6:45: We are the Tom Elam Press box at Neyland Stadium. First, thanks to Jamie for his excellent coverage of the App game. I am hoping to bring you some of the same coverage (following regulations of course). With 20 minutes until kickoff, a sign that times are tough in Volunteer land are that Neyland may not reach 70,000 fans tonight. Of course, looks can be deceiving. The ones that are here are loud and proud and anxious to see Nick Stephens under the helm.
7:00: IT'S FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE! Neyland has filled in nicely as the Pride of the Southland Band is getting ready to welcome the Vols onto the field. Keep checking back as we will update as we can. Thanks!
8:00: UT and Northern Illinois are tied at 3 with 5:35 remaining in the first half. Tennessee had a promising drive stopped at midfield on a fumble midway through the first.
8:30: HALF tied at 3
9:30: End of the third and the Vols lead 13-9.
10:15 Final Vols 13-9. More to come to later.
1:00am: Home Sweet Home! I am back home after a great day of football. We will have a story and some photos from the UT game up tomorrow if all goes according to plan. It was a great night. The fans that were there were amazing, a fact Coach Fulmer noted. They really helped the Vol defense. After kickoff, Neyland looked like its normal packed self. I guess the fans were watching the earlier games as long as possible. The Huskies were peskier than most imagined, but UT found a way to win and a way to keep it. However, UT will have a tough week as they must travel to Athens to take on the Bulldogs next week. For more information on UT and App State, keep checking the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Mountaineers Host Citadel for Homecoming @ Kidd-Brewer
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Boone, the ASU Mountaineers will host the Citadel Bulldogs for Homecoming. The #2 Mountaineers are 2-2 on the season as they open Southern Conference play against the #12 Bulldogs who are 3-1 this year.
Quickie Preview:
For the Mountaineers, the team must find a way to get consistency out of the offense. Armanti Edwards has completed less than 50% of his passes, and also suffered an injury in last week's win. Edwards has been cleared to go today and will need a superb effort to hold off the most talented Citadel squad to visit Boone since a win here in 1992.
Avery HS product Josh Johnson has six catches over his past two games, but has been scrutinized by some for putting the ball on the ground against Presbyterian last week. He, T.J. Courman, CoCo Hillary, and the remainder of the receiving corps must make themselves available and make plays if the Apps want to hold serve at home and get off to a good conference start.
The running tandem of Robert Welton and Devin Radford have picked up where Devin Moore left off when he suffered a broken ankle. They and Edwards, the team's leading rusher, will need
The Citadel is paced by quarterback Bart Blanchard (832 passing yards, seven TDs, six interceptions) and one of the nation's best wideouts in Andre Roberts (26 receptions, six TDs). But the Bulldogs will look to establish the run with Asheton Jordan (268 yards, three TDs) to give Blanchard time to pass.
The Citadel had the Southern Conference's best defense last season, but has slipped to third in total defense (322 yards per game, 150 yards rushing). Leading the Bulldogs on defense is linebacker Reggie Rice, who has accounted for 27 tackles.
3:05 pm - ASU receives the opening kickoff on a sun-drenched Kidd--Brewer Stadium. The Mountaineers pick up a first down and advance near midfield before taking a timeout. Two running plays net an additional three yards, but ASU is forced to punt from the Citadel 47. The Bulldogs take over for their first offensive series at its own 15 yard line.
Blanchard to Roberts has been a connection on a number of occasions on the Bulldogs' first series. The Mountaineers hold on third down after a holding penalty negated a large gain. Citadel punts to the Mountaineers, and Appalachian sets up first down on its own 9-yard line. No score.
3:25 PM - THe Mountaineers are trying to establish the run on its second possession of the game. Radford and Edwardsd have had great success on this drive. Edwards scrambles for a 16-yard gain, and had gained several yards on an option run two plays earlier.
Appalachian gets on the board first as Devin Radford makes a great cut to the outside and scampers 29 yards for a Mountaineer touchdown. The successful PAT gives the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead at the 5:26 mark of the first period.
The ASU defense forced a three-and-out from the Bulldogs on their second series of the game, forcing them to punt from their own 20 yard line. A terrific kick plus an ASU illegal block penalty pushed the Mountaineers to begin their third offensive series at its own 11 yard line. App drives to just over midfield as the first quarter expires. Mountaineers end the first period leading 7-0.
