Tonight the Appalachian State Mountaineers look to bounce back from last week's difficult 35-32 loss to James Madison as they host the Presbyterian Blue Hose. We'll be providing in-game updates throughout this evening's contest, also throwing out some random thoughts, musings, and ramblings along the way.
6:55 PM -- The National Anthem has been played and players are preparing to take the field. The game time temp is around 63 degrees, and there is a steady rain falling on the turf, which might make for a fumble or two this evening.
A couple of quick notes: Mountaineer starting running back Devon Moore and defensive lineman Tony Robertson are both out for tonight's game as well as the foreseeable future (at least six weeks) according to ASU SID Mike Flynn. Both players may be seeking a medical redshirt, which indicates the seriousness of their injuries from last week's loss.
7:10 PM -- Presbyterian took the opening kickoff to the ASU 45, picked up two additional big plays. a 7 play, 43 yard scoring drive resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Chetyuane Reeder. The successful PAT puts the Blue Hose surprisingly ahead 7-0 at the 13:07 mark of the first period.
7:15 PM - App begins its first drive around its own 40-yard line. Former Avery WR Josh Johnson caught a pass on the first play of a drive which moved downfield 59 yards over six plays and took just 1:41. A three yard run by running back Robert Welton ties the game at 7-7 with 11:19 on the clock. A player familiar to Avery fans, former Polk County QB/WR Derrick Overholt, is on the Presbyterian roster.
7:30 PM - Presbyterian picked up a couple of first downs but were forced to punt. Appalachian's next drive featured a pair of catches by tight end Ben Jorden which put the Mountaineers in the Blue Hose red zone. A pair of runs by QB Armanti Edwards moved App inside the 5-yard line. A third down pass to BJ Frazier was dropped in the end zone. A field goal attempt sailed wide right no good, negating a strong 10 play, 69 yard drive. Score still stands at 7-7.
Presbyterian has been impressive thus far offensively in the early going, using a five-wideout spread offense to open up the field. A third down sack by ASU DE Lanston Tanyi stalled a P.C. drive, forcing the Hose to punt again. The Blue Hose defense stands tall in forcing a 3-and-out from ASU. After one quarter, score tied at 7-7.
7:45 PM - An amazing scramble results in a 72-yard touchdown pass to Devin Radford, capping a 3 play, 77 yard drive. 14:04 left in the half. ASU leads for the first time, 14-7. Presbyterian's first play following the touchdown results in an interception by App defender Cortez Gilbert, setting up the Mountainers with the football at the PC 26 yard line. The Mountaineers were forced by the Presbyterian defense to settle for a 37-yard Jason Vitaris field goal. Appalachian 17, Presbyterian 7, 12:30 remaining in the half.
8:00 PM -- Presbyterian punts on its next series, giving ASU field position near midfield. Appalachian again is unable to move the football on the Presbyterian defense and has to punt. PC takes over at their own 20 yard line. 6:28 left before halftime, ASU leads 17-7.
8:15 PM - Presyberterian moves the football to near ths ASU 30, but fails on a fourth down pass play, giving the ball back to the Mountaineers. Appalachian has definitely looked off-kilter for much of the first half. Credit the Blue Hose defense for playing a quality half thus far. Other than the 72-yard touchdown pass, this is a one field goal game. App will need to get all pistons firing in sync to pull away from Presbyterian in what has to thus far be labeled a major surprise. App is unable to do anything with its possession and kicks back to the Blue Hose. 2:15 left in the 2nd qtr.
8:20 PM -- With 49.3 seconds left in the half, Presbyterian gets on the board with a 6 play 80 yard drive. A 31 yard touchdown pass from Tim Webb to Terrance Butler with the extra point cuts the ASU lead to 17-14.
8:25 PM - Armanti Edwards completes a pass for 25 or so yards to Josh Johnson, but he fumbles on the tackle and the Blue Hose recovers with 8 seconds left. A big pass play goes down to the App 30, but time runs out. Halftime score 17-14 Appalachian State.
8:50 PM -- Back for second half action at Kidd Brewer. Appalachian has marched with its first drive to the Presbyterian 29 yard line. The drive stalls, but Jason Vitaris adds a second field goal for the game, a career-long 46-yard kick to put the Mountaineers ahead 20-14 with 11:33 left in the period.
9:10 PM -- Presbyterian drove 60 yards on its ensuing drive and was eventually stalled at the 18 yard line. The Blue Hose attempted a fake field goal, but the Mountaineers snuffed out the play and a pass play fell incomplete, giving the ball back to the Black and Gold with 6:41 left in the third and leading 20-14.
The Mountaineers are on the scoreboard again. A 51-yard run by Radford set up a two yard plunge on the next play by Radford. The drive took less than a minute and covered 82 yards. Radford has over 100 yards rushing for the game as the Black and Gold leads by a 27-14 score with 5:43 remaining in the third quarter.
