackson would not be healthy once the season started. Whether or not he was 100% recovered from knee surgery was also speculated. Seems we nailed that one, as Londry-Jackson suffered a pinched nerve that caused numbness in the left arm for a brief period during the game, which caused him to miss over a quarter of action. Londry-Jackson carried the ball six times in the game, a far cry from his 16 carries against the Griz a year ago. We called for eight carries, and even that seemed to be high. We also wanted to see Londry-Jackson showcase his passing ability, which is any area he also struggled. The total yardage (89) and yards per attempt (4.2) were easily the worst of his career. Only at Western Carolina last year has Londry-Jackson thrown for fewer yards in a game he started. Coincidentally, Londry-Jackson was also injured in that game.

            Before we get ahead of ourselves, the reason Appalachian lost last week was not all on the shoulders of the quarterback. An offensive line that terribly outmatched was dominated by the Griz. Even when backup Kameron Bryant entered the game, he needed to buy time in the pocket and create offense on his own down the field. The front five had difficulty protecting the quarterback, allowing for routes to develop downfield, and also could not open holes for the Appalachian run game. No rhythm was established, and that is what “Always Attack” is all about. We have always felt that Scott Satterfield and his play calling were most successful when a rhythm was created. With the play caller now being on the sidelines, it provided an arduous task for the rookie head coach.

            Disregarding the obvious downfalls of the offense, the defense was easily the best group on the field for the Mountaineers last weekend. The new look defense with plenty of fresh faces held off Montana as long as they could. On Montana’s first drive, the Griz methodically marched 53 yards on 12 plays, only to see it end on a failed fourth-down conversion. On that drive, eventual SoCon freshman of the week John Law made two tackles, on the first play from scrimmage, and on the last one. On the Griz’ second drive, they strung together eleven plays that ended when Ronald Blair recovered a fumble inside the Mountaineer’s own ten yard line. Montana would score on their next three drives, but the 16-0 halftime score still had the Mountaineers in the game. Montana’s next fourteen plays in the second half went for a total of 50 yards, as the Mountaineers scratched to within ten points. However, the Griz sealed the game with two fourth quarter touchdowns after a Kameron Bryant fumble inside the Griz red zone. The defense kept it a game for a lot longer than they probably should have, and that is something to look forward to as this young group only gets more experienced each week.

            It is not often we start with a review of the last the game for so long, but it was needed. North Carolina A&T provides a different challenge. Usually all teams have played on opening weekend, but A&T did not play last week, and got an extra week to prepare, and rest for the first test of the season. The Aggies are coming off a decent 7-4 season from a year ago and they did all on defense. Statistically, the Aggies had the second ranked defense in the FCS, giving up only 253 yards a game. In turn, they only gave up fourteen points per game and less than 100 yards a game on the ground. D’Vonte Grant led the team a year ago with 88 tackles from his weakside linebacker position. Travis Crosby is the team’s second leading tackler (87) who also returns at rover, which is generally a hybrid of the safety position. D’Vonte Graham, is the leading cornerback for the Aggies, who is coming off a season where he picked off four passes. Graham is also an established punt returner who averaged over ten yards per return last season, including one that went the distance for a touchdown.

            On offense, A&T is a team that is very methodical and prefers a slower pace. The Aggies ran the ball 476 times last season, right at 43 times per game, yet only gained 1,861 rushing yards on those carries. On the year, they averaged 3.9 yards per carry and managed an 800 yard rusher and 400 yard rusher on the season. Twenty-three of the team’s touchdowns came on the ground, compared to only four touchdowns in the air.

            The Aggies returned a senior quarterback in Kindle Lewis, but he is suspended currently due to a couple unfortunate traffic charges. In his stead, A&T will run with Kwashaun Quick, a sophomore who played in ten games last year. Quick completed half of his passes (25/50) for 256 yards, but did throw four interceptions to just one touchdown pass. Quick also ran the ball 46 times for 196 yards. Quick is 6’0, 185 pounds and his backup a true freshman from Washington, DC is Oluwafemi Bamiro, who is 6’4 and 209 pounds. We have a good feeling we will see both of these quarterbacks at some point on Saturday.

            Appalachian fans will hopefully give their team a pass for the poor performance in the first game. Luckily, the loss at Montana does not put the Mountaineers in jeopardy of any potential playoff situations. However, one does have to ask the question about the balance of team, considering the impending future of the program. We all want to see the seniors go out on a good note, yet if the season does not turn out the way it is expected, at what point do you start looking toward 2014 and beyond? Easy, we are not jumping off the bus just yet, nor will we ever. We just feel the question needs to be out there. North Carolina A&T may provide a small cure for what ails the Mountaineers this weekend, but an early open week might have an adverse affect on the Apps in the following week. We all want to say last week was an aberration, but what if it just a sign of things to come? Rarely do we cast so much doubt, but once again, we want to put it all out there. We have been all over the board on this prediction. One part wants to predict a closer than it should be game, where Appalachian struggles on offense before pulling away. However, the devilish feelings will prevail. Last week we hit on Montana’s total rushing yards, predicting 250 yards, and the Griz rolled up 246. We also feel good about mentioning the penalty flags, in which the Mountaineers were called for eight total infractions for sixty-eight yards. This week, I am going with a defensive shutout, but the Aggies will score some points. Whether it is by defensive or return touchdown, the Aggies will get on the board somehow. We might be slightly too confident in the Appalachian defense, but last week was a rather strong performance considering the situation. Certainly the Appalachian offense will find a groove, no matter who is taking snaps. I could see Scott Satterfield go with a platoon late in the game, simply as a way to get the younger players some reps for the future, and more importantly to keep Jamal Londry-Jackson as healthy as possible.

The First Pick:

Old Yellar                      14       

Mountaineers              56