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Erring Appalachian routs Central
Robert Franklin Photo
N.C. Central’s Brian Frierson (left) and Appalachian State’s Devon Moore dive while attempting to catch a pass from Armanti Edwards.
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Published: October 11, 2009
BOONE - Appalachian State, decked out in gold jerseys for homecoming, didn't put on a glittering performance yesterday.
The Mountaineers had too many turnovers and penalties to qualify for sparkling status, but they did average nearly 9 yards a play on the way to a 55-21 victory over N.C. Central.
Statistically, it was a blowout.
The Mountaineers gained 644 yards -- the most ever allowed by an N.C. Central team. The winless Eagles had 194. The Mountaineers totaled 407 rushing yards, and held the Eagles to 5.
Armanti Edwards passed for 237 yards, and two other Mountaineers topped the 100-yard mark. Devon Moore rushed for 124, and Matt Cline caught eight passes for 107.
The only things that countered were 10 penalties, back-to-back turnovers in the first quarter that led to a 14-7 lead by the Eagles and some apparent miscommunication at the end that led to an add-on touchdown with 13 seconds left that Coach Jerry Moore didn't want.
Otherwise, it was a pretty good day for the Mountaineers, who improved to 3-2.
"There were a lot of good things that came out of this ballgame -- No. 1, we got to play a lot of players, particularly in the fourth quarter," Jerry Moore said.
By that time, the outcome was decided.
"They turned it on like we knew they would," said Coach Mose Rison, whose team, in transition from NCAA Division II to FCS status, fell to 0-6. "Armanti started making plays and that's what you expect from a player of his caliber."
And, Rison said, "They took our running game away and made us a one-dimensional football team."
The Mountaineers started off with a bang, taking a 7-0 lead on their first possession when Devon Moore took a handoff, found a gaping hole up the middle and sprinted 73 yards for a touchdown.
But back-to-back turnovers by the Mountaineers led to two straight touchdowns by the Eagles.
Edwards was intercepted for the first time in 86 attempts this season when Calvin Hillie stepped in front of intended receiver CoCo Hillary on a third-and-19 play.
Hillie returned the interception 35 yards before Edwards decked him at the Mountaineers' 11-yard line.
The Eagles scored on a 2-yard run by Tim Shankle two plays later, and got the ball again on the next play after a wide pitch by Edwards tipped off Devon Moore's hands and was recovered by Hillie at the Mountaineers' 24. The Eagles went on to take a 14-7 lead on Earthan Ward's 2-yard reception from Michael Johnson.
Hillary's 47-yard kickoff return led to a quick response by the Mountaineers, who tied the score on a 3-yard run by Devon Moore. The Eagles threatened again, with a penalty-aided drive, but missed a field-goal attempt.
The Mountaineers took control from that point, driving 80 yards to take the lead for good on a 2-yard run by Edwards with 5:08 left in the first half. Penalties hindered their next drive, but they tacked on a 23-yard field goal by Jason Vitaris for a 24-14 halftime lead.
A penalty on the opening drive of the second half annulled a would-be touchdown pass from Edwards to Brian Quick. The Mountaineers settled for another field goal, a 40-yarder by Vitaris, but expanded their lead to 34-14 late in the third quarter when Edwards capped a 69-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run.
The Eagles made one last strike -- taking advantage of blown coverage and scoring on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Michael Johnson to Andrew Johnson -- but the Mountaineers answered quickly, getting a 26-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Hillary early in the fourth quarter.
"We were able to run the ball and throw the ball," Cline said. "When both are working for you, it makes it a lot easier."
Backup quarterback Travaris Cadet added a 17-yard touchdown run with 5:38 left, and Robert Welton scored the final touchdown on a 3-yard run with 13 seconds left.
That was the touchdown that Jerry Moore didn't want.
"That's not us," said Moore, who was visibly upset after the play. He threw a file folder to the ground, then embraced and apologized to Rison at midfield after the game.
"We were going to take a knee," Moore said.
"I apologized to their coach and, if the locker rooms were like they used to be (close together), I would have asked them if I could have gone in there and apologized to their players…"
Moore said that his offensive unit didn't see the signal to take a knee.
"But you've got to understand, too, there's two sides to that (situation)…," Moore said. "Those kids that were in that ballgame right at the last, they've been here all summer, they're here all during two-a-days, and they want to play.
"They want to perform and they want to execute. They'd all been mad at me if they had taken a knee, because that's what I wanted to do."
Moore was also disappointed in the fact his team was saddled with 10 penalties, and, he said, "I didn't think we tackled that well. That's been a bit of a problem."
tbowman@wsjournal.com.
727-7320
N.C. Centra
l 14 0 0 7 -- 21
ASU 7 17 10 21 -- 55
First Quarter
ASU--D.Moore 73 run (Vitaris kick), 10:14.
NCCU--Shankle 2 run (Cardelle kick), 5:57.
NCCU--Ward 2 pass from M.Johnson (Cardelle kick), :34.
Second Quarter
ASU--D.Moore 3 run (Vitaris kick), 12:44.
ASU--Edwards 2 run (Vitaris kick), 5:08.
ASU--FG Vitaris 23, :35.
Third Quarter
ASU--FG Vitaris 40, 11:17.
ASU--Edwards 7 run (Vitaris kick), 3:15.
Fourth Quarter
NCCU--An.Johnson 44 pass from M.Johnson (Cardelle kick), 14:28.
ASU--Hillary 26 pass from Edwards (Vitaris kick), 12:01.
ASU--Cadet 17 run (Vitaris kick), 5:38.
ASU--Welton 3 run (Vitaris kick), :13.
A--25,017.
TEAM STATISTICS
NCCU ASU
First downs 11 34
Rushes-yards 29-5 46-407
Passing 186 237
Comp-Att-Int 16-23-0 17-29-1
Return Yards 35 12
Punts-Avg. 7-38.6 0-0.0
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards 6-54 10-81
Time of Possession 30:07 29:53
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--N.C. Central, Shankle 12-31, McCord 7-6, Manuel 1-0, K.Williams 1-0, Team 1-(minus 3), Scott 1-(minus 7),Goforth 2-(minus 9), M.Johnson 4-(minus 13). Appalachian State, D.Moore 11-124, Edwards 10-97, Cadet 8-68, Chisholm 6-54, C.Baker 6-36, Cline 3-25, Welton 1-3, Radford 1-0.
PASSING--N.C. Central, M.Johnson 16-23-0-186. Appalachian State, Edwards 17-29-1-237.
RECEIVING--N.C. Central, Scott 3-41, Irvine 3-40, Ward 3-28, Shankle 3-18, Goforth 2-11, An.Johnson 1-44, McCord 1-4. Appalachian State, Cline 8-107, Quick 4-39, Jorden 2-47, Hillary 2-37, Elder 1-7.
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