Tag Archives: 2014

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

Tailgate Menu 2014

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It is getting close to that time of the year again. Our good friend GreatAppSt has issued his official Tailgater’s Warning which marks the middle of his yearly countdown. What does that mean here? It means it is time to release our menu for the upcoming football season. Some may ask why this is important, to know what food you will be eating on Saturday’s in the coming months? For some, they may have an allergy or a preference not to eat a certain food, and it allows them plenty of time to plan ahead. Another reason to release a menu is that it makes us feel like the long summer is coming ever closer to an end, which brings us to our favorite time of the year.

For our most loyal of supporters, they are very familiar with how our system works. Tailgaters have either paid their “dues” up front at Fan Fest or at the first game for the entire season, or for those who prefer a game by game donation, we are also very flexible in that matter. Although the up front, full donation is always appreciated, and allows for better planning throughout the season, we understand that not everyone can shell it out all at once. Even though inflation has gone up through the years, the dues have never changed. For six full home tailgates, a $50 donation per person, $100 per couple, covers everything from plates and napkins to propane and meat. There is not a better deal anywhere else.

This season brings a twist to our tailgate. We have lived in the past on perfecting at least a dozen main courses, if not more. With Appalachian State’s move up to the FBS and Sun Belt conference, we also have to move up our tailgate game to incorporate more exotic cuisine that is native to our new conference opponents. We have had crawfish boils and jambalaya in the past, so 2014 will not be completely new territory. The eats of the past will not disappear. You will still find some of our best dishes in 2014 and beyond. Without further hesitation, we present the 2014 Tailgate Menu.

The first home game of the season brings the Campbell Camels for a night game. With the extra two and half hours to tailgate from the rather normal 3:30 kickoff, we’ll pull double duty on the food as well. Pulled pork shoulder sliders will be prepared for lunch and our famous smoked baby back ribs will follow in the late afternoon.

South Alabama is the second game of the season but also Appalachian’s first home game against an FBS and Sun Belt school. The Jaguars are located to Mobile, Alabama where the seafood industry is big on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. We’ll honor that area with our Shrimp Po’boy sandwich which will be served on Stick Boy Bread and topped with our own angry mayo.  These sandwiches were featured by Taylor Tailgates back in 2011.

Homecoming is the following week and that brings on the Liberty Flames. Another old favorite returns as we will continue with our Thanksgiving tailgate them from past years. Cajun Fried Turkey and a buttery smoked turkey will remain the main dish. We’ll call this Noah Ark’s Tailgate for a nice play on Liberty’s spiritual mission statement. Two turkeys and Noah bringing two of every animal on the ark might be a stretch, but it does provide some light, corny humor as well.

On November 1st, Georgia State comes to town for another Sun Belt contest. Plenty of times in the past we have done our fried chicken wings and nuggets to the tune of colors of Coastal Carolina or North Carolina A&T. The Panthers will get the nod this year, and we’ll throw some blueberries in the batter on the side for a perfect chicken and blueberry waffle tailgate.

Black Saturday brings on the Louisiana Monroe WarHawks. With the explosion of so many swamp oriented reality television shows, we’ll have a typical cajun dish. Alligator Gumbo will makes its debut at our tailgate. Don’t be shy. Alligator in Louisiana is like pigs in North Carolina. They have a ton of them, and one way to control the population is eat them. We promise, it might become one of your favorite dishes.

The Idaho Vandals from Moscow, Idaho come to Boone for the final game of the season. Don’t pronounce it like the Moscow in Russia. It’s pronounced MOSS-koh. I doubt we’ll switch to a clearer spirit for the game, but potatoes are a must. We’ll provide a Potato Bar with all the toppings you can imagine. From cheese and shredded chicken to sour cream and our famous championship chili, we’ll have your spud covered.

SoCon Tourney: Apps hold on in extra innings

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An eleventh inning solo home run by Michael Pierson was the difference on Wednesday afternoon as Appalachian State beat Georgia Southern 3-2 in the first round of the 2014 SoCon Baseball Tournament.

For the second time in as many games, the Mountaineers used a ninth inning rally to extend the game, as they trailed by a run going into the final frame. Last Saturday, Appalachian trailed Furman by a run going to the ninth and used a walk off base hit by senior Tyler Zupcic to win and set up the matchup with the Eagles. Appalachian was 0-28 on the season when trailing after 8 innings, but have now managed to come from behind in their last two games.

Appalachian was kept off the board until the top of the seventh inning. Michael Pierson led off the inning with a single and eventually advanced to third base after a couple of Eagles wild pitches. With two outs, Georgia Southern pulled their starter, and SoCon pitcher of the year Josh Wirsu in the middle of Jaylin Davis’ at bat. The sophomore centerfielder was unfazed as he slapped a base hit up the middle to score Pierson.