The second quarter begins and three plays in Armanti Edwards hits running back Matt Cline with a 25-yard touchdown pass. Vitaris misses the extra point, however, leaving the Apps up 13-0 at the 13:57 mark of the period.
3:55 PM - The Bulldogs appeared to be going three and out, but a personal foul penalty against ASU gave the Citadel new life. The defense stepped up and stopped the Bulldogs again. On fourth down, a high snap over Citadel punter Mark Caspar's head. It results in Appalachian getting a first down at the Citadel 11-yard line. A huge blunder by the Bulldogs on special teams.
The Mountaineers immediately capitalize as Armanti Edwards scampers 16 yards around left side for a touchdown. A successful PAT makes the score 20-0 Mountaineers at the 11:05 mark of the second period.
Quickie Preview:
For the Mountaineers, the team must find a way to get consistency out of the offense. Armanti Edwards has completed less than 50% of his passes, and also suffered an injury in last week's win. Edwards has been cleared to go today and will need a superb effort to hold off the most talented Citadel squad to visit Boone since a win here in 1992.
Avery HS product Josh Johnson has six catches over his past two games, but has been scrutinized by some for putting the ball on the ground against Presbyterian last week. He, T.J. Courman, CoCo Hillary, and the remainder of the receiving corps must make themselves available and make plays if the Apps want to hold serve at home and get off to a good conference start.
The running tandem of Robert Welton and Devin Radford have picked up where Devin Moore left off when he suffered a broken ankle. They and Edwards, the team's leading rusher, will need
The Citadel is paced by quarterback Bart Blanchard (832 passing yards, seven TDs, six interceptions) and one of the nation's best wideouts in Andre Roberts (26 receptions, six TDs). But the Bulldogs will look to establish the run with Asheton Jordan (268 yards, three TDs) to give Blanchard time to pass.
The Citadel had the Southern Conference's best defense last season, but has slipped to third in total defense (322 yards per game, 150 yards rushing). Leading the Bulldogs on defense is linebacker Reggie Rice, who has accounted for 27 tackles.
3:05 pm - ASU receives the opening kickoff on a sun-drenched Kidd--Brewer Stadium. The Mountaineers pick up a first down and advance near midfield before taking a timeout. Two running plays net an additional three yards, but ASU is forced to punt from the Citadel 47. The Bulldogs take over for their first offensive series at its own 15 yard line.
Blanchard to Roberts has been a connection on a number of occasions on the Bulldogs' first series. The Mountaineers hold on third down after a holding penalty negated a large gain. Citadel punts to the Mountaineers, and Appalachian sets up first down on its own 9-yard line. No score.
3:25 PM - THe Mountaineers are trying to establish the run on its second possession of the game. Radford and Edwardsd have had great success on this drive. Edwards scrambles for a 16-yard gain, and had gained several yards on an option run two plays earlier.
Appalachian gets on the board first as Devin Radford makes a great cut to the outside and scampers 29 yards for a Mountaineer touchdown. The successful PAT gives the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead at the 5:26 mark of the first period.
The ASU defense forced a three-and-out from the Bulldogs on their second series of the game, forcing them to punt from their own 20 yard line. A terrific kick plus an ASU illegal block penalty pushed the Mountaineers to begin their third offensive series at its own 11 yard line. App drives to just over midfield as the first quarter expires. Mountaineers end the first period leading 7-0.
The second quarter begins and three plays in Armanti Edwards hits running back Matt Cline with a 25-yard touchdown pass. Vitaris misses the extra point, however, leaving the Apps up 13-0 at the 13:57 mark of the period.
3:55 PM - The Bulldogs appeared to be going three and out, but a personal foul penalty against ASU gave the Citadel new life. The defense stepped up and stopped the Bulldogs again. On fourth down, a high snap over Citadel punter Mark Caspar's head. It results in Appalachian getting a first down at the Citadel 11-yard line. A huge blunder by the Bulldogs on special teams.
The Mountaineers immediately capitalize as Armanti Edwards scampers 16 yards around left side for a touchdown. A successful PAT makes the score 20-0 Mountaineers at the 11:05 mark of the second period.
4:05 PM - The Citadel takes advantage of a 55 yard kickoff return to drive a short field on the ASU defense. The Bulldogs get on the goard with a two yard touchdown run by Andre Roberts. An extra point by Sam Keeler makes the new score ASU 20, Citadel 7 at the 6:55 mark of the first half.4:10 PM - The Mountaineers are back on the board again, taking advantage of a long Coco Hillary kickoff return. The Mountaineers score on an Armanti Edwards touchdown pass to make the score 27-7 in favor of ASU with 4:41 remaining in the half.
