HineyBuck
Old newb
I teach at Appalachian State, and we are all excited about our upcoming opener in the Pig House. So, I thought you might appreciate a preview of tsun's first opponent. As back-to-back National Champions, you might think App State would have suffered heavy losses to graduation. But you would be wrong. This is a veteran squad with a very realistic chance to three-peat. They will give tsun a run for their money. The game is at noon, same time as OSU-YSU. I'll be switching back and forth; I recommend you do too.
OFFENSE
App State will move the ball, and score, multiple times. If tsun's DBs are as suspect as we think, this offense will expose them. We run one of the most innovative no-huddle spread offenses you will want to see.
O-Line is a veteran group returning 4 starters. Into the two-deep we are a bit young, but the youngsters are reported to be very good. We don't use a tight end much, and that's a good thing. It's probably the thinnest position on the offense. You O-Line aficionados will want to pay attention to our blocking schemes. Very creative. It's not exactly zone blocking, but area-based assignments are the key. Major cogs on the O-Line include:
LT--Mario Acitelli (6-2, 275) All So-Con as a true freshman last year, the sky is the limit for this guy.
LG--Kerry Brown (6-6, 310, Sr) A beast. First team All-American last year. Would start at most D-1 schools. Projected as high as 12 among guards in 2008 NFL draft.
C--Scott Suttle (6-0, 260, Sr) A bit undersized. Three-year starter. All So-Con last year.
Wide Receivers. Deepest position group on the team. And it's a good thing because we frequently go five wide. Most of these guys are small, but they've got great speed, great hands, and run great routes. I can't wait to see them match up against tsun's DBs. The headliner is All So-Con speed burner Dexter Jackson. Others to watch for include Josh Johnson, Hans Batichon, TJ Courman, Coco Hillary, and Brian Quick.
RB is Senior All-American Walter Payton Award finalist Kevin Richardson (5-9, 190). He is a workhorse. With another thousand yard season, he will leave as App State?s career rushing leader. He'll remind you of Mike Hart.
QB Armanti Edwards earned All So-Con and All-American honors last year as a true freshman. He will only get better. Skinny little kid (6-0, 175), throws a little bit like a girl (lefty), but he gets the job done. The back-up QB, Trey Elder, is good enough to start for any other team in the So-Con.
DEFENSE
We run a base 4-3. We'll give away a ton of size to tsun, and depth is a concern in the front seven. Our best hope for slowing tsun down is with our scrappy veteran DBs.
D-Line. We lost a lot to graduation here. One returning starter, All So-Con DE Gary Tharrington is a stud. Several others in the mix have good game experience, but have not started. We're all anxious to see LSU transfer Tim Washington at DT.
LBs. Two returning starters here, including All So-Con Senior Pierre Banks. But the one I'm anxious to see is the new kid, Jacque Roman, in the middle. He is reputed to be the best athlete on the entire team. 6-1, 240 with great speed and quickness. Mike Hart--meet Jacque Roman.
DBs. Here is our only real hope of stopping tsun's offense. Four Seniors return, including two-time All-American, and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Corey Lynch at Safety. He is a hitter and a ball hawk. Corners are All So-Con Jerome Touchstone and Justin Woazeah. They are also ball hawks. Both are good cover corners and have the speed to run with Mario Manningham, but at 5-7 and 5-10, they will have their work cut out for them.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Not sure what to expect here, but App State has a reputation for solid special teams play. All So-Con placekicker Julian Rauch has an exceptionally strong leg, and is reliable and experienced enough not to be rattled by the Pig House. He needs 4 points to break Bjorne Nittmo's (remember him?) career scoring record at App State. Not sure whether he will also handle punting duties, as he did much of last year. Our most exciting return man is Dexter Jackson--he can fly.
PREDICTIONS
I'm not going to be foolish enough to predict an App State win. But, our offense will move the ball, and will score, on tsun's defense. I'm just not sure our defense can stop their offense. But, if we can come up with a key turnover or two, this game can be much closer than people expect. A couple of more specific predictions:
Whatever the spread is, App State will beat it.
