Appalachian State Football

Appalachian State linebacker Teh'Ron Fuller was reportedly stabbed outside a bar early Wednesday morning.

According to WBTV, there was an altercation outside a bar that developed into a fight in a parking lot. Fuller was stabbed and is at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center receiving treatment. 

Head football coach Scott Satterfield released a statement on the incident, per Bret Strelow of the Winston-Salem Journal: "Our thoughts are with Teh'Ron and his family. We are thankful for all the medical and support staff that are making sure he is being cared for. Our program and athletic department will continue to support Teh'Ron and his family any way we can during this difficult time."

WBTV noted the extent of Fuller's injuries is unknown at the time. 

On Friday, Dave Faherty of WSCO TV reported police had arrested Malik Simpson in conjunction with the crime. 

Fuller tallied six tackles during his sophomore campaign in 2016 for the Mountaineers.

 

Absolutely, it is.

Unless, of course, it actually isn't.

Yes, and no, are the appropriate answer here because "worth it" is such a remarkably relative term. There is a very palpable "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" feel to these situations. Thus, as the Sun Belt adds FCS and SoCon stalwarts Appalachian State and Georgia Southern to their FBS ranks, both the yes and no boxes were checked.

Some folks looked at the move and immediately called it stupid. Others were thrilled that the Mountaineers and the Eagles would be moving up in the ranks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aBaS5BhiZ8

The truth, with respect to whether or not the move is worth it, is centered on what is important to you.

If title talk and being highly ranked are what drive you, then no, this is certainly not worth it. The move is going to be stressful on their win totals and moving into the Sun Belt is like hopping into the fringe of college football.

The fringe is not a term bashing the quality of football, and the athletes, in the Sun Belt. Rather, it refers to the conference existing on the outside of the major radar in college football. Teams in the Sun Belt don't finish highly ranked. Teams in the Sun Belt do not get the benefit of the doubt. Teams in the Sun Belt, even going 10-3 with a bowl win, don't end the season ranked in the Top 25.

Thus, it stands to reason, that not only will the sledding get tougher on the field, but even if the wins come, don't expect the respect to come with them. Such is the plight of the outsiders, with the exception of Boise State, when it comes to getting opportunities to rise in the ranks.

However, if getting more cash and chasing the dream is the goal, then making the step up is no doubt "worth it" to people. While student fees, and perhaps ticket prices, may go up, so will the cash flowing into the program. Between the television deal, donations and bowl money, the immediate opportunity for an increase is strong.

Throw in the higher payout through the coming playoff, and the increased asking costs for one-off games against bigger schools, and the athletic department will be getting a true shot in the arm. The type of shot that can help with facilities, non-revenue sports and increase travel and recruiting budgets.

While the move does not ensure a rising net profit, it does mean more revenue will be pumped into Boone and Statesboro via the football programs. In addition to the tangible pluses of money, there is the fire that drives many schools into these decisions: pursuit of the dream.

Not the dream of supplanting college football's power-brokers in the pantheon of history, but rather running down that goal of being recognized at the highest level. Until now, most of the success garnered by the Mountaineers and the Eagles came with the "at their own level" caveat.

Sure, beating Michigan earned Appalachian State the spotlight for a bit. Yes, winning titles in bulk brought both App State and Georgia Southern some recognition in their areas. But, nothing like what success at the sport's highest level would do for them. Win here, at FBS, and there is no way for the masses to discount what you've done. The chip on the shoulder for being a "lesser division" is replaced with pats of the back, because you're one of the guys now.

That is everyone's goal; from UTSA and South Alabama, to the Mountaineers and Eagles, chasing down that dream provides considerable motivation. It also makes it worth it (for them) to make that jump to the next level.

Your reference point is what determines whether these moves are worth it. What's more important than assessing worth, is going to be watching how folks motivated by chasing the dream remain motivated as their expectations are forced to be adjusted.

Jerry Moore Steps Down As Head Coach At Appalachian State

BOONE, N.C.--Appalachian State legendary head coach Jerry Moore coached his final game after 24 seasons at the helm in Boone, N.C., in Saturday's 38-37 NCAA Division I FCS Second Round playoff loss to Illinois State.

Appalachian State Athletics Director Charlie Cobb announced Sunday that the he and coach Moore sat down at following the 2011 season and decided that the 2012 season would be Moore's final season at the helm of Appalachian State, but Moore did not want to make that public knowledge, following in line with his humble nature as a man.

“Following the end of last season (2011), Coach Moore and I sat down and we came to the decision, with the approval of Dr. (Kenneth E.) Peacock (Appalachian State University chancellor) that the 2012 season would be the last season of his tenure as head coach,” Cobb said. “Coach Moore didn’t want to make that decision public before or during the season because, in his typical humble nature, he wanted all of the focus to be on his student-athletes, winning a 10th Southern Conference championship and returning to the postseason for the eighth-straight year. In a fitting sendoff, all of those goals were accomplished. For thousands of Mountaineer fans, including myself, seeing him carried off the field by his players while clutching the Southern Conference championship trophy following the win over Furman (Nov. 10) was the highlight of the season.”--Taken from Release at GoASU.com-- http://www.goasu.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21500&ATCLID=205819345

The 73-year old Moore will likely be remembered by most as the coach who rode the shoulders of his players from the Michigan Stadium turf following Appalachian State's historic 34-32 win over BCS fifth-ranked Michigan, as the veteran coach helped the school become the first FCS (formerly Division I-AA) school to ever knock off a ranked FBS (formerly Division I-A) since college football reclassification in 1981.

Moore finishes his career with a 215-87 mark at Appalachian State, while posting an overall mark of 242-135-2 as a head coach, which includes his five seasons at the helm of Texas Tech (1981-85).

Moore helped Appalachian State to 10 of its Southern Conference standard-tying 12 league titles during his tenure, while presiding over just the second Division I team to claim three-straight national titles (2005-07) since Army (1944-46).  He helped ASU become one of just six programs at any level of collegiate football to claim three-straight titles.

He helped Appalachian State tie the league standard for most consecutive SoCon regular-season titles, as ASU won six-straight league crowns from 2005-10, tying Georgia Southern, who won six-straight from 1997-2002.

Moore oversaw 23 teams that posted six or more wins in his 24 seasons in the High Country, including helping the program to 18 of its 19 postseason appearances after taking over in 1989 for Sparky Woods, who left to become the head coach at South Carolina.  Only once did Moore have a team finish below .500 (1993, 4-7) in his 24 seasons on the mountain.

The Bonham, TX native finishes his career among the all-time greats at any level of college football, with his 242 wins ranking him 15th all-time among Division I college football head coaches. The eight wins this season helped Moore to surpass the likes of former greats Woody Hayes (Ohio State, 238 wins) and Bo Schembechler (234 wins, Michigan).

Moore is the only coach in the 77-year history of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) "Coach of the Year" award to garner the distinct citation three-consecutive years, doing so from 2005-07. He coached 257 players that garnered all-conference plaudits, while coaching 95 players to All-America honors in his decorated career.

Please stay tuned for detailed look at Moore's legendary career in Boone in the days to come.

WHO: Coastal Carolina (2-2, 0-0 Big South) at No. 17 Appalachian State (2-2, 1-1 SoCon)

WHEN: Sept. 29, 2012, 3:30 p.m. ET

WHERE: Boone, N.C., Kidd Brewer Stadium (24,500)

Preview: For the first time since 2006, Appalachian State will take on Coastal Carolina in a key SoCon non-conference battle on Saturday afternoon. The game will see the Black and Gold don their alternate jerseys for the only time during the 2012 season, which will feature the old Yosef logo on the helmet.

Saturday's meeting will mark just the third all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and Chanticleers, with ASU winning both of the previous matchups, with the last being a 45-28 first-round win in the FCS playoffs during an opening round clash in the '06 postseason. The only other meeting came during the 2005 regular season, as ASU was able to post a 30-3 regular-season home-opening win at The Rock.

ASU enters Saturday afternoon's contest against the Chanticleers coming off an impressive 34-17 road win at Chattanooga last Saturday, while Coastal Carolina has lost two-straight after dropping a 38-28 decision at Toledo last Saturday. 

The Chanticleers are 6-7 all-time against Southern Conference competition, but are riding a three-game winning streak against SoCon foes, including a 47-45 triple-overtime win at Furman earlier this season. 

ASU on the other hand, has been impressive against current members of the Big South Conference over years, with a 41-15-2 record against current members of the Big South. The Mountaineers did, however, log 19 of those 41 wins against former SoCon member VMI, who now plays as a member of the Big South.

The Mountaineers' offense was in good form this past Saturday after sputtering in the loss a week earlier against The Citadel, as ASU brings a unit into Saturday afternoon's clash with an offense that ranks 30th in FCS in total offense (413.5 PPG), 45th in scoring offense (27.5 PPG), 28th in passing offense (248.0 YPG) and 47th in rushing offense (165.5 YPG). 

Jamal Jackson (89-of-136 passing, 992 yds, 5 TDs, 3 INTs/42 rush att, 179 yds, 2 TDs, 4.3 YPC) continues to play well in ASU's spread attack, putting forth a solid effort last week in leading the Mountaineers to a road win over Chattanooga. In that contest, Jackson was able to connect on 19-of-30 passes for 268 yards, with three TD tosses and only one interception. 

Jackson has a strong arm, but though not as quick as some of his predecessors, has shown the ability to put the ball down and effectively get yards on the ground. In the win over then-No. 12 Montana earlier this season, Jackson had 312 yards of total offense. 

The junior signal-caller certainly has plenty of solid options to get the ball to as a part of ASU's wide receiving corps, with the best of the bunch being redshirt freshman wide receiver Sean Price (18 rec, 233 yds, 3 TDs, 12.9 YPR).

Price came up big in ASU's win over Chattanooga last week, looking much like his predecessor Brian Quick on one of his two TD receptions, leaping high over a Chattanooga defensive back to bring in a 36-yard scoring pass from Jackson early in the fourth quarter.

Moments later after the ASU defense came up with a turnover, Price hauled in his second scoring catch of the evening on a 14-yard strike from Jackson on a slant pattern. Price will start at the "X" receiver position on Saturday against the Mocs.

Joining Price as members of that talented ASU corps of receiving options on Saturday will be veterans and preseason All-SoCon selections Andrew Peacock (20 rec, 221 yds, 1 TD, 11.1 YPR) and Tony Washington (13 rec, 165 yds, 12.7 YPR/1 rush att, 22 yds, 1 TD) at the "Y" and "M" starting wideout positions, respectively. Impressive freshman Malachi Jones (16 rec, 174 yds, 10.9 YPR) starts at the "Z" receiver position, while Drew Bailey (3 rec, 32 yds, 10.7 YPR) rounds out the aerial options for Jackson at tight end.

The Mountaineers' ground game gets some good news this week, with the return of Rod Chisholm (9 rush att, 37 yds, 4.1 YPC), who missed nearly the entire month with a broken hand, which he suffered in the 35-13 season-opening loss to East Carolina.

Handling the lion's share of the running game responsibilities in the absence of Chisholm has been Steven Miller (84 rush att, 399 yds, 5 TDs, 4.8 YPC), who has been solid running the football for the Apps through his first four weeks. His career-high 167-yard, three TD performance in the 52-28 loss to The Citadel was one of the few bright spots for the Apps a couple of weeks ago. Miller has caught the ball well this season, with eight catches for 68 yards and a TD.

In last week's win at Chattanooga, Miller finished the contest with a hard-fought 95 yards on 22 carries against one of the best rushing defenses in the FCS. Miller also had a pivotal 35-yard scoring catch in the second quarter, helping the Mountaineers tie the game just prior to the half. Miller currently ranks fifth in the league in rushing yards, and is averaging right at 100.0 YPG rushing (99.8 YPG).

Maybe the most impressive aspect of Saturday's win for ASU was the recovery of the offensive line against one of the best defensive fronts in the FCS. After completely getting dominated in the opening quarter by that star-laden front for the Mocs, which constantly applied pressure to Jackson, and even caused a first quarter fumble that led to UTC points.

To its credit, ASU, which was playing with out its two starting offensive tackles, who were out as a result of injury and an NCAA rules question, rebounded to play maybe its best three quarters of the season. Preseason All-SoCon left tackle Kendall Lamm was forced to miss the game with a concussion suffered during the week, and he should be cleared to return to action on Saturday against the Chanticleers.

Regan Dufort, who missed the game with a discrepancy involving a potential NCAA rules question, is appealing NCAA for the discrepancy and it is unclear whether he will return this season. Set to start in Dufort's place on Saturday will be either Will Corbin or Ian Barnard who played excellent in their first starts in tandem of the season, and Corbin's first-career start.

Coastal Carolina brings a defense into Saturday's contest against the Mountaineers ranking 77th nationally in total defense (397.5 YPG), 85th in scoring defense (32.8 PPG), 87th in defending the pass (241.5 YPG) and 54th against the run (156.0 YPG). The Chanticleers will operate out of a 4-2-5 defensive formation on Saturday.

CCU has had to deal with some injuries along its defensive line early on this season, losing preseason All-Big South defensive end Chris Thomas to a season-ending knee injury in the 47-45 win over Furman.

The leaders along the defensive line to this point in the 2012 season for the Chanticleers have been veteran defensive end Quinton Davis (14 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack), while Johnny Hartsfield (12 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack) anchors the defensive interior for the Chanticleers.

The strength of the CCU defense is its linebacking corps, which consists of reigning Big South Player of the Week Quinn Backus (41 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBUs, 2 FR, 1 FF), who had 13 tackles and forced a fumble in the 38-28 loss to Toledo last week. Backus will team with talented junior Mike McClure (40 tackles, 4.5 TFL).

