I also came away impressed with what I saw out of the new 3-4 defense. A couple of changes have been made in personnel, with true freshman Ronald Blair taking over at defensive end along side senior Gordy Witte and Lanston Tanyi making the adjustment from down lineman to stand-up outside linebacker. The front seven looked quick off the line and put pressure on the offense for a good portion of the afternoon. As these guys get game experience, this could prove to be one of the better defensive units we've seen in Boone in a number of years.
On offense, I saw the high-quality play I expected from veterans such as DeAndre Presley, Brian Quick and Travaris Cadet. It will be interesting to see how the receiving corps shapes up behind Quick but another true freshman, Bobo Beathard, showed some promise in the scrimmage. However, the most exciting newcomer that I saw was junior college transfer Steven Miller at running back. He is not a big young man (5-9, 180 lbs.) and likely will not be an every down back, but his speed is absolutely explosive. Miller was able to show off his burst and elusiveness in a 74-yard touchdown run in which he cut back across the field and outran the entire secondary. I expect big things in 2011 from Steven Miller, who comes in as a junior and figures to play en even bigger role in 2012.
Lastly, I was impressed with the turnout from the ASU fans. The university announced that the crowd was just over 8,000 on what turned out to be a perfect day for football. Myself and the rest of the Appalachian faithful left with a small taste of what is to come this year and I can only speak for myself, but I am excited about the places this team can go.
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