The offense has looked sharper today than at any point thus far in the season. The Citadel defense almost looks to be in slow motion compared to the Mountaineers' speed.
4:20 PM - Citadel started its next drive from the 20, but a Blanchard pass on third down was tipped and intercepted at the Citadel 34-yard line and returned to the 13. Three plays moved the Mountaineers to a first and goal at the one yard line. Armanti Edwards runs in a three-yard touchdown to boost the lead to 33-7. The point-after made the score 34-7 with 1:14 remaining in the half.
The Bulldogs have shot themselves in the foot several times this half, and the Black and Gold has made them pay every time. A dominating half of football against a team that came to Boone ranked #12 in the latest FCS poll. When the Mountaineers are clicking, they are next to impossible to stop.
Following the ASU kickoff, the Bulldogs are held to a three-and-out. Appalachian uses a time-out on fourth down with 41 seconds left before intermission, looking to get the football back for one more opportunity to score. App regains possession on offense with 28.4 seconds to go at its own 37-yard line.
4:25 PM - On the first play following the punt, a screen pass to Devin Radford was busted open by the WR, hurdling a tackler at the 15 yard line on the way to a 63-yard touchdown play with 15 seconds to go. The PAT gives the Mountaineers a commanding 41-7 lead. A single play indicative of the quick-strike nature of the ASU offense. Team morale for the Bulldogs can't be high at this point.
Halftime - ASU 41, Citadel 7 at the half.
Appalachian has 38 plays for 363 yards of total offense, to go with 65 kickoff return yards, while the ASU defense held Citadel to only 82 yards on 35 plays. Armanti Edwards rushed 11 times for 83 yards and a pair of scores, while throwing at a 10 for 12 clip for 177 yards and three touchdowns.4:50 PM - The Bulldogs receive the opening kickoff, execute a successful fake punt, but still end up punting to the Mountaineers. The punt pins ASU at its own 1 yard line. The Citadel defense forces ASU to punt from its own end zone, where Andre Roberts returned the kick 50 yards for the Bulldogs' second score of the game. 7:58 remaining in the third qtr. 41-14 ASU
5:15 PM - Josh Johnson picks up his first catch on the next ASU drive, picking up a first down near midfield. The Mountaineers are held to three-and-out after the catch and are forced to punt the ball. Punter Neil Young coffic corners the punt to the Citadel's 4-yard line. Citadel cannot advance the football and kicks it back to App., where the Black and Gold take over at the Citadel 41 yard line leading 41-14. The clock expires with the Mountaineers holding the football and the same lead.
5:30 PM - The Mountaineers drive into Citadel territory, but are forced to settle for a field goal attempt. Vitaris is unable to make the 42-yard attempt, giving the football back to the Bulldogs with 12:56 left in the contest.
On a side note, in today's contest ASU QB Armanti Edwards became only the third quarterback in Division 1 (FCS and FBS) history to run and throw for 3,000 yards in his career, joining the likes of Nebraska's Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch to accomplish that feat.
5:38 PM - The Bulldogs get on the board with a nine-yard TD pass from Blanchard to Sellers. The PAT is good, with 8:52 remaining, the Mountaineers lead 41-21. Appalachian has given up a few wide open receptions this afternoon, something I'm sure the coaches will discuss and address in practice next week.
The Apps are on the board again... a 24-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Josh Johnson. Johnson ran a sideline pattern and was open to haul in the pass as he crossed the end zone giving the Mountaineers a 47-21 lead with 8:09 remaining in the game.
The Citadel is stopped when it attempts a fourth down conversion at its own 30 yard line. The pass is short of the marker, giving the Mountaineers the football at the Citadel 38. DeAndre Pressley enters the game at quarterback, and ASU fumbles on its first play following the possession change, giving the Bulldogs the football back.
6:00 PM -- The Mountaineers deny the Bulldogs another score by turning them away on a fourth down conversion attempt near the Appalachian 35 yard line with 3:35 left in the contest. The Josh Johnson touchdown catch has been the only points of the half for the Mountaineers to this point, and a number of ASU substitutes are in to close out this first Southern Conference victory.
