2011 Playoff Preview: Maine Black Bears

After earning a bye week with a road win over Elon that saw Appalachian State erase a 21-0 first quarter deficit, the Mountaineers turn their focus to the Maine Black Bears as they prepare for their 2nd round match-up in the 2011 FCS Playoffs this Saturday. Most ASU fans would rather forget the last time that the Bears paid a visit to Boone, when Maine engineered a 14-13 upset at Kidd Brewer Stadium in the first round of the 2002 postseason. The Mountaineers hope to exact some revenge, even the all-time series with the Black Bears and most importantly, advance to the National Quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive season. Kick-off is set for 2:00 PM at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Maine (8-3, 6-2 CAA) and Appalachian State (8-3, 6-2 SoCon) enter the postseason from power conferences with matching overall and league records, but the similarities do not stop there. The Maine passing attack focuses heavily on first team all-CAA wide receiver Maurice McDonald, who leads the Bears in catches (58), yards (591) and touchdown receptions (5). The Maine passing game will go as far as McDonald takes them, much the same as the Mountaineer aerial attack relies on production from fist team all-SoCon performer Brian Quick. Quick finished the 2011 regular season with 64 receptions, 1,055 yards and 11 touchdowns, all of which are tops on the team.

Edit: It has been brought to my attention by one of our friends in the Maine crowd that McDonald is suffering from a foot injury and may not be able to play this weekend. His status is currently listed as doubtful, which is certainly a story worth watching between now and kick-off. It would be a shame to see such a valuable player miss time in the postseason and I hope his health allows him to participate. Here's to a quick recovery for Maurice.

Both teams boast very strong play from the secondary, as each placed a representative on their conference first and second teams. Ball-hawking cornerback Demetrius McCray earned Southern Conference first team recognition after finishing the regular season with 43 tackles, 2 sacks, 9 pass break-ups and a league-leading 5 interceptions. Safety Troy Sanders landed on the Southern Conference second team with 68 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 tackle for loss and 3 pass break-ups. Black Bears' strong safety Jerron McMillian racked up 83 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 1 interception, which placed him on the CAA first team. Trevor Coston, his counterpart at free safety, was voted to the league's second team with 75 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 6 interceptions and 8 pass break-ups. With each defense possessing a tandem of defensive backs that can disrupt the line of scrimmage and sniff out an errant pass, ball control will be a focal point for both quarterbacks.

These duties will fall on the shoulders of senior Warren Smith for Maine and sophomore Jamal Jackson for the Mountaineers. While Smith certainly has the advantage in overall experience, both signal callers will be making their first postseason starts on Saturday. Jamal took over the first team offense mid-season, has started 6 games and enters the playoffs with 1,729 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He has also rushed for 379 yards and 7 scores on the ground. Warren Smith has started all 11 games for the Black Bears and earned a spot on the CAA second team with 2,643 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, along with 396 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. Quarterback play is always of the utmost importance in the playoffs when any mistakes are magnified and both teams have talent at the position. Smith and Jackson have both shown the ability to make plays in the air and on the ground throughout the season. There is not a large statistical gap between the two and the difference will likely come down to poise with the season on the line.

Both rushing attacks will be led by senior running backs as the Mountaineers will turn to Travaris Cadet and the Black Bears lean on Pushaun Brown. Cadet has tallied 706 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground, while Brown ran for 994 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season. Both players lead their team in each category and have one receiving score as well. A bright spot for the Mountaineers will be the return of senior running back Cedric Baker Boney, who has missed the last 5 games after a shoulder injury suffered against The Citadel. Having an experienced runner return with fresh legs for the postseason could be a key difference, as Baker Boney has proven to be a strong runner between the tackles.

Preparing to stop these talented backs will be a pair of second team all-conference linebackers, as junior Jeremy Kimbrough anchors the ASU front seven and senior Vinson Givans quarterbacks the Maine defense. Kimbrough had an excellent 2011 campaign with a team-leading 93 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and a game-winning interception returned for a touchdown against Chattanooga. Givans led the Black Bears with 85 total tackles, while also notching 4.5 tackles for loss and 2 interceptions. These young men will each be asked to not only get off their blocks and make plays, but also to read the opposing offense and ensure that their teammates are properly aligned. As is the case in several other positions, the linebacker position is a strength for both teams.