The two talented linebackers rank No. 1 and No. 2 on the team in tackles, respectively. Backus claimed the Big South Defensive Player of the Week honors last week        

The Chanticleers have struggled in the secondary early on this season, but the unit has had its moments early on this season. Leading the Coastal Carolina secondary this season has been cornerback Dontavious Johnson (12 tackles, 3 INTs, 2 PBUs, 1.0 TFL, 1 blkd kick).

Johnson is the lone senior in the secondary for the Chanticleers and he will team with LaDarius Hawthorne (26 tackles, 2 PBUs, 1.0 TFL) as a starting cornerback for the Chanticleers on Saturday afternoon. Johnson currently leads the Big South Conference in INTs coming into Saturday's contest, and was the national player of the week after picking off North Carolina A&T three times in the season opener.

The Chanticleers will utilize three safeties in their 4-2-5 defensive scheme, highlighted by Pernell Williams (20 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) and Phillip George (23 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU). Williams will start at the "Whip" safety position for the Chanticleers on Saturday, while George will start at the free safety position. Johnnie Houston (15 tackles, 1.0 sack) rounds out the starters for the Chants in the secondary at strong safety.

One of the strengths for Appalachian State coming into the 2012 season was thought to be its defense, and against Chattanooga last week, it played like it for the first time in 2012. The Apps were able to limit the Mocs to just 270 yards, including holding the Mocs to just 87 yards on the ground last Saturday.

The Mountaineers are in the second season operating out of the 3-4 defensive scheme, and the switch for the most part, has been a large success to this point. Highlighting the efforts in the 34-17 road win at Chattanooga last Saturday night was Brandon Grier, who finished the night with seven tackles, a sack, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a 70-yard interception return for a score to seal the Mountaineers' road win and garnered National Defensive Player of the Week honors by the Sports Network.

The Black and Gold brings a defense into Saturday's final non-conference contest ranking tied for 85th nationally in scoring defense (32.8 PPG), 97th in total defense (440.3 YPG), 70th in passing defense (221.8 YPG) and 94th in rushing defense (218.5 YPG).

The Mountaineers are really young along the defensive line, with two freshmen and a sophomore starting along the defensive front this season. The unit is anchored by sophomore defensive end Ronald Blair (20 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 FR), who is ASU's top pass-rushing down lineman. He will team with Davante Harris (9 tackles, 2.5 TFL) and Stephen Burns (11 tackles, 2.5 TFL) at defensive end and defensive tackles, respectively, on Saturday.

The strength of the ASU defense is in its linebacking corps, led by two of the nation's best at the two inside linebacker positions, with All-Americans Jeremy Kimbrough (47 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 QBH) and Brandon Grier (36 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF, 1 INT, 1 TD) anchoring that unit. Both Kimbrough and Grier could very well end up winning the Buck Buchanan Award this fall, which is given to the most talented defensive player at the FCS level.

The two starters at the respective outside linebackers heading into Saturday's final non-league tilt will be James "Deuce" Robinson (25 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 0.5 sack) and Joel Ross (19 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 QBH). Both Ross and Robinson have done an excellent job in each of their first respective seasons as starters on the ASU defense. Robinson has had to make the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker just prior to fall camp, and has adjusted nicely to his new role.

ASU has a nice group of athletes in the secondary, but at times have given up the big play this year, mostly as a result of  inexperience. Anchoring the secondary this season have been a pair of all-league standouts, in Demetrius McCray (14 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 0.5 sack) at cornerback and Troy Sanders (26 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 PBU) at safety.

Like Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina also brings an impressive offense into Saturday afternoon's showdown against Appalachian State, and the surname leading that offense will be familiar to Appalachian State fans, and that name is "Hillary"—as in Aramis Hillary (93-of-139 passing, 1,127 yds, 7 TDs, 4 INTs/46 rush att, 83 yds, 2 TDs, 1.8 YPC), who is the younger brother of former standout Mountaineer wide receiver CoCo Hillary.

Hillary leads a Coastal Carolina offense that enters Saturday's contest ranking 36th in total offense (403.0 YPG), 35th in scoring offense (30.3 PPG), 86th in rushing yards per game (114.3 YPG) and 15th in passing offense (288.8 YPG).

Hillary has seemingly broken his new school records passing the football with each passing week through the first four games, and has quickly become one of the explosive quarterbacks in the FCS, and will likely be the top quarterback the Mountaineers have seen through the early portion of the schedule.

Hillary, who was recruited hard by Appalachian State, originally started his career at the University of South Carolina, where he found himself behind Stephen Garcia and Connor Shaw on the Gamecocks' depth chart, and he decided to transfer to Coastal Carolina.

Hillary, of course, owes plenty of his success to having one of the most dynamic receiving units in the FCS this season. The trio leading the Chanticleers catching the football this season have been Matt Hazel (20 rec, 293 yds, 3 TDs, 14.6 YPR), DeMario Bennett (19 rec, 232 yds, 2 TDs, 12.2 YPR) and Niccolo Mastromatteo (20 rec, 214 yds, 1 TD, 10.7 YPR).

Hazel and Bennett have good size and speed and are deep threats, whereas Mastromatteo, who missed last week's game for the Chanticleers as a result of an injury, is more of the utility type wideout for the Chanticleers, who does a little bit of everything as a wide receiver to help Coastal Carolina's offense, especially in clutch situations.

When the Chanticleers go to the ground game, they will look to Jeremy Height (54 rush att, 234 yds, 3 TDs, 4.3 YPC/12 rec, 81 yds, 6.8 YPR) and Lorenzo Taliaferro (27 rush att, 106 yds, 1 TD, 3.9 YPC/1 rec, 9 yds). The Chanticleers have struggled to run the ball at times this season, but if Height gets into the open field, he has the speed to take it the distance. Taliaferro has been the back Coastal has relied on in short-yardage situations.

The Chanticleers' offensive front is coached by former Furman All-American offensive lineman Patrick Covington, and he, like former ASU offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, is one of the top offensive line coaches in the nation at the FCS level, and he has helped recruit the offensive linemen with the attributes to fit Coastal's potent spread offense. Anchoring the unit so far this season has been preseason All-Big South left guard Jamey Cheatwood.
 

Final Prediction: Appalachian State 44, Coastal Carolina 41

WHO: No. 12 Montana (1-0, 0-0 Big Sky) at No.11 Appalachian State (0-1, 0-0 SoCon)

WHEN: Sept 8, 2012, 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Boone, N.C., Kidd Brewer Stadium (23,150)

Overview: Saturday's matchup between Montana and Appalachian State will be an enticing non-conference clash between two programs with a rich tradition of championship football. 

The only two matches between the two programs have been in the FCS semifinals nine years apart, and were decided by a TD or less. In 2000, Montana captured a 19-16 overtime win in Missoula, while the 2009 matchup saw the Grizzlies triumphant again in front of the home folks against the Mountaineers, with a 24-17 win, courtesy of TD catch late in the contest by Jabin Sambrano. 

The tradition of the programs cannot be overlooked, with the two schools among the winningest in FCS history, and have a combined five national titles and 10 national title game appearances. ASU of course claimed three straight national crowns from 2005-07, while Montana's title wins came six years apart, as the Grizzlies defeated heavy favorite Marshall to claim their first national crown in 1995 and stepped inside the winner's circle again in 2001 with a win over Furman. 

Whether it was Dave Dickenson's heroics in 1995 in leading the Grizzlies to the upset of Marshall in Huntington in front of a shocked Jim Donnan and a sea of Green, or that cold December night in Chattanooga six years later when the Grizzlies used a defense that featured names like "Steinau" and "Huntsberger" and a QB with a "fu-man-chu" mustache to upend Furman, the script has always remained the same for Montana, which is playing solid, winning football on both sides of the ball. 

Though it is 11 years removed since its last national title, Montana has continued in that same theme, as it has continued to played solid football through the years on both sides of the ball, and has even made the national title game three times only to finish as national runner-up on three occasions, losing in the national title game tilt in '04, '08, and '09. No team won more games than Montana from first 12 years of the new millennium, as the Grizzlies have posted 128 wins from 2000-12. ASU is second with 119 victories since the 2000 season. 

Appalachian State's FCS tradition is on equal footing, and since 2005 no FCS program has one more games (79 wins) and only one FBS program--former Big Sky member Boise State, (80 wins)--has claimed more wins than the Black and Gold. With its win in its season opener on Saturday, Montana is only one game behind ASU's win total and two behind the Broncos' total since '05.  

Unfortunately, both programs had to endure some of the negatives with being a spotlight program, as the off-season brought about some disciplinary actions for off-the-field issues at both programs, but looking at the negatives is not what this game preview is going to concentrate on.

However, there was much more fallout at Montana from the off-season troubles than there was at Appalachian State, but with a new coaching staff and plenty of new faces, Montana didn't look like it was affected all too much by the off-season troubles, posting a 35-24 win over the South Dakota Coyotes before a packed crowd at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. 

Leading the Grizzlies this season on the sidelines is part of the old guard for the Montana Grizzlies football program, in Mick Delaney. Delaney was a defensive assistant and wrestling coach at Montana back in the late 1960's (1968-69) and re-joined the Montana staff under former head coach Bobby Hauck. When Hauck left to become the head coach at UNLV, Delaney was the only holdover from that staff. He served as the associate head coach under Hauck. 

Appalachian State meanwhile, was playing toe-to-toe with Conference USA opponent East Carolina, trailing the Pirates 14-13 in the third quarter, before the sweltering heat and the Pirates size and talent began to wear down the over-matched Apps, as ASU eventually succumbed in defeat, 35-13. However, there were plenty of positives that could be taken from the season opener for ASU, including its 419 yards of total offense against a stout ECU defense.

With that said, the third meeting between the two FCS titans should be one to watch for all fans of FCS football this Saturday. Below is an in-depth preview of Saturday's matchup.

Previewing The Matchup: ASU opens its home slate in 2012 against a quality, top-notch foe at The Rock, when the Mountaineers welcome the No.12 Montana Grizzlies and their passionate followers in for a mouth-watering FCS non-conference clash.

ASU enters Saturday's matchup 60-19-2 all-time in home openers, with the last loss in a home opener coming in 2009, which was the last non-conference ranked foe to knock off the Black and Gold in the friendly confines in the regular season, as No.16 McNeese State was able to escape with a 40-35 win over the Apps. 

Appalachian State's offense looked brilliant at times in Saturday's season opener, and if anyone questioned if Jamal Jackson was the top quarterback in the Southern Conference, he certainly showed why on Saturday. 

The junior from Atlanta, GA., had a solid day under center, battling cramps and fought through pain as a result of some big hits to complete 23-of-40 passes for 300 yards and an INT. Jackson looked as if he had even gained some arm strength during the off-season, while also looking a bit more elusive, and rushed for 34 yards and a score on seven rush attempts. He scored ASU's only TD of the afternoon, with his 4-yard scamper midway through the first quarter to give ASU a 7-0 lead.

Several receivers impressed in the season opener for the Mountaineers, including true freshman Malachi Jones, who made some outstanding grabs. Jones finished the day with five catches for 69 yards and showed reliability, as he has some of the best hands in the receiving corps.

Tony Washington and Andrew Peacock did nothing to disappoint their statuses as all-conference wideouts for the Apps, as the two veterans were Jackson's top two options when he went to the air against the Pirates. Washington led the way with a career high-tying seven receptions for a career high 102 yards, while Peacock hauled in five catches for 77 yards.  

The Appalachian State running game was dealt a blow on Saturday, as Rod Chisholm broke his hand in Saturday's contest, meaning the redshirt will now likely come off of talented Asheville, N.C. product Tysean Holloway. Chisholm will be sidelined for at least a month with his injury. 

Handling the most of the rushing responsibilities last Saturday for the Mountaineers was Steven Miller, who posted a pretty solid effort on the ground for the Apps, as he finished the contest with a solid effort rushing for 47 yards on 14 attempts. 

The offensive line looked good at times on Saturday, and preseason All-SoCon left tackle Kendall Lamm is the anchor of the unit heading into the home opener against the Grizzlies. The ASU offensive line did not yield a sack on Saturday against a talented ECU front. Last season, the ASU offensive line yielded 17 sacks. 

Montana entered its home opener against South Dakota with only five starters returning on the offensive side of the ball, and a new starter under center.

The Grizzlies' offense rolled up 568 yards of total offense, including 315 rushing yards, in the 35-24 win over South Dakota at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. 

The 2012 Montana offense that is vastly different than the Grizzly and FCS fans have been used to seeing the Grizzlies in the past, with the likes of pro-style quarterbacks such as Dave Dickenson, Drew Miller and Brian Ah'Yat being pass-first, pass-second type quarterbacks of the past.

The Grizzlies saw elements of the 'tempo' offense with Jordan Johnson at the controls last season, and with the new coaching staff installed, this Montana offense is using its speed and athleticism to beat foes, rather than its power and size on the O-Line and superiority at receiver. Now, Montana's offense features more spread tendencies, and though not directly similar to ASU's spread, it will certainly look more akin to the ASU offense than it has in the previous two meetings.

Montana's starting quarterback coming into the 2012 season was Jordan Johnson, but Johnson was charged with rape back in July, opening up the quarterback job. That job is now occupied by freshman Trent McKinney.

McKinney played like a senior in Saturday's come-from-behind win over South Dakota, as he was an extremely efficient passing threat 26-of-32 for 214 yards, with a couple of TDs and an INT. McKinney's only interception in the contest proved to be costly, as it was returned 50 yards for a score to give the Coyotes a 24-16 lead, but that the last score of the day.

When McKinney goes to the air on Saturday, he will have some capable receiving targets, led by Sam Grafton and Bryce Carver. Grafton was the Grizzlies' leading receiver last fall, as he caught a team-leading 29 passes for 365 yards with a TD reception, averaging 12.6 YPR.

