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Appalachian Football @ The Citadel

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Here we go with Week 5:

Appalachian State (1-3, 1-0) @ The Citadel (1-4, 1-2)

Time: 2:00 pm

TV/Video: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/citadel.portal#

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

Johnson Hagood Stadium

Surface: Natural Grass

Capacity: 21,000

Jeff Sagarin Ratings: 


App State: 49.39

The Citadel: 48.52

Home: 4.34

The Citadel is favored by the Sagarin ratings by 3.5 points (rounded).

Series: Appalachian leads 29-12

Last Meeting: The Citadel 52, Appalachian 28, September 15th 2012, Boone, NC

WXAPP’s Charleston Gameday Weather Trends:

Mostly Sunny and humid, temps in the mid 80’s at kickoff

            For the second time this season, an overachieving team from a perceived lesser conference came to Boone and easily outworked the Mountaineers by playing their style of football to perfection. Three weeks ago, North Carolina A&T lulled Appalachian to sleep with solid defense and won a game of field position while capitalizing on the Mountaineer mistakes. Charleston Southern used a slightly different tactic, but was equally as successful. The Buccaneers’ plan was to take the air out of the ball by running as many play as possible while maintaining possession. Charleston Southern used second downs as a precursor of establishing what they wanted to do on third downs. It was a brilliant plan that worked the game clock to their favor on a massive scale. Winning the time of possession battle is important when you can hold the ball five to six minutes longer than your opponent. When the time of possession gap (24 minutes) is greater than your total time of possession, (Appalachian possessed the ball 18 minutes), it becomes the story of the game. Think about it in a point per possession/minute ratio. The Mountaineers held the ball 18 minutes and scored 24 points. That’s an average of 1.33 points scored per minute of possession. If Appalachian would have held the ball seven more minutes, they would have been more likely to score 32.5 points. Now imagine the same scenario with Charleston Southern, which averaged just two-thirds of a point per minute of possession. Take seven minutes away from their game total and they score right at 22.5 points. That kind of split would still have given the Buccaneers a possession edge of about ten minutes, but also a differential on the scoreboard that would have left them on the wrong end of the game. This provides a perfect example going into a game at The Citadel, which will likely employ a similar strategy of keeping the ball away from Appalachian with their option oriented offense. The Mountaineers have to get off the field, not just on third down, but on any down, by forcing the action to the offense this weekend.

            Much of the blame for losing to Charleston Southern is placed on a defense that had trouble containing the running game. We feel the Mountaineer offense is still not holding up to their part of the bargain this season. It’s understandable to see why Appalachian had trouble getting on the scoreboard, considering their lack of possession, but the Mountaineers still averaged 8.3 yards per play. They were moving the ball, but not getting into the red zone often enough, garnering only three trips inside the opponents’ twenty yard line. Two touchdowns and a field goal were scored on those chances, which should have been three touchdowns. A Sean Price drop on the goal line on a third a five stole four points from the Mountaineers that were desperately needed in such a close game. Once again, it’s the little things that have kept the Mountaineers out of the win column for the first third of the season.

            Marcus Cox may have cemented himself as the starting running back for years to come with his second straight solid performance. He is extremely versatile as a threat to score anytime he touches the ball. Despite only getting seventeen carries, he was productive with eighty-nine yards and two touchdowns on the ground and another ninety-one yards receiving to go along with another receiving touchdown. That gives him six touchdowns in two weeks as a starting running back. Cox is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and 21.3 yards per catch. He scores a touchdown every 8.625 times he touches the ball and he is only going to get better.

            Coming into the season, The Citadel was looking to build on a successful season in 2012 in which they finished 7-4, and had wins over Appalachian State and Georgia Southern on consecutive weekends. Some have called 2013 the most anticipated Citadel season in decades, until they hit the thud that is now a 5-0 Charleston Southern team. Oddly enough, Charleston Southern beat both The Citadel and Appalachian on the road, by three points, in games where they trailed in the second half. The Citadel now sits at 1-4, with their lone win over Western Carolina. Looking at the remainder of their schedule, you can only count two probable wins in games against VMI and Elon. Clemson is likely the only guaranteed loss, while the group of Appalachian, Georgia Southern, Samford and Chattanooga are all games that could go either way.

