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
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