On Saturday against South Dakota, Grafton hauled in five passes for 42 yards and has already matched his TD receptions total last season, with a 4-yard scoring reception on Saturday. Grafton is more of the "possession receiver" of the trio of starters heading into Saturday's matchup. Grafton was an Honorable Mention All-Big Sky honoree last fall. 

Carver, a 6-1, 180-pound wideout from Dillon, MT, can stretch defenses with his speed, but also has a great pair of hands. Carver had only eight catches as in his sophomore season of 2011, but will clearly play a larger role for the Grizzlies this fall, as evidenced by his four receptions for 61 yards on Saturday and TD on Saturday.He showed that big-play ability on his 39-yard TD reception in the third quarter, which helped the Grizzlies to regain the lead for good.

Rounding out the starting trio of receivers for the Grizzlies will be sophomore Mitch Saylor, who is coming off a freshman season which saw him haul in nine passes for 103 yards. Saylor is an NFL-sized receiver for the Grizzlies coming into the matchup, at an impressive 6-5, 210 pounds. In the season opener against South Dakota, Saylor did not make a catch and was used more as a perimeter blocking presence for the Grizzlies.

Two other receiving threats to keep an eye on Saturday afternoon for Montana will be freshman Sean Haynes, who led the Grizzlies with five receptions for 53 yards last Saturday, as well as Greg Hardy at tight end. Haynes is a redshirt freshman from Los Angeles, CA, who is a big play threat with some of the best speed on the Grizzlies' roster. 

Hardy, a 6-5, 245-pound native of Fairview, MT, was the Grizzlies' fourth-leading receiver in 2011 and enters the 2012 season as one of two All-Big Sky selections on the offensive side of the football for Montana. Hardy hauled in 19 passes for 180 yards (9.5 YPR) last season, and in the season-opening win over South Dakota, Hardy caught a couple of passes for 14 yards. 

Coming into the season, the one area that Montana was in excellent shape experience-wise was at running back, and in the season-opener against South Dakota, that opinion was only enhanced. The Grizzlies had two running backs rush for over 100 yards in Saturday's win, with senior Dan Moore leading the way with 148 yards and a TD on 27 rush attempts, while classmate Peter Nguyen finished with 102 yards and a TD on 19 carries.

Nguyen entered the 2012 season as Montana's leading returning rusher, with 689 yards rushing and a TD on 120 rush attempts last season, while also proving to be an excellent receiving option coming out of the Montana backfield, with 16 catches for 210 yards and three scores.

Nguyen, a 5-8, 182-pound native of Seattle, WA., is Montana's speed threat coming out of the backfield this season and will also serve as a threat in the kick return game, where he averaged 24.8 YPR on nine attempts last season. Nguyen currently ranks sixth on the school's all-time rushing yards ledger, with 1,352 yards.

Moore finished the 2011 season as the Grizzlies' third-leading rusher, completing the campaign with 342 yards and a team-leading seven rushing scores on 97 attempts, averaging 3.5 YPC. He was Montana's clear-cut option in short-yardage situations last fall, and at 5-11, 235 pounds, he has the kind of size and power to give Montana an advantage in most of those short-yardage scenarios.

Rounding out the running backs expected to see action on Saturday is the speedy Jordan Canada, who didn't see much action in the season opener against South Dakota. The sophomore has game-breaking speed and will remind ASU fans of Steven Miller. 

One area Montana teams have have excelled over the years has been the offensive line, with past greats such as Thatcher Szalay and Dylan McFarland just two names that come to mind from that talent-laden past, and not has much has changed through the decades.

Just two starters returned for the 2012 season, but it didn't appear the Grizzlies missed much of a beat on Saturday, rushing for 315 yards in the season-opening win last week. Anchoring that unit this fall will be right tackle Danny Kistler, who was a preseason All-Big Sky selection and has successfully made the transition from right guard to right tackle with his athleticism.

The other returning starter up front for Montana coming into the season is junior left guard  Kjelby Oiland, who started 12 of 14 games last season for the Grizzlies. 

The strength for the Mountaineers coming into the 2012 season was the defense, and at times in Saturday's season opener at East Carolina, that unit certainly looked dominant at times. ASU ended up yielding 390 yards of total output to the Conference USA foe, including surrendering 242 yards through the air and 153 yards on the ground.

The ASU defense surrendered three offensive TDs, with the other two scores on the afternoon coming as a result of a fumble return for a score, as well as a kick return. However, through the first three quarters on Saturday, the ASU defense yielded just 242 yards and allowed ECU only 4.2 yards-per-play. 

ASU, which utilizes a 3-4 defensive scheme, got an outstanding performance its young trio of starters on Saturday. The starting trio up front on the defensive line expected to start on Saturday are defensive ends Davante Harris and Ronald Blair, while true freshman nose tackle Stephen Burns will draw his second start on Saturday against the Grizzlies. 

Burns turned in a solid performance in the middle of that ASU defense in his first start, contributing a couple of sacks and a pass breakup. Burns sports impressive size, at 6-2, 280 pounds. 

Both Harris and Blair are solid athletes, with Harris, like Burns, starting just his second game for the Mountaineers on Saturday. Harris has impressive size, at 6-6, 285 pounds, and he was slated to play last fall before a concussion ended his season prematurely and he was red-shirted. In Saturday's season opener at ECU, Harris performed solidly and provided pressure on ECU starting quarterback Rio Johnson on several occasions, finishing the game with three tackles and a tackle-for-loss.

Blair is the unquestioned leader of this defensive front, and though just a sophomore, he's a player that has already established himself as one of the SoCon's top defensive ends. Last season, Blair seemed to step up and make an impact in big games. One of those games was in ASU's 24-17 win over Georgia Southern, as in that contest, he contributed eight tackles, 2.0 TFL and a sack to garner SoCon Freshman of the Week accolades. 

In the season opener, Blair was didn't get the pressure on the quarterback that he was able to get in some games last season, but he did make the most of his only tackle of the day, as he had a tackle-for-loss. Blair is athletic and powerful and finished the 2011 season ranking second on the team in sacks (3.5 TFL) and sacks (11.5 TFL).

The real strength of the ASU defense is its four starters at linebackers, and there are many in the nation better than the senior tandem of Jeremy Kimbrough and Brandon Grier. Kimbrough came into the season as a member of the Buck Buchanan Award watch list and was a preseason second-team All-America selection, according to The Sports Network.

Kimbrough, who will start at inside LB on Saturday against the Grizzlies and will solidify the middle of that ASU defense, did nothing to discredit those preseason acknowledgments, leading the Apps with 13 tackles with a TFL. Kimbrough led the Apps with 105 tackles, 12.0 TFL and four sacks last fall. 

Grier, who will start at the other ILB position, has a tendency to find himself in the shadow of his classmate Kimbrough, but in many respects is equally impressive and athletic. In the season opener against ECU, Grier just missed double digits in tackles, finishing the contest with nine stops. He ranked second on the squad in tackles last season, with 97 tackles last fall, and also contributed 10.5 TFL in 2011. 

The two starters at the respective outside LB positions will be Joel Ross, who will start at the 'star' LB position, while James 'Deuce' Robinson will start at the 'bandit' linebacker position on Saturday. Robinson looked good in making the transition from his true defensive end position from last fall to OLB/hybrid defensive position in fall camp. In my opinion, Robinson is one of the keys for Appalachian State in this game because ASU must get pressure to keep Montana's balanced attack out of rhythm

In the opening-season loss at East Carolina, Robinson put in a solid effort, as he was able to rack up six tackles and 1.5 TFL, and was one of the leaders of the ASU defense in the season opener. Robinson is coming off a 2011 season, which saw him post 12 tackles and half-a-sack in eight games of action as a reserve along defensive line for the Apps last fall.

Starting at the other outside linebacker position on Saturday will be Joel Ross. Ross, a 5-10, 178-pound native of Damascus, MD, notched his first start for the Apps on Saturday, and finished the afternoon recording three tackles and half-a-tackle-for-loss. Ross is athletic and is a sure tackler, with the ability to drop in coverage as well as come up and make plays against the run.

If there is a concern defensively entering the season for the Black and Gold, it has to be the secondary. That unit now is even more in the cross hairs with Doug Middleton going down with a season-ending injury in the opener.

The good news for ASU is there is star talent in veteran returning performers, in strong safety Troy Sanders and cornerback Demetrius McCray. Sanders, like Grier at LB, is one of those veterans on the defensive side of the ball that goes a bit unheralded, but he's a player that has been reliable since starting his first game for ASU back in 2010, and enters Saturday's contest against the Grizzlies having started 26-straight games for the Apps. He is the only player on the ASU roster to start every game since the start of the 2010 season and entered the campaign as an All-SoCon pick. 

Sanders was impressive Saturday, snagging an acrobatic one-handed INT in the opening quarter of Saturday's season-opening loss at ECU, setting up ASU's lone touchdown of the afternoon. Sanders also contributed 10 tackles and 1.5 TFL.

McCray, who picked off five passes to lead the Southern Conference last fall, came into the 2012 season with plenty of preseason accolades as a result of that outstanding 2011 campaign. McCray, who is part of a secondary that has picked off more passes (69 INTs) than any other SoCon team since 2008, started off his senior season against ECU by notching three stops in the 35-13 setback.

McCray is a tremendous athlete and was a highly successful quarterback as a prep. He entered the 2012 season as a part of the Buck Buchanan Award watch list.

Patrick Blalock and Aaron Krah will round out the starters in the secondary for the Mountaineers at both free safety and left cornerback, respectively. Blalock, a former walk-on, earned his way onto the depth chart a couple of years ago, with his play on special teams.

Blalock battled injuries last season, and didn't see all that much playing time last fall. Blalock started four games last season and saw action in seven contests, recording 14 tackles and blocked a kick. In last week's opener at ECU, Blalock recorded eight stops. 

Rounding out the starters on the defensive side of the football will be freshman Aaron Krah, who drew his first start for the Apps in last Saturday's opener at ECU. Krah drew the starting position at the left cornerback position, and he is an explosive athlete and he is coming off a solid performance in his first-ever start, and he had a couple of tackles. 

The Montana defense is seemingly one of the top units in the nation, year-in and year-out, and this season things will likely be just the same. However, the Grizzlies have had to basically reload their defense altogether this season, with only three starters returning.

The Grizzlies will utilize a 4-3 defensive scheme and certainly looked pretty strong in their season-opening win over South Dakota, as the Grizzlies were able to limit the Coyotes to a total of just 233 yards of total offense, including a meager 61 yards on the ground. 

Two of the three returning starters returning for the Grizzlies for the 2012 season are at linebacker, as both Jordan Tripp and John Kanongata'a are back to help stabilize the middle of that Montana defense in 2012. 

Tripp took a medical redshirt last season, and that's why he's a player that has flown under the radar coming into the season. In the season-opening win over South Dakota, Tripp led the Grizzlies in impressive fashion on the defensive side of the football, with 10 tackles to notch Big Sky co-Defensive Player of the Week accolades. In addition to his 10 stops, Tripp also had 1.5 TFL, a sack and forced a fumble to collect conference POW honors.

Two years ago, Tripp fashioned an impressive campaign which saw him record 99 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 3.5 TFL, 3 FRs, 3 PBUs and an INT. His 99 stops were second on the team, and much like Grier for Appalachian State, he played in the shadow of heralded LB Caleb McSurdy for a good portion of his career. Tripp is slated to start at the weakside LB position heading into Saturday's matchup with ASU and will be one of those players for Mountaineer fans to keep an eye on.

Completing the trio of Montana LBs will be strong-side LB John Kanongata'a and middle LB Josh Stuberg. Kanongata'a is another one of those veteran returnees on the defensive side of the football from last season's FCS semifinal squad, and Kanongata'a came into the season as the leading tackler from the 2011 squad. Last season, Kanongata'a registered 68 tackles, 8.5 TFL, two sacks, an INT and a fumble recovery. Kanongata'a finished right behind Tripp on the tackles ledger in the season opener, with eight stops, while also picking off a pass

Stuberg had some pretty big shoes to fill for Montana entering the 2012 season, having to replace All-American MLB Caleb McSurdy in the middle of the Grizzlies' defense, after McSurdy led Montana with 114 stops last fall. The senior Stuberg was solid in the opener, posting six tackles and half-a-tackle-for-loss. As a reserve last season, Stuberg was solid, recording 32 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sack and had a fumble recovery.

Expect Stuberg to split the action on Saturday with talented junior Brock Coyle, who completed his sophomore season with 27 stops, 4.0 TFL and 1.5 sacks.  

The Montana defensive line will of course have four new starters, but the new crop showed plenty of promise in its first start as a cohesive unit last Saturday, helping limit the Coyotes to a meager 61 rushing yards, and recorded a TFL and provided decent pressure on South Dakota quarterback Josh Vander Maten in last week's opener. 

Anchoring that Montana defensive line heading into the game against the Mountaineers will be sophomore defensive tackle Tonka Takai, who finished the 2011 campaign with only five tackles as a reserve, was pretty impressive in the season opener against South Dakota, posting three tackles, a TFL, a sack and recovered a fumble in the victory. 

Lining up alongside Takai at defensive tackle on Saturday afternoon will be Alex Bienemann. Bienemann is a 6-2, 295-pound junior from Denver, Co., is a player that is powerful and athletic and showed the ability to a real leader on this defense in his first start on Saturday. He finished Saturday's opener by recording two tackles and half-a-tackle-for-loss.

The starting defensive ends for the Grizzlies on Saturday are expected to be Zach Wagenmann and Josh Harris. Wagenmann, a 6-3, 240-pound native of Missoula, MT., comes into the season off a campaign which saw him have nine tackles and a quarterback hurry in action against as a reserve.Wagenmann is a good athlete and has a chance to be Montana's top pass-rushing defensive end this fall, but was just held to a tackle in the season-opener against South Dakota.

