Bayou Blues: App Falls in Opener to LSU

(Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information)

BATON ROUGE, La. ­— A year after stunning the college-football world with a season-opening victory at Michigan, No. 1 (FCS) Appalachian State University football couldn’t repeat the same feat at LSU in the 2008 season opener, falling 41-13 to No. 7 (FBS) LSU at Tiger Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

LSU’s front lines stymied the Mountaineers all day, as the Tigers rushed for 266 yards while limiting the Appalachian ground attack to just 52 rushing yards on 28 carries. Charles Scott did the majority of LSU’s work on the ground with 160 yards and two scores on 16 carries. ASU quarterback Armanti Edwards, facing strong pressure all afternoon, completed 13 of his 31 attempts for 155 yards to pace an offensive attack that had difficulty getting in rhythm before the hostile crowd of 91,922. His target of choice for most of the afternoon was CoCo Hillary set career highs with nine receptions for 80 yards.

Appalachian appeared to emerge from the locker room at halftime invigorated, forcing a three-and-out on LSU’s first possession and then stalling the Tigers’ second series of the half. The Mountaineers took over possession on their own 40-yard line and marched 74 yards to cross the goal line for the first time with a 44-yard strike from Edwards to Robert Welton on a route out of the backfield. The 44-yard touchdown pass, ASU’s longest offensive play of the game, capped a 7-play, 60-yard drive. After a 33-yard field goal from LSU’s Josh Jasper made the score 34-7, the Mountaineer defense continued to make plays with Jacque Roman picking off a Jarrett Lee pass on the LSU 24 yard line near the end of the third quarter. Roman returned the ball to the 11 yard line but the Mountaineer offense couldn’t fully capitalize on the field position, settling for a 24-yard Jason Vitaris field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.LSU extended its lead to 41-10 on Brandon LaFell’s second touchdown catch of the afternoon, a 39-yard connection from Lee with a 10:03 left in the contest.

The Mountaineers narrowed that margin on their final possession of the game as freshman quarterback DeAndre Presley drove the Apps to the LSU 13 yard line with a 32-yard pass to Devin Radford. Presley was shaken up on the play and a botched snap and a sack quickly forced the Mountaineers to settle for a 44-yard field goal from Vitaris to close the scoring.The Tigers jumped to a quick 14-0 lead with 5:40 remaining in the first quarter, needing just two plays from scrimmage to take a 7-0 lead after the Apps’ opening drive stalled at LSU’s 36-yard line. Taking over after a failed fourth-down conversion, Scott went 55 yards on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage all the way to the ASU 8-yard line. On the very next play, Scott scored from eight yards out. The Tigers’ ensuing possession found paydirt when a 10-play, 56-yard drive culminated with a 17-yard pass from Andrew Hatch to Demetrius Bryd.

Appalachian’s defense began to settle down at the onset of the second quarter when the ASU linebacking corps made a pair of stops at its own 3 yard line to limit the Tigers to a 21-yard field goal that gave LSU a 17-0 lead. D.J. Smith made both of the big stands with Pierre Banks and Roman assisting on one each to stymie the 9-play, 60-yard drive. For the game, Roman led the Apps with 12 tackles and Smith chipped in 11.LSU added to its first-half lead with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to carry a 31-0 lead into halftime. The Tigers added points on a 31-yard Jarrett Lee pass to a wide open Brandon LaFell with 5:35 left before intermission. A 29-yard touchdown jaunt by Scott on fourth-and-inches with less than a minute to play in the opening half gave the Tigers’ the 31-0 halftime advantage. In all, the Tigers out-gained the Apps, 323-119, in the first half, with 193 of those yards coming on the ground. Scott accounted for 144 rushing yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns in the first half alone.

