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712 yards: Apps roll to victory
Mountaineers pound Eagles
Robert Franklin photo
Quarterback Armanti Edwards of Appalachian State eludes a Georgia Southern tackler. Edwards rushed for 39 yards in the game.
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Published: October 25, 2009
BOONE -- Appalachian State didn't struggle yesterday.
The Mountaineers, maligned for much of the season for a variety of issues in closer-than-usual games, erased some doubts -- for one game at least.
The defense dominated. The offense moved at will.
Other than losing two first-half fumbles, the Mountaineers came up with a complete game and rolled to a 52-16 victory over Georgia Southern.
The Mountaineers totaled 712 yards, not far from the school-record 788 yards in a 115-0 victory over Piedmont in 1936. The Eagles were held to 171 total yards, including 15 rushing.
Armanti Edwards led the offensive onslaught, completing 26 of 34 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns before being replaced late in the third quarter by backup Travaris Cadet, who rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Matt Cline, who caught 10 passes, and CoCo Hillary both topped 100 receiving yards for the Mountaineers, who improved to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the Southern Conference.
On defense, Appalachian had six sacks, including two by Jabari Fletcher.
"We felt like we had something to prove," said Fletcher, adding that his teammates wanted to silence doubts about the defense.
Coach Jerry Moore said: "I think we needed this kind of a win. This was about as close to a complete game as can happen.
"(Georgia Southern's) backs were to the wall, you think you're going to catch their best shot because it's a game they have to win. There's no question this was the best week of preparation we've had from camp on. We changed some things, we talked about personnel and how we were practicing."
The previous three games between the teams were decided by a total of 11 points.
Yesterday's game, played in front of a crowd of 26,215 at Kidd Brewer Stadium, was basically decided in the first half. The Mountaineers led 35-10 at halftime.
"I think we were a little overwhelmed by the environment," said Coach Chris Hatcher, whose Eagles fell to 4-4 and 3-2. "We haven't played very well on the road the entire season. ... Appalachian is the same as they've always been, nothing's changed, and I've said all year this is a great football team. They came out fired up and took it to us and never looked back."
ASU's defense set the tone by forcing three and outs on Georgia Southern's first two possessions. The Eagles didn't get a first down, other than by penalty, in the first quarter. They gained just 96 yards in the first half.
The Mountaineers made two changes in their starting lineup on defense. Freshman Michael Frazier started for the first time, replacing Justin Lloyd at linebacker. Dominique McDuffie, a redshirt freshman who started three games at cornerback last season before suffering a knee injury, started for the first time this season -- replacing Jared Reine at nickel back.
The Mountaineers, who gained 413 yards in the first half, scored on four of their first five possessions. The Eagles scored on the one the Mountaineers didn't, returning a Brad Hardee fumble 38 yards for a touchdown for about the only blemish on an otherwise lustrous first half for Appalachian State, which was forced to punt just once.
"We came out showing that we wanted to throw the ball, and it was up to them to stop us," Hillary said.
The Mountaineers produced more than 600 yards for the third straight game.
"Sometimes we start (seasons) off kind of shaky, a few games in, but then it starts clicking," Hillary said.
Cline said: "I think offensively, we've pretty much gotten better week to week."
Edwards completed 23 of 29 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Cline made nine first-half catches.
Devon Moore rushed for two first-half touchdowns, and Hillary caught two touchdown passes -- including a 9-yarder with six seconds left in the half, capping an eight-play, 78-yard drive in little more than a minute.
Appalachian State drove 79 yards on its first possession, getting a 29-yard third-down conversion on a pass from Edwards to Cline and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Cline.
The lead was short-lived after Derek Heyden returned Hardee's fumble for a touchdown, but the Mountaineers took the lead for good on a 53-yard catch by Hillary. Devon Moore capped the next two drives with short TD runs.
The Mountaineers, winners of 16 straight SoCon games, picked right up in the second half, driving 58 yards on three plays for Moore's third touchdown run and a 42-10 lead.
tbowman@wsjournal.com.
727-7320
Georgia Southern 7 3 6 0 -- 16
Appalachian State 14 21 10 7 -- 52
First Quarter
ASU--Cline 15 pass from Edwards (Vitaris kick), 9:03.
GSU--Heyden 38 fumble return (Mora kick), 5:11.
ASU--Hillary 53 pass from Edwards (Vitaris kick), 3:35.
Second Quarter
ASU--D.Moore 4 run (Vitaris kick), 14:08.
ASU--D.Moore 5 run (Vitaris kick), 12:02.
GSU--FG Mora 31, 3:26.
ASU--Hillary 9 pass from Edwards (Vitaris kick), :06.
Third Quarter
ASU--D.Moore 10 run (Vitaris kick), 11:06.
GSU--Urbano 2 run (pass failed), 5:14.
ASU--FG Vitaris 43, 2:10.
Fourth Quarter
ASU--Cadet 15 run (Vitaris kick), 3:15.
A--26,215.
TEAM STATISTICS
GSU ASU
First downs 15 31
Rushes-yards 27-15 42-328
Passing 156 384
Comp-Att-Int 20-34-1 30-41-1
Return Yards 25 8
Punts-Avg. 8-44.3 2-48.5
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 2-2
Penalties-Yards 6-57 12-105
Time of Possession 28:12 31:48
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Georgia Southern, Urbano 16-41, Collins 1-8, DeMasi 1-(minus 7), Chapple 9-(minus 27). Appalachian State, Cadet 11-131, Chisholm 13-79, Edwards 6-61, D.Moore 9-31, C.Baker 2-27, Radford 1-(minus 1).
PASSING--Georgia Southern, Chapple 20-34-1-156. Appalachian State, Edwards 26-34-0-320, Cadet 4-7-1-64.
RECEIVING--Georgia Southern, P.Barker 6-25, Wilcox 4-31, Williford 4-15, Valentine 2-41, Urbano 2-13, Robinson 1-20, Sumner 1-11. Appalachian State, Cline 10-102, Hillary 7-104, Quick 5-74, B.Frazier 2-37, D.Moore 2-25, Presley 1-24, Hardee 1-10, Jorden 1-5, Magazu 1-3.
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