Harris rounds out the starting four along the Grizzlies' front line. The 6-5, 251-pound native of Kalispell. MT., is coming off a season-opening performance which saw him post a couple of tackles and half-a-tackle-for-loss.

Historically, Montana has always had that one playmaker in the secondary that has been able to wreck havoc by creating turnovers. Players from yesteryear that come to mind when I think of the Montana from past seasons are safeties like Colt Anderson (2005-08) and Vince Huntsberger (1998-01), and talented cornerbacks like Calvin Coleman (1998-01) and Trumaine Johnson (2008-11).

Coming into the 2012 season, however, the defensive backfield was a concern for Montana fans, and the Grizzlies had a few missed assignments in the season opener against South Dakota, which is something that the Grizzlies can't afford to do against ASU's fast, athletic receivers on Saturday. Despite some big plays, however, the Grizzlies did limit South Dakota to just 172 yards through the air last Saturday.

One of the three returning starters on the defensive side of the football for Montana resides in the secondary, and that is junior strong safety Bo Tully. The 6-2, 197-pound native of Spokane, WA., enjoyed a solid sophomore season with 44 tackles, an INT and forced two fumbles last season. In the season opener against South Dakota, Tully registered three stops.

Starting free safety Matt Hermanson is a player that could be that "breakout player" in the secondary for the Grizzlies this season. Hermanson is a big hitter in the Montana secondary, and is coming off a strong freshman campaign which saw him post 38 tackles and three tackles in action as a reserve at strong safety last fall. In the season opener against South Dakota last week, Hermanson was relatively quiet with just two tackles.

Rounding out the starters for Saturday's showdown at The Rock will be cornerbacks Nate Harris and Sean Murray. This is the position that is of most concern for the Grizzlies, especially with Harris starting, who is a freshman. In the season opener last week, Harris did not record any defensive statistics, but expect Appalachian State to test the freshman on Saturday.

Murray is a veteran, who is entering his junior season. The 6-1, 195-pound native of Corona, CA., has good speed and overall athleticism, and he recorded a tackle in the season-opening win last Saturday.

Briefly Looking At Place-Kicking: Appalachian State looked much improved in the kicking game in last week than it did coming down the stretch last season. Drew Stewart, who connected on a pair of field goals in the season opener against ECU, will compete for All-SoCon honors this fall. 

Montana's Chris Lider is a redshirt freshman, so he is more of question mark entering the matchup than ASU's Stewart, and the slight advantage in the kicking game, at least on paper, has to go to Appalachian State.

Final Prediction: Appalachian State-Montana is a matchup that makes any FCS football fan salivate when the thought of the matchup enters their mind. Saturday's matchup will feature two extremely young, but athletically talented teams and it should be a fun one to watch. I expect the opening quarter of this one to be tentative one in the opening quarter, but for the following three quarters will see a shootout break out. With a school-record crowd expected, I look for Appalachian State to notch its first win of the season in near heart-stopping fashion.

38-35 Appalachian State  

With eight starters returning on the defensive side of the football, Appalachian State has a chance to field one of its best outfits in school history, and likely the best unit since that vaunted 2006 ASU unit that featured a couple of Buck Buchanan Award candidates heading into the season.

Much like that '06 unit, the 2012 defense will also enter the campaign with a couple of Buck Buchanan Award candidates, and will be entering the second season utilizing the 3-4 defensive scheme.

Against Chattanooga in the Southern Conference opener last season, one could've been mistaken for thinking they were watching the 1994 ASU defense rather than the 2012 unit, as the Mountaineers did not score an offensive TD in a 14-12 win over the Mocs. 

ASU is coming off a 2011 season which saw the Black and Gold rank 53rd in the nation in total defense (353.3 YPG) last fall, 56th in rush defense (149.4 YPG), 41st in scoring defense (23.8 PPG), and 54th in pass defense (203.9 YPG).

The Mountaineers ranked third in the Southern Conference in sacks last season, with 24 quarterbacks take-downs on the campaign.

The strength of this Mountaineer defense heading into the 2012 season will be the line-backing unit, and that is despite losing OLB John Rizor, who was dismissed from the team just prior to fall camp. 

There are a couple of reasons why this ASU unit of LBs figures to be among the elite corps' in the FCS this fall, and that is thanks in large part to the return of seniors Jeremy Kimbrough  a (105 tackles, 12.0 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, 1 INT, 1TD) and Brandon Grier (97 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FR).

Kimbrough, a 5-11, 240-pound native of Decatur, GA, will patrol the middle of the ASU defense, occupying one of the two inside LB spots this fall. Kimbrough is coming off a huge 2011 season, which saw him garner second-team All-America (The Sports Network) honors after becoming the leader of the Mountaineer defense last fall.

One of the reasons that Kimbrough enters the campaign as a Buck Buchanan Award candidate is because he is the type of defensive player that can be a game-changer for ASU, much like past greats K.T. Stovall, Josh Jeffries and the great Dexter Coakley once were.

His 46-yard INT return for a score in the 14-12 win over Chattanooga, helped will ASU to a two-point win in its SoCon opener last season. In that win over the Mocs, he also registered 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss to garner Sports Network National Player of the Week honors. Kimbrough completed the 2011 season by totaling five double-digit tackle performances on the campaign.

The other part of the all-conference duo returning for the 2012 campaign is senior inside linebacker Brandon Grier. The 6-2, 232-pound native of Charlotte,N.C., is coming off a solid 2011 season, and he will enter the season as a preseason Second-Team All-SoCon selection. He had four double-digit tackle performances last season, recording a season-best 13 stops in the season finale against Maine. 

Grier and Kimbrough will form the core of this Appalachian State defense this fall, and with their combined leadership and experience, it will be extremely tough for foes to find any daylight running the ball at the teeth of the ASU defense in 2012.

The two starters at outside linebacker will be James "Deuce" Robinson (16 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 FF) and Joel Ross. Robinson will assume the 'bandit' linebacker position, as he will transition from the defensive line as a result of the loss of Rizor, while Middleton will occupy the 'star' position, which is a hybrid linebacker/defensive back. 

Robinson seems to adjusted nicely to his new position through the first couple of weeks of fall camp. The 6-5, 246-pound native of Blythewood, S.C., turned in an outstanding freshman season as a defensive end, and though he had limited reps as a reserve, he showed his future potential as a pass-rusher on the perimeter. He brings excellent overall athleticism and power to the perimeter of the ASU defense, and enjoyed his top performance of his true freshman season against Savannah State, registering four tackles, 2.5 TFL and a pair of sacks. 

Rounding out the starters at LB for ASU heading into the 2012 season will be 'star' linebacker Joel Ross. The 5-10, 178-pound sophomore has had a strong spring and fall, and is one of the more underrated players on the ASU defense heading into the season. Ross is a physical presence on the ASU defense, and could be one of those playmakers those unheralded players that blossoms into a star talent on the defensive side of the football for the Mountaineers this fall. He saw action in eight games last season, with nearly all of his work logged as a part of the special teams unit.

With the loss of John Rizor, there has been some re-shuffling along the defensive line, as a result of Robinson's to OLB, there will be a new starter at one of the defensive end positions this fall, and ASU will have two new starters on the defensive front in total as a result of the graduation of Dan Wylie. 

The two new starters along the defensive front for the Apps this fall will be a pair of redshirt freshmen, in Davante Harris at defensive end and Thomas Bronson at nose tackle.

Harris, a 6-6, 285-pound redshirt freshman from Blythewood, S.C., would have factored in more last season if it hadn't been for a head injury in the home opener against North Carolina A&T, which cost him the remainder of his true freshman campaign. Harris is powerful and has excellent size and athleticisim, which he will bring to the bookend position.

Bronson, a 6-3, 275-pound native of Brookesville, FL, and has been impressive since his arrival on campus for the Apps. He will have some rather large shoes to fill this season, having to replace a talented nose tackle from a year ago for the Apps, with the graduation of Wylie. Bronson was one of the main recruiting targets for the ASU staff a couple of years ago, and they have been staff with his rapid development to this point. 

The veteran of what is a young starting trio along the defensive front entering the 2012 season will be Ronald Blair (40 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF), who was a SoCon All-Freshman performer last season, and will likely be ASU's top pass-rush threat this fall.

The 6-4, 271-pound native of Greensboro, GA, will team with Harris as the starting defensive ends for the Mountaineers heading into the 2012 season. Blair had several strong performances for the Mountaineers last season, and he is a powerful defensive end, which in many ways mirrors former ASU great K.T. Stovall (1999-2003).

His top performance of his true freshman campaign came in the win over top-ranked Georgia Southern, posting eight tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack, helping Blair garner SoCon Freshman of the Week accolades.

The defensive line has good size and athleticism, but lacks experience. It is definitely an element to keep an eye on, especially early on in the campaign, as the young talent adjusts to the college game; however, at this point, it wouldn't seem to be a big concern.

Plenty of excitement surrounds the ASU secondary heading into the 2012 campaign, and much of that excitement has to do with a player expected to challenge for the prestigious Buck Buchanan Award, with the return of Demetrius McCray (48 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, 9 PBUs, 5 INTs) at the right cornerback position. McCray is a tremendous athlete, and really took the league by storm last season.

McCray actually played quarterback as a prep, and he has tremendous speed and overall coverage skills. His five INTs last season led the Southern Conference. Like Blair, McCray enjoyed one of his top outings against Georgia Southern, picking off a pair of Jaybo Shaw passes. In fact, in ASU's four games in October, McCray picked off four passes, with all four coming against traditional triple-option ground attacks. 

Teaming with McCray as a starter at cornerback for the Apps this fall will be sophomore Doug Middleton (23 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 PBUs, 0.5 sacks), who is coming off a strong freshman campaign for the Mountaineers. Middleton is coming off a season which saw him start a pair of games and log action in all 12 contests as a free safety in his freshman season a year ago. 

Middleton, a 6-1, 198-pound native of Winston-Salem, N.C., and he made some significant contributions on special teams and on defense as a playmaker, with his electrifying speed and opportunistic instincts last season. One of the plays that personified Middleton's game-breaking speed came in the home opener against North Carolina A&T, as he returned an INT 97 yards for a score in ASU's 58-6 throttling of the Aggies. 

Rounding out the starters in the secondary for the Apps will be safeties Troy Sanders a (79 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, 2 INTs, 1 FR) and Jamil Lott (13 tackles). 

Sanders will obviously provide the veteran leadership in the secondary along with McCray, as he heads into his third season as a full-time starter at strong safety. The 6-0, 214-pound product of Chester, S.C., is one of the more versatile players on the ASU defense, possessing the ability to play either linebacker or defensive back. In many ways, Sanders is a player that is somewhat overshadowed by the other star performers of this defense, such as Kimbrough and McCray. 

He enters the season having started 25-consecutive games for the Apps, and is coming off a season which saw him garner All-SoCon accolades at the strong safety position. He enjoyed his top outing of the 2011 season in the season opener against Virginia Tech, posting 10 stops, while also posting nine stops in back-to-back weeks in wins over Samford and Georgia Southern. 

Lott enters the 2012 season coming off a campaign in which he saw action in all 12 games, logging three starts. Lott is a versatile athlete, having played on both sides of the football during his ASU career, bouncing back and forth between wide receiver and defensive back. He made his first start on the defensive side of the ball as the ASU nickel back in regular-season finale against Western Carolina, and recorded 13 tackles over the final three games of the campaign.

Special Teams:

Last season, there were some question marks surrounding the ASU kicking game, however, those issues appeared to have been ironed out during the spring and in preseason camp. 

Set to handle the place-kicking responsibilities for the Apps will be Marshall transfer Drew Stewart (8-of-10 FGs, 17-of-19 PATs. Stewart split time with punter Sam Martin (40.9 YPP, 16 punts inside 20, 7 TBs) at the position last fall, but the job will be Stewart's alone this fall.

Stewart has been extremely accurate on field goals of 40 yards and closer. Field goals of 45+ yards could be handled by either Martin or Mark Powell, who both have strong legs and have proven to be accurate from long range. Stewart was an impressive 6-for-6 on field goals in ASU's 46-14 triumph over Western Carolina, and that included hitting a season-long 44-yqard field goal. 

Martin will handle the punting and kickoff responsibilities for the Apps this fall, and he will have a chance to compete for All-SoCon honors. He suffered through some nagging injuries throughout the 2011 season and early spring of this year, but appears to be 100-percent for the first time in a while, which is great news for head coach Jerry Moore.

Expect speedsters Tacoi Sumler and Doug Middleton to tag-team the kickoff and punt return duties this fall.

Predicting 2012 Schedule:

*-Denotes Southern Conference Game

Sept. 1 at East Carolina--Appalachian State and ECU will be meeting for the 31st time in series history, with ASU holding a 19-11 all-time series edge. A lot of sideline ties in this one, with two former members of ASU's 1995, 12-1 staff now significant members of the ECU staff, in Pirates head coach Ruffin McNeil and associate head coach John Wiley, making for some interesting storylines heading into the opener. ECU won 29-24 in '09, and had to hold on to be an Armanti Edwards-less ASU club on that afternoon at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. I expect this one to be relatively close again, with ECU being able to overcome ASU late in this one and post a win.

L-21-14

Sept. 8 Montana--ASU opens the Kidd Brewer Stadium gates with an intriguing matchup that has FCS football fans salivating, as the Montana Grizzlies make the trip from Missoula to Boone for the rare night game at The Rock. The two programs have of course met twice before in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs, with Montana claiming both of those wins nine years apart, with the latest being a 24-17 contest in the electrifying atmosphere of Washington-Grizzly Stadium. If the combined five national titles aren't reason enough to watch, then maybe the fact that the only two previous meetings haven't decided until late in the fourth quarter, and in the case of the 2000 meeting, not until overtime,should be enough to keep any FCS fan glued to coverage. While Montana brings pedigree and talent, it also brings plenty of question marks to Boone, including a new man under center and on the sidelines after a tumultuous off-season. For that reason, I think the Mountaineers complete the sweep of the Big Sky State--ASU defeated Montana State 31-14 in the '06 FCS Quarterfinals--with a close win over the Grizzlies.