In analyzing the full body of work for both teams, this is a very even match-up across the board. Each team has talent on both sides of the ball with experienced runners in the backfield, talented secondaries that can change the game by forcing turnovers, quarterbacks that keep the defense honest with their rushing ability and a pair of stars at the wide receiver position that must be accounted for at all times. I would give Maine the slight edge at quarterback due simply to experience, while the talent of Brian Quick tilts the receiving corps in Appalachian's favor. Pushaun Brown may be the best individual back in this game but the depth of the ASU backfield will be valuable as Travaris Cadet, Steven Miller and Cedric Baker Boney each figure to be key contributors. Both defensive units have considerable talent but have also been prone to inconsistent play throughout the season.

Given the comparable level of talent, I think there are three keys for each team that will go a long way in determining the outcome: the ability of the offensive line to provide a pocket for the quarterback, protecting the ball against a pair of opportunistic defenses and the home-field advantage in Boone. If the young ASU offensive line can hold up against a stout Maine front seven, allowing Jamal Jackson time to make good decisions and get the crowd involved, ASU has a great chance to advance. For Maine to come in and knock off Appalachian once again, they will need to score early and keep the crowd quiet. This game will not be televised, the weather looks to be gorgeous and free admission has been granted to ASU students. These factors should make for a good turnout at Kidd Brewer Stadium, where the Mountaineers have been a different team all season. For that reason, I like ASU to start off fast and hang on for a close win against a very talented, formidable opponent.

My prediction:

Appalachian State 31

Maine 27

*Photo from GoBlackBears.com

ASU Cruises Past the Catamounts on Senior Day

On what turned out to be a record-setting day for two Mountaineers, Appalachian continued their dominance of Western Carolina with a decisive 46-14 victory on Saturday. ASU has now won 25 of the last 27 contests against the rival Catamounts and the Old Mountain Jug will remain in Boone for another year. The Mountaineers (7-3, 5-2 SoCon) are now in position to receive a seventh consecutive playoff berth while Western Carolina (1-9, 0-8 SoCon) has stumbled to another winless conference season and will now begin the hunt for yet another head coach tasked with righting the ship in Cullowhee, as Dennis Wagner announced his resignation on Sunday morning.

Senior Day proved to have additional significance for Brian Quick, who surpassed Rick Beasley as Appalachian's all-time leader in receiving yards on Saturday. Ironically, the reception that set the record came off the arm of DeAndre Presley as he spelled Jamal Jackson for one series while he was taped up on the sidelines. A short bubble screen to Quick followed by a 33-yard scamper solidified his position as the most decorated receiver in ASU history. If he is able to record 16 more receptions before season's end, Brian Quick will leave Boone as the black and gold's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. If this was indeed his last game at Kidd Brewer Stadium, he gave the Mountaineer faithful a memorable exit.

Brian was not the only ASU player to reach a milestone this weekend, as a newcomer joined him in the record books. Place kicker Drew Stewart connected on 6 field goal attempts and scored 21 kicking points, both of which are new school records. In what has become a disturbing trend the last two weeks, the Mountaineer offense stalled out inside the 30 yard line on their first four possession. However, Stewart split the uprights on kicks from 44, 32, 29 and 21 yards out to give ASU a 12-0 advantage midway through the 2nd quarter. With kicking troubles haunting the Mountaineers all season, Stewart's success served as a silver lining to ASU's early red zone woes.

Staked to a 12-point lead with 2:29 remaining in the first half, ASU finally put together a complete drive as they needed only 1:34 to march 59 yards down the field in 6 plays, capped by a 2-yard Jamal Jackson touchdown run. The next snap from scrimmage resulted in a Dominique McDuffie interception of Brandon Pechloff, setting up Jackson's second rushing score in under a minute to stretch the ASU lead to 26-0 at the intermission.

A 28-yard touchdown pass from Jamal Jackson to Brian Quick on the opening drive on the second half erased any doubt about the outcome, as ASU coasted through the remainder of the game. Jackson seemed to shake off last week's dreadful performance against Furman as he finished the day completing 22 of 34 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown, along with 48 rushing yards and two scores. Brian Quick paced the receiving corps 7 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, while Steven Miller led the way on the ground with 76 yards on 11 carries. As a unit, the Appalachian offense racked up a season-high 553 yards of total offense.