The Mountaineers open their 2008 home slate next Saturday when they host Jacksonville at 3:30 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

POSTGAME NOTES: Eight Mountaineers made their first career starts (DT Malcolm Bennett, WR Blake Elder, WR B.J. Frazier, WR CoCo Hillary, DB Mark LeGree, DE Quavian Lewis, DB Dominique McDuffie and WR Brian Quick) ... Robert Welton’s 44-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter were the first reception and touchdown of the sophomore’s career ... Jacque Roman’s third-quarter interception was the first of his career and it set up the first field goal of kicker Jason Vitaris’ career ... the crowd of 91,922 at Tiger Stadium was the second-largest to ever see ASU play, behind only the 109,218 on hand for last year’s opener at Michigan ... the crowd included a contingent of 3,500 Mountaineer faithful ... five true freshmen played in their first collegiate games – Demery Brewer, Wilson Fitchett, Ed Gainey, McDuffie and Lanston Tanyi ... due to the time change associated with Louisiana’s preparations for Hurricane Gustav, the game was broadcast on ESPN Classic and ASU’s perfect 12-0 record on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU remained intact ... however, Appalachian’s 13-game winning streak in nationally televised games was snapped ... it was the Mountaineers’ first loss on national TV since a 24-14 setback to Wofford on The Football Network in 2003.

App State-LSU Moved to New Time and Network Due To Tropical Storm Gustav

BATON ROUGE –
(From Go.ASU.com)

Due to the state of Louisiana preparing for the impending arrival of Hurricane Gustav, kickoff for Saturday’s football game between Appalachian State and LSU has been moved to 11 a.m. EDT (10 a.m. CDT). Pending SEC approval, the game will be shown live on ESPN Classic.“The impending situation is certainly more important than football, so we aren’t upset in the least by the time change” Appalachian head coach Jerry Moore said. “We’ll be ready to play tomorrow morning and will keep the people along the Gulf Coast in our prayers.”

(From LSUSPORTS.NET)
LSU’s football game against Appalachian State on Saturday has been moved to 10 a.m. Central time, director of athletics Joe Alleva announced Friday.
The move was made in consultation with state officials in anticipation of an evacuation of New Orleans and an anticipated traffic contraflow order by the governor of Louisiana in preparation for the impact of Tropical Storm Gustav.
“Public safety was the overriding concern expressed by all parties when we met with the governor and his staff today,” Alleva said. “10 a.m. is obviously not the optimal time for a football game, but when one of the options was to not play the game at all, this is a matter of making the best of an unfortunate situation.”
The gates of Tiger Stadium will open at 8 a.m. More information will be forthcoming regarding television and other issues.

NOTE: The Avery Journal-Times will keep you updated on this developing story as soon as we get details. Several places in our area was having viewing parties for the game, however we have no information on how the time change will effect those. ESPN Classic is broadcasting the game, and it will be available on-line through ESPN360.com. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Gulf Coast, and also those from our area who traveled to Baton Rouge. -Matt

Pre-Game Interview with Avery Head Coach Darrell Brewer for Robbinsville Game

Click the link above for this week's pregame interview with Vikings head football coach Darrell Brewer leading up to Friday night's home opener against Robbinsville.

Landers Fall to Buffaloes

The Cloudland Highlanders traveled to Mosheim to take on the West Greene Buffaloes Thursday night, falling by the final score of 35-22. A full recap of this week's game will be covered in next week's edition of the Journal-Times!

Avery Soccer Loses Tight Match with Knights

Avery soccer battled both the elements and opponent North Henderson on Wednesday evening at MacDonald Stadium. The remnants of Tropical Storm Fay continued to pelt the High Country with much needed rain, and the visiting Knights also rained on the Big Red's hope for victory, as North pulled out a narrow 1-0 win over Avery.

The lone goal of the match came in the 13th minute. A North corner kick was turned away with a leaping save by Avery goalkeeper Morgan Bounds. The loose ball found the foot of Vito Lozano, whose putback found the back of the net for the Knight tally.

Avery had opportunities to score the equalizer in the match. The squad had two more shots on goal than North through the first 40 minutes, and had an opportunity in the opening minute of the second half but was turned away.

