Mountaineers One Step Closer to Chattanooga; Face Tough Richmond Squad on Friday Night

The Appalachian State Mountaineers are one win away from competing in their third straight NCAA FCS Championship game. However, the Richmond Spiders stand in the way of that streak. The Spiders (11-2) have won eight straight games, and are making their first appearance in the National Semifinals.

“They are a very well coached football team,” Appalachian Coach Jerry Moore stated. “The first thing that stands out is how hard they play. They are very fundamentally sound.” Richmond is lead offensively by running back Tim Hightower. Hightower has rushed for 1,829 yards and 20 touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter in last week’s comeback victory over Wofford. “Hightower is a big back. He is around six foot tall, and around 220 pounds,” Moore said. ”He is a load and has great speed. He is very durable. They have a lot of confidence in him.”

However, the Mountaineers look to be prepared for the challenge. “We are a confident football team. I don’t think believe we are over confident, but we’re eager and hungry,” Moore noted. “The intensity is there in practice. (The players) are very intense.”
Both teams got a surprise on Sunday when the NCAA announced that the game, originally scheduled for Saturday had been moved up to Friday Night at 8:00pm. “I think it’s a fair decision,” Richmond Coach Dave Clawson said of the change. “It would be very unfair to Delaware, who’s been stuck in Waterloo, Iowa, for two days, to turn around and have to play on Friday. We would prefer to play on Saturday just because, as coaches, you always like to have a little bit more prep time, but I certainly understand the rationale for the decision.”

The Mountaineers are 8-0 in a three year span in home playoff games. “I think our school realizes the importance, the financial importance, of playing at home,” Moore noted. “It’s become a lot of fun for our fans and certainly for our players and staff. Charlie has done a great job of marketing game-day experience here.” The Mountaineers averaged 27,140 fans during the regular season, and last weekend’s attendance of 16,947 was the largest ever for a quarterfinal game in Boone.
Moore also talked about how enthusiastic the Appalachian fans were before home games. “I didn’t realize all the tailgating that goes on down on Rivers Street,” he said. “It was from the basketball arena all the way to the other end with all these tents, flags and cookers and all that stuff. Game day here is a fun experience.”

The showdown with Richmond will be the most important game of the year as the Mountaineers look to continue their march to Chattanooga. Kickoff will be at 8:00pm, and will be broadcast on ESPN2.