Appalachian State won't get a do-over for its first two games, but members of the defense consider Saturday's Southern Conference opener against Samford a chance for a fresh start.
"The feeling is almost like we're coming out of training camp, and we're starting the year all over again," defensive tackle Anthony Williams said. "We as a unit want to go back out and prove to ourselves and anybody who doubts us that we are for real and that we're going to get it together."
Appalachian is 0-2 after losses to East Carolina and McNeese State, and the play of a defense that has nine starters back from last season has been puzzling.
East Carolina rolled up 267 yards and 27 points in the first half before ASU's defense stiffened and allowed just 53 yards and no points in the second half. McNeese totaled 40 points and 522 yards in the next game.
The reasons?
"Missed assignments," linebacker Jacque Roman said. "Not doing the right things. That leads to giving up a lot of yards and a lot of points."
Cornerback Cortez Gilbert said: "Out of 70-some plays we lined up wrong 32 times. So about 50 percent of the time before the snap, we were lined up wrong and they capitalized on our mistakes.
"We knew what to do. We just didn't do it."
It wasn't all what ASU did wrong, but a lot of what McNeese did right.
Senior quarterback Derrick Fourroux completed 25 of 34 passes for 341 yards against ASU, and senior tailback Todd Penland ran for 127 yards on 19 carries and caught 10 passes for 121 yards.
"Personally, I think McNeese was a great ballclub," Williams said. "I don't want to take anything away from them. Their offensive scheme was planned out very well and that coupled with us not executing calls and not making plays led to the outcome."
Roman said: "I think maybe it was a little too much confidence coming off that second half against ECU. It seemed like the focus wasn't there, and the intensity wasn't always there."
The Mountaineers felt an extended sting from the two losses and carried it through last week's practices and last weekend's open date.
"We've worked a lot on two things -- attitude and getting people in the right positions," Roman said.
Williams said: "A lot of what we worked on is refocusing. The guys on this defense are mostly older guys, playing for at least two or three years, so it's not personnel but more of refocusing and getting it together. It's about executing the calls, being lined up right when the ball is snapped."
Gilbert said: "It's not like we haven't had intensity in practice or anything like that. It's just that we haven't done the job. It's like your mom telling you to take out the trash and you forget to do it. We knew we were supposed to do it but we just didn't do it…."
Gilbert and Roman said that confidence in the defense, internally at least, hasn't diminished and that it would be a mistake to write off a unit that started the season with lofty expectations.
"We still have confidence," Roman said. "We know what type of defense we are capable of being, and I think everybody will see that Saturday."
Gilbert said: "We all know what jersey we're putting on, and what name is on that jersey. We're still confident. We just know we've got to play better. Everybody saw what we could do (the second half) against ECU.... It's a good defense. It can be an awesome defense. We've just got to play like it.
"Ever since I've been here, there have always been critics saying our run defense isn't strong and stuff like that. But most of us have been playing together for a long time, and we know the capability we have. Some people can write us off, but I think it will be back up by the time December gets here."
tbowman@wsjournal.com
727-7323
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement