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ASU will take on Jacksonville
Dolphins would like to build a dominant team, just like the Mountaineers
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Coach Jerry Moore will lead Appalachian State against Jacksonville today.
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Published: September 6, 2008
BOONE
The Jacksonville Dolphins might be fish out of water today when they take on Appalachian State, but Coach Kerwin Bell welcomes an opportunity for his players to go against a program that they someday want to be like.
The Mountaineers have won three straight titles in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA). The Dolphins are a non-scholarship FCS program but have a vision for a major upgrade.
"What better way than to go play the team that you want to be like, and see what it's all about," Bell said. "We're going to introduce our kids to some great I-AA football."
In its 11th season, Jacksonville's football program is relatively young. Bell, a former quarterback at Florida, was hired last season by a new administration that has significant changes in mind.
"The program has really changed directions," Bell said. "The first nine years was more of a typical non-scholarship program where there wasn't a lot spent on facilities, there wasn't a lot of money raised, and there wasn't really a vision for the program to go to another level."
Now there is a specific goal, he said.
"It's been like starting from the ground level, but we've got people on board who really believe in it," Bell said. "I'm sort of looking at the model of App State. My vision is to one day be an App State in I-AA football. There's a great niche here in the state of Florida, we're in a state that provides a lot of great football players, and we're in a city like Jacksonville with a lot of resources. There's no reason why we can't build a great I-AA, full-scholarship program."
The Dolphins opened their season last Saturday with a 20-7 victory at Savannah State, but Bell knows today's challenge will be much stiffer against ASU, the top-ranked FCS team in the nation.
"Just like everybody else, we want to try to limit their big plays," Bell said in regard to the game plan against the Mountaineers. "That's a little easier said than done, with their speed and athleticism. But we'll give it our best shot. This will be a great experience for these kids."
The Mountaineers, playing their home opener, are trying to bounce back from a 41-13 loss to LSU, the defending champion in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Armanti Edwards, the Mountaineers' quarterback, said he expects his team to respond well and correct last Saturday's mistakes.
"It's not like that was the first time we ever lost, so we knew how to take it," Edwards said, noting that he doesn't expect any difficulty making the transition from a powerful FBS opponent to a non-scholarship FCS team.
"It's not going to be hard at all. We'll prepare for this team just like any other team."
Jerry Moore, the Mountaineers' coach, said that his team won't take Jacksonville lightly.
"They got off to a good start," Moore said. "We've got great respect for them. They're building a program, their kids are playing hard and they're well-coached. And I'm sure they're excited about playing us just like we were excited about playing LSU."
Freshman Josh McGregor, who replaced starter Erik Stepelton at quarterback in the second half, led Jacksonville to three straight scoring drives against Savannah State. More of a dual-threat quarterback than the 6-3, 240-pound, strong-armed Stepelton, the 6-2, 190-pound McGregor passed for one touchdown and ran for another in his debut, and he could be the starter today.
"He's come out of nowhere," Bell said. "We almost didn't bring him to camp. But there was something about him, he had a presence about him, and he has really shined, and our team believes in him.
"He's the type of player that can do some things on his own. He can make some plays with his feet and his arm."
The Mountaineers will have a different look themselves today, at least in terms of appearance -- they will wear throwback uniforms to commemorate Moore's 20th season at ASU. The uniforms are replicas of those worn in 1989, Moore's first season as coach, and the jerseys will be auctioned online next week.
Moore said that his team is just looking forward to the home opener.
"So many neat things have happened here in the last three or four years, but particularly in the last year," Moore said. "Our stadium (expansion) on one side is completely finished, and looking at the other side it's amazing what they've been able to do work-wise."
Edwards said: "We've got a sellout crowd, so the atmosphere is going to be great. I feel like everybody is going to put last week behind us and go out and play as hard as we can."
■ Tommy Bowman can be reached at 727-7320 or at tbowman@wsjournal.com.
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