            The Citadel’s offense revolves around the quarterback Ben Dupree, who torched the Mountaineers last year for 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns runs of 57 and 46 yards. The Citadel scored 31 points before Appalachian got on the board and started matching scores for the rest of the game. Dupree leads the team with eighty-one rushing attempts for 383 yards and eight of the team’s fourteen rushing touchdowns. Five of Dupree’s rushing touchdown runs came against Old Dominion, which has been historically known for poor defenses in the few years of their programs existence. The Monarchs have given up 484 yards a game this season, and twenty-four touchdowns to their opponents. Dupree’s three touchdown runs that were not against teams named Old Dominion went for 4, 1, and 1 yards respectively. His touchdown runs against Old Dominion went for 33, 13, 7, 2, and 19 yards. Dupree’s 4.7 yards per carry is decent, but is ballooned by a 6.2 yard per carry average against ODU and Western Carolina. Take out those two games, and Dupree has 29 carries for 108 yards against Furman, Wofford and Charleston Southern. We would like to think Appalachian’s defense is closer to the latter three teams than the previous two teams. The Mountaineers must contain Dupree and disrupt his rhythm. If you can get a quarterback in a triple option offense thinking twice, you have won the down. It only takes one down to get a triple option team behind the chains, and out of sync.

            The Citadel defense has held their own this season, ranking second in the SoCon only allowing 183 rushing yards a game and allowing only 4.1 yards per attempt while giving up 26 points per game. The points given up are about average, and are slightly skewed from giving up 59 points to Old Dominion. Where the Bulldogs get in trouble is in their defensive secondary. The Citadel allows 200 yards a game passing, but has faced some run heavy team in Charleston Southern, Wofford and Furman. The Citadel secondary allows opposing quarterbacks to complete 69.2% of their passes including 8.6 yards per attempt. Their pass efficiency defense is dead last in the conference while giving up 47% of their opponents third down conversions. The Mountaineers can be quite dynamic in the passing game with their ability to go over the top with Sean Price and the playmaking of Marcus Cox that can turn any short pass into a long gain. Getting the intermediate passing attack going in the middle of the defense will open up the edge for Appalachian.

            All week long, this game feels like another one of those “uh-oh”, “here we go again” games against on offense Appalachian could barely get two hands on last year. The inability of Appalachian to stop the straight ahead run game last week, or the methodical approach of Elon two weeks prior can really make the mind wonder what the Mountaineers are in for. However, if Appalachian wants to win this weekend, we believe it starts on the offensive side of the ball. The longer The Citadel gets to play their style of offense, the more likely they are to win this game. The only way Appalachian is going to be able to force the issue against the Bulldogs is by taking advantage when they have the ball. It is going to be a hot day in the low country, and the Mountaineer defense cannot afford to be on the field for another forty minutes as they were last Saturday. Appalachian must score at will, and at the same time, slow the game down a little bit. Offenses that are high in tempo are all the rage across all levels of football and most teams have been conditioned for it. We believe an old-fashioned grind it out affair will help the Mountaineers work the passing attack into the game slowly, and help the quarterbacks, whether it being Jamal Londry-Jackson or Kam Bryant, to find some open throwing lanes. Something has to give this weekend. Either Citadel wins their first home game of the season, or Appalachian contains the running game. We would like to think the defense will be more prepared for an offense that Nate Woody has seen before. It worked pretty well against Elon, forcing them out of their passing game. Woody’s defenses have beat The Citadel fourteen straight games since 1999, giving up an average of 13.5 points per game, allowing twenty points or more on only three occasions.

