Monthly Archives: September 2014

Appalachian State @ Georgia Southern

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Here we go with Week 4

Appalachian State (1-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) @ Georgia Southern (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt)

Thursday, September 25th, 7:30pm EST

TV/LIve Video: ESPNU & ESPN3

Radio: WKBC 97.3 Wilkesboro, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Hickory & High Country; WATA 1450 Boone, Blowing Rock; WGVZ ESPN 730 Charlotte, Rock Hill, Salisbury; WCOG 1320 Winston-Salem, Greensboro; WCMC 99.3 Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill; WZGM 1350 Black Mountain, Asheville; WDNC 620 Durham, Raleigh; WHKP 1450 Hendersonville; WAZZ 1490 Fayetteville

Paulson Stadium

Surface: Natural Bermuda Grass

Capacity: 25,000

Jeff Sagarin Ratings

App State: 56.20

Ga Sou: 64.15

Home: 4.06

Ga Sou is favored by the Sagarin Rating by 12 points

Sportsbook: Ga Sou 18.5, O/U 60

Series: Appalachian leads the all time series 15-12-1

Last Meeting: App State 38, Ga Sou 14, October 26, 2013; Boone, NC

Having only five days between games seems like a short time to remember why we all despise Georgia Southern. I feel robbed of the anticipation that is the the nastiest rivalry in the South that nobody knows about. But at the same time, only having the think about a blocked extra point to lose a game, on what was essentially the last play, for only five days seems like a deal compared the 2013 offseason. The last time it happened, we lost a head coach, and nearly two years later, we still have not recovered from that failed point after touchdown. That game the last true FCS game for Appalachian’s program, considering the Mountaineers were not eligible to win anything in 2013. Hopefully, the Illinois State and Southern Miss games serve as bookends to a dark time in Appalachian football history. Now, Appalachian officially begins its Sun Belt era, and luckily enough, Georgia Southern, and a nationwide audience are waiting. I can guarantee the memories of last Saturday night are forgotten by the players, painful as they might be. So many points were left on the field, yet the urge to continue the battle did not escape the black and gold. A freshman quarterback in his first start never wavered with his back to the wall and only two minutes to score. Taylor Lamb completed seven of twelve passes, accounting for all 75 yards of the final drive with his arm, while converting twice on third down and once on fourth down. Let me repeat. First career start. On the road. He had one job to do, which was put the ball in the end zone. Nothing fazed him. Paulson Stadium will not intimidate Lamb. He has been there plenty times before on the sidelines with his father. He’s hated Georgia Southern as long as he can remember, just like the rest of the Mountaineer faithful.

If you have not heard, Georgia Southern is all the rage in the Sun Belt. With their close losses on the road to ACC opponents NC State and Georgia Tech, they have become the new favorite to possibly win the conference. Considering their win over preseason contender South Alabama last weekend and their easy conference slate in which they avoid heavyweights Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette, the Eagles have a real chance. The remaining potential speed bumps on their schedule include Louisiana Monroe late in the season and maybe Texas State can give them trouble. Oh wait. Nearly forgot about their game this week. Yep, those damn Mountaineers who have beaten the Eagles three times in a row and eight times in the last ten years. Those same Mountaineers that had no chance of beating the Eagles last year, but did. The same Mountaineers that nobody is giving a shot to win this year either.

The Eagles have changed their coach and their offense since the last time they tangled with the Mountaineers. Jeff Monken got out of Statesboro while he could, and went to West Point to lead the Black Knights of Army. Georgia Southern looked for their new head man in a similar way that Appalachian did back in late 2012. They wanted a guy that fit their current style offense. Willie Fritz, who was in this third stint at Sam Houston State was their guy. It was not a perfect fit, but the ideas were basically the same. Fritz prefers an option attack that spreads you across the field, compared to the old triple option attack with A-backs, B-backs, and flankers. In the end, the same principles apply defensively to control both offenses. Keep the offense off schedule, or behind the chains. Avoid the big runs and be prepared when the pass comes.

Speaking of the pass. Southern is doing a lot more of it under Willie Fritz than they have in years past. In eleven games in the 2013, the Eagles gained 36 first downs via the air. In only four games this season, Southern has already racked up 23 passing first downs. That is close to 2.5 more first downs per game from one season to the next, and for an offense built like Southern’s, that appears as almost a complete philosophy change. Kevin Ellison and former Appalachian recruit Favian Upshaw have split the quarterback duties, with most of Upshaw’s playing time coming against Georgia Tech. Upshaw was responsible for a errant late pitch against the Yellow Jackets that eventually cost the Eagles the game. Upshaw did not play at all against South Alabama last week while Ellison ran the ball sixteen times for ninety-six yards and a touchdown in the win over the Jaguars.