6:10 PM -- ASU wins it 47-21 to start the SoCon season with a win and move to 3-2 overall. We hope to have final stats for this one before we close out for the night. ASU returns home of October 25th when they host the Furman Palladins.
Saturday Gameday
8:00am: Good Morning! We hope all is well on what is going to be a beautiful Saturday. It is second day of a very busy weekend for us at the Journal Sports. It is going to be hard to top last night's Avery victory, but we are going to try that today. The Mountaineers and Volunteers both have home games today, and we are going to have you covered. Jamie is going to be in Boone as the #2 Apps host #12 Citadel for Homecoming. That kickoff is at 3:00, and is going to be on Sportsouth. Jamie may have his famous game blog here. After that game, the Volunteers of Tennessee host the Huskies of Northern Illinois with kickoff at 7:07pm. That game is Pay Per View, but I will be there to bring you the story (an Avery Journal-Times Blog Exclusive). Due to NCAA and SEC regulations, we will be limited to how many times I can update, but I will do my best. Keep checking back for more analysis and updates. Thanks!
Some Notes:
Johnathon Crompton has been replaced as the starter for the Vols. The embattled quarterback will be the second string QB tonight as Nick Stephens got the nod. Coach Phillip Fulmer would not rule out that both QBs would see action, but stated it would be ideal if Stephens fit in nicely and they never look back. UT enters the contest 1-3 and 0-2 in SEC play.
Some Notes:
Johnathon Crompton has been replaced as the starter for the Vols. The embattled quarterback will be the second string QB tonight as Nick Stephens got the nod. Coach Phillip Fulmer would not rule out that both QBs would see action, but stated it would be ideal if Stephens fit in nicely and they never look back. UT enters the contest 1-3 and 0-2 in SEC play.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
CHS Update: A Look at the Stats Through Week Five
The Highlanders have hit the midway point of the season, and with that brings their bye week. Below are Stats of the Highlanders through last Friday's North Greene game. Thanks to the Cloudland coaching staff for the statistics.
Rushing
Matthew Tipton has 622 yards on 82 carries with 14 touchdowns. Randall Johnson has just under 100 carries with 99 and has 675 yards and 12 touchdowns. Lucas Clawson, who sat out of the North Greene game due to injury, has 95 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown. Logan Morgan has 102 yards on six touches with three touchdowns. WR/CB Nick Sluder has carried the ball three times for a gain of seven yards. Tony Chambers has two carries for 15 yards, while Seth Miller has 12 yards on three carries. Trey Hitechew had a breakout gain against North Greene as he had his only touchdown of the year, and has 49 yards on five carries. Matt Cole has 32 yards and Pritchard has 25 yards from the North Greene Contest.
Passing
Johnson has made the leap from wide receiver to quarterback successfully as he is 49 of 72 for 839 yards with eight interceptions and five touchdowns, in addition to his rushing statistics. Miller has two attempts with one completion for 12 yards.
Receiving
Seth Houtsma has been the favorite target of the season as he as 16 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Houtsma has a long of 79 yards. Sluder has an impressive 134 yards on six catches with one touchdown, while Jacob Julian has 55 yards on four catches. Morgan is three yards short of 100 on the season with 97 yards on six catches and has added two touchdowns. Tipton has 86 yards on six catches. Oliver has 29 yards and Jacob McKinney has 26 yards so far this season.
The Highlanders are averaging 18 first downs per game, and have 90 so far this season. They have fumbled 12 times and lost them six times. Penalties has been a major problem Coach Turbyfill has had to address as the 'Landers have 46 penalties for 485 yards.
Defensive Stats
The 'Lander defense has allowed 925 yards on 181 carries and 97 points and 67 first downs. They have caused five fumbles and recovered two. The 'Lander secondary has forced seven interceptions including touchdowns by Johnson, Morgan and Sluder. Houtsma has four sacks, while Stevens and Tipton have 1 ½ sacks. Julian has two sacks while Chambers and Cody Presnell each have added one sack. Cloudland has 10 sacks so far this season.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Wildcats Defeat Panthers in Brad King Bowl Shootout
Tuesday night's 26th annual Brad King Bowl football contest between the Avery Middle School Panthers and the Cranberry Wildcats was an offensive showcase.The two teams combined for the highest scoring game in Bowl history, lighting up the scoreboard at MacDonald Stadium for a whopping 102 points. Cranberry took the lead first and never surrendered it for the remainder of the evening as they upended the Panthers by the final score of 60-42.