The First Pick:

Knobs                        16

Mountaineers              21

Charleston Southern @ Appalachian Football

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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

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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

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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

Baseball adds series win over Ga Southern, midweek win at UNC-A

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Jamie Nunn continued his consistent pitching with another strong 7 innings as the Mountaineers took game one from Georgia Southern on Friday evening 9-5. Nunn was once again over 100 pitches, and did walk four batters. He found trouble in the third inning, an inning that has become a weak spot for every Appalachian pitcher this season. Nunn allowed all four of his earned runs in the third inning. Despite the free passes, Nunn was able to improve to 6-2 on the season.

Appalachian worked the Georgia Southern pitching staff for fifteen hits. Jaylin Davis led the way with four hits and three RBI while Will Callaway added two hits and five RBI. Noah Holnes drove in the other Mountaineer run, giving the 3-4-5 hitters all of Appalachian’s RBI on the day. Josh Wilson and Taylor Thurber finished off the game allowing only two hits.

After twenty-two combined hits on Friday, App and Southern combined for only seven on Saturday afternoon in front of a record crowd at Beaver Field. Sam Agnew-Wieland gave the record crowd a show, allowing only two hits, while throwing a second complete game shutout in a week. Sam has been given several nicknames, from “Hyphen” to “Hacksaw”. The nickname of the week is Hacksaw, or Hack for short. Hack only needed 102 pitches, throwing 69 for strikes to complete the shutout.

Fortunately, for Appalachian, Hack was on fire when the Appalachian offense took a day off. The Mountaineers only had five hits, but made the most of them, scoring two runs. Will Callaway continued his hot streak with three hits. If there is one negative about Hack going nine innings, is that the Mountaineers young pitching staff is kept off the field to experience game situations.

Speaking of the young and inexperienced pitching staff, they showed their true colors in a back and forth game in which Appalachian was going for the sweep. Jeffrey Springs continues to have trouble making it deep in games, as he was able to get through 4.1  innings with his 86 pitches. Taylor Thurber came on for his usual long Sunday relief spot, but also struggled, giving up four hits in his two innings. Josh Wilson held the lead, striking out four of the five batters he faced before handing the ball over to Rob Marcello for the save with a two run lead. Marcello faced four batters. He hit one of them with a pitch and gave up three hits. Marcello was not able to retire a batter, which led to his second blown save of the season. The previous blown save came against Cornell, when Marcello gave up five runs in the top of the ninth.

From this point on, Appalachian would hit the road for a nine game stretch, including two SoCon series at UNCG and The Citadel. Greensboro is 4-8 in conference play while The Citadel is 6-6. A couple of series wins would be good for the Mountaineers, but however they came, four conference wins are needed in this stretch.

Against UNC-Asheville on Tuesday night, the Mountaineers pounded out fourteen hits, but left thirteen runners on base before eventually rallying for a 6-3 win over the Bulldogs. Chad Farmer got the start, and he has been sharing a very similar look to his outings as Springs has this season. Getting four or five innings this season from either one has been a blessing, but it comes with its adventures. Farmer was rolling along into the third inning before giving up a three run home run. The home run was all the runs Farmer allowed in his 4.1 innings while he struck out five batters. Tyler Moore would allow the tying run to come to the plate for Asheville in the ninth inning before giving way to Josh Wilson, who got the final out and his first save of the season.

The Mountaineers are now 18-10 on the season, and 8-6 in SoCon play. The remaining conference schedule is a combined 39-33 in league play, but the heavy hitters have to come to Boone while the weaker opponents are on the road. Prior to the season, we thought an 18-12 conference record was where this team would finish, and that seems to be on target for now. Considering three road conference series were played in the first half of the conference season, that number could inflate. Keep in mind, the cancelled game at College of Charleston will have huge implications on the conference tournament seeding. Currently, the top seven teams in the conference standings are separated by only three games.

Baseball wins series over Wofford

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First off, a little housekeeping. I have been away for a couple weeks for a variety of reasons. The basketball season can get long, and I just needed a break after starting a new job in December. The slower start than some expected by the baseball season, coupled with the typically late Boone winter, provided some low moments. Winter seems to be over, and a more consistent baseball season appears to be on the horizon. Without any hesitation, I am back.