The running game remains the bread and butter for this offense to the tune of 357 yards per game despite the uptick in the passing game. For the most part, one of three guys will carry the load. Leading rusher, and most recent winner of the Sun Belt offensive player of the week, Matt Breida has been the primary workhorse. Breida has fifty carries on the season for an astounding 445 yards and seven touchdowns. That comes out to insane 8.9 yards per carry. Breida is the type of back that will not go down on first contact and also has the wheels to take it the distance. Ellison has a quiet 7.0 yards per carry when compared to Breida. La Ramsby, (yes, thats his first and last names), is the plower. He basically gets carries to give Eliison and Breida a breather while he eats up 3.4 yards of dust on 40 carries this season.

Now that App has gotten past the issue of which quarterback should play, we can focus on Taylor Lamb as the present and future behind the center for the Mountaineers. I’ll be the first to admit that I was not impressed with Lamb in fall practice. He was almost too smooth, never hurried and everything about him seemed to be in slow motion. He appeared visually unappealing because he was so consistent. Lamb did not make the flashy play, but also never committed a shockingly bad play either. Looking back, he played a lot more in the first two games than I thought he would and it opened the door at the bye week for him to become the man. Right now, Lamb and Kam Bryant are just about even talent wise, but Lamb has the higher ceiling, so it was an easy call for the coaches to promote his development by awarding him with game experience.

Unfortunately the demons of 2013 reared their head for the Mountaineer offense at Southern Miss. The Mountaineers advanced the ball into Southern Miss territory on eight of their fifteen drives. Of those eight, three touchdowns were scored, three field goals were missed and twice the Mountaineers had goal-to-go scenarios and came up with nothing. It was about as brutal a game to watch as possible from that standpoint. Add to that the eleven penalties for 59 yards. Most of the time you commit that many penalties, you are well over the century mark in penalty yardage. Brutal. The Mountaineers converted eight of their sixteen third down conversions and possessed the ball for over thirty-five minutes of the game. Two more statistics that lean toward winning a football game, and still, the Mountaineers lost.

The Mountaineers were aggressive on defense. It was nice to the see the team attack the quarterback in the backfield. Although Appalachian was only credited with two sacks, I believe Nick Mullen was feeling the pressure in the second half. Outside of the missed assignment on the Eagles final touchdown drive, where the defensive end was supposed to pick up running back George Payne, the defense was dominant. Had the assignment been made, it was likely that Southern Miss would have at least got an attempt on a long field goal while also running clock, and not giving the Apps too much time to answer.

So the Mountaineers first win over an FBS program as an FBS program will have to wait another week, err, five days. Thursday night will pit strengths vs. strengths with the Georgia Southern run taking on the Appalachian run defense. Even after a bad game against Michigan, the Mountaineers have responded in back to back games, now only surrendering 155 yards a game on the ground for the season. Georgia Southern’s running game is well documented. If App wants to win, they have to contain it while also limiting the opportunities the Eagles have in the passing game. The best way to do that might be by keeping the Eagles off the field. The Appalachian style of offense calls for tempo and quickly getting plays off, but oddly enough, it has led the Mountaineers possessing the ball for close to 32 minutes on the season. Conversely, Southern’s offense has not been on the field much, holding the ball for under 29 minutes per game. It’s pretty simple, they cannot score when they are not on the field. Containment is the key. The Eagles are going to fumble. They always do. At this point they have ten fumbles on the season but have only lost three. Six of those fumbles were from Kevin Ellison and one from Favian Upshaw. Those two have accounted for every lost fumble. If they put two on the ground and lose them, the Apps have a real chance to win. I am befuddled by the Vegas line. I understand Georgia Southern being favored at home, but 18 points is just way to many. I believe that is an overcorrection from last week. I’ll give the Eagles the edge as much as I hate to, but I expect both teams to put on a show for Sun Belt.

