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Eagles always tough for ASU
Mountaineers have struggled on defense most of '09 season
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Published: October 24, 2009
BOONE
Close games have been the norm for Appalachian State this season.
Today's game against Georgia Southern (3 p.m., SPTSTH Ch. 71) could fit right into that pattern, because past games between the two couldn't have been much closer.
Appalachian leads the series 12-11-1. The last three games have been decided by one point, by three points and in double overtime. And the road team has won each of the past three seasons, with Georgia Southern snapping ASU's 30-game home winning streak two years ago.
The Mountaineers won 37-36 last year in a game that featured eight lead changes and 880 yards of offense.
"It's a great rivalry game," quarterback Armanti Edwards of Appalachian said. "It's a game nobody wants to lose."
And it's a game neither team can afford to lose. Both teams are in contention for the Southern Conference title, with ASU at 3-0 in league play and Georgia Southern at 3-1.
Coach Chris Hatcher of the Eagles said that his team had its most complete game yet last week in a 20-10 victory against Chattanooga. He said that the Eagles kept the ball for 13 minutes of the fourth quarter and were able to shut down the Mocs' running game.
"I've been real pleased with our progress," Hatcher said. "We're a very inexperienced team. I think 30 of our top 44 players are all freshmen and sophomores. We're getting better each week…. I don't know how good we can be, but I think that we're playing right now like I want us to play. We're playing as a complete team, and we've got a little confidence about ourselves."
The Eagles, once a power with a triple-option offense, haven't been as productive on offense this season -- they rank seventh in the nine-team SoCon in total yards and scoring. But the defense has been more formidable.
"They like to move people around on defense and confuse the offense," Edwards said.
"Those guys are pretty fast. We'll have to be ready to play."
Edwards, recruited by Georgia Southern when he was in high school, has amassed 1,081 yards in three games against the Eagles, the most in his career against any Southern Conference opponent.
Coach Jerry Moore of ASU said of the Eagles: "I think the biggest contrast is that they're just a different offense than what they used to be. The option was their thing, now Chris has brought a different style of offense. They throw the ball more. But they still play hard. They're still Georgia Southern.
"They've got as good of athletes as anybody in this conference."
The Apps, ranked No. 8 in the FCS, have won four in a row after losing their first two, and most of their games have been close. Last week's 44-34 victory against Wofford nearly went to the wire, but ASU charged back from a two-touchdown deficit.
"You lose sight a little bit of the fact that Wofford has probably played the toughest schedule of anybody in our league," Moore said. "They played Wisconsin and South Florida. They're always a good football team, and we feel fortunate to get out of there with a win."
Moore hopes to see his team's defense snap from "a little bit of a comfort zone" today. The Apps rank fifth in the SoCon in yards allowed and seventh in scoring defense.
Hatcher said he doesn't see a team that's struggling.
"They're about the same as they always are," Hatcher said. "It's funny how teams that have dominated like they have just continue to find a way to win, and people say they struggle. I don't think they're struggling. I think everybody in the conference has gotten a little bit better, and everybody gets fired up to play Appalachian State because they are the best.
"To me, they're just like they were last year, and just like they were the year before. They find a way to win, and that's what great teams do."
tbowman@wsjournal.com | 727-7320
Game day
• Teams: Georgia Southern at Appalachian State
• Time: 3 p.m.
• TV/Radio: SportSouth Ch. 71; WKBC 97.3; WBLO 790
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