(Graphic courtesy of GoAsu.com)
After gaining firm control of the driver’s seat in the Southern Conference championship race, No. 2 Appalachian State University (7-2, 5-0 SoCon) looks to move one step closer to its fourth-straight conference title when it travels to face Chattanooga (1-8, 0-5 SoCon) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
NOTING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP:
• Appalachian has won four-straight games at Finley Stadium, but UTC has been the foe for just one of those games, as ASU won the 2005, ‘06 and ‘07 NCAA Division I national championships in Chattanooga.
• ASU is 6-2 all-time at Finley Stadium, but just 3-2 versus UTC at the venue.
• Saturday’s game is the Mountaineers’ fifth at Finley Stadium in the past 35 months.
• ASU has won 20 of the last 23 games in the series.
• Three of the Apps’ eight highest scoring outputs in head coach Jerry Moore’s 20 seasons at the helm have come against UTC — 62 points in 1999 and 56 in 2004 and ‘06.
• Appalachian leads the SoCon in scoring offense (40.4 points per game) and ranks fourth of nine teams in scoring defense (24.0 ppg). Chattanooga is last in the league in both categories (13.1 and 39.0 ppg, respectively).
• Appalachian quarterback Armanti Edwards has accounted for as many touchdowns in the past three games (14) as Chattanooga has scored as an offensive unit this season. Edwards has nearly as many yards of total offense this season (2,017) as the Mocs do as a team (2,034).
• UTC running back Erroll Wynn rushed for 115 yards in last year’s 37-17 Mountaineer win in Boone. The 115 rushing yards were the seventh-most surrendered by the Apps in ‘07.
• ASU needs two wins in its final three games to clinch at least a share of its fourth-straight SoCon championship. With wins over Chattanooga and No. 11 Elon on Nov. 15, Appalachian would also clinch the league’s automatic NCAA postseason berth with a week to go in the regular season. ASU closes the regular season on Nov. 22 at archrival Western Carolina.
• If the Mountaineers were to win out, they would almost assuredly secure one of the top two seeds in the 16-team NCAA championship field, which would guarantee the Apps home-field advantage for up to three games through the national semifinals. The national championship game is set for Dec. 19 at Finley Stadium.
