SoCon Game of the Week: No. 17 Appalachian State at Chattanooga
By John Hooper
WHO: Appalachian State (1-2, 0-1 SoCon) at Chattanooga (1-2, 0-0 SoCon)
WHERE: Chattanooga, Tenn., Max-Finley Stadium/Davenport Field (20,000)
WHEN: Sept. 22, 2012, 6 p.m.
Overview: It gets no bigger for Appalachian State this Saturday than its game at Chattanooga, as the Mountaineers are coming off a 52-28 blasting at the hands of The Citadel last Saturday in Boone. The loss snapped an 18-game winning streak in league openers at The Rock, as well as snapping an 18-game regular-season winning streak inside the friendly confines.
Chattanooga enters the contest coming off its first win of the season, which came in a 35-0 win over Glenville State on Thursday night in the Mocs’ home opener. It will mark the 36th all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and Mocs, with the Apps holding 25-10 all-time series edge.
The last time Appalachian State started 0-2 in Southern Conference play, you have to go all the way back to 1977, when the Mountaineers lost their opening two games of Southern Conference play to both Chattanooga (14-7) and Richmond (21-13).
Chattanooga hasn’t knocked Appalachian State on the SoCon gridiron since 2004, when the Mocs claimed a wild 59-56 win over the Mountaineers in a game that was the highest combined scoring game between two Southern Conference foes in the history of the league.
ASU enters the contest having won six-straight games In Finley Stadium, including the three-straight national title wins in 2005, ’06 and ’07, along with with wins over Chattanooga in ’06, ’08 and ’10.
The Mountaineers have a pretty impressive mark after a loss in the same season, having gone 22-1 in their last 23 games following a setback. The last time ASU lost back-to-back games in the same season was to begin the ’09 campaign, which saw the Mountaineers drop games to East Carolina (29-24) and McNeese State (40-35) in the first two weeks of the season.
Preview: Chattanooga and Appalachian State will play a Southern Conference game with huge Southern Conference playoff implications on it Saturday, when the two league foes square off on Saturday afternoon in the Scenic City.
Chattanooga comes into Saturday afternoon’s contest against the Mountaineers ranking 69th in total offense (350.0 YPG), 57th in scoring offense (24.0 PPG), 79th in passing offense (176.7 YPG) and 40th in rushing offense (173.3 YPG).
The Mocs will likely utilize a pair of quarterbacks on Saturday afternoon against the Apps, as both Jacob Huesman (43-of-69 passing, 478 yds, 4 TDs, 1 INT/45 rush att, 213 yds, 1 TD) and Terrell Robinson (8-for-12 passing, 62 yds/13 rush att., 43 yds, 3.3 YPC) will likely step under center. It is not clear who will start on Saturday, but Robinson saw his first action under center last Saturday and looked good in his limited time under center.
Huesman has shown some breakaway speed when he gets into the open, and he comes into the contest as UTC’s leading rusher.
Chattanooga played both quarterbacks on Thursday night against, as both Huesman and Robinson have proven that they can both effectively run the spread offense this season.
Huesman, at this point, might be the better passer of the two, however, Robinson certainly has shown himself to have a stronger arm this season. Robinson may also see action at wide receiver on Saturday against the Mountaineers. He showed his tremendous big-play ability and speed, as he caught a couple of passes for 55 yards, including a 42-yard scoring catch in the win over Glenville State.
The Mocs enter the contest was some with some solid weapons in the passing game, which include speedy wideouts Tommy Hudson (13 rec, 98 yds, 7.5) and Ron Moore (4 rec, 55 yds).
The top option in the passing game for the Mocs is Marlon Anthony, who should be 100-percent when he returns to the starting lineup heading into Saturday’s matchup. Anthony is a big, and at 6-5, 220 lbs, he has proven to be a tough matchup for opposing SoCon defensive backs. Against the Black and Gold last season, Anthony led the receiving efforts with six catches for 48 yards.
The most effective wideout for the Mocs this season has been tight end Faysal Shafaat (11 rec, 119 yds, 1 TD, 10.8 YPR), who is off to an outstanding start catching the football for the Mocs, and turned had his best performance of the season in the season opener, as he hauled in five catches for 60 yards in the loss to South Florida. In the home opener last Thursday night, Shafaat hauled in three passes for 25 yards and a score in the 35-0 win over Glenville State.
