Suddenly Hot Appalachian State Hosts Elon In Homecoming Matchup Saturday

 Rivalry Renewed: On Saturday, Appalachian State will square off with a foe it has been playing on the gridiron since 1937, hosting the Elon Phoenix on a Homecoming Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Admittedly, it’s a rivalry that Elon has regarded more than Appalachian State since joining the Southern Conference in 2003. Appalachian State remains the only school that Elon has not defeated since the Phoenix joined the Southern Conference, and Elon hasn’t tasted victory against the Black and Gold since 1964. That’s a total of 16-straight wins over the Phoenix on the gridiron.

In nine previous games against the Phoenix since Elon joined the league in 2003, the Mountaineers have outscored the Phoenix by a score of 341-164, winning by an average score of 38-18 in those meetings as SoCon foes.

All told, Appalachian State has been extremely successful against teams from the Old North State inside the friendly confines of Kidd Brewer Stadium over the years, as Appalachian State has won 31-straight games against teams from the state of North Carolina.  ASU’s last setback to a team from the Tar Heel state on home turf was way back on Oct. 6, 1984, when ASU dropped a 34-7 decision to Western Carolina. Saturday’s game will mark the 28-year anniversary of that loss.

There’s also the bitter heartbreak for Elon after last season’s meeting between the two, which saw the Phoenix poised to post its first victory over Appalachian State, as Elon jumped out to a 21-7 first-quarter lead, and went to halftime locker room holding a 24-14 lead against an ASU team that needed a road win to make the FCS postseason in the 2011 regular-season finale. ASU would outscore the Phoenix 14-0 in the second half to come away with a playoff spot and a 28-24 win at Rhodes Stadium, sending Elon fans home seeing red once again.

The last time Elon made the trek to Boone, senior quarterback Scott Riddle did his best to quiet the school-record crowd of (31,531) on a homecoming Saturday, but ASU would get a monster day from quarterback DeAndre Presley, as he accounted for 374 yards of total offense and three scores to lead ASU to a 34-31 win over the No. 19 Phoenix, once again causing Elon heartaches.

In 2009, it was a rare late-season meeting between the Mountaineers and Phoenix that saw both teams enter the matchup, with perfect 6-0 SoCon marks, essentially marked the de facto Southern Conference championship game. ASU picked off Elon’s Riddle three times in the first half, as the Mountaineers apparently got word of Elon’s SoCon championship t-shirts that had been printed up denoting its 2009 SoCon Championship, posting a 27-10 win at Rhodes Stadium.

So, Elon certaily has a cupboard full of reasons to despise their I-421 rivals two hours down the road. It hasn’t been as much of a rivalry to ASU fans for obvious reasons because few could imagine Elon actually claiming a win over their beloved Mountaineers. In past meetings, the general consensus among ASU fans and perhaps some players is that Elon players took some ‘cheap shots’ at certain ASU  players in past meetings. And while that might be somewhat subjective, the television cameras are a lot more objective.

That being said, Saturday’s matchup will be two different teams removed from those past allegations and results. For ASU, it is playing some of its best football of the season coming into Saturday’s showdown, and have shored up the early-season defensive woes from early in the season, allowing a combined just 31 points over the past eight quarters of football, and offered maybe its most impressive performance of the season this past Saturday with a 55-14 win over Coastal Carolina in Boone.

Elon comes into the contest off of a 49-24 setback at home against No. 5 Wofford last week. That dropped the Phoenix 0-2 in the SoCon, with Elon also dropping its SoCon opener with a 26-23 setback at Georgia Southern a couple of weeks ago.

The ASU offense is hitting on all cylinders right now, and the Mountaineers enter Saturday afternoon’s contest ranked 11th nationally in total offense (467.6 YPG), 22nd in scoring offense (33.0 PPG), 24th in passing offense (255.4 YPG) and 21st in rushing offense (212.0 YPG).

