Behind a career-high 264 yards from quarterback DeAndre Presley, top-seeded Appalachian State University (ASU) rushed for 417 yards and routed No. 21 Western Illinois (WIU) in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Championship on Saturday, Dec. 4, at snow-covered Kidd Brewer Stadium.
With several inches of snow on the ground at kickoff and falling with a mixture of sleet at times throughout the game, ASU turned almost exclusively to its running game. The Mountaineers threw only seven passes — the fewest they ever attempted in 38 all-time NCAA playoff games — but ran 59 times for 417 yards, by far its highest totals of the season.
Presley was the catalyst of ASU’s ground attack, collecting the 264 yards—the fourth-highest rushing total in school history—on just 16 carries (16.5 yards per rush). He ran for two touchdowns, including an 89-yarder, which was the longest in ASU postseason history.
In the process, the junior became only the fourth player in NCAA Division IFCS history to throw for 2,000 yards and run 1,000 yards in the same season. He joins David Dinkins (Morehead State—1999), Barrick Nealy (Texas State
One of Presley’s few undesirable moments came on the Mountaineers’ second possession when he threw an interception that was returned 23 yards by WIU’s Kyle Glazier to the ASU 12-yard line. One play later, Matt Barr connected with Lito Senatus for a 12-yard touchdown pass that gave the Leathernecks an early 7-0 lead.
From there, it was all ASU, as it scored the game’s next 35 points to squash WIU’s hopes for an upset. ASU all but abandoned the pass after the opening minutes of the wintry contest, running the ball on 30-of-31 plays at one point in the first half. The strategy paid off with ASU scoring four rushing touchdowns in the final 20 minutes of the first half to take a commanding 28-7 halftime lead. ASU held a 291-52 edge in total yardage in the opening half, including a 291 to -26 advantage on the ground.
Coming out of the locker room, ASU went back to the air and completed its only two passes of the afternoon on its first drive of the second half. The first completion, a 12-yarder from Presley to CoCo Hillary converted a 3rd-and-9 and, three plays later, Presley found Brian Quick for a 35-yard touchdown that stretched the advantage to 35-7.
Following Quick’s team-leading eighth touchdown catch of the season, ASU kept it on the ground for 20 of its final 21 plays to run out the clock on the 28-point victory.
In all, ASU outgained WIU (8-5) 464-231, which included a 417-133 edge in rushing yards. Even more impressively, 185 of WIU’s season-low 231 yards came after ASU took the 35-7 lead. The 231 total yards were less than half of the Leathernecks’ 476.1-yard average coming into the afternoon, which ranked No. 2 nationally.
Linebacker D.J. Smith led ASU’s dominating defensive effort with 10 tackles, good for his ninth double-digit tackle effort in the last 10 games. Fellow linebacker Justin Wray added seven tackles, including a sack and 2.5 stops for loss, and Jabari Fletcher also notched a sack and 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Barr, who along with Presley is one of the top three vote-getters for the 2010 Walter Payton Award, managed just 98 yards on 13-of-35 passing and was intercepted a season-high three times. Glazier led all players with 13 tackles.
With several inches of snow on the ground at kickoff and falling with a mixture of sleet at times throughout the game, ASU turned almost exclusively to its running game. The Mountaineers threw only seven passes — the fewest they ever attempted in 38 all-time NCAA playoff games — but ran 59 times for 417 yards, by far its highest totals of the season.
Presley was the catalyst of ASU’s ground attack, collecting the 264 yards—the fourth-highest rushing total in school history—on just 16 carries (16.5 yards per rush). He ran for two touchdowns, including an 89-yarder, which was the longest in ASU postseason history.
In the process, the junior became only the fourth player in NCAA Division I
One of Presley’s few undesirable moments came on the Mountaineers’ second possession when he threw an interception that was returned 23 yards by WIU’s Kyle Glazier to the ASU 12-yard line. One play later, Matt Barr connected with Lito Senatus for a 12-yard touchdown pass that gave the Leathernecks an early 7-0 lead.
From there, it was all ASU, as it scored the game’s next 35 points to squash WIU’s hopes for an upset. ASU all but abandoned the pass after the opening minutes of the wintry contest, running the ball on 30-of-31 plays at one point in the first half. The strategy paid off with ASU scoring four rushing touchdowns in the final 20 minutes of the first half to take a commanding 28-7 halftime lead. ASU held a 291-52 edge in total yardage in the opening half, including a 291 to -26 advantage on the ground.
Coming out of the locker room, ASU went back to the air and completed its only two passes of the afternoon on its first drive of the second half. The first completion, a 12-yarder from Presley to CoCo Hillary converted a 3rd-and-9 and, three plays later, Presley found Brian Quick for a 35-yard touchdown that stretched the advantage to 35-7.
Following Quick’s team-leading eighth touchdown catch of the season, ASU kept it on the ground for 20 of its final 21 plays to run out the clock on the 28-point victory.
In all, ASU outgained WIU (8-5) 464-231, which included a 417-133 edge in rushing yards. Even more impressively, 185 of WIU’s season-low 231 yards came after ASU took the 35-7 lead. The 231 total yards were less than half of the Leathernecks’ 476.1-yard average coming into the afternoon, which ranked No. 2 nationally.
Linebacker D.J. Smith led ASU’s dominating defensive effort with 10 tackles, good for his ninth double-digit tackle effort in the last 10 games. Fellow linebacker Justin Wray added seven tackles, including a sack and 2.5 stops for loss, and Jabari Fletcher also notched a sack and 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Barr, who along with Presley is one of the top three vote-getters for the 2010 Walter Payton Award, managed just 98 yards on 13-of-35 passing and was intercepted a season-high three times. Glazier led all players with 13 tackles.
With the victory, ASU (10-2) moves on to next week’s national quarterfinals, where it will face the Villanova Wildcats, who defeated Stephen F. Austin. The game will be played this Saturday, Dec. 11, at Kidd Brewer Stadium. (story and photo courtesy ASU Sports Information)