However, the real story of this game was yet another dominating performance by the Mountaineer defense, as they held WCU to 236 total yards and forced 2 turnovers. The Catamounts were only able to muster 20 rushings yards on 22 carries as they were smothered all day and possessed the ball for only 19:32. In addition to Dominique McDuffie's key interception before halftime, Rodger Walker notched his 4th pick of the season, tying him for the Southern Conference lead. After bouncing around between offense and defense his first two years in Boone, the redshirt sophomore seems to have found his permanent home in the secondary.

As inconsistent as the Mountaineer offense has been, the defense was impressive for the fourth consecutive week and looks like a unit that will be leaned on when the postseason rolls around. The next challenge on the horizon is the regular season finale at Rhodes Stadium against the Elon Phoenix. Elon is coming off an impressive win on the road at Furman, now sitting at 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the conference. Facing a team with renewed confidence on their Senior Day will be a serious challenge and in order to secure their spot in the playoff bracket, the Mountaineers had better be up for it. Although the postseason is not in the cards for Elon, they would love nothing more than to send their seniors out with the program's first victory over ASU since joining the SoCon and another winning season.

As the regular season home schedule ends on a positive note, the Mountaineers have plenty to be proud of and almost as many areas to improve as they prepare for a strong finish the conference slate.

Offensive game ball: Brian Quick

Defensive game ball: Rodger Walker

*Photo from MountaineerIllustrated.com

ASU Looks to Rebound Against Western Carolina

After a disappointing setback to Furman that saw the Mountaineers convert 6 trips inside the Paladins' 25-yard line into only 10 points, Appalachian looks to rebound against long-time rival Western Carolina. Last weekend in Greenville, the ASU offense could not get out of their own way as they turned the ball over 4 times and committed 7 penalties for 60 yards. However, points should be easier to come by this weekend for Jamal Jackson and the Mountaineer offense against the league's worst defensive unit.

The Catamounts enter the 2011 Battle for the Old Mountain Jug allowing a staggering 45.7 points per game. At 1-8 overall and 0-7 in SoCon play, WCU is still without a Division I win. Their sole victory came at home against Division II Mars Hill, who managed to put up 31 points in a losing effort.

The Mountaineers should be anxious to get back into the win column as they recover from a disheartening loss that put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. With only 6 Division I wins, Appalachian needs to finish the season strong in order to secure a postseason bid. This sense of urgency combined with the confidence that comes along with facing a winless rival could be prove to be fatal for Western Carolina.

No conference opponent should be taken for granted and ASU must come to play on Saturday, but this match-up has the potential to get ugly. If Western is unable to force some early turnovers and make big plays in the passing game, an angry Appalachian team with their backs against the wall should make quick work of the Catamounts. With all that is on the line, I expect an ASU onslaught that will put this one away early.

My prediction:

Appalachian State 52

Western Carolina 17

*Photo from GoASU.com

Game Preview and Prediction: ASU Prepares to Collide With the Paladins

In what has seemingly become a weekly occurrence, Appalachian faces a tough Southern Conference opponent riding a win streak as they continue their hunt for an unprecedented seventh consecutive conference title. After snapping the winning streaks of Samford (3 games) and Georgia Southern (7 games) at Kidd Brewer Stadium the past two weeks, the Mountaineers now must hit the road to face the Furman Paladins. Furman is currently riding the momentum of handing Wofford their first conference defeat and taking down Chattanooga on the road in consecutive games.

After losing their season opener to Coastal Carolina, the Paladins reeled off victories against The Citadel, Presbyterian and Western Carolina. The hot streak came to a somewhat surprising halt with a home defeat at the hands of Samford, which was followed by a 30-point setback to then #1 Georgia Southern. After suffering two disheartening losses, the Paladins have shown considerable toughness in putting together impressive wins over Wofford and Chattanooga, as they now find themselves in the position to build a solid case for a playoff bid with a win over ASU.