W-20-17

Sept. 15 The Citadel*--September 15th brings about the Southern Conference opener for the Mountaineers, and ASU will open up its league slate against a Citadel team it has won eight-straight games against on the gridiron, dating back to a 24-21 loss in 2003. ASU has 17 of the last 18 games dating back to a 27-14 loss to the Bulldogs in Charleston in 1993. ASU claimed a wild 49-42 win last season in Charleston in what proved to the starting debut for Jamal Jackson, who completed his first 15 passes before throwing an incompletion in the seven-point road win. The Bulldogs return the league's most starters, with 18 regulars returning for the 2012 season. Eighth-year head coach welcomes the return of both quarterbacks, Aaron Miller and Ben Dupree, and will have one of the top defensive lines in the SoCon, anchored by the bookend tandem of Chris Billinslea and Derek Douglas. ASU has traditionally played exceptionally well inside the friendly confines against the Bulldogs, with the Mountaineers having not lost to the Bulldogs in Boone since a 25-0 setback in 1992 and are 17-3 against the Bulldogs in Boone all-time. In the 40 meetings all-time between the two schools, ASU hold a commanding 29-11 series lead. ASU might struggle to move the ball early against a stout Citadel defense, but look for the floodgates to open in the second half and for the Mountaineers to claim a win by 14-21 points.

W-38-17 

Sept. 22 at Chattanooga*--There's no question the recent history of this rivalry has been exciting, as the past two meetings have been won by ASU by a combined three points. Last season, the Mountaineers didn't need an offensive TD en route to taking down the potent QB-WR connection of B.J Coleman and Joel Bradford, as ASU took down the Mocs by a score of 14-12. The last time the two played in the Scenic City, the season-opening SoCon clash produced a classic that will not soon be forgotten, with ASU eventually rebounding from a 21-point second half deficit to get a 42-41 win in a thrilling offensive display. Chattanooga is for many, the darkhorse to claim the Southern Conference title this season, and with 17 starters returning from a team that lost five games by a combined 12 points last season, including eight from one of the nation's top defensive units, this contest has the makings of another defensive classic. The Mocs will utilize the spread offense this fall, with either Terrell Robinson or Jacob Huesman slated to step under center. ASU holds a commanding 25-10 series edge, and the Mountaineers have won 24 of the last 27 meetings. ASU has won its last three games in Chattanooga, dating back to loss in the highest scoring game in Southern Conference history in 2004, with UTC claiming a wild 59-56 back in 2004. This should be a close, defensive affair with Chattanooga getting a late field goal to claim the win.

L-17-14

Sept. 29 Coastal Carolina--It will mark the third all-time meeting between ASU and Coastal Carolina, but will mark the first meeting between the two in nearly six years, with the last being a 45-28 win in the opening round of the 2006 playoffs. The Chanticleers are coming off their best season since that '06 season, as CCU posted a 7-4 mark, including a pair of wins over SoCon foes, beating both Furman and Western Carolina to bookend the season. It will mark the third all-time meeting between the Apps and Chants, with ASU having claimed both previous wins in convincing fashion, and both of those triumphs came on the KBS turf. A new man will be in charge of the Chanticleers football program, in former TD Ameritrade Joe Moglia, who became one of the most intriguing stories of the FCS off-season when he was hired to replace the coach David Bennett, who became the inaugural coach of the program when he was hired back in 2003. The Chanticleers welcome the return of 16 starters from a team that won seven games a year ago, including second-year starter Aramis Hillary under center. Hillary, who is the younger brother of former ASU wideout CoCo Hillary, brings experience and a dual threat to the QB position for the Chants this fall. ASU marks one of two SoCon foes the Chants will face this fall, as Moglia and CCU travel to Furman on Sept.8 to take on the Paladins in their home opener. The Chants were picked to finish third in the preseason Big South coaches and media poll. ASU last lost a regular-season non-conference game early in the 2009 season, when it dropped a 40-35 decision to No. 16 McNeese State. Don't expect the same result here, as ASU rolls to a third-straight win over CCU in convincing fashion.

W-35-14

Oct. 6 Elon (HC)*--Elon has become the program that Appalachian State fans have enjoyed beating about as much as anyone in the league. That enjoyment has to do mostly with the status on the FCS totem poll in the Old North State, with ASU occupying the imaginary top rung, while Elon remains a distant second. But Elon is tightening the gap, as evidenced by its narrow 28-24 setback to ASU last season in the regular-season finale--a game which ASU had to overcome a 21-0 deficit on the road to win. Elon is one of the two SoCon opponents have yet to lose to, and it's also the program that holds the distinction of most consecutive losses to ASU of the eight SoCon opponents, as the Mountaineers have won 16-straight against the Phoenix dating back to their days as NAIA rivals in 1965. Elon is a bit of a Jekyl and Hyde team heading into the 2012 season, but Elon does welcome the return of 17 starters, including the top pass-catch combo in the SoCon, in quarterback Thomas Wilson and Walter Payton Award candidate Aaron Mellette, who torched the ASU secondary for 236 yards on 14 receptions and a TD. It will mark the 41st all-time meeting between the two programs, with ASU holding a commanding 30-9-1 all-time series edge. Elon has been the league's passing champion each of the last seven seasons, and that should play into ASU's hands, assuming the Phoenix will again be a pass-heavy offense. However, Elon does play well in Boone, as evidenced by its last two trips to The Rock, but had the SoCon's all-time leading passer in each of those nip-and-tuck battles. Expect ASU to claim a win by 10-13 points in the homecoming clash.

W-38-28

Oct. 13 at Samford*--Like Elon, Samford is hasn't beaten the Mountaineers in a long time--42 years to be exact, and the Apps are 4-0 against the Bulldogs since Samford joined the SoCon in 2008. ASU remains the only team that the Bulldogs have not defeated since joining the league in 2008. The Mountaineers have won all four meetings as league foes by double digits, including a 35-17 win at The Rock last season. It will mark only the seventh all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Mountaineers, with ASU leading the all-time series 5-1. Samford's lone victory actually came in Boone, posting a 42-35 win over ASU at Conrad Stadium in November of 1970. ASU is 3-0 all-time in Birmingham, including a 35-17 win in the Magic City the last time the Apps made the seven-hour trek from the High Country. Samford, under the direction of former Auburn Heisman Trophy member Pat Sullivan, expects to have its most talented squad since joining the league in '08, and Sullivan has publicly said it might be his best team since taking over the reins of the program in 2007. Sixteen starters return for the Bulldogs for the 2012 season, including four starters along the offensive line, a potential All-America wide receiver, Kelsey Pope, and one of the nation's top all-purpose burners, Fabian Truss. The question mark on offense is how do you replace the school's second all-time leading passer, Dustin Taliaferro. That answer will either be Memphis transfer Andy Summerlin or junior Ben Neill.The defense also returns eight starters, anchored by Alvin Hines II, who enters the 2012 season as one of the league's top safeties. I think this game is crucial for ASU and one of the most important on the schedule. The result of this tough road contest determines whether ASU establishes itself as a team solidly qualified for the playoffs for the remainder of the season, or a team that has to play its way in from the fringes of the playoff bubble. For that reason, I think ASU finds a way to get a very scary win on the road and remain unbeaten against the Bulldogs as SoCon foes.

W-28-27

Oct. 20 Wofford*--ASU's SoCon stretch run in the SoCon begins with Wofford--a team that has been able to hold its own against ASU in Spartanburg, as evidenced by the 28-14 Terrier triumph at Gibbs Stadium last season, but the Terriers are also a team that have seemed to be in the Twilight Zone when playing at The Rock in recent memory. The Mountaineers have won four-straight home games against the Terriers, winning by an average of score of 41-15. Wofford, who was the picked to finish second in the SoCon in the league's media poll, welcomes the return of 15 starters, led by the return of the 2012 preseason SoCon Offensive Player of the Year and High Country product Eric Breitenstein, who rushed for 173 yards on 33 carries in the Terriers' win over the Apps last season. Wofford will be breaking in a new quarterback under center, in Brian Kass, who has some rather large shoes to fill with the departure of Mitch Woods as a result of graduation. The Terriers ranked second in the SoCon in total defense last fall, and seven starters are back from that unit of a year ago, including one of the league's top linebackers, Alvin Scioneaux. No doubt there's some great history between these two programs, with the main link being Jim Brakefield--a legendary coach at both institutions at different time, and he was the benefactor of the wishbone offense in its arrival at Wofford. Of course, under Mike Ayers, the Terriers will utilize the spread-bone attack once again this fall. The Oct. 20 meeting between the Mountaineers and Terriers will mark the 29th all-time meeting between the programs, with ASU holding a 17-11 all-time series edge. ASU claimed a 43-13 win in the meeting between the two back in 2010, which was a game that was the de facto Southern Conference title game. This one will likely once again be a game that goes a long way in deciding the SoCon race, and I expect Wofford to play its best game in Boone since 2006, but it will only result in a close loss, as ASU gets a big win over what could be a Top 10 FCS foe.

W--22-20

Oct. 27 at Western Carolina*--It will be another relatively early meeting for the "Battle For The Old Mountain Jug" and this will be an intriguing matchup this fall, as four former ASU coaches or players will be on the sidelines for the Catamounts this fall, including head coach Mark Speir, who has been selected to try and resurrect the WCU football program back to its winning ways of the early 1980's. Speir was instrumental to the success of ASU, coaching the running backs, defensive line and serving as the recruiting coordinator during his nine seasons on the mountain. Speir will be charged in rejuvenating a program that is just 11-56 overall and just 3-43 in Southern Conference play since the start of the 2006 campaign. The Catamounts welcome the return of 14 starters for the 2012 season, with eight returning on the offensive side of the ball and six on the defensive side of the football. Eddie Sullivan, a Marshall transfer, will be charged with leading Speir's spread-option attack in Cullowhee this fall, and will will have capable offensive weapons at his disposable, such as receivers Jacoby Mitchell and Deja Alexander and running back Michael Johnson. Most of the rebuilding project for the Catamounts resides on the defensive side of the ball, as WCU fielded one of the worst defenses in school history last season. There are some playmakers returning on the defensive side of the ball, including Rock Williams at LB, who finished third in the SoCon in tackles last season with 115 stops. ASU has won 25 of the last 27 matchups between the two programs, including three-straight at E.J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee. ASU last tasted defeat in the series in 2004, as WCU quarterback Justin Clarke, combined with some late-game miscues by the Black and Gold, helped lead a dramatic come-from-behind 30-27 win for WCU to claim the Jug. Since, the series has only really seen one close contest, which was the 2009 meeting, which saw ASU claim a 19-14 win in Boone without the services of Armanti Edwards. The Oct. 27th meeting will mark the 77th all-time meeting between the two programs, with ASU fashioning a commanding 57-18-1 series edge. This one will once again go the way of the Mountaineers, but I expect this rivalry to get very interesting in the near future, as WCU improves under Speir and staff.

W--38-10

Nov. 3 at Georgia Southern*--When it comes to Southern Conference and FCS Football, it just doesn't get any better than the Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State rivalry. Each of the past two seasons has seen one or the other enter the matchup ranked No. 1 in the nation on both occasions, and on each occasion, the No. 1 team was upset. It's must see game and a game that could very well decide the Southern Conference title this fall. Last season, it was Appalachian State that posted a 24-17 win over the top-ranked Eagles, but it was Georgia Southern that ultimately ended up lifting the Southern Conference football crown, ending ASU's streak of six-straight league crowns. It's a matchup between two schools that have a combined nine national championships (GSU 6, ASU 3) and 20 Southern Conference crowns (ASU-11, GSU 9). The Mountaineers and Eagles have two of the best football heritages in not only FCS football, but also Division I football as a whole.The Appalachian State-Georgia Southern matchup is comparable to the Oklahoma-Texas matchup, or the Alabama-LSU matchups of the FBS college football world.  It will mark the 28th all-time meeting between the two schools, with ASU holding a slim 14-12-1 edge in the series.This matchup has seen some great games, sans the 2004 and 2009 meetings between the two. In '04, the second-ranked Eagles walloped the Black and Gold in Statesboro, handing Appalachian State its worst loss in Statesboro in series history, as GSU posted a 54-7 win on that particular afternoon.ASU, however, would return the favor in 2009, rolling up 702 yards of total offense en route to a 52-16 win over the visiting Eagles before a sellout crowd at "The Rock" in the previous Black Saturday showdown between the two.Those two games, however, have been an exception to the rule as a whole in the 27 previous meetings. Six of the last nine meetings between the two have been classics, including four of the past five, with two needing overtime to decide things.Georgia Southern Took Down No.1, Undefeated Appalachian State, 21-14, In Overtime At Paulson Stadium In 2010.Last season's meeting between two Top five ranked foes was the first since 2001 when the Eagles took a 27-18 win against Appalachian. Interestingly enough, the last top-ranked team to visit The Rock was Georgia Southern in 1999, which is also the last time ASU defeated a national No. 1-ranked team. Heading into the 2011 matchup, the Eagles were ranked No.1 in the country, while the Mountaineers came in ranked No. 5.Last season's contest saw the Apps hold the Eagles to just 135 yards rushing, and a mere 201 yards of total offense. Coming into the contest, Georgia Southern was the NCAA Division I FCS leader in scoring (44.6 PPG) and rushing offense (369.7 YPG). ASU also held the Eagles to just 10 offensive points, and held the Eagles to 286 yards below their 487 yards of total offense average per game coming in. The full display of the best athleticism in the SoCon and FCS will be in action on Nov. 3 at Paulson Stadium. Some of the top defensive players in the nation will be in this matchup, including ASU's Demetrius McCray and LB Jeremy Kimbrough, and GSU's NG Brent Russell and LB Josh Rowe. Three of the four aforementioned players enter the season as preseason Buck Buchanan Award favorites. This game again has the makings of a great one, but after having won close contests in Statesboro in 2006 and '08, the Eagles might have turned the tide back in its favor against ASU in Paulson Stadium with its 21-14 overtime win in '10. It could be argued that it was that game that helped wake the sleeping giant that GSU has become. Since that win over a top-ranked ASU team in 2010, the Eagles have a 17-4 record. GSU gets a close win in Statesboro.