Making things difficult for the Vikings to tie the match was an onslaught of rain that began during the halftime break and continued through much of the remainder of the match. The Vikings attempted to convert a pair of corner kicks in the second half, but the Knights were up to the task and successful and protecting its slim lead for the duration of the match.

Avery falls to 2-3 on the season and looks to even its record on Friday when it travels to Gaston County to take on Highland Tech. The teams met less than a week ago, with the Rams winning by a 4-2 score.

Avery's Johnson to partcipate in ESPN's 25 hours of college football

From Go.ASU.com and Appalachain Sports Information

BOONE, N.C. — A limited number of reserved seats for Appalachian State University football’s home opener versus Jacksonville on Sept. 6 have become available and can be purchased online at GoASU.com, by phone at (828) 262-2079 or in person at the ASU athletics ticket office in the Holmes Center.The tickets became available after a large group returned them to the ASU athletics ticket office.“The availability of these tickets was unanticipated but we are happy to offer Mountaineer fans an opportunity to enjoy the home opener next weekend from the comfort of a reserved seat,” athletics ticket manager Steve White said. “Since reserved seats sold out in early August, we have been in constant contact with several groups about their needs and trying to weigh that against the demand that has spiked in the past year. It’s always a good idea to check GoASU.com everyday to see if anything changes or develops.”

EDWARDS, JOHNSON PART OF ESPN’S 25 HOURS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Appalachian quarterback Armanti Edwards and wide receiver Josh Johnson are both scheduled to participate in ESPN’s 25 Hours of College Football on Wednesday and Thursday.Edwards will be a guest on the 25 Hours of College Football Kickoff Show, which airs on Wednesday from 7-11 p.m. on ESPN.Johnson will be part of a coinciding 25-hour college football chat at ESPN.com on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Click here to join the chat.

MOUNTAINEER TALK MAKES 2008 DEBUT THURSDAY: Mountaineer Talk, the Appalachian ISP Sports Network’s weekly call-in radio show, makes its 2008 debut on Thursday at 7 p.m.The hour-long show can be heard live on the 100,000-watt flagship station of the Appalachian ISP Sports Network, WKBC 97.3 FM (North Wilkesboro, Charlotte, Hickory, Statesville, Winston-Salem, High Country), as well as WATA 1450 AM in Boone and online at GoASU.com. WPCM 920 AM in Burlington broadcasts Mountaineer Talk on tape delay Fridays at 6 p.m. and WEEB 990 AM in Southern Pines airs the show Saturdays at 7:30 a.m.Due to travel for Saturday’s season opener at LSU, the “Voice of the Mountaineers” David Jackson hosts this Thursday’s Mountaineer Talk from the press box at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. and will be joined by ASU head coach Jerry Moore live from the Appalachian ISP Sports Network studio in Boone. Each subsequent Thursday throughout the 2008 campaign, fans can join Jackson and Moore live for the show at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in Boone.

GUSTAV NOT EXPECTED TO IMPACT SATURDAY’S GAME: LSU issued the following statement on Wednesday with regards to Hurricane Gustav’s effect on Saturday’s game:“LSU athletics officials are working closely with university and state personnel to monitor the progression of Hurricane Gustav, but there is no anticipated impact on the LSU vs. Appalachian State football game at this time.LSU is scheduled to open its 2008 football season on Saturday against Appalachian State at 5 p.m. EDT.LSU will update fans on any changes via the news media and LSUsports.net (as well as GoASU.com) should conditions warrant it.”

Avery Volleyball Falls to Neighboring Watauga

Avery volleyball had a good idea about what Watauga volleyball was capable of after last Saturday's tri-match in Boone.

Knowing and stopping were two different things, though, as Watauga was impressive in a junior varsity and varsity victory over the Big Red in Viking Gym Tuesday night.

In JV action, the Lady Pioneers defeated the Avery JV club in two games by final scores of 25-17 and 25-13. The Lady Vikings varsity team fared no better in the early going of the match, as Watauga used its athleticism and size to run out to an early eight-point advantage. Behind the serve of Avery senior right side hitter Brittney Hagie, the Vikings cut the deficit to as little as five points at 16-11. A 9-3 run to close the game, however, gave the Lady Pioneers a 25-14 win in game one.

