Appalachian State (3-0) will return to the football field in rainy, wet conditions this weekend much like the way they left it in Norfolk last Saturday. The Mountaineers attempted to put their stamp on G5 play with a 49-0 thrashing of Old Dominion, a CUSA opponent. The men from Boone draw Mountain West opponent, Wyoming (0-4) for homecoming this weekend. Appalachian has a history of strong defensive performances in bad weather conditions, and this one looks like it will fit the bill. Boone is currently in near flood conditions and the rain is not expected to hesitate through Sunday. Kidd Brewer Stadium, at an elevation of 3,333 feet will not be in danger of flooding, but it will be wet. The performance out of the black and gold has been interesting so far this season, and it is hard to get much of a read on how good they really are since they have completely overmatched and shutout two opponents. But those performances sandwiched a throttling by Clemson. So, the question really is how good they will be once they enter conference play after the Wyoming game. Who is Appalachian State? If the home team performs as expected it will be tough to figure out where they stand even after the game against the Cowboys. Let’s take a look at the offense and defense.
Offense: Taylor Lamb personifies the up and down performance of his team. He had a career high 4 touchdown passes against the Old Dominion Monarchs. His 266 pass efficiency was a career high (eclipsing his rating from the first game of the year versus Howard), and the fifth highest of any player in the nation this year. The sophomore was 11-15 with 187 yards on the day. This excellence followed the Clemson game where he threw 3 interceptions out of 4 attempts in the second quarter of the 41-10 rout by the Tigers. In addition to the turnovers in Death Valley the team really couldn’t consistently obtain first downs.
From a running back perspective, Marcus Cox has been able to post several 100 yard games this year, but some of those yards have been late in the first half against Howard (to be expected), and late in the first half versus Clemson and against Old Dominion. Judging by the eye test, it still doesn’t feel like Cox is playing like the dominating player we saw last season. Terrence Upshaw has been a valuable change of pace type player who may be outplaying Cox at this point. Some of the younger running backs were able to get playing time in the Old Dominion rout. That included a 22 yard touchdown run by Jalin Moore.
The wide receivers have been interesting to watch because Lamb has really spread the ball around. Sophomore Shaedon Meadors seems to be the best deep threat, but seniors Bobo Beathard, Simms Mcelfresh and Malachi Jones have all had their moments as well. Junior Jaquil Capel has been the biggest new threat for the offense; and I think we could see more of him as the season goes on.
Defense: The Mountaineer defense has actually been stellar all season, so far. They opened the year with the shutout of Howard; and despite the final Clemson score, they played well in that game as well. Clemson was held to just a field goal in the first quarter, and the defense wore down over time while having to spend most of the day on the field.
Last week they were able to hold Old Dominion to 175 total yards, and held the number four running back in the country, Ray Lawry to 22 yards. Linebacker, John Law, led the team with 7 tackles. Linebacker Devan Stringer had a 77 yard fumble return for a touchdown; and cornerback Latrell Gibbs added an interception. The defense held the Monarachs to just 59 yards in the second half as they were able to finish off their fourth shutout in the last 14 games. Mountaineer head coach Scott Satterfield was a quarterback by trade, but his defense to this point may more reliable than the team’s offense.
Going forward, who is this team? After the Clemson game it is pretty clear they are not a top 15 caliber team, but how highly could they rank in the Sun Belt conference and G5 in general? I think it is hard to say. The Mountain men left their mark on the state of Virginia last week and will be expected to romp on homecoming weekend. We will have to wait and see how good they can be as they get into their Sun Belt schedule as the month goes on. This team’s performance within the Sun Belt will define their season.