L--20-17

Nov. 10 Furman*(Black Saturday)--This is a rivalry that has stood the test of time in Southern Conference football over the years, although it has certainly been threatened to go the way of the dinosaur in recent seasons, with ASU posting six-straight wins from 2005-10. However, that was until last season when Furman infused some friction back into the once bitter rivalry by handing the No. 3-ranked Mountaineers a 20-10 at Furman's Paladin Stadium last fall. Since joining the Southern Conference in 1972, Appalachian State has never closed out a season or even Southern Conference play against Furman, which will be the case when the Paladins make a trip to what should be a chilly Kidd Brewer Stadium on Nov. 10. The two teams will be squaring off for the 42nd time in series history this season, with Appalachian, who trailed the series by a significant margin in the series at one point, has cut Furman's lead to 22-17-2. Appalachian State has won nine of the past 11 meetings between the two programs. Furman has not won in Boone since a 20-14 win on Oct. 12, 1996. The matchup is also one that pits the two schools that have won the most Southern Conference football titles, with the Paladins and Mountaineers having combined to have won 23 Southern Conference football crowns (Furman-12, Appalachian State-11).Interestingly enough, the two teams were pretty comparable offensively last season in terms of the national rankings. ASU ranked 38th nationally in total offense (390.2 YPG), while the Paladins ranked 39th nationally (389.3 YPG). In scoring offense, Appalachian State ranked 38th nationally (28.67 PPG) and Furman ranks 39th in scoring offense (28.64 PPG).In the 2011 meeting, Furman used an opportunistic defensive performance, causing four ASU turnovers en route to a 10-point win. The Paladins jumped out to a 21-0 lead on the strength of taking advantage of a couple of those afforded opportunities and a big pass play, which saw First-Team All-SoCon quarterback Chris Forcier connect with wideout Sederrik Cunningham for a 79-yard scoring connection about five minutes prior to the half.ASU did get back into the game in the second half, and did hold a 399-365 advantage in total yards, but many times in the Furman red zone squandered opportunities against a "bend-but-don't-break" Furman defense.In the Paladins' last trip to the High Country, it was "Black Saturday" --a game that hasn't been kind to the Paladins in recent history--and Furman went back to Greenville saddled with a 37-26 loss to the top-ranked, unbeaten Mountaineers. In that game, it was a big afternoon for ASU running back Travaris Cadet, who rushed for 108 yards and a career-best three TDs en route to helping the Mountaineers to the 11-point win.The fact remains that the Paladins haven't won on ASU's turf since it had that Marshall Green hue to it, and though the Paladins have played ASU well in Boone in the past, the crowd has more often than not been enough to give ASU that extra edge when it needed. Despite Furman's struggles against ASU of late--it's still ASU-Furman and it's still one of the best rivalries in the SoCon. Circle this one on the old calendar. While Furman will and usually does play well in Boone, it's not ready to entertain visions of 1996 just yet, and ASU solidifies its place in the postseason with a win in this one. 

W--30-20

Predicted Final Regular Season Record: 8-3 overall, 6-2 SoCon

Appalachian State is coming off a 2011 season which saw it struggle more than any other since the inaugural season of the spread offense back in 2004. For the first time in seven seasons, Appalachian ended a campaign averaging less than 400 yards of total offense per game (390.2 YPG/38th in FCS) and less than 30 points per game (28.6 PPG/38th in FCS). 

The real missing piece to the Appalachian offensive puzzle is easy to pin-point—generating a ground game. Nowhere were the struggles more evident than running the football in-between the tackles, as the Mountaineers ended the season averaging just 155.8 YPG (55th in FCS, 6th in SoCon); the lowest rushing total since the initial season the spread offense was adopted back in '04. In that season, ASU experienced one of its worst in school history moving the football on the ground, averaging a mere 102.9 YPG.

The one thing the Apps did do impressively on offense last fall was throwing the football. ASU completed the 2011 season averaging 233.6 YPG (37th in FCS/2nd in SoCon). The 233.6 YPG average is the best mark since the Apps averaged 258.6 YPG through the air back in '09.

Several key factors will benefit the Mountaineer offense this season, and those elements will be reasons why many believe the offense will find its rhythm once again in 2012. One of the major reasons we have already highlighted back in Part I of the 2012 preview, and that is the return of offensive coordinator Scott Satterfield. 

With Satterfield at the helm of the offense, ASU was nearly unstoppable offensively from 2004-08. He now will add the experiences he has gleaned in his three seasons away from the High Country under some up-and-coming coaches in FBS football, such as Florida International's Mario Cristobal. In all, Satterfield's offense returns six regulars from a year ago, with most of the question marks centering around the offensive line and lack of experience in the backfield heading into the 2012 season. 

Maybe even a bigger reason the Mountaineers will see their numbers drastically improve on the offensive side of the football this fall is the return of the league's top signal-caller, in junior Jamal Jackson (161-of-262 passing, 2,001 yds, 15 TDs, 8 INTs, 200.1 YPG).

Jackson took over in the fifth game of the regular season, starting against The Citadel for an injured DeAndre Presley. Jackson would never look back, and would turn in his best game of the season in the first start of his career. In the win over the Bulldogs, Jackson connected on 21-of-27 passes for 234 yards and three TDs. 

The 6'3", 205-pound junior from Atlanta, GA., has an excellent, accurate arm. He also has good pocket presence and awareness, and though he lacks the speed of his predecessor, he can get yards on the ground if called upon to do so. Jackson has drawn comparisons by some to former Appalachian State signal-caller Richie Williams (2002-05).

Jackson became the first quarterback in the history of Appalachian State football to pass for 200 or more yards in seven-straight starts. He took over as ASU's full-time starter under center in the sixth game of the season against The Citadel, and he would never relinquish that starting post, garnering starts in the final seven games of the 2012 season. 

Jackson also rushed for rushed for 296 yards and seven TDs, making him a quarterback opponents can't take for granted as just a passing threat. In total, Jackson was responsible for 2,297 yards of total offense and 22 TDs last fall. His 2,001 passing yards as a sophomore last fall were the most by any sophomore QB in the rich tradition of the Mountaineer football program.  

While Jackson will start, the Mountaineers will also have solid depth under center this fall. Logan Hallock and Kameron Bryant are two solid talents waiting in the wings if called upon. Barnes is more akin to Armanti Edwards, while Hallock brings a savvy and poise to the position.

The 5'11", 185-pound sophomore, Hallock served as the Mountaineers' holder last season, and he has been impressive throughout preseason camp to this point. To give you an idea of Hallock's athleticism, if he doesn't end up finding the field as a backup quarterback this fall, he will likely find his way on to the field as a wide receiver for the Black and Gold. 

During his senior season as a prep at West Wilkes High School, Hallock was named Wilkes County Offensive Player of the Year after totaling 3,079 yards of total offense and 30 TD responsibilities. He scored the only TD of his career by recovering a teammate's fumble in the 46-14 win over Western Carolina last fall. 

Bryant, a 6'2",195-pound redshirt freshman signal-caller, completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,530 yards and 26 TDs, with eight INTs. He also rushed for over 400 yards as a senior. 

With Jackson, Bryant and Hallock filling out the depth chart under center this fall, Appalachian State should once again be in great shape under center this fall. All three quarterbacks have the unique respective skill sets that will make this offense a success once again in 2012. 

One of the biggest question marks entering the 2012 season is at running back, where the Mountaineers must find a replacement for 2011 starter Travaris Cadet, who has graduated. Originally, Quarterrio Morgan was slated to line up behind Jackson this fall, however, Morgan did not qualify academically after transferring into ASU from Western Kentucky. 

Appalachian State hasn’t had a running back rush for over 1,000 yards since 2007, when Kevin Richardson completed his standout career in the Black and Gold by rushing for 1,348 yards as a senior. 

The hopes of the ASU running game will be pinned on the shoulders of Steven Miller (76 rush att, 380 yds, 3 TDs, 5.0 YPC) this fall, who will be entering his second season in the ASU Black and Gold after transferring in from Nassau Community College in Piscataway, N.J. 

Miller has the kind of big-play potential that can change a game, as his biggest asset coming out of the ASU backfield is his tremendous speed. Miller turned in his top performance of the 2011 season in the 49-42 win at The Citadel, finishing that contest with 102 yards and a pair of scores on just 18 carries.

Competing alongside Miller for the starting position throughout fall camp thus far has been senior Rod Chisholm (27 rush att, 111 yds, 1 TD in 2010). Chisholm is a player that has had a number of bad breaks in his Mountaineer career, as a result of injuries and academic issues, but now is finally ready to be a big contributor for the ASU offense this fall.

At 5'9", 201 pounds, Chisholm has the kind of size and power that can wear on tiring defenses late in games. He gives the Mountaineers a true between-the-tackles runner with the ability to stretch out a drive in increments, but more importantly, he is the kind of running back that will help the Mountaineers take precious minutes off the clock from teams in the league that sport potent offenses, such as Georgia Southern. For his career, Chisholm has rushed for 244 yards and a TD on 44 carries (4.1 YPC).

Michael Frazier and Tysean Holloway are a couple of players that should also have a real chance to see time in the ASU offense this fall. Frazier, who moved from defensive back to the offensive backfield in the spring of 2011, is much like Chisholm in that he is a bruising, power-type back. Frazier redshirted the 2011 season after moving over from the defensive side of the ball. 

Holloway is a talented, true-freshman back this season that ASU will likely try and redshirt, but overall lack of depth coupled with his tremendous attributes might prevent that from happening.

The 6'1", 193-pound true freshman from Asheville, N.C., has been on the ASU campus since January and went through spring drills with the team. He graduated early from Asheville High School just to get the opportunity to push for the starting running back job this fall, which he is doing. 

During his prep career at Asheville High School, he rushed for 4,844 yards and 77 TDs during his prep career and was ranked a 2-star recruit by Rivals.com. He was named the 2011 Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,405 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior. 

Overall, the ground game will be versatile and getting this unit the ball in creative ways will be one of the ways this unit could potentially be explosive once again this fall after going stagnate the past couple of seasons. 

Despite losing two of the greatest pass-catchers in program history with the graduation of Brian Quick and tight end Ben Jorden. Quick, of course, finished his career as the program's all-time leading receiver in four major categories before becoming the highest draft selection in the history of the program. He was the first pick (33rd overall) of the second round by the St. Louis Rams. ASU's strongest offensive position once again will be wide receiver. 

The Apps will have a great mix of veterans and youth and have one very big surprise with a BCS-conference transfer that could make an immediate impact this fall. 

The veterans that will be looked to this fall to lead this unit are Andrew Peacock (48 rec, 564 yds, 3 TDs, 11.3 YPR) and Tony Washington (32 rec, 355 yds, 2 TDs, 11.1 YPR). They will be the headliners of the talented unit. Both Washington and Peacock were second-team All-SoCon selections in the preseason by the league's media. The talented duo are the only ones to have recorded all but one of the receptions on the current ASU roster.

Peacock is the leading returning wideout for the Apps and he will likely open the season as the starter at the 'M' wide receiver position, which he occupied last fall. Peacock, a 5'10", 193-pound junior, put together a solid sophomore season, turning in a three-week period which saw him haul in 16 passes for 185 yards and a TD.  

Peacock opened the scoring in ASU's win over Georgia Southern, hauling in a 25-yard pass for a score in ASU's 24-17 upset win over top-ranked Georgia Southern. He had his top receiving performance of the season a week later in a 20-10 loss at Furman, hauling in eight passes for 79 yards. Peacock's speed and route-running ability will make him one of the league's top wideouts this fall.

Washington, a 5'10", 200-pound junior from High Point, N.C., will be more of a possession-type receiver for ASU as the starter at the 'Z' wideout position this fall, although he has the speed to be a big-play threat. Like Peacock, Washington definitely benefited from playing in the same receiving corps with Quick last season, and he will likely not see as much freedom this fall.

Washington had some solid performances last season, with his top-two games of the campaign coming against Samford and Furman. In the 35-17 win over Samford, Washington hauled in six passes for 78 yards, including a 41-yard TD. In the 20-10 loss at Furman, Washington hauled in a career-high seven passes for 59 yards. 

Rounding out the expected starting trio at the 'X' wide receiver this fall for ASU will be talented redshirt freshman Sean Price (1 rec, 6 yds), who has been touted by some as the next Brian Quick. Price is certainly comparable in height, coming into camp at 6'5", 210 pounds. 

The redshirt freshman from Reston Lakes, VA, probably has slightly better speed than his predecessor Quick. Price was a standout performer as a prep during his time at South Lakes High School, where he was able to haul in 49 passes for 820 yards and eight TDs, while running 14 times for 275 yards and four scores. His speed and ability to go up and haul in the ball at its highest point are two strengths, but his greatest asset that he will bring the ASU receiving corps this fall is his tremendous hands. He might have the best set of hands on the ASU roster. 