Presbyterian was pinned deep in its own territory on its ensuing possession and held to a three-and-out. Following the punt, Armanti Edwards scrambled for a 25-yard gain to the PC 24-yard line, but was taken down on a hard tackle, shaking up Edwards on the play. Trainers had to help tote the quarterback off who was favoring a leg, bringing in backup freshman QB DeAndre Presley.
9:20 PM -- Appalachian is back in the end zone. Sophomore RB Devin Radford pushes across from one yard out to push the lead up to 34-14 with 2:56 left in the quarter. A 4-play, 51 yard drive consumed 1:03 off the clock.
INJURY UPDATE: QB Armanti Edwards suffered an ankle injury but is likely to return to the game, according to the press box. Good news for the Black and Gold that nothing serious occurred on the earlier tackle.
Presbyterian's next offensive drive moved 55 yards, but a fourth down play came up inches short, giving the ball back to the ASU offense. A 12-yard carry by Radford ends the quarter with ASU leading 34-14 after three.
Two plays into the fourth quarter, DeAndre Presley runs in another touchdown, a five-yard jaunt to boost the App lead to 41-14 with 14:04 left in the game.
Presbyterian's next offensive series ends with a Cortez Gilbert interception. App's defense has pitched a shutout thus far in the second half, as it appears that the coaching staff will keep Edwards on the sideline for the remainder of this one, given the score of the game. The Mountaineers fumble the football back to the Blue Hose near its own 40-yard line. but get it back three plays later on a Jacque Roman interception with 11:19 left.
On a weekend that has seen its fair share of upsets (Florida, Miami, USC, Georgia, and so forth), Appalachian did not number themselves among that group, using a strong second half to pull away from a pesky Presbyterian team. Appalachian will hope to keep its winning ways going with next week's home game to open conference play against The Citadel.
9:55 PM -- Icing on the cake for the Mountaineers as Presley sails across the goal line from three yards out for the touchdown. The PAT puts ASU ahead 48-14 with 7:59 left in the contest.
10:05 PM -- ASU's Mark LeGree intercepts a pass near the goal line to again deny a Presbyterian score. 5:47 remains in this one, with the score 48-14. The pick is ASU's fourth in the game, a season-high. The attendance of the game this evening: 28,405. A good turnout for a rainy and cool Saturday night.
Presbyterian's latest possession saw former all-state Polk County player Derrick Overholt get action. One pass was thrown his way, but was incomplete. Final update on Armanti Edwards is that the all-conference quarterback is officially listed as day-to-day and will be re-evaluated on Sunday.
10:10 PM -- And this game is in the books! Mountaineers win 48-14. After a slow start the Apps get back on the winning track. Thanks for following along and reading the Blog!
6:55 PM -- The National Anthem has been played and players are preparing to take the field. The game time temp is around 63 degrees, and there is a steady rain falling on the turf, which might make for a fumble or two this evening.
A couple of quick notes: Mountaineer starting running back Devon Moore and defensive lineman Tony Robertson are both out for tonight's game as well as the foreseeable future (at least six weeks) according to ASU SID Mike Flynn. Both players may be seeking a medical redshirt, which indicates the seriousness of their injuries from last week's loss.
7:10 PM -- Presbyterian took the opening kickoff to the ASU 45, picked up two additional big plays. a 7 play, 43 yard scoring drive resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Chetyuane Reeder. The successful PAT puts the Blue Hose surprisingly ahead 7-0 at the 13:07 mark of the first period.
7:15 PM - App begins its first drive around its own 40-yard line. Former Avery WR Josh Johnson caught a pass on the first play of a drive which moved downfield 59 yards over six plays and took just 1:41. A three yard run by running back Robert Welton ties the game at 7-7 with 11:19 on the clock. A player familiar to Avery fans, former Polk County QB/WR Derrick Overholt, is on the Presbyterian roster.7:30 PM - Presbyterian picked up a couple of first downs but were forced to punt. Appalachian's next drive featured a pair of catches by tight end Ben Jorden which put the Mountaineers in the Blue Hose red zone. A pair of runs by QB Armanti Edwards moved App inside the 5-yard line. A third down pass to BJ Frazier was dropped in the end zone. A field goal attempt sailed wide right no good, negating a strong 10 play, 69 yard drive. Score still stands at 7-7.
Presbyterian has been impressive thus far offensively in the early going, using a five-wideout spread offense to open up the field. A third down sack by ASU DE Lanston Tanyi stalled a P.C. drive, forcing the Hose to punt again. The Blue Hose defense stands tall in forcing a 3-and-out from ASU. After one quarter, score tied at 7-7.
7:45 PM - An amazing scramble results in a 72-yard touchdown pass to Devin Radford, capping a 3 play, 77 yard drive. 14:04 left in the half. ASU leads for the first time, 14-7. Presbyterian's first play following the touchdown results in an interception by App defender Cortez Gilbert, setting up the Mountainers with the football at the PC 26 yard line. The Mountaineers were forced by the Presbyterian defense to settle for a 37-yard Jason Vitaris field goal. Appalachian 17, Presbyterian 7, 12:30 remaining in the half.