The Mocs have shown the ability to dedicate more attention to the ground attack in the new spread offense this season, and leading the way are rushing duo Marquis Green (16 rush att, 92 yds, 2 TDs, 5.8 YPC/1 rec, 13 yds) and Keon Williams (35 rush att, 98 yds, 2 TDs, 2.8 YPC), who are powerful, athletic backs that also catch the ball extremely well coming out of the backfield.
J.J. Jackson (22 att, 60 TDs, 2.7 YPC/6 rec, 79 yds, 13.2 YPR) has excellent speed and he is the veteran leader of that ground game. Green was the only one of the three that logged significant action against the Mountaineers last season, posting 36 yards on 15 rush attempts. Green also had three catches for 29 yards against the Mountaineers last season. Williams did not play against ASU last season, as he was suspended for the season.
Last season, Chattanooga had the SoCon’s worst offensive line in the Southern Conference, however, the unit is playing better this fall and currently anchoring the unit is anchored by right tackle Adam Miller, who entered the 2012 season as a preseason All-SoCon selection. Miller will be joined along the offensive front this Saturday by pretty “green” unit which will include sophomore Brandon Morgan (LT), redshirt freshman Synjen Herren (LG), sophomore Patrick Sutton (C) and junior Kevin Revis (RG).
For a unit that came into the season expected to be one of the top units in the SoCon and at the FCS level, Saturday’s 52-28 home loss, which saw the Mountaineers surrender 618 yards to the Bulldogs, including 463 yards on the ground, certainly raised some eyebrows around the league and nation.
Coming into Saturday’s contest, Appalachian State ranks 112th nationally in total defense (497.0 YPG), 100th in scoring defense (38.0 PPG), 113th in rush defense (262.3 YPG), 85th in pass defense () and tied for 44th in turnover margin (+0.33).
Appalachian State’s strength defensively is its linebacking corps, anchored by Jeremy Kimbrough (41 tackles, 3.0 TFL) and Brandon Grier (29 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 FF), who both had solid performances on Saturday despite the overall struggles for the ASU defense. Kimbrough led the way for ASU for the third-straight game this season, posting 14 stops and a tackle-for-loss, while Grier chipped in with seven stops. Kimbrough’s 41 tackles through the first three games continues to lead the league.
It was Kimbrough’s 46-yard INT return for a score against Chattanooga last season that proved to be the game-winning score for the Mountaineers. In addition to that monumental play for the Mountaineers against the Mocs last season, Kimbrough also contributed 11 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and broke up a pair of passes to grab National Defensive Player of the Week honors (The Sports Network).
Starting at the respective outside linebacker positions going into Saturday’s matchup with the Mocs will be James “Deuce” Robinson (20 tackles, 3.0 TFL) and sophomore ‘star’ linebacker Joel Ross (12 tackles, 3.0 TFL. 1 PBU). Both young players have shown athleticism and Robinson has gotten effective pressure off the end, while Ross has been in exceptional when asked to drop into pass coverage, as evidenced in the win over the Montana.
One of the areas that has been a bit of a concern in ASU’s 3-4 defensive scheme this season has been the defensive line, as the Black and Gold will once again start two freshmen and a sophomore up front Saturday.
Defensive end Ronald Blair (15 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 FR) anchors the unit, and he has really been the only player, along with linebackers Robinson and Grier, that have been able to get effective pressure on opposing quarterbacks so far this fall. Blair had one his more quiet games in his freshman campaign last fall against the Mocs, recording two stops.
Freshmen Davante Harris (8 tackles, 2.5 TFL) and Stephen Burns (10 tackles, 1.5 TFL) round out the starters along the defensive front, at defensive end and nose tackle, respectively. Harris, a rangy, athletic player is one that has a huge upside, but is still developing his pass-rushing skills on the edge for the Apps. In the loss to The Citadel last week, Harris registered three stops and a TFL. Burns also had three tackles and a TFL in Saturday’s setback.
The secondary has been a bit spotty this season, but looked very good against Montana a couple of weeks ago with the exception of a couple of big plays surrendered. However, last week was a game that the Black and Gold secondary starters would rather forget, giving up 155 passing yards on Saturday.
To put that number in perspective, ASU, who came into the matchup as the league’s leading passing offense, had only 164 passing yards on Saturday. ASU did not allow a single passing yard to The Citadel in its last trip to Boone back in 2010.
Anchoring the secondary are a couple of All-America candidates, in seniors Troy Sanders (21 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FF) and Demetrius McCray (11 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 2 INTs).