While ASU is certainly pleased with the trio slated to start the opener against East Carolina in a couple of weeks, much of the talk surrounding the receiving corps and the offense as a whole in the second week of camp was the addition of a very high-profile transfer. 

That high profile arrival is Tacoi Sumler, who arrived on the ASU campus at the beginning of the second week of camp from defending Rose Bowl champion and PAC-12 member Oregon. Sumler was a highly sought after recruit as a prep, and was rated a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com and was a member of the prestigious "ESPN 150" coming in ranked as the No. 62 ranked player in the country. 

Sumler, a player also sought after by local regional FBS powers Clemson and South Carolina, transferred to ASU hoping to get a chance to get on the field sooner, as well as having the ability to get back on the same side of the country as his hometown, which is Miami, FL.

If speed is any indicator, Sumler should see the gridiron plenty in 2012 for Jerry Moore's Mountaineers. With the transition back to a faster-paced offense, which will likely once again feature three cadences, Sumler's astounding 4.24 speed in the 40-yard dash should come in handy. His 40-time was the fastest of any freshman recruit in the nation in 2011. 

The 5'9", 173-pound redshirt freshman did catch three passes for 15 yards in the Oregon spring game. As a prep at Christopher Columbus High School, Sumler was a two-time National Underclassmen Combine MVP and caught 116 passes for 1,984 yards and 26 touchdowns over his final three seasons.

He should be figured into the plans as an H-Back and slot receiver option for the Apps this fall. He will likely find himself used both equally as a receiving and run threat this fall, and could also factor into the kick-return game with his electrifying speed. 

Other wideouts that figure to contribute to the ASU cause this fall are Bobo Beathard and Simms McElfresh. Both Beathard and McElfresh could be significant factors in the passing game this fall for the Apps. 

Beathard, a talented redshirt freshman, is coming off a true freshman campaign which saw him suffer from a head injury. The 5'10", 181-pound native of Haymarket, VA, saw action in the first three games of the campaign before his season came to an end abruptly as the result of a head injury. Beathard will likely see time behind Price at the 'X' receiver position for the Apps this fall.

McElfresh, a 5'10", 183-pound freshman from Charlotte, N.C., was especially impressive during spring drills, working his way into the plans of the ASU coaching staff for the upcoming season. McElfresh's hard work, savvy and his set of hands will serve him well in the ASU lineup as a reserve, likely behind Peacock at the 'M' wide receiver position for the Apps this fall.

ASU must also find a way to replace Ben Jorden, who meant as much to the Mountaineer offense as any player that graduated last fall. Jorden was a four-time All-SoCon honoree and is not only one of the best tight ends in school history, but also is one of the top receivers in the history of Appalachian State football. His 14-career TD receptions ranked him sixth all-time on the school's all-time ledger. 

The tight end position will be occupied by Drew Bailey and Zac Baker, and even though both will likely tag-team the duties this fall, expect Bailey to be the starter. The 6'4", 250-pound sophomore native of Spartanburg, S.C., entered camp as the favorite to garner the starting nod, and has done nothing to dismiss those prognostications as of yet. Unlike Jorden, Bailey is more of a blocking tight end as opposed to being a proficient pass-catcher, as Jorden was. 

Baker, a 6'2", 238-pound junior from Tunnel Hill, GA, has been learning a new position, having switched sides of the football. Baker spent three seasons plying his trade as a defensive line-linebacker hybrid type player, possessing enough athleticism to play either position, making the transition to the offensive side of the ball a possibility. Baker's versatility and athleticism could make him a significant contributor at a position where the Mountaineers lack experienced depth.

While there's no Brian Quick in this season's wide receiver corps, the good news is that the Apps appear to have plenty of young, talented athletes set to join the experienced Washington and Peacock for the pass-catching responsibilities this fall. I would put ASU's starting trio of wideouts up against any other starting trio in the league going into the 2012 season.

The one known question mark coming into the 2012 season for the ASU coaching staff was the offensive line.

One of the reasons many have concerns about the ASU offensive front this fall is the final two players from the "old guard"—Orry Frye and Matt Ruff—have graduated. The most experienced returnee along the ASU offensive front heading into the 2012 season is sophomore center Alex Acey.

Acey, a former walk-on, is the type player that ASU has built its championship success during the Jerry Moore era, especially when you look at recent history and the center position. Acey has the potential to follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest centers to ever suit up for the Black and Gold, in Scott Suttle (2004-07), who like Acey, began his career as a walk-on for the Mountaineers. 

The 5'10", 268-pound sophomore from Clay, AL, started all 12 games he saw action in last season, garnering SoCon All-Freshman honors in his first season on the mountain. He recorded a season best 86 percent grade in the game at Furman last season. 

The only other returning starter along the offensive line heading into the 2012 season is left tackle Kendall Lamm. The 6'6", 280-pound sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., started the first seven games of the 2011 season before sitting out for much of the remainder of the season due to injury and disciplinary issues. 

Lamm has all the tools to be an all-conference player at the left tackle position for the Mountaineers, and he brings great athleticism and footwork to the ASU offensive front. Lamm, a more mature player, could be a difference-maker this season, and sometimes it takes a season of being thrown into the cauldron to develop that "mean streak" that every offensive lineman must find. He had his best performance of the season against The Citadel, recording four knockdown blocks in the 49-42 road win.

The offensive guard positions will likely be occupied by Graham Fisher at right guard, while impressive freshman Shaq Counts has a solid hold on the starting left guard position. Fisher, a 6'2", 285-pound sophomore, has five-career starts and is an extremely intelligent, savvy offensive lineman. He has taken on the role of mentor to his younger OL mates in his third season in the program. 

Look for 6'4", 277-pound Ian Barnard to see a fair amount of action at right guard, and could still win the position before the close of preseason camp. 

Rounding out the starters along the offensive line heading into the season opener at East Carolina is right tackle Regan Dufort. Dufort, a 6'6", 315-pound native of Fredericksburg, VA, is the biggest player on the ASU offensive front and a player that is ready to shed the tag of having "big potential" and transition that into "talented and reliable."

Dufort could be ready to realize that talent this season, as the junior has come into his own during spring and fall camp. Now, all that needs to be done is converting that effort and work ethic into 11 or more Saturday afternoons. 

The obvious question with this unit is experienced depth and the example of Dufort can be said of all the ASU offensive linemen. No one questions the potential of what are some of the most accomplished ASU O-Line recruits in the history of the program, but there has been a failure to position that talent to go from "potential" to "talented and reliable." With Ledford at the helm of the unit, expect a little more positive reinforcement for his green unit, which will produce a substantial improvement along the front this season. ASU's offensive line will be one of the most-improved and productive in the SoCon in 2012.

If things go well, this offense has a chance to be really good. The offensive line and running game are the biggest question marks, but I think there are plenty more positives than negatives with both units heading into the season. Part of any college football team's success is how they are coached off the field far away from gridiron glory on Saturday afternoons.

ASU wasn't as far away from a big season on offense in 2011 as many would think; it was just an unseasoned outfit. With a new energy infused by offensive coaches, who are not too far removed from being players themselves, this unit could return to the ASU offenses most of us who follow the SoCon are so accustomed to in the spread era—which is an offense with big-play potential and versatility. 

Coming up next week, stay tuned for Part III of the preview, as I take a look at what should be a vaunted Appalachian State defense that returns eight starters, and I will also take a look at the 2012 schedule.

When Appalachian State takes to the field for its season opener against East Carolina in a little less than three weeks time, it will have hoped to have found its way out of the doldrums the team was mired in at season's end.

The final stretch of the 2011 season saw the Mountaineers struggle in two of their final three games of the campaign, which included losses down the stretch at Furman (20-10) and the shocking 34-12 defeat the Black and Gold endured at the hands of the Maine Black Bears in the second round of the FCS playoffs—bringing an abrupt end to the 2011 campaign.

The offseason would see plenty of change, yet in that change, some of the old order was restored. By season's end in 2011, Jerry Moore's Mountaineers had seemingly lost their way and too much success can sometimes be too much of a good thing.

When Mark Speir—one of ASU's top and most-well respected assistant coaches—left to become the head coach at Western Carolina, it set in motion the seeds of change. It was a program-changing defeat to those same Catamounts in 2004 that set in motion the changes needed to be made to catapult the Black and Gold into their unprecedented run towards three national titles.

Speir would take three assistants with him to Cullowhee for the 2012 season, while offensive line coach Bob McClain was relieved of his duties. With five changes needing to be made, ASU made its best possible decision with its first one—bringing back Scott Satterfield to be the offensive coordinator and associate head coach for the 2012 season.

Satterfield was the main influence—though not officially titled offensive coordinator—that helped ASU post one of the nation's most dynamic offensive units for three-straight seasons prior to moving on to try his wares as an offensive coordinator at Toledo and Florida International before returning to Boone.

He helped fashion one the greatest offensive juggernauts in FCS history during the 2011 season, as the ASU offense set single-season marks for points scored (641), rushing yards (4,311) and total offensive yards (7,324).

The good news is, Satterfield will inherit an experienced quarterback, who showed a rifle arm and the ability to lead the ASU potent attack much in the same fashion his predecessors Armanti Edwards and Richie Williams once did.

Satterfield had a knack for making a good quarterback a great one, and no doubt Jamal Jackson brings many of the same traits as a signal-caller to the table as Williams did when he led the Mountaineers to the first of three national title runs in his senior campaign back in 2005.

Satterfield himself was of course a former ASU quarterback, leading the program to its only undefeated regular season in school history back in 1995. He helped the Mountaineers run the gauntlet to a Southern Conference title with a perfect 11-0 regular season, including an 8-0 league mark.

In all, Satterfield spent 15 seasons as both a player and a coach on the ASU sidelines before leaving for Toledo prior to the 2009 season. 

Also coming into to help out on the offensive side of the ball this fall all three more new faces, including running backs coach Chris Foster, wide receivers coach Justin Stepp and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford.

Foster comes to ASU from Gardner-Webb, where he served eight seasons—most of which came under the highly successful Steve Patten. Foster coached All-Big South selections in four of his eight seasons in Boiling Springs, N.C.—including Kenny Little last fall, who became the first GWU running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in 11 seasons.

Foster will be charged with improving a unit that ranked its lowest in ground production (6th in SoCon/156.0 YPG) in seven seasons, dating back to the first season of utilizing the spread offense in 2004. 

Stepp is no stranger to the Kidd Brewer Stadium turf, as he was a star wideout for SoCon rival Furman from 2003-06—earning All-SoCon honors twice—and is currently ranked fourth all-time on the school's all-time receptions ledger.

Stepp will have the luxury of coaching one of the fastest WRs to ever take the field at the KBS, as he will welcome in the newest Mountaineer—Oregon transfer Tacoi Sumler. Sumler recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time on the Oregon roster, clocking a 4.24.

ASU's newest WR coach probably knows a little something about speed, too, as Stepp served as an assistant on the Clemson Tiger offensive staff last season, with the likes of young speed merchants Sammy Watkins and Charone Peake helping lead the Tigers to their first ACC crown since 1991. 

Ledford's job will be to begin to build depth along an ASU offensive front that was thin in many areas last season. He will also have to replace two of the final holdovers from that championship-laden era, with the graduation of Matt Ruff (RG) and Orry Frye (LT).

Like Foster, Ledford also comes to ASU from GWU, where he spent the 2011 season. Prior to that, Ledford also served as a member of the Tennessee State staff in 2010, helping the Tigers rank among the best in the nation in fewest sacks allowed, yielding only 13.

Ledford played college football as a standout defensive lineman at ECU before moving onto the NFL, where he played seven seasons.

ASU will also have two new assistants on the defensive side of the football for the 2012 season; welcoming in ASU alum Mark Ivey (1995) to coach the outside LBs, while Bryan Brown is set to coach the CBs. 

Like Satterfield, Ivey knows a little something about winning football games, as he was ASU's newest offensive coordinator's teammate on that '95 squad that went through the regular season unblemished en route to a SoCon title. Ivey started 12 of 13 games for ASU at defensive tackle during his senior season.

For the past 16 seasons, Ivey has been a standout high school coach in the Sunshine State of Florida, serving as the head coach at Cypress Lake High School and Barron Collier High School. Ivey has had to do a little crisis management as of late, as he has had to find a replacement for seasoned starter John Rizor, who was kicked off the team a couple of weeks ago for assault incident involving another ASU student-athlete.

Finally, Brown comes to ASU from SEC West member Ole Miss, where he spent last season serving as a graduate assistant for the Rebels. Brown was a two-sport athlete at Ole Miss from 2003-06, serving the Rebels' football team as a four-year letterwinner. He inherits one of the best CBs in the nation to coach this fall, as Buck Buchanan Award candidate Demetrius McCray led the SoCon with five INTs last season.

This is only the first of the three-part preview heading into the 2012 season for Appalachian State. Please stayed tuned to Bleacher Report, where we will take a detailed look at the ASU offense in the coming days in Part 2 of the 2012 season preview. 

 In this series of articles during the offseason, we will take a look at some of the greatest rivalries in Southern Conference football history. This series of articles will look at games only featuring Southern Conference teams facing off against other league members, whether it be in the regular season or the postseason. 

East Tennessee State vs. Appalachian State

One of the forgotten Southern Conference rivalries in football is the one between the Appalachian State Mountaineers and the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. The rivalry came to an abrupt end, of course, with ETSU canceling its football program at the conclusion of the 2003 campaign.

The ASU-ETSU rivalry probably didn't receive much fanfare because the the Bucs were often not among the elite teams on the Southern Conference gridiron, but it was a game that always seemed to draw great crowds, as the two schools were only separated by about a one-hour drive.

The Bucs played their home football games in the 13,000-seat Memorial Center—also known as the “Mini-Dome"—and weren’t one of the Southern Conference schools that drew particularly well, with the exception of the Appalachian State game.