In game one of the series, the Mountaineers ran into a veteran pitcher from Wofford in Brandon Yarusi who won his first game of the season pitching the full nine innings. Yarusi used 120 pitches to strike out nine Mountaineers, while only walking one batter and giving up only four hits.

Jamie Nunn was moving along nicely until the fifth inning on Friday night. Nunn walked three batters in the inning. Wofford would record four hits, three singles and a double en route to scoring five runs in the frame. The five run inning has hurt the Mountaineers all season long, and this one would eventually do the Mountaineers in. Nunn fell to 5-2 while his ERA jumped up to 3.45 on the season.

In game two, Sam Agnew-Wieland countered Yarusi with a complete game of his own. The Hyphen struck out ten batters, yielding only five hits and walking only two. Along with sending ten Wofford batters straight from the batters box to the dugout, Wieland also forced twelve groundouts and only three fly balls. The infield did a great job behind him, completing the game without an error while also converting two double plays.

Game three was the typical rubber match as both teams combined for eleven of the games thirteen runs during the second, third and fourth innings. Appalachian edged Wofford in the bottom of the ninth with a walkoff win to take game 7-6, and the series two games to one.

Appalachian recorded ten hits on Sunday afternoon and eleven on Saturday, which led to both of their wins. When the bats are creating opportunities and giving their pitchers leads, this team can be successful. When this team struggles is when they fall behind on the scoreboard and start pressing. It is obvious that Appalachian is missing Alex Leach right now, he continues to work back into the lineup from his concussion he suffered in Georgia. Even though Leach has been out of the lineup, Appalachian has managed to stay in the SoCon race.

Six teams are separated by only 2.5 games with Georgia Southern leading the conference at 9-3. Elon comes in second at 10-5, having played one more series than the rest of the conference. Charleston sits at 7-4, while Western Carolina comes in at 7-5, followed by Appalachian at 6-5. The Mountaineers and Charleston have played one less game as their rubber match was cancelled due to rain last weekend. Georgia Southern visits Boone this weekend after losing a series to Greensboro last weekend. The Eagles also face a midweek test on the road at Jacksonville before making their way back to the mountain this weekend. The Eagles could be road weary, and this a big spot for Appalachian. In the meantime, Appalachian will hit the road to Richmond for a game against Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday. The Colonels have lost seven in a row and are 5-18 on the season.

Men’s Basketball Season Review

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When the Mountaineers learned they would be without the services of starting point guard Mike Neal until the beginning of the spring semester, many critics feared the Mountaineers would fall short of their already low expectations. For the most part, they were correct, as Appalachian started the season very slowly, not really beating anyone until a surprising road win at UMKC. The win was uplifting at the time, because it was an actual win, and not a loss. The Roos went on to finish the season with a 8-24 record. The following game, Appalachian went down to Columbia to face South Carolina, and played well, but lost by five points to a team that would eventually finish the season 14-18 and only won four conference games in a down year in the SEC.

Once conference season began in full force, Appalachian knew it would be in a dog fight for top seed in the conference tourney with two other teams. Appalachian opened January with three conference wins over Wofford, Elon and UNCG. Then the Mountaineers starting showing signs of what the theme of the season would end up being. When Appalachian plays their best, they can be pretty decent, and when they play their worst, it can be really bad. The problem, was that there was a big gap between the good App team and the bad one.

The western road swing began with an overtime collapse at Chattanooga. Appalachian held a big lead late in the game and allowed the Mocs to force overtime and eventually win. That was followed by a close loss at Samford to a very hot shooting team. That was followed by another game against Georgia Southern where the Mountaineers let a big lead evaporate, but was able to pull out the win in overtime. The next two games were losses to Davidson who was superior to Appalachian in the regular season, and Charleston, where Applachian lost another lead and gave way to the Cougars.

