News
Email
Print
ASU faces an unknown Samford team
No. 2 Mountaineers have the edge in team speed but the Bulldogs are a force along the offensive line
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: October 11, 2008
Samford, the Southern Conference's newest team, didn't have far to go to exceed expectations after being picked to finish last in preseason coaches and media polls.
Where the Bulldogs will finish remains to be seen, but so far, they've raised a few eyebrows.
In two SoCon games -- both on the road -- Samford has a victory and a near upset. It defeated Western Carolina 21-6 last Saturday and gave nationally ranked Elon a scare a week earlier before losing 23-17.
Pat Sullivan, a former Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn who is in his second season as Samford's coach, said that it's too early to draw any conclusions. But the Bulldogs (3-2) appear to be headed upward after four straight losing seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference.
"I didn't know and still don't know as far as where we (rank in the Southern Conference)," Sullivan said. "I think we have improved as a football team. We're young, but some of our guys are growing up."
Sullivan and the rest of the SoCon will find out a little more today when Samford plays host to Appalachian State in Birmingham, Ala. Kickoff will be at 3:30.
"The measuring stick for all of us in this division is App State," Sullivan said.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for Appalachian today will be facing an opponent it knows little about. The Mountaineers and Bulldogs haven't met since 1970.
"We're playing a team that's a little bit of an unknown to us," said Coach Jerry Moore, whose Mountaineers (3-2) have won three straight national titles and are ranked No. 2 in FCS polls.
He does know that the Bulldogs are big -- averaging 6-5 and 303 on the offensive line.
"We don't usually see lines like that unless we're playing SEC- or ACC- or Big Ten-type football teams," Moore said.
Sullivan said he sees a disparity in team speed. He said that the Mountaineers have much more of it.
"That's something we've got to get," Sullivan said. "We're not there yet."
The Bulldogs do have a big and productive running back in Chris Evans, who is listed as 6-2 and 218 pounds. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman after spending a redshirt season at Alabama-Birmingham, and this season, he leads the SoCon with an average of 116 rushing yards a game.
"He's not necessarily the fastest guy, he's probably 4.6 (seconds, over 40 yards), but he's just got great vision and takes care of the ball," Sullivan said of Evans. "He's got that knack of seeing the hole and an explosive step to get through it. That's a good trait of any back, and I think our offensive line has done a good job of getting some movement."
And the Bulldogs have been successful stopping the run, a Mountaineers staple.
The Bulldogs have allowed 83 yards rushing a game and lead the SoCon in scoring defense with 16.4 points a game allowed. The Mountaineers lead the SoCon in scoring (39.2 points) and rank second in the nation in total yards (469 a game).
Armanti Edwards, the Mountaineers' quarterback, said that the Bulldogs have his team's full attention.
"They play an old-school defense -- four down linemen and three linebackers," Edwards said. "They're pretty big guys.… Hopefully we can spread them out, spread the field and stay on our blocks."
Mark LeGree, a sophomore who has started all five games for the Mountaineers at safety, is doubtful for today's game after sustaining a mild concussion last Saturday. Billy Riddle could start in LeGree's place. Quavian Lewis, who missed last Saturday's game with a bruised knee, is expected to return and start at defensive end.
■Tommy Bowman can be reached at 727-7320 or at tbowman@wsjournal.com.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
N.C. Politics
Federal Politics
See community events or add your own! Click here!
Advertisement
