Mountaineers take on Furman
by Steve Behr Sports Editor
It seems that Appalachian State's stretch run to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs has begun.
The Mountaineers, winners of three straight FCS-Division I-AA championships before being bounced out of the playoffs last year, demolished Georgia Southern 52-16 in a game that, had Appalachian State not allowed a fumble to be returned for a touchdown, could have been much worse. The Mountaineers piled up 712 yards, giving them 1,967 total yards in their past three games.
Up next is Furman, a team reeling from a disappointing 38-28 loss to The Citadel. The Paladins are playing for their playoff lives. The Mountaineers are playing for a Southern Conference championship. With co-SoCon leader Elon showing no signs of faltering any time soon, the Moun-taineers cannot afford any hiccups in their next games at Furman and at home against Chattanooga the following week.
Should Elon and Appalachian State win their next two games, the teams play in Elon on Nov. 14 with a likely SoCon championship on the line. But that is too far in the future for the Mountaineers to worry about.
Instead, they have turned their attention to Furman, a longtime league rival.
"We have to play really well against Furman," Mountaineers coach Jerry Moore said. "The league is so tight, it's a week-to-week thing. There really is no fluke in the sense that The Citadel beat Furman."
The Mountaineers' offense has not struggled much this season except when it reached the red zone, according to quarterback Armanti Edwards. However, the Mountaineers scored six out of the seven times they reached the end zone against Georgia Southern last week. Five of those scores were touchdowns.
"Everything we were messing up on was in the red zone," Edwards said. "We started executing in the red zone lately and it's showing."
Moore and Edwards agree that the 2009 edition of the Paladins is as strong as any in the recent past. Offensively, Furman is led by quarterback Justin Sorrells, who Moore feels is improving as the season goes on.
Sorrells is third in the conference in passing, connecting on 150-of-234 passes for 1,573 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. Sorrells averages 224.7 yards passing per game.
"Sorrells is probably one of the most improved players in the conference," Moore said. "It should be a good football game. I hope we make it one."
Sorrells faces an Appalachian State defense that put together its best effort of the season against Georgia Southern. Though the Mountaineers have been stingy during parts of other games, they smothered the Eagles for all four quarters last Saturday.
Appalachian State limited the Eagles to just 15 yards rushing and sacked quarterback Lee Chapple five times. The Eagles scored just nine points offensively with seven coming as the result of a returned fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter.
The Mountaineers eventually took a 35-10 halftime lead and led 42-10 with 11:06 left in the game when Edwards was pulled.
"I wouldn't say it was a message to the league," Edwards said. "When we're on the field we try to execute and take it to them."
The Mountaineers, winners of three straight FCS-Division I-AA championships before being bounced out of the playoffs last year, demolished Georgia Southern 52-16 in a game that, had Appalachian State not allowed a fumble to be returned for a touchdown, could have been much worse. The Mountaineers piled up 712 yards, giving them 1,967 total yards in their past three games.
Up next is Furman, a team reeling from a disappointing 38-28 loss to The Citadel. The Paladins are playing for their playoff lives. The Mountaineers are playing for a Southern Conference championship. With co-SoCon leader Elon showing no signs of faltering any time soon, the Moun-taineers cannot afford any hiccups in their next games at Furman and at home against Chattanooga the following week.
Should Elon and Appalachian State win their next two games, the teams play in Elon on Nov. 14 with a likely SoCon championship on the line. But that is too far in the future for the Mountaineers to worry about.
Instead, they have turned their attention to Furman, a longtime league rival.
"We have to play really well against Furman," Mountaineers coach Jerry Moore said. "The league is so tight, it's a week-to-week thing. There really is no fluke in the sense that The Citadel beat Furman."
The Mountaineers' offense has not struggled much this season except when it reached the red zone, according to quarterback Armanti Edwards. However, the Mountaineers scored six out of the seven times they reached the end zone against Georgia Southern last week. Five of those scores were touchdowns.
"Everything we were messing up on was in the red zone," Edwards said. "We started executing in the red zone lately and it's showing."
Moore and Edwards agree that the 2009 edition of the Paladins is as strong as any in the recent past. Offensively, Furman is led by quarterback Justin Sorrells, who Moore feels is improving as the season goes on.
Sorrells is third in the conference in passing, connecting on 150-of-234 passes for 1,573 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. Sorrells averages 224.7 yards passing per game.
"Sorrells is probably one of the most improved players in the conference," Moore said. "It should be a good football game. I hope we make it one."
Sorrells faces an Appalachian State defense that put together its best effort of the season against Georgia Southern. Though the Mountaineers have been stingy during parts of other games, they smothered the Eagles for all four quarters last Saturday.
Appalachian State limited the Eagles to just 15 yards rushing and sacked quarterback Lee Chapple five times. The Eagles scored just nine points offensively with seven coming as the result of a returned fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter.
The Mountaineers eventually took a 35-10 halftime lead and led 42-10 with 11:06 left in the game when Edwards was pulled.
"I wouldn't say it was a message to the league," Edwards said. "When we're on the field we try to execute and take it to them."