The First Pick

Mountaineers 23

The Stink 31

Appalachian State @ Southern Miss

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Here we go with Week 3

Appalachian State (1-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) @ Southern Miss (1-2, 0-0 CUSA)

Saturday, September 20th, 7pm EST

TV: American Sports Network, full list of affiliates here

Radio: WKBC 97.3 Wilkesboro, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Hickory & High Country; WATA 1450 Boone, Blowing Rock; WGVZ ESPN 730 Charlotte, Rock Hill, Salisbury; WCOG 1320 Winston-Salem, Greensboro; WCMC 99.3 Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill; WZGM 1350 Black Mountain, Asheville; WDNC 620 Durham, Raleigh; WHKP 1450 Hendersonville; WAZZ 1490 Fayetteville

Carlisle-Faulkner Field at Roberts Stadium

Surface: Matrix Turf

Capacity: 36,000

Jeff Sagarin Ratings

App State: 56.73

Sou Miss: 54.49

Home: 3.97

Sou Miss is favored by the Sagrain Rating by 2 points

Sportsbook: Sou Miss -3, O/U 60.5

Series: Sou Miss leads the all time series 1-0

Last Meeting: Sou Miss 7, App State 0, 12/4/1937, Gulfport, MS

The bye week could not have come at a better time last week for Appalachian State. After dodging rain drops and McNeese State almost two weeks ago, the rest of the Sun Belt laid a big fat egg while the Mountaineers prepared for Southern Miss. You’ll remember the rain delay that sent the crowd home prematurely, while the opponent that Appalachian had scheduled years ago for the same weekend they eventually played Campbell, McNeese State, was giving Nebraska fits. Not only did the Sun Belt lose every game last weekend, they lost some ugly ones. Troy fell to Abilene Christian, who nearly beat Georgia State on the opening Thursday night of the season. Meanwhile, those same Ga. State Panthers and Idaho lost in offensive shootouts. Georgia Southern lost a heartbreaker at Georgia Tech in another one of their patented goof ups. Pitching the ball late in the fourth quarter is never a good idea. The rest of the bunch had games that had more predictable results. So what does all that mean for Appalachian? It represents a chance to garner some early respect from their conference peers. Out of conference games are where the Sun Belt and their peer conferences can gain a little attention and can increase their profile. Whoever is raking in wins over Conference USA teams will get some major love from the Sun Belt teams who have been around for a while. Southern Miss isn’t the cream of the crop in C-USA, but a win on Saturday will give the Mountaineers some Sun Belt credibility it cannot get from beating the Campbell’s of the world.

Southern Miss has had a similar set of opponents as Appalachian has to start the season. They sandwiched a win over FCS Alcorn State in between blowout losses to Mississippi State and Alabama. In those SEC games, the Golden Eagles managed four field goals on offense and allowed 101 points. Southern Miss was also outscored 13-6 in the second half to Alcorn State. The past twenty-seven games for Southern Miss are well documented. They have won two games while dropping twenty-five. When a team is this bad for this long, the weaknesses are usually pretty easy to find. In three games this season, the Eagles have surrendered 829 rushing yards to the tune of 6.6 yards per carry. On top of that, the Golden Eagles have scored all of two touchdowns in three games, both coming against an FCS opponent.

The Golden Eagles start a sophomore at quarterback in Nick Mullens, who is steady behind center, but not exactly flashy. Mullens started the last six games in 2013. He threw eleven touchdown passes as a starter last year and has added two touchdowns passes this season. So, in nine games as a starter, Mullens has thirteen touchdown passes. Mullens had a couple big games last year, which helped his average of 276 yards per game passing as a freshman, but has fallen off to an average of only 209 yards per game this season. Mullens will gamble sometimes, as he hit two receivers last week against Alabama in one on one situations. He wont be afraid to throw it up and give his receivers a chance to make something happen, so the Appalachian secondary must be ready to turn their heads and make a play.

We have already gone over how the Southern Miss defense cant stop the the run. Now we get to the part where the Golden Eagles cannot run the ball themselves. The have run 93 running plays this season, and are plowing the ball at 3.6 yards per carry. The epidemic affects the whole team. If it was not for Tez Parks, who has had a couple big plays to give him a 8.6 yards per carry average, the rest of the Golden Eagles average almost exactly three yards per carry. Running the ball thirty times a game with that little success cannot be fun for the running backs. Knowing a hole wont be there keeps them from running hard and leads to more dismal statistics.

The game plan seems simple for Appalachian, correct? The Mountaineers have two almost studly running backs, so the Mountaineers pound the ball all day. Wrong. This team is too early in its overall development to run the ball fifty times and ignore the passing game. Expect Appalachian to spread the ball around as usual. Whether the key back will be Marcus Cox or Terrence Upshaw remains the be seen. It was odd to see Cox carry the load as much as he did two weeks ago with his knee supposedly still recovering. Cox appears to be a fast healer which is good for the Mountaineers. Upshaw had an impressive debut against Michigan and should be fresh after all only rushing four times for 41 yards against Campbell. Cox and Upshaw have combined for 311 total rushing yards in two games.