For the rest of the season, the Mountaineers beat everyone they should have, and lost to the same type of teams. Appalachian beat Georgia Southern again in overtime, blew another lead on the road at Elon before dropping a game to The Citadel at home where the Mountaineers were totally out of it from a mental standpoint.

However, the season came down to the last weekend, with a chance to win the four seed in the conference tournament with two wins. Appalachian snuffed out a double overtime win over Samford and then played their best game of the season in the home finale over Chattanooga.

In the conference tournament, Appalachian handled Furman, who upset Samford in the 5/12 game and gave Davidson a good scare in the semifinals. Davidson went on to win the conference tournament as Appalachian said farewell to Nathan Healy and Jamaal Trice.

The Mountaineers finished 15-16 on the season, winning ten home games, and losing eleven on the road. Jason Capel has basically been assured he will fill out his first coaching contract, but will need to earn a second contract next season. He will be a lame duck coach unless Charlie Cobb grants him a short extension just to ensure an easier path on the recruiting trail.

Healy was the biggest surprise of the season. The former walk-on turned himself into an all-conference player and defensive player of the year. Healy led the team in scoring (14.5), rebounding (7.7), steals (59), and blocks (45). Healy played more minutes, hit more field goals and three pointers, and shot better from the free throw line than any other player on the team.

Jamaal Trice was sick for most of the season from various ailments. Despite that, Trice hit 35 three pointers, shooting 41% from behind the arc, and averaged seven points per game. Trice started seven games and was instrumental to the team down the stretch in the last couple weeks of the season.

The future appears to be bright, but potentially thin in the post, based on what our eyes have seen thus far. Next season’s starting lineup should include Mike Neal, Tab Hamilton, Jay Canty, Tevin Baskin and Micheal Obacha. The Mountaineers used a very short bench all season long, so there is not much tape on freshman Rantavious Gilbert, Frank Eaves or Bennet Rutherford. Brian Okam may not return to school as he has enough credits to graduate, and fell out of favor with Capel after a certain free throw he attempted. Chris Burgess will provide a solid backup to Mike Neal, as he improved more than any other player on the team throughout the season.

The question marks will be whether or not a sophomore or incoming freshman will be able to garner significant playing time. The backcourt is quite crowded, with three more guards committed for the fall, and one forward. Mike Kobani may have the best chance as he is 6’7″ and 250 pounds. Rantavious Gilbert has a great chance to get playing time with his length and potential to be a great defender. Until November, many questions will be answered regarding the direction of the program, from a potential head coach extension to conference realignment.

 

Baseball (9-5) hosts defending Ivy League champ Cornell

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After splitting a midweek set of games to Georgia, Appalachian returns back home to the friendly turf at Beaver Field after nearly a three week layoff. The Mountaineers have not played at home since February 27th, a win over High Point. The Mountaineers have struggled on the mound recently, as the back half of their weekend starters have had trouble going deep in games.

Jamie Nunn has been solid all season, but Jeffrey Springs and Sam Agnew-Wieland have been erratic, combining for six appearances that have lasted fewer than five innings, compared to only three starts going six innings or more. Both of their earned run averages are well over 5.00, but somehow have managed a 4-2 combined record. They have also combined to hit nine batters and have given up five runs on three occasions. Before conference play, at least one of them has to get their act together for Appalachian to contend in conference play.

Cornell has played eight games thus far this season, going 4-4 against non baseball powers. The Big Red have been a team that has played a lot of small ball this season. Cornell has yet to register a triple or a home run and only fourteen of their sixty-two hits are for doubles. Appalachian has already registered  52 extra base hits, including 16 home runs and 33 doubles. The big key in this game will be the pitching. Appalachian always swing the bat well at home and usually puts up plenty of runs, but will it be enough to back up the damage that Springs and Agnew-Wieland will give up? Cornell’s pitchers have not pitched a lot this season, having only played eight games and Beaver Field offers a differnt dynamic for any opposing team.

First pitch for the Saturday’s doubleheader is set for 1pm, while the third game of the series will also get started at 1pm on Sunday.