Jamal Jackson (108-of-164 passing, 1,277 yds, 8 TDs, 4 INTs/52 rush att, 233 yds, 3 TDs, 4.5 YPC), a junior from Atlanta, GA, continues to get even better under center and will be making his 13th start on Saturday against the Phoenix. Jackson, who is the SoCon’s most-prolific passer, helped lead the comeback charge for the Apps against the Phoenix last season, connecting on 26-of-42 passes for 284 yards, with four TD tosses and an INT.

Jackson is coming off a strong performance from a week ago against Coastal Carolina, as the junior signal-caller connected on 20-of-28 passes for 285 yards and three TDs, while also rushing for 56 yards and a TD on 10 carries in leading ASU to the 55-14 win.

Jackson has an assortment of solid options at wide receiver coming into Saturday’s contest, led by talented redshirt freshman Sean Price (26 rec, 361 yds, 5 TDs, 13.9 YPR). Price has been an impact receiver for the ASU in his first season as a full-time starter and the argument certainly could be made that Price has gotten out to a quicker start to his career than Brian Quick had to his career.

Against Coastal Carolina last week in the 55-14 win, Price hauled in eight passes for 128 yards and a pair of TD receptions, including an electrifying 69-yard strike from Jackson in the first quarter to put the Mountaineers ahead 14-0 in the contest.

Price put himself in some elite Appalachian State company on Saturday afternoon, becoming just the third Mountaineer receiver in school history to record three-straight 100-yard receiving games.  Price joins Bob Agle (1968, Sr), DaVon Fowlkes (2003, Sr) and Brian Quick (2011, Sr) as the only Mountaineer receivers to accomplish this feat.

Joining Price as major receiving threats for the Black and Gold heading into Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Phoenix are Andrew Peacock (23 rec, 260 yds, 1 TD, 11.3 YPR) and Tony Washington (15 rec, 174 yds, 11.6 YPR), who are both veterans and poised to continue to supplement the performance of Price so far in 2012. Both Peacock and Washington are reliable options in the passing game for Jackson, and like Price, have the speed to get behind the secondary and be a threat on the deep ball.

Another impressive receiving option to keep an eye on Saturday in ASU’s explosive offense is Malachi Jones (18 rec, 210 yds, 11.7 YPR), who has shown some of the best hands on the roster for ASU through the first five games. Jones had just two catches last week, but totaled 36 yards on the those two catches, showing his ability to join the aforementioned trio as a big-play threat for the Mountaineers. He posted his season-high for receptions (6) in the 52-28 loss to The Citadel, while recording his season high for receiving yards (69) in the 35-14 setback at East Carolina to open the campaign.

One of the players that continued to get involved in the ASU offense last week was Drew Bailey (4 rec, 55 yds, 1 TD, 13.8 YPR). Bailey hauled in his first TD reception as a tight end for ASU, hauling in a 23-yard scoring strike from Jackson to give ASU the 21-0 lead with 14 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. As the sophomore gets more comfortable in the ASU offense, he will start seeing more balls thrown his way as the season progresses.

Maybe the biggest surprise offensively this season has been the way ASU has been able to run the football, particularly in-between the tackles with senior running back Steven Miller (101 rush att, 601 yds, 7 TDs, 6.0 YPC). Running the football was a major concern heading into the season, and with ASU’s struggles to effectively gain yards in-between the tackles since the graduation of Kevin Richardson in 2007, Miller’s strong start to the season is a huge positive for the new offensive staff.

Miller had his second career afternoon in a three week period, registering his first 200-yard rushing performance (career-high 202 yards rushing vs. Coastal Carolina on Saturday) and first by an ASU player since  DeAndre Presley’s 264-yard rushing effort in a 2010 FCS playoff win over Western Illinois.

Miller also became the first Mountaineer running back to eclipse the 200-yard barrier since Kevin Richardson went for 200 yards in a win over Georgia Southern in Oct. of 2005.  He has also proven to be a receiving threat coming out of the backfield for ASU, with nine catches for 84 yards (9.3 YPR) and a TD this season. Miller needs just 19 yards rushing on Saturday to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau in his second season in the Black and Gold.