Tuesday's game, the 26th game honoring the memory of former Avery County football player Brad King whose young life was claimed by cancer as a youth, was a showcase for the game's Most Valuable Players in Cranberry's Bryce Pittman and Avery's Chase Buchanan. Pittman scored a game record seven touchdowns in the contest, ranging from 11 yards to 47 yards and also had an interception on defense. The Wildcat running back gained 183 yards on touchdown carries alone. Avery's Buchanan found the end zone on four separate occasions with pass completions from quarterback Chance Watson.
Cranberry led 14-0 after the first quarter of action and 22-6 at halftime. Following the intermission highlighted by performances from the cheerleading squads of both schools, teams resumed play for the second half.Avery cut the lead to 22-12 on its first drive of the third quarter as Watson connected with Buchanan for a five yard screen pass score. Cranberry's Dustin Ruppard added his name to the scoring column with a 12 yard touchdown run. A Jonah Tenge conversion run gave the Wildcats a 30-12 advantage.
The Panthers refused to fold as the Watson/Buchanan combo struck for a 54-yard touchdown strike. A conversion run was successful to reduce the lead to 30-20 at the end of three quarters.
For an already high scoring contest, the offensive fireworks were only beginning. A total of 52 points were scored in the final eight minutes of action. Bryce Pittman saved his best for last, racing for four touchdowns over the final quarter of play. After a 15-yard Pittman scamper to give the Wildcats a 36-20 lead, Avery's Rob Wood took the ensuing kickoff 68 yards for a score to narrow the lead back to one possession at 36-28.
The teams traded scores three additional times in the period before a 42-yard touchdown from Pittman and a Tenge conversion run accounted for the 60th and final points of the evening.Both coaches were proud of their teams for continuing to play hard from the opening kickoff to the final whistle, and they hope the game will serve as a springboard as playoffs begin next week.
"I knew this would be a tough ballgame. This Avery team would be putting the ball in the air, and our pass defense wasn't the best in the world," Cranberry head coach Richard Sheppard said following his team's victory. "Bryce is an exceptional player for us and teams are keying on him, but he keeps running hard. We challenged him before the game to give us a great performance and he did so. Of course he couldn't have had the success without the line up front, and they did a great job opening holes. We look forward to seeing these eighth graders next year in high school. It is a special win to say that Cranberry won the Brad King Bowl, and I'm awfully proud of these kids."
"It was exciting to the end. Both teams played really hard," Avery head coach Donnie Johnson remarked after the game. "This was the best our boys played all season, and I believed they could do this all year. Tonight I think they did a good job, and I don't think they could have played any better than they played tonight. We need to do better defensively, and we made some plays, but they just seemed to outlast us."
The best part of the game Tuesday night was how players and fans were able to support a pair of local families. The Brad Jones family and the Cody Buchanan family have faced difficult medical predicaments, and a total of $2,389 from the game was split between the two families to assist with their ongoing medical expenses.
Cranberry travels to take on Cane River in the first round of the Toe River Conference playoffs next Tuesday, while Avery travels to take on Bowman Middle School.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Vols Start Open Quarterback Competition
Courtesy of utsports.com
Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer said Sunday that competition for the starting quarterback position is open.
The Vols are coming off a 14-12 loss at Auburn in which they completed 8-of-24 passes for 67 yards and fell to 1-3 overall, 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
"We are disappointed in the loss," Fulmer said after Sunday night's brief workout inside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center. "Watching the tape, our guys laid it on the line and gave great effort. We just couldn't find a way to get 10-20 yards closer to kick a field goal. 
"Daniel (Lincoln) was kicking the ball well and I'm just certain if we'd gotten it down there we would have had a chance to win that thing at the end."
The eight completions were the fewest by the Vols since completing eight in the 2004 SEC Championship Game against Auburn, and the 67 passing yards were the fewest since UT threw for only 64 in a 20-17 overtime win against Florida in 1998.
In addition, Tennessee gained only 191 total offensive yards for the program's lowest output since tallying 170 in a 10-6 win at Miami in 2003.
Fulmer said Jonathan Crompton is responding well to the renewed competition.
"The only way I know for sure is what they do on the practice field. He came out tonight, did just fine and operated very well. We've just got to be a lot better than 8-for-24 (as a team).
"We expect Nick (Stephens) to compete and he did fine. Both of them have their strengths and both of them need to use those strengths and minimize their weaknesses everywhere they can."
