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The two-time defending national champions Appalachian State benefited from luck to get past James Madison last Saturday. However, Mountaineer Coach Jerry Moore knows it will take more then luck to move on past Eastern Washington."They’re good. They’re real good," he said. "They beat an undefeated football team. They’re no strangers to this." While this is the first time Eastern Washington has played a Southern Conference opponent, Moore and his staff are familiar with the Eagles. “I was familiar with them because three or four years ago, I was interested in their throwing game,” Moore stated. “They spread it out like everyone else, but their number one thing is the passing game.”
The Eagles defeated #2 seed McNeese State on the road last week 44-15 and are lead by quarterback Matt Nichols, the top offensive player in the Big Sky Conference. Nichols has completed 64 percent of his passes for 3,559 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. “He’s had a great year, obviously, when you’re MVP of your conference,” Eastern Washington Coach Paul Wulff said. “He’s had a few up and down games though. He’s still growing, being a young quarterback. When he plays well, we’ve won.”
However, the Eagles face some tough hurdles. The kickoff at Kidd Brewer Stadium is set for 9 am Western time. “That’s an issue and hurdle our kids are going to have to play through. It is what it is,” Wulff stated. “We practice at 9 a.m. during two-a-days. We’ll do it again before we head out of here Thursday. Have we ever played a game at nine? Never have. This will be a first.”
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While the Eagles play regularly at Montana, Wulf feels that playing at App can have its problems. “I think our kids are accustomed to [the atmosphere] in a certain degree. It still doesn’t push the facts away, which are the noise factor, nobody rooting for you and every time you try to do something there is a problem with communication. We’ve just got to be mature about it and block it out the best we can.” The kickoff is set for noon on Saturday.