The best news that ASU has in its ground game now is the return of Rod Chisholm (16 rush att, 78 yds, 4.9 YPC). Chisholm, who broke his hand in the season-opening loss to East Carolina, returned to the Mountaineer ground game for the first time in a month last week against Coastal Carolina last week. Chisholm rushed the ball seven times for 41 yards and will now take some of the pressure off of Miller, who was the lone soldier toting the pigskin for the Apps in the previous four games.  Chisholm’s powerful running style is a great compliment to Miller, who is a speedier, more elusive running back.

The greatest improvement on the offensive side of the football this season from an offense that at times sputtered last season, is the offensive line. Many felt that ASU’s struggles on the offensive side of the football last season could entirely be laid at the feet of the offensive line. While that is not entirely true, the unit did struggle.

This season, the unit has had to deal with some adversity, losing starting right tackle Regan Dufort for an indefinite amount of time due to an ongoing issue with the NCAA.

But the Mountaineers have managed to compensate for the loss of Dufort at tackle, and stepping in to fill that role nicely the past couple games have been junior Ian Barnard and sophomore Will Corbin, who have split time at the position.

To underscore the youth of the unit and overall inexperience at the position each is slated to start Saturday, ASU’s current starting five OL heading into Saturday’s contest had a combined seven-career starts entering at the positions at which they will start against Elon.

This season, the unit has been anchored by Kendall Lamm at the left tackle position, and he has started four of five games for ASU this season. He missed the Chattanooga game, having suffered a concussion in preparations the week leading up to the game with the Mocs. Lamm is the lone preseason All-SoCon selection for ASU along its offensive front.

Elon comes into the matchup with a defense that currently ranks 55th in the nation in total defense (361.8 YPG), 89th in scoring defense (33.0 PPG), 108th in rushing defense (237.2 YPG) and second in passing defense (124.6 YPG).

The defensive numbers are a bit skewed for Elon, of course, having faced the triple option offenses of Wofford and Georgia Southern in each of its last two games.

The Phoenix will utilize a 4-3 defensive alignment, and the defensive line will be licking its chops to finally have the chance to rush the quarterback against a team that throws the football on Saturday, when Elon faces Appalachian State.

Set to lead the pass-rush efforts on Saturday afternoon at the respective defensive end positions are Jay Brown (23 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack) and Jordan Jones (13 tackles, 1 FR), while the defensive tackle positions will be manned by nose tackle Tony Thompson (12 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR) and defensive tackle Olufemi Lamikanra (10 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 2 QBHs, 1 FR).

Thompson is one of the better nose tackles in the league and it will be interesting to see him match up against ASU center Graham Fisher on Saturday.

Elon has a trio of solid linebackers heading into Saturday’s matchup with ASU, and that was a concern coming into the season with the graduation of talented all-league linebacker Joshua Jones.

Leading the charge this season in the middle of the Elon defense has been Jonathan Spain (44 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.0 sack), who enters the contest leading the Phoenix in tackles so far this season.

Spain will be flanked by Odell Benton (17 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) and Blake Thompson (40 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT). Thompson is having a strong start to the 2012 season after transitioning to outside linebacker from safety in the spring.

The secondary hasn’t faced many pass attempts over the past two ballgames, but the unit will certainly have its hands full against ASU’s litany of big-play options in the passing game.

Junior cornerbacks Ed Burns (16 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs) and David Wood (12 tackles, 1 INT, 4 PBUs) have played solid through the first five games this season, but will face their toughest challenge since the season opener against North Carolina. Both do possess good speed and athleticism and will be two of the better corners ASU has seen through the early portion of the 2012 season.

Rounding out the starters on the defensive side of the football for Elon on Saturday will be Chandler Wrightenberry (27 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 0.5 sack, 2 PBUs, 1 FF) at strong safety, while Miles Williams (18 tackles, 1 FR, 1 PBU, 2 QBHs) will man the free safety position for the Phoenix on Saturday. Wrightenberry is off to a strong start to the campaign, and he had a strong performance in last season’s game against ASU, posting six tackles, a tackle-for-loss and an INT.