Sanders, the strong safety and one of the hardest hitters on the defensive side of the ball for the Apps, is the most experienced player on the ASU defense heading into Saturday’s matchup, having played 46 career games and having made 28-consecutive starts at LB or safety. In the win over the Mocs last season, Sanders recorded a pair of tackles and a couple of quarterback hurries.
McCray entered the 2012 season cited by The Sports Network as a member of the Buck Buchanan Award watch list after leading the SoCon with five picks last fall, becoming the first ASU cornerback to accomplish that feat since 1991 when Mark Mayo accomplished the feat. With his two picks already this season, he now has eight career INTs. McCray registered a strong performance last season against the Mocs, posting four tackles, a TFL, a sack and three PBUs.
Chattanooga has seemingly picked up where it left off last season on the defensive side of the ball this season, after completing the 2011 season ranking tops in the SoCon and 13th nationally in total defense. The Mocs come into Saturday afternoon’s ranking 37th nationally (20.3 PPG) in scoring defense, 12th in total defense (272.3 YPG), 29th in rushing defense (106.0 YPG) and 31st in pass defense (166.3 YPG).
The Mocs have maybe the best front seven in FCS football, and arguably the top defensive line in the sub-classification. The Mocs have two excellent defensive ends, in Josh Williams (3 tackles, 1 FR) and Davis Tull (9 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks), who are off to a bit of a slow start this fall, but are considered the top defensive end tandem in the league. Williams was a preseason All-America selection, and is the school’s all-time leader in sacks, having recorded 21.5 quarterback sacks in his career.
Against Appalachian State last season, Williams had four tackles and a PBU, while Tull contributed a couple of stops. Both are athletic and quick and will offer ASU’s offensive tackles with their stiffest blocking assignments of the season thus far.
The two starters at defensive tackle for ASU heading into Saturday’s contest will be University of Georgia transfer Derrick Lott (8 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FR) and veteran returning starter Toyvian Brand (5 tackle, 2 QBH).
Lott has shown why he was sought after to be a part of an SEC defense early on this season, putting forth the best numbers of any of the UTC defensive linemen so far this season, and had three tackles and a fumble recovery in the loss to South Florida, while posting a sack in the setback to Jacksonville State.
Brand is also a strong part of this defensive line, and his top performance came against Jacksonville State, as he registered three stops.
The Mocs also counter with a solid contingent of linebackers, led by Wes Dothard (18 tackles, 2.0 TFL), who entered the 2012 season as one of the top linebackers in the Southern Conference, anchors the middle of this Chattanooga defense that has been very strong against the run this season.
Dothard had a nice performace against Appalachian State last season, recording 11 tackles. Like Appalachian’s Kimbrough, Dothard began the season as a member of the Buck Buchanan Award Watch list.
Teaming with Dothard on Saturday night against the Apps will be Shane Heatherly (13 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) and Gunner Miller (13 tackles, 1.0 TFL). Heatherly will start at the strong side linebacker position, while Miller will start at weakside linebacker position for the Mocs.
Miller should make a strong case for All-SoCon accolades this fall, and he is one of the more underrated linebackers in the Southern Conference. He reminds me of a linebacker that head coach had playing outside linebacker for him when he was the defensive coordinator at Richmond back in 2008, cast in the same mold as Spiders linebacker Patrick Weldon.
Miller enjoyed his top game this season against South Florida in the opener, posting five stops. He also had four tackles and an INT in the second week loss at Jacksonville State. Miller registered three tackles in the Mocs’ 14-12 loss in Boone last season.
The Mocs also have talented, experienced defensive backfield. Anchoring the unit heading into Saturday’s contest are cornerback Kadeem Wise (16 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU) and strong safety D.J. Key (21 tackles, 1 INT).
Wise is a two-time All-SoCon selection and was a preseason All-America selection, and he is one of the top lock-down cornerbacks in the SoCon. In the 14-12 loss to Appalachian State last season, Wise recorded seven stops and an INT.
Key is a hard-hitting safety, and came into the campaign as a preseason all-league selection. He had seven tackles and a PBU against ASU last season and enters the Saturday SoCon showdown with four-career INTs.
Joining Key and Wise and rounding out the starters in the secondary for the Mocs will be Chaz Moore (10 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 4 PBUs) at cornerback and Sema’je Kendall (7 tackles, 3 PBUs) at free safety. Kendall is the least experienced player for the Mocs in the secondary, making just his fourth start on Saturday night against ASU.