Appalachian State and East Tennessee State met on 47 occasions, with the Mountaineers dominating the overall series, 32-14-1.

Greatest Moments In the Series

Appalachian State and East Tennessee State saw some significant milestones occur when the two squared off on the gridiron, with one of the greatest memories in the minds of Appalachian State fans being the 2002 meeting, when Appalachian State picked up a 29-10 road win over the Bucs.

Though the win was rather lopsided, Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore would be carried off the field by a couple of Mountaineer linemen, as the veteran head coach became the Southern Conference’s all-time winningest.

The 19-point win gave Moore his 111th win on the Appalachian State sidelines in his 14th season at the helm of the football program, surpassing former Duke head coach Wallace Wade’s previous record of 110 career wins from 1931-41 and 1946-50. Moore has nearly doubled that total since, and he will enter the 2012 season with 207 career wins.

Appalachian State suffered one of its most lopsided home losses in the history of the program in 1997. There was some irony in the 51-28 win on the first Saturday in October, as it was an Appalachian State graduate that coached the Bucs to the sound 23-point win on that afternoon.

Paul Hamilton, who was in his first season at the helm of the East Tennessee State football program, took over at a time when Buccaneer football was at its peak. The Bucs entered the 1997 season coming off of their first and only FCS (then Division I-AA) playoff appearance, and had soundly defeated Appalachian State, 31-10, the previous season in Johnson City.

The Bucs broke the game wide open, showing the nation why (at least for that Saturday) they were worthy of their No. 14 ranking, amassing over 500 yards of total offense en route to the road win over No. 6 Appalachian State.

Making the win even more impressive was the fact that the Buccaneers did it with a freshman quarterback, in the talented Todd Wells, who would go on to an outstanding career which would see him finish his four years in the Tri-Cities as the SoCon’s all-time leader in total offense.  The win would mark the last victory the Bucs would ever garner against the Mountaineers, as ASU closed out the series by claiming six straight victories.

Two years later, the Apps and Bucs would play another memorable contest in front of a massive crowd at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Mountaineers would hold on to get a 23-19 win in front of 24,343 fans, which at the time was the second-largest crowd in the history of Appalachian State football.

The crowd still stands as one of the top 20 home crowds in school history. The win also came on a milestone Saturday in beautiful Boone, N.C.—the Centennial Homecoming Saturday for Appalachian State, founded in 1899.

East Tennessee State provided the large partisan home crowd with some tense moments down the stretch, as the Bucs were nearly to the red zone inside the final 10 seconds, needing a TD to win the ball game.

With the nose of the football touching the 27-yard line and only eight seconds left, reserve Buccaneer quarterback Jamey Chadwell launched a pass intended for wideout Lamar Cooper; however, Mountaineer linebacker Weslan Hunter batted the ball away as time expired, and the Mountaineers held on for a heart-stopping home win over their mountain rival.

The win would be a momentum-building win for the Apps, who went on to finish the regular-season with a 7-1 Southern Conference record, and would finish in a three-way tie with Georgia Southern and Furman for the Southern Conference regular-season title.

ASU and ETSU began their rivalry as members of the old Smoky Mountain Conference. East Tennessee State claimed a 9-6 win in the first-ever meeting between the two schools on Nov. 28, 1928.

The Mountaineers and Buccaneers met twice in postseason games prior to Division I membership, as the two squared off as NAIA members in the postseason in the 1954 and ’55 seasons in the “Burley Bowl.” The Mountaineers claimed a 27-13 win in ’54, while the Bucs returned the favor in ’55 with a 7-0 win.

ASU claimed the last game ever played between the two mountain rivals on Oct. 4, 2003, with a 21-7 homecoming win on a cold, cloudy Saturday inside the friendly confines.

Appalachian State (8-4, 6-2 SoCon)

 Recruiting Needs: Appalachian State comes into signing day 2012 needing to address running back and wide receiver on the offensive side of the football, while the defensive side of the ball sees the Apps needing to address the defensive line.

The Mountaineers have 15 strong verbal commitments and three players that have already signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) going into the day, and listed below are some notes of the top incoming talent for the 2012 class.

Brief Recap of 2011

Appalachian State saw plenty of change and turnover at the end of the 2011 season and have had to really adjust on the fly since a 34-12 loss to Maine brought an abrupt end to the campaign in the second round of the FCS playoffs. ASU has had six assistant coaches leave the program since the end of the season, but have made some important hires in a little over a month and look to be bringing in a solid class from the looks of things. 

Appalachian State's 2011 season ended with an 8-4 record, bringing an end to what many believe to be an era in Boone, N.C. Since 2005, Appalachian State has won three national titles, six league titles and have posted a 79-19 overall record.

The 2011 season turned out to be a bit of a rebuilding campaign for Jerry Moore and company, as the Mountaineers were severely affected by graduation along its offensive line, losing three starters from a year ago. The offensive struggles showed throughout the season, with Appalachian struggling to score early in the season, dropping its season opener, 66-13, to eventual BCS Bowl participant Virginia Tech.

The 66 points surrendered by the Apps were the second most given up in the modern era, bested only by the 72 points the Mountaineers surrendered in the 1978 season.

In the fifth game against The Citadel, an injured DeAndre Presley could not go at quarterback for the Mountaineers, leaving the door open for sophomore Jamal Jackson (161-of-262 passing, 2,001 yds., 15 TDs, eight interceptions/89 rush attempts, 296 yds., 7 TDs, 3.3 YPC).

All Jackson would do was enter the lineup, complete his first 15 passes against the Bulldogs and lead the Mountaineers to their best offensive effort of the 2011 season, culminating in a 49-42 victory. Jackson led a memorable afternoon for the ASU offense, as the Apps rolled up 552 yards of total offense. The Atlanta, Ga. native connected on 21-of-27 passes for 234 yards and three TDs without throwing a pick.  

The highlight of the Mountaineers' 2011 campaign was obviously the 24-17 win over top-ranked Georgia Southern on Oct. 29. It was another "Black Saturday" win for the Mountaineers, marking the first time the Apps had knocked off a nationally top-ranked foe since a 17-16 win over the Eagles at The Rock in 1999. Needing a victory in its regular-season finale against Elon, Appalachian State found itself trailing 21-0 on the road in the opening quarter.

However, the Black and Gold would match their greatest comeback in school history, matching last year's come-from-behind win at Chattanooga, to get a 28-24 win over the Phoenix. Leading 24-14 with only seconds remaining in the opening half, ASU playoff hopes were in as much danger as they had been in since Oct. 31, 2004, when the Apps dropped a wild 59-56 game at Chattanooga, essentially ending their playoff hopes in that particular campaign.

But the Mountaineers would show once again their championship pedigree established over the past six seasons, as All-America wide receiver Brian Quick hauled in his second scoring catch of the evening, making it 24-21 with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. 

It would be the ASU defense that would turned the tide of the game early in the fourth quarter, as freshman defensive end Ronald Blair nailed Elon quarterback Thomas Wilson, and the ball was recovered at the Elon 30 by ASU LB Brandon Grier.

Just five plays later, the Mountaineers would produce what would prove to be the game-winning score, as Jackson connected with backup running back Steven Miller on a short five-yard pass with 11:14 remaining in the game. The ASU defense would make the score hold up, and the Mountaineers would find their way into the postseason for the seventh-straight season.

ASU drew CAA foe Maine as its second-round opponent, as the Mountaineers had done enough to garner a first-round bye in the 20-team FCS playoff field.

The Mountaineers were ousted from the playoffs in 2008 and '10 by CAA teams, as Richmond posted a 33-13 win over the Apps at The Rock in '08, while Villanova ended the Apps' bid for a fourth national crown last season with a 42-24 win at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Both of those losses had occurred a week later in the postseason, and the Mountaineers hadn't lost an opening game of the postseason since 2002, when the Apps dropped a 14-13 decision to Maine.

Those same Black Bears returned to the High Country looking to complete the same feat as they did nine years earlier, and though none of those players were still around in Black Bears uniforms to remember that win, veteran head coach Jack Cosgrove was, as he was in his 19th season in Orono. He brought perhaps his most talented team in his 19 seasons at the helm of the Maine football program, and it showed, as the Mountaineers never seemed to be competitive in the game even though they trailed by only a TD (13-6) at the break. 

The Maine defense completely shut down the Mountaineers ground attack, outgaining the Apps, 216-3, en route to the 34-12 win. The three rushing yards marked the lowest rushing total since 2004, when the Mountaineers were held to minus-three rushing yards in a 40-35 regular-season loss at Northwestern State. The 22-point loss by ASU marked its worst postseason setback since a 35-10 defeat to Middle Tennessee State in 1992. 

Despite the disappointing finish to the campaign, there were a couple of individual milestones that were established during the 2011 season for the Apps. In ASU's 58-6 win in the home opener against North Carolina A&T, Jerry Moore became just the 16th coach in Division I history to win 200 games at one institution.

That victory put him among some of the Division I elites to do it at one school, such as former Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden (304 at FSU), former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno (408 at Penn State) and the late Eddie Robinson (408 wins at Grambling). 

Brian Quick (71 receptions, 1,096 yds., 11 TDs, 15.4 YPR) would establish the other milestone this season for the Apps, as he would finish his standout career in the Black and Gold as the program's all-time leading wide receiver, surpassing former ASU great Rick Beasley (3,124 receiving yards, 1977-80). In fact, Quick finished his career as the school's all-time greatest pass-catcher, posting new school marks for career receptions (202), receiving yards (3,418) and TD catches (31).   

Class Notes (Top Offensive Recruit)

Tysean Holloway (Asheville, N.C./Asheville HS): With the departure of Travaris Cadet, one of the biggest needs the Appalachian State coaching staff had to address heading into signing day 2012 was the running back position. In my opinion, Holloway is a huge pickup for Appalachian State, as the Apps steal Holloway right out from under the noses of Mark Speir and Western Carolina. Holloway right now will be rated as one of my top-rated running backs in the league from the 2012 class. 

Rated as a 2-star recruit by rivals.com, Holloway was sensational during his prep career at Asheville High School. Holloway rushed for 4,844 yards and 77 TDs during his four years as a prep and will likely have a chance to challenge Steven Miller and redshirt freshmen Darius Smith and Rommel Andre for action in the ASU backfield this season. Not since Kevin Richardson has Appalachian State ran the ball effectively in-between the tackles.

At 6'1", 190, Holloway is a powerful runner and runs low to the ground. He will be a player that will come and will surprise from the start. Another positive for Holloway will be that he will be active in the program this spring, as he is already enrolled at ASU and will take part in spring practice in a few weeks. 

Class Notes (Top Defensive Recruit)

John Law (Atlanta, GA/Grady High School): An interesting battle has ensued for the services of linebacker John Law, who's an outstanding athlete right in the backyard of Russ Huesman and the Chattanooga Mocs, just about 45 minutes down I-75 IN Atlanta, Ga. Law was all set to head to Chattanooga before opting out of his original decision and now has decided to attend league rival Appalachian State, citing the program's tradition and history.

ASU has some depth and talent returning at linebacker for the 2012 season, so Law would likely redshirt. Law is now a strong verbal commitment to Appalachian State

The 6'1", 225 lb.-linebacker will fit in nicely as a middle linebacker in ASU's 3-4 scheme. He doesn't test well in his 40 times, but has good "game speed," as is evident in his YouTube clips.

One of the biggest positives Law will bring to ASU is that he is fundamentally sound as a tackler, and he has great hands with the abilty to drop into coverage. He's an extremely physical player and brings many of the same attributes to the table that D.J. Smith brought to the ASU roster last season. He lists an impressive 29.0-inch vertical leap and a 4.74 time in the 40-yard dash.

Below is a list of ASU's verbal commits so far. Please check back tomorrow for more updates on Appalachian State's 2012 recruiting class. I will be updating ASU's class, as well as each of the other eight SoCon schools classes throughout the day as information becomes available.

Appalachian State's 2012 Verbal Commits and Signees Going into Signing Day 2012

*--Denotes player that has already signed National Letter of Intent

*RB Tysean Holloway (6'1", 187), Asheville, N.C.

OL Tyson Fernandez (6'3", 315), Fuquay-Varina, N.C. (strong verbal)

ATH Jaquil Capel (5'11", 180), West Montgomery (verbal)

OL Matt Privette (6'4", 275), Forest Hills, N.C. (strong verbal)

S/QB Paul Magloire (6'1", 205), New Berlin, N.Y. (strong verbal)

*RB Quartterrio Morgan (5'10", 181), Jonesboro, Ga.,/Western Kentucky

DL Dylan Turner (6'3", 250), Augusta, Ga./Air Force Academy

CB/WR Dante Blackmon (5'11", 190), Covington, Ga.

*OL Alex Coulthard (6'6", 320), Rockingham,N.C./University of North Carolina

DL/LB Greg Hall (6'3", 218), Bogart, Ga. (strong verbal)

LB Olawale Dada (6'0", 210), Columbus, Ga. (strong verbal)

TE Barrett Burns (6'4", 220), Woodstock, Ga. (strong verbal)

WR Malachi Jones (6'1", 182), Lawrenceville, Ga. (strong verbal)

CB Aaron Krah (5'11", 179), Durham, N.C. (verbal)

WR Alex Gray (6'3", 198), Suwanee, Ga. (verbal)

DB Kevin Walton (6'1", 180), Greensboro, N.C. (strong verbal)

LB Tashion Singleton (6'3", 215), West Mecklenburg, N.C. (strong verbal)

OL/DL Greg Milhouse (6'2", 251), Garner, N.C. (strong verbal)

DL Darian Small (6'2", 262), Hampton, Ga. (strong verbal)

LB John Law (5'11", 227), Atlanta, Ga. (strong verbal)