The second game quickly saw Watauga gain advantage, racing to a 12-5 lead. Watauga's strong front line play pushed the squad's lead to 18-9 before winning by an eventual score of 25-16.

The third and final game of the match was the closest of the three. The two teams were nip and tuck through the duration of the match as Avery held an 8-7 lead early in the game. A small lead seesawed between the clubs until the Lady Pioneers stretched a lead to a working margin at 21-18. Avery trailed by a 23-20 score when Watauga took a timeout. The stoppage proved wise to the visitors, as they won the final two points for a 25-20 game win and match victory.

Avery travels to Owen on Thursday evening to open Western Highlands Conference play.

Vikings Look to Regroup in Home Opener against Black Knights

On the heels of a humbling 43-21 defeat at the hands of the nearby Cloudland Highlanders, the Avery Vikings gridiron squad must circle the wagons as they prepare to play host to the visiting Robbinsville Black Knights in this year’s Endowment contest. The Knights roll into Newland on the heels of a 35-14 opening night victory over First Assembly Christian School of Concord.
Robbinsville defeated Avery 41-34 in a shootout in Graham County last season.

Scouting the Black Knights:
First year coach Dee Walsh, who takes over for former coach Gene Boley, coaches the Black Knights of Robbinsville. Robbinsville is a member of the Smoky Mountain Conference and finished 7-6 overall, with a 3-3 mark in conference play.

Coach Walsh is no stranger to the SMC, as he makes a second tour of duty as head coach at Robbinsville, where he coached from 1986-89. He also coached at Cherokee High School for three seasons and has coached the last seven as head coach at Hayesville High School.

The Black Knights return 13 starters from a season ago, and are predominately a junior class that returns a number of experienced players at skill positions. Two running backs, Kurt Odom and Blake Anderson, combined to rush for over 2,900 yards last season and 29 touchdowns. The Knights returns starting quarterback Luke Perkins, as well as backup quarterback and RB/DB Randy Hernandez. An agile front line consisting of junior Colby White, junior Cody Anderson, and senior Benji Calloway anchor the line of scrimmage. Robbinsville runs a multiple offense, but relied heavily on misdirection in last year’s contest, and primarily runs a 40 defense.

The Low Down:
The Knights rely heavily upon its running game, but will occasionally throw the football to keep a defense honest. In last season’s opener with the Knights, Avery struggled to tackle the strong Robbinsville running backs. The same problem reared its ugly head at Cloudland in the season opener last week.

For Avery to have a shot at winning this Friday night, they must improve its tackling and become a more physical team. The Landers ran roughshod over the team for much of last week’s loss, and Robbinsville will look to repeat the feat.

Robbinsville will look to the duo of Anderson and Odom to maintain a ball-control offense and chew up large chunks of yardage on the ground. Avery gained close to 200 yards rushing last Friday night, but could not stop the Lander offense, particularly in third down situations.

By the Numbers:
0 – number of times Avery forced the Cloudland team to punt in last week’s loss.
75- yards running from Avery RB Travis Thomas last week, resulting in two touchdowns.
91- rushing yards by Kurt Odom with three TDs in last week’s Robbinsville victory.
114- rushing yards by Blake Anderson in last week’s Black Knights triumph.
189- yards in total offense from Avery senior QB Adam Pate last week.
237 – yards rushing on 51 attempts by Robbinsville in its win last week over First Assembly.
334 – yards in total offense gained by Avery last Friday night.
537 – yards surrendered by the Avery defense in last week’s loss to Cloudland.

Be sure to pick up next week’s edition of the Avery Journal-Times for a full recap of this week’s game with Robbinsville, as well as a preview of next Friday’s Bucket Battle at Watauga.