Offensively, Furman is led by quarterback Chris Forcier, who leads the FCS in passer efficiency rating. Forcier has thrown for 1,531 yards and 17 touchdowns, while being intercepted only 4 times. He also has 159 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Forcier's top targets are tight end Colin Anderson and wide receiver Tyler Maples. Although Anderson leads the team with 30 receptions, 495 yards and 6 touchdowns, Maples is not far behind with 29 receptions, 479 yards and 3 scores. Both of these young men figure to be the focus of the Paladins' passing attack and at 6'4", Anderson will create match-up problems with the ASU safeties and linebackers. He will have to be accounted for at all times, especially in the red zone.

Furman's ground attack centers around one man, Jerodis Williams. The junior running back has nearly 100 more rushing attempts than his primary back-up and leads the Paladins with 838 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. Despite taking on quite a heavy workload, Williams is a very efficient runner as he comes into the game averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He rushed for 59 yards on only 7 carries in Boone last season and the Mountaineers can expect a much heavier does of Jerodis this time around. The past two weeks, the ASU defense has faced two of the top backs in the SoCon in Fabian Truss and Robert Brown, holding each of them well under their season average and minimizing their impact on the game. If Appalachian is to get out of Greenville with a win, they will likely need a similar performance against another elite runner this week.

Defensively, Furman is anchored by a couple of preseason All-American selections in linebacker Kadarron Anderson and cornerback Ryan Steed. Anderson leads the Southern Conference with 94 total tackles, including 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 3 pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Steed comes in with 30 total tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions and 6 passes defended. However, Steed's biggest impact on the Paladins' defense is his ability in man coverage, which does not always show up in the stat sheet. He is easily the premier cover corner in the conference and likely in the entire nation at the FCS level. He is expected to be given the unenviable burden of covering Brian Quick and although I'm not sure there is one individual who can make Quick a non-factor, Steed should contain him and force Jamal Jackson to utilize other weapons in the passing game. For that reason, the play of Andrew Peacock, Tony Washington and Ben Jorden could factor heavily into the outcome on Saturday.

Although Furman is the only Southern Conference team to boast a winning record all-time against Appalachian State as they currently hold a 21-17-3 lead in the series, it is ASU that has dominated this game in recent years. Appalachian has won 6 straight and 9 of the last 10 in the rivalry and has not lost to the Paladins since 2005, when Furman blocked a Julian Rauch field goal as time expired to secure the 34-31 victory.

In order to continue their recent success in Greenville, there are several keys for the Mountaineers, the biggest of which is the ability of the defense to match Furman's physicality in the middle. The FU offense is not designed to be tricky or fancy. They do not want to run around you, they want to run at you. It will be the responsibility of middle linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough, nose tackle Dan Wylie and the rest of the ASU front seven to plug up the middle and force Furman to stray from their power running game. The Paladins rely on the ground attack to open up opportunities for Forcier in the air and if the Mountaineers are able to contain the run without having to bring their safeties up to help, they should be able to get stops.

Offensively, ASU will need to constantly locate Ryan Steed in the passing game and anytime Brian Quick draws a different FU defender, Jamal would be wise to look his way. Those opportunities may be limited however, and it is up to the young Appalachian receiving corps to step up and make plays. Throughout the year, Furman has been susceptible to the run and it is up to Travaris Cadet, Steven Miller and the offensive line to take advantage. As vital as both players are as running threats, I am looking for both of them to be heavily involved in the passing game. Brian Quick should draw a lot of attention on passing plays and in the Paladins' attempt to take away the big plays through the air, there should be space for short yardage throws, allowing the talented ASU backs to use their abilities in the open field.

This is certainly one of the tougher games to predict, as both ASU and Furman come in with no shortage of momentum or motivation. The improvement of each team throughout the year has been remarkable and this game will tell whether ASU is truly ready to be named among the championship contenders. With the offensive balance that the Mountaineers have shown the last three weeks, along with very strong defensive performances against Samford and Georgia Southern, I think they have finally turned the corner. Furman has the ability to derail the ASU championship hopes and the atmosphere in Paladin Stadium should have a playoff feel to it, but I like the Mountaineers to hang on for the win in another classic in this storied rivalry.