8:00 PM -- Presbyterian punts on its next series, giving ASU field position near midfield. Appalachian again is unable to move the football on the Presbyterian defense and has to punt. PC takes over at their own 20 yard line. 6:28 left before halftime, ASU leads 17-7.
8:15 PM - Presyberterian moves the football to near ths ASU 30, but fails on a fourth down pass play, giving the ball back to the Mountaineers. Appalachian has definitely looked off-kilter for much of the first half. Credit the Blue Hose defense for playing a quality half thus far. Other than the 72-yard touchdown pass, this is a one field goal game. App will need to get all pistons firing in sync to pull away from Presbyterian in what has to thus far be labeled a major surprise. App is unable to do anything with its possession and kicks back to the Blue Hose. 2:15 left in the 2nd qtr.
8:20 PM -- With 49.3 seconds left in the half, Presbyterian gets on the board with a 6 play 80 yard drive. A 31 yard touchdown pass from Tim Webb to Terrance Butler with the extra point cuts the ASU lead to 17-14.
8:25 PM - Armanti Edwards completes a pass for 25 or so yards to Josh Johnson, but he fumbles on the tackle and the Blue Hose recovers with 8 seconds left. A big pass play goes down to the App 30, but time runs out. Halftime score 17-14 Appalachian State.
8:50 PM -- Back for second half action at Kidd Brewer. Appalachian has marched with its first drive to the Presbyterian 29 yard line. The drive stalls, but Jason Vitaris adds a second field goal for the game, a career-long 46-yard kick to put the Mountaineers ahead 20-14 with 11:33 left in the period.
9:10 PM -- Presbyterian drove 60 yards on its ensuing drive and was eventually stalled at the 18 yard line. The Blue Hose attempted a fake field goal, but the Mountaineers snuffed out the play and a pass play fell incomplete, giving the ball back to the Black and Gold with 6:41 left in the third and leading 20-14.
The Mountaineers are on the scoreboard again. A 51-yard run by Radford set up a two yard plunge on the next play by Radford. The drive took less than a minute and covered 82 yards. Radford has over 100 yards rushing for the game as the Black and Gold leads by a 27-14 score with 5:43 remaining in the third quarter.
Presbyterian was pinned deep in its own territory on its ensuing possession and held to a three-and-out. Following the punt, Armanti Edwards scrambled for a 25-yard gain to the PC 24-yard line, but was taken down on a hard tackle, shaking up Edwards on the play. Trainers had to help tote the quarterback off who was favoring a leg, bringing in backup freshman QB DeAndre Presley.
9:20 PM -- Appalachian is back in the end zone. Sophomore RB Devin Radford pushes across from one yard out to push the lead up to 34-14 with 2:56 left in the quarter. A 4-play, 51 yard drive consumed 1:03 off the clock.
INJURY UPDATE: QB Armanti Edwards suffered an ankle injury but is likely to return to the game, according to the press box. Good news for the Black and Gold that nothing serious occurred on the earlier tackle.
Presbyterian's next offensive drive moved 55 yards, but a fourth down play came up inches short, giving the ball back to the ASU offense. A 12-yard carry by Radford ends the quarter with ASU leading 34-14 after three.
Two plays into the fourth quarter, DeAndre Presley runs in another touchdown, a five-yard jaunt to boost the App lead to 41-14 with 14:04 left in the game.
Presbyterian's next offensive series ends with a Cortez Gilbert interception. App's defense has pitched a shutout thus far in the second half, as it appears that the coaching staff will keep Edwards on the sideline for the remainder of this one, given the score of the game. The Mountaineers fumble the football back to the Blue Hose near its own 40-yard line. but get it back three plays later on a Jacque Roman interception with 11:19 left.
On a weekend that has seen its fair share of upsets (Florida, Miami, USC, Georgia, and so forth), Appalachian did not number themselves among that group, using a strong second half to pull away from a pesky Presbyterian team. Appalachian will hope to keep its winning ways going with next week's home game to open conference play against The Citadel.
9:55 PM -- Icing on the cake for the Mountaineers as Presley sails across the goal line from three yards out for the touchdown. The PAT puts ASU ahead 48-14 with 7:59 left in the contest.
10:05 PM -- ASU's Mark LeGree intercepts a pass near the goal line to again deny a Presbyterian score. 5:47 remains in this one, with the score 48-14. The pick is ASU's fourth in the game, a season-high. The attendance of the game this evening: 28,405. A good turnout for a rainy and cool Saturday night.
Presbyterian's latest possession saw former all-state Polk County player Derrick Overholt get action. One pass was thrown his way, but was incomplete. Final update on Armanti Edwards is that the all-conference quarterback is officially listed as day-to-day and will be re-evaluated on Sunday.
10:10 PM -- And this game is in the books! Mountaineers win 48-14. After a slow start the Apps get back on the winning track. Thanks for following along and reading the Blog!