App State will score multiple times on tsun's starting defense.
Kevin Richardson will equal or better Mike Hart's rushing yards.
App State will get at least one pick (two or more, and look out!)
tOSU fans will enjoy watching App State give tsun fits.
:osu:
OFFENSE
App State will move the ball, and score, multiple times. If tsun's DBs are as suspect as we think, this offense will expose them. We run one of the most innovative no-huddle spread offenses you will want to see.
O-Line is a veteran group returning 4 starters. Into the two-deep we are a bit young, but the youngsters are reported to be very good. We don't use a tight end much, and that's a good thing. It's probably the thinnest position on the offense. You O-Line aficionados will want to pay attention to our blocking schemes. Very creative. It's not exactly zone blocking, but area-based assignments are the key. Major cogs on the O-Line include:
LT--Mario Acitelli (6-2, 275) All So-Con as a true freshman last year, the sky is the limit for this guy.
LG--Kerry Brown (6-6, 310, Sr) A beast. First team All-American last year. Would start at most D-1 schools. Projected as high as 12 among guards in 2008 NFL draft.
C--Scott Suttle (6-0, 260, Sr) A bit undersized. Three-year starter. All So-Con last year.
Wide Receivers. Deepest position group on the team. And it's a good thing because we frequently go five wide. Most of these guys are small, but they've got great speed, great hands, and run great routes. I can't wait to see them match up against tsun's DBs. The headliner is All So-Con speed burner Dexter Jackson. Others to watch for include Josh Johnson, Hans Batichon, TJ Courman, Coco Hillary, and Brian Quick.
RB is Senior All-American Walter Payton Award finalist Kevin Richardson (5-9, 190). He is a workhorse. With another thousand yard season, he will leave as App State?s career rushing leader. He'll remind you of Mike Hart.
QB Armanti Edwards earned All So-Con and All-American honors last year as a true freshman. He will only get better. Skinny little kid (6-0, 175), throws a little bit like a girl (lefty), but he gets the job done. The back-up QB, Trey Elder, is good enough to start for any other team in the So-Con.
DEFENSE
We run a base 4-3. We'll give away a ton of size to tsun, and depth is a concern in the front seven. Our best hope for slowing tsun down is with our scrappy veteran DBs.
D-Line. We lost a lot to graduation here. One returning starter, All So-Con DE Gary Tharrington is a stud. Several others in the mix have good game experience, but have not started. We're all anxious to see LSU transfer Tim Washington at DT.
LBs. Two returning starters here, including All So-Con Senior Pierre Banks. But the one I'm anxious to see is the new kid, Jacque Roman, in the middle. He is reputed to be the best athlete on the entire team. 6-1, 240 with great speed and quickness. Mike Hart--meet Jacque Roman.
DBs. Here is our only real hope of stopping tsun's offense. Four Seniors return, including two-time All-American, and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Corey Lynch at Safety. He is a hitter and a ball hawk. Corners are All So-Con Jerome Touchstone and Justin Woazeah. They are also ball hawks. Both are good cover corners and have the speed to run with Mario Manningham, but at 5-7 and 5-10, they will have their work cut out for them.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Not sure what to expect here, but App State has a reputation for solid special teams play. All So-Con placekicker Julian Rauch has an exceptionally strong leg, and is reliable and experienced enough not to be rattled by the Pig House. He needs 4 points to break Bjorne Nittmo's (remember him?) career scoring record at App State. Not sure whether he will also handle punting duties, as he did much of last year. Our most exciting return man is Dexter Jackson--he can fly.
PREDICTIONS
I'm not going to be foolish enough to predict an App State win. But, our offense will move the ball, and will score, on tsun's defense. I'm just not sure our defense can stop their offense. But, if we can come up with a key turnover or two, this game can be much closer than people expect. A couple of more specific predictions:
Whatever the spread is, App State will beat it.
App State will score multiple times on tsun's starting defense.
Kevin Richardson will equal or better Mike Hart's rushing yards.
App State will get at least one pick (two or more, and look out!)
tOSU fans will enjoy watching App State give tsun fits.
:osu:
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