My prediction:

Appalachian State 28

Furman 24

*Photo from GoASU.com

Black Saturday Recap: ASU Exacts Revenge at The Rock

In an ironic role reversal from the 2010 season, Appalachian State (6-2, 4-1 SoCon) handed #1 ranked Georgia Southern (7-1, 5-1 SoCon) their first loss of the season at Kidd Brewer Stadium with a 24-17 victory on Black Saturday. As most ASU fans will recall, the Mountaineers brought an unblemished 8-0 record and a #1 national ranking to Statesboro last season, where they left with a 7-point setback to the Eagles. Last year's win in Statesboro spring boarded the Eagles to a 6-game winning streak and a trip to the National Semifinals. Mountaineer fans can only hope a similar hot streak is in store for the black and gold.

Despite losing two starting offensive lineman in practice to ankle injuries, forcing Ian Barnard and Graham Fisher into unexpected starting duties at left tackle and left guard respectively, the ASU offense mustered a gutsy performance against the vaunted GSU defense. As is to be expected when two young lineman are making their first career starts against a powerful front seven, Jamal Jackson was under pressure on Saturday as the Georgia Southern defense registered 3 sacks and 2 quarterback hurries. However, Jackson showed remarkable poise and was able to complete 13 of 26 passes for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns, to go with a team leading 54 yards on the ground. Although he did throw one interception deep in ASU territory, the Mountaineer defense held strong and the sole ASU turnover did not prove to be costly. Brian Quick had another big day offensively despite being limited to 4 receptions as he went for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the go-ahead score that put Appalachian in front for good with 9:24 remaining in the 4th.

Although the offense showed considerable grit in fighting through last-minute injuries and putting 24 points on the board, this game was clearly won on the defensive side of the ball. The Mountaineer defense has certainly learned from their previous struggles with triple option attacks, as they held the explosive GSU offense to 201 total yards of offense, 135 yards on the ground and 17 total points. Those numbers are staggering when you consider that Georgia Southern came to Boone averaging 487.3 total yards, 369.7 rushing yards and 44.6 points per game. Jaybo Shaw was also pressured into his first two interceptions of the season, both of which were snagged by junior Demetrius McCray.

The Mountaineer defense was again anchored by middle linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough, as he notched 16 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and a pass break up. Kimbrough was all over the field as was fellow linebacker Brandon Grier, as he racked up another 14 tackles including 1 for a loss. DeAndre Presley continues to impress in his duties at cornerback as he finished the day with 3 tackles, 1 huge 3rd down tackle for a loss and 2 pass break-ups, including one on 4th and goal that preserved the Mountaineer lead with only 4:33 left on the clock. As a team, the ASU defense stopped GSU with goal to go on two separate occasions in the 2nd half and disrupted the Georgia Southern triple option attack with closing speed that seemed to take the Eagles by surprise.

Their lack of confidence in the running game was evidenced late, as they uncharacteristically threw 3 consecutive passes inside the 10 yard line, the last of which was the aforementioned Presley break-up. Beating a team like Georgia Southern is impressive in itself but shaking their confidence in their ability to run the ball is something that nobody could have predicted. The ASU defense came to play on Saturday and put the GSU offense on their heels from the opening kick-off.

In spite of strong performances on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, the ASU special teams unit nearly cost the team a victory. Of the 17 points scored by Georgia Southern, 10 were directly attributed to poor coverage on special teams as Laron Scott broke off a 78-yard kick return that lead to a GSU field goal and Darrieon Robinson returned a Sam Martin punt for 46 yards and a score. Although the Mountaineers were able to overcome these mistakes and come away with a statement win at home, these issues have to be corrected going forward or ASU may not be so fortunate next time. While the fans will be riding high from a victory over arch-rival GSU, it figures to be a long week of practice for the ASU special teams.

All things considered, the Mountaineers put forth as impressive a performance as the most optimistic ASU fan could have hoped for. While the issues on special teams must be addressed, Appalachian State out performed the top-ranked team in the country on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Travaris Cadet, the Mountaineers' leading rusher and return man, was helped off the field late in the 4th quarter with a head injury and as of yet, there has been no announcement regarding his availability this week. As offensive lineman Kendall Lamm and Sherman Holt look to return for this weekend's game, the team now looks to get healthy, build on this performance and sure up their kick coverage before heading to Greenville to face a red-hot Furman team on Saturday.

Offensive game ball: Jamal Jackson

Defensive game ball: Jeremy Kimbrough

*Picture from GoASU.com