Jamal was hardly the only star on Saturday, as running back Travaris Cadet finished the day with 139 rushing yards on 22 attempts (6.3 yards/carry) to go with 11 receiving yards. Cadet also added 108 yards on kick and punt returns, earning him SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week honors and bringing his total to 258 all-purpose yards on the day. His stellar performance came on the back of his 133-yard rushing mark last week against The Citadel, as he became the first ASU back to surpass 100 yards in consecutive games since Devon Moore in his brilliant 1,374 yard 2009 campaign.
Not to be lost among the great offensive performers Saturday was Brian Quick, who turned in another big game with 4 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. His score was a back-breaker for the Samford defense, as it came with 1:14 remaining in the first half and just 84 seconds after Samford had crept to within 14-10 on a Riley Hawkins TD reception. Facing 2nd and 10 from the ASU 31, Jamal Jackson hit Quick in stride over the middle and let Brian do the rest, sprinting away from several Bulldog defenders for a 69-yard score that pushed the ASU lead to 21-10, from which they would never look back. Aside from the in-game significance, the score was the 26th of his brilliant career. Brian is now alone in first on the all-time ASU list ahead of Bob Agle, whose record 25 touchdown receptions had stood since 1968. Quick now sits at 615 receiving yards with 6 scores through seven games, pacing him for over 1,000 yards in what could be a career year. Enjoy him in Boone while you can, this young man will soon be playing on Sundays in a stadium near you.
While the continued resurgence of the offense is a pleasant site for all Mountaineer fans, the defense was up to the challenge on Saturday as well. Samford came into Boone averaging 33 points per game and were fortunate to get halfway there against the Appalachian defense. Troy Sanders and Jeremy Kimbrough continued their excellent seasons, leading the team with 9 tackles a piece. Jeremy also notched a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. Sophomore Rodger Walked snatched two key interceptions deep in ASU territory, bringing his season total to three and keeping the Bulldogs out of the end zone.
In spite of all the great efforts put forth on Saturday, none impressed me as much as the gutsy performance by DeAndre Presley. After being injured in the Wofford game and then giving way to Jamal Jackson to run the offense, Presley returned to action this week as a starter at right cornerback. He began practicing his new position on Wednesday and after three days, the coaches were comfortable enough with his progress to give him the nod. DeAndre proved right away that their faith was not unfounded, as he stripped Samford star receiver Kelsey Pope on just the 7th play of the game and finished the day with 6 solo tackles.
I have never seen any player have as unique a college career as DeAndre Presley. He came to Boone as a quarterback where he backed up Armanti Edwards as a freshman, was moved to wide receiver as a sophmore and then returned to quarterback his junior year. In a full season as ASU's starting signal caller, he finished 3rd in the Walter Payton Award voting and became only the 4th player in FCS history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
The majority of athletes who achieve that type of success would never accept the coaches decision to replace him after struggling early this season. DeAndre, however, has been Jamal Jackson's biggest supporter and told the staff he wanted to help this team any way he can. Given his speed and the Mountaineers' injury problems in the secondary, it was decided that he could be of the most use in the defensive backfield where his performance speaks for itself. The unfortunate truth is that the selflessness shown by DeAndre over the past few week is rare. It is important that the sacrifices he has made for this team are fully appreciated by the Appalachian family. What could have easily been a distraction has become a learning tool for the younger players that look up to him. As great as his physical abilities may be, his leadership and character are what truly make me proud to be a Mountaineer.
Offensive game ball: Travaris Cadet
Defensive game ball: DeAndre Presley
*Pictures from MountaineerIllustrated.com
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