Mountaineers feel frustration after loss

An eight-win season and playoff appearance would be considered a commendable season for a lot of football programs.

But there are exceptions, especially for teams such as Appalachian State with a recent history of championships.

"I feel like App is not most programs," sophomore quarterback Jamal Jackson said after the Mountaineers ended their season 8-4 on Saturday. "If it's not a championship, we're not satisfied."

The Mountaineers most definitely were not satisfied after a 34-12 loss to Maine in the second round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. ASU had a first-round bye.

"I'm a person who is always thankful for the blessings, but it's always a disappointment when you come up short of your goals," senior DeAndre Presley of ASU said. "From that aspect, it's a disappointment because we didn't accomplish our goals of a Southern Conference or a national championship."

Coach Jerry Moore said that he was shocked by the outcome — the final margin and earliest exit in the Mountaineers' last eight playoff appearances — as well as deeply disappointed for his group of seniors.

"I hurt for our seniors," Moore said. "Those guys have had a great experience here. Many of those guys were part of our last national championship and they've all been part of conference championships.

"And we know what it's like to play games of this magnitude. This was nothing new for us. So we should have handled it. But we didn't do it. It's a tough deal for all these players."

It was the first time since 2004 that an ASU team didn't win at least 10 games. Much of the reason was a drop in offensive production. The Mountaineers' 28.7 points and 390 yards a game were their lowest in eight years. They finished seventh in the nine-team SoCon in red-zone success, and they provided little semblance of a solid running game — they had just three yards rushing against Maine.

"It's tough when you go from scoring 30- to 40-plus points a game to however many we averaged this year," said Presley, a receiver who put up big numbers as ASU's quarterback in 2010 but was replaced at that position by Jackson by the middle of this season. "You never want to blame anybody other than yourself. We didn't get it done. I can't put my finger on one thing. We just didn't execute the way we could have when we should have."

Moore knew that his offensive line would be a question mark entering this season, with three starters having graduated. Compounding the problem were early-season injuries and in-season departures.

"One thing is our offense line, and we will be better but we've got to be bigger," Moore said. "We're playing with 260-pound guards and tackles. We redshirted some guys who are going to be good players. Overall, it may be the best class that we've had coming in a long time."

There were suspensions of key defensive personnel as well as injuries and attrition that this group of Mountaineers had to endure.

"I feel like some things happened with our team that weren't supposed to happen," said senior Brian Quick, who wound up as ASU's all-time leading receiver. "Things you can't control. We had some people missing, some people injured, and it's hard. But that's part of it — adversity. You have to adjust; you have to deal with it. Not everything is going to go your way."

Presley said: "There were a lot of good things that did happen this year. We came together and were much closer as a team than I felt like we've ever been. A lot of young guys were able to grow up and learn and make plays; unfortunately, we just didn't make enough of them."

Jackson said: "We need to remember what we did wrong. When we make mistakes — when we're not on the same page as an offense, when we don't execute — we get beat. I'll do everything I can to make us better."

For next season, perhaps the high bar of ASU football has been lowered a bit — which might or might not be a good thing, depending on next season's outcome.

"The good thing is that the guys coming back get another shot at it, to come back and do it better next year," Presley said.