The Elon offense will bring one of the most potent passing attacks into Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and it’s a passing attack that has paced the league in that particular statistic each of the past seven campaigns.

Coming into Saturday’s contest, the Phoenix rank 72nd in the nation in total offense (347.8 YPG), 57th in scoring offense (25.8 PPG), 101st in rushing offense (100.0 YPG) and 30th in the nation in passing yards per game (247.8 YPG).

Leading that attack has been senior signal-caller Thomas Wilson (97-of-153 passing, 1,163 yds, 10 TDs, 4 INTs/26 rush att, 61 yds, 2.3 YPC), who Appalachian State head coach said was the best quarterback the Mountaineers faced in 2011. Wilson got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but has caught fire as of late, including passing for 322 yards and a pair of scores in last Saturday’s 49-24 setback to No. 5 Wofford.

Wilson led an impressive evening against the Mountaineers last season, as he finished that contest by connecting on 30-of-43 passes for 344 yards two TDs with a pair of INTs in the 28-24 loss to the Apps.

Wilson has certainly had some help the past two seasons as the starting signal-caller for the Phoenix and that help has come from talented senior wide receiver Aaron Mellette (37 rec, 423 yds, 7 TDs, 11.4 YPR), who is one of the top wide receivers in FCS football. Mellette had one of the performances of his career in the loss to Appalachian State last season, finishing that contest with 14 catches for 236 yards and a TD.

Mellette is continuing to ascend up the Southern Conference all-time receiving ledger, as he enters Saturday afternoon’s contest against the Mountaineers, ranking third in league history in all-time career receptions (244), third in career TD receptions (33) and fifth in all-time receiving yards (3,279 yds). Mellette came into the season as a leading candidate to win the prestigious Walter Payton Award.

Mellette is joined at receiver by Jeremy Peterson (16 rec, 183 yds, 11.4 YPR ), Kierre Brown (16 rec, 246 yds, 1 TD, 15.4 YPR) and Rasaun Rorie (10 rec, 88 yds, 1 TD, 8.8 YPR). This trio has stepped up and provided a nice supporting cast for Mellette at wideout this season. Rounding out the receiving options for the Phoenix is Chris Harris (4 rec, 59 yds, 1 TD, 14.8 YPR) who will start at tight end for the Phoenix on Saturday.

Mellette is a player that has had some standout performances against the Mountaineers over the years in three previous meetings, averaging 126 receiving yards in the three previous meetings against the Black and Gold defense.

Both Peterson and Brown have proven to be reliable secondary options for Wilson this season, with Peterson and Brown teaming up to cause Georgia Southern some problems a couple of weeks ago. In that 26-23 loss by the Phoenix to the Eagles, Peterson was able to haul in two passes for 77 yards, while Brown brought in five catches for 110 yards.

The Elon running attack has struggled once again this season, as it did in all but one season under the direction of Pete Lembo, which saw the Phoenix rank at or near the bottom in rushing average in all but one of Lembo’s five seasons at the helm.

This season, Elon has had two performers which have carried the load for the ground game through the first five games of the campaign, as both Akron transfer Karl Bostick (57 rush att, 190 yds, 2 TDs, 3.3 YPC/3 rec, 16 yds, 5.3 YPR) and Truc Phan (37 rush att, 139 yds, 3.8 YPC). Both guys will share the carries on Saturday for the Phoenix, with Bostick being the feature back. Bostick had a season-high 77 yards rushing and a TD in Elon’s win over West Virginia State earlier this season.

The offensive line is anchored by a pair of seniors at left guard Kyle Herbert and right tackle Justin Ward, and the unit is prone to giving up more sacks than other schools in the league because the amount of passing attempts that Wilson has per game, and it is the nature of the Elon offense. In somewhat impressive fashion, the Phoenix have only given up seven sacks through the first five games, and Elon is averaging 4.8 yards per play.