Appalachian State showed major struggles for the first time this season in the loss to The Citadel last week. The Mountaineers enter Saturday night’s contest ranking 28th nationally in total offense (417.7 YPG), 54th in scoring offense (24.3 PPG), 37th in rush offense (176.3 YPG) and 31st in pass offense (241.3 YPG).
Junior Jamal Jackson (70-of-106, 724 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs/31 rush att, 152 yds, 2 TDs) saw his streak of nine-straight games with 200 or more yards passing end last week, passing for 164 yards in the 52-28 loss to the Bulldogs. Also for the first time in his 10 starts as a Mountaineer quarterback, Jackson failed to amass 250 or more yards of total offense in a game. Both aforementioned streaks were already school records.
Coming into Saturday night’s showdown with the Mocs, Jackson comes into the contest averaging 292 yards of total offense per game, leading the Southern Conference and ranking 12th nationally in that same category.
Jackson’s 241.3 passing yards per game ranks him tops in the SoCon in passing and 19th nationally. Despite only 10 starts as the Mountaineers’ signal-caller, Jackson needs just 131 passing yards to become just the 13th Mountaineer quarterback to reach the 3,000 yard passing plateau for his career.
The junior from Atlanta, GA, enjoyed one of the most productive games in his two seasons as a full-time starter for the Apps against No. 12 Montana, as he connected on 24-of-34 passes for 260 yards and a pair of scores, while rushing for 68 yards and a score to finish with 328 yards of total offense and three TD responsibilities.
Jackson has led a potent offense so far this season, which began the season in strong fashion with 419 yards of total offense against FBS opponent East Carolina, marking the most yards the Mountaineers have compiled against an FBS opponent since an overtime win over Wake Forest in 1998.
The Mountaineers struggled more in 2011 than any other season since transitioning to the spread offense back back years ago, however, seems to have put those struggles behind them this fall, averaging 27.5 more offensive yards per game despite six new starters on the offensive side of the ball.
In 84 games since the spread offense was installed at the start of the 2004 season, the Mountaineers have scored 30 or more points in a game 58 times (69.0%) and 40 or more points on 33 occasions (39.3%), and a lot of that has to do with the return of Scott Satterfield as the offensive coordinator.
When Jackson decides to go to the air, he will have several solid options in what many feel is the top receiving corps in the Southern Conference this season. His top targets are veteran wideouts Andrew Peacock (15 rec, 177 yds, 1 TD, 11.8 YPR) and Tony Washington (11 rec, 136 yds, 12.4 YPR/1 rush att, 22 yds, 1 TD).
Peacock and Washington will occupy the “M” and “Y” wide receiver positions on Saturday. Washington’s only TD of the season came on a 22-yard run last week, while Peacock had his lone scoring catch of the season against Montana on a 25-yard scoring catch in the fourth quarter of the 35-27 win over the Grizzlies.
After being suspended against The Citadel last week, Sean Price (8 rec, 103 yds, 1 TD, 12.9 YPR) returns to the ASU starting lineup to occupy the “X” wide receiver spot for Saturday’s contest. Price is the player most have compared to former ASU great Brian Quick, who was the first pick of the second round by the St. Louis Rams in the most-recent NFL Draft pick. All of Price’s 103 receiving yards came in the win over Montana, including a 32-yard TD catch on what was just his second-career catch for the Black and Gold.
Other contributors in the passing game on Saturday night for the Apps could be impressive freshman wideout Malachi Jones (11 rec, 136 yds,12.4 YPR), who’s currently the team’s second-leading wideout, and tight end Drew Bailey (3 rec, 32 yds, 10.7 YPR).
The ground game has been undermanned since the opener when Rod Chisholm suffered a broken hand, and he won’t return until next month. Originally slated to tag-team those duties with Chisholm, senior Steven Miller (62 rush att, 305 yds, 5 TDs) has seen a majority of the reps over the past couple of weeks.
Miller has been able to run behind a strong an offensive line that has looked better than it did last season, and the unit has been keyed by the play of left tackle Kendall Lamm and right guard Alex Acey so far this season.
FINAL PREDICTION:
–In what is the “Game of the Week” in the Southern Conference, Appalachian State looks to avoid its first 0-2 start to Southern Conference play for the first time since 1977. An 0-2 start would mean a third loss for ASU. Originally, I had picked Appalachian State to lose this game in the preseason. What will be the fallout from The Citadel loss? The last two seasons have seen these two play extremely tight games. I believe a more focused Appalachian State team takes the field this Saturday, and takes a close on the road at Chattanooga.