Vikings Soccer Defeats Pisgah in Non-Conference Match

Avery men's soccer upended the Pisgah Bears 6-1 Monday night in a dominant road victory. Andrew Ingram recorded a hat trick in the match win, with goals from Kyle Griewisch and Austin Lyons.

"Pisgah is a rebuilding team, much as we are. We put J.C. and Andrew up front and it paid off immediately with a pair of long balls sent ahead and goals by Andrew in the first ten minutes," Coach Lou Brancourt said after the win. "We made a mistake in the back and gave up a goal to lead 2-1 at halftime."

The Avery coaching staff made adjustments during the match that proved to be wise as the Vikings offense exploded in the final 40 minutes of action. "J.C. was playing very hard, but was struggling a little, so we switched him with Kyle. Kyle took advantage by scoring a pair of goals," Coach Brancourt added. "Andrew scored his third goal, then Austin Lyons, one of our freshmen, scored his first goal."

Avery is 2-2 overall on the season and hosts North Henderson this afternoon before traveling to Highland Tech on Friday evening. "We made some mistakes, but we also did some good stuff. Scoring a lot of goals was nice, and it was easy to be positive with this win," Coach Brancourt explained. "North Henderson is a team we don't know very much about. We've played them well, but have lost to them each of the last two years when I know we could have beaten them. They tied Mitchell 3-3 and Pisgah 1-1. On paper I think it is a team we can beat, but we have a little payback in mind."

Junior Varsity Football Falls to Cloudland

On a wet Monday evening in Newland, the Avery junior varsity football team fell 26-0 to Cloudland in the first regular season football game played on the new synthetic surface at MacDonald Stadium.

Cloudland got on the board first when quarterback Seth Miller carried the football across the goal line for a 6-0 advantage. Avery's first possession resulted in a three-and-out, and the subsequent punt attempt was blocked, giving the Landers prime field position at the Avery 14.
On fourth and goal, Miller scored his second touchdown, a one-yard sneak to put Cloudland ahead 12-0.

Avery fortunes went from bad to worse as an option pitch play during Avery's next drive was fumbled. Cloudland defender Matt Cole scooped up the football and scampered 17 yards for another Lander score, making the score 18-0. The Landers converted the two-point conversion attempt to lead 20-0 at the end of the first quarter of play.

The Big Red struggled to move the football against a stingy Cloudland defense, as the Vikings' third possession resulted in a turnover on downs at the Avery 7-yard line. Avery's defense showed great pride in stopping the Landers on a fourth and goal attempt to get the ball back in the hands of the offense.

Avery finally moved the football with efficiency on its next drive, as the team benefitted from a long run by Trent Mitchell as well as a personal foul facemask and a defensive pass interference play to move the pigskin near midfield. An Alex Villanueva run moved the Vikings to the Landers 40, then a long pass connection from Villanueva to wide receiver Kenny Hicks brought the Big Red onto the Cloudland end zone's doorstep, setting up at the Cloudland 7 late in the half. On this occasion it was the Cloudland defense that dug in, pushing Avery back on a pair of runs, then sacking Villanueva on fourth and goal at the ten yard line to turn the Vikings away without points and preserve a 20-0 Landers halftime advantage.

Avery faced a greater hill to climb as starting QB Villanueva did not start the second half due to injury. Backup Trent Mitchell moved Avery to near midfield, but a high snap over the quarterback's head was recovered by Cloudland for another turnover. The Landers quickly returned the favor on its first play from scrimmage, as a Miller pass attempt was intercepted by Avery's Mitchell.

The Vikings were forced to punt back to Cloudland, and the Landers again gave the ball back to Avery as Hunter Shields intercepted a Tyler Shell pass attempt around the Avery 15 yards line. However, in a common theme throughout the evening due to conditions, the Vikings committed a fumble on its ensuing possession. Cloudland's Casey Pritchard scooped up the loose football and rumbled 15 yards for another Landers defensive score and provide for the final margin of victory.

Avery's JV squad will look to regroup when it hosts Watauga on September 4th.