Tennessee hosts Northern Illinois (2-2) this Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m., with the Vol Network carrying the radio broadcast and VideoSeat providing the pay-per-view telecast.
Big Half Propels Mountaineers
Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information
BOONE, N.C. — No. 3 Appalachian State University rolled up 407 yards of offense in the second half en route to 31 unanswered points and a 48-14 triumph over visiting Presbyterian at rainy Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Four dropped passes and lapses in all three phases of the game punctuated a sloppy first half for Appalachian (2-2), as it led just 17-14 at halftime. Walter Payton Award candidate Armanti Edwards was perhaps the lone bright spot for ASU in the first half as he surpassed his season high for passing yards midway through the second quarter on his way to 220 yards through the air before the break. His yardage total and completion percentage (12-of-21) would have been even higher if not for the four costly drops.
Despite the inefficient play throughout much of the first half, the Mountaineers rebounded from a 7-0 deficit less than two minutes into the game to take a 17-7 lead early in the second period. It appeared as though the Apps would take the 10-point advantage into the locker room, but the Blue Hose marched 80 yards in six plays, capped by a 31-yard touchdown connection from Tim Webb to Terrance Butler with 49 seconds remaining in the half that brought PC within three points.
In the second half, it was all Appalachian. Three-hundred-and-sixty-seven of ASU’s 407 yards after the break came on the ground, highlighted by two touchdown runs apiece by running back Devin Radford and backup quarterback DeAndre Presley.
Radford was especially impressive, torching the Blue Hose for 251 all-purpose yards (179 rushing, 72 receiving) and three total touchdowns (a 72-yard pass from Edwards and runs of two and one yards).
The Mountaineer defense held up its end of the bargain by keeping the Hose off the scoreboard in the second half. The Apps limited PC’s high-octane offense to just 151 yards in the second half and intercepted four passes on the evening, including two by cornerback Cortez Gilbert. Middle linebacker Jacque Roman also picked off a pass and led all players with 12 tackles.
Butler paced Presbyterian’s offensive attack with 12 catches for 164 yards while Webb completed 35-of-57 passes for 372 yards.
Appalachian opens Southern Conference play next Saturday with a huge league tilt versus 13th-ranked The Citadel (3-1, 1-0 SoCon). ASU’s homecoming kickoff is set for 3 p.m. and will be televised live on SportSouth.
NOTES: Appalachian won for the 37th time in its last 38 home games ... the win was ASU’s 16th-straight in games immediately following a loss ... the Mountaineers have not lost back-to-back games since setbacks to Hawaii and Eastern Kentucky to open the 2003 season and have played 69 games since it last dropped two-in-a-row ... Appalachian finished 2-2 in the non-conference portion of its schedule, avoiding its first losing record versus non-conference opponents since it went 1-2 in non-conference action in ‘03 ... the 72-yard connection from Edwards to Radford matched ASU’s longest play of the season ... with 256 yards of total offense, Edwards became only the fifth player in Southern Conference history with 7,500 yards of total offense in a career ... only a junior, Edwards already ranks third on the SoCon’s all-time total offense list with 7,747 total yards for his career ... Edwards’ 220 first-half passing yards were the fourth-most in a single half in his career ... Radford’s three-touchdown performance marked the 10th three-touchdown effort by a Mountaineer in the past 15 games ... kicker Jason Vitaris booted two field goals, including a career-long 46-yarder in the third quarter ... RB Robert Welton, LDE Lanston Tanyi and RCB Jared Reine all made their first-career starts.
BOONE, N.C. — No. 3 Appalachian State University rolled up 407 yards of offense in the second half en route to 31 unanswered points and a 48-14 triumph over visiting Presbyterian at rainy Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Four dropped passes and lapses in all three phases of the game punctuated a sloppy first half for Appalachian (2-2), as it led just 17-14 at halftime. Walter Payton Award candidate Armanti Edwards was perhaps the lone bright spot for ASU in the first half as he surpassed his season high for passing yards midway through the second quarter on his way to 220 yards through the air before the break. His yardage total and completion percentage (12-of-21) would have been even higher if not for the four costly drops.
Despite the inefficient play throughout much of the first half, the Mountaineers rebounded from a 7-0 deficit less than two minutes into the game to take a 17-7 lead early in the second period. It appeared as though the Apps would take the 10-point advantage into the locker room, but the Blue Hose marched 80 yards in six plays, capped by a 31-yard touchdown connection from Tim Webb to Terrance Butler with 49 seconds remaining in the half that brought PC within three points.
