The Appalachian State football season ended with a whimper on Saturday as the Mountaineers' championship hopes came to an end with a resounding 34-12 defeat at the hands of the Maine Black Bears. ASU was dominated in every aspect of the game, as the offense was smothered and only able to muster 3 yards on the ground. Defensively, Maine was able to continually gouge the Appalachian defense for big plays, posting two touchdown runs of 30 yards or more and three touchdowns through the air that covered at least 20 yards. Special teams were no better for the black and gold, as Appalachian inexplicably failed to convert both extra points and Sam Martin shanked a punt, netting only 17 yards and setting up the Black Bears with a short field. Maine took advantage and found the end zone, taking a 20-6 lead from which they would never look back.
Although the season began with an embarrassment in Blacksburg and ended with an equally shameful performance in Boone, there were several accomplishments to accompany the adversity on the roller coaster ride that was the 2011 Appalachian football season. Brian Quick etched his name all over the ASU record books, leaving Boone as the all-time leader in receiving yards, receptions and receiving touchdowns. Jamal Jackson took the reigns of the Mountaineer offense mid-season, showing the physical ability and poise to be a leader on this team during his two remaining years in Boone. In the process of the quarterback transition, DeAndre Presley was a joy to watch as he seemed to play every position on the field during the second half. DeAndre split his time between wide receiver, cornerback, kick returner, punt returner, gunner and quarterback, leaving a legacy of unselfish leadership that will not soon be forgotten by the Appalachian faithful.
On the other side of the ball, the young Appalachian defense progressed nicely throughout the season and flashed the potential to be a very good, if not downright dominant unit in the coming years. Jeremy Kimbrough, Demetrius McCray, Troy Sanders and true freshman Ronald Blair each had breakout seasons, earning all-conference recognition from the Southern Conference. With 10 of 11 defensive starters coming back along with the return of Justin Wray to the linebacking corps, the future is very bright. Dan Wylie and Chris Aiken will graduate which leaves a large void at defensive tackle, but if that position can be addressed in the off-season, we should expect to see a stout ASU defense in 2012.
The Mountaineers' streak of six consecutive conference championships came to an end in 2011 but ASU still managed an 8-win season, a seventh consecutive trip to the postseason, a second place finish in the SoCon and a victory at home over arch-rival Georgia Southern, something no other FCS team has accomplished to this point. Considering all the injuries, personnel changes and off-field issues that plagued Appalachian throughout the year, winning 8 games was no easy task.
Linebacker Justin Wray and running back Rod Chisholm were lost for the 2011 campaign before the season began. Both were projected to be major contributors for the Mountaineers. Things did not get easier once the season began, as starting offensive guard Kalan Jones went down early in the season opener with an ankle injury and never saw the field again. Shortly afterwards, defensive starters and former all-conference performers Ed Gainey and Lanston Tanyi were suspended for disciplinary issues, forcing inexperienced players to step up in their absence. Just when the defense had appeared to stop the bleeding, Demery Brewer suffered a season-ending knee injury against The Citadel, further thinning the linebackers and special teams units. Adding to the struggles of a young offensive line already dealing with the loss of Kalan Jones and overall inexperience, both Dylan Bostick and Kendall Lamm left the team during the season, which left vacancies at both spots on the 2-deep at left tackle. Adversity is part of football and the Mountaineers certainly had to fight through more than their fair share. One positive that will hopefully come from all the instability is the experience gained by those young players who were thrown into the fire much earlier than expected. There is no substitute for logging minutes in a meaningful game and I expect this year's frustrations to pay future dividends for the Mountaineers.
A hot topic of discussion among the Mountaineer fans this year has been the performance of the coaching staff, specifically with regard to the offensive line and play-calling. The disappointment of an uninspiring loss to conclude the season has only heightened these rumblings and in taking an objective look at their overall body of work, these concerns are not without merit. The mistakes of youth and inexperience that come with starting three freshmen on the line due to injury and graduation cannot be blamed on the coaches but the concerns go much deeper than that. Losing two physically gifted offensive tackles with immense potential due to what appear to be conflicts with their coaches is a trend that absolutely cannot continue. I have no inside knowledge of the situation and am in no position to allocate the blame between the coaches and players but this is a disturbing issue that must be addressed. Jerry Moore has my full support and respect but whether it is a change in assistant coaches, coaching philosophy or recruiting strategy, an adjustment will have to be made before this program can move forward.
Throughout the season, the problems of the offensive line were regularly compounded by passive, predictable play-calling. I believe that the largest contributing factor is the lack of a true offensive coordinator on the ASU staff. The coaches currently handle play-calling duties by committee, which make rhythm and cohesion difficult to attain. The offense needs an unquestioned leader with experience calling plays and the flexibility to make adjustments that play to the team's strengths. Establishing a running game is vital to any team but the Mountaineers simply did not have the personnel this season to pound the ball up the middle. However, the frequency of hand-offs up the gut on 1st down continued all year long and left the offense playing against down and distance entirely too often.
The last word that any rabid football fan wants to hear is patience, but we will have to wait and see what transpires in the coming months before losing confidence in the future of our team. The Mountaineers have an unforgiving schedule waiting for them in 2012 but the cupboard is far from bare. We have a stable of great athletes returning and a quarterback with much-needed experience under his belt and full summer with the first team awaiting him, which should allow him to be more comfortable running the offense going forward.
The Appalachian State football program has enjoyed unparalleled success over the last seven seasons and with success comes expectations. Mediocrity will not and should not be accepted by the ASU fans, players, coaches or administrators. Falling short of expectations is always difficult but it can also provide the greatest form of motivation. I have faith that the Mountaineers will have a productive off-season and give us all a reason to cheer for another year. Although this season did not turn out the way we hoped it would, I genuinely appreciate all that the team has done. The graduating seniors have poured their hearts and souls into this program over the last 4-5 years and deserve the appreciation of all the fans who have the privilege of watching them play on Saturdays. Thank you for all of your hard work and best of luck as you move on with your lives in football or elsewhere. As fans, we often lose perspective but this is only a game and regardless of wins or losses, I am proud to wear the black and gold.
Go App!