At quarterback, Appalachian has used both Kam Bryant and Taylor Lamb in the first two games. Lamb relieved Bryant earlier in the Michigan game than most expected, and came in even earlier against Campbell. Lamb has been a little bit more efficient, but also did not play against Michigan as much as Bryant did. The feeling was that eventually, Lamb was going to supplant Bryant at some point this season. The skill level between the two seems fairly even. The main edge Bryant had was his game experience and his knowledge of the offense. Being a quarterback himself, Scott Satterfield might want to insert the guy he recruited as an FBS recruit over the FCS talent that Bryant has often been labeled.

Defensively, the Mountaineers will have a matchup that is similar to what they see in practice. Repeatedly, Southern Miss lined up against Alabama last week with five wide receivers. Occasionally the sets included some running backs mixed in with your typical wide receivers. Alabama defended Southern Miss with zone coverages on the trips (three receiver) side of the formation. Alabama rarely blitzed but still managed to force some throws from Mullens off of his back foot. The Mountaineers may choose to sit back in coverage and the onus will be on the defensive line to force Mullens into getting rid of the ball before he wants to.

This a rare matchup where both teams feel like they can get a win to hopefully provide some clarity for their fans. Southern Miss has been bad for some time now and Appalachian also has their concerns. Both teams have been beaten easily by Power Five schools and have taken care of business where they should have. This is one of the few chances Southern Miss has for a win this season and they want it bad. So badly, they started an hour long twitter smackfest on Tuesday morning with other Appalachian fans. Equally, Appalachian fans want to know where their team stands. There is a massive gap between Michigan and Campbell. Appalachian fans are looking for anywhere between four and six wins in their inaugural Sun Belt season. It does not matter if you are a four win guy or a six win guy, a part of that sum most likely includes a win this weekend in steamy Hattiesburg. Sagarin favors the Golden Eagles based purely on home field advantage. Vegas is also siding with Southern Miss by a field goal. If the home team has one advantage, it is their field goal kicker. He has already booted eight field goals through the uprights from all distances, including a long of 50 yards. For whatever reason, you have to circle the wagons and go back to the Golden Eagles inability to stop the run, or run the ball themselves. It may not be the entire Appalachian gameplan to run, but when the time is right in the fourth quarter, I feel more confident in Appalachian finishing a game by running the ball than I do Southern Miss. This game is a virtual dead heat and I could really see either team winning, but I see Appalachian pulling it out with a new starting quarterback.

The First Pick

Dixie Darlings 27

Mountaineers 31

Campbell @ Appalachian State

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Here we go with Week 2

Campbell (0-1, 0-0 Pioneer) @ Appalachian State (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt)

Saturday, September 6th, 6pm

Video: ESPN3

Radio: WKBC 97.3 Wilkesboro, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Hickory & High Country; WATA 1450 Boone, Blowing Rock; WGVZ ESPN 730 Charlotte, Rock Hill, Salisbury; WCOG 1320 Winston-Salem, Greensboro; WCMC 99.3 Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill; WZGM 1350 Black Mountain, Asheville; WDNC 620 Durham, Raleigh; WHKP 1450 Hendersonville; WAZZ 1490 Fayetteville

Kidd Brewer Stadium

Surface: Field Turf

Capacity: 23,150

Jeff Sagarin Ratings

App State: 54.42

Campbell: 23.30

Home: 3.16

App State is favored by the Sagrain Rating by 34 points

Sportsbook: No line

Series: Appalachian leads the all time series 1-0

Last Meeting: App State 20, Campbell 6, 9/19/1931, Boone, NC

Reality, sometimes, is a harsh pill to swallow, especially when served with a side of hope. Last weekend, the Mountaineers held their own in Ann Arbor before a couple of plays went in the favor of the Wolverines and ended any chances of a second upset. The Apps found themselves down 14-0 in the middle of the second quarter when Michigan doinked a field goal off the goal post. On the ensuing series, a miscommunication prior to fourth down play forced the Mountaineers to take a timeout, and gave Michigan time to regroup. Wisely, Appalachian punted after the Mountaineer coaches erupted on the sideline. That moment was the true end of the game. Any hope had vanished. Michigan’s next play went for 59 yards and they never looked back, scoring 21 more points before halftime. The hard part is the reality of FBS football. The Mountaineers will never be taken lightly again. With more scholarships and wins that are so vital in the new world of the college football playoff, the days of sneaking up on an opponent are over. That pill should have been swallowed seven years ago, but here we are again choking on our own pity.