The ninth inning began with with Preston Troutman reaching second base on an a throwing error. It was the only error in the game, and the Eagles paid for it. Pierson advanced Troutman with a grounder to the right side of the infield. One batter later, Dillon Dobson smashed a single through the left side with two outs to tie the game at two.

Both teams squandered chances to score runs in the tenth inning which set the stage for Pierson in the eleventh. Pierson curled a 1-1 pitch pitch off the foul pole in right field. At Joe Riley Park, the right field line is measured at 337 feet and the wind was blowing in from right field for most of the game. Pierson hit the ball to perhaps the most difficult part of the park for the winning run.

Both teams got excellent pitching from their starters despite neither factoring into the decision. Tyler Moore went eight innings only surrendering two runs on five hits, and walking none, Moore threw 91 pitches, which is a perfectly low count for a tournament format. Moore can be used later in the tournament should the Mountaineers advance. Robert Whaley picked up his third win of the year on thirty pitches and will most likely be unavailable on Thursday.

Appalachian was also the benefactor of great defense. Tyler Stroup made two great catches in the game, saving extra base hits. In the first inning, Stroup caught a ball as he collided with the left field wall nearly simultaneously. Stroup also made a diving catch in the ninth inning that would have given Georgia Southern a runner in scoring position had the play not been made. Jaylin Davis doubled up Georgia Southern in the tenth inning with two runners on base. Davis made the catch on the run and fooled the Eagle runner on second base, making the catch look easy. Davis then fired the throw behind the runner whose late slide was not in time to beat the throw.

Appalachian will now face Furman, who they played last weekend to advance in the winners bracket. A win would give Appalachian a day off on Friday, while the loser will play the winner of Georgia Southern and Western Carolina on Friday. Being a team without a tourney loss on Saturday would force the winner of the losers bracket to beat that team twice on Saturday to advance to the title game on Sunday.

One more month of baseball…

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The headline makes it sound like a depressing post that dreads the end of the season, but it is exactly the opposite. There are a minimum of sixteen games remaining, including two games in the SoCon Tournament, but hopefully there are more. Dreams of an at large bid in the NCAA tournament are just that, not only for Appalachian, but for the entire SoCon. The league will have one representative this year and it will all come down to Memorial Day weekend in Charleston, SC. Although a couple schools have created breathing room in the conference standings, there is not a clear favorite to win in May.

Davidson, who the Mountaineers host this weekend, has been in control for the majority of the conference slate. The Wildcats maintain a four game cushion over the Mountaineers, but there is only a three game difference in the loss column. Positioning is key for the Mountaineers for the SoCon tournament. A sweep by either team this weekend in Boone will be big for the tournament. Appalachian has yet to sweep or be swept by any SoCon school this season. However, the Mountaineer bats are coming alive in their last sixteen games, averaging over seven runs per contest. In the Mountaineers first twenty three games, the Apps failed to score ten or more runs in a game. In the last sixteen games, the Apps have hit double digits in runs in six games.

Even with a more explosive hitting attack, the Mountaineers have been without one of their stars in Dillon Dobson who has had shoulder soreness for several weeks now. Billy Jones has juggled the batting order, but it has worked to their advantage. Five different players have taken their turns swinging the bat efficiently including three who are over .300 on the season. Freshman Matt Brill is currently batting .371 with three home runs. Tyler Stroup has been a nice surprise playing left field, batting .303, with two-thirds of hits being singles on the season. Michael Pierson is batting .309 with five home runs and twenty RBI. Pierson leads the team in hits, walks and total bases and is tied for the team lead in runs scored.

A more important key to Appalachian success this weekend against Davidson is the pitching staff. The weekend rotation of Jamie Nunn, Tyler Moore and Jeffrey Springs has been incredibly solid of late. Nunn has been abused by bad luck the most this season, but his last two starts have been very promising. Tyler Moore has been the biggest surprise of them all. Moore can throw forever, and leads the team with four complete games and sports an 8-2 record with a 3.08 ERA. Sunday starter Jeffrey Springs leads the team in with five starts resulting in a no decision. Springs leads the team in strikeouts despite one fewer start than Nunn and Moore. Assuming 27 innings are played this weekend, Appalachian needs the starters to pitch at least 20-22 innings. The bullpen is limited and cannot be relied on to carry the team.

Davidson has only played two games in the last eleven days, having been victimized by weather with three rain outs. The Wildcats are 3-3 in their last six games and their last three Friday night games have all been decided by one run. Should be a great series to watch in Boone as weather does not seem to be a threat to cancel any games.