 

App. State Men and Women advance at SoCon Tournament

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Women:

Appalachian and Charleston played a really close game until the final few minutes when Appalachian’s pressure finally got to Charleston. Appalachian was in control for much of the game, but could never really extend their lead in the first half. Charleston led by a point on one occasion, but Appalachian quickly regained the lead. For much of the game, the Mountaineers led by just under ten points as Charleston hung around as long as they could.

The Cougars were still in the game with 2:09 remaining, as they only trailed by six points. The Mountaineers would finish the game on a 8-0 run to mark the final tally at 74-60. Six of those eight points came at the free throw line via Maryah Sydnor and Anna Freeman. Bria Huffman hit a basket as well in that final run by the Mountaineers.

Anna led all scorers with 23 points and added ten rebounds. Maryah Sydnor scored 17 points and added a half dozen rebounds. Raven Gary added 14 points, six rebouns and four assists. Courtney Freeman chipped in eleven points. Three Mountaineers, Sydnor, Anna, and Courtney accumulated twelve of the nineteen Appalachian fouls as all three were called for four. Charleston threw up another twenty three point attempts, and were mostly unsuccessful, hitting only five of them. The Cougars attempted 28 more shots than Appalachian, and the Mountaineers turned the ball over 13 more times than their opponent.

Appalachian gave up 20 offensive rebounds to Charleston, and must clean that up if they want to beat Chattanooga. The Mocs pounded Appalachian just eight days ago at home. The key to beating the Mocs is playing good perimeter defense and getting in the face of the Mocs three point shooters. Appalachian must also be very aware of Chattanooga’s post players, and do everything they can to limit the Mocs to one shot on the offensive end. Appalachian and Chattanooga will face off at noon on Sunday.

(We made the tough decision and attended the men’s game on Saturday)

Men:

Appalachian jumped all over a tired Furman team in the first half and never looked back. Appalachian used a 7-0 run the jump out to an 18-7 lead early in the first half. Moments later, a 10-2 run by Appalachian up by seventeen points, a lead they would two more times in the first half before heading to the locker room with a fourteen point halftime lead. Appalachian used active hands on the defensive end, something we had not seen all year long. Their hands were in the passing lanes on the wings, and once the ball was tipped, the Mountaineers were off and running for easy fast break points.

Furman cut the lead to five points at 38-33 early in the second half, but Appalachian once again answered with a huge run, another 7-0 run, that put that back up by double digits with 16:17 to play in the game. Furman would once again cut the lead back down to single digits at 47-40, before Appalachian finally put the Paladins away. Over the next 5:23 of game time, the Mountaineers went on a 19-5 run that gave them the Mountaineers their biggest lead of the game with just over eight minutes to play.

Furman responded with a 10-0 run, but it was too little too late for the Paladins. Tevin Baskin put a bow on the game as Furman went up for a breakaway dunk with 13 seconds left and Baskin emphatically blocked it away to preserve a 74-60 final margin.

In the earlier meeting against Furman, Appalachian had very balanced scoring, as four players scored 14 points. Scoring was very balanced against Furman in the tournament as no player scored more than 13 points. Nathan Healy and Jay Canty scored 13 as Jamaal Trice added twelve points to round out the Mountaineer double figure scorers. Baskin and Tab Hamilton added nine points each while Michael Obacha scored eight points and led the team with seven rebounds.

Next up for the Mountaineers is Davidson, who blistered Georgia Southern with three pointers, nailing ten in the first half, and thirteen for the game. Five Wildcats scored in double figures in the 86-59 win. Davidson handled Appalachian in both meeting this season, so this game will be a tall task for the Mountaineers. Most consider Appalachian the weakest of the four top seeds and predicted they would make an early exit in the tournament. Davidson and Appalachian have never met in the semifinals before and Appalachian is 1-3 all time against the Wildcats in the tournament. Davidson has easily brought the most fans to the tournament, but hopefully a 6pm start will bring a few more Mountaineers to Asheville.