The real shame here is that after one game as an FBS program against a school with so much tradition and so much more to lose, that many fans have walked the proverbial plank and called for the head of the starting quarterback. The gap between the starter and backup has shrunk, but not to the point of a complete overreaction. Kam Bryant had zero turnovers; was sacked twice rather than throwing the ball into trouble and never fumbled. Bryant was also faced with a defense that did the exact opposite that not only he, but the entire coaching staff expected. Michigan blitzed and played man defense in the secondary and Bryant did the smart thing every time. He held onto the ball, and lived to fight another down. Without that, the Apps may never have made it to the second quarter. For the time being, Bryant will continue to be the preferred choice and Taylor Lamb may see an increased role. The memories of what happened in 2013 with the quarterbacks are still fresh and hopefully the staff has learned that lesson. But the time is not now to hand over the reigns to the next guy.

Campbell is in the seventh year of their football existence with seventeen wins to their credit. Their coach is former Carolina Panther safety Mike Minter who is in his second season as head coach. The Camels have the dubious distinction as being the first win for the Charlotte 49ers football program. The 49ers also defeated Campbell last week 33-9. So Minter is now 0-fer-Charlotte, a job he once campaigned for vigorously. The Camels are a non-scholarship program and will be facing only their second FBS program in their brief history. Last year, the Camels lost to Old Dominion 42-14.

Campbell quarterback redshirt senior Dakota Wolf was basically the entire offense for the Camels last week. On top of his 187 yards passing, he led the team with 13 carries and 35 yards rushing. Wolf was the only Camel with double digit rushing attempts. Also playing quarterback was David Salmon who threw for 29 yards while only completing four of his fifteen passing attempts. Salmon was dropped for a five yard loss on his only rushing attempt.

One of the few bright spots for Appalachian on Saturday was the debut of Terrence Upshaw. The redshirt freshman carried the ball eighteen times in his first college action, never fumbled or lost a yard and went for 109 yards. Marcus Cox also played despite a rather short recovery period from surgery. Cox was a little timid, but still was pretty productive. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry on his eleven totes. How much he plays this week will be something to keep an eye on. It might be safe for Cox to rest this week so he can be 100% prior to Southern Miss on September 20th and Georgia Southern on September 25th. However, Cox appears to be a quick healer and the reps may be equally important to keep his mind in game form.

Both sides of the lines played exceptionally well. Outside of running plays by Kam Bryant, the offensive line did not give up a yard to either running back. The line also protected Bryant well enough to only surrender two sacks to a Big 10 school. The defensive line held their ground pretty well. A few running plays for Michigan went for big yards, but the defense also chimed in with six tackles for loss. This is the main area where Appalachian had to get better to compete in the Sun Belt and significant progress has been made since last season.

Looking back, one might think I am crazy to think that after a thirty-point loss than we can actually find some positives. The Mountaineer defense missed several assignments, but those can be corrected. I would much rather see a couple missed plays compared to a defense giving up ten yards play after play. Right now, Michigan is only 1-0 on the season, but could be 6-0 in a hurry, and we’ll all look back at this game being a good loss. Time will tell.

There is not much to analyze in a game that is a complete mismatch as this one on Saturday will be. Campbell signed up for a bloodbath when Appalachian decided to buy themselves out of the McNeese State contract. It made sense, Appalachian was not going to head on the road to an FCS school while in transition. Campbell is currently getting their bells rung by other start up programs. The only doubt is the final score, but plenty more can be determined from this game. I still feel Kam Bryant deserves to start, if you could not gather that from the previous rant. But, I would like to see more of Taylor Lamb and would prefer to see it while the game is still in doubt. Simply inserting Lamb into the game in the second will likely not do him justice. Whether or not Bryant and Lamb alternate series, or quarters, or every other series is yet to be seen. Although, I do think this is the perfect time to see what he can do for the future. The Appalachian receivers did not have a fantastic game by any stretch on Saturday. Look for them to bounce back strong and expect almost ten different pass catchers. Also be on the lookout for nearly 250 yards rushing from the running game as this game wears on into the night.

The First Pick

Dromedaries 8

Mountaineers 34