Appalachian State’s defense got a lot of press during the preseason, and rightfully so as the unit returned eight starters coming into the campaign, and it was to be the unit that, if the Mountaineers were going to contend for a seventh SoCon title in eight seasons. After a 52-28 loss in week three to The Citadel to open league play, it was a unit that had to do a long of soul-searching, however, the past two weeks have seen the unit play like many expected it to coming into the 2012 season.

Appalachian State brings a defense into Saturday’s contest that ranks 85th in total defense (413.0 YPG), 73rd in scoring defense (29.0 PPG), 70th in passing defense (215.4 YPG) and 84th in rushing defense (194.6 YPG).

The Appalachian State defense will operate out of a primary 3-4 scheme, but that could change this week facing the pass-happy Phoenix. The Mountaineers started six in the defensive backfield last Saturday against Coastal Carolina.

The Mountaineers have seen their defense become significantly stingier over the past couple of games. After yielding an average of 497 yards per outing through the first three games, ASU is surrendering just 297 yards per outing over its last two games.

In fact, the 597 yards given up combined in the last two weeks against Coastal Carolina and Chattanooga, is less than 618 yards allowed by ASU in one game in the 52-28 loss to The Citadel.

The strength of the ASU defense is its linebacking corps, which consists of two of the best in the FCS ranks, in inside linebackers Jeremy Kimbrough (58 tackles, 3.0 TFL) and Brandon Grier (42 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 INT, 1 TD).

Kimbrough and Grier are physical performers, who can dictate the outcome with their play in the teeth of that ASU defense. It was Grier’s 70-yard interception return for a score last week that helped ASU seal its road win at Chattanooga a couple of weeks ago.

Kimbrough’s 11.6 tackles-per-game currently lead the Southern Conference. He came into the 2012 season as a Buck Buchanan Award candidate, which is given to the top individual defender each season. Kimbrough led ASU’s defense in last year’s 28-24 win over the Phoenix, posting 12 tackles, a TFL and a pass breakup.  His 11.6 tackles-per-game ranks him sixth nationally in the FCS in that category.

The two starters at the respective outside linebacker positions on Saturday afternoon will be a pair of solid performers, in James “Deuce” Robinson (27 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks) and Joel Ross (24 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1 PBU), who will play the ‘star’ linebacker on Saturday. Robinson will act as an extra pass-rusher on the perimeter for ASU heading into Saturday’s  matchup against the Phoenix.

ASU is exceptionally young across its defensive line heading into Saturday’s showdown with Elon, with the most experienced player being sophomore defensive end Ronald Blair (22 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 FR). Blair garnered SoCon All-Freshman honors last fall, and he had a solid performance against the Phoenix in last season’s 28-24 ASU triumph with three tackles, including a pair of sacks. He will team with redshirt freshman Davante Harris (10 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 QBHs) at defensive end, while one of two freshmen–Thomas Bronson (8 tackles) or Stephen Burns (15 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 QBH)–will start at the nose tackle position on Saturday.

The secondary should be a busy unit for the second-straight week, facing another team that loves putting the ball in the air. Leading the unit are senior all-league veterans Troy Sanders (31 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FF) at safety, and Demetrius McCray (16 tackles, 0.5 sack, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 2 PBUs) at cornerback.

McCray entered the campaign as a part of the Buck Buchanan Award list, and he shows up in big more than any, as evidenced by his two interceptions in ASU’s 35-27 win over Montana earlier this season. He will likely draw the unenviable task of trying to stop Aaron Mellette this Saturday, much the same as he did last season. McCray finished with 11 tackles, two PBUs and an INT in the four-point win at Elon last season. Sanders will start at the strong safety position Saturday for the Apps.

Rounding out the starters on the defensive side of the ball for ASU heading into Saturday’s showdown will be Jamil Lott (16 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU) at cornerback and Patrick Blalock (31 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PBUs) at free safety.

Final Prediction: Appalachian State 42, Elon 31