Appalachian State Mountaineers
Southern Conference
Appalachian State headed into the 2011 campaign with six straight Southern Conference titles under their belt. The expectations are always high in Boone, North Carolina, but the Mountaineers failed to win the conference this year. Strong teams fielded by the likes Wofford, Georgia Southern and Furman hit Appalachian State during a rebuilding year. But this is still Appalachian State and even in a rebuilding year that does not go exactly as planned, they are in the playoffs. And, as usual, Coach Jerry Moore will make sure his team is a dangerous team in the playoffs too.
2011 Record: 8-3, 6-2
Last Playoff Appearance: 2010
Coach: Jerry Moore (207-82 at Appalachian State, 234-129-2 overall)
Big Wins: 10/22 Samford (35-17), 10/29 Georgia Southern (24-17)
Bad Losses: 10/1 at Wofford (14-28), 11/5 at Furman (10-20)
Strengths:
The defense has done quite well despite what was tabbed as an inexperienced and thin unit. Even in the conference losses to Wofford and Furman, the defense did relatively well. The problem with the defense is the lack of pressure created by the defensive line. Middle linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough leads the team in sacks, but he is not a pass rusher. Kimbrough is everything for this defense and he will always be around the ball and looking to make plays. Fellow linebackers Brandon Grier and John Rizor are also having solid seasons and will help the line at least make the opposing quarterback a little leery of standing in the pocket too long. What this defense does very well is create turnovers. Even without pressuring the quarterback on a consistent basis, the secondary has picked off a ton of passes. Demetrius McCray, Rodger Walker, Troy Sanders and Doug Middleton can all make good plays. Those four are also very productive players in the secondary and just about every team out there will have trouble throwing on the Appalachian State secondary.
Weaknesses:
By Appalachian State standards, the offense has struggled this year. But those standards are quite high. The Mountaineers are used to be among the best in the FCS in total offense, but they have slipped a bit this year. Quarterback Jamal Jackson has done quite well in taking over the offense from fellow signal caller DeAndre Presley. Jackson is not a great passer, but he can make plays with his feet and, unlike Presley, can keep the interceptions to a minimum. Jackson has one of the best receivers in the FCS at his disposal in Brian Quick. Quick is a big time receiver and Appalachian State can spread the ball around a little bit with Andrew Peacock and Tony Washington. Running back Travis Cadet is not a bad pass catcher either. Cadet is the team’s leading rusher, but Steven Miller will also get quite a few carries. Together those two are a decent running back duo even though the numbers may not be all that impressive. With Jackson also making plays with his feet, the ground game has been effective this year. However, this is not the explosive offense we have come to expect from Appalachian State and the defense can only do so much.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Travaris Cadet, RB, 655 yards
Passing: Jamal Jackson, QB, 1,729 yards
Receiving: Brian Quick, WR, 1,055 yards
Tackles: Jeremy Kimbrough, LB, 93
Sacks: Jeremy Kimbrough, LB, 4.0; John Rizor, DE, 4.0
Interceptions: Demetrius McCray, CB, 5
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 169.73 (38th in nation, 4th in conference)
Passing Offense: 231.00 (38, 2)
Total Offense: 400.73 (31, 3)
Scoring Offense: 30.18 (34, 3)
Rushing Defense: 143.36 (45, 3)
Pass Defense: 199.73 (47, 9)
Total Defense: 343.09 (37, 4)
Scoring Defense: 22.91 (37, 3)
Turnover Margin: .45 (36, 4)
Sacks: 2.18 (43, 2)
Sacks Allowed:1.27 (24, 4)