In the second half, it was all Appalachian. Three-hundred-and-sixty-seven of ASU’s 407 yards after the break came on the ground, highlighted by two touchdown runs apiece by running back Devin Radford and backup quarterback DeAndre Presley.
Radford was especially impressive, torching the Blue Hose for 251 all-purpose yards (179 rushing, 72 receiving) and three total touchdowns (a 72-yard pass from Edwards and runs of two and one yards).
The Mountaineer defense held up its end of the bargain by keeping the Hose off the scoreboard in the second half. The Apps limited PC’s high-octane offense to just 151 yards in the second half and intercepted four passes on the evening, including two by cornerback Cortez Gilbert. Middle linebacker Jacque Roman also picked off a pass and led all players with 12 tackles.
Butler paced Presbyterian’s offensive attack with 12 catches for 164 yards while Webb completed 35-of-57 passes for 372 yards.
Appalachian opens Southern Conference play next Saturday with a huge league tilt versus 13th-ranked The Citadel (3-1, 1-0 SoCon). ASU’s homecoming kickoff is set for 3 p.m. and will be televised live on SportSouth.
NOTES: Appalachian won for the 37th time in its last 38 home games ... the win was ASU’s 16th-straight in games immediately following a loss ... the Mountaineers have not lost back-to-back games since setbacks to Hawaii and Eastern Kentucky to open the 2003 season and have played 69 games since it last dropped two-in-a-row ... Appalachian finished 2-2 in the non-conference portion of its schedule, avoiding its first losing record versus non-conference opponents since it went 1-2 in non-conference action in ‘03 ... the 72-yard connection from Edwards to Radford matched ASU’s longest play of the season ... with 256 yards of total offense, Edwards became only the fifth player in Southern Conference history with 7,500 yards of total offense in a career ... only a junior, Edwards already ranks third on the SoCon’s all-time total offense list with 7,747 total yards for his career ... Edwards’ 220 first-half passing yards were the fourth-most in a single half in his career ... Radford’s three-touchdown performance marked the 10th three-touchdown effort by a Mountaineer in the past 15 games ... kicker Jason Vitaris booted two field goals, including a career-long 46-yarder in the third quarter ... RB Robert Welton, LDE Lanston Tanyi and RCB Jared Reine all made their first-career starts.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tennessee Falls to Auburn- Coach Fulmer Postgame Quotes
Tennessee Volunteer Coach Phillip Fulmer spoke to the media after his team's 14-12 loss to #12 Auburn on Saturday. Quotes are courtesy of utsports.com.
"It goes without saying that it was a very disappointing loss. I congratulate Auburn on their win. I think the defense played outstanding for most of the afternoon. Offensively, we were stuck. The second half, the defense gave us good field position and opportunities, especially w
ith the punts and punt returns, and we didn't get anything out of it. To play offense, you have to execute and that is first and foremost. I don't think this team has lost its spirit at all. I think we have good leadership and its growing all the time. Adversity will challenge us and we will see where we really stand.
"It is very disappointing to get that kind of effort out of our defense and our kicking game and not get a win. Auburn has an outstanding football team and we need to do much better to win."
On Tennessee's possible quarterback changes
"It is something that we have to look at in every position on the field. Tomorrow, and as the week goes on, we will break down film. Eight-for-24 is unacceptable. We need to be sure that he [Jonathan Crompton] is finding the receivers and getting the ball to the people who make plays for us."
On his frustrations with Crompton
"I don't want to put a loss on any one particular guy. We play as a team, win as a team and lose as a team. On the same token, we have to look at everything we can do to make the team feel better when it's not. That's where I'll leave that until we get a chance to look at the tape and see."
On the goal line fumble
"Until I really see the film, I can't really answer that. From what the guys saw on TV, they said Arian [Foster] had his elbow up too high. I'll have to look at it on tape. Obviously that is a huge play in the game."
On making improvements
"We played a better defensive team than we did last week and that is not to take anything away from Florida. We played on the road [today]. We handled ourselves, in a lot of ways, better in regards to mistakes. That one mistake is enough to get you beat by a good team. We have to keep working, burn the midnight oil as coaches, and get it across to the players what needs to be done. If changes need to be made, I'm not afraid to make them."
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